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4
Sam
Igave a two-finger salute to the black SUV at the end of my driveway.
She hadn’t said a word on the drive to my house. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’d reminded her she was in deep with the mob or that I manhandled her in her own house.
Ivy shifted in her seat, and I glanced over at her. She aimed her thumb toward the SUV as we passed. “Am I safer coming here? That looked very similar to the vehicle parked behind my clinic.”
Antonio and I hadn’t discussed if I could say the former president was at the ranch. Still, she might have hurt me years ago, but I knew she wouldn’t go around town spreading gossip. And I was excited to tell someone about my plans for the ranch. For years, it was a dream, but now it was close to coming true.
“I have some investors staying at the ranch. I had teammates in the military who needed help after they got out and there weren’t a lot of places for vets. Some turned to drinking, but I’ve lost more to suicide. The veterans need a place to deal with what happens overseas. Jaxson and I were talking one night, and I told him about my idea, and he recommended I contact a man named Antonio Ross.”
Ivy pressed her hand to my forearm. “I’m sorry you lost friends.”
I shook my head, not wanting to think about the people close to me that died. “It was a long time ago. Anyway, I want to turn the ranch from a bed-and-breakfast into a rehab facility for wounded soldiers. To do that, I needed backing, and Jaxson gave me a good lead. Well, the investor showed up with his wife, his brother and his wife, but the black SUV is Secret Service because they brought the former president, Zack Tucker.”
“Sam, you have too much going on. Take me home.”
I shook my head and pulled into the garage. The back seat was full of groceries I’d grabbed before going to Ivy’s house. I jumped out and started gathering the bags when a soft hand reached past me and grabbed a few. I didn’t bother telling her I had this; she would help anyway.
When we walked into the kitchen, Kat was at the table on her laptop, and next to her, Antonio had his phone pressed to his ear. Kat’s eyes narrowed when Ivy walked in.
We set the groceries down, and Kat stood up from the table and holding out her hand to Ivy. “I’m Kat Ross, and the hunk at the table is my husband, Antonio. You must be the one mixed up with the mob.”
“Umm.” Ivy’s eyes shot to me. “You told them.”
Kat waved her hand in the air. “He asked us to look at a license plate. It’s what we do.” Then a smirk came across her face. “I’m a retired assassin for the CIA. So if you want, I can take out the person who hit you today.”
Ivy glared at me. “You said you only told them about the license plate.”
“Oh, he didn’t have to say anything. You winced when you moved to the side. I made a guess that the mob boss’s thugs hit you. I spend a lot of hours at a women’s shelter and learned quick what to look for.” She took a deep breath and continued, “I found at least four good water holes Sam could move alligators into. Then when you kill people, you just feed them to your pets. Simple.”
I blinked at the short woman with red hair. She couldn’t be taller than five foot five, but the twinkle in her eyes made me wonder how much of what she said was a joke and how much was real.
“No, Kitty Kat. I already said he doesn’t need alligators,” Antonio said.
The short woman huffed. “Well, you said Patty didn’t need alligators or the tiger either, but they came in handy when we eliminated those cult people.”
Ivy moved a step closer to me and whispered. “Is she joking?”
The more Kat talked, I leaned toward no, but I also knew very little about the woman who seemed more deadly each second.
Zack walked into the kitchen and smiled. “Come on, Antonio, it’s been a while since I saw a picture of your wife dragging a dead body through your backyard. It’s kind of sad Kat hasn’t used even one gnome I sent as a weapon either.”
Kat whirled around and pointed at Zack. “That was you? Thirty boxes of gnomes. Those fuckers are creepy. I’ve been giving them away as gifts.”
The former president crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. The man actually pouted. “It’s not nice to tell someone you didn’t like their gift. It’s actually kind of rude.”
“Well, sending a truckload of one-foot garden decorations is an asshole move, but you’re distracting me from our current situation.”
Zack tilted his head back and laughed. “Right, the one where you tell Sam where to put the alligators you are shipping here.”
Antonio ran a hand over his face. “You all think this is funny? I’m the one who has to deal with the alligators. Or when my wife goes rogue and takes out a biker bar or a mob boss.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “I didn’t take out the entire bar. That goes against my code.”
“Code?” Zack chuckled. “Kat, you don’t have a code. You have a heart of gold and want to save every woman and child. And the men who cross them, you take care of. You have a reputation for being the best. I’m glad you were part of the CIA when I was there. President Walter even called the other day to see if I knew who Ice was and if she would consider coming out of retirement.”
