Page 4 of Twilight Tactics

“Well then, that makes me feel so much better. Security by David and Sully. What could go wrong?”

A soft chuckle came from the back seat, and he found a smile curving his own lips. He enjoyed sparring with Piper, and apparently Ollie liked it too. She sat up and met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Will they find us at the ranch?”

“I can’t promise they won’t, but Icanpromise that the ranch is a special place with special people and you’ll be as safe as possible there.”

She nodded, and he glanced toward heaven.Please, God, let us be safe there.

Theroar ofthe enginecoming up the dirt driveway caught Elena Thompson’s attention. She was outside the barn with four of the ranch’s occupants, teaching them how to make a solar water distiller. A simple enough process with only a few materials needed, but it was something none of them had ever seen before, so she had a captive audience.

The SUV sped along, dust flying behind it.

Maya Sullivan Price, the owner of the Broken Chains Ranch and good friend to Elena, joined her in watching the approach. “Who’s that?” Elena asked.

“My cousin.”

“Oh yes. We’ve met. Mr. FBI Special Agent Collin Sullivan.”

“Sully to most. Pain in the neck to others,” Maya murmured.

Elena laughed. “I’ve always found him pleasant enough.” More than. But she kept that to herself. “Who’s with him?”

Maya pulled Elena to the side, out of hearing range of the others. “I’m just letting you in on this because I have permission. He has his new partner, Piper Whitaker, and a young girl who witnessed a murder with him. Her name is Olivia Callahan.”

Elena’s laughter faded. “Oh, how terrible.”

“Yeah. Sully and David used to work together in some capacity at the Bureau. David and I talked about it and agreed to let them hide out here until the trial.” She waved her phone. “Sully called and said they were attacked on the way but managed to escape.”

“Attacked! By who?”

“The people who want his protectee dead, I would assume.”

“Poor girl.”

“They were working a case, and the murder she witnessed was in conjunction with that. It’s turned into a RICO investigation starting before the murder that Ollie witnessed. There were two or three before that. Anyway, it’s a big trial, in every sense.” The stakes were higher now that the case fell under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute. “She’s a foster kid. Been in and out of the system almost as long as she’s been alive.”

The words kicked Elena in the gut. “Life can be so unfair.” She knew that better than most. Maya’s dark eyes glistened, reflecting the same compassion swirling in her own heart.

“But,” Elena said, “if she’s coming here, we’ll take care of her.”

“We?”

“Yep.” She gave a decisive nod. “We.”

Maya hugged her and looked back at the others. “I don’t want them to know or worry about this. I hesitated to say yes when Sully asked if he could bring her here. But David andSully felt like this was the best place for her.” She shrugged. “I’m still not sure, to be honest. The ranch is supposed to be a place of calm and healing, not a hideout for people on the run. But the girl...” She chewed her bottom lip. “I had a hard time saying no to this one.”

“Understandable. I mean, how do you say no to that?” Elena said. She glanced at one of the vets fiddling with the distiller. “You should let Aiden in on it. He was special ops and is completely trustworthy—in spite of his scruffy appearance.” His black beard curved around his chin and his bushy brows could use a good trim, but he had the kindest heart of anyone Elena had ever met. Thankfully, the program had worked for him, and he’d be leaving in a couple of days.

“Maybe. Right now, all anyone knows is that my cousin, his ‘sister’”—she signed air quotes—“also my ‘cousin,’ and her ‘daughter’ are coming to visit.”

“Right.”

Maya bit her lip. “I pray I’m making the right decision,” she said, her voice soft.

“You’ve said over and over that you want this ranch to be a refuge. A place of restoration. Well, there you go. If that girl has seen a murder, she’s going to need us to be that place.”

Maya’s worry faded from her features. “I knew you’d say that. With your therapy and counseling experience, it may be you who’ll be able to help Ollie the most.” A former military nurse, Elena was also certified in wilderness therapy and trauma counseling.

“I’m happy to help her any way I can, you know that, but Rachel’s probably the better option for any therapy.” Rachel Evans, their art therapist, was a former military chaplain. She had her own counseling practice and split her time between her office in Whitestone and the ranch.