Decker looked into my eyes. “If it had been me who found you in that stairwell, I would’ve killed the man assaulting you.”
20
Decker
The least surprising detail of everything Mila had told me about the assault was that Judd Knight had handled the aftermath himself. It explained a great deal about her lack of any kind of relationship with the man.
If the “Marshall” who attacked Mila was still alive, and was Adler’s father, I couldn’t help but wonder why Judd let her live in an apartment building owned by the man—unless he didn’t know.
Later this morning, I’d meet with Rile, Edge, and Grinder to fill them in about what I’d learned so we could plan our next steps.
While it was vital to determine whether Marshall Livingston was the man who’d attacked Mila, how that related to Sybil’s murder was the bigger mystery. There was a chance it didn’t relate at all, although that wasn’t what my gut was telling me.
The other two questions puzzling me were where Adler had disappeared to, along with why Judd Knight had someone tail us on our way home from Bluebell Creek. And, was that who had been creeping outside the cabin the night before?
The other thing that lingered in the back of my mind was how long it had been since I’d done any of the ranch work that was accumulating daily.
“I can hear you thinking.”
I laughed. “Yeah? That loud, huh?”
Mila stood and held her hand out to me. “You don’t have to handle me with kid gloves, you know. Not about this. I’m okay, Decker. I know I just told you that you make me feel safe, but I haven’t lived the last nine years of my life in fear.”
“I know you haven’t.” The way she’d dealt with identifying her sister’s body, Adler’s bullshit, and more than anything else, confronting her father, proved her words true.
“I know I haven’t truly dealt with what happened to me. If I had, my reaction to hearing the name Marshall wouldn’t have been so intense.”
“I sense a but at the end of your sentence,” I said, following her out to the kitchen.
“I’ve compartmentalized. I keep myself out of situations that make me uncomfortable as best as I can, and I’ve learned how to protect myself.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Someone killed my sister, Decker. I need to know who and why. That’s the most important thing to me right now.”
“Understood, and I agree.” Unless they were somehow connected, but it was too early in the investigation for me to verbally theorize. “There are some things I need to take care of this morning.”
“Understood,” she repeated, giving me a half-smile.
“You alluded to not being the biggest fan of Texas, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in riding out on the ranch with me this morning?”
She appeared to be thinking it over.
“No pressure,” I added.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve thrown a leg over, Decker.”
“It’s like riding a bicycle.” I winked.
Mila smiled, fully this time. “But no pressure.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Sure, I’ll ride out with you. Why not?”
“We’ll stop up at the main house and get you some clothes to ride in. The Invincible guys are there too. The five of us can continue our discussion from last night.”
“The Invincible guys? I kind of like that. Although, won’t you hire women too?”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Then drop the guy part. Just call yourselves the Invincibles.”