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Graham smiled. “He won’t need it. He’s probably soft from working in the city. The hike in will have him sweating and crying for mercy.”
They laughed and talked shit throughout the hike. Two miles through the bush. Hard to believe people lived like this in a world that was morego-go-gothantake your time and stroll.
Hard to believe he was now one of those people.
“How long are you going to stick around? You have enough vacation time to see you through to the new year?” Sam asked.
Flynn nodded. His boss had basically kicked his ass out of the office because he’d accrued so many vacation days. “I’ve got six weeks for now.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “You’ve got more than that banked?”
Flynn nodded again. “I did some undercover work earlier in the year.” He’d never do that again. It had nearly sucked his soul dry.
The two men nodded and Aisling frowned at him. “Graham tells me you’re in the organized crime division. I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to work undercover with those types of people.”
Graham took Aisling’s hand and kissed it. Flynn knew they’d had a tussle with some counterfeiters a few weeks back and that Aisling had been hurt in the process. Thankfully, her injuries hadn’t been serious and they’d caught the creeps. But Flynn’s job was a reminder of that.
Since chipping in with his friends a few months back to get Midnight Security up and running, he’d been wondering what it would be like to follow in Sam’s footsteps.
His buddy had quit the FBI to do this full time. Was Flynn ready for that? His job was demanding and exhausting. And hugely satisfying. He thought this one would be the same.
Lots to consider.
That decision would wait until he took down the Pavic family. He couldn’t move on until he’d taken care of that mess and discovered the truth surrounding the death of his friend. Then he’d consider other options.
When they broke into the clearing around the lodge, Flynn grinned. The place was like an old-time fairy tale. No wonder they didn’t want to leave.
The three-story lodge was big enough to have a dozen bedrooms on each floor. There was a garage and a shed within sight. He knew there were cabins scattered around the lake as well. The biggest cabin, off to the right, was the headquarters for their security business.
Three dogs broke into the clearing from the right, with Tansy jogging along behind them. She grinned as she approached the group. “Flynn. You made it. Welcome to your home.”
Her wording threw him off for a stride but he leaned down to hug her. “Thanks, Tansy.” His voice was rougher than usual, but it couldn’t be helped.
His home.
The ranch would always be his family home, but he’d never felt like any other place would be a good fit. Maybe this would be his place. It was filled with great people and even greater purpose.
The sun had started to set while they’d hiked in and the scene was gorgeous. Something inside Flynn settled and yearned at the same time.
This might be exactly the right place.
The others headed into the lodge while Sam stood beside him, looking at the lake. Sam slapped him on the shoulder. “It’s getting to you. I can tell. This place sucks you in. You may be moving in full-time before you know it.”
“Not until I can wrap up the Pavic case.”
“Still working that one?”
Flynn nodded. “Always will. I’m not convinced Martin Blanco is dead. I think he killed his daughter in a cover up to go into hiding with the Pavic crew, but I can’t prove it.”
“What’s holding up the investigation?”
Flynn snorted out a laugh. “Almost everything. The Pavic family is slick but small. There are always bigger priorities. They’ve hidden money in more places than any crime family I know. It’s incredibly complex with shell corporations and money laundering around every corner we turn. It’s impossible to dig through the data to the core. There’s so much with so many twists. We’ve had teams on the financials, but they can’t find the proof we need.”
Sam nodded. “It’s hard to get through the layers. I wonder if Tess might be able to help.”
“Who’s Tess?”
“A friend of Tansy’s. She moved in a few weeks back. She’s a zoologist but a whiz with numbers and patterns. A few weeks ago, she helped Bella and Mitch figure out a serial arsonist and she’s contracted out with the FBI before as a data analyst.”
