I hesitated, but the question slipped out before I could stop it.
“Do you think my dad was a bad person?”
Tex didn’t answer right away. He leaned against the doorframe again, studying me. Finally, though, he shook his head, his decision made.
“No.”
Relief washed through me so suddenly it made my eyes sting.
“Why not?”
His gaze drifted briefly down the hallway outside. Then back to me.
“I’m not a parent, but I imagine being one means you’ll do anything to protect your kid. They’re small and precious and I think he thought he was giving you a better life. But I’m not a parent, so what do I know.”
“I like that answer,” I said with another yawn.
And I did. I liked it a lot more than all the things I had been thinking.
“I can’t believe someone killed them and I didn’t know. Like it feels like I should have know. But instead, I thought?—”
Tex’s jaw tightened. “It’s not your fault—how could you have known. The problem is that someone inside the club wants that land. Or at least they want the route to remain open for the cartel.” His eyes darkened. “Your ranch isn’t just a ranch anymore, Rowan.”
My stomach twisted. “My mom and dad were a part of this.” It was a statement rather than a question. “And someone killed them for it. Someone in this club probably.”
Saying it out loud actually felt better. Like I wasn’t dreaming it.
Something flickered in Tex’s eyes—something uneasy. “Only a handful of guys know about that old route,” he said slowly, “we’ll figure out who soon enough. You won’t need to worry for long.”
For a moment the room went completely still and then Tex exhaled slowly. A burst of laughter floated up from downstairs, followed by the clink of bottles. The normalcy of it felt strange after everything we’d just learned.
“You should try to get some sleep.”
I looked at the bed. “What about you?”
“I’ll crash on the couch downstairs.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
He shrugged. “You’re the guest.”
“This is your room.”
Tex smiled faintly. “Sweetheart, I’ve slept in worse places than a beer-soaked couch.”
My cheeks warmed slightly at the nickname.
“Tex?”
He paused and looked back. “What?”
I hesitated, then asked the question that had been creeping into my mind all evening.
“If there really is a rat in your club…”
His eyes hardened and he swallowed. “Yeah...”
“…what happens when you find them?”
