Nico gives me a side-eye, the skepticism clear on his face, and I can’t even blame him.
Pushing open the doors, we exit the car. The ranch hands have stopped what they were doing, their full attention on us, but none of them are Damien. Not that I’m surprised. He doesn’t seem like the most hardworking guy out there. Shocker, I think not.
Just then, a tall guy comes from the stables, a dark brown Stetson sitting on his head. He stops to talk quickly to one of the guys before making his way to us.
“How can I help you, gentlemen?” he asks, tilting his head to the side, those sharp brown eyes zeroing in on us as he comes to a stop.
“Aaron.” Nico nods in greeting. “Can we talk for a bit?”
Although it’s been a while since I’ve seen Aaron Fernandez, I’d recognize him anywhere. He’s as tall and broad-shouldered as my brother-in-law, but there is a rough edge surrounding him from a life spent on a ranch. Dark stubble covers his jaw, and fine lines surround his eyes as they narrow slightly.
He shifts his gaze from Nico to me and back. “About?” he drawls slowly.
I watch him carefully as Nico brings up the reason for our visit.
“Damien Morris.”
Aaron’s jaw flexes slightly, something dark flashing in his eyes before his gaze is shielded by the rim of his hat.
“What did he do now?”
So he’s not surprised.
My shoulders tense at the revelation. I scan the area, like if I look hard enough, I’ll see the prick mingling around. But he’s nowhere to be found, and the few men who’re working close by are giving us curious looks, trying to figure out what’s going on.
“We just want to chat with him for a bit.”
Aaron quirks his brow in a silent question.
“There was a break-in at Jessica Richards’s house,” Nico explains quietly. “And since they used to date, we want to ask him a few questions.”
Aaron’s lips press together. For a moment, I think he might tell us no, but then he gives a nod.
“Follow me.” He waves us along as he heads toward the barn. “He actually got back a little while ago. One of the fences broke in the south pasture and it needed fixing, so I think he should still be around here somewhere.”
“You didn’t seem surprised when we asked you about Damien,” I comment off-handedly, fishing for some answers.
Nico shoots me an annoyed glare that clearly tells me this isn’t what we agreed on, but I ignore him as I wait for Aaron’s answer.
“No, I can’t say I am.”
“How so?” Nico asks as we enter the barn.
The smell of hay and manure hit me all at once as we step into the dim building.
“We’ve had… issues with Damien for the last few months,” Aaron says cryptically, his gaze scanning the space before turning to the older guy standing in one of the stalls and tending to the horse. “Hey, have you seen Damien?”
The man looks up, his gaze sharp. “He was out back.”
“Thanks.”
The older man eyes us warily as Aaron starts moving down the center aisle.
“What kind of issues?” Nico asks, getting us back on topic.
“He started to come in late or leave early, depending on the day. He would leave his work unfinished, and often got into fights with other employees. He’s been drinking as well. Shows up hungover or drunk. I told him last week that if he didn’t get it together, we’d have to let him go.”
“And how did he take that?”
