Page 86 of Smokescreen

“Nunya,” Edgar muttered as he glared at her. “As in it’s none of your business.”

“You sound like a three-year-old.” Olive shook her head at the man, deciding not to comment anymore about how immature he was. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to stay out of our business.”

“I’m still trying to figure out what business you’re in.” Olive threw them a look.

“Doesn’t matter,” Jon growled. “You should back off.”

“You’re the ones who came after me,” Olive shot back.

Just then, sirens wailed in the distance.

Jon and Edgar glanced at each other.

Then Jon muttered, “Don’t think we’re done with you. We’re not.”

They turned and fled before the police arrived.

Olive considered going after them. But she didn’t. She needed backup if she planned to take both of them down and question them. With the police on their way, that wouldn’t be a good idea.

Instead, she turned to Reid. “You okay?”

He rubbed his hand. “I haven’t been in a fist fight in a long time. At least I didn’t lose. But I’m not as young as I used to be. You?”

She nodded, still trying to get her breathing back to normal as adrenaline pumped through her. “The timing of them being here is strange, isn’t it?”

“It is.” He leaned down and picked up his Stetson, placing it on his head.

Another thought hit her. “At this point, I’m afraid my cover is basically blown—at least with these two.”

“I doubt they’ll tell anyone who you are—except maybe the person who hired them.”

“That’s true. But I’m sorry we weren’t able to nail them down and get some answers.”

“It’s okay.” Reid’s gaze softened. “We’re closer to finding answers. That’s the important thing.”

“I know we are.” Determination shot like fire through Olive’s veins. “Iwillfigure out who is doing this to you. I promise you that.”

“I know you will.”

“But right now, I think we need to forget about Daphne for a minute and get out of here before the police ask us too many questions.”

CHAPTER 38

Olive and Reid pulled back up to the ranch, more battered and bruised—both mentally and physically—than they’d been when they’d left.

They hadn’t stuck around waiting for the sheriff to arrive. They also still didn’t have any answers, nor did they know who Jon and Edgar were working for.

Had the men been at the motel to meet Daphne and just happened upon Olive and Reid?

It was a possibility. Or they could have seen Olive and begun to follow her.

Reid stepped out of his truck and met Olive as she climbed out, a little stiffer than she’d like to admit. The mid-afternoon wind—which once felt abrasive—now felt welcome.

“I need to go check in with Cooper,” Reid told her. “I’ll be inside in a moment.”

“Sounds good.” Olive climbed the steps and slipped inside the house.

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