After I Refused to Save My Ex-Wife’s Brother, She Went Crazy Chapter 03

After I Refused to Save My Ex-Wife’s Brother, She Went Crazy Chapter 03

The next noon, a helicopter landed outside camp.

Rotor wash kicked up a wall of sand. The trailer siding nearly tore off.

Vince cursed and ran back.

“That Claire Rhodes is here. Brought a whole crew.”

I sat still in the trailer, turning a worn silver medal in my fingers.

It was a St. Christopher medal. It had been tied to Stella’s wrist when I found her.

“Cole, maybe you should lay low?”

Vince poked his head in.

“No.”

I slipped the medal into my shirt pocket and stood.

The trailer flap pushed open. She was already standing a few yards away.

Sunglasses hid most of her face, but not the perfect makeup that looked so out of place out here.

She glanced at me.

Then she turned her head, wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“This is the guy?”

She asked her assistant, Pierce.

Pierce nodded. “Cole. Forty-three. Desert guide. The only navigator who can cross the deep basin.”

Claire gave me another look over her glasses.

Wind-scarred face. Leathery skin. Coated in dust and grit.

I looked nothing like the man she had divorced eight years ago.

I used to go by Ethan. But after I lost my daughter, I stopped letting people use my first name. Everyone just calls me Cole.

She didn’t recognize me.

“Name your terms.”

She waved at Pierce and walked off to the shade.

Pierce came over, polite but condescending.

“Mr. Cole, Ms. Rhodes is serious. Money is negotiable. Five million is just the starting point. We can also arrange a house in a major city, elite school placements for your children, full medical coverage…”

“I don’t have kids.”

Pierce blinked and scrolled his tablet.

“Then something else. Property. Medical coverage. Or—”

Old Sully was passing by with his son Matt hauling water jugs.

Matt had a big mouth. He muttered to his dad loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Cole’s got it rough. Ex-wife left, only daughter died. He’s been alone in this desert for years. Not even anyone to talk to.”

Claire heard it. Her gaze snapped over from behind the glasses.

She let out a cold laugh.

“That kind of man. No wonder she left him.”

Vince’s fists clenched.

I put a hand on his arm.

Claire walked back, all high and mighty.

“I get it. The desert is dangerous. But my brother’s life comes first. Name your price. Whatever it takes to bring him out—we’ll make it happen.”

“I said no.”

“Not enough money?”

“It’s not about money.”

She frowned like she was dealing with a moron.

“Then what is it? Your dead daughter?”

The air froze. Vince sucked in a breath.

Claire sneered and kept going.

“What—did you get her killed out here? Is that why you’re too scared to go back in?”

My knuckles went white, the veins in my neck standing out as my temples pounded.

“Shut your mouth.”

Everyone froze.

Claire’s face stiffened. Her bodyguards stepped forward.

Then she smiled again—that smile of pure arrogance.

“Guess I hit a nerve. A man who couldn’t even protect his own daughter—no wonder all he’s good for is leading tourists.”

“My brother is nothing like your daughter. His life is worth far more than hers ever was.”

I stared at her face.

Eight years. Still beautiful.

Still cold as stone.

“You need to leave, Mrs. Rhodes.”