I stand, closing the folder. "Thank you," I say. And I mean it.
I step back. Ace is on his feet, watching me with that jaw clenched and those eyes burning, and I have to look away before I do something inappropriate in front of his brother.
"One more thing," Ace says, stepping forward. The casual posture is gone. He's standing at full height, shoulders squared, and looking so fucking fine I have to squeeze my thighs together.
"Where's Carson? The man who owned that ranch. Where is he now?"
The one with the swollen eye answers this time. "Gone. Left two weeks ago. Graves paid him. Told him to take his family and disappear."
"Disappear where?"
"I don't know. He left in the night. Took his truck. That's all I know."
Ace looks at Colten. Something passes between them.
"We need to find Carson," Ace says.
Colten nods.
Ace turns to me. His hand finds the small of my back, and he steers me toward the barn door.
"We're done, baby. Let's go."
"But they might know more about?—"
"You got what you needed. Colten and Jett will handle the rest."
The way he says it leaves no room for interpretation. I look back over my shoulder. Jett has stopped tossing the knife. He's holding it now, turning it slowly in his hand, and for the first time since I met him, there's nothing funny about Jett Lawson.
"Harper." Ace's voice is deadly. "Come with me."
I let him lead me out. The barn door closes behind us. The Arizona sun hits my face, and I blink against the brightness. We walk in silence for a few steps. His hand is still on my back. His jaw is still tight.
"You okay?" I ask.
"Yeah. You?"
"I'm fine. Ace, I could have stayed?—"
"No." He stops dead and turns to face me. "You got names. You got information. That's your job, and you're fucking incredible at it. But what happens next in that barn isn't for you. Because if something goes sideways and there's ever an investigation, you were never in that barn. Understand?"
He's not being protective out of weakness. He's being strategic. Keeping my hands clean while his get dirty. The journalist stays untouchable. The cowboys do what cowboys do.
"I understand," I say.
He cups my face and kisses me.
"You were incredible in there, sweetheart."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Watching you tear apart their cover story with a folder and a pair of cowboy boots?" He grins. "Hottest thing I've ever seen. And you got them to talk, no real torturing required. I have usually removed a few limbs to get to that point."
"Hotter than last night?"
"Don't push it."
I laugh, and he pulls me against his chest. I rest my cheek against his heart. Behind us, I hear nothing.
