by Shayla Black
“Let’s go.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her toward the house. “The yard looks almost bare without the big white tent.”
“Doesn’t it? I’d kind of gotten used to the ranch looking like a circus.”
He nodded, but there wasn’t an ounce of levity in his expression. Something was definitely wrong.
After they entered the house, they each grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. Nerves bunched her stomach as Josiah hustled her into the study and behind closed doors. The moment they were alone, quiet resonated. The room was so silent she could hear him breathe. The air pinged.
They sat facing each other in the guest chairs flanking her grandfather’s desk. She sensed his nerves. Yeah, this wasn’t going to be pretty.
“Just tell me,” she insisted. “Enlightenment Fields isn’t going to leave us alone, are they?”
“I didn’t even broach that with them.”
“What? The point of your visit—”
“Was to warn them away, I know. But Maggie, if I had, it would have painted a target on your back.” He grabbed her hand. “I got a ‘tour’ of the place. Been out there since they moved in?”
She shook her head. “That strange girl Mercy came over when they first moved to the area and invited us to visit, but I didn’t like her vibe right away. Everything about her said, ‘Beware. Cult!’”
“Your instincts were right. I’m pretty sure they’re doing something illegal and sinister over there. It’s not a place I should have visited without a SWAT team and a boatload of heavily armed agents, so I got the hell out.”
Maggie was disappointed, but she understood. He was wary. Hell, she had been, too, from the moment she’d met Mercy. Glimpses of Adam Coleman around town were few and far between, but there was something about the slick stranger that gave her the heebies.
“Makes sense,” she murmured. “Thank you for trying. We’ll just—”
“I want you to listen to me, Maggie. You and your grandparents shouldn’t be here until this shit is resolved. Can y’all go somewhere for a few weeks?”
“What do you mean? Go where? Who will stay and tend the ranch?”
“The hands?” He certainly didn’t trust Sawyer.
“It’s not that simple. We can’t just leave. This is my grandparents’ home and livelihood.”
“You have to. I suspect Enlightenment Fields killed Ben Haney. It’s a gut feeling. I don’t have proof, but if that’s the case, you have a lot of reasons to be worried about your grandparents.” Then his fingers wrapped around her wrist, branding her with his insistent heat. “And I have a lot of reasons to be worried about you.”
Maggie froze. She didn’t have to ask why he was worried; she knew. With Haney’s death, his land would soon be up for sale. The cult would snap it up. Once they did, she and her grandparents would be virtually surrounded. Then what was the likelihood they’d accept Granna and Papa’s refusal to sell?
“I see your point.”
“Good. So let’s talk about getting the three of you somewhere else while I stay behind to clean this mess up. Hopefully, the FBI will join me, and we’ll figure out exactly what’s going on and how to take these people down.”
“I’m not leaving.”
Josiah’s voice turned stern. “You are. You have to.”
She shook her head. “My grandparents will refuse to leave if I go, too. They’ll insist one of the family stay behind to look over the spread. They’ve always been that way, but they’ve gotten more stubborn as they’ve gotten older. So either they stay behind—which I can’t let happen—or I do.”
He hung his head and shook it. His frustration spilled in the air. “Damn it, Maggie. I need you to understand—”
“I do. You’re worried I’ll be a target. Believe me, I’m afraid, too. I’ve never wanted to be a hero, just . . .” What had she wanted from life? Maggie still wasn’t sure. It was easy to say what she didn’t want: her sister’s fame or her childhood pals’ moves to the big cities and their high-powered careers. The thought of a husband and kids made her a little uneasy and squeamish, too. “Just do my thing.”
“If I talked to your grandparents—explained—surely they’d see reason. I can’t believe they’d ever want to risk your safety.”
“No, but they refuse to bow to Enlightenment Fields. In their minds, as long as they stay strong, there’s no problem. Since you have no proof they killed Haney, to them running away would be a show of weakness. If we’re going to convince them to leave, we’ll have to convince them it’s a vacation, not a flight to sanctuary.”
“So fucking stubborn . . .”
“Oh, you have no idea. Papa will get a notion in his head and no one can talk him out of it. Believe me, we’ve all tried.”
He sighed. “Okay. We’ll convince them to go on vacation. Where would they want to go?”
Good question. “They’re homebodies, but they’ve said more than once that they’d like to see where Shealyn lives now. They’ve never been to California.”
“Let me see what I can do about getting them on a plane to LA tomorrow. I know it’s your sister’s honeymoon, but can you contact her—”
“If I tell her what’s going on, she’ll cut her honeymoon short and return. I can’t let her do that. She and Cutter need this time together. Clearly, their hope that Shealyn’s career would end with Hot Southern Nights isn’t realistic.”
“Not even close. So don’t tell her. Maybe just say that your grandparents would like to visit and stay at her place?”
Shealyn might guess that something was fishy. At the very least, her older sister would wonder why Granna and Papa were choosing to visit when she couldn’t be there to show them around, but Maggie didn’t see what other choices she had. “I’ll try.”
Josiah nodded. “If you can do that, I’ll get you out of here ten minutes after they’re gone. Someplace safe. I have a lot of friends in Louisiana. Hell, Cutter’s boss wants you safe—”
“I have to stay here,” she insisted, shaking her head. “My grandparents will call the phone on the ranch. If I don’t answer, they’ll get on a plane and come home.”
“I’ll forward the home phone to your cell.”
“And when they ask me to go out and check on a certain head of cattle or run an errand into town for them or ask Sawyer to join me for a discussion about feeding schedules, then what? They will check in. Every day.”
Josiah gritted his teeth. “You’re not safe here, Maggie.”
Didn’t he think she knew that? “My grandparents took me in when I was two. I was a handful as a toddler, and to hear them say it, nothing has changed. I owe them. If not for them, I would have ended up on the streets with my mother when her drug addiction was at its worst. God knows what would have happened to me. This ranch means more to them than almost anything. It’s been in my grandfather’s family for four generations. Since my mother isn’t moving here from Costa Rica, I’m supposed to be the sixth. They’re counting on leaving it to me. My grandfather will die a crushed man if he loses this place.”
“I’ll bet he’d rather lose the land than lose you.”
“If the FBI helps, surely they won’t let anything happen to me.”
“I can’t guarantee they’ll actually come, Maggie. I’ll be here but—”
“Then I’ll be safe.”
He reared back. “You trust me with your safety? You believe I’ll keep you out of harm’s way?”
Josiah sounded surprised. Maybe the notion should surprise her, too. But he obviously took his role as a protector seriously. He’d made it his livelihood, for goodness’ sake. He worked for badass people and had badass friends. She was tougher than she looked. Even if the FBI didn’t come, Maggie had to believe they could keep the ranch from falling into the cult’s hands.
“I have no doubt.”
He hesitated a moment, cursed under his breath, then gripped her hand and tugged. She flew out of her chair and sprawled onto his lap. Their chests collided. He wrapped his arms around her, fingers circling her nape.
“Damn it, woman,” he breathed. “Every time I swear I’m going to stop thinking about you, you make that impossible.”
Maggie didn’t have time to react. He bent and fused their lips together. The instant their lips touched, her body pinged from head to toe. Suddenly, she was on fire. And she didn’t hate it one bit.
As his tongue invaded, he arranged her so she straddled his lap. Maggie couldn’t help but respond. She pressed her sex to his erection. More tingles erupted. Her womb clenched. She groaned into his kiss.
Lord, the friction between them generated a pleasure that unwound her . . .
Josiah tore his mouth free, panting. “You are a stubborn woman.”
She’d heard that before. “I have to keep my grandparents and this land safe. So you’re stuck with me.”
His sigh told her that he wasn’t happy, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. He could hardly kick her off her own land. “Fine. But there are rules. The first is that when I tell you to do something, you fucking do it.”
“We’ve already had this argument. I believe I mentioned that I don’t follow orders well.”
“I don’t mean in bed, though we’re going to talk about that, too. But if Enlightenment Fields comes onto your land, I’m going to tell you how to keep yourself safe. And you’re going to listen.”
Maggie wasn’t going to argue; the fact was this was his area of expertise. “All right.”
“Can you fire a gun?”
“Of course.” She’d grown up hunting with her grandfather . . . though he’d been unable to get out to bag white-tailed deer, antelope, or javelina in probably ten years. “But I might be rusty.”
Josiah nodded. “We’ll fix that. I want to be prepared, just in case.”
As much as she didn’t want to think about that eventuality, Maggie had to. If Enlightenment Fields really had killed Ben Haney, then they were far more dangerous than she’d assumed. She had to be ready for the worst.
“You’re right.”
“Anyone around town likely to be in our corner? Other ranchers?”
She shook her head. “Enlightenment Fields already bought out a lot of them. Many were older folks who never thought they’d get a dime for their spreads, so when these out-of-towners came and offered market value for land no one had shown interest in for decades, they sold fast. That’s how the cult amassed so much space in the county so quickly.”
“Law enforcement? Mercy mentioned a new deputy who didn’t seem terribly fond of them.”
“Kane Preston has been here about two years. Ex-military. Said he was looking for wide-open spaces and fewer people, so he landed in Comfort. He seems all right, but it’s hard to say for sure. He keeps to himself. Sheriff Wayne is all right. He’s kept the county safe for decades. He knows the area well since he was born and raised in these parts. He wants what’s best for Kendall County . . . but he’s getting older and he’s counting the days until his retirement.”
“Anyone against us?”
She nodded. “A few. Willa Mae at the Super S.”
“Another ranch?”
“Grocery store. She was damn near bankrupt before Enlightenment Fields moved in.”
“They grow their own food.”
“Some, sure. But not all. They don’t make their own bread. They only recently started milking and slaughtering their own cattle. They’ve got a few chickens, but not enough to keep the operation in eggs. Willa Mae is happy to augment their food supply. But she won’t be useful to their cause. She’s eighty-five if she’s a day.”
Josiah nodded absently. “Are you sure about staying? Things could get dangerous.”
Logic told her staying to fight for a parcel of land was about the stupidest choice she could make. But if she didn’t, Papa would . . . and he might not survive. “Yes.”
“Then let’s get started.” As they rose, he grabbed her arm and drew her near again. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’ll do everything I can to protect you.”
“I know.”
“But I can’t promise to keep my hands off you . . . Magnolia.”
Hearing his husky whisper wrap around her name made Maggie shiver and melt. “What makes you think I intend to keep my hands off you?”
* * *
• • •
Three hours later, he’d figured out a shitload of details and cleared an equal amount of red tape. Logan had contacted the FBI, who said they’d get back to him. He’d also found someone to identify the three plants in Mercy’s bathroom. What Josiah had suspected was cannabis was a particularly strong strain known as Bruce Banner. The brown-capped mushrooms were in fact a psychoactive variety known as psilocybin, and their use for mind alteration dated all the way back to cave drawings. The last plant with the unfamiliar purple flowers was Salvia divinorum, something in the mint family that also possessed hallucinogenic properties.
“So you think Enlightenment Fields is ‘opening minds’ by boiling these three ingredients together and . . . what? Getting their followers to ingest it?” Logan asked.
“It’s possible. When a woman working in the kitchen displeased her, Mercy told her to grab a bottle, go to her room, and ‘meditate.’ The woman balked because she’s pregnant. I’m wondering if that bottle was full of whatever they’re brewing . . .”
“If so and Mercy made a pregnant woman take a trip, that’s messed up.”
“Totally.” Josiah pressed his lips together, not liking anything he was hearing. “Hey, thanks for finding a way to transport Maggie’s grandparents to California.”
“Like I said, Xander, Javier, and London were flying to LA anyway. The guys have meetings, and London is going to take Dulce on her first trip to Disneyland before the new baby comes. It was nothing to add two more passengers to their private jet. Once they land, I’ll arrange a car to pick up the Wests and get them to Shealyn’s place. We’ll just make sure they’re conveniently unable to come home until everything gets resolved.”
“Then we’ll have to work fast.”
If her grandparents were as stubborn as Maggie said, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep them away. At the very least, Cutter and Shealyn would return from their honeymoon, and if the elder Wests were still conveniently away, they would start asking questions. Cutter was smart; he’d figure it out. And Josiah doubted the guy would be able to keep his beautiful bride in the dark for long. As soon as Shealyn knew, shit would hit the fan.
“Yep. Unless and until we get official support from Uncle Sam, I’m going to send Zyron and Trees your way. They’ll be doing research for upcoming assignments, but they can take phone calls and work out tactical plans from anywhere.”
Any support that would help keep Maggie safe Josiah welcomed. “Excellent. While I’m waiting for them to arrive, I’m going to pay Deputy Preston a visit. Since Mercy didn’t like him, I’ll see what he knows and what kind of ally he might be.”
“Perfect. If there’s a local paper, check that out, too. See if they’ve investigated the group. And check the tax records.”
“Yep. On my list. If Coleman has violated IRS code . . . Well, it’s not a glamorous way to take him down, but that would definitely land him in jail.”
“Absolutely. What are you planning to do about Tuesday night? Mercy’s invitation might be exactly the in we need for a recon mission.”
As much as Josiah didn’t like it, Logan was right. He needed to get inside that compound, see if they were growing more of the same crops, figure out what other sinister shit might be going on. For that, he might have to get closer to Mercy, gain her trust, and hope she would give him some clue about Enlightenment Fields’ plans. Because not knowing worried
him. The enemy would be easier to fight if he had any fucking idea what their objective was and how they planned to go about it.
“Yeah. I’ll see what I can discern. How soon will we know whether the FBI will engage?”
“I wish I could tell you. Everyone Tara talked to played it close to the vest, so we’re not sure if these fanatics were even on the feds’ radar. Sean called his contacts and got a similar song and dance. If they’re already looking at Enlightenment Fields, my guess is they’ll respond swiftly and tell us to back off. If not . . . we may not get help until the eleventh hour. Hard to know which right now.”
That was not good news. “These fanatics are trouble. I can feel it.”
“I’m there with you. Get Maggie’s grandparents on that plane tomorrow and keep looking for answers. Check in at least once a day. If I don’t hear from someone over there regularly, Hunter, Joaquin, and I will be on your doorstep with a whole lot of ‘oh, fuck.’ Are we clear?”
“Crystal.”
They rang off, and Josiah exited the bedroom he’d shared with Maggie the previous night and went in search of her. The sun would be setting in a couple of hours, and he hoped like hell she’d been able to convince her grandparents to go to California.
In the kitchen, he found her fixing sloppy joes and chatting with her grandmother.
“You’re going to have a great adventure, Granna. Trust me, everything here will be fine.”
The older woman shook her head, her white hair so well sprayed it didn’t budge from its coiffure. “This trip is so sudden. We thought we’d stay here and recover from the wedding, get the house and the barn back in order . . .”
“I can do all that,” Maggie argued. “You keep wanting me to show you how responsible I’ve become, that I can handle the ranch if something were to happen to you and Papa. Then let me prove I can do it. You two haven’t taken a vacation in years. Now’s the time to do it. Josiah’s friends will fly you on their private plane. You’ll have Shealyn’s amazing place all to yourself. And I’ve seen it. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
