Free Stolen Kisses (Leap of Love Book 2) by Paige Powers Page A

save Lily. He worried about her well being. Was she being fed? Was she warm and out of the elements? Was she afraid? Did she know in her heart that they were coming to rescue her?
    By the time Brent arrived, there were three men besides the sheriff awaiting his arrival.
    "Ah, here he is now. Come on in, Brent."
    Brent walked in and closed the door. The men sat around a table. The room lit with kerosene lamps.
    "Gentlemen."
    They all nodded.
    "Have a seat, Abbott." Sheriff Dyer pointed to the chair next to him.
    Having a seat, Brent was able to get a better look at the men that joined them around the table.
    "Abbott, this is Suarez, Jacoby, and del Sol."
    "del Sol? As in Miguel del Sol?" Brent questioned.
    "Yes. That would be me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Abbott."
    Brent's only response was a grunt. It was certainly not a pleasure to meet del Sol and especially not under these circumstances.
    Brent nodded in greeting to the man. del Sol was small in stature, but sat with the charisma and confidence of a large, burly man.
    "Abbott, these are the leaders of the banditos . If anyone can help us out, they can."
    Brent had to resist the urge to jump up out of his seat. "How is it that they are helping us? Are they not the same men that are trying to buy Lily for ransom?"
    "Now let's not get emotion in the way here." Sheriff Dyer threw his hands in the air to cool the men in the room.
    Brent backed down, but rage was still brewing. He was sitting face to face with an opportunist.
    "First, where is Lily?" the sheriff asked. "We need to be aware of her location."
    "The banditos and I are aware of her location and can assure you that she is safe."
    Brent could feel the steam rising from his collar. This conversation was not going the way he intended, but he knew that letting steam off would not be helpful in this case. He needed to make sure Lily came home and that was all that mattered.
    "Her safety is of utmost importance. Next we need to know that we can get her home. How is working with you and the banditos going to get her home?" Brent questioned.
    "Very good question, Ranger Abbott. As you know, we are a sort of group of outlaws. We often are privy to much information that others do not have. It is the way that we know that Lily is safe and that she can be brought home."
    Everyone was quiet as del Sol spoke.
    "Jones is a, how can I say it, unscrupulous man. He can be sold at any price. Money is his motivator. I have not known anything else to move him. Except this time. It is known that he wants this Lily for himself and that he felt that Ranger Abbott was in the way of that. So now his motivator is power and money. Do you see where we are going with this, Abbott?"
    "I was not aware that I was such a threat to such a man. He has money and status and can get any woman that he wants. Why would he be so inclined to create a challenge over this one woman out of all of the women in the world?"
    The men were silent for a moment before del Sol spoke.
    "This dates back a decade or so. Juan Sanchez once worked for Jones. I'm sure you heard the story about how Sanchez left to work for himself and make a go of it on his own. The reason why was Jones had been vying for Lily Sanchez's heart and Jones would not hear of it. Story goes there was a scuffle between Jones and Sanchez and Sanchez walked away with the right to leave. But since then, Jones has randomly made life hell for Sanchez and his family.
    "Abbott, you have stepped into a firestorm: a decades-long conflict between two men. There is much at stake. Respect. Family. Power. I’m not sure how you would like to approach this one."
    All eyes were on Sheriff Dyer.
    "Whatever we do, we need to have the least amount of collateral damage possible."
    del Sol stared at both of them, waiting for what he deemed the correct response in his book.
    "And of course, the banditos would be first in line for the reward for finding a missing person," Sheriff Dyer revealed.
    Brent was confused