It took Raider a second to recognize him. “Oh shit.” He stopped trying to appear disinterested and sighed as Sean looked up at him. The metallic smell of blood caught him, and he subtly coughed, shoving down bile. “What the hell are you doing here?” The damn farmer was supposed to be in a safe house right now.

Eddie grinned. “Good ole Sean came on the scene because he was protesting a new development in his farming community, and guess when the next hearing was?”

“Last night?” Raider grunted.

“Yep.”

Sean blinked blood away from his eyes. “Do you have any idea what a condo development will do to the available water? We need that for crops.”

Oh, Raider was going to kill him. Did Force even know the farmer was gone? If not, hopefully he hadn’t told Brigid. She’d freak out. “So. This is awkward.”

“Yes,” Eddie agreed. “We know he gave you the journal, so we figured it’d be a long shot to actually catch him at the hearing. I’m surprised you didn’t lock him down.”

“I did,” Raider said grimly.

Eddie lifted his head in a gesture to the guy standing at the wall. “Did you get him to admit anything else?”

“Just that he misses your dad,” the guy said. “Seemed genuine.”

Sean snorted. “You’re not half the man your daddy was.”

Eddie leaned forward, and Raider tensed. How the hell was he going to get Sean out of this without both of them taking a bullet to the head?

Eddie smiled. “Where’s your daughter? If you’re not locked down, neither is she.”

“The hell she isn’t,” Raider returned, keeping his gaze on the wounded farmer. “She’ll stay where I put her.”

Sean lifted his head, sweat rolling down his damaged neck. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose definitely broken. “My girl does what she wants.” He broke off to cough up blood, the sound wheezing.

Yeah. Definitely broken ribs and punctured lung in there somewhere.

Eddie smiled at the guy who’d done the damage. “Good job tonight, Tom. Looks like you just got a promotion.”

Tom cracked his neck. “Thanks, boss. Want me to finish this?”

“Nope. You go on, now. Have a good night,” Eddie said, his gaze returning to Sean, who was silently glaring.

“Okay.” Tom strode out the back door, limping slightly. Maybe Sean had given him more of a fight than was first apparent. Two seconds later, an engine ignited, and then Tom was gone.

Jonny moved to Sean and punched him in the gut. Blood sprayed in every direction, covering Jonny’s entire front, including his chin. Sean growled and tried to lift off the chair. “Make this a fair fight, P. Though you’ll be crying.”

Raider’s legs bunched to intercede, but he forced himself to stay in place.

Jonny snarled. “Want me to handle him?”