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He’d go to any lengths to keep her safe. Each time he thought of what could have happened to Dove if she’d gotten in her SUV that was wired to blow, his hands shook.
He would hunt down that hitman and kill him with his bare hands. Then he’d find every person connected with Dom Tretorn and end them too, so the sisters could walk without fear.
Julius sank into a seat, his boot hooked over his knee. “Any new developments with our dead guy?”
“I haven’t heard anything.”
“It’s pretty hard to hear anything over you and Dove’s moans and the headboard banging the wall.”
Quaide leveled a look at him. “You won’t bring that up again if you like being on this team.”
Julius flashed his pearly whites in a wide grin that showed Quaide that he gave no fucks about threats of termination. “It’s not really your decision, since you’re not the boss.”
He grunted. That statement would have sent him into a rage a few days ago. Now he saw the pros of not being in charge. This was starting to look like a better fit for his life.
“Don’t get so cocky or comfortable, Abel. Clay could decide that one of your brothers is a better fit for Sentry.”
“You won’t find a better fit for Sentry, but go ahead and try.”
Quaide had enough of this punk kid running his mouth, but he was right—Sentry needed every man they had. Six weeks earlier, Sentry was a team of one. Now as it was, four men plus Lark running the back operations weren’t enough to clean up this part of the state.
Julius stretched his legs and crossed his ankles. “Any word from the medical examiner today? She mentioned getting the report for us soon.”
“Haven’t heard anything, but it’s still early.”
“You really going to stop Dove from going with her sister?”
Quaide sat back, his mind in a knot. The turmoil in his chest wasn’t letting up when it came to what he felt was right in this case and what he felt Dove needed.
Two beautiful blondes on the ranch would raise eyebrows. Since it was a working ranch with cattle and horses being sold on a regular basis, people came and went. Sure, the WEST team had a tight rein on all the business taking place on the property. But that didn’t mean thingscouldn’tslip by.
He’d given his word to Dove to stop trying to control the situation, but now that he was faced with the choice, he wanted to take the other path and keep her with him.
He fisted his hand and brought it to his lips in contemplation. His precious moment of silence was broken when Clay entered the new office space.
He took one look at Quaide and arched a brow. “Quaide still seems to be in his funk,” he said to Julius.
“You got that right.”
Quaide gave them both a lazy eye roll. “Real professional, guys.”
Clay leaned against the edge of the table now serving as a workspace. “You sure you’re good to work on this case, Livingston?”
He straightened. “Hell yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Clay tugged his hat brim lower. “When you started work on the case, it wasn’t a conflict of interest. It is now. You’re really close to it, buddy.”
“I’m not too close. Dove is a friend.” He wasn’t lying.
He cocked his head. “C’mon. I’ve known you since the days when neither of us had more than a sprinkling of hair on our balls. What’s really going on with Dove? And don’t bother lying—I have ears.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Julius didn’t bother to keep his laughter inside where it belonged.
“Your new bed creaks, Livingston,” Clay said.
Quaide sent him a long look. “Payback. I heard you and Lark back when I was here helping with the bomb case.”
