Page 15 of A Rebel's Shot

Probably preferably six feet under.

The tires jolted on the ground, snapping her eyes open and her shield up. She hated the icy cold that settled in her gut. Hated how it twisted her into someone she didn’t recognize. But she didn’t know who she could trust, especially in her family.

“Thank you for flying Rebel Air.” Tiikâan’s cheeky voice came through the headset, startling a huff of laughter out of her. “Your captain asks that you remain in your seat with your seat belt on until we come to a complete stop.”

He turned to her and winked. She rolled her eyes, but warmth melted the ice in her gut. She shouldn’t allow it to, but something about him made her comfortable.

“We hope you’ll enjoy your stay in…” He pretended to look around confused before continuing. “The middle of nowhere Alaska.”

“Thanks, Mr. Rebel.”

“Um… I didn’t know my dad was here.” He glanced into the back seat.

Did he not take anything seriously?

“It’s Tiikâan or Rebel, but definitely not Mister,remember?” He shook his head as he pulled the plane into the designated spot.

“Thanks, Tiikâan.” He nodded at her emphasis of his name. “Why don’t you follow me to my office so I can put my things down, then I’ll give you a tour. Unfortunately, I’m afraid you’re going to be a little bored.”

He shrugged off her comment, though a muscle ticked in his cheek like he was gritting his teeth. “I brought a book.”

And now she wanted to know what kind of books this provocative man read. Was it all classics like Hawthorne’sTangled Tales? Whatever it was, it probably had a lot of adventure. He didn’t seem like a man who would do anything tame.

Her stepbrother’s form stomping toward the airstrip forced her to refocus on why she was there––saving her father’s legacy and unraveling the mystery of his last message.

Even if she just wanted to tell Tiikâan to fire up the engine and take her anywhere but the Alaskan Brooks Range.

Her phone chimed the text and email sounds almost one right after the other, and she wished the mine site didn’t have such good Wi-Fi. She glanced at her screen, smiling at the text that came in from her uncle Nolan, the company’s chief operating officer.

Nolan: Remember to tell Greg in safety that he still owes me a beer next time I’m up there and that he needs to pick a better team to back.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she responded.

“Merritt,” Silas hollered as he got close.

Why couldn’t all her family be as easy to get along with as Nolan?

Her hands shook as she shoved the phone back in her purse, and she clenched them to hide the trembling that coursed through her. To stuff down the need that filled her to let her dad’s dynasty crumble. But she’d never been able to let her dad down, even in death.

“Morning, Silas.” See, she could be friendly.

“Did you get the latest request for funds I sent over? We’re falling behind schedule because you and Rachel keep stonewalling me at every turn. It’s almost like you want this mine to fail, despite it being Dad’s dream.”

Well, good morning to you too, brother.

Merritt barely refrained from rolling her eyes and stepped around him toward the offices. In truth, part of what Silas said might be true. Between her grief and trying to figure out if his death was the accident it appeared to be, she couldn’t conjure up any excitement for her dad’s last venture.

Rachel was a nightmare to work with, and Merritt still hadn’t gotten a grasp on everything that had to happen to keep the mine moving forward. Not that Silas had been much help with that.

“I’m still getting up to speed, Silas.” She turned to him as he stepped up beside her and matched her pace. “But some of these cost projections seem off, and there are concerning gaps in the environmental impact report. I need full transparency before releasing more company funds.”

He clenched his jaw, looked off to the side, and angrily mumbled something too quiet for her tohear. Heat filled her chest. Now she knew how her dad had felt when Silas would get in trouble in high school and he’d do the exact same thing.

Annoyed and apprehensive.

Though probably the last was just her. She couldn’t imagine her dad anxious about much. She needed to get over that quickly if she had any chance of finding out the truth.

“Silas, I need you to level with me. These numbers aren’t adding up, and there are gaps in the environmental reports. What’s going on with this mine?”

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