UlteriorMotives (6 page)

“H8?” What little color she’d managed to regain drained
suddenly as she typed the new search into her reader. “It has to be Mark. He’s
working with the energy company so they can get their hands on my land.”

“Looks that way. He’s found enough pockets of the stuff to
destroy several small planets, or one large one.” Once the element had been
refined into H8 there would be no defending against it. Spray it over a
planet’s surface and every living thing would be dead in twenty-four hours.
“I’ll get the sheriff out here.”

She didn’t look up from her reader as he sent the message to
the sheriff. Instead she held the device tightly as she flipped through the
pages of information. “Why would he do this?” She spoke the words so softly
that they seemed more for her benefit than his. “According to this, mining
inomoniam
wouldn’t just destroy the ranch, it would poison the land for a hundred square
miles,” she said as she continued to scan articles. “The mining companies have
to break layers of bedrock open in order to harvest it. As safe as they say the
process is, there have been some serious leaks reported.”

“And maybe that’s why a representative and a major energy
company are interested in a little ranch on an unimportant colony planet,” he
said, remembering the question she posed to him that first night.

“Reckon there aren’t a lot of voices out here to raise a
fuss if something does go wrong.” She ran her fingers through her hair in
apparent frustration. “I just can’t believe this has been going on for months
and I didn’t notice it.” She stared at the reader in her hands. “How did I not
notice something was going on?”

“You were busy running your ranch. Sometimes we’re so busy
looking at the forest we don’t see the trees.”

She looked up at him and gasped sharply. “Oh god! Even if we
stop Mark, how are we going to stop Loase? He’s just going to have more people
file complaints and try to burn me out of house and home until he gets what he
wants.”

Jasper hadn’t let himself plan that far ahead. It was just
too overwhelming to think about. It brought back the vicious thought loop he’d
been trying to avoid since she’d woken up. “I write my report and, if my boss
isn’t in Loase’s pocket, you keep your ranch. End of problem.”

“And if he is in Loase’s pocket?”

“Then we resort to more drastic measures.” His stomach
continued to churn as the scenario played out in his head. There was only one
person who could help him if he couldn’t count on the people in his office. It
would cost him everything though. He took a deep breath as he glanced at his
reader’s screen. There was no way they’d let him keep his job if his father got
involved. He’d have to start all over again.

“Like what? I don’t have the resources to go up against a
government agency and a representative.”

He turned off the reader so he could look at her. “No, but I
do. Have you ever heard of Ahnal Lee?”

“The terrorist? Of course. I may live in the sticks but I’m
not dead.”

He kept his silence as she put the pieces together.

“Wait. You know him?” Something changed in her expression.
It became closed, wary. That always happened when people found out he knew the
notorious man who topped the government’s most wanted list. “Jasper Lee.” She
stressed his last name. “Shit. No. I don’t believe it. You can’t be related to
him.”

“He’s my father.” He may not broadcast that information but
he never denied it. He had too much in common with his father to shun the man.
They might have had different methods but they both worked toward the same end.
“And let me ask you, who is more of a terrorist? The government, trying to take
your land at any cost—willing to hurt people if necessary—or the man with the
ability and the willingness to tell the universe about it?”

She closed her eyes and pulled a hand over her face. “If you
ask your father for help and they find out—”

“I know what happens if they find out.” He’d grown up under
the man’s shadow. Yeah, he knew exactly what happened when people found out.
“For now let’s hope things don’t get any worse. Who knows, maybe we can get
this all sorted out on our own.”

His reader vibrated again. He turned it on and read the
message twice before cursing. “Police just found Mark’s body. Someone slit his
throat and dumped him in a refuse bin in town.”

“So if he was the saboteur—”

“He wasn’t working alone.”

It’d been a long night. One of the longest Kat had ever been
forced to endure. She wished it’d been the pain that’d kept her tossing and
turning, but unfortunately the pain had been the least of her concerns.
Especially with the pills the doctor had left with Jasper. No, it’d been the
fear of an uncertain future that’d kept her awake. And there wasn’t anything she
could take for that.

The only salvation for the entire evening had been Jasper
lying next to her. Wrapped in his arms, she almost believed they’d find a way
to save her ranch. But, under the light of daybreak, her certainty faded. It
didn’t help that sealing a bone hurt like a son of a bitch. Yes, she was out
for the actual procedure but she had to wake up at some point. And, boy, when
she did she wished they’d just cut the damn foot off. She couldn’t imagine it
hurting any worse.

“Today is going to be the worst of it,” the doctor said as
he handed her two pain pills. “By tomorrow you should be able to get up and
move around, with crutches of course. Sealing the bone speeds up the process
but your body still has some mending to do. Keep the brace on and no weight on
that foot for three weeks.”

She dutifully took her pills before saying, “I want to be up
and around today.” She knew she was whining but she didn’t care. Just because
her ranch hands could cover her work for a couple of days didn’t mean she
enjoyed giving up that much control. Especially when it meant she’d be stuck in
bed, staring at a ceiling.

“And I want to be twenty years younger and have a full head
of hair,” the doctor said. “But you’ll be up and around tomorrow and I’ll be an
old coot until the day someone finds me stone-cold. Hopefully under one of
Jake’s painted women.”

She snorted as she tried to erase the mental image he’d just
provided her. “Without you, he’d probably go out of business,” she said tartly.

“Please, he’s got enough miners to keep him in those fancy
clothes he likes so much. He’d be just fine without me.” He gave her a sly wink
before continuing, “Still, he probably does owe me a customer appreciation
party or two.”

The man was quirky to the point of eccentric. No doubt about
it. But he had a way of lifting his patients’ spirits. Even as cranky as Kat
had been, she already felt lighter. It was either his doing or the pain pills.
Or both. They were a pretty strong combination.

“Fine. Up and around tomorrow and no weight on my foot for
three weeks. Now why don’t you get out of here so I can start my thrilling day
of staring at the ceiling?”

The doctor stood but when Jasper moved to walk him out he
brushed off the attempt. “I can find my way out, Mr. Lee. I suggest you stay
here and make sure she’s a good girl and doesn’t get out of that bed.” He
looked back to Kat and smiled. “You have my permission to tie her to it if she
gives you any trouble.”

Jasper laughed as the doctor left. “You heard the man. You
going to give me any trouble?”

The last of her crankiness lifted at the joke. “You wouldn’t
dare.”

“Doctor’s orders.”

She laughed but put her hands up as if in surrender. “I’ll
be good. I promise.”

“Damn. Oh well, you look like you could use a nap anyway.
Maybe I’ll get to tie you up later.”

Almost on cue she yawned. “Stupid pain pills. Make me
tired.”

“You need the rest and I’ve got a report to send off
anyway.” His smile held so much weariness it made her heart ache.

He had work to do, of course, but she didn’t really want to
be alone until the pills finally knocked her out. Even when he wasn’t wrapped
around her, his presence made her feel better. She wanted him to stay. And if a
few minutes were all she could get out of him, she’d take them. “How did you
end up in law, anyway? I mean, with your father being who he is and all.”

“There’s actually not much difference in what I do and what
my father does.” He seemed to catch her look of disbelief as he explained, “My
dad is many things, but he’s not a terrorist.” He sighed and his eyes drifted
to some point above her head as if he were in deep thought. “Boiled down, he
spends most of his time vetting politicians and laws, raising money for legal
counsel and helping organize protests and petitions. Of course, he does
occasionally put the people in touch with men who are willing to do more than
talk when negotiations go awry.”

“You mean thugs to threaten and blackmail any officials and
judges who didn’t want to play ball?” She didn’t mean the words to come out
harsh, as an accusation, but she hated it when people sugarcoated their
actions.

Jasper shrugged. “He sees it as leveling the playing field.
When you surround yourself with the needy, you feel compelled to help any way
you can. The need becomes all-consuming. Eventually when you look at a city,
you can only see the corruption and the abuse of power.” His gaze caught hers
once more. “I’m not condoning all of his methods, I’m just saying that he has
helped a lot of people and he’s never committed any acts of terror.”

“If he’s done so much good, why not continue the family
business and follow in his footsteps?” she challenged.

“The problems were never ending. He’d put out one fire only
to realize another had started behind his back. I started thinking that maybe
the only way to really help the people would be to get someone into a position
of power. High enough up to make real changes.”

“So you went into law.”

“Yep, figured I could help people navigate the channels
until I had enough backing to run for office. You know, be a champion from
inside the machine.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Some champion I’ve
turned out to be.”

It was getting really hard for her to keep her eyes open,
but she had to say something to make him feel better. “It’s not your fault. One
man can’t bring down a system.”

His chuckle was full of self-deprecation. “That’s what my
father keeps telling me.”

“You don’t have to sink to his level to win.”

“LMX-3 has Loase and possibly the Land Authority in its
corner. Who do you have in yours? If you’d gone to my father, at least you
would have a shot at winning.”

“I have you and the truth. I refuse to believe that’s not
enough.” She couldn’t fight against the pull of the medication any longer so
she allowed the calming darkness that pressed around her to drag her under.

She slept until the sound of loud footsteps on her bedroom
floor woke her. Her brain felt muffled and her mouth dry from the medicine, but
she instantly knew it wasn’t Jasper standing over her. The person reeked of
tobacco and stale alcohol. As much as she’d like to ignore whomever it was and
continue sleeping, she forced her eyes to open. With all the “accidents” of the
past couple of days, she didn’t want anyone seeing her as an easy target.

“Jake?” Her voice was thick, causing the word to slur
slightly. “What are you doing out here?”

His patronizing smile made her skin crawl. “Heard what
happened, wanted to come by and see if I could help in any way.”

Yeah, listen to her bellyache about how bad things were,
just like Mark used to? No thank you. She forced her hand to make a swipe over
her face to try to clear off the rest of the haze left by the drugged sleep.
“We’ve got everything taken care of for today. And I’ll be up and about
tomorrow. But thank you.”

His brow scrunched together as if he were upset but then the
expression dissolved into a mask of sympathy. “Glad to hear that. I was
concerned your guest would be an encumbrance in your current state.”

“Jasper isn’t a guest and he’s been a big help.”

Jake sat down in the chair next to the bed and leaned
forward as if he were in on some secret. “You don’t have to keep up appearances
for my sake. I know he’s here doing an investigation. An investigation, I might
add, that can’t be going well for you. Why don’t you let me get him out of your
hair before one of these mishaps injures him?”

Her head pounded but she refused to let Jake see how much
pain she was in. The weak were eaten this far away from civilization. And if he
knew about Jasper and the investigation, he’d already smelled blood. She
refused to add to it. “I don’t gossip about my business. You should know that
by now. Jasper can stay here as long as he wants. You, on the other hand,
should probably go. Now.”

The man stood suddenly and glared at her. “Fine. But when
something bad happens to him, you won’t have anyone but yourself to blame.”

“Is that a threat?” Headache or no, she definitely didn’t
care for his tone and needed to call him on it.

“No, just a suggestion. He’s too soft for this ranch in the
best of times.”

“It’s my ranch so it’s my decision. And I already told you
where I stand.”

“You’re going to regret that decision.”

As he started to leave, bits and pieces of the last couple
days started to clear in her head. Mark looked guilty as hell but her
conversation with the sheriff had included someone else. And, currently, that
person stood in front of her, making threats. “Jake?”

“What?” He turned back to face her, his eyes cold and hard.

“Did Mark go to your tavern last night?”

His gaze immediately shifted to his feet. “Mark?” He
shuffled his shoes. “Can’t say he did. Why would you ask?”

“Just heard he’s been a regular of yours for the past few
months.”

“That he has. Didn’t see him last night though.” He was
already backing toward the door.

“Mighty nice of you to let him blow off so much steam. I can
only imagine how tired of hearing about me and my ranch you must be.”

“That’s what bartenders do.” His hand hovered over the
doorknob and his brow had started to sweat. She could tell that he wanted out
of the room. And she wanted him gone twice as bad. But not until she’d found
out as much as she possibly could.

She smiled the best she could even as her stomach cramped.
“Still, awful noble to lend a friend your ear so often. Especially since you
weren’t profiting from it. Heck, I bet it even cost you some customers. Nobody
likes to sit around and listen to the same old bellyaching day in and day out.”

“If they want alcohol on this rock they have no choice.”

“That’s right. They don’t, do they?” Her head still buzzed
with the headache but she continued to push forward. “And there is no thirstier
bunch than miners, ain’t that right?”

He looked confused but didn’t bolt. “Miners are my main
clientele. They’re good salt.”

Of course they were. And almost always single to boot. With
such a dangerous job, not many women would tie their futures to them. Not only
were they drinking most of Jake’s alcohol but she was willing to bet they were
the ones regularly bedding the women too. “Too bad the farmland is so good. If
there were more miners, I bet you’d make a fortune.”

“Farmers are a pretty thirsty bunch as well. Don’t you be
worrying about little old me. I’m doing okay.” With that, he opened the door
and then slipped out before she could say anything else. But she’d already
heard enough.

She’d bet he did better than okay now. He’d probably be
doing fantastic once LMX-3 set up shop though. The company would increase the
number of miners by threefold. And the farmers would eventually be forced out
because of the land pollution. It would be a windfall for him. And all that
stood between him and all that money was her little ranch—unless she did
something to stop him.

Her reader sat on the table next to her. Without much
effort, she grabbed it and sent off a message to the sheriff. She thought about
sending a message to Jasper but decided against it. The last thing she needed
was Jasper confronting Jake. Jasper could take the tavern owner in a fair
fight, no doubt about it, but a snake was always meanest when it was cornered.
And it would never occur to Jasper to fight dirty. It was one of the things she
loved about him.

The room swayed around her. Loved about him? She respected
him, sure. He might have started out lying to her, but since then he’d put
himself in harm’s way several times trying to help her. And he’d been honest
and upfront with her about his father. That couldn’t have been easy. He truly
seemed to have a passion for helping people. And phenomenal sex never hurt. But
did that make it love? And if it was love, what would him leaving do to her?
Her stomach cramped hard enough at the thought that she felt sick.

Oh she was screwed. Regardless of what she called it, him
leaving was going to hurt. She bit back a gasp of surprise at the burn of
unshed tears. Ranchers didn’t cry. They especially didn’t cry over city boys.
Ranchers manned up and solved their problems. And she would do exactly that.
She would figure a way out of this. Really she should be happy she caught it so
early. Now she could limit the damage his leaving would do. She would survive
this because she could survive anything.

As if the universe heard her and decided to take her up on
the challenge, the alarm for the house started blaring around her and a mist of
water droplets from the sprinkler hit her at exactly the same moment. This
couldn’t be a good development.

She bit off a curse as she smelled the faint wisps of smoke.
She’d have to worry about the broken heart later. Right now she had to deal
with the snake in her house. She knew who had set this fire. It wasn’t a
creative move, but apparently Jake had decided to up the stakes this time.

Thankfully Jasper had left her crutches in a corner. She
could hobble over to them and escape before the smoke became too heavy.
Hopefully. Then she’d deal with Jake. Jake the snake. She would’ve laughed at the
rhyme had she not been so busy trying to make her way over to her crutches
without putting any weight on her broken ankle.

When she finally had the supports under her arms, though,
the struggle wasn’t any easier. The rubber pads slipped on the wet floors
several times, pitching her forward with any attempt to balance herself. When
she reflexively put her foot down to catch herself, a sharp pain would shoot up
her calf and through her body that nearly made her pass out. And she’d only
made it to the hallway. For the first time she started to think of her escape
in terms of “if” instead of “when”.