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He was definitely hiding something. But Deb hadn’t seen him for years, and his poker face had improved a lot.
Wiz’s head tilted. “You can’t tell us anything. That plus all the rest means you’re undercover.” She raised one brow. “Driving an official vehicle isn’t smart, nor is showing us you have active surveillance. Or you’re being very smart, and showing us without telling us a thing. One thing you’d better be truthful about—if, despite all my precautions, the feds can listen to this conversation, I need to know.”
Mills’ lips twisted up on one side. “Nobody can penetrate Victory Security’s fortress without military grade hardware blowing a hole in the wall or a tow truck pulling the doors off, Victoria May Meadows Borde. The geeks try all their newest tricks and get nowhere.”
Tom lunged across the table and grabbed Mills’ tie. “Watch yourself. You’re here on sufferance and I’ll happily toss you out. Understood?”
Deb put a hand over her double-timing heart. She’d expected a violent reaction, but not from Tom. He’d been the epitome of cool, calm and collected, with the laid-back drawl of the local cowboys. Obviously, Wiz—whose real name must be Victoria—was a tender spot for him, which wasn’t surprising. They didn’t publicly display affection, but their love for each other shone like a beacon on a rocky shore.
Mills didn’t struggle. “Yes.”
Michael snorted. “You can quit trying to distract us with emotional tricks, Mills. There’s too many of us here with different triggers. One of us will see through whatever cheap tactic you try.”
Tom let go of Mills’ tie and sat back in his chair. Nic nodded with an ironic smile, backing Michael’s play. Wiz smirked. “If no one can listen in, then you can spill the beans.”
Mills’ shook his head. “My word means something to me.”
Sam scoffed. “Your word is trash. You’ve proven that.”
Deb agreed with Sam. Trevor Mills couldn’t be trusted. He’d treated Sam like dirt. She could only hope he’d had his heart broken a dozen times while he was away. He was a capital R-A-T!
Mills sat back, crossed his arms, and clamped his lips together.
Wiz leaned a little closer to Mills. “If one of my friends is injured or dies and you could have done something about it, you won’t have long to regret it. Your bosses either.” Her menacing tone sent shivers down Deb’s spine. Mills’ expression didn’t change, but he swallowed hard, a dead giveaway.
Wiz sat back. “So, we get no help from the feds. I’m sure, though, if we set up a trap, they’ll be happy to roll in for the recovery and take all the credit. I’ve seen that before, and so have you, Mills. I don’t care about myself, but don’t forget what happened the last time you tried to screw one of my clients.”
Mills opened his mouth, then slammed it shut. He knew something. Maybe she could harass him the way he was attempting to annoy all of them.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Wiz slashed her hand through the air above the table. “I know it wasn’t you; you’re just the fall guy. Doesn’t mean you can’t fall farther, especially when no one in your chain of command has your six.”
Michael cleared his throat. “Hey Wiz, let’s move ahead. We’ll plan on the feds making the worst move possible at the worst time, and if we get something better, it’s a win. I’ll be happy if they just stay out of it.” He turned to Mills. “Appreciate the save today. We’d have gotten away, but the chances of collateral damage were rising.”
Michael shouldn’t be thanking the rat. Helping others was his duty as an officer of the law. On the other hand, Deb admitted she was grateful Michael and Nic were safe.
Nic shuddered. “I expected a little old lady with a tiny dog to walk down the street in front of me every second the bullets were flying. I’ll second the thanks, and the warning. Just stay out of the way. You’re welcome to any and all credit if my family, our friends, and my town survive.” He wrapped his arm around Kim’s shoulders.
“And on that note, let’s get everyone safe sleeping quarters.” Pete tapped the table. “Nic, your family takes the guest house out back of here, where Deb was staying. Sam and Deb can stay at the Rocking B with me. Michael, Erin and Ryan, you can stay at the place across the road. We’ll warn our ranch hands and lock the gates at the highway. Mills—”
“I’ll be staying at Sam’s house.” The words resounded in the resulting silence.
Sam leaned forward and glared. “No, you won’t. I don’t remember offering and I won’t. Stay away from my house. And me.”
“Fine.” Mills nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I have accommodations.”
Michael grimaced. “Mills, I warned you to stop playing games. I don’t care about your former relationship with Sam, Wiz or anyone else. If you can’t quit poking, then leave.”
Deb was done. Sam had gone way above and beyond for her, and Mills had no right to act like an immature idiot. “Yeah. If you can’t be useful, go. None of us wants you here.” Mills didn’t say anything or change his expression.
Michael tapped the table, the thud punctuating his words. “We need a strategy to push the mobsters out. We’ve got social media running, but it will take more than that.”
Kim raised her hand. “I’ve been monitoring Deb’s and some of the other businesses’ channels. I’ll push a few more locals to make videos, and I’m chiming in with encouragement and smashing trolls.” She pointed at Michael. “You’ll be doing a video with Nic right after this.” Michael grimaced.
Deb couldn’t quite see the grumpy ex-soldier making any kind of video. He certainly wasn’t going to dance and lip synch.
“Kim, if you’re willing to take the social media on, Sam, Tom and I can work a larger psyops campaign with you.” Wiz smirked. “And I’ll be truly grateful if you can take that part. It’s a pain and takes a ton of time.”
Kim’s nose wrinkled. “Psyops?” Thanks goodness she asked, because Deb had no idea what it meant, either.
