When his phone rang, he detoured onto the porch to answer.
Reed Calloway was calling him back. Perfect.
The two had actually talked last night, and Wes had given him a rundown of the situation. He’d also explained the urgency of it.
Wes leaned a shoulder against the porch post. “What’d you find?”
He knew Reed had found something. It was only five a.m. in California. That was the only reason Reed would still be up.
“I found enough to tell you your instincts are probably right.” Papers shifted on the other end of the line. “Vince Furlough’s name has surfaced around three investigations in the last six years. No charges were filed. We’re assuming there were NDAs and quiet settlements.”
“I expected that much.”
Another rustle of papers sounded in the background. “But there’s something else you need to know about Furlough. In the past, he’s hired private security through a company calledBlackthorne Risk Management. They’re mostly ex-military contractors.”
Wes’s jaw tightened. The shooter on the mountain suddenly felt a whole lot less random.
“Wes, if this woman is on Furlough’s bad side, she needs to be careful. He thinks of himself as a god, and he’s determined not to let anyone bring him down. Men like that rarely handle problems themselves.”
“No, they send someone else.”
“Exactly.”
Movement at the end of the driveway caught Wes’s attention.
A dark blue sedan eased through the gate.
Remington lifted his head.
Wes looked toward the vehicle as it rolled slowly toward the house.
A moment later, Ruby King climbed out then retrieved two paper bags and a basket full of . . . something.
Even from a distance, she looked like someone bringing warmth and comfort with her.
“I’ll keep digging,” Reed said. “But watch your perimeter.”
“Will do.”
The line disconnected.
Wes lowered the phone.
Watch your perimeter.
As if he’d been doing anything else since his life and Rowan’s had intersected again.
CHAPTER 26
As soon asRowan realized her mom was here, she rushed from her room.
By the time she reached the kitchen, her mother was inside.
“Mom . . .”
Her mother turned, and her expression both lit and softened. “There’s my girl.”
That was all it took.
