Page 45 of Homicide in Water Creek

“Tell me you didn’t?”

She gave him the palms-out shrug. “What was I supposed to do with only half the story? I told Chinos where the invoice should be, then left the office. I found Keene and Granddaddy at the kitchen table watching a laptop where a camera feed showed them what was going on in the office.”

“They were baiting him?” King asked, standing and leaning against the desk.

“You guessed it. In their defense, they had removed everything important from the file cabinet, which was good, because Chinos went directly to the ranch financials drawer.”

“Which was locked?”

“It was,” she agreed. “At least until Chinos used a lockpick to open it.”

King clapped once. “I can arrest him for that. All we need is the footage!”

Jacks held out her hands and waited for him to calm down. “You missed the point, King. Once he discovered the financials weren’t there, he left the office.”

Sitting hard, he rested his hands on the desk. “You’re right. He showed his hand today. He’s not at the ranch as a cowboy. He’s there to get the financials on the ranches, for some reason. Where did you stash the ranch’s financial paperwork?”

“In a safe deposit box at the bank, under lock and key. Once I learned those two old fools had brought the records to the house, I hid them in a garbage bag and left the ranch before Chinos saw me.”

“I can’t believe they did that,” he ground out, his anger evident in his eyes.

“I told them it was stupid, but I didn’t argue. There’s no point arguing with a couple of old cowboys. They’ll do what they want.”

“Dammit, that’s just asking for trouble. Don’t they see?” King groaned. “They should have asked me about the right way to do it.”

“All they see is someone messing with their livelihood. They aren’t going to put up with it. At least I have all the important files out of the house now.”

He shook his head as he ran his hands through his hair. “Chinos doesn’t know that. He’s going to go looking for them.”

“Honestly, I think Granddaddy is counting on it. He’s going to confront him if he does. I haven’t decided what to do about that yet.” Her voice trembled on the last few words, and he stood, pulling her against his chest.

“We need to talk to them about this right now. It can’t wait.”

“It’s Thursday, which means the guys get to go out and play tonight. They won’t be able to watch Chinos.”

Leaning down, he kissed her, his lips warm. It was comforting and reminded her of their time together a few nights earlier. They needed to resolve the Chinos situation so they could get back to loving each other.

He ended the kiss slowly, then ran a thumb over her cheek. “They’ll be okay at The Whistle Wetter for a few minutes alone. Maddy will call me or the ranch if there’s a problem. We need to talk to Keene and Jackson.”

“Aren’t you tired?” she asked, following him out the door.

“I’m never too tired to make sure you’re safe, Jacks. We do this together, then we’ll sleep. I’ll be on the radio in case anyone needs anything, but Maverick and I both need a break.”

“I hate this,” she whispered when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

King was texting Maverick, and when he finished, he looked up. “I know you hate this, but I’m looking on the bright side. The sooner we figure out what Chinos wants, the sooner I can have you in my arms again, for good.”

A smile tugged at Jacks’s lips at the thought, then she followed him out into the night.

“Granddaddy,” King said, his gaze shifting to the man by the fridge. “Jackson.”

“Sheriff,” they said in unison. He fought the urge to roll his eyes when Jackson spoke. “I figure this isn’t a personal visit, Dean.”

“Not so much, but I wanted to update Granddaddy on the Vonita case and discuss the rest of your situation, Jackson.”

Jacks’s warm hand settled on his back, a reminder that he wasn’t alone. He needed her strength to keep this business from spiraling into his personal situation with Keene.

“Let’s go to the living room,” she suggested, and the two men turned and trudged inside. They were both exhausted, and King sensed this couldn’t go on much longer for anyone.