Page 80 of Tempting Fate
He reeled back as if he wasn’t certain he’d heard her right. “Your land, two hundred thousand dollars?” It was worth over a half a million.
“I’d give it to you for nothing, but the two hundred thousand dollars is already spoken for. You won’t have to worry about Moto Entertainment, and can expand your cowboy camp or raise more stock. Whatever you want to do with it.”
He studied her for a while, and Raylene thought he was trying to decide what her objective was.
“And then you’d feel absolved?” he asked.
She nodded.
He curled his lip, looking as angry as she’d ever seen him. “Then no. I don’t want any part of yourrecoverygift. Now get the hell off my property and don’t bother any of my family members.”
Raylene left before she was physically escorted away.
* * * *
“You spent all night crammed in your wife’s car and you’re here on a Saturday morning?” Gabe took the liberty of walking into Rhys’ office uninvited, sinking into one of the wing chairs, and stretching out.
“You made me?”
“Hell yeah, I made you. Were you lighting a joint at one in the morning or was that your cell phone?”
“I didn’t see you.”
“Of course you didn’t.” Though Gabe had been sloppy as hell, starting with the fact that he’d spent much of the night rocking his SUV naked with Raylene. “You think they’re gone?”
Rhys made a rim shot off the garbage pail with a Nerf ball. “Don’t know, but there haven’t been any sightings of late. Though it seems highly unlikely they’d leave before tearing that property apart if the gold is what they came for.”
“What other reason would they have?” It wasn’t as if Nugget was a major attraction off the interstate.
“Don’t know that either. Best working theory is that they caught wind that Raylene was selling the place and wanted to get in before the new owners break ground. It’s not like Levi’s Gold is a big secret, even if the story is a ridiculous fable.”
Gabe tilted his head from side to side.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake, don’t tell me she’s got you believing it.”
“No, but she sure believes it. She swears by it, and she won’t quit until she finds it. I’m supposed to meet her over there at noon so we can start digging again.” Gabe rolled his eyes. “I’m hoping the snow will dissuade her.” And the fact that neither of them got much sleep last night.
“Watch yourself.” Rhys got up to dig his ball out of the trash. “If any of them had anything to do with that home invasion killing in Utah, they’re dangerous.”
“I will, but I think they’re gone. My guess is they realized how difficult it is digging that rocky soil, didn’t like camping in the cold, and decided to call it quits. Otherwise someone would’ve seen them by now.”
“Could be, but don’t lower your guard.”
“Never do.”
“So where were you, anyway?”
“Last night?” Gabe stifled a grin. “I’m like a ghost, dude. And if I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Rhys shook his head. “Save it for Owen. Were you up on the water tower?”
“Did you see me up on the water tower?”
Rhys threw the Nerf ball at Gabe. “Go dig up Levi’s nonexistent gold. The sooner Raylene leaves, the sooner I can cross off quelling a riot from my to-do list.”
“If they don’t want her to sell to those motocross people, they should buy it themselves.” Enough was enough. She wasn’t selling to spite anyone; the money from the property was her only livelihood.
“As the police chief, I’m staying out of it, though having motorcycles speed around a track all day is going to wreak havoc on my family’s quality of life, not to mention our property values. I’m just on the other side of McCreedy Ranch, if you remember?”
