Brody (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood Book 3)

you have any idea what happened?”
Brody gave a subtle shake of his head, letting Greg know he didn’t want to answer. Not yet. He’d answer his questions once they were at the Summers’ homestead, because he had some questions of his own, and he didn’t want to ask them while he had an audience. Besides, Greg might feel more comfortable around their old stomping grounds.
Brody walked over to his mother and whispered low enough Greg couldn’t hear. “I need to take him over to his family’s place. I won’t be gone long. Can you take care of Beth and Jamie? I’ll give Rafe a call, make sure he knows I’ll be gone for a little while.”
“Beth will be fine. So will Jamie. Your brothers are here. Your father is here, too. Nobody’s getting within a mile of either one of them, I promise.”
“Thanks, Momma. Love you.”
“Love you too. Now, git.” She playfully swatted at him with the dish towel in her hand. “I got a whole passel of hungry people to feed, and don’t need you underfoot.”
Grinning, he snagged a couple pieces of bacon, stuffing them in his mouth, and jogged out of the kitchen. Knowing Beth would be taken care of while he dealt with Greg made him feel easier about taking him over to the site of the fire. He had questions, and he hoped his suspicions were wrong.
He needed to wait, get the results from the lab in Austin. Concrete evidence what he suspected was, in fact, true. Within minutes, he was dressed and headed for the door. Greg joined him, and they climbed into Brody’s truck and headed for the Summers’ place.
The ride took about twenty minutes, and they caught up on the things happening in their lives. Greg had started a new job a couple of months earlier, and was dating a woman he’d met at his previous job. From the way his voice warmed when he talked about her, he obviously cared about her. He hoped Greg found some happiness, because he knew things would change as his parents aged, and his mother’s cancer worsened.
Following the dirt and gravel road turnoff toward the barn, Brody gave a curse and sped up until he was parallel with the barn. The brakes squealed as the truck rocketed to a halt, and Brody slammed his fist against the steering wheel.
Smoke spiraled upward from the charred remains of the barn. The walls, which had remained from the initial fire, now lay in ashes and ruin, the stench of gasoline and smoke choking the air.
“What’s going on?” Horror colored Greg’s voice.
“Looks like once wasn’t enough. The barn’s been burned again.”

CHAPTER TWELVE
Evan grumbled a curse, rolling over on the cold, bare concrete floor. Every bone, every joint ached as he scooted back to lean against the dirty, nasty, grease-stained wall. He’d managed to find an abandoned garage space away from town. It had taken far longer to reach the outskirts of Shiloh Springs than he’d planned. Turns out Shiloh Springs wasn’t some little Podunk town in the middle of nowhere, it was also the name of the county, a lot of which was covered by nothing but dirt, trees, and a bunch of dead-looking bushes.
Getting this far had been a chore, one he hadn’t anticipated. Turns out, most people in Texas were leery about picking up hitchhikers. Who’d have thought it? After all, Texans were supposed to be friendly, kind, and courteous to strangers. Ha, what a crock! Only two cars had stopped the entire time he’d been walking with his thumb out, and he’d ended up hoofing it most of the way.
When he wasn’t hiding.
Every bone ached from lying on the hard, cold concrete. Of course, it was still better than sleeping outside. One more thing he could lay at Beth’s feet. One more black mark she’d pay for when he caught up to her. Her ledger contained page after page of black tally marks, and he’d make sure she’d pay for each one.
Brushing off his wrinkled clothes as best he could in the diffused morning light spilling through the filthy windows, he stared at the pattern of sunlight sparkling on the broken glass sprinkled along the ground, projecting prisms of light against dirty, graffiti-stained walls.
“I can’t believe I’ve sunk this low. Scrounging around dumps like this for a place to sleep. No food, no water. Not even a pot to piss in.”
With a last frowning look around, he stepped outside, shielding his eyes with his hand, letting them adjust to the sudden change in lighting. Taking a deep breath, he stretched, loosening up his muscles. His mind whirled, thoughts bouncing around like bingo balls in one of those automated hoppers, while scene after scene of what he’d do when he caught up with Beth raced through his head. A crooked smile tugged at his lips with every image, each nastier than the one before.
He knew he couldn’t simply walk up to her in the middle of town. There’d be far too many people around. Besides, she’d feel safe with her friends and family around her. Not to mention those blasted Boudreaus. Especially that scum-sucking sheriff and his equally pesky brother. He really wanted to meet Rafe Boudreau in a dark alley. Give him five minutes and he’d eliminate him, painfully and finally.
And Tessa. Oh, sweet little Tessa owed him big time. Most of the blame for his current dilemma lay directly at Tessa’s door. If she’d given him the Crowley County bond, he’d be living the good life in another country, instead of having been sentenced to decades behind bars. And while he was at it, he might as well add his attorney to the list of people who needed to pay for betraying him. Camilla ended up finding somebody to take his case, because she felt horrible he was behind bars. She was sweet and naïve, totally gullible, and believed every word out of his mouth. Hook, line, and sinker.
And the idiot lawyer? More like