“Wow, that’s interesting. Text me her picture.” I give him my number, and he sends it through. She’s beautiful. I wonder if he’s jealous that someone’s going to steal his woman away because she’s definitely on men’s radar.
This should be an easy job for my first actual assignment. Fingers crossed I don’t fuck this up.
We part ways, shaking hands so at least if anyone sees us it looks like a clandestine business meeting and not a sexual rendezvous. I head into the office as he drives away.
“Angel, in my office now,” Richter bellows. All eyes look worried, so I’m betting he wasn’t silent after I stepped outside for that brief discussion. I have a feeling he’s going to ream me for taking a private meeting after he had been dismissed by Daniel “The Beast” Miller.
“Don't embarrass me like that again.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I was just trying to please a very important client.”
“Bet you were,” he sneers with such lechery in his eyes that I get his drift.
****
Goodness, he’s truly wasting his money on my services. I roll my eyes as I head down the road to the ranch as dust kicks up behind me. Samantha’s a freaking boring person, and I don’t mean that in a bad way, but it is a very good way when it comes to this kind of business.
PIs see some of the worst of humanity in the most compromising situations, but Samantha Morris is a peach. I’ve been following her for two weeks and learned nothing worth noting. She’s a good girl who goes to work and then home and then once a week she goes to the ranch to ride for an hour. Nothing about her is blatantly flirtatious with anyone and there are hunky men everywhere especially the cowboy she rides with that one day a week.
I try to hold back the simmering jealousy the way he smiles at her. The lines from years of time in the sun form and I groan because he’s full of honesty. The man screams sexy with every movement in his body and I want to cross the distance, introduce myself, throw my body in his path, beg him to claim me, but I won’t. Never, still I watch. Two weeks on the job and I go to the ranch, ducking out of the way as they make their way down to the stables.
He's tanned from the sun and his hair is a medium brown and cut short like he used to be in the military. It makes me wonder if he’s a part of the Steele Riders too. I’ve done my best to avoid looking into him. I tell myself it’s because my assignment is Sammie, but it’s more because I don’t want to know the truth since there can be no us. Instead, I ask myself questions that will keep him out of my dreams. Does he have a wife? Kids?
It shouldn’t matter to me because I have my mission and that doesn’t include a handsome cowboy with a wicked grin and muscle hidden under his white tee and blue jeans.
I do my best to stay out of sight while he moves down to the stables and the man tempts me to crawl to his side. For the first time, my body responds to a man violently. It’s too much so I keep my distance and try to hide and hope that he doesn’t find me lurking on his property. Thankfully, I’m far enough out of his line of sight.
Chapter Two
Cowboy
“That should do it,” Cyber says, checking the computers in my office before spinning around in my office chair to face me with a self-satisfied grin.
“Thanks. So how many cameras do I have access to on the ranch and what’s the actual range?” I need to know what I’m working with given the climate in Steeleville over the past two months. Ever since Boomer’s wife came into town we’ve had problems in one way or another. The biggest trouble came from the cartels infiltrating the border towns and moving north through the southern US. Drug mules have been lurking and we need to keep them out of our area.
“There are twenty-eight cameras, sixteen on the perimeter of the ranch from the roadway through the pastures and back around to the backside of the barn and main house. There are two exterior cameras for each of the buildings.”
“Good.” I nod, taking in all the tech he’s spitting out as best as I can. I know some shit, but I’m not a computer guy. I work the land.
“Here’s how you access them all. They’re labeled based on their locations and what you told me the area is called. If you need to change the names let me know and I’ll teach you how to go in and change them securely.” I read through each title as I view the images and they’re labeled correctly. Thankfully, because my ass doesn’t have a fucking clue how to do it on my own.