Page 55 of Love Me Dangerous

“Of course,” she replies.

There’s more I want to say, but the words dance around on my tongue.

“See you later?” she asks.

The hopeful edge in her tone is like a steamroller to my heart. “Yeah.”

Though it’s the weakest form of assurance I can possibly make, I want it to be true.

“Okay,” she says with a little nod, like she’s afraid to ask for more.

Moving carefully, I roll forward and step out of the Wagoneer.

The walk to the lodge is short, but being in motion hurts so badly that I’m breathless by the time I get to Stu’s office. I’m also pissed as hell.

When I enter, Stu’s normally stoic face is tense with concern. “Zach. I heard about?—”

“Why are you and Sheriff Olson keeping this investigation secret? What are you really after?”

Stu sits back and crosses his arms. “First of all, are you all right? Sounds like you should have gone to the emergency room.”

I stare him down. “Don’t play me. I need to know what I’m really doing for you and the sheriff.”

“You’re doing exactly like I said.”

“Why isn’t Rowdy Whittaker part of it?”

He rolls his lips, like he’s thinking. “When the time is right, he will be.”

“Why keep it from him?”

“Because discretion isn’t his strong point. Our guests value the high-level security we offer here, but they value their privacy even more.”

“You think one of the guests is involved?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “But they could be benefitting.”

Now I get it. If prime B.C. weed or pills are being smuggled into the area to sell to Finn River’s high-society members, and someone is trafficking across federal and state public lands to do it, that would certainly be big news. News that a stickler like Rowdy Whittaker wouldn’t hesitate to make public—even if it snubbed the rich and famous. Whywould he protect them when he works a dangerous, thankless job for peanuts just so they can play in his backyard?

“Discretion,” I say, the word bitter on my tongue.

“Two weeks ago, the nineteen-year-old daughter of an oil baron overdosed at her family’s vacation home. The only reason I found out about it is because they needed security approval to land a medevac. She lived, but it’s the second such incident in six months.”

It’s not like I read the papers, but a hot bit of gossip like thisnotbeing front-page news is telling. “And you think her hookup is connected to the trafficking.”

He nods, his eyes steely and hard. “My goal is to protect the members of Finn River Ranch. If I’ve got someone delivering fentanyl or Oxy into this community, I want it shut down. So does Sheriff Olson. So do our members. But we want it done quietly. Do you understand?”

“I never agreed to stick my neck out for this.”

He arches an eyebrow. “Then you might want to distance yourself from Rowdy Whittaker’s daughter.”

“The fuck?”

He arches an eyebrow, like a challenge. “She stirs things up. Pokes her nose where it don’t belong. And she’s persistent. Won’t let things go, even if it’s in her best interest.”

The pain in my rib is like a blow torch in my side, making it hard to concentrate.Won’t let things go…like The Winter Range Project. Like her brother in his struggles. Like me?

“The sooner we can shut down this pipeline, the safer we’ll be. And that includes you. Meanwhile, your best defense is to fly low.”

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