Page 82 of A Cowboy's Claim
“I had a breakthrough on the data.” Petra waited until Declan joined them, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she leaned one hip against the counter. “Okay, here’s the short version,” she said, glancing between Declan and Sydney and speaking softly enough the ranch hands at the table couldn’t hear. “The USB stick is encrypted, but it’s not military grade. It took me until this morning to get into the root folders. What’s in there looks like a series of crypto wallet keys and a document trail—account numbers, deposit logs, even dummy business registrations. Someone tried to hide their tracks, but it’s sloppy. He probably copied these from someone high up in the gang.”
Sydney blinked. “You’re saying it’s all money?”
“Dirty money,” Petra confirmed. “We’re talking money laundering, probably drug related. Most of its traceable now that I know what I’m looking at. Jake’s contacts in the RCMP are already working on it. They’re planning something — a sting, or at least a quiet intercept. But they’ll need someone to hand it off. Carefully.”
It still sounded dangerous, but as long as they went through the police, that was a good thing. “Poor Logan, getting dragged into something that’s not his fault.”
“He’s got us now,” Declan said firmly. “We’ll protect him.”
They absolutely would.
Something else had to be said. Sydney eyed her friend closely. “It sounds as if you’ve been taking hacker lessons. Well done with your on-the-job training.”
Petra grinned. “One step closer to taking over the world.”
With one trouble moving ahead somewhat smoothly, Sydney pushed the other issue aside and focused on the bright spot in her day.
After breakfast, Petra waved off her help with dishes. “You said you’re teaching at the community hall this morning.”
“Babysitting course. I’ll be there all day, so don’t try to drop in,” Sydney warned Declan.
“Why would I drop in?” he asked with a completely straight face. “I’ve already got my babysitting badge. Cut my teeth raising Jake and Aiden. Now I’ve got Petra and Tansy to keep in line, too.”
Petra stuck out her tongue. “Big brothers are the worst.” Petra’s grin softened. “And by that, I mean the best. Love you, Declan.”
“Love you, too, Petra.” Declan turned to Sydney and straight up said it again. “See how easy it is? I love you, Sydney.”
“You’re impossible, Declan.” But the warmth in her chest flared.
“Perfect. And now I’m off to do chores. Maybe I can practice telling the horses and cats how I feel.” He tipped his chin and headed out the door.
Her friend’s gaze burned like a laser. “He’s tossing out the L word already. That’s got to feel big and scary.”
“You have no idea,” Sydney muttered.
“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea, but I also know how this story ends if you’re willing to take a chance.” Petra tugged Sydney into a hug. “Deck is a great guy. I’m glad to see the two of you together, and I think you can get over theI love youwillies eventually.”
“Eventually.” Sydney escaped as soon as she could, heading home to grab the bags of supplies she needed for the class from her shed.
Something foul had died in there—possibly already rotting—judging by the horrid scent that wafted out the instant she opened the door. She wrinkled her nose but didn’t have time to investigate. Instead, she held her breath as she hurriedly carried the oversized red-and-yellow duffel bags that held the CPR mannequins to her truck bed, hoping that the scent would dissipate by the time she reached the hall.
The main floor area was set up for a gymnastics practice later in the afternoon, so the babysitting class had been given the stage area where the annual bachelor auction was usually held.
She breathed through her mouth as she carried in the heavy bags and stacked them to the front of the stage near the curtains. They wouldn’t need the mannequins until the afternoon.
By nine o’clock, five tweens were seated in a loose semicircle on the stage, surrounded by foam mats and clipboards. Sydney knew two of them from the clinic and quickly learned the names of the others.
“Roll call,” she said brightly. “Let’s see who we’ve got. Hailey, Noah, Addie, Lucas, and Grace. That’s my whole crew today?”
Hailey, with pink streaks in her braids, gave a double thumbs-up. Noah adjusted his glasses and muttered, “Present, Doctor J.” Addie had her nose buried in a spiral notebook but nodded. Lucas, tall for thirteen, gave a salute, and Grace giggled.
“I’m not going to make you memorize diaper brands or perform surgery on a teddy bear,” Sydney promised. “But I do expect you to learn a few important things today—like how to keep small kids from duct-taping themselves to the dog.”
That got a round of laughter.
Sydney launched into the first module, safety basics. They talked about age-appropriate toys, what to do if the child started choking, and how to create a safe play space.
At one point, she passed around a bottle of coloured water. “Raise your hand if you think a two-year-old would drink this.”
