“I think I’ve found my new hobby,” she shouts my way, adding, “Am I any good?”

“Yeah, not bad,” I mutter, adjusting myself before everyone here knows exactly how good I think she is.

Jesse’s chuckle carries through the air.

Chapter 24

CLARA

The sky is beginning to change color by the time we’re saying our goodbyes, following an afternoon of riding and leisurely grooming the horses, which Alex informed me are both named Felix.

“That was fun. I hope we see you back here again,” Alex says to me, before shooting a pointed look at Luke.

He laughs, reaching around her neck to give her a warm hug. “Next time we’ll bring Licks and her mutant with us.” He moves away to say his goodbyes to Jesse and Gabe, leaving the two of us together, me securing the camera I’ve had out a few times this afternoon, sneaking candid photos of the farm and of Luke. For the case, I tell myself.

“Keep him out of trouble for us, will you?” Her worried eyes settle on Luke’s back.

So, Alex obviously knows something, too. “What kind of trouble can Luke possibly get into at the garage?” I ask as casually as possible.

“I’m not worried about that place. He just . . .” She purses her lips. “He just hasn’t had the best role models in his life. He’s been misguided.”

“By who?”

“By people who love him. I think they do want him to be happy, but the way they’re going about it is wrong.”

“He’s a grown man now. I’m sure he’ll do the right thing. Right?”

“Yes, he will do the right thing. Eventually.” She smiles sadly. Her fingers graze the side of her face again. Almost absently, she whispers, “I wouldn’t be here right now, if it hadn’t been for him.”

I fight the urge to go into cop mode and coax answers out of her, knowing that if Gabe heard me, he’d see right through me. And, if he wants to protect his son by association—as any father would—he’ll warn them that there’s an undercover on Luke and this case will be over.

Alex’s words could mean many things—she wouldn’t be here, at this farm; she wouldn’t be here, with Jesse—but the fact that she touched that horrific scar tells me that it’s more than that.

“Just take care of him for me,” she says with a reluctant smile. “I worry about him. He’s a good guy, with a kind heart.”

A lump forms in my throat. A person needs to be a solid judge of character in my job. I’m an excellent judge of character. I sense that Alex is a genuine person, and that my target did something monumental for her.

“Sure, okay,” I lie. I’m not here to ease her conscience or to take care of Luke.

I’m here to do the exact opposite.

And for the first time, that makes me feel ill.

Which tells me that I’ve broken one of the most basic rules of undercover work: don’t get emotionally attached to your targets. That’s never been an issue for me. I’ve never cared about what I’m setting them up for or what’s going to happen to them once I’ve done my job. They’re all grown-ups, making their own decisions. No one’s forcing their hand.

“Thanks for the cash, man,” I hear Jesse say to Luke, slapping his hand. “It’ll come in handy. We still have a lot of work to do around here.”

“Yeah, like paving your driveway so I don’t kill my car on it.”

“Okay, Princess.”

Luke gives him the finger. “I’ll call you in a week to see how it’s going. Maybe you can drive it in?”

“Drive to Portland?” Jesse’s face screws up. “Fuck that.”

“How are we even friends?” Luke blurts out.

“Because you’re desperate and lonely?”

Luke laughs, reaching forward to give Jesse a guy hug. I hear him murmur, “Miss you, man,” before he climbs into the driver’s seat.

Both Gabe and Jesse smile at me. “Good to meet you, Rain.” Gabe jabs his thumb toward the driver’s side. “Keep that one honest, will you?”

“I’ll try my best,” I say with as much conviction as possible. They all care about him; that much is obvious. Maybe they’ll succeed in convincing him to follow a different way of life. I haven’t proven anything about his current way of life conclusively yet, but it’s looking more and more grim by the day.

Luke’s car kicks up a cloud of dust as he heads down the driveway, honking his horn in farewell.

“So, you and Jesse are flipping cars?”

His smile tells me he’s proud to talk about this. “I take care of the business side of things. You know, finding the right car, talking to the owner and negotiating the price, dealing with the auctioneer. And Jesse . . . well, he’s a whiz in the garage. He can make any car run like new in a quarter of the time it takes most mechanics.” He shrugs. “We each walk away with a good chunk of change and we both love doing it.”

“How many have you sold?”

“Four. I figure one a month is a good side business for now.”

“How entrepreneurial of you,” I tease, but inside I’m beaming that he’s not above earning a legitimate income. “It’s too bad Jesse and you live so far apart.”

“Yeah . . .” Luke slides on his sunglasses and settles back into his seat now that the road has smoothed out a bit. “I don’t really have a lot of friends like Jesse. I mean, I’ve got plenty of people I talk to, but he and I are different. I trust him.”