Page 71 of Cowboy Elite 2: Mike

Silence.

"What does that mean?" Liv asked.

"It means someone in law enforcement finally got enough evidence to move." Joe's fingers flew over the keyboard. "But Russo himself wasn't arrested. He's in the wind."

"Which means he knows the walls are closing in," Mike finished. "And he's desperate."

"Desperate men do desperate things," Kenny said.

Quentin crossed his arms. "So they're not just trying to silence a witness anymore. They're trying to eliminate the last piece of evidence before everything collapses."

"Which makes them more dangerous," Lyle added.

"But also more visible," Joe said. "Desperate people make mistakes. Leave trails. Get sloppy."

"Not these people." Kenny gestured to the evidence on the table. "This is precision work."

"Then we match it with precision of our own." Joe closed his laptop. "I've got contacts in federal law enforcement. I'll reach out, see if we can get protective custody arranged."

"No." Liv's voice was firm. "I'm not going into witness protection."

"Liv—"

"I said no." She looked at each of them in turn. "I’m done running. Hiding. Being scared. These people want to come after me? Fine. But they're going to have to go through all of you—and me, too--first. And something tells me that's not going to be as easy as they think."

Mike crossed to her, pulled her into his arms. She went willingly, pressing her face into his chest.

"You're sure about this?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not sure about anything except that I'm not losing this. Not you, not your family, not this life I'm building." She pulled back to look at him. "I'm not running anymore, Mike. Not unless you're running with me."

His hands framed her face. "I'm not running anywhere, Olivia Langford. I'm not letting you go without a fight. Hell, I'm not letting you go period."

"Good." She kissed him, quick and fierce. "Then let's fight."

Around them, the Watkins brothers exchanged looks.

"All right then," Joe said. "We make our stand here."

"Damn right we do," Quentin added. "This is our land. Our family. And nobody, nobody, comes onto Watkins property and threatens one of our own without consequences."

Kenny moved to the window, checking sight lines, calculating approaches. "I'll set up a defensive perimeter. More cameras, motion sensors with audio alerts, pressure plates on the access roads."

"I'll coordinate with the sheriff," Lyle said. "Make sure they know we've got a credible threat and we might need backup fast."

"I'll work my federal contacts," Joe added. "See if we can get ahead of whatever Russo's planning."

"And I," Grandpa Quentin said, "will make sure every rancher within twenty miles knows we've got trouble brewing. Won't take much. Mention free barbecue and the threat of violence, and you'll have half the county showing up armed and curious."

Despite everything, Liv laughed. "You're all insane."

"Probably," Mike agreed. "But we're your kind of insane now. So you're stuck with us."

She looked around at these people, this family she hadn't asked for but desperately needed, and felt something settle in her chest.

Not peace. Not yet.

But determination. Purpose. The bone-deep certainty that whatever was coming, she wouldn't face it alone.