Page 11 of Outlaw Ridge: Hayes

Find out fast if Cordelia Salvetti is a cold-blooded killer.

Hayes and she walked past reception, where his brother, Declan, was still hard at work on his laptop, and they stepped outside into a different kind of chaos. The cruiser was indeed there, parked right in front, but there were a half dozen othervehicles. Workers who were installing sensors and security cameras.

And there were plenty of places to install them.

The Sunset Inn was basically a sprawling English manor-style estate with acres of fancy gardens and thick trees surrounding it. Where there wasn’t a plant, shrub or a tree, there was a statue, stone bench or a babbling natural spring fountain.

Rumor had it that Bonnie and Clyde had once stayed here after a particularly successful bank robbery, and while housing criminals clashed with the inn’s overall ambience, it fit well with the town’s image. Sort ofDownton Abbymeets outlaws’ hideout.

Jemma glanced up when she heard the buzzing sound, and she spotted the drone circling in the air. Probably doing aerial surveillance to make sure a sniper didn’t get into one of those trees and start shooting. Owen had certainly been thorough, not just with manpower but also equipment, and she hoped that was enough to keep them alive.

The manpower included two other men in camo pants and black tees—which seemed to be standard wear for Strike Force. She knew one of them was Shaw, and the other had the same black hair, same piercing gray eyes, and kick-ass demeanor as Declan and Hayes.

“Shaw’s with one of your other brothers?” she asked.

Hayes made a sound of agreement and tipped his head in greeting to them. “That’s Aiden.”

One of them moved out of his standing guard stance and walked toward them. “You’re Deputy Salvetti?” Aiden asked.

She nodded. “Jemma,” she offered.

Aiden returned the nod and shifted his attention to Hayes. “Owen said I’m to shadow the two of you if you leave the building.” He motioned toward a Hummer parked behind the cruiser. “Where we going?”

“To see my stepmother at my family’s estate,” Jemma let him know.

Aiden muttered an “Oh, man,” and made a whistling sound. “Home of the Rattler,” he muttered, using the nickname that some called her father. “Are you sure she’s there?”

Jemma nodded. “I had a text conversation with both my father and my brother, Nico, this morning.” They’d both been checking to make sure she was okay. “Nico’s in Hong Kong on business, so he’s not at the estate, but my father told me that Cordelia and he were home and that Cordelia’s son is visiting as well. I don’t want to let them know we’re on the way there because Cordelia might try to duck out.”

Aiden made a quick sound of agreement. “You’ll want me in the estate for the interview?”

Jemma considered and quickly dismissed it. “No, it’s probably better for you to wait outside. Cordelia’s back will already be up at just my mere presence. Best not to add to that.”

Aiden studied her. “You’ll be safe during this visit?”

“Yes, my father will be there, and Cordelia’s not stupid enough to try anything in front of him.”

Of course, that meant Cordelia likely wouldn’t let anything incriminating slip in front of him either. Still, Jemma might be able to tell if the woman was lying. And that was a start.

“So, you two are a…team now,” Aiden commented.

“Don’t go there,” Hayes warned him, causing Jemma to try to figure out what this was about. It seemed to be some kind of sibling ribbing, something she recognized since she had a brother.

Hayes huffed. “Aiden’s the one who set us up on that blind date at the escape room. He was supposed to go but got sick, so he and his date canceled out, and he insisted I use the tickets instead. He also assured me that I’d be doing the escape roomsolo. But his date, Melanie Carstairs, apparently gave her ticket to you.”

Aiden made a fake cough. Then, he grinned in a way that only a rock star and a conniving sibling could have managed. “Hayes doesn’t get out enough. And I’m betting you two had fun.”

Actually, Jemma had had a blast, but she knew that Hayes hadn’t been thrilled about spending time with her. And, yep, Melanie had indeed given her the ticket.

“Hayes kicked down one of the doors in the escape room when we couldn’t…escape,” Jemma commented.

“And you picked the lock of one of the other doors,” Hayes was quick to remind her.

“There are some advantages to being raised by the Rattler,” she said under her breath.

Though, truly, that was about the only one. Her father had taught her that particular skill when she’d been six, and while she’d never used it for anything illegal, it had helped a time or two when she’d accidentally locked herself out of her house or vehicle.

“The Salvetti estate,” Hayes snarled on a huff, a clear indication that he was ready to end this short trip down memory lane and get to work. Jemma was more than ready for that, too.

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