Liam would give Brad the benefit of the doubt. And at some point, he might find a way to share what he knew about the questionable investor with his friend.
He’d spent the morning reviewing the technical aspects of the security systems and meeting with his security crew, all while watching for suspicious activity. He would make sure they were all trained to watch for the warning signs as well, if they weren’t already. If he wasn’t here for Rae in her search for Zoey, Liam would still be here with Brad. This opportunity intrigued him. It would keep him close to home but not necessarily at home.
Still, the private investigating he was doing for Rae interested him, too, and Austin had invited him to join him as a private investigator. Maybe he would take Austin up on that. Whether he worked for Brad or with Austin, Liam had no idea how he would tell Heath that he didn’t think guest ranching was going to work for him.
Brad popped his arm. “You’re a million miles away, bro. What’s up? Are you thinking about Rae? Or your investigation into the missing woman?”
“Yes to both questions.” He jammed his hands into his pockets and gave Brad the grin he expected. I need to get out of here. “Don’t worry, Brad. I’m on top of things here too.”
Brad smiled as if reassured, but then he released a nervous laugh. That raised Liam’s hackles.
“I met with the team today. Got a good look at the security and surveillance technology, but I need to meet up with Rae. You understand.”
“I do. But, Liam, I need you here for a few more minutes.”
Liam cringed. Before he could object, Brad continued. “I wouldn’t ask, but one of the investors is here. Made a surprise trip. I only found out he was coming this morning.”
Liam wasn’t a fan of surprises. It couldn’t be Astor, could it?
Brad lifted his chin high, confident. “I couldn’t have come up with all the funding, all the permits required, or even connections to open another resort in this valley without his help.”
“Who is he?” Liam crossed his arms.
“His name is Devon Winters.”
Liam didn’t know the man.
“We’ll have to meet him in his vehicle. He doesn’t like crowds. Kind of odd, but he’s my father’s longtime business partner, and now he’s mine as well. I’m indebted to him.”
“What are we waiting on?” Liam asked.
Brad glanced at his cell. “A text. That’s him. They’re here. Follow me.”
Liam followed his friend out into the parking lot. He hadn’t donned his coat. Brad hurried through the parked cars to a black SUV at the back. Brad climbed into the front passenger seat, and Liam got into the back, glad for the warm air.
Liam’s vision tunneled in on the man sitting in the back seat next to him—his crisp business suit and red tie—then zoomed out again.
Devon Winters was Malcom Fox.
Liam’s courage tried to flee, but he held on to it as he held on to the last breath he’d taken. Brad had known this man his entire life but didn’t seem to be aware that he had recently been released from prison.
“Mr. Winters,” Brad said, “this is our new head of security, Liam McKade.”
He’d gone by Liam Mercer while working for Fox’s organization.
Liam understood how difficult it could be to keep two or more identities—aliases—separate in this day and age, but with meticulous and careful planning, it could be done.
Liam had spent years playing along. Playing the game. His instincts kicked in, and without another thought, he thrust his hand forward. “Very pleased to meet you, Mr. Winters.”
Recognition flashed in the man’s eyes. Liam sported a different look now, but he’d met this man. He didn’t think Malcom forgot a face.
Now they were together again. Face-to-face.
Accident? Deliberate? Nothing happened by coincidence.
All the pieces floating around in his mind started moving together. Making sense.
Malcom Fox, aka Devon Winters, had wanted to expand into trafficking via resorts and hotels. He’d long ago connected with the Astor brothers, who had resorts in the region. But five years ago in Denver, connections began to unravel when crazy-stalker Simon took Zoey. Zoey escaped, and Simon was murdered. Fox continued to work with Enzo, or perhaps blackmailed him, which was Fox’s modus operandi for effective persuasion.
He’d been connected to this region long before Rae and Liam had exposed some of his operations last year. Only the feds hadn’t linked him to his Devon Winters identity.
Fox didn’t seem surprised to see Liam. Or maybe he was good at playing this game too.
“Brad spoke highly of you, and I told him, sure, why not. Let’s see what this former DEA agent can do for us when it comes to security. But I think we’ve met before. You and I.” He grinned. “Let’s talk. Brad, do me a favor and grab us some coffees.”
Brad hesitated, then said, “Sure. I’ll be right back.”
He exited the vehicle, slamming the door behind him.
Fox’s grin grew. “I like the idea of you working for me.”
“As head of security, I’ll be sure that no one gets away with crimes like trafficking operations of any kind.”
Revenge. Fox wanted revenge. But it appeared he would take his time to get it.
Liam’s heart pounded. He should put a fist in the man’s face right now. Liam had worked so long and hard to put Fox behind bars. How did Liam play this so Fox went back to prison and stayed there? This was an awkward position at best—the guy knew full well that Liam had been instrumental in taking him down. And yet he sat there, liking the idea that Liam would work for him?
Liam would never work for him.
Unless . . . Unless Fox had somehow found a way to extort Liam, like he’d done others.
Rae.
He wished he had a weapon on him. It suddenly seemed ridiculous that he had started a job as head of security and had no weapon. He forced his breathing to slow. He couldn’t let this man know the fear he felt rising inside.
Fox placed his cell phone on the console separating the seats. A video played across the screen. The inside of Liam’s home—Evelyn was fluffing pillows.
Acid burned in his gut. The person who’d come to the ranch and claimed to have booked a cabin. Pete must have stumbled on them, and that was their cover story. They must be responsible. “You lay a finger on her—”
Fox lifted his hand. He swept it across the screen to another image.
Rae at Jackson Hole Airport yesterday.
“You’re going to work for me until I feel you’ve paid me back for what you cost me.”
How long had Fox been planning this? The entire time he’d been in prison?
“Are you out of your mind?” That was never going to happen. Liam would get the police involved. Didn’t Fox know this? Liam studied him, unsure what to say to someone this far gone. No one was invincible. Still, Liam had to think this through before he responded.
Fox held up his finger and swiped the screen again. Who else? Who else could he possibly target?
A beautiful redhead in a swimsuit laughed, sitting next to her husband. Heath.
Palm trees swayed in the breeze.
The image stunned Liam. Fox held all the cards.
The man leaned in. “You thought you could infiltrate my organization and bring me down. You thought wrong. And now you think you can save them. Have me arrested. You can try, but someone is going to die. My people are in place watching. If something happens to me, then someone dies. You can’t save them all. And I’ll simply disappear again. Worst case for me, I go back to prison—for a short time. But I conduct my operations from there as well. As you can see, I’ve been doing that all along. Someone you love is going to die this time, Mercer, excuse me, McKade. Can you risk that?”
Terror threatened to gut him, but he kept a stone face. “What do you want from me?”
/> “Nothing will change for you here. This is my new home of operation. My expansion. Work as head of security and keep silent about indiscretions you see. There could be times I need you to do more—like tonight. I’ll assign you a task later, to seal the deal. Everyone stays safe as long as you play the game.”
Play by your rules, you mean.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
1:54 p.m.
Mountain Valley Adventures
The cowboy powder was just as Ivan had described. Rae thought her heart might explode from the pure joy, the thrill of skiing across pristine deep powder, the glory of the mountains surrounding her, and a bright blue sky belying an approaching blizzard.
Ivan signaled, and everyone stopped as the hill flattened out. “We’ll take the east slope, and at the bottom you’ll see the flags marking the spot. Wait there. The helicopter will pick us up.” He nodded and without another word took off again.
Rae’s legs were beginning to shake. She wasn’t in as good of shape as she’d thought, and this was more skiing than she’d done in years. She slowed down and skied long zigzags across the hills to pace herself.
By the time she got to the flagged area, the others, including Ivan, were already there. The French honeymooners had removed their skis. Ivan had removed his helmet but still wore his reflective goggles. The honeymooners tromped over to hold hands and take selfies with the magnificent landscape behind them.
Rae eyed Ivan. Now was the time. “Tell me about her stalker and why she left home.”
He lifted his face to the sky for a few moments, then leveled it at her. “I’m sorry she felt like she had to leave us. I never would have encouraged her to do that, but her mother wanted her to be safe.”
“And you couldn’t protect her?”
“I tried. I beat the guy. I was charged with battery.” She felt his penetrating gaze, though she couldn’t see it. “The charges were dropped, but his unwanted attention toward Tawny continued.”
He shook his head and gazed off as if remembering.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Unless you’ve been through it, experienced it, you can’t fully understand what it feels like to have someone obsess over you, and then the utter helplessness when there’s nothing anyone can do to stop it. Not even the people who love and care about you. All that stuff about how to put an end to stalking didn’t work for us.”
Ivan sounded as if he’d suffered through it with Sam and Zoey.
“So, you and Sam, what’s your relationship?”
“I was her husband’s partner in this business. I promised him I would look out for Tawny and Sam, especially take care of them if anything ever happened. So far, so good, except I failed his little girl. If she returns, like she did in college—Sam shared with me what you told her—things will be different.” He pursed his lips.
Rae had hoped her conversation with Ivan would confirm what she already believed, and it did. Ivan was a good guy. “As for Sam. I’m protective of her, of them both. Like a big brother. I watch over Sam like a hawk.”
“But she’s a grown woman.”
“Big brothers always watch out for their sisters.”
“But it’s obvious you feel something much different for her.”
“Now you overstep.” He grinned—a charmer. Someone accustomed to making people feel comfortable no matter the circumstances.
The honeymooners approached, and Rae couldn’t ask more questions. She hadn’t learned anything that would help. No new clues. She hoped Liam was making more progress.
The whop whop whop of the helicopter drew their attention. In the distance, storm clouds gathered.
“Just in time,” Ivan said. “We’ll get back in time for everyone to get home and grab a warm bowl of chili before the weather turns.”
Rae’s stomach rumbled at the mention of food. Ivan chuckled and tossed her a protein bar from his pack. She glanced out over the mountains. “Thank you for bringing me to the same place where Zoey skied.”
Ivan had stepped up next to her. “Yes. She loved it here. I hope you got a better sense of the person she is by coming today.”
Rae nodded. This was too much to absorb in one afternoon. “I’m getting there. Have you talked to her since she left?”
But the helicopter and rotor wash drowned out her words.
When it landed, everyone loaded their gear and climbed in. Rae downed the protein bar while she watched the scenery below as the helicopter flew them over rivers and valleys and majestic mountains. Ivan sat up front laughing and making small talk with Wayne. She coughed a few times, and Wayne tossed a bottled water to Ivan, who then tossed it to her.
“Thanks!” She took note of the photographs pinned to the dash. Rae leaned closer, hoping to identify the people. Ivan and Sam. Wayne and Ivan and two other men she didn’t recognize standing in front of . . . of . . . a Hummer.
A Hummer?
Her pulse jumped and her hands shook.
How many people around here drove Hummers that looked exactly like the one that had forced them off the road? Good thing she’d already finished the protein bar, because she lost her appetite.
She was with a group. She wouldn’t panic. Nor could she let anyone see fear in her eyes. It was a coincidence. Nothing more. She would tell herself that until she got off this helicopter and was back with Liam. They could share the information with the sheriff and find out if the driver who tried to kill them was someone related to the heli-skiing group.
Exhaustion crept in, and the beating rhythm of the blades lulled her. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Ivan glanced over his shoulders to look at her, his sunglasses removed.
The helicopter landed. By rote she climbed from the helicopter along with everyone else and gathered all the equipment. Rae headed for the facility while the honeymooners hung back, talking to Wayne and Ivan. She wanted to ask Ivan more questions, but panic had taken hold. He couldn’t be the one who’d tried to kill her. He couldn’t be the one behind Zoey’s disappearance. But Sam had conveniently missed their flight today. Rae’s thoughts jumbled together.
What about the books? What did they mean?
What about the Hummer?
Where was Liam? Why wasn’t he with her? She couldn’t remember.
Inside the facility, Rae found the sofa in the waiting area and plopped down. She rested her head, hoping to dodge a full-blown headache.
She would have grabbed some ibuprofen from her bag, but she couldn’t lift her arms. For that matter, her legs.
Rae couldn’t move. Her lids closed on her.
I have to move.
I have to get out of here.
Someone sat next to her on the sofa.
“Are you okay?”
Ivan.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
5:02 p.m.
Emerald M Ranch
Stone-cold fear drove him up the rocky mountain trail.
Rae wasn’t answering her cell. Nor could he get a signal to track her with the app he’d installed on her phone. She hadn’t returned to the ranch. Had Fox taken her for good measure, despite his reassurance that Liam’s family and friends would be safe as long as Liam did as he was told? Liam wanted to find the man and make him talk. Make him pay. Make him call off his people. But he couldn’t risk the lives of those most dear to him.
He feared using his cell or any of the house phones to warn them. He didn’t know where the bugs were, but looking for them would tip Fox off. He needed time to think.
Liam had to initiate his own plan first.
He’d saddled his gelding, Duke, to save time on the trail, but at some point, he’d have to dismount and make his way along the snowy, icy trail to the old cabin. It would probably be dark by the time he headed back to Emerald M. Heath had stocked some supplies in the cabin. Just in case, he’d said. If a lost hiker stumbled on the cabin stocked with food, wood for a fire, a bed, a
nd a solar-charged satellite phone, it could save their life. It made sense, and ranger stations throughout the national forests served the same purpose.
Liam had thought Heath had kept the cabin intact because it reminded him of Charlie, and Heath could be sentimental that way. Liam had wanted to tease him about it, but he’d stopped himself.
As he shined the light along the trail and urged Duke farther, he felt like he was that lost hiker. Someone who’d gotten caught in the wilderness without a way out.
Yep. That was Liam—and he was caught in the worst possible way. Nothing worse than being stuck and lost with a blizzard bearing down on you. A few hours remained before the storm was expected to blow in, but meteorologists were known to miss the mark.
Regardless, Liam had to save his people before it was too late.
Fox would be contacting him with his “assignment” to seal the deal. He was expecting Liam to perform to keep his loved ones alive. Maybe there’d been a reason all those years ago that he’d left home and not looked back for months that had turned into years. If no one ever held his heart, then he’d never have his chest ripped open and his heart pulled out and cut to pieces. That’s what had happened the night his mother left them, and then again when she came back and he dared to hope she would stay—only to lose her in that house fire.
Liam had allowed his heart to turn to stone. Again and again. In the Middle East while in the marines, and then again while he was working for the DEA. The agency loved loners. People like Liam.
But then he’d made the mistake of working with Rae, who had a special way of making him open up just enough to let the light into his cold heart and crack it wide open. He’d let himself fall right before she betrayed him.
He understood the situation now and didn’t blame her for doing what needed doing to find Dina and the trafficked women. But here he was in the exact position he never wanted to be in again. Trying to save Rae but helpless to do so. Only this time he was attempting to save not only Rae but everyone he cared about.
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