Page 65 of Glacier

He raised his dark glasses as he approached, revealing familiar light-blue eyes.

He took one look at me and shook his head, a hint of amusement in his expression. “I can see why my brother is so enamoured with you.”

“Wow,” I murmured, shaking the hand he extended. “Brother? I didn’t know.”

Micah snorted. “Technically, I’m his younger half-brother. We share a mother, but thankfully not a father.”

He turned to Jude. “Let’s get this done before I change my mind.”

I stared at him, stunned.

“Juju.” Jude nudged me, reminding me of the urgency of the moment. “We need to get the guns unloaded.”

I barely nodded as two deputies joined us. I showed them where the guns were hidden, and the four of them made quick work of unloading the crates into the horse trailer Micah had brought.

Once it was loaded, Micah didn’t stick around, taking off with a brief wave.

We secured the hidden compartments, making sure everything looked untouched.

“We need to make it look like you had a flat, Juju,” Abel said. “So it won’t seem suspicious when the ATF shows up. They’re five minutes out.”

I didn’t ask how he knew. Instead, I showed them where everything was kept. They moved fast, staging the scene to make it look like they were changing my tyre.

We left the back doors of the feed truck open so that anyone approaching would see the bags of feed.

That didn’t stop my heart from hammering against my ribs when a black SUV pulled up, lights flashing.

“Calm now,” Zeke murmured when I jerked slightly. “Let Jude handle it.”

I nodded, my mouth too dry to form words.

We waited for the driver of the SUV to get out. He wasn’t what I’d expected. For some reason, I’d pictured someone larger than life, all muscles and a strong jaw. He was tall, but more preppy than intimidating. His blond hair slicked back, and his nondescript blue eyes narrowed as he took in the scene.

He straightened his jacket as he walked towards us, glancing into the back of the truck at the feed, then at the tyre lying on the side of the road. His gaze shifted to Abel, who was crouched down, pretending to tighten the lug nuts.

Jude stepped forward as the agent drew closer. “Agent Reynolds, what can we do for you?”

The agent's jaw ticked as he studied Jude.

“Got a tip that this truck was carting a shipment of guns. Seems I’m too late. The local law got here first. Figures.”

Jude stepped into the agent’s space. “You’d better not be insinuating my department is dirty.”

Agent Reynolds lifted an eyebrow. “I’m not insinuating anything, Sheriff. Merely stating a fact. I had reliable intel.”

“Really?” Zeke moved shoulder to shoulder with Jude. “I’d like to know who gave you that intel. Seems they don’t know as much as they think they do.” He glanced back at me. “I’m sure Ms. Fraser won’t mind if you check the truck.”

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I’ve got nothing to hide. He’s welcome to.”

Agent Reynolds scowled. “It would be pointless, wouldn’t it? Should’ve guessed. Fucking small towns. Do the good citizens of Bitterthorn know you’re in the Kings’ pockets?”

Jude threw his head back and laughed. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Agent Reynolds?” He stepped even closer. “Go ahead. Have us checked out. We’re in no one’s pockets. We do our jobs and keep our townsfolk safe, no matter who they are, even those associated with the local motorcycle club.”

Jude paused, holding the agent’s gaze. “If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know they don’t cause problems for us. We leave them alone; they leave us alone. Simple.” He tilted his head slightly. “That’s how small towns work. You’d do well to remember that.”

Agent Reynolds snorted in disgust, but he stepped back. “Fucking small towns. Small minds. What’s so fucking wonderful about them?”

Turning, he strode back to his vehicle and climbed behind the wheel. The slamming of his door echoed through the night before he peeled away, tyres squealing against the asphalt.