“I will.” Lelandi left the room and snagged Sam’s arm, then walked him down to Doc’s office. “Tell Darien he needs to remove Trevor from guard duty for Carol.”

Sam folded his arms. “He’ll want to know a reason.”

“Carol’s a target, too. Darien knows the specifics as to why. She doesn’t feel safe around Trevor. Give her some peace of mind, okay? See if maybe Tom or Jake will watch her in the meantime. I’d do it, if Darien would let me.”

Sam gave a snort. “You are supposed to be guarded, not guarding others.”

“Right. Or otherwise I’d kick Trevor’s butt out of here.”

Sam shook his head. “You’d try, too.”

“Are you going to make an honest woman of Silva?”

A smile lit Sam’s face, but he didn’t answer.

Instead, he grabbed Doc’s phone and made a call. “Darien? Sam here.”

Lelandi slipped into the hallway. As soon as she saw Peter guarding a room, she headed in his direction.

“Who’s in here?”

The deputy quickly stood. “Angelina Mavery.”

Lelandi’s heart skipped a beat, the idea sinking in that whoever had tried to kill Angelina would try again and now she had to have a guard posted, too. “Do you mind if I see her? I won’t take long.”

Chapter 24

IF PETER DIDN’T HURRY AND ALLOW LELANDI INTO Angelina’s hospital room, any number of people—Darien, top of the list—would stop her. Peter looked down at his Stetson in his hands, and then his gaze rose again.

“Peter, please.”

“Jake told me you stuck up for me when I fell asleep on guard duty, ma’am.”

She wanted to tap her foot in impatience. Time was of the essence, and if Sam discovered she was not with him… “Yes, because you were pulling too many hours.”

“Trevor was supposed to have relieved me halfway through the night, but he never showed up.”

Ohmigod. “Did you tell Jake?”

“Yes, ma’am. I didn’t want to get Trevor in trouble, but I couldn’t have Darien firing me for not protecting you.” Peter motioned with his head toward Angelina’s door. “The way I look at it, you deserve some answers. If Angelina had anything to do with my own sister’s death…”

His eyes took on a menacing cast. “Go right in.”

Lelandi hesitated, then reached up and kissed Peter’s cheek. “Thanks. Darien will make you sheriff when his uncle wants to retire, if I have any say in it.”

Peter’s face turned crimson, but his lips turned up slightly. “Thank you, ma’am.”

She slipped into the room and closed the door.

Angelina’s face was bruised and bloodied, the skin around both eyes blackened—her gaze glowering at Lelandi. A bandage was secured across her forehead, a long, jagged line of blood tinting it red. Her neck was in a brace and her arm and leg were in a cast.

Lelandi started in on her. “You were blackmailing my sister, you bitch.”

Angelina cast her a simpering smile. “Your sister was a whore. Three men! Three men she was fooling around with that we know of, and Darien should never have mated with her.”

“Who else was in on this? You’re not clever enough to mastermind it. And since your two compatriots are dead and the fourth undoubtedly wants you the same way—”

“Think what you will.”

“Darien will discover you’re involved. Then what?”

“He’ll find his darling mate was depositing money in an account meant for her and her lover to make their getaway. Had nothing to do with me.” She jutted her chin out, her brown eyes black, a couple of stripped leaves sticking out of her muddy-colored hair.

“You’re saying Joe Kelly and Larissa pretended there was a blackmailing scheme?”

“They had the perfect motivation. Joe was stealing from the silver mine also.” Angelina shrugged and winced.

“No. You, Ritka, Hosstene, and the mastermind blackmailed my sister. Except Joe shot Ritka before you could pin the blackmailing crime on him. Seems ironic. Then the fourth person wanted both you and Hosstene dead.”

Angelina’s eyes misted.

“Why would he or she want to kill you if you had nothing to do with the blackmail scheme and murdering my sister? Can he get to the money that all of you hid?”

Angelina’s mouth turned down even more.

“Now who should get out of town before you end up dead like your friends?” Lelandi asked, playing on Ritka’s words telling Lelandi to leave town before she ended up like her sister. “I normally don’t want to see people dead. But in your case, I’d make an exception.”

“Go to hell,” Angelina spat.

“Whoever your mastermind is will kill you. Seems a shame you’ll die and the murderer will get away with not only eliminating your spiteful hide, but abscond with the money.”

Angelina glowered at her, the flecks of gold in her amber eyes like burning embers.

“Who’s your accomplice? Who tried to kill you?”

Angelina crinkled the bed linens in her good hand. “I don’t know who it is. Ritka dealt with him.”

Lelandi’s heart missed a beat. “But it’s a he?”

“Yes. He orchestrated the whole setup. At least I’m pretty sure it’s a he.” Angelina glowered. “Your sister was despicably weak. We all knew it. She should never have been the pack leader’s bitch.”

Lelandi opened her mouth to retort, but Darien entered the room and shook his head at her, his look dark, but sympathetic. “Let my men and me question her, Lelandi.” He ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. “Silva wants to talk to you at the nurse’s station.”

Lelandi kissed Darien’s cheek, and quickly wiped away a tear rolling down hers. “She admitted to blackmailing Larissa. Another orchestrated the whole sorry affair. She said Joe stole the silver from the mine.” Before she gave in to her darker wolf instincts and broke Angelina’s other arm for good measure, Lelandi stormed out of the room.

Standing beside Peter, Sam growled. “I was supposed to be watching you.”

“Peter had the job. I’m going to speak to Silva. Right down there. All right?” She glanced down the hall at Carol’s room. Tom guarded her now. “Where did Trevor go?”******

“He’s helping the sheriff with the train derailment,”

Sam said. “This town’s never going to be the same.”

“You didn’t get any flak, did you?” Lelandi asked Peter.

“No, ma’am.”

Sam ground his teeth. “I did, for not knowing where you were when I called Darien.”

Lelandi smiled at the rough and tumble bartender and patted his shoulder. “You can handle it.” Then she joined Silva at the unmanned nurse’s desk. “Did you find out anything?”

“Nurse Grey said no one was brought in for injuries sustained in a mudslide during the night of the shootings.”

“Which could mean none of the injuries were severe enough to require hospital care.”

“Right. So I checked with the Silver Town Express staff. None were aware of the mudslide, but because of the shootings they had concentrated on that news.”

“What about the guys who have to clear the roads during a storm?”

“My next thought exactly.” Silva waved a slip of paper, showing each of the points she’d checked off. “I called the road-clearing crew supervisor. On the night the gunman shot you, no mudslides had been reported, but several of his crew were searching for you in the woods. All were on call, so if a mudslide had occurred, they would have been notified.”

“What about when Trevor was supposed to be with the sheriff at Hastings Bed and Breakfast and didn’t show up to help in the fight against my red pack?”

“One way to find out.” Silva grabbed the phone off the nurse’s desk and punched in some numbers. She handed the phone to Lelandi.

“Hastings Bed and Breakfast. This is Bertha Hastings.

How may I help you?”

“Mrs. Hastings? This is Lelandi. Was Trevor there when the reds came to take me home?”

“The sheriff sent him on an errand. When he didn’t return, Sheridan left some men to watch the reds, and he searched for the deputy. He found him and had him guard the prisoner at the jailhouse.” Mrs. Hastings paused, then added, “Many thought Darien would take Trevor’s sister as his mate, but then he made it clear he was looking for someone outside the pack. Rumors began to circulate that Darien had a dream and the visions changed his mind. Trevor’s sister left Silver Town, joined another pack, and mated with a beta male. Too loyal to the pack, Trevor won’t leave, but he resented Larissa because his sister didn’t share the bed of the alpha pack leader. His position would have been elevated if Darien had taken his sister as his mate. Trevor figured he’d be sheriff when Sheridan retired.”

“Do you think he could have masterminded blackmailing my sister?”

“I doubt it. He might not like that your sister stole Darien’s affections, but he’s not that underhanded. He huffs and puffs and can be disagreeable, but that’s as far as it goes.”

“When the gunman shot Tom, Sam, and me, there had been no mudslide, no injured victims. He said he was taking care of that mess instead of searching for me.”

Mrs. Hastings took a deep breath and exhaled. “Obviously, he’s guilty of a dereliction of his duties. Ask him. Whatever I can do to shed any light on this, please, anytime, call me.”

“I will. Thanks.” Lelandi hung up the phone. “If Trevor was not doing his duty and tried to cover it up, what was he doing?”

The sound of footfalls headed in their direction and they turned. Darien stalked toward them with Jake at his side. Neither looked happy.

Darien slipped his hand around Lelandi’s arm, escorting her in the direction of the front doors while Jake shadowed them. “I’m taking you home.”