Page 50 of Cinnamon Cider Whiskey
“Gage is fine,” Pete said with an exasperated sigh. “The man is as dumb as a doornail. I had one of my men pay him off to disappear for a while.”
“Gage wouldn’t take your money.”
“He would if he thought it would protect you, your cousins, or Austin from harm.” He waved his weapon. “Now get in the car.”
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Because once you are home and the charges are dropped, I’ll tell him he can go back to the ranch. That no harm will come to anyone.”
“I want proof now,” she said as she jumped from the rock. “Call him and put it on speaker.”
“Fine.” Pete reached into the car and snagged his cell. He tapped on the screen. It rang twice. “Gage?”
“Yes,” Gage’s voice flowed through the speaker. It was weak and sad. Not his usual peppy self, but it did sound like him.
“Our arrangement will be coming to an end perhaps next week.”
“Cinnamon is okay, yes? Austin is unharmed, yes?” Gage asked.
“Everyone is fine,” Pete said. “I’ll be in touch.” He tossed his phone back inside his SUV. “Satisfied?”
“Actually, no.” Something didn’t feel right. “Why did you send him away? It doesn’t make sense. What difference did it make if he was on the ranch or not?”
“For fuck’s sake.” Pete lunged forward.
She took three steps back. “I’m serious, Pete. I want answers before I get in your fancy car and go back to our life.”
“You can be a real pain in the ass,” Pete muttered. “If I couldn’t frame Austin for Charity’s death, then Gage was my backup.”
Cinnamon gasped. “Did you know Charity?”
“Of course I did.”
Cinnamon’s heart beat faster and faster. “How?”
“Why does it matter?”
“If you want me to go home and be quiet, I want to know all the things I’m shutting my mouth about. I think that’s only fair.”
“So you can use it against me? No way.”
“No,” she said. “Knowing will keep me from doing what caused you to bash in my face. This is how we reset and start over. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Are you telling me that I’ve finally gotten through to you?”
“Yes,” she said. “Please tell me how you knew Charity.”
“I met her while on a trip to Boise. She was in a bar I went to. I couldn’t believe it when I found out she was dating Austin. I struck up a friendship. Eventually it became more, but she knew I was married and would never leave my wife.”
“You were having an affair with her?”
“Maybe if my wife wasn’t so frigid I wouldn’t have to.” Pete arched a brow. “But I was helping her figure out who she should be with. I encouraged her to pick Austin over Tom. I told her he was the much better catch.”
“Did she know you had a history with Whiskey Ranch?”
“Eventually, I told her that I knew of the Whiskey family and that she would learn to love it there if she gave it half a chance. When she called me and told me she was leaving, I tried talking her out of it, but that didn’t work.”
“So you killed her.” Cinnamon narrowed her eyes.
