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Or the secrets it held in the ground.
Parker sighed but he knew I was right. We’d worked together far too long for either one of us to bullshit the other. “Fine, Sebastian. I’ll carve out some time in the next couple of days to look at the contract and see if I can find out anything about Canyon Industries, other than what you and I already know. They’re bad news. They come into an area and take full control. However, they’re run into some trouble in Texas with some lawmakers, making their continued acquisition of additional real estate iffy.”
“I’d bet they used strong-arm tactics with my grandfather, if Walter even considered giving them the time of day.”
“What are you thinking?”
“That Hank made promises he couldn’t keep. That’s it entirely possible he had my grandfather killed.”
“Oh, for the love of God, Sebastian. Don’t go off halfcocked on this theory of yours.”
“I made a call to the attending doctor at the hospital where Walter was brought to. There was nothing wrong with his heart and he didn’t have high blood pressure.” That had escalated my rage into something else entirely.
Parker sighed. “Have you talked with anyone at the sheriff’s office?”
“Not yet. I have a feeling they have a tightly-knit group around here. I’m not certain Walter was a part of it.” I’d received limited information on the ranch hands under George’s command as well. While there were no red flags with anyone, I still had a bad feeling about the man himself.
“Okay, look. I’ll push forward on finding out everything I can on Canyon, including talking with my colleagues at our firm there. Can you hold tight and not do anything stupid for a couple days?”
I laughed as I turned into the ranch, realizing I’d forgotten all about stopping for groceries. Sure, I had a staff of employees who handled the menial task on a regular basis but unless I wanted to face another morning without coffee, I’d need to break down and locate a grocery store. The day was turning out to be shit.
“My grandfather’s funeral is in a couple of days. It’ll be next week before I can head into court to insist the temporary executor is removed.”
“You need evidence to prove wrongdoing, Sebastian. If you don’t have that in black and white, the judge will become suspicious as to your activities. Toe the line on this one until I can get a chance to offer decent advice.” Parker was getting more exasperated by the minute.
“Fine. I’ll do that. I have other business to attend to on the ranch anyway, including paying the people who worked for Walter. Just don’t let me down on this one, Parker. Remember who works for whom.”
“And you need to remember you’re in a state you don’t live in, far away from the people who support you, including your goddamn attorney that you seem to think suddenly is your enemy. In case you don’t know anything about the people in Colorado, let me explain it to you. They are some of the strongest, most productive businesspeople in the goddamn world. You were right in your assumptions. They’re tightknit, which means they don’t need to stoop to your family’s level of ruthlessness to get what they want. They do favors for each other. Do you get what I’m saying?”
I pulled down the road, trying to remember where the fucking caretaker’s house was located from the map I’d been given. It wasn’t located on the main road but nestled in the back near a smaller lake. That’s about all I knew.
“Oh, I get it, Parker. And you need to remember my firm paid you over five million dollars last year alone, so I think I deserve a slight shift in your goddamn schedule. Call me when you have something. This weekend.” The second I ended the call, I tossed the phone across the truck, hissing when I’d used enough force it careened off the passenger door.
Fuming, I continued the drive, trying to put various pieces together. Hank was behind the push toward a sale. I was certain of it. But was the man capable of murder? Given the right circumstances or excuse, anyone could be. Money was a damn good incentive.
As I headed toward my second appointment, I slowed down seeing a single person near a fence. The closer I came, the easier it became to recognize George. What the fuck was the guy doing? He had no tools that I could see. As I passed by, he slowly turned his head in my direction, the glare on his face evident. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, glancing into the rearview mirror as another truck drove up to where George was standing. Another ranch hand? I made mental note to have another discussion with George.
The rough road under the truck tires made the ride more jarring than any other part of the ranch I’d visited. So what if I was early?
As I scanned the area, I tried to calm my anger. The poor girl who was possibly squatting in the house didn’t deserve my wrath. I could only imagine the shit Hank had told her at this point. If he’d tried to strong arm a man like me, my guess was he’d terrorized her. Still, all this bullshit was taking me away from the reality of what I needed to do.
Make a qualified decision. I was already leaning toward holding onto the place even if only for a couple of months until the situation was fully under my control.
I could adore the property and the state, which I had to admit to myself I did, but that didn’t mean keeping the ranch was in my best interest. Fuck. I raked my hand through my hair, noticing something in the distance. I pressed down on the accelerator, heading toward it.
When the quaint cabin came into view, I was taken aback by the beautiful backdrop, the house appearing as a stone’s throw from the majestic mountains even though they were miles away. I pulled up in front next to an older red Dodge truck that had definitely seen better days. As I got out, I realized I’d seen it somewhere before. But where?
After rubbing my hands on my jeans, I climbed onto the porch, hesitating before knocking and I wasn’t certain why. I’d been forced to evict dozens of people over the years and if I sold, I’d need to do that eventually. The guilt was unusual. Half laughing, I finally knocked on the door.
Within seconds, I heard thudding footsteps and stood back.
As soon as the door was pitched open, I had a split second to react before something long and solid was slammed into my face. I managed to snap my fingers around a thick piece of metal when it was only two inches from my face.
“Fuck!” My growl matched the sound the woman was making in front of me.
“Let go, you asshole.”
Very slowly I let go at the same time she lowered the weapon.
