Page 41 of Rescued By the Operative
“Wiley, Jake, and Ennis are my nephews. I used to work at that ranch. After I retired from the Bureau, I took a job at the family ranch, cooking and cleaning. My wife died before my retirement, and I didn’t feel like traveling alone. That wasn’t part of the plan. So I figured, I might as well spend my golden years close to family. Well, as luck would have it, that goddamn Kinship cult moved in next door and turned everything I love about my life upside down. I wanted to help, and I did, for a while. But I knew I had the training and skills to do somethingbigger. I still had connections high up in the Department of Defense, and I was hesitant to pull on that thread. But pull I did. One thing led to another, and now, I’m here. You’re here. And my nephews are out there putting their asses on the line while I sit in an SUV and do nothing. So, you want to know if we can work with these local yokels? I fucking am these local yokels. Let’s fucking go, Agent.”
What in the world did Williams just tell me?
“Wait a minute. You got yourself assigned to a case that involved a cult in your hometown? A cult that, from what Jake tells me, has repeatedly fucked with their family? There’s no way the department let that slip by.”
“They didn’t,” Carl says. “They know. But I also had to sign a dozen forms stating that I would not contact my nephews for any reason while on this assignment. I would not let them see me or know I’m here. I had to cut them off completely to take this on.”
The things he sacrificed to be here. My god. “You realize this means your contract goes out the window. Forget having me fired. Your ass is grass, Special Agent.”
“Meanwhile, I’m sitting around with my thumb up my butt. I pulled that thread so I could do something good. Something important. Well, here’s my chance. We’re doing this our way, whether the department likes it or not. I’ll have to talk to them and tell them everything if they’re going to agree to work with me. They may not trust me after this.”
“Oh, they’ll agree to work with us. Jake and I have an agreement. I’m going on a date with him.”
“A date? That’s all he wants is a date?”
“What do you mean, that’s all? That’s a pretty big deal for me!”
“Of course it is,” Carl placates, humoring me. “Wait, why is it a big deal?”
“Because I don’t want to catch feelings for a guy I’m messing around with!”
Carl pivots toward me. “You and my nephew?”
“It’s not a thing. But it’s kind of a thing.”
He heaves a heavy, fatherly sigh and leans over, resting his head on the steering wheel.
“Hey,” I say. “You’re the puppet master here, Special Agent.”
“I know. And if I know my nephew, he’s already fallen in love.”
Fallen in love. Those words are still ringing in my ears as I attach my gold hoops to my earlobes. I dab on a bit of red lipstick, and I’m ready for my date.
I fling open my bedroom door, and a mousy little thing at the end of the hall jumps.
At first, I think it might be Georgeanne, my runaway prisoner, but it’s someone else entirely.
The young woman stares at me, agape.
No, I decide. I don’t need to get to know one more person in this town. I move past her as she stares at me, and go to Joaquin’s desk.
“No one warned me we had company,” I say, feeling her uncomfortable gaze on me. Joaquin agreed he was supposed to let me know. After my run-in with Georgeanne, I can’t risk anyone else seeing me.
However, maybe I can get information from her, since I did learn that both of the men who live here have been helping women escape the cult. “You’re a sister? A cousin in from out of town?” I ask her.
“I’m Jasmyn. I’m a friend, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well, we just met, and I’m helping him with the cats,” Jasmyn replies.
“Cats, huh? He does like his strays, apparently,” I joke.
Jasmyn laughs. “Yeah, I guess I’m kind of a mess. I was working in the barn all morning before, um…”
Before what? I take in her dirty overalls, the state of her fingernails. What I say next, I know I shouldn’t, but I let it fly because I’m irritated at Joaquin.
“Oh, that must be why I smell manure.”