Chapter 57
EMMA
"Oh shit," Harper mumbles, setting her burger down untouched and reaching for a napkin from the dispenser.
Oh shit is right.
He's bigger than Eli was. Broader. More polished.
Where Eli had the rough edges of someone who'd never learned to hide his appetites, Cole carries himself with the controlled precision of a man who understands leverage.
He's a bit older and graduated before I started high school, but it's easy to identify his type—the kind of man who smiles while he's calculating your weaknesses.
His eyes sweep the diner, and when they land on me, his mouth curves into something that might be genuine warmth.
It's not.
I feel Harper tense as he heads straight for our booth.
Fuck. I'm not happy about this, but Jake's going to lose his shit.
Cole’s shadow falls over our table. "Emma Hayes. Deputy Garrett." He nods to each of us, his tone pleasant. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
It's just like coming across a mountain cat unexpectedly, I tell myself as I set down my fork. I just need to act cool.
When I look up at him, he's watching me with an expression of polite interest. "Cole," I say evenly. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Didn't expect to be here myself." He pulls out a chair from a nearby table, sitting down uninvited with the ease of someone accustomed to taking up space.
"But my little brother's gone missing, and I'm trying to understand what happened.
I've been asking around town, and your name keeps coming up. "
Harper's posture shifts, her hand moving instinctively toward her belt. "Mr. Turner, if you have questions about your brother, you should speak with the sheriff."
"I plan to." Cole's smile doesn't waver. "But I thought I'd start with Emma. Since I ran into her and she’s here. I’m sure she won’t mind. She doesn’t have anything to hide, after all, does she?" He turns his attention back to me.
“I don’t know where Eli is,” I say truthfully. “He wanted me to meet him, but he never showed up.”
“And then you went home with Jake Callahan.” He leans back in the chair, completely at ease.
I tip my head, watching him carefully. “Jake doesn’t give me the creeps, unlike some people.”
Harper sighs from across the table, as if I just poked a bear.
Cole Turner certainly doesn’t look like that bothered him. He keeps staring at me with his fake buddy-buddy smile. "That’s right. Eli mentioned he was interested in acquiring your property to expand our spread. Since he’s unavailable, I’ll step in to take over negotiations."
I don't flinch or look away. "I told Eli my land isn't for sale."
"I understand." Cole nods thoughtfully, stroking his chin, as if considering a complex business problem.
"But circumstances change, don't they? Eli's approach was perhaps a bit aggressive.
I'd like to offer a different perspective.
" He pauses, letting that sink in. "I have investors interested in developing the area.
Your land would be valuable to them. Very valuable. "
"I'm not interested in selling," I say flatly.
"Not yet, but you might want to consider the practical realities of your situation.
A woman managing a large property alone is a significant undertaking.
Expensive. Time-consuming. " He says the word gently, like he's expressing genuine concern. "And ranching isn’t your chosen career. I understand you’re a photographer. "
Harper leans forward. "Mr. Turner, I think you should—"
"I'm simply offering a business opportunity," Cole continues smoothly, his eyes never leaving mine.
"One that would relieve you of a burden you don’t have a passion for.
I'm prepared to offer a fair price. More than fair, actually.
Generous, even." He tilts his head slightly.
"Eli didn't understand the subtleties of negotiation.
He was too direct, too impatient. I prefer to think of these things as partnerships. "
I keep my voice steady. "I'm not interested in a partnership with you."
"Not even if I can offer you entry to some affluent galleries to represent you and your work?"
I blink. Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. For a second, I’m tempted to ask him what galleries, but then I remember my dad’s notes. He’d absolutely haunt me if I sold his ranch to someone to use it for running drugs and weapons, like the Turners seem to.
I shake my head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m not interested.”
“That’s too bad.” Cole's smile remains in place, but something shifts in his eyes—a flicker of something cold.
He sits up, suddenly looming. "Because I think you should be.
I think you should understand that having the right allies in a place like Iron Ridge is important. Especially when you're alone."
"She's not alone," Harper says sharply. "And if you're making threats—"
"Threats?" Cole holds both his hands up, looking genuinely wounded.
"Deputy, I'm simply having a conversation with a neighbor about a business opportunity.
Nothing is threatening about that." He stands, buttoning his jacket with deliberate care.
"Emma, I hope you'll think about what I've said.
I'm staying in Iron Ridge for the next two or three weeks.
If you change your mind, you know where to find me. "
He places a business card on the table. It’s embossed and professional, the kind of thing a legitimate businessman would carry. He taps the center. "My number's on there. Day or night. I'm very flexible."
Then he nods politely to both of us and walks out, stopping to chat with some men at the counter for a moment before leaving.
The silence that follows is heavy, charged. I feel everyone in the diner staring at us.
Harper sits back down slowly. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." I take a sip of coffee, my hands steady even though my pulse is hammering. "He's just trying to intimidate me."
"Maybe." Harper's expression is unreadable. "But he's also a Turner, and Turners don't let things go."
I meet her eyes. "I'm not selling the ranch to him. Dad wouldn't want that."
She studies me for a long moment, and I can see her recalibrating, reassessing me as more than a low-key photographer who keeps to herself. Tossing her napkin on her uneaten dinner, she says, "Emma, if Turner comes around again, if he tries anything, you call me. Immediately."
"I will."
"I mean it. Don't try to handle him yourself." She pauses, then she adds, "I don't think he was posturing."
I nod. He wasn't. But he was also smoother than Eli, more dangerous because he hid the threat under a veneer of civility.
Harper glances at her watch and sighs. "I need to get back to the station. I have to tell Dad about this."
I make a face. "FYI, he can’t do anything until a crime’s been committed."
"And if that’s not the stupidest law known to humankind, I don’t know what is." She stands, pulling out her wallet.
I wave her off. "I've got it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Go. I'll be fine."
Harper hesitates, then leans down and hugs me. "Be careful, okay? Maybe ask Callahan to stay with you or stay at his place again." A sly grin overtakes her serious expression. "'Cause that'll be a hardship."
"Or just plain hard," I shoot back.
"Now you're bragging." With a wave, she saunters out of the diner.
And I'm alone in the booth, staring at my cold coffee and unfinished lunch. I push the plate away and reach for my purse.
Cole's business card sits on the table, pristine and professional.
I pick it up, turning it over in my hands.
Cole Turner is dangerous—not because he's crude or obvious like Eli, but because he's intelligent.
Because he knows how to make threats sound like opportunities.
Because he understands that fear is more effective when it's wrapped in civility.
But here's the thing: Jake will see through that. Jake will recognize Cole as a threat, and Jake will eliminate him just like he eliminated Eli.
I can't let that happen—not if there’s a safer way.
The key is my dad’s file. I wonder if there’s anything there that’ll be enough to put Cole away without bloodshed. They got Capone on tax evasion, after all.
I'll tell Jake about this encounter, but I'll downplay it. Make it sound like Cole was just being a typical businessman, nothing to worry about. Nothing that requires Jake's particular brand of problem-solving.
I pull out my phone and type a message, keeping it light and casual.
Headed home.
To Blackthorn.
J
Good.
Meet you there.
I stare at the screen, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I could tell him now. I could warn him about Cole.
But I don't.
Instead, I set the phone down and gather my things. I'll tell him in person. I'll make it sound like nothing. Just another day, another minor inconvenience.
And maybe, if I'm lucky, Cole will get bored and move on to easier targets.
Maybe this will all just fade away.
I can hope.