Page 22 of Stone Cold Sinner

“And I suppose your next line of defense or bargaining tool will be that your resources are faster and better than mine.” She snorted.

“I’m sure you can handle this, Kenz, but?—”

“But your resources are faster and better than mine,” she repeated.

“To be fair, I already have a digital analysis running based on pictures sent in and a team landing shortly to run a full boots-on-the-ground CSI to find out absolutely everything they can, completely under the radar. No one will even know they’re in town, much less on the property.”

Kenzie stood, walked to the picture window, and watched Dillon playing outside with Cut’s children. She smiled as if it brought back her own memories of playing on the ranch and the fun they all used to have together. She looked over her shoulder at Coy and suddenly locked in his stare. She studied him a moment with a soft expression and knowing eyes that spoke of trust and something else. As if a switch had been flipped, her stare hardened to the point it was like the light dimmed around them. Like she’d remembered something else that wasn’t so fondly kept stowed away in her memories.

“I suppose if I try to push rank or jurisdiction, you’ll just play your brother-in-law card and get this guy to make it a federal case and hand it over to you and your super elusive, off-the-grid band of operatives and cockblock me that way.”

“You really do keep tabs.” Coy winked, to which Kenzie returned a glare. “No. One… That’s not what I’ll do because I don’t need my brother-in-law’s card to pull rank and take the case. If you know as much about me and what Dillon and I do as you lead on, then you know I can do it without him. To be fair, I have clearances, not even the President has. But I’d never do that, especially to you. I don’t need to play dirty to get things done. And two… I’d never… cockblock you, either.”

“Got your attention, didn’t I?” She shrugged off the derogatory remark. “Do me a favor, Stone. If I let you take the lead, you’ll keep me in the loop the entire time, and when it’s time, you step aside and let me do my job.”

Coy got up from his seat and stood toe-to-toe with her as if his offer was some kind of challenge. “I’ll do you one better, Sheriff. I’ll partner up with you. Work it together. My resources work better with local law enforcement cooperating.”

Kenzie looked around the room at each man, finally landing back on Coy and extending her hand.

“Okay, you have a deal.” She shook his hand. “For now.”

Kenzie released his hand quickly and made her way to the door. Just before she stepped through the threshold, she turned to them and nodded her head at Nash. “Do me a favor –– keep this one on a short leash. At least until we get some answers.”

Nash rolled his eyes in dramatic fashion as he tossed his hands in the air. “Why does it always come back on me? A little bad luck, and…”

“Bad luck? Okay, Nash. You been looking for bad luck your entire life, boy.” She laughed. “Hopefully, that bad luck doesn’t take you down this time. I don’t want to have to arrest you.”

And Kenzie left, closing the door behind her. Coy watched her from the window as she made her way down the steps, and instead of heading for her squad car, she headed straight for Dillon. He watched as the women reunited, shared a hug, and maybe even swiped away a tear. Kenzie even picked up the kids, tossed them in the air, and affectionately hugged both Nora and Devyn. She really had been like family to them –– more than that to him, once upon a time. After another round of quick hugs, Kenzie walked back to her police cruiser and looked up, making eye contact with Coy. There was something both familiar and haunting about her stare. It sent chills down his spine yet warmed that pinch loosening in his chest, but he didn’t quite know what to make of that. Perhaps she was thinking the same thing, looking back at him.

“You really think this can land on me?” Nash asked, grabbing Coy’s attention.

Coy looked over his shoulder and took in the concern smoldering in Nash’s expression but remained silent and turned his attention back to Kenzie as he watched her drive off the ranch.

“Oh, come on. The only thing I’m guilty of is a bad choice with those damn plants that I’m seriously regretting at the moment,” Nash went on.

“Let’s hope so, little brother. Let’s hope so,” Coy said. “We just need to prove it.”

8

“You’re sure today is the day, huh?” Coy asked, sitting as a passenger in Kenzie’s personal vehicle.

“It wasn’t yesterday, and definitely wasn’t the day before, so yes… Today is the day.” She chuckled. “I told you there isn’t any consistency to the appearances of these guys around town. They show up and disappear at random.”

“And you’re certain it’s the same crew each time?”

“Same group of men in general? Yes. Is it the same crew each time? No, it’s like they take turns, rotating in and out, but I know there are at least six frequent fliers coming and going. Maybe ten,” she shared. “Usually see them around every couple of days. Once in a while, there’s a new face, but the new ones never stick around or show their face twice.”

“Shit, Kenz. How long have you been watching them and collecting intel?”

“Oh, I don’t know. The last year or so. I’m sure they’ve been here longer. That’s just when I started noticing them growing in numbers. At first, I thought maybe they were seasonal workers coming in for harvest, calving season, or the various breeding seasons.”

“You ever follow them?”

“A couple of times, but I lose them each time or get called to something else. I don’t have a good reason to pull them over or haul them in. They don’t cause trouble, try to blend in, and don’t really give me reason to suspect anything other than…”

“They don’t live here.” Coy finished her statement, understanding where her suspicions came from.

“Coy, this is a small town where everyone knows everyone from here and the surrounding counties. When someone sticks out, they stick out.”

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