Page 43 of Daybreak

Can you pop into the kitchen a minute? I need to tell you something.

Less than a minute later, he heard his dad coming into the living room and heading to the kitchen.

Jacob walked in smiling. “What’s up?”

“I’m packed and heading back to Dallas. Stuff has come up that can’t be ignored. If anybody calls here asking for me, just tell them I’m in Dallas and nothing more.”

“What’s wrong?” Jacob asked.

“I’ll just say… The dirty cop may have just revealed himself without knowing it, and it could have put me in his crosshairs. But forewarned is forearmed. Asher knows and is working on confirmation, and I’ll be holed up in my home, waiting. Just know that I am in no more danger now than I would be just doing my job every day, okay? It’s just coming from another direction.”

“Does your boss know you’re going back?”

“He will soon enough, but I don’t want that happening until I’m already there.”

“What the hell, son? Don’t you trust him anymore?”

Gunner shrugged. “Right now, Dad, I trust no one from that department, and that’s all I’m going to say. Tell Pearl I’m sorry I won’t get to say goodbye, but the sooner I leave, the sooner I get to Dallas and end this.”

“What about Holly? I thought you two were hitting it off.”

“We are. But she’s in healing mode, and we’ll reconnect later. I’ll let her know I’m leaving, but nothing more needs to be said about her to anyone outside of our circle, okay?”

Jacob wrapped his arms around his son and hugged him long and hard. “Godspeed, son. Stay safe. Call when you can.”

“I will. Sorry about all this,” Gunner said.

“Hell no, you have nothing to apologize for, understand?”

“Understood. Love you, Dad, and I’m still moving back here. It’s just been delayed a bit,” Gunner said.

Jacob nodded. “Love you, too, boy. Love you, too.” His shoulders slumped as Gunner walked out.

After all these years, Jacob had learned that the hardest thing about parenting was after the children are grown and gone. Whatever was going on in their lives from one day to the next was now off-limits and beyond his control.

Then he remembered where he was supposed to be and went back inside the bar, pretending everything was fine. He’d have to tell Pearl when she got home, but that was a secret to share for later.

* * *

Gunner pulled out onto Highway 86 eastbound with the sun behind him and didn’t look back. He didn’t want to think about things that could go wrong or the last memory of home he might have would be the Tumbleweed, disappearing behind him in the distance. He’d rather remember the feel of his dad’s arms around him and the look of expectation on Holly Dillon’s face.

The urge to call her was huge, but she’d just gone home to rest, and the last thing he wanted to do was give her something else to worry about. He’d call after he was back in Dallas, when there was more time to explain.

* * *

Once Dixon was convinced all parties had been notified that the bounty had been nullified, instead of being relieved, his embarrassment at being outsmarted by a cop began to overflow into his legal business.

Whistler became witness to Dixon’s random acts of rage at other people, including his secretary at the office, the staff at the estate, and even the managers at his Dixon Down and Dirty cleaning services.

Whistler had never seen the boss so uncertain or afraid, and he knew it did not bode well for his place in the system.

Dixon’s solution to a problem was just to kill all persons involved, and Whistler was now in that mix—because he’d let a cop catch him off guard, and in Dixon’s eyes, that meant he was no longer trustworthy. Which also meant Whistler’s days were numbered. Now he had to decide if he should just disappear or first get rid of the man who knew all of his secrets, and where they were buried.

* * *

Unaware of Gunner’s hasty exit from Crossroads, Holly had showered, changed into pajamas, and then crawled up on her bed with her laptop to go through her email. Her boss at the realty office was sympathetic to her situation but was now asking when she planned to return, and she didn’t know that answer for herself. The thought of her dad all alone in this big ranch house made her sad. And knowing Gunner was planning to move back to Crossroads made going back to Dallas even less appealing.

She was still going through the messages when Trudy saw her and knocked.