Page 32 of Wyoming Bodyguard
Madden avoided his dad’s forlorn expression, probably uncomfortable with the knowledge a surge of crime in their community came from a situation where he held some responsibility. “What kind of drugs?”
“Marijuana. Meth. Found some cocaine a few weeks back on a tourist in town who busted into the general store.”
“What about the suppliers? Any idea where these drugs are coming from?” Madden asked.
“We’ve found a few cooks. Small-time growers. Nothing major.” Deputy Sanders shifted in his seat. “Why do you want to know?”
“Do you think my dad is involved at all?” Lily lifted her chin a tiny fraction, but Madden could see the slight tremor of her hands. She was strong and brave to tackle the issue head-on, but she couldn’t hide her fear. At least not from him.
Deputy Sanders’s eyes widened. “Kevin? No. I mean, I don’t have any knowledge of such things. I heard about what was found on your property—Hill and Silver have been chasing that angle—but I don’t see how your dad could be connected.”
Tension practically leaked out of Lily, and a tiny smile touched her lips.
“Has Deputy Hill or Deputy Silver said anything else about the case?” Madden asked.
“Not really. They’ve been out of the station a lot, and I’ve been picking up more time patrolling the town so they can focus on the case. Not much crossover.”
“Makes sense.” He wished he could uncover more information, but at least he knew the deputies in charge of finding Kevin Tremont’s attacker were doing their due diligence. Hopefully they’d find the truth soon.
The front door squeaked open, followed by slow steady footsteps. Madden took note of the familiar faces around the table. The number of players at his father’s weekly poker game had dwindled after they’d sold their land to developers, only the three men in the room choosing to remain loyal to a decades-long friendship. No one else had set foot in their home in years. “Expecting anyone else, Pops?”
Dax walked into the kitchen, his mouth in a hard line and his fitted shirt smeared with dirt. “He’s always expecting me, aren’t ya Dad? You know, the son who’s left behind. Came to grab some grub and maybe sit in on a hand.”
Madden bit back a groan. He had enough on his plate right now. His petulant little brother was the last thing he wanted to deal with. While the group welcomed Dax, Madden leaned close to Lily to whisper in her ear. “Do you want to head home?”
She shook her head. “That’d be rude. Besides, I’m in the mood to hustle a roomful of men out of their hard-earned cash.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. No matter what the situation, Lily was always in her element. Willing to blend in and put her best foot forward. He studied his brother as Dax grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped off the cap.
Maybe it was time he learned a few lessons from Lily.
* * *
A weird tension crackled in the air as soon as Dax entered the room. Lily had seen Madden’s brother around town, but hadn’t really taken note of the man he’d become while she’d been busy keeping her head above water.
As Dax stood at the kitchen counter with a beer in his hand, she couldn’t help but notice the hard lines of his face. He had a certain edge that Madden didn’t have. Where Madden oozed an almost cockiness that she hated to admit came off as charming, Dax appeared closed off, angry somehow despite his smile as he stalked to the island and dragged a chair to the table.
“Hey, Lil. Shocked to see you here.”
“I could never say no to a good game of poker,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
He snorted. “Sure. How’s your dad?”
“Fine. Thanks for asking.” She didn’t want to go into the details again, and it was clear that Dax only asked so he didn’t look like a complete dick.
Dax took a long pull of his beer then set the brown bottle on the table. “Can I keep a stallion in the old barn for a few days, Pops?”
Madden narrowed his eyes, head tilted to the side. “Where’d you get a stallion?”
Dax’s smile disappeared, replaced with a scowl that turned his hard edges dangerous. “What does it matter to you? I got to make a living, don’t I? You made sure I had to look elsewhere, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Madden’s hands curled into fists at his sides. Irritation radiated from his skin. He blew a long breath out his nose. “Glad you found something. What are you doing?”
“Training horses over at the Williamsons’ ranch.” He nodded toward Marvin, the proud owner of the cattle ranch across town. “Bought a young stallion old Marv can’t break and asked me to help. It’ll be easier if I have him here, if Pops is okay with it.”
“When did you guys start buying horses?” Madden asked.
Marvin lifted a shoulder. “You know how it is. Life’s always changing. Needed to branch out a little. Dax has always been good with horses so figured I’d ask for his help.”
