Page 47 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

Anger whipped through her, hot as a lash, but she pushed it aside. She needed to focus on her objective and not let anything sidetrack her from achieving it.

She hopped into the front seat. Before she closed the door, he sped off. He turned onto the side street, Garfield. At the stop sign, he made a right on the main road, Third Street.

He glanced down at the jeans that she wore, but he didn’t comment on them. Not that he needed to. The twist of his mouth and narrowing of his eyes told her plenty. He drove right past USD and the patrol car.

She gave one last look at Charlie instructing the class.

“Yesterday, Empyrean told me that you’d be back,” he said. “But for the first time in my life, I doubted him.”

She looked at Alex, her gaze falling to his Shining Light tattoo at the base of his throat. He had always been a true believer. Devout to the core.

“Is there something planned for tomorrow?” she asked.

“The shedding ceremony. You know that.”

Out the window, she spotted Brian leaving Delgado’s, holding the breakfast that she would never eat. She didn’t bother ducking down. They were gone too quickly, heading out of downtown.

“No, something else that’s been kept quiet,” she said, hoping to learn what she needed to from him, sparing her from dealing with her father.

All he had to do was fill in the missing pieces to Rocco’s puzzle for her. Then she was prepared to open the door and jump from a moving vehicle to avoid going back.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Something awful. Something violent.”

He gave her a questioning glance and she saw it in his eyes. He had no clue what she was talking about. She could always read him like an open book.

“My father is grooming you to succeed him. He shares a lot with you.”

“Because he trusts me.”

Which in turn meant she wasn’t fully trusted. It was the only explanation as to why she was kept in the dark.

She reached over and put her hand on his forearm. He glanced down at the point of contact.

“You’re happy that I’m coming back, aren’t you?”

“Of course.” His mouth lifted in a bright smile that shone through his eyes.

“Do you want to make me happy?”

“Yes. Any good husband wants to please his wife.”

Her stomach twisted at messing with his emotions. “I want you to tell me who supplies us with weapons.”

“What?” He stiffened.

“Just give me a name.”

He stared at her, the cloud of disbelief lifting from his face, and snatched his arm away. “You’re asking me this because ofhim. Aren’t you?” He barked a vicious laugh. “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you after the stunt you pulled yesterday.” Swerving off the road onto the shoulder, he slammed on the brakes and threw the car into Park. He turned and glared at her. “You’ve never taken my affection for you seriously. But you need to because I’d rather see you dead than living in darkness with that man.” His eyes burned with a fury she’d never seen in him before. “Do you understand me?”

She swallowed around the cold lump of fear in her throat. “I understand.”

All too well.She was never going to marry Alex, so when it came to hislovefor her, it boiled down to kill or be killed.

But he was a problem that had to wait.

Pulling off with squealing tires, Alex hit the gas pedal, racing toward the compound.

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