9. Hendricks
HENDRICKS
Blackthorn Ranch sits at the end of a gravel road that winds through pine forest and open pasture.
The approach is deliberate—long sightlines, natural choke points, nowhere to hide. By the time I reach the main gate, I've counted three cameras and at least two positions where a sniper could cover the entire access road.
The boys may be crazy, but they aren't stupid.
I park near the main house and kill the engine. They know I'm here. They'd have clocked me the second I turned onto their property.
The ranch sprawls across the valley floor—barn, stables, outbuildings arranged in a tactical grid that looks casual but isn't. Every structure has overlapping fields of fire. Every window offers a vantage point. It's a home, sure, but it's also a fortress.
Everything's new. The shootout with Turner's men last month leveled most of the original structures.
The Reyes family footed the bill for the rebuild—a gesture of gratitude for the Blackthorn boys' role in taking down Turner, who was stealing from them.
The construction is top tier. Reinforced framing, bulletproof glass, upgraded security systems. They didn't just rebuild. They fortified.
Jake Callahan steps out onto the porch before I'm halfway to the door.
He's bigger than I remember—broader through the shoulders, harder in the eyes.
Tanned from the month they spent in the Caribbean while the ranch was being rebuilt, also courtesy of the Reyes family.
Jake should look relaxed, but if anything, he looks more dangerous.
Impending fatherhood does that. Men with something to protect are always more feral.
"Hendricks." His voice is neutral, neither friendly nor hostile.
"Callahan." I stop at the base of the porch steps, hands visible, posture open.
Crossing his arms, he squints at me suspiciously. "Didn't expect to see you out here."
It's not a question, but I know what he's asking. They owe me one for helping neutralize Cole Turner, and he's wondering if I've come to collect. "I need some information.”
He studies me for a moment, calculating. "Luke's taking a nap, if you're here for him."
I glance at my watch even though I know precisely what time it is. "This late in the afternoon?"
"I doubt he and Harper sleeping," Jake says wryly. "Can I help you?"
"Actually, I'm here to see Lily Carter."
Jake's expression doesn't change, but something shifts in his posture, a subtle tightening. "Mason know you're coming?"
"No." I study him levelly. "Is that going to be a problem?"
He shrugs. "That depends on what you want from her."
"Just some information," I repeat.
Jake finally nods toward the stables. "She's usually in the pasture past the stablemaster's cottage before dinner."
I nod and head that way, aware of his eyes on my back the entire time.
The stablemaster's cottage sits a hundred yards from the main barn, tucked into a grove of aspens with a clear view of the pasture beyond.
It's a small structure—two bedrooms, maybe, new construction, same as everything else.
The corral stretches out behind it, split-rail fencing enclosing half an acre of grazing land where three horses stand in the evening light.
Lily Carter is at the fence, brushing down a bay mare. Her blond hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and she's wearing jeans and a flannel shirt rolled to the elbows. On the inside of her wrist is a barcode tattoo—a remnant of her brief time in Turner’s trafficking ring.
Except for the hair, she looks like her sister. Same sharp features. Same hazel eyes. But where Lily's eyes are direct, Mandy's are guarded. Also, Mandy’s barcode is augmented with a black widow, perching right on top. I noticed that during our first meeting when she pushed up her sleeves.
Mason Rivera stands a few feet away, leaning against the fence post with his arms propped on top.
He's watching her with the kind of focus that tells me he's always watching her.
Protective. Possessive. The Blackthorn boys are the kind of men who'd burn the world down if someone threatened what was theirs.
He sees me first and his posture shifts—subtle, but I catch it. He straightens, uncrossing his arms, and steps closer to Lily.
"Hendricks," he says. His voice is flat. Not hostile but not welcoming either.
Lily looks up, and her expression goes carefully neutral. "Hendricks."
"Lily." I stop a few feet from the fence, hands visible. "I’d like to ask you some questions about Mandy."
Her expression goes blank. "Why?"
“Because I need to find her,” I reply honestly.
Lily gasps, and Mason moves closer, positioning himself between us. “What’s going on? Is she in trouble?”
“Not yet.” I focus on Lily. "When's the last time you saw her?"
She swallows audibly. "The raid. A little over a month ago."
"Have you been in contact since?"
"Emails. A few texts. Nothing deep." She reaches for Mason’s hands, but her eyes narrow on me. "Why do you need to find her?"
I could lie. I should lie. But Lily's not stupid, and she'll see through it. She also has Callahan, Bennett, and Rivera on her side. I'm not going to alienate them. "I've been hired to locate her."
The color drains from her face. "By who?"
I shake my head. "Client's confidential."
"Bullshit." Her voice goes hard.
Mason steps closer to her, as if he’s shielding her with his body. "Who hired you, Hendricks?"
I don't answer because he knows I’d have told him if I could.
Lily faces Mason, her hand on his chest. "If someone's after Mandy, I need to know. She's my sister. She's—" She stops and takes a breath, regrouping, before facing me again. "I only just found her. I don't want to lose her again."
"She's not in immediate danger." Technically true. Once Ashford gets his hands on her, all bets are off, which is why it’s important I find her first.
Lily stares at me, and I can see her mind working. She's putting pieces together, running scenarios. She's not tactical like Mandy, but she's smart and observant. I remind myself that she’d been hunting Turner too and not to underestimate her.
She must have seen something reassuring because she finally asks, "What do you need from me?"
"Anything she might've told you. Anything unusual in her emails. Places she mentioned. People she's been watching. Where she's been going."
"She doesn't tell me that stuff." Lily's voice cracks just slightly. "When I think about it, I hardly know her at all. It’d been thirteen years since I saw her, and I haven’t seen her since we took down Turner five weeks ago."
Mason's hand clasps her waist, steadying her. He's still watching me, assessing whether I'm a threat.
"The last email I got from her was three days ago," Lily says. "She said she was in Billings."
Unfortunately for Richard Pemberton. Not that I felt bad for the piece of shit—I found links between him and Turner’s network. "Did she say why she was there?"
Lily shakes her head. "She didn't say what she was doing. And she didn't say when she'd be back to visit."
"Anything else?"
Lily hesitates. "She asked about Mason. About the ranch. About whether I felt safe here."
"And?"
"I told her I did." She looks at me, and there's something fierce in her eyes now. Something protective. "If you're going after my sister, Hendricks, you need to know something."
"What's that?"
"She won't come quietly, and she won't trust you."
"I know." I feel an odd flare of annoyance at that, but I push it aside.
"Do you?" Lily steps closer, and Mason moves with her, a wall of muscle and menace.
"Because Mandy's not like the people you usually deal with.
She's not a target. She's not a problem to solve.
She's a person who's been hurt more than anyone should be, and if you treat her like anything less than that, she'll put a bullet in you. "
I nod. "Noted."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Mason speaks for the first time since his greeting when I arrived. "Don't hurt her." His voice is low, dangerous. "You do, and it won't matter who hired you or any agreements we have between us. We'll come for you."
I meet his eyes. "Understood."
We stare at each other. Then Lily exhales, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "If you find her, when you find her, tell her to call me. Tell her I'm worried."
"I will."
Lily doesn't look like she believes me, but she doesn't push. She turns back to the mare, dismissing me.
I head back toward my truck. Jake's on the porch again, watching. Mason's followed me from the corral, leaning against the fence with his arms crossed, as if making sure I’m leaving. I know that if Luke wasn’t busy with Harper, his new fiancée, he’d be out here telling me to watch my step with Mandy.
I’ll need to manage this situation. A few weeks ago, I’d have said it was to preserve valuable assets, but I realize it’s more than that.
There aren’t that many people who understand where I’ve been, what I’ve seen, and what I’ve done.
Somewhere along the way, these men have stopped being useful contacts and become people I wasn’t prepared to alienate.
I get in the truck, start the engine, and pull out of Blackthorn Ranch with the weight of Lily's words sitting heavy in my chest.
Don't hurt her.
I’m not going to.
I also know I’m not going to turn her over to Thomas Ashford.