Page 77 of Death Valley

Red’s blood drips onto the floor beside the table, each drop marking the seconds of stunned silence that fill the hut.

FBI.

Special Agent Aubrey Wells.

The words echo in my mind, impossible to process against the backdrop of Red’s labored breathing, Cole’s ragged accusations, and the howling wind outside. I stare at Aubrey, searching her face for any trace of the woman I thought I knew—the grieving sister, the determined stranger who rode onto my ranch waving around her cash with a desperate plea for help.

Was any of it real? Or was it all calculated, a performance designed to infiltrate my life, my ranch, my crew?

She knew about Marcus this whole time.

Aubrey keeps her hands steady on Red’s arm, applying pressure to the wound. Her composure only fuels my suspicion—this professional calm in the face of chaos, the way she took charge of the situation with practiced authority. The fact that she was so adamant about how well she could handle a gun. How did I miss it?

Blinded by her body, I can’t help but think.

And yet I know it was more than that.

It’s been a lot more than that.

And I’m a fucking fool.

“I told you, I’m on leave,” she says evenly. “Forced leave, if you must know. Because I haven’t been well, I haven’t been handling Lainey’s disappearance well. And that’s why I’m here. This isn’t official, they don’t even know where I am or what I’m doing because if they did, I doubt they’d ever let me back on the job. I’m here for Lainey, nothing more.”

“Fuck that,” Cole spits, his face growing red. “Lies. All lies. You’ve been watching us, gathering evidence?—”

“Cole, that’s enough,” I interject, though my own mind is racing with similar suspicions. “Put the gun down. Her gun. We need to focus on Red.”

Out of all of us, Cole is the one closest to Marcus, and he’s been the thorn in my side for a long time. Not a friend, not a ranch hand, just a glorified babysitter Marcus brought on to make sure I wasn’t snitchin’ or looking for a way out. Red was the same. I’d like to think we became friends over time, but now I see it, the fear, the idea that Marcus’s operation might all fall to pieces because of this woman.

And even though I’m mad at Aubrey, even though I can’t trust her, even though I don’t know if I believe her when she says she’s not here on business, I know I have to protect her from them if it comes to it.

Not that Red poses a threat at the moment.

“This is a setup,” Cole sneers. “Has to be. Why else would a Fed be up here with us?”

“Does it matter?” I counter. “We need to focus on Red. Now give me her god damn gun or I’m going to take it from you.”

A sinister look comes over his face. “You’re in on it, aren’t you?” he says to me.

“You’re snitching on Marcus. That’s why she’s here. You hired her.”

“I don’t even know who the fuck Marcus is and I don’t care,” Aubrey says. “Jensen has nothing to do with this.”

“Then why hide it?” I ask her, unable to keep the betrayal from my voice. “Why not just tell us from the start?”

Her eyes meet mine, something like hurt flickering through them before being masked by professional detachment. “Would you have helped me if you knew? Or would you have sent me away the moment I showed my badge?”

The question hangs between us, unanswerable because we both know the truth. If she’d come to Lost Trail Ranch as Special Agent Wells, I would have shown her the door before she could finish introducing herself. Not just because of my arrangement with Marcus, but because of what happened to Lainey and Adam. Because of what I’ve seen in these mountains, what I’ve done and failed to do.

I’d wanted absolution. I didn’t want a death sentence.

Red groans, a wet, pained sound that breaks the standoff. “Could you argue about this after I’m not bleeding out?” he manages through gritted teeth.

Aubrey immediately refocuses on his arm, her hands still steady despite the tension crackling through the room. Her resolve is impressive. “I need to finish cleaning this wound. Arguing won’t change the fact that he needs medical attention.”

“How do we know you’re not going to poison him or something?” Cole asks, desperation edging his voice. “How do we know you didn’t plan this whole thing with Hank?”

“That’s ridiculous,” Eli says, speaking up for the first time since Aubrey’s identity was revealed. “You think she arranged for Hank to turn into…whatever he is now? To attack Red? Hell, she could have just arrested us if she wanted to.”

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