“All set?” Raine asked. “I called Levy three minutes ago. Let’s get in position.”
Without protest, Griff headed to the west. Justin and Raine went to the east, the side of the house that was closest to the garage.
“Come, Smoky.” Her K9 bounded over, her curvy tail wagging with anticipation. Her dog along with the others on the ranch preferred to work.
Kendra wished they could play the search game. Having a scent source for the K9 to track would be easier than setting up a sting operation.
She huddled next to the house, keeping her gaze focused on the yard. Through the patio doors, light from inside shone like a beacon. She peered inside, not surprised to see Dominic sitting with the laptop, his long legs stretched out before him.
He didn’t notice her watching him, but that was okay. She expected his attention to alternate between his work and the front of the house.
The wind picked up, rattling the bare branches of the trees. Again, she scanned the yard, making note of the footprints that had been left by Justin, Raine, and Griff. Along with the myriad of paw prints.
Drawing a slow deep breath, she pressed her back against the wall. At this point, all she and the others could do was to wait for Levy to show.
While praying nobody gets hurt.
10
Dominic stared at the computer, his fingers resting on the keyboard as he pretended to work. After a minute, he realized that was silly. Why not work for real? Might as well see if he could find anything more about the three men who had been at the hangar in Jackson the week before his father was murdered.
And if he still couldn’t find anything useful about them, he could go back in time another week to see who else may have been there. It was the only lead they had, unless they could convince Andrew Levy to talk.
In the meantime, he’d keep searching. Once again, he rerouted the ISP address to hide his work. Even though he was searching for real, it was difficult for him not to glance through the large picture window to the road out front.
Two minutes went by. Then six. Then ten.
He honestly thought Levy would have shown up by now. Dom turned and allowed himself to look outside. His body was wound tighter than a drum, so he stretched his arms over his head to loosen up. And if anyone was watching from a distance, he hoped they’d assume he was taking a break.
Not trying to see if Levy was approaching.
Seeing nothing outside, he turned his attention back to the computer. When a large truck rolled past, he almost missed it.
Levy had taken the bait. Although this time, the guy didn’t open fire on the house. It seemed more likely he’d driven past to make sure Dom was there before making his move. Good. Dom continued staring at the computer screen, imagining Levy would find a place to park and approach on foot.
Come on, he silently urged. Show your face already!
As if hearing him, a vehicle pulled into the driveway. That was so unexpected that Dom wondered if Levy had sent his partner driving past to approach from the back of the property. The same way Justin, Raine, and Griff had come in.
The knock at the door almost made him jump out of his skin. What were Kendra, Justin, Raine, and Griff doing? Waiting for him to attack?
Feeling foolish, Dom approached the front door. He opened it, but only a couple of inches, staring at the forty-something-year-old man standing on the front porch.
“Dominic Lakeland?” Levy held up his badge. “I’m US Marshal Andrew Levy. You’re expecting me, right?”
“Freeze!” Raine’s sharp tone had Levy spinning around in surprise. “Hands where I can see them!”
“What’s wrong with you?” Levy didn’t raise his hands, but he didn’t reach for his weapon either. Probably a good thing since Griff was covering him from the other side. The marshal looked irritated and exasperated. “What is this about? You asked me to meet with you!”
“We did.” Raine didn’t lower her weapon. “Kendra, take Levy’s gun.”
Kendra holstered her own weapon before moving forward to disarm Levy. Smoky, her K9, trotted alongside her, sniffing Levy’s feet with interest. The guy scowled. “You better have a good reason for taking my gun.”
“How about several shooting attempts against me and Dom?” Kendra arched a brow. “Does that work?”
“And you think I’m responsible?” The incredulous expression on Levy’s face appeared genuine.
“Come inside.” Dom stepped back, holding the door open. “We need to talk.”
