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“Aaron, will you do me a favor?” Cameron asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Aaron said. “What do you need?”
“Bring Dani with you to the family meeting tomorrow evening. We all need to pay homage. She brought this family full circle, and she doesn’t even know it.”
“Sure. I’ll let her know, and bring her with us,” Aaron said.
“Thanks,” Cameron said. “We owe her.”
As soon as their call ended, Cameron went back to working on the gate. Aaron was on patrol but took the time to give Dani a call.
Dani was planting flowers in the front flower beds when her phone rang. She quickly wiped her hands on her jeans and then sat down on the front steps as she answered.
“Hello, favorite person ever!”
Aaron smiled. “You stole my line.”
“Sorry. What’s up?” she said.
“It appears Mom told Cameron about your part in this whole Charlie/journal thing. He was both surprised and very appreciative, and asked me to bring you to the family meeting tomorrow evening.”
“Oh, Aaron. I don’t want a big deal made about—”
“Too late,” Aaron said. “What you did was a big deal to us. And since I’m still holding on to the idea that you’ll be part of the clan one day, you might as well see them all at once and get it over with.”
Dani laughed. “You make it sound a little like trial by fire.”
“It’s not a bad thing. But there are a lot of us. That’s all.”
“Okay, sure. I’m honored.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up tomorrow as I’m leaving work, and I’ll stop by for a hug and a cold beer before I leave town this evening, if that’s okay?”
“It’s very okay. Love you and be safe,” she said.
“Always to both,” he said, and hung up.
Dani stood for a moment, hanging on to the sound of his voice in her ear, then sighed and went back to planting flowers.
Nyles Fairchild was in jail awaiting a court date.
The horrors of imprisonment were already a reality. He knew jail was just a place to be on the way to somewhere else, but if prison was worse than where he already was, it would be hell.
He’d always thought of himself as a scholar—a highly educated man of refinement who’d turned into something of a loner as he moved toward middle age. But he would have bet his life that he’d be honest. That he would never do anything harmful or illegal. But he’d already lost that bet with himself, and he wished hewasdead. He no longer had a future. He’d destroyed his life and his good name, and was too big of a coward to kill himself.
And all because of gold fever.
He’d heard of it.
He’d made fun of it before.
Only now, he knew it was real.
Men killed for it.
Lied for it.
Died for it.
