Rowan stilled. “Sierra and Huck use well water for the house, but they could have easily been exposed. I need to call her.”
“Make the call,” Saxon said. “But Rowan? We need to be smart about this. If Meridian is behind this, they have serious money and resources. They won’t hesitate to escalate if they feel threatened.”
Rowan stepped outside to make the call, needing air and space to control his anger before talking to Sierra. The afternoon sun felt too bright after the fluorescent lighting of the police station, and Main Street bustled with normal small-town activity that felt surreal, given what he’d just learned.
She answered on the second ring.
“Rowan? How’s the cow?”
He’d loaded the heifer into the cattle truck, but Sierra had taken her truck to pick up Huck from school.
Now the worry in her voice made his chest tight. “The cattle poisoning could be deliberate. Lithium contamination in the water.”
“Deliberate?” Sierra’s voice rose, and he could hear the truck door slam in the background. “Someone poisoned our livestock on purpose?”
“That’s what it looks like. Where are you now? Did you get my text?”
“Yes. I just dropped Huck at home. He’s working on homework. I’m heading back to help Morrie with the cattle.”
“Don’t go to the south pasture. Stay away from the creek.”
“Rowan, if someone’s willing to poison our cattle…”
“They might be willing to do worse. I know.” He stared out at the mountain in the distance, the clouds gathering. “Listen. Stay alert. I’m with Detective Martinelli and Saxon at the police station. I’ll be home soon.”
He refused to hear how normal that sounded. Home. Soon.
“Rowan?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful.”
“They won’t get the chance to hurt anything else I love.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll call you as soon as I know more.”
Rowan ended the call and rejoined Saxon and Martinelli.
“What’s our next move?” Rowan asked.
“I contact the state police and request support for a major investigation,” Martinelli said. “This crosses county lines now, which gives us more resources.”
“And I keep digging into Meridian and Rocky Mountain Land Development,” Saxon added. “Follow the money, find the connections.”
“What about Sierra and Huck?” Rowan glanced again at his phone. Protective instincts were screaming at him to get them somewhere safe immediately.
“They need to be careful,” Martinelli said. “Escalation to human targets isn’t unthinkable.”
“I’ll handle their security,” Rowan said. “But I want to track these guys down before they can escalate further.” He looked at Martinelli as he headed out, stopping at the door. “And to be clear, I won’t be stopping in for a badge to take down someone who might be trying to kill”—he looked at Saxon, and back to Martinelli—“my family.”
Detective Martinelli raised an eyebrow.
Rowan didn’t care. And he didn’t look back.
Line drawn.
Ten
Sierra carried coffee to the man who’d turned her ranch into a fortress, wondering when she’d stopped being afraid of needing someone.
