37. Oz
Oz
Wild and I pour over Sipan’s journals with Jace and Willa for another few hours, but eventually even I have to admit defeat.
It’s like he references this vague key to the city now and again, but there’s nothing obvious.
Is it even a literal key?! I’m starting to think Bluebell was right, and Sipan was just a big longhorn asshole with a penchant for sending nice folks on wild goose chases.
Which I guess is kinda like PG herself, if I’m honest. I think of the dozen or more Keepers she’s literally tossed out on their asses over the years. She’s been prickly and unwelcoming to most of them, and nobody ever knew quite why.
An idea hits me, and I look at Willa, who’s scowling at a journal like she’s daring it to reveal its secrets to her.
Do what I would do. That’s what the hologram said before he disappeared.
“What if we ask PG for help? I don’t know if she can, or how that ties into what Sipan was doing…but he mentioned their partnership several times in his answer, so maybe that’s what’s required to get to the key now.”
Willa’s mouth drops open. “My gods, Oz, that makes perfect sense. I—”
Brrrrring!
Wild’s comm watch blares, halting her. He glances down, frowning at seeing Emmer Sandoval’s name hovering over the blue band. He directs it to answer.
“Mister Lane, how are you?” Emmer’s voice is as deep as ever.
“Great,” Wild says in a fake bright tone. “How can I help you, Emmer?”
“Well, Father and I decided we wanted to come in person to do the final documentation, especially given your experiences with the sales rep. There are only a few things left to do, so we hoped you’d join us tonight for dinner.
I know it’s last-minute, but would you, your mate, and your sister be able to join us? ”
Willa nods, gesturing for Wild to say yes.
He looks at me, but I nod with a bright smile. This deal is important to him, which means it’s important to me, and if I can be part of making this happen for him, I have to do it.
“We’d love to,” he says. “What time and where?”
Wild and Emmer finalize arrangements for dinner, and then he hangs up.
Looking at my watch, I realize we’ve only got an hour to get ready and get to the saloon. I shoot Wild a look. “I need a little bit. You want to stay and do more of this or head home with me?”
Wild nods. “With you. Let’s go.”
Willa bats her lashes at us. “Aren’t you two cute? I’m gonna stay here with Jace, if he’s down to, but I’ll be there right on time.”
We say our goodbyes and head out of the Keeper’s mansion, deciding it’s okay to leave Wild’s truck on the ranch until we have time to get it and drive back to town. Outside the mansion’s gates, we realize Wild doesn’t have clothing or anything at my apartment.
“I’ll head home, shower and change, and meet you at the saloon, okay?”
“I hate that,” I whisper, stepping closer to him.
He pulls my arm up around his neck. “So, once we finish the paperwork, would you do me the favor of moving out there with me?”
I waggle my brows. “Ooh la la, cowboy. You’re propositioning me this early?”
“Say yes,” he encourages, stroking his fingers along my left horn.
“Yes,” I whisper, cocking my head to one side to show him my neck.
“Nice spot right here for a bite,” he murmurs, dragging his tongue up my skin to circle my earlobe. “Or here.”
“Gods, I’m going to forget all about dinner if you keep that up.” I press my body tighter to his. “Shall we just skip it and go to bed?”
He laughs, a low sound that rumbles out of his throat. “This dinner? Any other dinner, I’d take you up on that. But this one’s kinda important, baby.”
I reach down and slap his ass. “Fine, fine. Let’s part for a max of thirty minutes, and I’ll see you shortly. If you get ready early, feel free to come meet me at the apartment. Maybe we’ll have time for a quickie.”
“Don’t want to rush,” he growls into my skin, biting his way down my neck to my shoulder. “Want you slowly, baby.”
I push out of his arms, because if I don’t put some separation between this cowboy and me, I’ll never find the willpower to do it. “See you in a little bit.”
His expression goes tense and focused as I back away from him, his muscles visibly tightening. It’s like being tracked and hunted, and I fucking adore it.
“Stoppp,” I hiss playfully. “We cannot be late for this dinner, and I can’t show up smelling like cum with dirt stains on my face.”
He barks out a laugh. “Good point. I’m really going, but I’ll think about you while I’m showering, baby. I’ve got time for that, at least.”
My mouth waters at the idea of that. I don’t want to miss it, but this dinner means a lot, so I force myself to tell him goodbye and head toward my apartment.
I don’t hear footsteps behind me, so I know he’s staring and watching me go. It’s so sexy knowing he’s watching my departing back. And ass. And tail. And I’m half wishing I’d kept the sexy bunny suit on.
Just under an hour later, I sail through Lizard Lick Saloon’s front door when she opens it for me.
Tucking my wings tightly, I scan the crowd.
Wild’s at the back, faced away from me as he shakes Emmer Sandoval’s hand.
My man’s wearing tight jeans and the belt he wore the day we met, meaning he’s got the big-ass sexy buckle at the front.
A buttoned jean shirt a darker shade of blue completes the package. He’s just missing a hat.
Godsdamn, he’s sexy.
Nerves fill me. It was one thing to fake a relationship without meeting the Sandovals, and it was actually fun to do that in front of Saint.
But now that the Sandovals are here, it feels like so much more of a lie, despite how real it's become.
But when I see everyone take their seats in the big round booth, I lift my chin.
I can do this. I can be there for him when he needs me, and this is the last thing he needs to get his dream ranch and my spa location. After this, it’s just paperwork.
Walking confidently to the booth, I stop just next to it, flashing a smile at the group.
Emmer Sandoval stands and reaches for my hand, and I shake it.
Behind him, a far older minotaur sits in the booth, smiling softly at us.
He’s dressed to the nines in a three-piece suit with a watch chain just like Sipan’s dangling from his breast pocket.
“Hello, Mister Sandoval,” I say, reaching over the table to him.
His smile grows, and he takes my hand, giving it a quick shake back.
Willa joins us then, hugging me tightly. “I see you’ve met Oz. It’s nice to put faces and names together. I’m Willa Lane.” Looking around the table, she frowns. “We’re missing Mister Ashbourne, it seems.”
“We didn’t invite him,” says the elder Sandoval, looking between us. “We didn’t want his presence to mar this evening, since this is about finalizing a deal we’ve been working toward for the better part of a year.”
I slip onto the rounded bench next to Wilder, taking comfort when he places his enormous arm on the seat behind my head, fingertips resting possessively on the edge of my shoulder.
Emmer smiles at us. “Tell us how things are going? We really do miss this place.”
A moment stretches into two before either Wild or I can seem to find the right words to begin.
“We’ve had an interesting week,” Wild starts. “Pine Gulch herself sent us on a bit of a wild goose chase, and we’ve discovered an office of sorts underneath the Keeper’s house.”
Emmer Sandoval’s dark brows rise. “Is that so?”
Wild continues on as I debate if it was smart to share this info or not.
“Apparently it was Sipan Virian’s personal office and laboratory of sorts, and, well, the short of it is we think there’s a sort of key to the city for Pine Gulch.” He winces as he looks between the Sandoval men. “And we believe it’s located somewhere on your ranch.”
Emmer looks at his father, but the elder Sandoval breaks into a big smile and waves a wrinkled hand toward the bar. “See those cowbells hanging there above the bar?”
I’ve seen them a million times, but I’m not sure if Wilder’s learned their meaning just yet.
“One for every Keeper PG ran outta this place, every monster who wasn’t a fit. This haven is a female of many opinions, as you’ve no doubt seen.”
“This is where it all started, actually,” Willa says. “The bar tossed a clue onto our table one night, and it led us to Sipan’s lair.” She laughs. “That’s what we’ve been calling it, anyway. He seems to have been a male of…well, I think he had a sense of humor.”
“He did,” Artur says. “Sipan Varian was my great-great-great-grandfather.”
“So this is all connected,” Willa muses as I try to pick my jaw up off the floor. “We thought it might be, but we couldn’t know.”
Artur’s smile broadens. “I moved to be closer to my calves and grandcalves, but it's always been my charge to help usher in a new era, if it happened during my lifetime. It’s every Sandoval male’s charge, which is why Emmer’s primarily been working the sale up until now.
We didn’t test positive for keeping traits so we knew we couldn’t be his successors, but we could do this.
Once it became clear it was happening, we decided to come here in person. ”
Wild stares at him in utter shock. “We’ve been working on this for a year, though; how could you have possibly known it was time? We didn’t get a clue until this week.”
Sandoval shrugs, smiling at his son. “I prayed to the minotaur gods and goddesses for a sign. When you expressed interest in the ranch, I liked what you were about, and I felt good in a way I hadn’t felt about any of the other interested parties.”
“A feeling?” Wilder scoffs. “You based this entire thing on a feeling?”
“I trusted the minotaur gods and goddesses,” Artur corrects.
“But wait,” Willa says, lifting a hand. “It sounds like you’re tying the sale of the ranch in with this whole rebirth of Pine Gulch Keeper business. Wild and Oz aren’t Keepers.”
Sandoval’s smile grows impossibly wide. “They aren’t, but you could be, couldn’t you, Miss Lane?”