by Lexi Blake
The mayor gestured to the men he’d brought with him. “Good to meet you. This is the sheriff, Nathan Wright. I believe he met with Mr. Fain yesterday, and this is a very prominent member of our community, Stefan Talbot.”
“By prominent he means rich as fuck,” Taggart said, holding out a hand. “Good to see you again, Talbot. I probably would have visited Bliss earlier if that one there hadn’t been so sneaky.”
Henry Flanders grimaced. “Well, if Stef had hired you when Laura had a serial killer after her, you probably would have figured out I wasn’t dead.”
The sheriff took his Stetson off as he sat down across from Robert. “I’m glad it’s all out in the open now. I mean, I always knew Henry was hiding something.”
Stef Talbot snorted. “Sure you did, Nate. Caleb knew. Gemma knew. You didn’t know.” The dark-haired man nodded his and Robert’s way. “Welcome to Bliss. Don’t mind the murder rate. It’s been going steadily down.”
The sheriff’s eyes widened. “Since when? Since Henry and Logan killed half a cartel in the backyard?”
Talbot waved it off. “That was forever ago.”
“No,” the mayor argued. “It was like five minutes ago. It only seems like it’s been forever. Honestly, around here we count a week without a crisis as a win. But hey, now apparently we’re going to have CIA hanging around, so I expect another bloody battle at any moment.”
They started arguing about the town’s worst murder spree, but Jax was thinking about River again.
He couldn’t call her because he’d been too dumb to get her number. It would be okay. He would go out to her place after this meeting was done and they had everything set in stone. He could find his way back there. It was good to have a plan. He’d already texted the smartest woman he knew to get her advice.
Kay, fell for a chick here in CO. Spent amazing night with her. Promised to stay and then buttfuck Dante drugged me and hauled me out of her bed. Can’t tell her that. How to make it better?
It had been mere seconds before Kayla Summers-Hunt had written back in a flurry of hearts and starry-eyed emojis.
So happy for you, babe!!!! Flowers work. And chocolate. Show up on her doorstep and beg her forgiveness and you’ll be back in. Promise. Also oral is good. Lots of oral.
He could do that. He liked oral. He kind of thought he was pretty good at it, too.
“Jax, I get that you’re all a flutter now that you’ve managed to get a girl to kiss you and shit, but could I have your attention?” Taggart’s sarcasm let him know he’d probably missed something important.
He glanced around. Yep. Everyone was staring his way. Someone had taken a map out, circling the possible site of The Ranch. They appeared to have moved on in the conversation. He put his phone down. “You have my complete attention.”
He would find someplace that sold flowers. What kind of flowers did she like? Flowers were supposed to say things. Red roses symbolized love. Deep crimson were used for mourning. A lavender rose could mean love at first sight. That would work. Or not. Yeah, that might come off as crazy and stalkerish. He’d been given strict instructions not to stalk people. Not for sex reasons. Murder reasons were okay, but only if the victim was cleared by Fain. Yellow was for friendship, but he didn’t want to get stuck in a friend’s zone the way Robert was with Ariel. Nope. Definitely not yellow. That way led to frustration and more cold showers. But orange… yeah, orange was for desire and enthusiasm. He enthusiastically desired her.
Where could he get orange roses?
How the hell did he know so freaking much about flowers?
“Yeah, I totally have your attention,” Taggart snarked.
He was off his game. He was usually much better at seeming like he was paying attention than this. “I’m looking right at you, Tag. What more do you need?”
“You’re looking at him with a goofy grin on your face,” Robert pointed out. “She was good, huh?”
He was pretty sure the grin came off his face. “She’s a nice lady.”
Robert’s eyes widened. “I meant that in a perfectly non-sexual way. Sorry, man.”
“Could we get back to the meeting at hand?” Henry asked. “I need to spend some time with my wife before we go out to Mountain Adventures.”
That name triggered something. He couldn’t quite remember what though. He was too preoccupied with how much he knew about flowers. Everything. He knew that marigolds needed sunlight. Lots of sunlight. Coneflowers also liked the sun, and they attracted butterflies. Lily of the Valley was said to have been around since 1000 B.C. and had a sweet scent. How did he know that?
Ezra looked down the table to the mayor. “Do we have all the right permits in place?”
Kincaid nodded, sitting back. “We’ve filed everything under the name of the fake production company.”
“It’s not fake, according to the government.” Finally he had something to add. He’d spent weeks making sure their cover would hold. “If you look into the records you’ll find that First View Productions has been around for three years. We specialize in investigative reporting. I even invented an IMDB page for us. It’ll hold up to pretty close scrutiny.”
“Chelsea vetted it,” Taggart said. “My sister-in-law is one of the best hackers on the planet. She says Jax’s work is excellent. That doesn’t mean it will get by the Agency, but I also don’t think they’re going to storm the town. There’s a reason we came here. It’s actually closer to our target to be based in Creede.”
“I brought them here because even the Agency will hesitate before launching an all-out assault on this town,” Henry explained. “Mel alone would make them think twice. And it doesn’t hurt that they now know I’m alive and here. We don’t have to worry about a frontal assault. They’ll come at us soft. They’ll embed someone who can feed them intel. We need to look at anyone who’s come into town in the last few weeks.”
“I don’t know of anyone who moved here that recently.” Talbot looked thoughtful. “The doctor’s nurse has been here less than a year, but she came in with Gemma and there’s zero chance she’s CIA. There’s a new waitress at Trio, but she’s been here for a couple of months. River’s hired a couple of people on in the last six months.”
The sheriff shook his head. “I had Gemma vet them both. Andy’s Canadian. He came down here a month ago. Heather’s from California. She’s been here for almost five months. We get a lot of tourists. It’s easy to rent a cabin long term around here. I’ll ask Marie if she’s heard of anyone renting lately and look into them.”
The sheriff had said the one thing guaranteed to get his attention. “River?”
Ezra slid a file his way. “Yes, River Lee. She runs Mountain Adventures. I need you to do a quick workup on her. She’s going to be our main guide, but her assistant manager, Ty Davis will probably run the secondary unit. You’re our expert on The Ranch. I want you working closely with her and Robert will work with Ty.”
Shit and fuck. He felt his face go red. Okay. It was okay. He could handle this. He could tell her he’d lied because too many women thought because he was a producer that he could be a ticket into Hollywood. She was so beautiful she could be an actress. He wanted her to like him for him. That could work, right?
Also, my brother got sick in the middle of the night and he’s a baby so that’s why I left without leaving you a note. I mean, he could obviously drive since I didn’t walk five miles home, but he was sure he was going to get sick.
He was fucked.
“River knows these woods like the back of her hand. She grew up here and her dad started the company,” the sheriff was saying. “The former sheriff agrees with me that she’s the perfect person for this job. Rye Harper has known her for years and says she’s solid. She runs a small operation and she’s had some financial trouble lately. You might have to pay her upfront so she can outfit everyone properly, but she’s the only one I would trust with this. She’s worked with law enforcement before. When we have to find a missing hiker or climber, s
he’s the first person we call, and that includes park rangers.”
“I like the idea of working with a smaller company. I want to make sure we can buy all her time for the next couple of weeks,” Taggart said. “You’ve already set up the meeting for this afternoon, right?”
Robert leaned in, looking at Jax with worried eyes. “Are you okay?”
There was nothing for it. He couldn’t hide what he’d done because she was going to be pissed to see him. Or maybe she wouldn’t care that he’d left and then he would be the one upset. “Boss, remember when you told me to not do something stupid?”
Taggart’s face went blank and then it fell. “Tell me she wasn’t the woman you spent the night with.”
“I really wish I could.” Not that he regretted the night. Merely he regretted that this would make things harder. “And I might have told her I work security. Which is not technically a lie.”
Ezra shot him a look that could have frozen fire. “It’s also not your damn cover.”
He felt like a complete idiot. “I wanted her to know something true about me. I like her. She invited me to stay with her while I’m here. That’s good, right? She offered that after we made love, so she must have liked me. Of course then asshole Dante carted me out without leaving a note. I might have promised her I would stay until morning.”
The sheriff groaned. “Are you serious? River’s got abandonment issues and she has a serious problem with anyone lying to her. Her ex-husband…hell, apparently they weren’t even legally married…he conned her out of everything she had. Left her high and dry and selling off everything she could to pay her father’s medical bills. She’s going to be pissed.”
“She’s going to be hurt,” Talbot corrected.
Taggart’s head hit the table. “Just when I think you guys have hit the absolute height of idiocy, one of you reaches for the stars.”
Ezra turned to the sheriff. “Is there anyone else who can do the job?”
He wasn’t about to get her fired. Damn it. She needed the money. “I’ll work it out. I’ll find a way to make her forgive me. I promise. I’ll make this right.”
“She’s really the only person I would hire,” the mayor added. “You could go with one of the bigger companies, but they’ll likely have other clients. You can buy all of River’s time. I thought that was what you wanted. She’s the only one who can promise you privacy and her complete attention. Perhaps you should change out your lead. You’ve got six men, right?”
Oh, that was not happening. “No one knows this project like I do. I can find that site. Also, she’s already met Tucker, too. If you get rid of both of us, you’re down to Robert and Owen and Sasha and Dante. Owen flips his shit at the thought of bears. Sasha claims he’s never camped before—like he would remember—and if you try to put Dante anywhere near her, I’ll kill him myself. Boss, let me deal with this.”
“If it comes down to it, I’ll go in with River and Jax can work with the second,” Robert offered.
“Or I can handle it.” He wasn’t sending Robert off with her. Days and days alone in the wilderness, exploring the land and sleeping in tents. Relying on each other. Nope. He sat up straighter. “She liked me. I’ll make her like me again.”
Ezra and Taggart exchanged a look. Taggart finally sighed and put his head back down.
Ezra nodded his way. “All right. We meet with her team at three. Come up with something good, man.”
“I think money could work,” the sheriff said. “If she’s upset about working with her one-night stand, pay her more. Her ex recently opened three accounts in her name and she’s now fighting another twenty grand in debt. I’m working with her on the problem, but she needs cash.”
“Or she needs someone who can make his life hell.” Jax felt the anger start low in his gut. No wonder she’d been wary. “I’d like a name, please.”
The sheriff frowned. “I think that’s something I should take care of.”
“He’ll find and destroy the asshole,” Robert offered. “It’s a hobby of his. He works out and ruins the lives of people who piss him off. That’s how he spends his days. He can do things you can’t. Unless you don’t think this man deserves it.”
It was good when his brother actually backed him up.
“I’ll have my office manager send you a copy of the file.” The sheriff stood up. “River will take care of you and I’ll have my men be on the lookout. The only people who know about this op are the three of us, Alexei, my deputy, Cam, and Henry and Nell. I am worried though that there will be some suspicious people once Nell starts refusing to talk.”
“Refusing to talk?” Ezra asked.
Henry got the most wistful look on his face. “It’s her way of protesting us lying to the town. She’s got a truthful soul.”
“Thank god I fell for a girl who loves drama and guns,” Taggart said, getting up. “Come on, Henry. Let’s go see if your wife can cure my hangover.”
“She’s got a great cure for that.” Henry followed him. “It does involve some chanting though.”
“How did you ever run a black ops unit?” Taggart was poking at his old mentor as they walked out. “You know what you need when you’re black ops? Bacon, man. You need a shit ton of bacon.”
While they walked out, Jax got back on his phone. This would take more than a text.
“Jax? Hey, what’s going on?” Kayla answered on the first ring.
“Things just got more complicated.” There was no one in the world he would trust more than Kay to advise him. After all, she’d had to lie to her lover once, and Josh Hunt was now her husband.
“Okay,” she said. “Did you hear me about the oral?”
He sat back and listened.
Chapter Six
“You okay?” Tyler Davis was the very definition of sunny blond, though in a masculine package. He always had a smile and it drew every female within a ten-mile radius to him. He also had a libido that meant he rarely turned one away.
River gave him what she hoped was an “everything’s okay here, I didn’t get my heart broken again” smile. She didn’t want him to know that it took everything she had to stay sitting in her chair. She wanted to get out into the forest. Alone. She needed that quiet time to process what had happened. “Of course. What do we know about First View Productions?”
The man who’d helped her through the last couple of years sank down into the seat across from her desk. The Mountain Adventures offices weren’t huge, but she still maintained a private office. Ty was a man of many talents—as a lot of female tourists would attest. Like many of the people in her generation, he had more than one job. He was one of two of the county’s EMTs, worked at the ski lodge as their in-house medical tech during the winter, and took shifts with her all year long. How the man found the time to sleep with an army of women, she had no idea. “I heard a rumor you met a new friend last night.”
Damn Trio. If she’d wanted privacy she should have gone to Hell on Wheels. Trio was one of the epicenters of Bliss gossip. She should have thought about the fact that the minute she left the bar with Jax, everyone in town would know. She decided to go for a casual cool. “It was nothing, really. I’m not planning on seeing him again.”
“What did he do?” Ty asked, sounding way more serious than she was used to hearing him.
“What do you mean?”
Ty leaned in, his voice taking on a much deeper timbre than usual. “I mean you walked in here looking like someone kicked your dog. You haven’t had one since Jango died, so I assume that long face is about something your date did last night. I want to know what his name is and where I can find him.”
“Whoa, slow down there.” She’d never seen him get so steely eyed. Ty was laid back. He wasn’t the kind of guy who typically got into fights. “What’s this about?”
Andy walked through the door, his lanky body in cargo shorts, a T-shirt, and hiking boots. Andy had been added to the team after everything had gone to hell. “Has Ty gone all commando on yo
u? He heard a rumor that you got a little something something last night, boss, and he’s all kinds of worried about it. He thinks he didn’t do enough to Matt when he left.”
She didn’t like the way this conversation was going, but she was curious. “Do enough?”
“Revenge stuff,” Andy explained as he sank onto the second chair. “He thinks he should have taken Matt and cut him up into tiny pieces and fed him to the bears.”
“No, the bears did nothing wrong, and that asshole was so full of himself he’s probably toxic. Burying him would have been a good idea though. Preferably alive,” Ty said, his jaw tight. “I didn’t know what he’d done until later. I thought you two broke up because he wasn’t man enough to handle taking care of your dad, but…”
Humiliation swept over her. Yep, it was not her day. “How did you find out?”
She’d been careful to keep it from her staff. Well, from the guys. She’d told Heather, and that might have been a mistake. When the hell would she learn? When she’d had to let go of everyone except Ty, she’d promised she would hold herself apart. She’d done a damn fine job of it until Heather had hired on. Loneliness had become her weakness, as last night could attest.
Ty sighed and turned a nice shade of red. “Your dad told me a few weeks before he died. I don’t know if you remember, but I came over to sit with him so you could go into town. He asked me to watch out for you. I didn’t know what Matt had done, River. I thought the business had gotten into trouble and you had to sell things off because of your dad’s treatment. Damn it. I should have asked more questions.”
Her dad had known? She’d definitely tried to keep her situation from him, but she’d also had to spend hours on the phone trying to clear up all the debt Matt had left her with. Her dad had probably heard more than she thought he had. The cabin was small. He’d probably heard her crying.
Her father had died knowing how she’d fucked up.
“Dad shouldn’t have put that on you, Ty.”
“Yeah, he should have,” he argued. “We’re friends. You and me and Lucy, we grew up together. I should have handled it back then and I will definitely handle it now. You’re like my sister. I need to be a better brother.”