Page 40 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

“Yes,” Melanie said. “I’ll chalk it up to an adrenaline rush, and I’ll say that I got hurt too. That it wasn’t, like, easy or anything.”

I pressed my lips together. We’d told stories like that before when caught doing something out of the ordinary. It didn’t happen often, but when faced with the impossible, humans were always willing to accept the first logical explanation.

The door opened and Toby walked in. He’d apparently stayed up at the ropes course for a little longer, checking things out, because he was now holding two short pieces of two-by-four lumber in his hands. “Houston, we have a problem.”

“We don’t need any more fucking problems,” I said.

“The rung didn’t just snap,” Toby said. “It was cut, or rather sawed through—minus the last eighth of an inch. It was just waiting for someone to step on it wrong.”

Sam swung his gaze to me. “Sabotage?”

I bowed my head and murmured, “The rumors in town about us selling? Now this?” I looked up, meeting Sam’s gaze. “Someone is deliberately trying to undermine the resort.”

“Do you think what happened to Dad is part of it too?” Sam asked.

“Toby,” I said. “Shift.”

“What?” Toby asked, his eyes going wide.

“We need to find whoever damaged the ropes course. You know the scent of the guests who were there this morning. See if you can pick up on any scent that shouldn’t be there.”

“Is the no-shifting ban lifted for everyone?” Sam asked.

“Yes,” I said. “We all need our senses to be on high alert. I didn’t think we had any enemies. But apparently I was wrong.”

16

REESE

Later that evening, Uncle Joe sat in my office and looked up from the compromised pieces of lumber in his hands. “Local kids maybe? There’s been some vandalism in town.”

I scoffed. “No kid is going to come all the way up here to cause trouble. There are enough opportunities at the bottom of the hill.”

“There’s that motorcycle club,” Joe suggested. “The one with the garage on the south side of town. I hear a few of their members have criminal histories.”

“Doubtful.” I knew of the club, but in my mind they weren’t a likely suspect. There was no immediate pay-off from the damage that had been done.

“Well,” Joe said with a sigh, “at least your guest wasn’t hurt too badly.”

“I wouldn’t think so, but he’s complaining about his back and sharp pains in his neck.Listen, Joe. I don’t want to sound crazy, but do you think it’s possible whoever sabotaged the course knew about the lapse in our insurance?”

Joe gave me a look that said Iabsolutelysounded crazy. “How would they know that?Youdidn’t even know that until recently.”

“Yeah, but with all the rumors that are getting spread around about us selling… Who are these investors you’re working with in Ely? Do you really know anything about them? Are they honest business people or…”

Joe shook his head. “They’re not some underground criminal enterprise, Reese. And they haven’t even begun to look seriously in this area. The heads-up I gave you wasn’t about anyone trying toforceyou out.”

“But it’s possible, isn’t it? When I add in the money issues Dad was having, and now with some long-term clients canceling their reservations, and what clearly looks like sabotage…”

Joe raised his eyebrows in a look that said he couldn’t believe I was going down this path, but it was too late to turn back. I glanced out the window. Three of the housekeepers were carrying fresh linen to the staff bunkhouse.

“Reese,” he said calmly, “I know you’re upset. Christ, your dad…Tony…he was my best friend. But I think your grief is getting in the way of your better judgment.”

That wasn’t the only thing affecting my judgment, but I didn’t have room in my head for Sarah right now.

I picked up one of the broken ladder pieces and turned it over in my hands, rubbing my thumb across the rough edge.

“If this guy sues, we don’t have the cash to even settle with him out of court. We’d have to sell the horses, and they’re one of our biggest draws. Bookings would drop off even more and…things could spiral very quickly.”

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