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“You’re right. That man is the devil. Code. Jase. You’re going to make sure he gets his comeuppance, aren’t you?”

This was the first time I’d heard genuine fear in Florence’s voice.

“You have my word. Viktor Sokolov will pay for everything he has done,” I said.

“That’s good. That’s real good.”

“Get to it, Florence. Did you give him the address, or not?” Pearl spat out the question on everyone’s mind.

“Just you hush, Pearl Bannister. You let me tell it.”

“Well, hurry up.”

“Pearl, hush,” Little Grandma said. “Florence, take your time.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

“Viktor tried to get Ruby’s attention when he ordered, but she just took his money and suggested that he take a seat and wait until she had time to talk. Him and his two bodyguards sat down and took up two whole couches, which was really rude, if you ask me,” Florence started.

Beau snorted.

“This time while he was drinking his black coffee, he spoke to one of his bodyguards and said he was hoping he could find a cabin up the mountain that he could rent. He said it loud enough for everyone to hear.”

“He was getting desperate.” Ruby agreed.

“I shuffled over. I pretended to be old.”

Beau laughed, and Jase shot him a dark look.

“Who’s that laughing?” Florence demanded to know.

“No one. It’s static on the line,” Jase said. “So, you went over to him?”

“I did. I sat down next to him. It made me kind of sick, but I patted his knee and said I might know of something.”

“I saw her do it. She was smooth,” Ruby inserted.

“I really was.”

“But that wasn’t the plan,” Jase protested.

“I was improvising. It was the right thing to do. I told him that Bernie Faulkes sometimes rented cabins, but he probably wouldn’t have anything right now, seeing as how he just rented a place a few days ago.”

Jase let out a deep breath. I grinned.

“Then what did he say?”

“He asked if the place might come on the market again if it was just a short-term rental.”

“I told him that maybe he could drive by and see if he liked it, and then he could call Bernie and find out. I gave him the address and Bernie’s number.”

“That’s perfect, Mizz Horton,” Jase said.

“I know.”

I looked around the cabin, and every man inside was grinning. Everything was going to plan, thanks to the town gossip.