Page 32 of One
It was an hour and half flight, made better by a snack and in-flight drinks which would be saved for afterwards. Winchester, Maverick, Arthur and I played poker with a buy-in of a hundred bucks. My cover was blown by the fourth game as I took out Winchester and half of Arthur’s money.
I was a devious angel and a cheater, but it’s not my fault that they assumed I didn’t know how to play. When we landed, it was even colder in Oregon and thankfully someone was smart enough to have the cars warmed up when I got in.
“It should be about a twenty-five-minute drive from here,” Arthur said, getting into the car with me.
“Ok, will it be an easy sell or will this person be giving me a hard time?” I wanted to hear his opinion.
“Shepard is a man who is willing to change with the times,” he said, looking over at me. “I’ve met him a few times and I don’t suspect him to give us a hard time, but his second is a finicky asshole so, if it’s him we have to deal with, I suspect a lot of snide and crude comments.”
I rolled my eyes. “And how am I expected to deal with that? I suppose keeping?—”
“I say you stab him in the leg and warn him if another disrespectful comment leaves his mouth, you will make sure you take a prize home with you,” Arthur grinned.
I smiled back. “Good, I’m getting tired of being disrespected and acting right to keep the peace.”
“That's not what I heard about what happened with Jay,” he said.
“I could have done a lot worse with Jay, but I played on the edge to keep peace,” I sighed. “If I had done anything worse. Jay would have retaliated.”
“Well, I think if you don’t start making a name for yourself, people will start stepping all over you, and we can’t have that,” he growled. “No one is going to take advantage of you while I am here.”
I nodded, appreciating his honesty and his dedication.
“It’s a lot harder than it looks but I think we might be going in the right direction,” I said, noticing we were turning on to what looked like a ranch.
“Did I forget to mention, Shepard's cover is ranching?” Arthur laughed as he took in my shocked expression.
We passed a sign that said Ember Ridge Ranch.
“Yeah, next thing you're going to tell me is he’s gonna come out in chaps and a?—”
I didn’t finish my sentence, most of the men were dressed in dirty blue jeans, plain t-shirts or plaid button-downs, some had cowboy hats.
We stopped in front of an enormous barn and a big man with blonde hair and green eyes dressed like someone who had just come from the rodeo opened my door.
“Noelle, my queen,” he said with a slight accent, as he held out his hand for me as Winchester and Maverick ran out of the car scowling at the man. “Name’s Shepard.”
“Hello, Shepard,” I said, putting my hand in his. “That kind of flattery will get you everywhere.”
“I’m hoping it will,” he said, as his eyes darkened, and I willed myself not to blush.
Winchester growled, which earned him a glare from Shepard.
“It seems you have quite the security team,” he said, looking between Winchester and Maverick. “I hope they are house trained.”
“They are if we are treated right,” I sighed. “It seems we've been having problems with people who don’t know what the meaning of respect is.”
Shepherd studied me as I attempted not to squirm. I feigned boredom as every part of me wanted to look away from his dominance. He commanded the room, not because he was good looking, but his presence was bigger than life with that smile. I recognized a predator when I saw one. He might be smiling, but he had that same lethal look in his eyes my guys did that said, “fuck with me and I will kill you with my bare hands.”
“Well, let's get you out of this cold, Noelle,” Shepard said, as he led me inside the barn-like structure with Winchester and Maverick at my side.
I felt a little exposed like I might be walking into a trap as two enormous doors opened. The gun against my ribs and the knives on my upper thigh provided a little comfort. I might not be able to kill a man like Shepard, but I was going to try my hardest to injure him before I escaped.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Shepard asked, while I took in my surroundings.
“No, thank you,” I said, motioning for Arthur to bring the suitcase.
“Right to business,” he smirked. “All work and no play?”
