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When I pulled into the drive, I saw two black SUVs near the main house. Several men, including Cord, were standing outside the vehicles.
“There she is,” said Cru, coming over to hug Sam once I’d opened her door. Following him were Snapper and Kick. The three men were Alex’s younger brothers, so she knew them well.
“Decker,” I said, walking over to shake his hand. “I appreciate you making the trip.”
“Hey, Beau. Burns doesn’t ask favors very often, so when he does, I’m happy to oblige.”
In intelligence security and technology, Burns Butler and Decker Ashford were considered the number one and two experts in the world. Ashford would always concede to Burns, who’d mentored him. However, Burns was likely to say Deck was the top gun.
“I was surprised to see ol’ Cord here,” he said, motioning to the man Sam was speaking with. “He’s a good guy. Don’t know exactly why he’s here, but then, neither does he.”
“We ran into our friend at the inn,” I said, turning to Cord.
He looked from me to Sam, and she nodded.
“I don’t think it’s you he hates,” she told him.
“Deck, I’d like you to meet Samantha Marquez.”
“It’s a pleasure, miss.”
Sam shot a smirk in Cord’s direction, who laughed. “He made the mistake of calling me ‘ma’am,’” she explained.
After Ashford introduced the three men he’d brought with him, we went inside, where he got right down to business.
“Here’s where we’ll start,” he said, pointing to a schematic of the main residence. “By the time you go to sleep tonight, the house and barn will be complete, as will the entry gate and most of the perimeter.”
I raised a brow, which Decker caught and chuckled. “We don’t mess around, Barrett.”
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Stay out of our way.” Deck looked over at Cord. “You in?”
“I am, sir,” Cord responded before turning to me. “I helped out at the Roaring Fork when Mr. Ashford and his team put a similar system in place.”
“What about lodging?” I asked, realizing I wasn’t certain of the state of the bedrooms in the house.
“I, uh, took it upon myself to ask about housekeeping yesterday,” said Cord. “Mrs. Miller, who worked for Mrs. Covert for many years, said her staff had cleaned the main residence and the guesthouse per the attorney’s request. Not to be morbid or anything, but she mentioned all the bedding was new. I haven’t been in this house other than last night, but the guesthouse has five bedrooms.”
“This one has eight,” said Decker, motioning to the schematic and looking over at Sam. “Me and my guys will stay in the guest quarters if that’s all right with you.”
“Of course. Stay where you’ll be most comfortable.”
Decker turned to me. “Cru will get you and Ms. Marquez dialed into the system while the rest of us start installation. Tomorrow, we’ll secure any of the perimeter we don’t finish tonight, along with the winery and other outbuildings. Cru, you explain how the various checkpoints will work.”
“Yes, sir,” he responded.
“Deck? A moment?” I asked, motioning for him to follow me to the opposite side of the room.
“I always hate these conversations,” he said once we were out of earshot. “You’re gonna tell me to send the bill to you, and then I gotta tell you your father already took care of it. I’ll save you the trouble of arguing with me since I’m just the messenger. Take it up with your dad and Burns.”
Before I could say another word, the man walked out the front door. The rest of the guys, besides Cru, followed him.
“Interesting guy,” he said, standing beside me. “Snapper and Kick know him better than I do, but they say he’s one of a kind.”
I chuckled, then saw Sam from across the room. She had Wanda cradled in her arms. “Give us a minute?”
“You got it. I’ll step outside and make a call.”
