I agreed.
“I need a twenty on Adler Livingston. The same day he flew back to Boston, he told Mila he was returning to Texas the next morning. He called and told her he’d meet her in Bluebell Creek. That was the last she heard from him.”
“On it,” said Grinder. “Anything else?”
“Judd Knight. He was the one who put the tail on us yesterday. I want to know why. Somehow this all relates to Mila’s sister’s murder.” I turned to Rile, who was looking at his phone. “What’s on your mind?”
“I want to bring Casper in on this.”
Grinder raised his head. “Calla?”
Rile nodded.
“Where is she?” Grinder asked.
“Miami.”
“Either one of you want to include me in this conversation?” I asked.
“Calla Rey.”
“Never heard of her.”
Rile raised a brow. “Surprising.”
I backed away from the table, stood, and shook my head. I was regretting my decision to partner up with the Invincibles, as Mila had called them. Rile’s bullshit already grated on me.
“Grinder will prepare her dossier and have it for you this afternoon.”
“Not necessary,” I said as I turned to walk out.
“But it is, my friend. Our intention is to ask Casper to join the firm.”
“So do it. You don’t need my input.”
“Has to be unanimous,” said Grinder. “We all have to agree.”
Great. More fucking administrative bullshit. What had I gotten myself into?
When I got to the barn, I saw Edge was saddling up Sage, the horse I would’ve chosen for Mila.
“I can do that myself,” I heard her say.
“Let her,” I said to Edge.
I watched out of the corner of my eye to make sure Edge did as I asked before I went to look for Boon, the barn manager. I found him in the office.
“Hey, Deck,” the man said when I walked in.
“Everything running smoothly?”
“Course it is. Ain’t much to keep the hands busy this time of year, but you know that better than I do.”
King-Alexander was one of the few ranches in the area that kept a large crew employed year-round. Like Z and even Wasp King before him, Quint and I agreed that what we spent in extra wages, saved us money in the long run. The ranch hands were loyal and worked hard. During the busier seasons, we weren’t forced to hire people we hadn’t yet vetted, which was necessary with our operation.
“Appreciate you handlin’ things here at the ranch, Boon.”
“It’s my job, Deck.”