My 6-year-old granddaughter phoned me in panic just after midnight. “Mommy says the baby is coming! Help!” I asked, “Where’s daddy?” She answered, “He k!cked mommy’s tummy and left.”…..

He’s convinced someone’s trying to move in on his territory, Marshall said during a brief meeting at the hospital. Race got him spooked about potential threats and he’s seeing enemies everywhere. How close are you to his inner circle? Close enough. He’s got me doing collections with Rafe.

Thinks I’m just another broken vet who needs the money, but I’m learning plenty about how the operation works. Good. What about his finances? Hurting. The competition is cutting into his profits and he’s spending money on extra security that he can’t afford. Plus, he’s been making trips to Billings every few days to argue with his bookie face to face. Harry smiled.

Financial pressure combined with paranoia was a dangerous combination. Desperate people did stupid things. There’s something else. Marshall continued. Overheard him talking to Rafe about your daughter. He’s planning something. Harry’s expression went cold. What kind of something? Didn’t get details, but it sounded like he wants to use Cassidy and the kids as leverage.

Thinks if he can threaten them, you’ll back off and let him rebuild his operation in peace. That would be a mistake on his part. Major mistake, but it means we need to move faster. If he gets desperate enough to go after civilians, he won’t get the chance. Harry was already calculating timelines, figuring out how to accelerate his plans without making critical errors.

How long until the new sheriff arrives? 5 days. Word is he’s bringing a state investigation team with him. Going to audit the entire department, review all the corruption complaint from the past 2 years. Perfect. Time to give them something to investigate. Harry spent that evening making phone calls to contacts across three states.