Changes Coming Down by Kaje Harper

Author:Kaje Harper [Harper, Kaje]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-11-26T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Casey picked up the manila envelope off the kitchen table in Will’s trailer and turned it in his fingers. He’d already dusted the outside for prints and come up empty. Time to open it. Scotty’s playing his first game in the NHL tonight. The timing sucked.

Will said, “It won’t get prettier for waiting.”

He slit the flap and shook out a single sheet of paper. “YOUR SEX TAPE’S CUED UP ONLINE. IT’LL GO TO YOUTUBE, UNLESS I’M AROUND TO STOP IT. SO NO TRICKS. $100,000 IN CASH TOMORROW AT FOUR PM. PUT IT IN A SMALL DUFFLE BAG. DRIVE TO THE CROSS AT THE MILL ROAD INTERSECTION. LOOK FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS. OR ELSE EVERYONE GETS TO HEAR THE SHERIFF FUCKING THE COWBOY.”

It was Will fucking him, dammit. Not that it mattered. Casey muttered a curse.

Will said, “Now what?”

“Four tomorrow. The bank closes at noon Saturdays, so we’ll have to get the money before then. If they have it. I doubt our little branch keeps that kind of cash on hand.”

“Wouldn’t he realize that?”

Casey shrugged. “Who knows how well he’s thought this out? I think he’s watched too many episodes of America’s Most Wanted.”

“Will you get the money, if you can?”

“No. We discussed that. I’ll get enough to fake it at a quick glance. That’s all. If he gets away with it, it won’t matter if there’s two thousand or a hundred thousand in there. He’ll be back either way.”

“Are you going to ask anyone to help?”

There was the pinch. He needed to. He couldn’t deliver the cash and keep watch as well, and he couldn’t expect Will to play cop. But… Yeah, he hadn’t yet told any of the deputies about this, because the first question would be who was being blackmailed for what. He could, of course, say it was none of their business. But asking men to take risks, against someone who might be a killer, without giving them good information, felt wrong.

There was no right here.

“You could ask your friend Max to back you up.” Will eyed him steadily.

“He does tech stuff, not guns.”

“He was a Marine.”

“Yeah, he is.” Once a Marine, always a Marine. “But he put the guns down when he retired. I’m not going to ask him to pick them back up for me.”

“This might not involve any violence.”

“Might not. Or it might. Shit!” He shoved to his feet. “I could go to Peterson, and Landon, and the Cobalt guys. Punch them around a bit. Someone would confess.”

“Then they’d get set free due to police brutality, and you go to jail, and the recording goes out on the Net anyway.”

“Yeah.” He went and knelt by Will’s chair. “I’m starting to think there’s no way to stop that, regardless.”

“Other than paying up.”

He laid his head on Will’s knee and closed his eyes. Will’s fingers brushed over his hair. He swallowed hard. “We can’t.”

“I know.”

“So.”

“We’re coming out.” Will’s tone was almost serene.

“Yeah.” He said it to the hay-scented denim over Will’s thigh.

Will murmured, “One more night for just us.

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