Off Course, page 26
This is nothing, he told himself.
Nothing at all.
He spent the few minutes it took to drive into town with the radio up. He let Randy Houser attempt to drown out the anxiety. “Still that Cowboy” played through the speakers, and for a brief moment, it helped.
Baz pulled onto Main Street and drove by the bakery. The sun bounced off the glass, making it impossible to see inside, so he skimmed the cars parked on the street. He didn’t see JJ’s, so he kept going, circling behind the buildings where there was overflow parking.
Relief made him light-headed when he saw her car. He pulled up beside it, grabbed his phone, and dialed her number. He just needed to hear her voice. When she answered, he would play it off as a joke, telling her he was starving, and if she didn’t hurry back, he would blow away in a breeze.
The call rang and rang, then ended with her voicemail prompt. “You’ve reached JJ. You should know better than to call. I do all my communicatin’ via text. Try that.”
Baz disconnected. He shot her a text.
You comin’ home anytime soon?
He sat patiently, waiting for her to answer. Ten minutes later, when the text still didn’t show to be read, his panic surged again.
“Fuck it.” Baz got out of his truck.
He glanced in her car as he passed. Maybe she was hiding in the backseat. His current level of crazy would allow for that sort of outcome.
She wasn’t.
Baz kept walking. He took the long way around, slipping between the real estate office and the bakery, coming out at the corner where the two met. He opened the door to the bakery and peered around, searching for JJ. She wasn’t there.
“Good morn—Oh, hey, Baz.” Ramona grinned. “Are you coming back for more cronuts for JJ?”
Baz tried to school his expression. “What do you mean more? Was JJ here?”
Ramona’s smile fell. “Yeah.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Probably an hour ago. She’s not home?”
“No.”
“That’s odd. She got you some chocolate milk. I figured she was heading there after this.”
She was supposed to. He didn’t tell her that.
“Maybe she went to the bookstore,” Ramona suggested.
Baz forced a smile. “Yeah. Probably. Thanks.”
He made a beeline for the bookstore, which was just past the real estate office. It was closed.
Clutching his phone in his fist, Baz walked back to the parking lot, going the other way this time. As soon as he turned the corner, he came to a stop. A bag was on the ground, the contents scattered across the concrete—a bottle of chocolate milk, a bottle of orange juice, and two other small white bags.
And JJ’s cell phone. The magnetic wallet that always fell off was a few inches away.
Baz fought the panic that strangled him. He dialed his phone, calling the only person he knew who could help him.
“What’s up? It’s supp—”
“Brantley.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, Jesus God.”
The levity in Brantley’s tone disappeared instantly. “Baz? What’s wrong? Is JJ okay? The baby?”
“Fuck.” Baz tried to get air into his lungs, but they were too tight.
“Baz,” Brantley snapped. “What happened?’
“She’s gone,” he gasped.
“What do you mean gone?”
Baz took a deep, strangled breath. “She came to the bakery. Her car’s here. She’s not. I’ve looked everywhere. She’s … oh, God. She’s missing.”
“Stay put. We’ll be right there.”
<<<— STAY TUNED —>>>
I hope you enjoyed this installment of the Off the Books Task Force. Relationships are forming, and new things are coming to light about the past. They’ll continue to do so because it’s not over for Brantley and Reese, JJ and Baz, and the rest of the task force. There’s a new mission underway. Quite possibly, the most important mission of all.
Each book in this series is a full-length novel involving a new case and the continuation of the relationships between them all. And I promise not to keep you waiting long for each installment.
If you enjoyed Off Course, please consider leaving a review.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I know, I know. You don’t like the ending. I don’t either.
With that said, I don’t want you to hate me. I promise there will be more very soon. I didn’t do this lightly. There is a method to my madness, and if you read the dedication at the beginning of RAFE, you know that something is coming. Something big. I’m propelling the story forward for a reason. Things have to happen before that “something big” comes to be. You should notice the pattern if you’re keeping up with the Walker universe. Be patient. It’ll be worth it.
Now for my thanks…
My husband is always at the top of the list because he allows me to live my dream, and he has dinner with me every night, even if he thinks I might spend too much time talking to imaginary people. I’m okay with that as long as I don’t have to cook.
Next is Chancy Powley. She motivates me to plug the holes before she can find them. I never catch them all, but I think she’ll agree that I’ve improved immensely over the past decade.
I can’t forget Jenna Underwood. Although she keeps moving, and always east—and farther from me each time—I still like her. She insists on proof of life when I don’t answer the phone after too many weeks, which means she cares. For that, I’m grateful.
Nicole Nation 2.0, for the constant support and love and for those of you who have my back. You’ve been there for me from almost the beginning. This group of ladies has kept me going for so long that I’m not sure I’d know what to do without them.
And, of course, YOU, the reader. Your emails, messages, posts, comments, tweets… they mean more to me than you can imagine. I thrive on hearing from you; knowing that my characters and stories have touched you somehow keeps me going. I’ve been known to shed a tear or two when reading an email because your support brings so much joy to my life. I thank you for that.
ABOUT NICOLE EDWARDS
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in the suburbs of Austin, Texas, with her husband, their three fur babies, and the youngest of their three children, who has threatened never to leave home. When Nicole is not writing about sexy alpha males and sassy, independent women, she can often be found with a book in hand or attempting to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on social media and interacting with her readers - even when she's supposed to be writing.
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BY NICOLE EDWARDS
THE WALKERS
ALLURING INDULGENCE
Kaleb
Zane
Travis
Holidays with the Walker Brothers
Ethan
Braydon
Sawyer
Brendon
THE WALKERS OF COYOTE RIDGE
Curtis
Jared (a crossover novel)
Hard to Hold
Hard to Handle
Beau
Rex
A Coyote Ridge Christmas
Mack
Kaden & Keegan
Alibi (a crossover novel)
Trey
Rafe
BRANTLEY WALKER: OFF THE BOOKS
All In
Without a Trace
Hide & Seek
Deadly Coincidence
Alibi (a crossover novel)
Secrets
Confessions
Bounty
Off Course
AUSTIN ARROWS
Rush
Kaufman
CLUB DESTINY
Conviction
Temptation
Addicted
Seduction
Infatuation
Captivated
Devotion
Perception
Entrusted
Adored
Distraction
Forevermore
DEAD HEAT RANCH
Boots Optional
Betting on Grace
Overnight Love
Jared (a crossover novel)
DEVIL’S BEND
Chasing Dreams
Vanishing Dreams
MISPLACED HALOS
Protected in Darkness
Salvation in Darkness
Bound in Darkness
OFFICE INTRIGUE
Office Intrigue
Intrigued Out of the Office
Their Rebellious Submissive
Their Famous Dominant
Their Ruthless Sadist
Their Naughty Student
Their Fairy Princess
Owned
PIER 70
Reckless
Fearless
Speechless
Harmless
Clueless
PRIMAL INSTINCTS
Chase (Volume 1-3)
Capture (Volume 4-6)
Claim (Volume 7-9)
SNIPER 1 SECURITY
Wait for Morning
Never Say Never
Tomorrow’s Too Late
SOUTHERN BOY MAFIA/DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND
Beautifully Brutal
Without Regret
Beautifully Loyal
Without Restraint
STANDALONE NOVELS
Unhinged Trilogy
A Million Tiny Pieces
Inked on Paper
Bad Reputation
Bad Business
Filthy Hot Billionaire
RULE
NAUGHTY HOLIDAY EDITIONS
2015
2016
2021
Nicole Edwards, Off Course
