The Truth (Butler Ranch Book 5)

by Heather Slade

  “You never did ask where ‘Maxwell’ got his code name.”

  Mercer shook his head.

  “Lista translates to smart.”

  Maxwell Smart. Yeah, that didn’t fill Mercer with confidence either. “Not the sharpest tool in the shed?”

  “That, or smart enough to make us think he isn’t. Ready to roll?”

  Mercer pulled up across the road from the ranch gates, where it was easy to keep the bike and himself under cover, while he waited for word that Paps had arrived, and had some idea what they were walking into.

  The message came a few minutes later. All clear.

  Mercer pulled through the gate and parked the bike in the woods not far from the house where Lena had been living for the past few years. When he walked inside, she and Paps were sitting at a table in the kitchen, but neither said anything.

  “There he is,” said Paps, motioning for Mercer to join them. “Tell him what you told me, Barbie.”

  “He’s blackmailing me,” she hissed.

  That took him by surprise. “With and what for?”

  Lena looked at Paps who nodded for her to continue. Mercer got the feeling she wasn’t asking for permission as much as she wanted Paps to tell him so she didn’t have to.

  “He says he has something on my father, ‘bad enough that the ramifications of it getting out would be significant.’ Those were his words, by the way, not mine.”

  “Go on,” Mercer encouraged.

  “The first thing he asked was what I knew about the wine being stored in the caves. I told him I didn’t know anything, but I doubt he believed me.”

  No, he wouldn’t have; he’d been trained to know when someone was lying, just like he, Paps, Razor, Doc, and any other operative or agent had been.

  “Tell him what he wants, Barbie,” said Paps, not even attempting to disguise his impatience.

  “Tell him yourself,” she muttered, but then cleared her throat when Paps glared at her. “First, he wants me to sell him the rest of the estate. Second, I get the impression he’s going to use his knowledge of Los Cab’s wine in some way.”

  “Any theories?” Mercer asked, looking at Paps.

  “He saw Enzo,” Lena said before Paps could respond.

  That, he already knew. “So, he knows who the wine belongs to and, based on what he overheard, that they have a bond issue.”

  Lena nodded.

  “Time to get the ATB involved,” said Paps. “I’ll handle it,” he added.

  “Why are you still here?” Lena asked when Mercer stayed after Paps left.

  “To help you pack, although it appears you’ve gotten a good start.” There wasn’t much left in the house that he could see.

  “I’m serious about leaving, whether you help me or not.”

  “It’s already been arranged, Lena.”

  “When?”

  “Soon.”

  She huffed, and he walked over to what looked like a pile of photos.

  “I still want to go through those. I’d like to take a few with me.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Everything will be kept in the warehouse, right?”

  Mercer nodded. The warehouse they’d purchased near the house in Harmony had once been used by Randolph Hearst. He’d stored the artifacts he’d collected from around the world while La Cuesta Encantada, his castle above San Simeon, was being built. Given it had sat empty for over seventy years, K19 had gotten it for next to nothing.

  Mercer heard Lena’s breath catch, but didn’t look at her. He’d learned, in the time he’d known her, that she was a proud woman who would hate it if he knew she was crying.

  Mercer looked out at the vineyards through the wall of windows. This wasn’t the main house on the property, but he preferred it over the one up on the hill. “This will be over soon,” he said. It was both uncharacteristically reassuring and optimistic of him to say so.

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked, joining him at the window.

  “This isn’t easy for you.”

  She shook her head. “I have to leave my home; I can’t talk to my daughter, and I have no idea where my father or Kade are, what kind of danger they’re in, or if they’re even still alive. So, yeah, you’re right. This isn’t easy on me.”

  Everything she said was true; there was no way for him to assuage her.

  “Before you say anything else, I know this is all my fault. I can’t go back twenty years and change it.”

  “Nothing’s your fault, Lena. No one has ever said that.”

  “Right. No one has said it, but I’ve lived with the guilt every single day. I wouldn’t trade my daughter for anything in the world, including my own life, but my refusing to terminate my pregnancy changed the lives of a lot of people. Ultimately, I fear Kade and my father paid the highest price.”

  Her unguarded admissions were rare and unexpected. Mercer was shocked to the point that it took him a minute to respond.

  “You can leave,” she said before Mercer had come up with anything else to say about Doc and her father. “I know there are goons watching me.”

  “Protecting you,” he corrected.

  “Whatever. It feels the same.”

  “What about Maddox Butler? How did you leave things with him.”

  “I wasn’t able to say much at dinner. You know why not.”

  He nodded and walked toward the door. Lena followed.

  “Mercer?”

  He turned around and waited for her to continue.

  “I need to talk to my daughter before I leave.”

  “Yes, you should.”

  “Thank you,” she said as he walked out.

  They were two words Mercer didn’t remember hearing her ever say before.

  Mercer was getting on the bike when a text came through from Paps.

  Razor’s on Skipper detail this weekend.

  It made sense, since he was in New York already. Lena’s making contact now.

  Why?

  Lena had never made it easy for them, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t treat her with compassion. Today was the first time that he could remember that she hadn’t been combative, and he’d found himself feeling sorry for her. The least they could do was let her talk to her daughter before she left.

  9

  The man sitting at the bar looked familiar, but Quinn couldn’t figure out from where.

  “Do you know him?” she asked Aine, pointing in his direction.

  “Doesn’t look familiar to me.”

  There was something about him that reminded her of Mercer, although he looked nothing like him and appeared older. She was studying him when she realized he was waving at her, and then motioned her over.

  “Quinn,” he said when she approached. “Nice to see you.”

  “Mr. Sharp?”

  “Please, call me Tabon.”

  “I have an interview with you in a couple of days.”

  He nodded. “I’d offer to buy you a drink, but that might not be…appropriate.”

  Quinn laughed. “It’s okay. I should join my friends anyway. Nice to see you Mr. Sharp…um…Tabon.” She shook his hand before walking away.

  “Who is that?” Ava asked.

  “Tabon Sharp. I have an interview with him on Monday,” she explained.

  “Damn. He’s hot, Quinn.”

  “He is?” She was about to turn around to take another look, but Ava grabbed her arm.

  “Don’t look.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he’s staring at us.”

  Before Quinn could say anything else, Ava walked in Mr. Sharp’s direction.

  “So you knew him after all,” said Aine.

  “He’s my future boss. At least I hope so.”

  “That’s right…the job. Although if he were my boss, I might consider working too.”

  Quinn looked over her shoulder and saw that Mr. Sharp hadn’t hesitated to buy Ava a drink.

  “I wonder how he feels about twins.�
�

  “What? Ew. Didn’t you hear me? He’s going to be my boss.”

  Aine laughed and hip-bumped her. “I’m kidding. You’re a mess, girlfriend.”

  “I am?”

  “I’ll say. Go call him for God’s sake. Just ask him. ‘Hey, Mercer, how come you don’t exist?’”

  “He exists…”

  “You know what I mean. Now, go call him.”

  Quinn nodded. “You’re right.”

  She walked out to the restaurant’s patio and down the steps that led to the beach. She waited until she got close to the water before she pulled out her phone and found the number Mercer had added to her contacts the other day. She held her breath while she waited for him to answer.

  “Hi, there,” he said.

  “Hi.”

  “How are you?”

  Now that she was talking to him, she had no idea what to say.

  “Quinn? Are you there?”

  “Why isn’t Mercer Bryant anywhere on the internet. I mean, there’s nothing. No social media accounts, no mentions in articles, no photos, no professional affiliations. Nothing. Why?”

  “What’s this about?”

  “Answer the question.”

  “Is this your question?”

  “Jesus. Should it be?” This was turning out so much worse than she’d thought it would be.

  “No.”

  “Are you going to answer me anyway?”

  “My line of work necessitates a certain amount of anonymity.”

  “What is your line of work?”

  “Are you sure you want to have this conversation over the phone?”

  “Where are you?”

  “On the West Coast.”

  “Where?”

  “Near San Luis Obispo.”

  “Why?”

  “We’ll talk about the work I do when I get back.”

  She listened to the sound of him breathing, and took her time, trying to decide what to say next.

  “Why do you call me ‘precious’?”

  “Because you are.”

  “How can someone you don’t know be precious to you?”

  “Because you are,” he repeated.

  “You aren’t being honest with me.”

  “We’ll talk when I get back.”

  “Will we, really?”

  “Yes.”

  “And will you tell me the truth?” She waited, but when he didn’t respond, she ended the call. “Goodbye, Mercer.”

  “Where’s Quinn?” she heard Tara ask.

  “Right here.” The last place she wanted to be.

  “We’re going back to my dad’s,” said Pen.

  “Sounds good. Where are Ava and Aine?”

  “Here, unfortunately,” she heard Ava say.

  Thankfully, she thought but didn’t say out loud. If Ava had left with Mr. Sharp, Quinn wasn’t sure she’d be able to show up for her interview on Monday.

  Ava handed her a card. “Tabon said you should call him about your interview.”

  “Is he canceling?” she gasped, taking the card out of her friend’s hand.

  Ava laughed. “No, he isn’t canceling. God, Quinn. Paranoid much?”

  “Why does he want me to call him?”

  “I told him we were leaving late Sunday because of your interview. He asked if we’d stay on longer if you could reschedule.”

  “Ava, I don’t want to reschedule. This is a job, not something I’m volunteering for.”

  “Settle down.” Ava looked at Aine. “What the hell is her problem?” she asked, and then looked back at Quinn. “He wants to set up an interview here so we don’t have to go back into the city.”

  “Oh.”

  Ava shook her head and walked away.

  “Am I really that annoying?” she asked Aine.

  “No. You’re not. She’s just on edge.”

  “Why?”

  “She heard Dash is engaged.”

  Quinn nodded. Dashiell Finnegan had been Ava’s first love and had broken her heart two years ago when he suggested they take a break. That wasn’t what he meant though. It wasn’t temporary; it couldn’t be fixed, or put back together. News of his engagement just cemented its permanence.

  “I talked to Mercer.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t know anything more now than we did before we decided to internet-stalk him.”

  “We weren’t stalking him, just doing research.”

  “That’s because there was nothing to stalk.”

  “What did he say?”

  “His line of work necessitates a certain level of anonymity.”

  Aine raised her eyebrows, but nodded her head. “That makes sense. What else did he say?”

  “That we’d talk when he gets back.”

  “See? That isn’t so bad.”

  Quinn wished she could agree. More, she wished that they hadn’t looked him up in the first place and she was still in blissful ignorance, imagining him as her knight in shining armor, her guardian angel, her protector. Instead, she was fretting over who he was and why he called her precious.

  They’d just gotten back to the guest house where she and Aine were sleeping, when Quinn’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket, hoping it was Mercer, instead it was the last person she’d expected to hear from.

  “Hello, Mother,” Quinn said when she accepted the call.

  “Hello, Quinn.”

  “I’ve been calling—”

  “I called to tell you that I have to go out of town for a few months, and you won’t be able to reach me.”

  “What do you mean by ‘a few months’?”

  “I’m not certain. I’m hoping to be back before Thanksgiving. Goodbye, Quinn.”

  “Wait—”

  Quinn heard the three chimes indicating the call had ended. “Unbelievable,” she said to herself.

  “Who was that?” Aine asked when Quinn walked inside the guest house.

  “My mother.”

  “Seriously? What did she say?”

  “She’s leaving town, and I won’t be able to reach her while she’s away.”

  “How’s that different? Wait, that was a shitty thing to say. I’m sorry.”

  Quinn shrugged and walked into the bedroom. No different. It wasn’t any different now than it had been any other time of her life. Her mother had been unreachable for the last twenty-one years.

  —:—

  “Do you think Calder really has anything on Leech?” Mercer asked Paps late Sunday morning.

  “I don’t know. As it stands, even if he does, he has no reason to use it. Wendt contacted him directly and told him that the seller has been forced to withdraw the estate from the market because, legally, it wasn’t hers to sell. What could he say then, that he knew Leech wasn’t alive, because he or his Russian cronies killed him? Otherwise, Barbie’s keeping her mouth shut about the wine.”

  Mercer still wondered. He doubted someone like Calder would be placated so easily.

  “Has Max briefed you?” Paps asked.

  “Not yet.” He was planning to get with him later, though. “Who vetted him?”

  “Razor.”

  That made him feel better. Razor didn’t mess around when it came to people they’d work closely with. While Max didn’t seem like the smartest guy they’d ever hired, Mercer’s guess was the man had other strengths.

  “Mad and Al are up to their same old tricks, but it appears to be just another one of their speed bumps. Shame she wasn’t pregnant,” he heard Paps say.

  This part of the job made him uncomfortable. In his opinion, it wasn’t necessary to talk about the personal lives of their assets if they didn’t directly relate to the mission. Not that Maddox Butler and Alex Avila were assets. If anything, they were ancillary, only important to him as they related to Mercer’s commitment to Doc.

  “Maddox has been sniffing around,” added Paps.

  “Meaning what?”

  “We should anticipate he’ll continue to stick
his nose where it doesn’t belong.”

  The last thing they needed was for Maddox and Calder to engage any further than they already had. If things between them went south, they might be forced to turn Doc’s brother into an asset, and that was definitely not something he, Paps, or Razor would want to do.

  Last night, Lena had told him she intended to inform Maddox of her departure. Mercer wasn’t sure yet when that might be, but told her she needed to be ready to go when they made the decision it was time.

  She also asked what she should do about Calder wanting her to sell him the property, and he told her that had been handled.

  “Also, everything is set with the ATB,” Paps told him. They were aware that the Avilas were hiding wine, and if the time came when they were alerted to that fact, they’d bring Paps and Mercer in as part of the team. Otherwise, a hundred barrels of wine hidden in someone else’s caves to avoid paying an insurance bond didn’t amount to shit to them.

  “Give me the rundown,” Mercer said to Max when they met a couple of hours later.

  “As I told Paps, Enzo Avila was in the caves when Maddox and Naughton found the wine, and so was Calder.”

  Mercer nodded. “What else?”

  “Earlier today, Maddox asked Lena if she knew who it belonged to. She said she didn’t, but he suspects she’s lying.”

  Dammit. Paps had been right; Maddox was sniffing where he shouldn’t be. “What else have they found?”

  Max shook his head. “Nothing yet. By the way, what’s the backstory on Calder?”

  That wasn’t information he needed to know, and that he asked, bothered Mercer. He walked away without answering, and Max didn’t follow. He wasn’t sure what Max was up to, but the more questions he asked, the less Mercer trusted him, and the less he’d read him in on.

  Calder’s on the property, said Max’s text.

  One of the other contractors had already informed Mercer, who was headed back from the west side of the estate. He’d been looking for two structures that were rumored to be on the property, but he hadn’t found either yet.

  Where are you?

  Front gate perimeter.

  By the time he got there, Max reported Calder was gone.

  “Barbie asked Maddox to meet her at Il Conti for dinner,” he told Mercer, who nodded.