Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 136507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 683(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136507 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 683(@200wpm)___ 546(@250wpm)___ 455(@300wpm)
Logan smiles as his fingers caress my neck. He’s doted on me all day. “Thanks, Mom.”
With her work there done, she saunters over. “How bad is it? Well, come on, let me see.”
It’s the second time I’ve had to drop trou today. Earlier, Clara came over to take pictures for the case file. If anyone else was asking, I’d tell them to sod off. But for Annie, I slip the band of my sweatpants down enough to show the angry purple bruising that takes up half my hip. “Looks worse than it is.” I think.
She winces. “Gosh, Sandy and Clive used to walk on eggshells every time you were out on the road. Here you are behind a desk and still getting hurt on the job.” She tsks. “I hope they punish the young man who did this accordingly.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.” He’s a first-time offender and it was just a push—against an off-duty cop who was pressing him pretty hard. “The Crown’ll likely pursue regular assault charges and give him probation, if anything. He won’t see a cell.”
Annie’s scowl reveals her thoughts before her words do. “If only Logan had seen that kind of mercy.”
“These are different times.”
She collects the Toronto Star from the coffee table.
My eyes skim Logan’s before I ask, “Do you remember that paper?”
“Yes. It was in the glove box of Jay’s truck.” She looks to the stack of printed articles regarding the jewelry crime. “Why are you interested in this?”
“Just caught my curiosity,” I lie with a casual shrug. I hate doing it, but I’d hate explaining the real reason more.
“You know how Em is,” Logan adds.
Annie hums and sets it back down. “Take the pie out in about forty-five minutes. As soon as it’s golden brown. There’s also a salad.” She rounds the couch and leans down to kiss Logan’s forehead as readily as if he were a five-year-old boy.
He waits until she’s gone. “You really think that was them?”
“Four armed suspects. Ian, Jay, Hank, and Travis.” I count on my fingers. “A white van that they could have gotten from the auto wreckers Hank was working at. We already know he was willing to mess with VINs under the radar. What better way to hide your crime than scrap your getaway vehicle? And then you’ve got half a million dollars’ worth of jewelry from a high-end store that hasn’t turned up, and no arrests have been made.” That’s motivation for Hank and Travis to be pressing Logan.
“So, they rob this store and then hold on to everything?” Logan says doubtfully.
“They couldn’t start hitting up pawnshops right away. That’s the first place the cops look. And the more expensive stuff had serial numbers laser engraved. It’s not easy offloading those without risking getting caught. Plus, that.” I tap the word armed in the headline. “They did not want to get caught.”
“So, they hid it all until they could figure out a safe way to unload it.” Logan sees where I’m going with this. “And what better place than on your family’s bison ranch.”
“Except it doesn’t sound like they told Hank and Travis where.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t tell Travis either. A guy like that would be back the next night to dig it up.” He smooths his palm over his bearded jaw. “Fuck. This means there’s literal gold and diamonds buried somewhere on my family’s land.”
“Safe bet. Yeah. And likely on that parcel Jon and Sarah bought. Nobody ever went back there.”
“What do we do?”
“We’re going to nail them for this. I’m going to build a case against Hank and Travis. Quietly. The last thing your family needs is a bunch of treasure hunters catching wind and showing up on your land with metal detectors.”
“And wandering into a field of bison, thinking they’re like cows. Can you imagine? Fuck.” Logan shakes his head.
“We have to find this stash,” I admit. “It could take years. And then figure out how to get Hank and Travis put away for it. For a long-ass time too.” I smile with grim determination. It’ll be what they deserve, both for the crime and for what they’ve done to Logan.
“You’re cute when you’re plotting revenge,” Logan muses, his hand smoothing over my abdomen.
“Yeah?” I wince in pain as I adjust my position to admire his handsome face. “How cute?”
He leans down to kiss me and then, with a sly smile, his hand ever so carefully slips under the waistband of my pants.
Chapter 39
Emery
April
Knuckles rap against my door a moment before it swings open. “McAllister. Good, you’re free.” Doug Freeman strolls in without an invitation, shutting the door behind him.
I calmly set the budget report I was reviewing aside. “Hey, Doug, this is a surprise. What are you doing out of headquarters?”
“Just a little drive, visiting my detachments.” He drops into the spare chair, his girth testing its construction.