Chapter 4
On the dresser, one of Wyatt’s phones started ringing. He rolled over and checked the time. He’d been in the military long enough to know nothing good happened before five a.m. With a curse, he hauled himself up and out of bed to answer.
“Jameson,” he said, recognizing Agent Pickering’s number.
“Open your door in five minutes. I don’t want to have to knock.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “Then give me ten.” After a restless night tossing and turning, he was in no condition to receive visitors. “And bring coffee.” He heard her sputtering, but didn’t stay on the line long enough to hear her actual reply.
Speeding through a shower, he brushed his teeth and managed to be fully dressed when his time was up. Opening the door, the FBI agent slipped inside, carrying a to-go cup of coffee in each hand.
“This is yours,” she said.
She wore jeans and a black turtleneck sweater under a blazer. The heels she’d worn last night in the casino had been replaced with more practical low boots. He supposed it was an attempt to blend in. From his perspective, the guise did nothing to mute her professional, serious vibe.
“Have you looked outside?” she asked.
He accepted the cup she offered and removed the lid, inhaling the steam. “Afraid not.” He paused to take a sip of the coffee before crossing to the window.
It was a winter wonderland outside and the snow was coming down straight and steady at the moment. Everything was softened by a heavy blanket of white. In the sunlight, it would sparkle, but the heavy clouds didn’t look as if they planned on moving out anytime soon.
“How much of a problem does this pose?” Pickering asked.
Wyatt let the curtain fall, blocking the view. “No problem on my end.” He watched her over the rim of his cup. “We might have slow going, but I’ll get Cordell and his crew to the rendezvous point.”
Her mouth tugged down on one side before she stilled the reaction. First sign of trouble. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
She leaned against the wall, suddenly looking as tired as he felt. “You’re sure he won’t delay until the weather clears?”
Wyatt took another gulp of coffee, willing the caffeine to kick in fast. “As I reported yesterday, he has a timeline and he’s determined to keep it.”
“The weather updates are calling for things to get much worse out there.”
“And?” Blame the lack of sleep, but he was done tiptoeing around whatever she had to say.
“The order just came down.” She refused to meet his gaze. “My team can’t go anywhere if there’s a weather advisory.”
What the hell? “Are you telling me that even if I deliver Cordell on time, the FBI won’t be there to catch him?”
“We’ll be there if the roads are open and clear,” she said.
“What does that mean?” He stopped, clamped a hand over his mouth before he started shouting. “I’ve told you he’s going through with this robbery on schedule.”
She looked up but didn’t say a word. “Maybe he’ll come to his senses.”
Wyatt stalked back to the window. His leg ached with the incoming weather. “You came to me, remember? You tapped me because I’m a pro at the terrain and I know the area.”
“That’s right.”
“And after making sure Cordell brought me into his plans, you’ll leave me hanging out there, in what is sure to be a damn mess, with Cordell and his crew.”
“Believe me, I want to be there. Cordell has made fools of us time and again. Last time, he killed an agent, a good friend of mine. I’m not letting him get away.”
He stared at her, soaking in the explanation of her persistence in this operation. Not much consolation though if he was supposed to wrangle with Cordell alone in the middle of a blizzard.
She turned her coffee cup in her hands. “What do you know about Evelyn Cotton?”
“Everything,” he answered without thinking. He might not know every single detail of her life since he’d left, but he could see that, circumstances aside, she was the same person. And his instinct to protect her hadn’t dimmed a bit. “She’s not connected to the robbery.”
Thank goodness he’d convinced her to stay away from the casino until the storm passed.
“That’s a curious opinion with no facts backing it up,” Pickering challenged. “Convince me.”
“You first,” Wyatt countered. He sat down at the table.
Eventually she took the chair across from him. “She’s had no less than three phone calls with Cordell and two online appointments he didn’t keep.”
“You mentioned they talked about money.”
“Her family business is in serious trouble,” Pickering stated. “Money trouble pushes people to take drastic measures.”
“She’s already doing that by dealing poker,” Wyatt said, dismissing that faulty logic. “Evelyn is not a fan of the casino system.”
“Because of your mother’s problems.”
“In part.” Because she was a good friend to him at one time and back then if something hurt one of them, it hurt them both.
“For Evelyn the problem with casinos is that they’re indoor activities.
That woman loves the fresh air and open sky.
She feels caged inside and that feeling is exacerbated with schedules and requirements like clocking in and promoting an activity she doesn’t believe in. ”
“So we should’ve put her into Cordell’s gang instead of you.”
Wyatt’s jaw clenched. “You make a good point. It’s possible Cordell is working up a plan B to prevent me from leading him into a trap.”
“It’s more likely she’s in on it. Be alert.”
He wouldn’t allow Pickering to make him smell smoke where there wasn’t any fire. “You’re wrong. She isn’t even in the casino and won’t be until after the storm blows through.”
Pickering leaned forward. “She is. After your chat, she left, apparently just long enough to get chains on her tires.”
He didn’t believe her. The FBI was pushing him into a corner for some unfathomable reason.
“Her car is in the employee lot,” Pickering continued. “They gave her a room so she can stay and work straight through the storm.”
“No.” This couldn’t be happening. He’d sent her out of Cordell’s reach. Wyatt didn’t want Evie anywhere close when the robbery went down.
“Denial never did anyone any favors,” Pickering said with a slow shake of her head.
“You’re wrong about her,” he insisted.
She cocked her head. “I like you, Wyatt. Your military service record speaks volumes, which means I trust you. Evelyn Cotton is your blind spot.”
He couldn’t argue that.
“People change,” Pickering continued. “They get in trouble and do rash things. Cordell baited the hook with money and she swallowed it.”
He had to admit something like that was possible. “I might have a blind spot,” he allowed, “but you’re a pessimist operating with a bias.”
The agent didn’t flinch or deny it. “Experience.” She held her hands wide.
“Why are you so sure you’re right about a woman you’ve never met?
” Wyatt demanded. If Evie was here, she might need an ally in law enforcement before this was over.
He had to show Pickering the truth about her character.
“Evelyn has lived here all her life. She’s never had a speeding ticket as far as I know.
You told me Cordell makes big grabs and leaves the area.
Evelyn wants to stay in Deadwood. She always has. ”
“Desperate people do desperate things. He calls himself an investor, she probably hasn’t bothered to figure out where the man gets his money, she just needs the cash. Happens all the time.”
Wyatt scrubbed at his whiskers. “You’re wrong. And when you figure it out, I hope you accept your mistake and do right by her.”
“Blind spot,” she muttered under her breath. “The two of you aren’t kids anymore. You have no idea what she’s capable of now.”
“And you do?” Wyatt was ready to toss Agent Pickering and her FBI pals and the big payday right out of his room. “Cordell is the problem,” he insisted. “Not Evelyn.”
“Aside from the money she needs, there’s the matter of a dead security guard they found downstairs an hour after she checked in.”
“This entire endeavor has turned into a nightmare.” The premise had been tricky enough to start with. He shoved away from the table. “I suppose you have Evelyn gamely smiling into a security camera near the scene. Naturally, you suspect her.”
“She was in the building and she knows the layout and placement of all the security measures. We are monitoring the situation while the local authorities work the case.”
She was pulling his chain to get a reaction. Fine. He could play that game, having learned from the best gamers in the military chain of command. “What details do you have?”
“We are monitoring the situation,” she repeated pointedly.
“You’re crazy if you think she’s capable of murder.” He could walk away, he’d done it before and landed on his feet. So what if he was a little lame on one side. There were better ways to get his business off the ground. “You’re looking at this all wrong.”
“Again, I’m open to clarification and insight.”
She wasn’t. Cordell was Pickering’s blind spot and now, with Evie, the federal agent was a junkyard dog with a fresh bone. “You trust me?”
“Within reason,” she allowed.
“Then trust me vouching for her. Evelyn is not a killer. She is not a criminal of any sort. Her interactions with Cordell are all on him.” Wyatt stalked over and drilled a finger to the tabletop.
“She is the most honest, reliable, and genuine person I’ve ever known.
And I can guarantee if she gave her word to be somewhere, she wouldn’t let weather stop her. ”
Pickering flinched. “Noted.”
“I want your word that if I get Cordell to the rendezvous and you’re not there, I still get paid.”
Her lip curled. “You’ll get paid when he’s in custody.”
It was clearly the best he’d get from her right now. “If he comes to his senses and delays his plan, I’ll let you know.”