“No. It’s that intuition of yours. Whatever it is, it works for us. Keep close to Raines. As close as you can. And it would help if you could get the Everetts’ assistance.”
“Unlikely. I’m an unknown quantity, and the youngest Everett son hates my guts.”
“Wow. Quick work. It usually takes you at least a few weeks to alienate men.”
“You stop that,” she muttered.
There was a brief laugh. “Okay. Noted. Listen, we’ve got people in place...”
“Not wearing new jeans and Stetsons and boots like last time...” she groaned.
“No. We learned our lessons. These will fit right in. They’re working in the local rodeo and at a local ranch as cowhands. We tried to get one onto the Big Spur, but they weren’t hiring.”
“They rarely are, from what I hear,” she said. “They don’t have a large turnover.”
“You went home with them along with a young boy whose father died at the rodeo, didn’t you?” he added.
“I did. It gives me an excuse to call them and ask about JJ.”
“Yes. Take advantage of it. We have to do what we can to protect the family while we bring down Velasquez.”
“I’ll do my part,” she assured him.
“I know you will. Listen, keep your head down, okay? Don’t take unnecessary risks.”
“I won’t,” she promised. “It’s just... I keep remembering that family...”
“We all do. We’ll make Velasquez pay for it, I assure you.”
“I’m counting on that.”
“Good luck.”
“Thanks. I can use some!”
She hung up and went back inside. It was chilly in the yard. A little distance out of her sight, a truck cranked up and pulled into the highway.
“Who did she call?” the manager asked his man.
“I don’t know,” he replied. “But it wasn’t long distance, and it sounded as if she was speaking to a friend.”
The El Paso manager’s eyes narrowed. “Someone trying to butt in on our operation, unless I miss my guess. Keep a close eye on her.” He glared at the man. “She never should have been allowed to bring a firearm into the meeting. That could have been a costly mistake.”
“It could, and I’ve gotten onto Raines about it. He was careless.”
“He grows more careless as he grows greedier. He bears watching,” he told the other man.
“I’ll make sure he’s kept under better surveillance. A shame about his partner, but the man was about to sell us out to the authorities for the reward.”
“It will be no loss. I won’t have men around me that I can’t trust.”
“Yes. I agree.”
“Meanwhile, keep an eye on the woman. If she makes any more unexpected calls, make sure you use the device I just gave you. It allows you to hear conversations many yards away.”
“I will use it,” he was assured.
“She must have no suspicions about what we want with the culled cattle. You understand? If she questions you, tell her we have a customer with a small ranch that I want to gift them to, as an incentive to buy more of our product.”
