“Yes.”
The sheriff glanced at his wife and back.“Can we talk alone for a minute?”
“Of course.Be right back,” he said to his wife, who he knew would be listening to every word as he stepped out and closed the door behind him.“What’s this about?”
The new sheriff’s posture and expression radiated calm authority.Confidence.Darren had voted for him.“As you’re no doubt aware, I just took office, so in some ways I’m still getting the lay of the land, so to speak.”He paused, his clear amber gaze unwavering.Making Darren brace for whatever he was about to say next.“I’ve heard whispers about a local militia here on the island and thought you might be the man to talk to.”
He kept his expression neutral.“A militia?Here?That’s illegal.”
“Yeah, it is.I’m happy to hear you’re aware of that too.So what kind of group do you run, then?”
“We’re just a gun club.Completely legal, everything done by the book.We’ve got a board, minutes of all our meetings.It’s all legit.”
“Good to know.I’m also told you’re the man in charge.”
“That’s mostly right.”Although someone far more powerful than he was calling the shots these days.
“Thing is.”Torres folded his arms, the sleeves stretching under the bulge of muscle.“We recently found evidence that might link your organization to a large cache of ammunition buried near a residential neighborhood.”
“I don’t know what you found, but that’s not us.”
“It’s not?”
“No, we keep all our equipment locked up in the storage facility at the range.”
“Very responsible of you.Where’s that at?”
“Few miles from here.”
“You wouldn’t mind showing me, would you?”
He was already regretting his vote.“No, of course not.When are you thinking?”
“Now’s a good time.If that’s convenient.”
It wasn’t.Nothing about this was fucking convenient, and the bastard knew it.“Sure, that’s fine.I’ll just get my keys, and you can follow me over.”
“Great.”
He kept his anger from showing on his face, but it burned like a hot coal under his sternum.Maybe bringing in a young, rookie sheriff hadn’t been such a good idea after all.
“What’s going on?”his wife whispered when he walked inside.
“I’m taking the sheriff to the range.Don’t know when I’ll be back.”He grabbed his keys and headed out into the blinding sunshine before she could ask anything else.
“See you there,” Torres called out before getting into his own vehicle.
Darren pulled out onto the road and used the hands-free device to call Greg on his burner.“We’ve got a major problem.”He quickly explained what was happening.“Meet me at the range.Wait near the entrance out of sight until he leaves.”
“Got it.”
The range was empty when they arrived.He parked near the trailer they used as an office, got out, and waited while Torres walked toward him.
“Never been out here before.Is this private property?”Torres asked, removing his sunglasses as he looked around.Darren had served in the military long enough to recognize a fellow warrior.Would have known Torres was a veteran even if he hadn’t read his bio prior to voting.That unsettling amber gaze missed nothing and gave nothing away.
“That’s right.Belongs to one of our members.”
“I’ll need his name before I go.”He took another glance around the property, noticing the row of targets set up at the far end of the outdoor range and the two other trailers off to one side of it.“What’s in those?”
