Brody (Texas Boudreau Brotherhood Book 3)

I’ll give you a call.”
Brody watched Greg slowly rise from the chair and start down the hall. He turned back once, and gave a half-hearted wave, and then disappeared out the front door. With a sigh, he followed, knowing Greg had forgotten his car was still at the Big House. Shock would do that to a person.
With a quick wave to Sally Anne, he caught up with Greg standing on the sidewalk, and drove him back to his family’s ranch, then watched him head back to San Antonio. That little niggle of instinct told him there was something else, something more, behind the Summers’ fire, and he was close. Facts and figures raced through his head, spinning and swirling, beginning to coalesce into a picture—one he hoped was wrong. Because if his instincts were on point, more than one family would suffer as a result.
Sometimes he really hated being right.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Beth stood on the front porch, and watched the white sedan driving toward the Big House. Camilla called from Houston earlier, after picking up her rental car, letting Beth know she was on her way. Camilla had been crying, anxious and upset about Evan’s escape. She’d gotten a call from the FBI, questioning her about her brother’s whereabouts and warning her to contact them if her brother contacted her in any way. Beth couldn’t imagine Evan contacting Camilla, not after Camilla cut ties with him after he took the plea deal.
Stepping off the porch, Beth waited for her to park the car beside Ms. Patti’s white Escalade before walking to meet her. Camilla threw herself into Beth’s arms, her red eyes indicating Beth was right about her tears.
“I’m sorry!”
“It’s not your fault. Come on, let’s go inside. Pop the trunk and I’ll grab your bag.”
“I can get it. It’s just the one suitcase, since I won’t be here long.” Camilla lifted out the suitcase and slammed the trunk shut, before placing both hands on it and leaning forward. “How did things get so screwed up, Beth?”
“I’ve wondered that too. Looking back, I should have seen the signs Evan wasn’t happy. I wasn’t happy either, though I didn’t want to admit it.”
They walked into the house, and Camilla set her suitcase against the wall. “This place is gorgeous. I’ll admit, I stopped at the end of the drive and stared at it for several minutes. It’s like a combination of epic grandeur and a big warm welcome home.”
“Wait until you meet the Boudreau family. You’ll really understand that warm welcome part.” Beth smiled at her friend. It didn’t matter she was her former sister-in-law. It didn’t matter Evan turned out to be a monster, intent on ruining her life. What mattered was the friendship she’d forged with Camilla from the day they’d met. Somehow, she needed to fight past Camilla’s guilt, and get her to realize Beth didn’t blame her by her brother’s actions.
Beth led her into the kitchen, which was empty of people after a morning rush of Boudreaus traipsing in and out, grabbing breakfast and a quick chat. Ms. Patti had finally headed to her home office, intent of telecommuting this morning, and dealing with the gigantic mountain of paperwork, as she’d called it. Not that Beth believed it for a second. Ms. Patti was one of the most organized people she’d ever met. She ran her business and her family with an iron hand wrapped in a velvet glove, strict and firm yet with a dose of love. No doubt her home office was as organized as the one in town. The woman ran the biggest real estate office in Shiloh Springs and the surrounding counties, and not a day went by she didn’t have her finger on the pulse of the buying and selling community. To say nothing of the woman knowing everything that went on in her town. And Beth meant everything.
“Where’s Jamie?” Camilla laid her purse on the table, and looked around the kitchen. “I really need to catch up on my hugs.”
Beth smiled. “She’s in the barn. Last time I checked, she’d helped brush down the horses. Now she’s playing with the kittens. One of the barn cats had a litter a couple of weeks ago. I’m praying she doesn’t want to take one home with her when we leave.”
There was an awkward silence for a few minutes after her statement, before Camilla touched Beth’s arm. “We might as well talk about the five-hundred-pound elephant in the room and get it out of the way. What have the police said about Evan? Do they have any leads on where he is?”
Beth motioned for her to sit, and then pulled two glasses out of the cabinet, filling them with ice. She added sweet tea to both and handed one to Camilla before sitting at the table. She measured her words carefully; after all, good, bad, or indifferent, Camilla was still Evan’s sister.
“Rafe, Tessa’s fiancé, who’s also the sheriff, is in constant contact with the officials at the prison, the Texas Highway Patrol, the Texas Rangers, the Austin FBI office, and a host of others looking into Evan’s escape. Law enforcement throughout the state is looking for him.”
“This is crazy. I keep wondering what he’s thinking. Doesn’t he know this can’t end well?”
And isn’t that the understatement of the year?
“I can’t even presume to understand what’s going on in Evan’s head. I do know his cellmate was recaptured sometime during the night. Rafe heard about it early this morning. Axel Fleming, that’s Evan’s cellmate, and his girlfriend were arrested at the border, attempting to get into Mexico. Both claim they haven’t seen Evan since they left him at a gas station. Tracks with the information we were given yesterday. Evan was last seen at one of those convenience store places, where he changed clothes and disappeared. One of the workers there reported to a state trooper somebody matching Evan’s description came in and bought a bunch of snacks, water, and a map.”
Beth toyed with