Page 28 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

“Good girl.” Marshall smiled. When the sun set, he would be rid of that man once and for all. “Did she tell you how she plans to get him out?” he asked.

“She wouldn’t say, but she wasn’t concerned about the gates.”

This was worse than he feared. His daughter was willing to reveal one of their most precious secrets to help a stranger escape. “Put Alex back on.”

A moment later, his son said, “Sir, is there something going on that I should know about?”

“Mercy is headed for the bunker with Rocco to sneak him out through the tunnel. You have my permission to use lethal force.” He wanted Rocco dead. It was the only way to end Mercy’s infatuation with him.

“Yes, sir,” Alex said, and Marshall could hear the grin in his voice.

Alex had been aching to take a shot at Rocco since he’d arrived. Now he’d have his chance. He better not blow it.

“Make sure Mercy doesn’t get hurt, and, Alex, don’t miss.”

“I never do.”

Chapter Eight

Lightning lit the sky as they made their way to Light House. The clouds were almost black. Rocco fretted about what would happen to Mercy for breaking the rules by helping him.

He should have been worried about the mission. About failing. Getting caught as he tried to get off the compound.

At that moment, his sole concern was for her.

If he could’ve stayed, he would have. Not only to meet his objective, but to spare her from suffering any consequences. He’d never once rattled under fire. Whatever the dangers might be, Rocco was ready for them, but being forced to ingest a drug—legal for religious purposes and illegal under all other conditions—spill his guts and take a beating was not a possibility he could entertain.

In the end, he’d break his cover and have nothing to show for it besides bruises.

What her father had planned for him was brutal and inhumane. To think, the entire commune accepted such practices as normal.

This was supposedly the safest place on the planet for her, but his protective instincts had been in high gear since he drove through the front gate. Her father’s stunt with that forced courtship only made the knot in his gut tighten. Despite her assurances that he need not worry, that was all he did.

Keeping his head lowered, he scanned the area and glanced over his shoulder.

“Stop looking around,” she said. “It’s suspicious.”

“Where are all the security guards?”

Mercy flashed him a smile. “Preoccupied at the farm with a little distraction.”

She was full of surprises.

Instead of entering through the back, they went around the main building. At a side door, Mercy stepped inside first, made sure it was clear and waved him in.

“Is your dad here?” Avoiding a run-in with her father would be ideal. Not that he wouldn’t like the chance to punch that man in the face.

“He likes to ride his horse before dinner, but since you’ve been on the compound, he’s varied his schedule. There’s no telling where he is now.”

She closed the door behind them and locked it.

In the hall, she led the way past a mudroom that had racks lined across the walls for people to set their shoes on after they entered. He’d seen an even larger one near the rear entrance.

Up ahead was the staircase to the second story.

She put her hand to his chest, stopping him. “Wait here,” she whispered, steering him into a dim alcove beneath the stairs.

“Where are you going?”

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