Chapter Five

 

 

River reached across the sheets, stretching to find Jax. Her body felt pleasantly used, like she’d gone on a long run. She’d definitely gotten a workout the night before. After he’d taken her on the living room carpet, he’d picked her up, carrying her to the bedroom. He’d made love to her again on the double bed in the room she’d grown up in, his legs hanging off the end because he was too big. For the bed. Not for her. He was exactly the right size for her.

He’d held her until she’d fallen asleep. She’d laid her head on his chest and listened to the strong beat of his heart. That was the important thing. The fact that his chest was a mass of scar tissue didn’t mean his heart wasn’t strong, wasn’t capable of caring.

She opened her eyes, daylight streaming into the small room. The place beside her was empty. Had he gotten up already? She frowned, looking around the room. It wasn’t such a surprise. He couldn’t have been comfortable in the double bed. He was a king-sized guy. He’d had to scrunch himself up to fit on the mattress. He was probably in the shower, using the hot water to work the kinks out.

River slipped out of bed and immediately smelled coffee.

He was a keeper. He could make her scream in bed and knew how to use the coffeemaker. She’d taken a chance the night before, but it was going to work out this time. She merely had to temper her expectations. He wasn’t staying around forever. They would have a few weeks, maybe.

Of course, he’d changed his mind about the one-night stand pretty easily. She needed to stop being so pessimistic. Who knew where it could go? He had a phone. He’d used it to text his brother that he wouldn’t be going back to the place they were staying at. It wasn’t hard to keep up a connection if a person wanted to.

She threw a robe on and walked down the hall, ready to start the day differently than she had for the last several months. She stopped, realizing what she hadn’t done. It happened every single morning for the last couple of years. She would lay in bed and wait for it, wait for the wretched coughing sound that accompanied her father’s waking up. It signaled the peace he’d found in sleep was done and his misery continued. She would lie there and listen for it and put off hope for another day.

Even after he’d died, it was the first thing she thought about every morning until this one. This morning she’d woken up thinking about Jax.

There it was—that guilt she felt every time she remembered her dad was dead. She didn’t want to feel it today. Today she wanted to make some changes. It started with cleaning out his room and moving into it. She’d thought she wouldn’t make the move because she was selling the cabin, but Jax would be far more comfortable in there.

It was time to look forward and not to the past. It was time to try to live again, and it started with having a cup of coffee with the single most gorgeous man she’d ever met.

She strode into the kitchen and stopped.

“Hey, you. I thought I’d make some coffee. How was the hottie? Tell me you didn’t drop him off at his place. I talked to his brother for hours so you would have time with him. That boy is weird. Not like scary weird but still weird.” Heather stood in the middle of her kitchen, pouring coffee into a mug. She finished filling one and held the pot out. “Want some?”

“Where’s Jax? Did he let you in?” The minute she asked the question she realized how stupid it was. If Jax had let Heather in she wouldn’t have asked if she’d spent the night with him.

Heather set the pot back in its cradle. “The door was open. I’m sorry. I didn’t see him. Maybe he’s out for a run or something.”

He wasn’t out for a run. He’d been wearing boots. No one ran in boots.

She glanced around the living room. He’d tossed his clothes off. His and hers. Hers were still on the floor but his were gone. His boots weren’t sitting near the fireplace, as they’d been the night before. He’d taken his things and left.

“You were expecting him to stay?” Heather’s voice had gone sympathetic.

“He said he would.” A familiar numbness washed over her. Ah, humiliation. Her old friend. He’d either tricked her or changed his mind.

Why? She’d been more than willing to accept a single go. She’d requested it, actually. He’d been the one who told her he was staying.

Heather frowned. “I didn’t see a note or anything. Are you okay? You went pale.”

Because something else—another reason for his lies—had just gone through her brain. “Have you seen my purse?”

Where had she put it?

Heather moved out of the kitchen, joining her in the living room. “You don’t think he rolled you. He wouldn’t.”

Oh, but she’d learned that even the sweetest faces could hide opportunistic assholes. There it was. She winced. She’d zipped it up the night before but it was open now. “Someone went through my bag. Damn it. I’m such an idiot.”

“What’s missing?” Heather knelt down beside her.

She quickly went through the whole bag. She didn’t have much in it. Keys. A brush. Her wallet. All her credit cards were in there, and so was the ten dollars and twenty cents she’d had on her last night. Her cell phone was there. “He didn’t take anything. I wonder if he saw how little cash I had and took pity on me.”

“Or you forgot you left it open and he didn’t touch it,” Heather offered.

But she was sure of that. She remembered zipping it up after she’d put her keys in there. She stood. Still, it wouldn’t do to argue with Heather. It only made her look even more like a fool, and she felt that enough. “Maybe so. Anyway, what are you doing here? Do you need something?”

He was gone and he hadn’t even left her a note. At least Matt had written her a note when he’d left.

God, she had to stop that. She’d slept with the wrong man. At least this time she hadn’t married the asshole and handed over everything she had to him. She just wouldn’t learn.

“I came by because Ty said we’ve got a meeting with a big client,” Heather explained, looking at her like she wanted to get back to the Jax subject.

She couldn’t let that happen. If she did, she might break down. She wasn’t going to cry over a one-night stand. No way. He’d gotten what he wanted. She’d been willing to do anything he wanted to her sexually. She’d been compliant, and that had likely been his point. She’d thought he was awkward, but he’d turned out to be a master manipulator. Was he pissed off that she hadn’t had anything valuable to steal?

Anger was better than sorrow. Anger felt good.

“What client?”

“It’s the film crew I told you about.”

“Yes, I met one of them. A guy named Ezra,” she replied. She was surprised they wanted to talk to her.

“They need a guide,” Heather explained. “Ty set up a meeting and called Andy and me. I said I would get you on my way into the office. It’s a lot of money, according to Ty. They want two units, one guide a piece full time for a week or two.”

That would cost a fortune. That kind of money would let them buy some winter equipment for the upcoming season. “What’s the catch?”

She shrugged, moving back into the kitchen. “None that I know of. The meeting’s in an hour. We’re supposed to meet with the production crew. If you don’t think we can handle it, I’ll call and have him cancel. They can use High Country Adventures.”

“I thought that’s who they would go with.” High Country was a much bigger firm located in Del Norte. They would be better equipped to handle a big venture.

She poured a second mug. “According to Ty, they want us.” Heather passed it to her. “Although they’re going to have to go without me. I have to run into town. My brother needs me to wire him some cash.”

She hadn’t known Heather had a brother. “Sure. We can handle the meeting. I’ll let you know how it turns out.”

Jax worked security, not for the film crew. Although that had likely been a lie, too. He and his brother were con artists. They had likely moved on to a more target-rich environment. Had he waited until she’d gone to sleep, looked around for something to steal, and then called his brother to pick him up? She was damn lucky he hadn’t taken the Jeep.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“There might be an explanation.” Heather stared at her with sympathy. “You never know what’s going on in a person’s head. Sometimes circumstances make things appear worse than they are. He might have started off the night planning on staying and something happened to Tucker.”

“How was Tucker when you left him?” She and Jax had left Trio around eleven, leaving his brother and Heather still talking.

Heather’s mouth twisted in a grimace and she had her answer even before the words came from her friend’s mouth. “He was fine. Like I said, a little on the crazy side, but sweet enough.”

“So you didn’t even think about sleeping with him?”

“Ew. No.” Heather seemed taken aback by the thought. “I mean he’s attractive enough, but he’s not my type. I’ll be honest, after my husband left me I made a couple of bad, self-destructive choices. I’m not looking for a lover. I’m trying to find myself for now. The Tuckers of the world need to find another love goddess.” She nodded. “He actually called me that.”

The brothers seemed to have selected an awkward-nerd vibe to reel their marks in. “It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter. You should go and deal with your brother and I’ll get ready for the meeting.”

“Wow, he did a number on you.” Heather set her mug down. “River, you can’t blame yourself.”

“I’m not. I blame him. But like I said, it doesn’t matter. We need to get moving.” She wanted to be alone. It wasn’t fair to take it out on Heather, but she’d been the reason River had gone to Trio in the first place. She could be waking up after an uneventful night to the exciting news that they might land a big gig. As it was, she couldn’t get excited about the job. She could only think about how stupid she’d been to listen to him.

I want to put my mouth all over your body. But more than I want that, I want you to like me.

Sure he did. He’d sized her up and figured out exactly how to take her down.

A sad expression took over her friend’s face. “I wish I believed that. Don’t hate me, River. I wanted to see you smile, and he did make you smile. I’ll let you alone but if you need me, call me. I’ll be there. I want to be your friend, but you have to let me in.”

“I appreciate it.” But she’d let too many people in and they’d fucked her over. It was time to start being smart. “I’ll call you and let you know how the meeting went.”

Work. She would focus on work. What happened last night meant nothing. It was sex and that was all. She should thank him for showing her how good it could be.

It had felt like more than sex. It had felt like connection, like communion, like for once someone truly understood her.

And that was why she failed. She was getting rid of all the romantic bullshit in her life.

“Bye.” Heather walked out, her disappointment obvious.

She was alone and that was a good thing.

She heard Heather’s SUV pull away.

Yes, alone was good.

 

* * * *

 

Jax came awake slowly, consciousness coming back in bits. His first thought was complete terror. His head wasn’t clear. He tried to stay still, but the minute he moved he felt oddly disconnected from his body. Odd? It wasn’t odd to him. How many times had he woken up trying desperately to find his balance because he’d been used to test some drug?

Had it been a dream? The small freedom he’d had? Was he back in the lab? If he opened his eyes would he see that bright light that meant he’d been recycled again? How many times had he gone through it? How many times had she plunged that needle into his arm and erased all that he was?

She wasn’t going to take River away from him. No. She wouldn’t take that night away, wouldn’t make it blink out of existence like it hadn’t happened. He punched out, determined to catch anyone who would try to put that needle in his arm. He could remember River. It was foggy, but he knew it had been real. She’d cuddled close to him, letting him hold her, letting him be her lover, her man.

“I can’t handle this drama, man,” a familiar voice said. “We didn’t bring Ariel with us, why?”

“Robert didn’t want her in danger,” another voice said. Fain.

“I’m too old for this shit.” Taggart was definitely the other voice.

His head was so foggy. What had happened? One minute he’d been happy and warm, with her clutched close to him, and the next he’d been here, fighting his way back to consciousness.

“You’re definitely too old for rotgut whiskey,” Fain was saying.

“I told you. It was supposed to keep the aliens away. I’ll take it over the beet juice I had to drink any day of the week. Hughes is completely insane, and I like him. He’s my new favorite person,” Taggart replied.

Jax’s stomach rolled and he stayed still, not wanting to puke.

“Is he the real Hughes? Fuck, I thought he was a myth, man,” Fain continued. Why couldn’t they have this conversation elsewhere? “He’s so classified I couldn’t get his records even when I had clearance. Do you think he knows about the rumors? About the lieutenant? I have to admit. I see a resemblance.”

He groaned as he remembered what had happened. It came back to him in flashes. Tucker had tried to talk him into coming back to the cabin and then Dante… Fucking Dante. He punched out as if the fucker was here.

“Chill out, Jax. You’re safe and shit, though you are in trouble. I wish we had a doghouse I could put you in. I distinctly remember telling you not to do stupid shit.” Taggart stood over him. “Though apparently all the puppies were dumb last night. I did not tell Dante to use that cocktail on you. It was there in case your date for the night turned out to be an Agency plant. We’ve heard a rumor there’s at least one in town, and he or she has been in place for a while. They know we’re going to try to find McDonald’s research.”

“I told you it could be a trap.” Fain looked down at him. “You okay? That dosage shouldn’t have made you sick. I can call Tucker in, or there’s a doc in town we can get.”

He sat up. He was in his room but it looked like Tucker had already cleared out. Taggart sat on the second bed.

“I’m fine.” If they were both here, it was likely time for punishment. It was best to get that over with. “Where do you want me?”

They would do whatever they were going to do and then he would start planning. He would get away, but he needed to be smart. He needed to talk to River and make sure she would go with him. It would take some time, but he could get them new IDs. He could find a way to get his hands on some cash and they could run. He would tell her everything. He wouldn’t lie to her again. But he had to be patient. The good news was his patience meant he would have time to plan Dante’s brutal murder.

But first he would take his punishment.

“Why does he have that look on his face?” Fain leaned against the desk in the room. “Look, man, you can’t kill Dante. I know he’s an asshole, but he’s been through a lot. You should know. I promise I’m going to let him know that if he pulls something like this again, I’ll send him straight back to Damon, who’ll find him a place by himself.”

“He thinks we’re going to hurt him now,” Taggart said quietly, those icy blue eyes regarding him solemnly. “He doesn’t trust us and he might never.”

“Why would we hurt him?” Fain asked before shaking his head. “I’m not McDonald, man. I did send Tucker and Dante to get you, but I did it because I got word about the Agency plant. Hate me all you like but I did it for your protection. There’s no punishment except to ask you not to kill Dante.”

“And the only place I want you is in the shower because, dude, you smell like sex. We have a meeting soon,” Taggart said, not unkindly. “Come downstairs because the mayor thinks he’s found someone for us to hire to handle the walk in the woods. The mayor, sheriff, and a man named Stef Talbot are coming in to brief us about the town and the company we’re working with. You’re going to run point with them. And not killing Dante isn’t your only punishment. Nell Flanders made breakfast. Yep. It’s tofu, and we’re not allowed to not eat it or Henry will kill us. He’s incredibly good at internal decapitation so I’m going to give it a try. I already told Charlie when I get home she’s to greet me with three pounds of bacon.”

Jax looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out if they were lying to him. Maybe they were into mind games and they would let him get comfortable before pulling the rug out from under him. “No punishment?”

“Did you hear the part about the tofu?” Taggart asked. “And I’m pretty sure Robert used all the hot water in the house, so you’re in for a few chilly moments.”

He wasn’t about to get his ass kicked. He could handle the shower. “I want to see her again.”

He was pushing his luck.

Fain sighed. “I understand, and if we can make that happen, we will. Take your shower and after the meeting we’ll have a talk about this woman of yours. We have to vet her.”

He nodded. He got the need to check into the background of anyone coming into the group. It was something he would have done anyway because he wanted to know more about her. And he definitely wanted to know more about her ex-husband. There was more to the story. He could feel it. She said she lost everything in the divorce, but she’d been lying. Or rather hedging. There was something she wasn’t telling him, and he bet he could figure it out.

“Jax, I would never punish you physically,” Fain said quietly.

“I might punch you if you annoy me,” Taggart admitted. “But I’ll also expect you to punch back. Not today, though. Seriously, that whiskey had something else in it. I need some coffee. Surely there’s some coffee that harmed no indigenous peoples around here somewhere. See you guys downstairs in half an hour.”

Taggart put a hand to his head and found his way out.

“You’re safe. Well, safe from us. None of us is safe from the Agency or the Collective or any number of assholes who are after us,” Fain said with a weary sigh.

It was easy to forget how much Fain had given up to lead them out into the world. Ezra Fain had been the Agency’s golden boy at one point in time. But he’d been forced to make a choice: bring in the men McDonald had experimented on so the Agency could find out more about her work or keep them safe. He’d been disavowed for his choice.

“Thank you, Ezra. Thank you for helping us.” He was fairly certain no one had said that to him. Sometimes he thought they were still too mired in their own misery to see the good things that could happen to them.

Fain’s stare found the window, looking out as he spoke. “I know what can happen when the Agency takes control of things they don’t understand. Levi Green is an asshole looking to move up, but there are people in the CIA who mean well. That’s what I’ve learned over the years. You can mean well and it still falls apart, especially if you don’t listen to the people around you. Even when you’re in the middle of the fight, you can’t see all the possible outcomes. I thought about it, you know.”

“Thought about turning us in?”

“Over would be a better word,” he replied. “After what happened in Mexico, I sat down and weighed the pros and cons.”

He’d read about the operation in Mexico. Levi Green had tried to use Kayla Summers as a path to get into The Garden and to gain access to the Lost Boys. Kayla was former CIA. Up until a few months before, she’d worked at McKay-Taggart and Knight and she’d been a good friend to them all. She’d been sent to spy on a Hollywood star who supposedly had connections to a drug lord. It had all been a setup and Ezra had a hand in saving her. Now she was married to the same star she’d been investigating and Ezra was on the outside. And Levi Green had proven he could weather any storm.

“There was a huge fight at the Agency about how to handle you,” Ezra continued. “Some wanted to bring you in, protect you, try to figure out who you are, and if we couldn’t, train you and give you new lives as operatives.”

Because they would likely make excellent operatives. They’d been trained to obey. They didn’t have loyalties to anyone but themselves. It was pretty much what Taggart was doing. “And the other faction?”

“Would study you. I worried you would end up in a place like The Ranch. They shut down one site to keep an unfriendly president from discovering it, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others. The Ranch was simply on the books. There are black ops sites out there that are so dark they’re rumors even to operatives. That’s why I made the decision I did. That’s why I walked away. I fought with some people I respect. Hell, I broke with them over this, but I thought they were being naïve.”

How much had Ezra given up? “Were you friends with Levi Green?”

He shrugged. “We came up through the ranks together. He’s not the naïve one, Jax. He knows exactly what he’s doing. Somewhere along the way, he started to hate me. I’m not sure why since I’m the one who did everything wrong. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is we’re safe for now, and we keep our eyes open. They’ll come for us at some point. We have to be ready. See you downstairs.”

He turned and walked out

And Jax got up and headed to the shower, a bit of his balance restored. He didn’t have to run. He did have to find a way to get to River and explain what had happened. How did he explain? Tucker had an emergency. That would work.

He could protect her. He could still see her. It was all he could ask for right now.

But damn that water was cold.

 

* * * *

 

He was still thinking about River an hour later as he sat at the big dining room table. He’d been fed a tofu scramble by Nell Flanders and he hadn’t hated it. He’d noticed that River hadn’t eaten meat the night before. She’d carefully picked her way around the bacon on the fries, and when they’d ordered dinner, she’d had the black bean burger. He could give the veggie stuff a try. He’d been rewarded with the glowiest smile from Henry’s wife when he’d praised her cooking. And Henry hadn’t looked like he wanted to punch someone. Nell had even given him a hug before she’d left because she didn’t want to know anything that might violate someone’s human rights. That was when Henry had gone back to frowning.

“Jax, this is Rafe Kincaid.” Taggart introduced him to a tall, dark-haired man in slacks and a button down. “He’s the mayor of Bliss. Rafe, this is Jax Seaborne and Robert McClellan. They’re going to be running the two teams searching for the site.”

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, she’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.