Page 78 of Dairy and Deadly

Ashley gulped. “What about the snipers outside?”

“What about it?” Caro shrugged off her concern. “I’ve been in worse situations. Darkness will help. If he’s wearing night vision goggles, we can start a fire to temporarily cloak our heat signatures. If he’s?—”

“Who are you?” Ashley was starting to realize just how badly she’d misjudged the woman before now.

“Someone who’s seen and done things she can’t unsee or undo,” Caro retorted glumly.

“You’re also someone I’m proud to call my friend.” Ashley meant it with all of her heart. “And not just because Johnny and Clint want us to get along to make their own lives easier,” she added with a chuckle.

A ghost of a smile flitted across Caro’s face. “They’re something else, aren’t they?”

“That’s why I married one of them.” Ashley’s thoughts inevitably returned to Martin. She’d really dodged a bullet with him. “What do you think my ex downloaded on that zip drive he’s in such a lather about?”

“My best guess?” Caro’s voice was cautious. “Something he’s blackmailing his associates with.”

“As if things couldn’t get uglier.” She almost wished she hadn’t asked.

“Right or wrong, my gut says he’s telling the truth about doing it for you.” Caro nodded like she knew what she was talking about. “I see the way he looks at you.”

Ashley felt revolted. “I don’t want one thing from that creep!”

“We-e-ell…” Caro spread her hands. “We might be able to use it to our advantage.”

A truck rumbled closer, filling Ashley with dismay. It sounded like Martin was back.

“Hold the ends of the ropes tightly inside your fists,” Caro instructed in a low voice.

Moments later, he stomped into the shack with a couple of water bottles and granola bars in hand. He plopped them on the windowsill and pivoted to take off again.

Ashley glanced longingly toward the water bottles, feeling parched. “How are we supposed to eat or drink with our hands tied?”

For an answer, he walked around their chairs to slash one hand free apiece. “I’ll be back,” he warned. On his way out the door, he tossed the water bottles and granola bars to them.

Caro easily caught hers.

Ashley caught the granola bar but missed the water bottle. It crashed onto the floor, busted, and leaked out. She watched dejectedly as the water disappeared through the floorboards.

Martin left without another word.

“Take mine.” Caro uncapped her bottle and held it out.

Ashley shook her head. She was the one who’d fumbled her catch, and it had cost them an entire water bottle. Caro wasn’t to blame, so she shouldn’t suffer the consequences.

“It wasn’t a question.” Caro sounded impatient. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re drinking for two right now.”

“I won’t drink all of it.” As the evening wore on, however, it became clear that her friend had no intention of touching a drop of it.

Thirst and fear for the well-being of her unborn child eventually propelled her to down the rest of the water.

The sun dipped on the horizon, and shadows fell. Right before the room was plunged into darkness, Martin returned.

“My higher ups think I’ve been interrogating you all evening,” he informed them brusquely. “Since you’re not cooperating, I’ve been instructed to drive you to the GPS coordinates on the zip drive and torture the truth out of you there.”

“You’ll never get away with it,” Ashley gasped. He was out of his mind if he thought Hawk, Tucker, and Clint would allow it.

His smile was ugly. “We’re creating a diversion right now to ensure your husband and his pesky brother-in-law are too occupied to get in my way. Oh, and Hawk is on duty at the rez tonight. I made sure of that, too.”

Which left Tucker alone to defend them.

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