"Yeah, well, you don't call for five years and then suddenly need intel on a Maddox kid. I figured it was important." He signals the waitress for another coffee. "You want food?"
"Just coffee." My stomach's too tight for food, anxiety and adrenaline making everything feel like the end of the fucking world.
The waitress brings my cup and sets it in front of me with a smile while smacking her gum, and Jason waits until she's out of earshot before he speaks.
"I made some calls after we talked. Put out feelers, asked around about Maddox and what he's been up to." He pauses and glances around before leaning closer. "It's not good, Dane. The kid's obsessed. He's been tracking you for months, maybe longer. Spent serious money on surveillance, hired professionals to dig into your background."
"I figured that much. What's his endgame?"
"Public execution. He wants to take you down in front of witnesses, make a statement that he's worthy of leading the Maddox family and not afraid to be seen getting his hands dirty." Jason's expression is grim. "His uncles have been blocking his rise, saying he's too young and hot-headed. But if he brings in the man who killed his father? That changes everything."
I grunt and sip the black, scalding brew wishing Sloane had made it. Of course, her version is a little sweet, but betterthan this sludge. "So I'm preparing for war?" I ask, and Jason hesitates.
"There's more. Word is he wants the girl too—thinks she's as guilty as you are."
"She's not guilty of anything," I snarl, and I find myself instantly on edge, ready to strike.
Jason raises an eyebrow. "You sound defensive, old man. Something you need to share?"
"She's been dragged into this because of me, and she deserves better than to be Cal's collateral damage."
"Where is she now?" Jason looks at me skeptically and lifts one eyebrow. He's reading me and I don’t give a single fuck. Not a soul alive today will lay a hand on Sloane. Over my dead body.
"Somewhere safe, away from Cal's reach." I don't elaborate. The fewer people who know Sloane's location, the better.
"Good. Keep her there." Jason takes a drink of his coffee. "Look, Dane, I can send reinforcements if you need them. Couple of guys who owe me favors, who wouldn't mind making some extra cash taking down a Maddox."
"No," I grunt in absolute refusal. "I made my deal with the Ferraro family. I'm out. If they get involved now and send people, it becomes a war. That's not what I want." And I don't want to be obligated to them and get sucked back into that shit life. I'm done with it. I want my cabin and my peace and a beautiful woman by my side. Nothing else.
"You can't fight Cal alone, buddy. He'll destroy you. He's got a fucking army."
"I know, but bringing the Ferraros back into my life means I'm never free. I'll owe them, and people who owe favors to the family don't get to retire twice." I lean back, thinking.
"Then let me come—off the books, no need to involve the Don…" Jason cocks his head while shrugging one shoulder. "I don't mind a good hunt now and then."
"I'll think about it," I say, checking my watch. Already past one, and the drive back will take six hours minimum, and the storm is supposed to hit around four. Which means not only will it add travel time, but I also need to leave soon to make it safely. "Anything else I should know?"
"Yeah. Cal's planning something big. My sources say he's been asking about public events in your area, places with crowds, opportunities for maximum visibility." Jason's expression darkens. "Thanksgiving's coming up, then Christmas. If I were planning a public execution, those would be prime opportunities."
He's not wrong. If Maddox wants a spectacle, Ellie Hooper's Thanksgiving feast or the town's Christmas celebration would both be excellent times to strike. He's obviously not trying to draw me back to New York. That'd be too public for him and he'd have no chance of getting away. But with Sheriff Carver and his two lame deputies, there aren't enough LEOs in Sutter's Gap to stop the war that's coming. But the media will descend like flies on shit and it'll be everywhere in a matter of hours.
"Thanks for the intel." I stand, dropping cash on the table for both our coffees. "I owe you."
"You don't owe me anything. Just don't get yourself killed." Jason stands too, extending his hand. "Be careful with that girl,ya old fuck." I expect his eyes to sparkle with humor, but they're inky and serious. "Caring about someone makes you distracted and vulnerable."
"I know." I shake his hand and head for the exit.
The drive back gives me too much time to think about Cal's plan, and the fact that I've put Sloane in danger by keeping her close. Jason's right—I do care about her. More than I should, more than is safe. And that caring is going to get one or both of us killed.
She's smart—incredibly smart. Too smart to get trapped with a loser like me. I know what I feel and I know what I said to her before I left, but I'm beginning to believe a life with me is the last thing Sloane needs.
If circumstances were different, if we'd met another way, I could see myself with her. Really with her, not just hiding out together while we wait for death. I could see mornings drinking coffee, evenings by the fire, a life built on something other than survival.
But circumstances aren't different. I'm a retired assassin with a target on my back, and she's a nurse who should be living her life in the city, saving people instead of hiding in the mountains with me.
The truth is I've been selfish keeping her here. I told myself it was for her protection, that Cal would find her if she went back to the city. But part of me wanted her to stay because I'm lonely. After five years alone in that cabin, having someone there made the isolation bearable.
Now I'm not sure what to think. I'm falling for her, and it's so obvious a man who hasn't seen me in five years can read it allover me. If it's that crystal clear to him, how much more obvious is it to Sheriff Wade Carver when he looks at us? No wonder he's been sniffing around. And if he's seen it, the instant Cal Maddox sees me and Sloane together, he'll see it too. Sloane won’t just be a target for revenge. She'll be tortured first because Maddox will want to punish me in worse ways than just ending my life. I can't let that happen to her because I love her.
