“You know there’s no charge for that.”
He scowled at me. “You charge the others who are here.”
That was true. TJ was likely paying more money than Jacob had ever seen. “They’re clients, not family friends.”
“I’m a family friend?”
“You’re a hell of a lot more than that, Jacob.”
He smiled. “So are you.”
24
JACOB
Over the next few days, things around the ranch were eerily quiet. The horses seemed happy, but everyone else was on edge. I worked on getting to know Evan. He was interested in getting outside and seeing the horses, so after a lot of arguing, Grant agreed I could invite him to walk around the ranch with me as long as we didn’t stray far and a guard followed us.
Grant had assigned someone to watch over me every day. It was annoying as hell, but I understood why he didn’t want me and Evan alone at the house. The guard on duty varied from day to day, but I always spotted them hanging out long after everyone else had gone to start the day’s work. It was often TJ. I’d learned he was damn good at being silent and still, which was impressive considering his size and his love of pushing people’s buttons.
On our walks, Evan and I talked about horses and living out here versus in the city, but I hadn’t been able to get him to open up about anything personal. I’d tried not to assume he was guilty, but Grant was sure there was someone on the inside, and Evan was the perfect candidate as a known informant.
On the fifth day after we’d discovered the FBI was investigating the ranch, Evan came down to breakfast looking even more agitated than he had before. Was this the day something else was going to happen? Was he worried we’d figure it out, or was he just feeling the general tension everyone on the ranch was experiencing?
“Bad night?” I asked, working to keep my voice casual.
He scrubbed his hands over his face. “I couldn’t sleep. I was… um… expecting a call.”
“From family? Are they allowed to contact you here?” I used my most innocent tone. As Trey’s arm candy, I’d learned how easy it was to make others think I comprehended very little of what went on around me.
“What? Oh, family, um… yeah.”
I frowned. “They must be worried about you.”
He nodded, but a moment later, he shook his head. “It’s not really family. Most of my family isn’t around anymore, and I’m not exactly talking to the ones who are. This is something else, but I can’t talk about it.”
“Is someone bothering you? Is this something you should talk to Grant about?”
Evan shook his head frantically. “No. He doesn’t need to know anything about it.”
“He can’t protect you if he doesn’t know what’s happening.”
“I’m… fine.”
I took a slow breath. I was going to have to lie and really sell it. “Are you suspicious of Grant too? I mean I’m sure he can protect us and all, but this place gives me the shivers.”
He frowned. “I thought you and Grant were… close.”
“Oh… well… Grant is hot and all, and”—I didn’t have to fake the blush that stained my cheeks—“really good in bed, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t unnerve me or that I want to stay here longer than I have to.”
“He’s not at all as nice as he seems. Has he forced you into anything?”
“No, it’s just the more time I spend with him, the more I’m questioning what I’m doing.” I was surprised how easily Evan believed me. I’d assured Grant I could do this, but I’d been afraid my acting skills would fail me since I’d tried to be as much myself as I could possibly be since I’d run from Trey.
“That’s enough about me, though. You really look like you need to talk to someone. I promise I’m good at keeping secrets.” I’d made vague suggestions like that before, but I was ready to push harder now. Something was definitely going on, and we needed to know. If he wasn’t the informant, then something else was brewing, and we had to head that off too—unless it really was just personal and then Evan needed a friend.
“I can’t say too much, but do you really want to get out of here?” he asked.
I frowned. “I won’t be safe if I do.”