Page 44 of No Bones About It

Because they couldn’t trespass. Kimi hadn’t worried about that. “Which was why I was going in. Do they want me to try again?”

“Not exactly. They’ve asked me to speak with you about an undercover mission.”

Garrett’s arm flinched, and he growled. “It’s a terrible idea.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t heard it yet.”

“Doesn’t matter. Any situation that saysundercover,organizedcrime,andKimiin the same sentence is a terrible idea.”

Marcus sighed. “Hard to argue with that.”

Kimi’s stomach roiled, and she was glad she hadn’t eaten lunch. To give herself a moment to prepare, she angled her head toward the barn. “The new pygmy goats are showing up soon. I need to check on the rabbits and cats before that. Tell me what they want.”

Garrett squeezed her hand, but walked with her toward the barn. Onigis whinnied a greeting as they marched past, and she forced herself to take a deep breath and greet the horse. The mare was making excellentprogress with interacting with people, and Kimi wasn’t screwing that up because her emotions were overwhelming her.

Onigis leaned into Kimi and then Garrett. She even allowed Marcus, a near stranger, to stroke her neck showing no signs of stress. “Good job Onigis. Once that leg heals all the way, we’ll see how you feel about joining the other horses in the field out back.” Garrett’s three horses were enjoying the freedom of the larger field, and had settled in beautifully because of this man she’d fallen in love with.

She was so damn lucky.

That thought settled her as they moved to the barn. At so many times in her life, she’d had someone to help, someone to care. Her mother. Grandmother. The people of Phail. Garrett.

It was her duty and privilege to help those who needed it. That had been one of her motivating factors in becoming a vet. And in helping re-home abandoned animals. She’d built a career she loved in a town she loved. Now she had a man she loved.

So lucky.

Which meant she needed to help. Or at least listen to whatever scheme the FBI agent had concocted. “Okay. I’m ready to hear it now.”

But she kept moving into the barn, leaving the men to follow. When she opened the door to her office, Canuck spread his wings and bobbed his head. “Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves.” Then he flew toward the door. She motioned the two men back to give the bird a clear path.

Garrett frowned. “Canuck goes outside? What if he flies away?”

Kimi shrugged. “He hasn’t so far. One day, he showed up on the fence post and hasn’t left since. I figured he’d head home right away, but he seems content. If he leaves, I’ll assume he’s ready to go home.” Her words sounded brave, but she’d miss him if he left. His choice of celebrities was often on point. When there were sick animals, he often said Michael J. Fox, a man who personified charm and kindness.

Now, he’d said Keanu Reeves. Another kind soul, but his on-screen characters kicked ass. She’d have to channel those characters to handle whatever Marcus was about to tell her.

She grabbed her kit, then led the way to the stall where the rabbits and kittens were learning to get along. The poor mama cat had to be near her breaking point with all the young around her. Thankfully,Molly, as named by Nina, was as calm as her wizard namesake. Kimi imagined the cat would be just as fierce if someone threatened her offspring or her adopted bunnies.

Kimi sat on a hay bale and picked up the nearest kitten to do a checkup and nodded to Marcus to give his news.

“As you know, Shirisha Abalos leads the Boston FBI team that has been investigating the criminal organization that oversees John Mead and his people.”

Kimi couldn’t even imagine a job like that. While she was glad there were people who thrived in that kind of environment, she couldn’t deal with all the negativity. Garrett picked up Ginny and Ron, then sat beside her on the hay bale.

Marcus sat on a bale across from them and picked up a rabbit who was trying to hop into his lap. If a person had to think about horrible people, it was best to do that while holding something soft and cuddly.

“In the course of Shirisha’s investigation, they’ve discovered Mead is hosting a fight night in a couple of days.”

Kimi shuddered as she patted George and then switched him out for Ginny.

Marcus continued. “It’s a large event with a minimum bet of three thousand. Only people with pre-paid wagers are allowed on the property.”

Kimi shuddered again. “How are people so horrible?”

Garrett tucked her into a sideways hug and kissed her hair.

Marcus nodded. “I don’t have an answer for that. People who support and enjoy this kind of thing are at the very bottom of the humanity ladder. Total scum.”

She couldn’t agree more.

---