Page 42 of Vicious Sabotage

He felt the surprise ripple through his friends.

“Not a lot. But I haven’t been here long, and I stick close to the ranch.” Hunter didn’t need to say that he was staying close because of the woman he loved.

Colton shifted. “What happened?”

“Livia got an alcohol shipment at the bar today. And when she opened a box, there was a rattler inside.”

“Goddamn.” Colton tugged his cowboy hat off and raked his fingers through his disheveled hair.

“You got a photo?”

He nodded.

“You think someone put it there.” Colton’s tone made it clear it wasn’t a question.

“Damn right I do. I need to find out who’s after her. Then you guys better have the local police on speed dial, because I will kill him if it comes to protecting Livia.”

Neither SEAL moved nor spoke.

“Later on, we’ll find Webb and show him the photo you took. He’s lived here his whole life. He’ll know more about the snake.” Colton placed the Stetson back on his head.

Satisfied with this next step in the process of finding out who wanted a piece of Livia, Carver relaxed against the fence. “Tell me what’s going on around here. Any new developments?”

“Some things recently went missing. We found the items sold through online auctions.” Hunter twisted to look over his shoulder at the house.

“Ivy located the items?” Carver guessed.

“Yup.”

“You don’t think someone’s coming onto the ranch and stealing, do you?” He was already getting antsy being away from Livia for only a few minutes. Anything could happen in a blink—he knew that better than most.

Hunter and Colton exchanged another look.

“Hunter thinks that Webb’s behind the theft.”

“And you don’t.”

“No. The guy is a dark horse, that’s true. But he is loyal as hell to the Gracey family. I don’t think he’s capable of such underhanded behavior.”

Hunter shifted from boot to boot. “He’s the only person who could get the equipment off the ranch.” Colton started to speak, and Hunter held up a palm to stop him. “We’ve been over it all, brother. Let’s stick to the facts.”

“Has Sean Gracey been sticking close to the ranch?” Carver’s question made both men straighten.

Colton eyed him. “What did Forest tell you?”

“It seems he told each of us something a little different. A little more,” Hunter added.

A lot of time had passed since that day he and Forest shared a deep conversation about his family and the ranch.

One point stood out to Carver above all the other clutter.

“He made it clear he thought his father had a gambling problem.”

Hunter wagged his head. “Damn. Knowing that a few weeks ago might have saved all of us trouble. But yeah, man. Forest had his old man pegged right.”

They talked a little more about the situation on the ranch. The trespassers caught on film, the ranch hand who’d been found dead in the pond months before. The attack on Meadow and then Ivy. Both women had barely made it out with their lives. The heavy weight of everything crashed down on them, and they all fell silent for several minutes.

Finally, Colton clapped Carver on the back. “C’mon. We’re going to break you in right.”

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