Wild Ride Rancher

“What’s happened? What’s going on?” She walked across the room and stopped at the edge of his desk. “Talk to me, Dad.”

Grumbling under his breath, he blurted, “The construction crew found a dead body at the TCC.”

“What?” Appalled, Angela could only stare at her father. “Someone’s dead? Who?”

“We don’t know,” he admitted, clearly disgusted. “Apparently, they found the body in the basement when the crew finally started pumping the storm water out. Damn it. This is going to be a huge mess.”

“A mess?” she repeated, stunned at her father’s reaction to this news. “Someone’s dead, Dad.”

And her mind asked, Who? Why? And what had he been doing at the TCC?

Sterling shot her a hot look, but Angela wasn’t cowed. She’d grown up seeing her father’s temper, and she knew it was more bluster than substance.

“I don’t even know what he was doing there. Maybe he took shelter at the club like Liam and Chloe did. Maybe he broke in trying to loot the place. Maybe he fell down the basement stairs and broke his fool neck.” Sterling shoved both hands in his pants pockets and idly jingled the change there. “This is a disaster. If word of this gets out, it could stall the plans for the club indefinitely.”

“Really?” she demanded. “That’s what you’re worried about? The club? Someone’s dead, Dad.”

“Now you sound like Liam.” He frowned again. “The man’s already dead. Nothing I say now will change it. All I can do is contain the situation. Stop being so soft, Angela. That’s your main problem, you know. You feel too much and don’t think objectively enough. No one gets ahead in this life by being softhearted.”

Growing up, she’d heard that piece of advice more than once. “Better that than cold.”

“Not cold,” he corrected. “Pragmatic. There’s a difference.”

“Is there?”

He shook his head and when the phone rang, he grabbed it, waving at her to get her to leave.

“Detective Hansen,” Sterling was saying as she left the office. “I hear we have a problem at my company’s job site...”

Angela walked out of the office, and closed the door behind her. She hadn’t gotten any answers about Ryder. And now, she had many more questions about this dead body.

Who was it?

What had he been doing there?

I waited for days now and no one talked about the body at the club. Just a quick mention on the news and then...nothing. Why?

I rubbed my gritty eyes and found no relief. I was so tired. Fear was exhausting.

I was constantly waiting for an ax to fall. For the other shoe to drop. For someone, somewhere to suddenly remember having seen me at the TCC. Then what? No wonder I couldn’t sleep. I bet Sterling slept like a baby, the old bastard.

Had he used his influence to shut everything down? Were reporters not interested in actually doing their jobs anymore? As long as no one was talking about the murder, Sterling was safe. If word got out about the body, it would have to stall the TCC’s plans for the building, if nothing else. But more, it would ruin Sterling Perry, because it was his construction company that’d discovered the dead man. The police would investigate him, looking for a connection. People would wonder if Sterling was trying to hush up a crime. People would talk. I had to do something. Get people interested. Talking. I couldn’t take much more of this waiting. I had to find a way to pin this body on Sterling himself.

And yet I had doubts.

Trying to ruin the man was one thing, but framing him for murder was another. Though even if he were arrested, he’d never be convicted. How could he be? He didn’t do it.

No, his reputation would be shot and his supposed good name ruined but he wouldn’t go to jail.

Killing that man had been an accident. But it seemed that something good could still come of it.

I dialed the number for the Houston paper on the burner phone. I was put on Hold. I waited, waited. Finally, a reporter came on the line.

I didn’t give my name. I just talked. Asked the right questions.

“Isn’t it weird that a dead body was found in the new TCC building in downtown Houston? Perry Construction found the dead man, but no one’s talking about it.” I paused for effect. “I wonder why it’s being kept so quiet... What does Sterling Perry and the Texas Cattleman’s Club have to hide?”