Tempting Evil by Allison Brennan Read Free Book Online Page B

she were naked. “What do you mean?”
    “Did Jo tell you about our conversation yesterday?”
    “About the convicts? She showed Grandpa, Stan, and me the pictures you faxed. They’re not here.”
    Tyler felt marginally better, but fear still tickled his gut, and he always trusted his instincts. “Just to be on the safe side, stay close to the lodge, okay?”
    “We will. You know Jo is going out to meet Wyatt later, right?”
    “Yes. I’m on my way, Trixie, but it may take all day to get there.”
    “I’ll make sure there’s enough dinner for you.”
    “And a couple deputies.”
    Her voice lost its flirtatious humor. “Why so many?”
    “We need to get the boys home, that’s our number one responsibility. And until we know exactly where the escaped prisoners are, I’m not leaving.”
    “Why? Are they coming here?”
    Jo hadn’t told her family everything, Tyler realized. Maybe it was for the best that they didn’t know how personal the visit was for one of the killers.
    “We’re not sure,” he said. “We’re going off an anonymous call. I should know more when I get there.” He wasn’t going to tell Trixie about her ex-boyfriend’s run-in with Doherty, not over the phone. She knew Lincoln Barnes was dead, and good riddance, but there was still Leah to think about. And if the Feds were right and Aaron Doherty had killed him, Tyler wanted to tell Trixie in person.
    “Trixie,” Tyler added, “please be careful.”
    He hung up and Bonnie came in. “Sam Nash is on line two.”
    Tyler picked up the phone. “Nash, Billy told me you’re loaning us your best sleds. I appreciate it.”
    “Someone broke in to my shed and stole two snowmobiles.”
    Tyler stiffened. “Two?”
    “I thought I heard something yesterday, but I was helping Old Bud Landry bring in feed for his cattle—there was a delay in the delivery, and the truck couldn’t get past Monida, so Pete and I brought it in on Landry’s sleds. I thought the snowmobiles were those damn Worthington teens again, being stupid. Turns out they were my own sleds I heard.”
    “Could they hold more than one person?”
    “They’re single-rider sleds, but two could fit.”
    Great. That didn’t tell him if all three convicts were at large in the valley, or if his caller was correct that there were only two.
    “I’m leaving in ten minutes. If you need me, Bonnie will tap you through to my radio.”
    He hung up, dialed the lodge again.
    The phone rang. And rang.
    Twenty rings later Tyler slammed the phone down. “Billy! We’re leaving now.”

TEN
    Jo hadn’t wanted to take John Miller with her to deliver breakfast and check on the guests at the two cabins. But Stan had put her on the spot and she didn’t want to be rude.
    “Okay,” she said, bounding into the kitchen at quarter to eight. “Where’s my little helper?”
    Stan gave her a look and handed Trixie two plates. “Got it?” he asked.
    “I’m not going to drop them,” Trixie snapped and left.
    “He’s already outside.” Stan watched Trixie leave to serve Cleve and Kristy Johnston who were sitting in the formal dining room on the far side of the foyer. “On the deck. He has some thinking to do.”
    “Don’t we all?” Jo said, not meaning to sound callous. “I talked to Wyatt earlier this morning and I’m going to head out to the Kimball homestead by nine—as soon as I’m done with this. I want to get Ben Ward back before the snow starts again, and NWS predicts it’ll be falling heavy by two at the latest.”
    “You should bring someone with you. At least until we know more about where those convicts were headed. I don’t like the idea of you out alone when there could be escaped prisoners in the area.”
    “Nobody knows where they are. They might be anywhere in Montana or Idaho—or Wyoming for that matter. Heck, they could have made it up to Canada, which would have been the smart thing. And you have their pictures, so we know who we’re looking for.”
    “Yes, we