Gray Wolf Security: Wyoming

by Glenna Sinclair

  “We actually already have a case for you,” Sutherland said. “A local woman is having trouble with some outside developers who want to buy her motel. They’ve been harassing her customers and she needs someone around to keep that from happening.”

  My eyebrows rose. “A security guard job?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Sutherland and Kirkland exchanged a look that made me a little concerned. What the hell had I just walked into?

  “She’s concerned that having a security guard standing around outside the place will just scare off more customers, and that’s the last thing she wants.”

  “What kind of harassment have they been perpetrating?”

  Kirkland seemed impressed with my question.

  “Well, they’ve been telling lies to the customers and paying people to cause property damage to the motel itself.”

  “Then she needs a security guard.”

  Kirkland’s good impression disappeared with that statement. But, hey, it was the truth as I saw it.

  “What they’re trying not to say,” Hank, the glorified foreman, cut in, “is that the client asked for you to pretend to be her Tinder match.”

  “Excuse me?” I twisted in my chair so I could see the man’s face. “They what?”

  “More precisely,” Sutherland interjected, “she asked for you to pretend to be her husband for the duration of the case.”

  “Her husband?” Now I was really confused. “Wouldn’t it be more believable if I was just a live-in boyfriend or something?”

  “You don’t know this woman,” Hank said.

  “Then tell me about her.”

  I turned sideways in the chair so that I could see both Hank and Sutherland. Hank shot a look at Sutherland, but nodded slightly as though he’d come to some silent conclusion.

  “Eve Spraberry is a hardworking, stubborn, independent, and kind woman,” he said. “Her mother has owned the motel since Eve was an infant. She bought it to support herself when it became clear that her husband had no interest in settling down to care for the family.”

  I shrugged. That was information I didn’t feel like I needed.

  “Five years ago, Rachel was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Eve gave up her plans to go to college in order to stay home and care for her mother as well as the motel. She hardly ever leaves the place except to go to church on Sunday mornings.”

  Great! A church freak!

  “Eve tends to do everything by the book. And she very rarely asks for help even when she’s overwhelmed.” Hank shot a look at Sutherland as he said that, but she didn’t seem to notice. “For her to come to us and ask for this, it shows how very important it is.”

  “Then why don’t you go play house with her?”

  A tendon in Hank’s jaw popped as he clenched his teeth for a second.

  “Hank is well known in town,” Sutherland said. “People would be suspicious if he suddenly claimed to be Eve’s husband, especially since he’s been linked with a local teacher for the past few weeks.”

  “The developers have been paying local unemployed men to do their dirty work. If they heard that she’d suddenly moved in a local guy who is known to work for Gray Wolf, they would see right through our ruse.”

  Therefore, the only reason I was being given this assignment was because I’d only just arrived in town. Nice to know.

  “So, I pretend to be her husband… how far do we have to carry the ruse?”

  “You live at the motel in her apartment, help her out around the place—her handyman just quit last week, so I’m sure she needs some repairs done. Just be there to deter the guys who are harassing her.”

  “For how long?”

  “Until her lawyer can get them to back off.”

  I nodded, thinking that could take months.

  Hank stood from where he’d been perched on the edge of an office chair. He clamped his hand on my shoulder.

  “Eve is a good friend of Sutherland’s, therefore she’s a good friend to all of us. You will conduct yourself professionally when you are alone with her. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I would have snapped a salute, but the guy looked like he wasn’t too shy to try to knock me flat on my ass. I didn’t want my first day of work to be marred by my taking out one of my coworkers. Ash wouldn’t be impressed by that. That being said, I was definitely beginning to wonder if I would have been better off sticking it out in Santa Monica.

  Hank left the room. I shifted in my chair again, and caught the surprise in Kirkland’s eyes as he watched Hank leave. Interesting.

  “A team will arrive at the motel first thing in the morning to install security cameras that will transmit directly to that computer,” Kirkland said, gesturing to a bank of monitors set up on a desk across the room. “You’ll report in daily, first thing each morning.” He handed me a cellphone. “And you’ll need these, too.” He held out a jeweler’s box that contained two simple, gold wedding bands.

  My stomach twisted a little at the sight. There had been a time when I stood in jewelry stores for hours, looking at something like that. That time had passed weeks ago. I reluctantly took the box, snapped it shut, and slipped it into my pocket. It burned a little, like a talisman on fire, but I knew that was just my imagination.

  Wasn’t it?

  Sutherland handed me a slip of paper with an address on it.

  “You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. It’s just on the other side of town just off the I-25 access road.”

  So, that was it? I just drove over there and introduced myself to my new wife? How bizarre!

  I stood up and shook both their hands. Kirkland walked me out to my Bronco, shaking my hand again as I turned to say goodbye.

  “Ash had a lot of good things to say about you and I respect his opinions. As I’m sure you know, I worked as an operative for Ash before he gave me a small group of operatives to run out of Los Angeles. I know Ash doesn’t offer recommendations easily.”

  I never knew what to say to things like that. In the Navy, I could just salute, show some sort of respect, and that was good enough. That didn’t seem appropriate for this moment.

  “Ash is a good man,” I said, feeling as though that was intensely inadequate.

  Kirkland studied my face a second. “I realize this is a different office, a different set of circumstances. But be assured, this is still Gray Wolf Security and we will still hold you to the same standard Ash held you to.”

  “Of course. I understand.”

  He hesitated a moment, as though he wasn’t sure he could trust me to fulfill this assignment the way he wanted it done. And I didn’t know how to convince him that, despite my low opinion of this particular scenario, I was a professional. I would work this case with perfection.

  Kirkland finally backed off. I offered him a half-hearted wave as I pulled away, exhausted and hoping this woman had decent water pressure in her shower.

  Chapter 3

  Eve

  “There is a ranch about twenty miles to the west where you can rent horses.” I picked up a map and opened it to the correct section of the state. “If you follow this road, you can’t miss it.”

  “There isn’t one ranch in town that rents horses?” my customer, a tall man with thick glasses, asked.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “The last time we were here, there were several dude ranches here. That’s why we came back.”

  “Yes, but those ranches have changed owners and become private property.”

  The man clucked his tongue as he glanced at his wife. “What do you think? Would you rather just drive down into Casper and go to the mall?”

  “No. We came here to ride horses.”

  The man shook his head and continue to grumble about the twenty miles they would have to drive when the door opened and another man walked in. The wife glanced over her shoulder and then turned to get a better look. It was clear she was appreciating what she was seeing and, when I caug
ht sight of the guy myself, I could hardly blame her.

  He was of average height, but that was the only thing that seemed average about him. He had broad shoulders, narrow hips, and arms that stretched the long sleeves of his shirt quite impressively. He had blond hair that was as much gold as it was yellow. He was tan like he’d just spent a few weeks on the beach, a color that made his dark blue eyes pop right out of his face. His nose was a little too broad and his jaw was slightly too narrow at the chin, but his flaws only made him that much more handsome. He reminded me a little of that British actor, Theo James, who starred in those terrible adaptations of the dystopian novels.

  Very handsome.

  I lost track of what my customer was saying. I had to force myself to focus on him again, which was much more than his wife bothered to do. She was so busy staring at the new arrival that she didn’t respond when her husband asked her a direct question.

  “I realize it’s a little inconvenient, but they have some beautiful horses out there. Tell them Eve sent you, and they’ll give you a ten percent discount on the day’s rental fee.”

  The man was clearly pleased with that idea, but he tried to hide it by saying, “Well, I suppose that’s the least they could do considering the gas we’re wasting driving all the way out there.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The door opened again as they turned to leave. Fear sliced down my spine at the sight of the latest arrival because I knew him. His name was Jim Bob Wallace. He was a local drunk who’d been out of work since before I could remember. He was also one of the guys who’d beat up Marko a few nights ago. I didn’t want to say anything in front of customers, but I didn’t want him there. I grabbed the phone, making sure he could see it.

  “Put it down, Eve,” Jim Bob demanded. “It’s not going to do you any good. I’ll be gone before Steve arrives.”

  “Then leave, now.”

  The horseback riding couple were gone, but the other man was still standing off to the side, looking a little bored as he barely paid attention to this exchange with Jim Bob.

  Jim Bob laughed. “They pay me way too much for me to just leave.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Put the phone down!”

  Jim Bob couldn’t look menacing even when he wanted. A part of me wanted to laugh. But the memory of Marko’s face made that impossible.

  “Look, Jim Bob—”

  “They want you out, Eve. The more you resist, the harder it’s going to get for you.”

  “What are you going to do? You going to beat me up like you did Marko?”

  “If I thought it would help.”

  “Get out of my motel, Jim Bob.”

  I think we’d both forgotten about the other guy in the room. He was still standing against the far wall, looking rather bored by the scene. I was suddenly embarrassed by the whole thing, surprised he hadn’t turned and walked out. Who wanted to check into a motel being witnesses to an argument between the clerk and some guy?

  “I’m sorry about this, Sir,” I said.

  Unfortunately, I was focused on this stranger and not watching Jim Bob. I didn’t see him approach the desk, didn’t see the switchblade in his hand. I didn’t see anything until the stranger pushed away from the wall, grabbed Jim Bob by his upper arms, and slammed him face first against the opposite wall.

  “Drop it!” he demanded in a deep voice.

  “I wasn’t going to hurt her!” Jim Bob said. “They just told me to cut up the countertop!”

  “I don’t care. Drop the knife!”

  Jim Bob loosened his grip on the knife and it fell to the floor with a clatter that was so much louder than it should have been. My heart pounded. I stood back with the doorknob of the door between the office and my mom’s apartment pressed into my back. I couldn’t believe this was happening right in front of me!

  The stranger moved closer against Jim Bob, whispering something in his ear that I couldn’t hear. When he was done, he stepped back and let Jim Bob go. Jim Bob ran out of the office, the sound of his truck starting a roar before the sound of his tires squealing as he pulled out of the parking lot.

  The stranger bent over and picked up the knife, carefully folding the blade back into the handle before sliding it into his pocket.

  “Thank you,” I said, my voice a little more breathless than I’d intended.

  “Kind of what I’m here for.”

  I pushed away from the door, confused by his words. “You’re not a guest?”

  “No. I’m Grainger North.”

  My eyebrows rose. Cool name, but it didn’t mean anything to me.

  He rolled his eyes. “Sutherland Knight and Kirkland Parish sent me over.”

  “Oh, God, you’re the… the guy?”

  I knew I was blushing, and I wanted to disappear. He was such a good-looking guy… and I was supposed to pretend he was my husband? No one would ever believe it!

  “I’m the guy.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I ran my fingers through my short hair, wondering what Sutherland was thinking. She was my friend, at least I thought she was. How could she send a guy like this over here? Did she dislike me that much?

  I said a quick prayer under my breath before gesturing for him to get his things.

  “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

  I could feel him following close behind me as I led the way down the narrow corridor that led to the door of mine and Mom’s apartment. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, calling out to my mother so she wouldn’t be frightened by our sudden appearance.

  “Momma? It’s me.”

  “Me who?”

  I bit back a groan. She knew who I was an hour ago, when I’d brought her lunch, but she didn’t know me now. Now, when I really wanted her to know me.

  “Momma,” I said softly as we stepped into the living room, “it’s just me. Eve.”

  “I don’t know any Eve’s.”

  “Momma…”

  She was on the couch watching her game shows, the tray of half eaten food in front of her. I picked up her plate, another sigh refusing to stay put.

  “You were supposed to eat it all, Momma.”

  “I wasn’t hungry.”

  “The doctor said—”

  “What doctor? I haven’t seen a doctor in years.”

  “We went to Dr. Sherman just last week.”

  “I don’t know a Dr. Sherman.”

  I should have known better than to try to argue with her. I carried the plate into the kitchen and dropped it into the sink, frustration coursing through my veins. This disease was so unfair! My mom had devoted her life to raising me, and now she couldn’t even remember my name. I hated it, hated that this was the way she was going to go. My mother should have had the chance to find happiness, should have remarried and had more kids, should have died an old woman in her bed.

  I grabbed the edge of the sink and held back a scream.

  “Bad time?”

  I’d once again forgotten about this stranger—what was his name? Grainger. Such a jock name.

  “Sorry,” I mumbled as I turned and found those intense blue eyes on me. “I’ll show you around.”

  “Your mom asked if I was the new maid.”

  I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. “You shouldn’t mind her. She’s… she’s not well.”

  “Hank explained that to me.”

  “Hank?”

  That name brought a wave of pleasure. I adored Hank. He always seemed to show up just when I needed some big job done. He’d reroofed part of the hotel this past summer and he replaced a dozen windows for me just a few weeks ago. I was sure he drove by every couple of days, looking for things that needed doing and then he’d just show up to do them.

  He was a guardian angel.

  Grainger stepped back as I led the way out the kitchen door. Momma was still on the couch, deeply engrossed in game shows that aired thirty years ago. She didn’t seem to notice us as we walked by.

  “I apologize for the mess,” I said as w
e walked up the hall to the room where he would be sleeping. “We normally use this room for storage.”

  I opened the door and Grainger stood close to me to look into the room. It was a small room to begin with, but the neat stacks of boxes, containers, and motel supplies made it seem even smaller. There was a twin sized bed against the far wall that I’d made up the moment I returned from my meeting with Sutherland. It was crowded, but it was clean.

  “Okay,” he said.

  I turned and pointed at the door across the hall. “And that’s the bathroom. You and I will have to share, but Momma has a bathroom in her room.”

  He simply nodded, his dark eyes moving down along the hall. I felt like I needed to give him more information, so I pointed to the door next to his.

  “That’s my room and Momma is in the master at the end of the hall. She tends to be restless at night. I’ll try to keep her quiet, but I’ll warn you know that she might wake you from time to time.”

  “I’m used to sleeping with ten to thirty other guys, so I think I’ll be fine.”

  “Really?”

  His eyes fell to my face for what felt like the first time even though I knew he’d looked at me a few other times. But there was something about the way he studied my face. It was intent, like he was seeing something new on a familiar landscape.

  “They did tell you about me, right?”

  I shook my head. “They were still working out details when I left.”

  “You should probably know a few things about me if we’re going to pull off this marriage thing.”

  I nodded. “I suppose so.”

  “Well, I’m twenty-eight. I was born and raised in Illinois on a farm—my dad grew corn and soybeans. I went into the Navy after college—I studied pre-law—and joined the SEALs after boot camp. I served four tours of duty in Afghanistan. I was granted an honorable discharge four months ago.”

  “Do your parents still live in Illinois?”

  “Yes.”

  I chewed on my bottom lip a second, causing his brows to knit slightly.