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“How’s that?”
“His property is posted. If I showed up on his doorstep unannounced and unaccompanied, he could have me arrested for trespassing before I even introduce myself. If you’re with me—”
“He’ll kick you off his place twice as fast.”
“He can’t. Your name is on the deed. When your mother died, her share bypassed him and went straight to you. You share ownership of the land.”
With anger, he plucked a chip from the basket, dunked it in the salsa, and popped it into his mouth, chewing as he studied her. “You did your homework.”
“You’re damn right I did.”
“By bringing your secret to light, what do you hope to achieve?”
“Achieve?”
“Come on,” he said. “You caught me drunk, but I’m not dense.”
“Is that the second thing you want to know? What I hope to achieve?”
“No. I’ve got that figured.”
“I doubt it.”
“You want to rock the world.”
They were interrupted again when the waitress returned with a sizzling platter of grilled meat, which she set in the center of the table then crowded the side dishes around it. Kerra passed on his offer to share the enchiladas, but they each built a fajita.
“Delicious,” she mumbled around the first bite.
“You oughta come to Cowtown more often. In Dallas you get Tex-Mex with mushrooms.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Second thing I want to know.”
“I’m listening.”
“How long have you been sitting on this?”
“A while.”
“A while. That’s vague enough. Why jump on it now?”
“It’s not as sudden as it seems,” she said. “I’ve been trying for months to contact The Major. He wouldn’t have it, and now I’m out of time. This coming Sunday is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the bombing. Perfect timing. It would make for amazing television.”
“Ratings, all that shit.”
“Shit to you maybe, Mr. Trapper. Not to me.”
“Just plain Trapper.” He ate for a time, then, “You realize that Sunday is six days from now.”
“The clock is ticking. When The Major hung up on me yesterday for the thirteenth time, I looked you up. I’m desperate.”
He stopped eating. “Well, that explains what brought you tap-tap-tapping at my chamber door. Desperation.” When she didn’t deny it, he made a scornful sound and went back to his food. “I already told you, nothing I say will sway him.”
“Fair enough. Escort me as far as his threshold. You do that, I’ll take it from there.”
He bounced his fork against his plate and looked her over in a way that made her feel uncomfortably hot inside her clothes. She reached for her margarita and sipped through the salt rim. “How long did it take you?”
“To figure it out, you mean?”
She nodded.
