Page 7 of Smokescreen

“Tevin . . . I need you to be ready,” she murmured.

“I’m on it,” he said. “Get yourself out of there. Now.”

She jerked the door open and darted from the office.

Quickly, she glanced to the left then the right.

To the left there was nothing, to the right a crowd of people.

Both options came with their own risks.

Olive didn’t want to cause a spectacle of herself. But she didn’t think these men wanted to draw any attention to themselves either.

She went right.

Cowboy Boots and Work Boots regained their bearings and were on her heels.

Moving quickly, she wove through the crowd, mumbling apologies to everyone she pushed out of her way. Gasps sounded around her, and the auctioneer paused at all the commotion.

A thin film of sweat spread across Olive’s forehead, and her heart stammered in her chest as adrenaline surged through her.

She could do this. She could get out of here. She’d been in bigger pickles before.

A shout sounded behind her. “Stop, you little . . . !”

Olive didn’t slow down.

The exit waited just ahead.

A gray delivery van pulled to a stop in front of the doors.

She just had to reach the vehicle without being caught. But these guys were close enough to grab her. All they needed was a few more inches . . .

“You two have a problem?” a familiar voice said behind her.

Trick.

He’d left the corral and now blocked these two from reaching Olive.

She couldn’t turn around to see what was happening.

But she heard flesh hitting flesh and knew something close to a barroom brawl had broken out.

A fist fight at the livestock auction hadn’t been a part of Olive’s plan.

But that was exactly what happened.

Olive couldn’t see any details as she darted toward the van. She could only hear the brawl taking place. She heard the shouts. The fists flying. The feet scuffling.

She reached the van as the door opened, and she dove into the back.

Before she closed the door, she glanced inside the sale barn.

Cowboy Boots peered up from the shuffle of flying fists and sent her a death glare. He didn’t have to say a word to make his threat clear. Olive knew too much, and he wasn’t going to let this go.

As the door closed, she released her breath.

Trick was in the middle of that chaos, but he’d be okay. He could handle himself in nearly any situation. Besides, no one could know the two of them were working together. It would make things too complicated.

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