Page 12 of Operation: Chosen

“Want to help me?” Eric slowed Skyfall with a sharp whistle, and soon she was back to a steady trot.

“You want me to stand there and spin in circles? Naw, that looks like a good job for an old man.” Terrell gave the barest hint of a smile.

“There are other options for you, if you take them.” Eric gave the rope a soft tug, and Skyfall slowed as she circled him one last time, then strode to his side. “Putting ‘I survived a gang’ on a resume won’t get you far in life unless you plan to be a motivational speaker. If you start reaching for things to achieve here at the ranch, you might start finding that good things come your way.”

Terrell’s face shuttered, and he looked away. “I think your ears must be failing you, old man. It won’t matter how hard I try. They will come and find me. I’ve seen faces. I know names. Not just street names, real names. Clayton, Big E’s brother, has been in for years. They tell us on purpose so if we don’t cut it, the members won’t feel remorse when they kill us. It’s for safety. If I’m gone, it protects them.”

Wayside Ranch had lowered the security after all the trafficking victims had left to allow Gabby to go to work more easily in the morning. Eric would have to talk to Connor about setting it back up to the level they’d had it before. They’d assumed the gang would never leave California, but maybe that assumption was misplaced.

“What do you have to do in order to make the cut?”

Terrell looked him in the eye, and his young jaw hardened. “I can’t tell you that.”

Eric hadn’t seen hardness like that in anyone’s eyes since his time in the military. Terrell might be the smallest of the three boys, but he had determination and a will to survive. By inviting these boys to the ranch, they may have set themselves up for more trouble than they ever could’ve imagined.

* * *

Ali’s closetheld few comfortable options outside of her running shoes, and they were supposed to be exclusively for running. Other than her workout clothes, the wearing of which hadn’t bothered her in the slightest on base running the track, she had nothing other than business slacks or skirts and blouses.

When she returned home after a long day, she often simply put on her pajamas to relax. Why have clothes sitting around that she didn’t want? If she went to the store on the weekend, she usually chose to wear the clothes that helped her feel in control. Jeans and tees were for kids. She was an adult.

Then again, Lacy and Eric—and all the Wayside men for that matter—didn’t look like teens in jeans. Maybe her big-city thinking was getting in the way. After losing a three-hundred-dollar pair of shoes that morning, she wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. There had to be another option.

She tugged on her least revealing workout outfit, a pair of yoga pants she wore when the weather was too cool for her capri leggings, then topped it with her usual sports bra. To make the outfit slightly less workout and more everyday, she took out a breezy, thin peasant top that she normally wore over a cami and tugged it on over her head.

Ali frowned at her reflection. Nothing coordinated. She didn’t look ready for a run with the top, nor did she look ready for life with the pants. At least she looked like people she’d seen at the grocery store, so she’d deal with feeling uncomfortable for a little while and at least fit in. Her discomfort only had to last until she could get something more appropriate for the remainder of the three weeks she’d have to live at Wayside. Or until Eric convinced Connor to tell her to leave, whichever came first.

She grabbed her purse, then halted. The purse definitely didn’t go with the vibe of the outfit she’d put together, but she didn’t have anything else that would work. After a quick rummage through the few items inside, she tucked her driver’s license and debit card in her bra strap, then headed out.

Since she’d only been there a little over one day, she hadn’t made time to work out yet, and wearing the runners on the gravel made walking a lot easier. A pair of boots like everyone else wore around the ranch might be even more comfortable. Everyone else wore them, with the exception of the boys who’d arrived the same day she had. They probably felt just as out of sorts as she did.

Ali strode along the cabins, keeping as quiet as possible. Eric had looked so angry about her lapse in judgement, allowing Sam to help her, that she didn’t want to face him. There was no way his anger was jealousy. He’d made himself perfectly clear that he wasn’t attracted to her anymore. He had to have been angry that she was there only because of him and that his friend had been force to rescue her. The cowboy code had worked against her.

How she hated that. Her cheeks burned, and she increased her pace like she could run away from the very idea of being embarrassed. At the end of the line of cabins, she heard voices and stopped. She had no desire to meet up with anyone but Lacy, especially dressed in this ridiculous outfit.

Peering around the corner, the three boys stood in a small clutch, heads down, mumbling to each other. Her lawyer curiosity kicked in, and she inched closer so she could hear what they were talking about. Eric had warned her against doing things to manipulate the boys, but she didn’t trust anyone until they proved to her that they could be trusted, and these boys looked like they were up to something. Voices low. Hiding out of sight. All things criminals would do.

“You think Bones will come all the way out here? It’s in the middle of nowhere,” the boy leaning against the cabin said.

“Shut up, Jayzon. How dare you use any of their names? What if someone heard you?” The second boy quickly glanced around.

Ali ducked behind a cabin and waited until she heard voices again, then slowly inched her way closer. If she could get to the cabin closest to where they were, she could hide just around the corner and they’d never see her as long as she guessed correctly which way they would go when they left…

Most likely, they wouldn’t go to the back, they’d go inside or head to the lodge to eat. Boys were always eating, and she hadn’t seen them in the cafeteria once since she’d arrived. They had to be starving by now.

Avoiding windows and glad she’d worn her runners now, she was able to think about where she wanted to be, not where she had to place her feet to stay upright. Once she was close enough, she could hear the boys again.

“I think Bones will come, and both of you will get it,” a low voice said.

“You think you have this in the bag because you’re the biggest and meanest of the three of us, but I’ve got both of you beat,” another boy said. “I know for a fact they will come because Clayton already tried to take a hit out on me in juvie, but I escaped. If you don’t make it, you don’t make it.” The boy made a snickering sound.

“My brother didn’t try to kill you or you’d be dead. You don’t know anything,” the boy with the low voice said. “I’ve got plans for this place. I’m going to make sure everyone knows that I can follow orders. Can you say the same?”

“Big E, when is Bones coming?” Jayzon asked, with a nervous laugh.

The boy with the deep voice answered, “Clayton will be here, with some others, in a week or less. They’ll drive here because they won’t risk flying for us.”

“How many?” Jayzon continued.

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