Page 8 of Edge of Steele
“As they would tell you, why do that when there’s a family member who can step in?”
He couldn’t see her mouth, but he suspected she was smiling fondly over her family. Even if she regretted retiring from the bureau, she would make the best of it for her family. They were everything to her—everything—and she would never knowingly let them down. Nor would they let her down. Ever. They were a unit. Tightly knit, just like his SEAL team. Sure, the SEALs weren’t his blood relatives, but they were his family all the same.
“One of the things I remember most about your family is how tight they are,” he said.
She arched a brow and watched him for a long moment. He wished he could remove the mask and see her expression, but the particles clinging to the air were better breathed through filtration.
“You should also remember that once we make up our minds we don’t back down,” she said. “As the security manager you need to know that I fully intend to investigate the bombing.”
She eyed him, and pixie haircut or not, he had no problem seeing the retired FBI agent now. “Did you know I was the rep on this account for Shadow Lake Logging?”
No matter how he answered her question, it wouldn’t bode well for him so he simply shook his head.
She fingered her gold necklace but didn’t look away. “Still, you had to recognize the name Steele and remember our family was in the security guard business.”
“I did, but I didn’t know you’d started working with the company. And if you managed the account, Tobias would deal with you, not me.” Even to him, his answer sounded lame.
“Too bad or you could’ve contacted me.” The words flew out like fired bullets. “Warned me.”
Wow, warned!Stronger reaction than he expected. “I didn’t realize you would need a warning.”
She let out a long breath behind her mask. “I can’t get into this now. Not here with an uncontrolled fire and remains waiting to be recovered. I need to make an investigative plan and implement it.”
He would do the same thing, but he didn’t need to share that now as it would likely just make her madder at him. Still, they both had the same obstacle to overcome if they were to begin an investigation. “The local sheriff will try to muscle you out when he gets here.”
“Let him try.” Her shoulders went up. “This bomb occurred on my watch.Ourguard was on duty. I’m involved, and I won’t go anywhere until I find the person who planted that bomb.”
He opened his mouth to continue arguing, but a patrol car raced down the road and careened to a stop, taking her attention. A tall, built guy with blond hair jumped out. He wore black tactical pants and a khaki uniform shirt, had a gun at his hip, a badge on his belt, and a black face mask dangling from it. A patrol officer would be wearing a full uniform. Had to be the sheriff.
“Russ,” Ryleigh said.
The sheriff stared at her and blinked a few times, a blank look on his face.
“Ryleigh Steele,” she said.
“Ryleigh.” He cracked a hint of a smile. “I heard that Tobias took my recommendation and hired your company for security. Just didn’t know which Steele serviced the account.”
“That would be me.” She clenched her hands. “Now we have a bomb, and I need to find out who’s behind it to save our company’s reputation.”
Russ’s hands drifted to his waist. “You need to leave that to me.”
“Or me,” Finn said, as he wasn’t going to step back for anyone, not even the law, and the good sheriff needed to know that.
Russ’s eyebrows rose. “And you are?”
“Finn Durham. Shadow Lake Logging security manager.”
“Oh, right,” Russ shifted his belt. “The former SEAL Tobias is bragging all over town about snagging for the job. I’m Russ Maddox. Emerson County Sheriff.”
“Maddox?” Finn asked, as when Ryleigh mentioned her summers up here when he was dating her, she’d said there was more than one Maddox boy that she’d hung out with. “Any relation to Ryan?”
“Brother.”
“Small world.”
“Even smaller than you think,” Ryleigh said. “I also worked with their oldest brother at the FBI. Reid was an agent too, but now he runs their family business.”
Russ gave Finn a quick once over. “You must’ve drawn the short straw if you went from a SEAL to this gig.”
