Page 39 of Montana Mystery

And a couple other people walking toward the barn. Men. Chills ran down my spine. I knew there were people inside and that I wasn’t actually alone. But that didn’t mean I was safe. Every cell in my body knew that I was anything but.

Parking a short distance away gave me a little time to procrastinate. I couldn’t wait any more though—I was out of time. Where was Noah? Was he close?

Another invisible door opened, and there was Aaron. He asked the men in front of me for a password, but I wasn’t close enough to hear the answer.

I didn’t have the password. Did I need one?

Last night Aaron had looked at me warily. Like an enemy. This time, he was smiling. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks.”

He waved me through without a password.

It was much harder to muster the persona I’d created last night. Every step was shaky, and I didn’t know what I was going to do once I got in there. All I knew was that I had to do it.

The inner door opened, and everything was different. This. This was the nightmare my brother had painted.

No one was dancing at this party. Music still pounded through the air, and there was still a bar with a beautiful woman behind it. But the entirety of this place was centered around a pit. Railings ringed it, and there were bodies pressed up against those railings. They were cheering and screaming. Through the gaps in the bodies I could see movement, and I heard the squeal of a dog.

Dogfighting.

I was going to be sick.

This wasn’t something I wanted to see.

Clearly, people were betting. I’d only been looking for thirty seconds and I’d already seen money change hands twice. This was what we needed. Hard proof that these assholes were doing something illegal. Only this time, no one was coming to arrest them. We were totally in the dark.

Aaron took my coat and walked away.

“Kate?” Noah’s voice crackled to life in my ear.

I inhaled so fast I almost choked. The music and cheering were loud enough that I risked it. “I’m here.”

“Good.” He sounded as relieved as I felt. “Is it bad?”

“Yes.”

That’s all I could say, because Max was making a beeline straight for me. “Kate.” His smile was sharp. “Glad you made it.”

“Of course.” I grinned at him. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

He wasn’t drunk tonight. In fact, everything about him seemed honed. Sharper than a knife blade. That made him about ten times more dangerous. I wouldn’t be able to rely on the fact that he wouldn’t remember things in the morning.

I was here. What did I do now?

“This is quite the party,” I said, trying to look the part. It wasn’t hard to act overwhelmed. I was. “And I’m amazed anyone can find this place. It’s even worse than the one last night.”

“You found it, didn’t you?”

Grinning up at him, I ran my fingers through the end of my hair. “I did. But I’m special.”

Max’s eyes roved down my body, just like I knew they would. I could have been wearing a bikini the way he looked at me, but I did my best to ignore it. “You are that.” Reaching out, he grabbed my arm. It wasn’t gentle. “Let me give you the tour.”

“Okay.”

“First, let’s get you a drink.” We went over to the bar, and he signaled the bartender.

She dropped what she was doing the second she saw him signal. “What can I get for you, Max?”