"How should I know?" Jonah flicked his hand in Britt's direction. "Whatever it is you wildlife people research."

Yep, his heart had stopped, because after Jonah's comment, the organ jolted back to life with a powerful kick to his chest.

Jonah continued, "You can do what you always wanted to do, and I can get a nice write-off at tax time. Win-win."

The opportunity Jonah presented was too enormous for Britt to process. All he could think to say was, "I've had no formal education or training. Everything I know is self-taught or through volunteer opportunities I've landed."

"You forget I never went to college either, and yet my self-taught skills have allowed me to amass a fortune." He grinned again. "You're aware that I'm filthy rich, right?"

"You're also a damned genius. I'm not."

"But you're passionate about conservation and too stubborn to fail."

"And you're a reckless idiot with no financial acumen."

"Guilty. The very reason I surround myself with good people, so they can advise me-and I can ignore them when I want."

Britt frowned at his brother. "You're frightening, you know that?"

"Does that mean you'll do it?"

"I'll have full authority over the construction and operation of the center?"

"Just like Reid has over the training center."

"You want no say in how your money is being spent?"

"Grif will bring the major purchases to my attention." He pulled out his phone. "Outside that, I trust you to make the decisions."

"Why?"

Jonah gave him one of those WTF are you talking about? looks. "I told you why-"

"Don't feed me your tax bullshit. Grif, Reid, and now me. Why?" Frustration, anger, and a million other emotions buzzed through Britt's veins. He didn't understand them and didn't care. But the answer to his question seemed vitally important in that moment.

Smartphone forgotten, Jonah stared out the passenger side window. His expression appeared lost. Not in thought, but in being. Like a part of him was missing.

Britt swallowed hard against a familiar though rusty emotion. "Forget it," he said in a thick voice. He grasped the back of Jonah's neck. If they weren't parked on Main Street in the middle of the afternoon, Britt would have pulled him in for a bear hug. "You don't have to explain." He gave his brother's neck a squeeze and released him. "Your offer is too generous, but I accept. For the wolves." His gaze turned toward Triple B. And Randi.

A giant hand thwacked him on the chest. "Good decision, bro. Hand over my key."

With some reluctance, Britt relinquished the Tesla's key fob to his brother.

Jonah's cocky grin was back. He nodded across the street. "I'll leave it to you to break the news to Randi." He exited the vehicle and shut the door. Resting an arm on the open window ledge, he peered inside. "Don't screw it up. I'll be back in thirty." He smacked the inside of the door and flipped him off before strolling away.

"Jonah?"

"Yo?"

"Try not to pop your gum in anyone else's ear."

Jonah jettisoned the gum like a spitball. Given the size of Jonah's grin, you'd think he'd been given a behind-the-scenes pass to the filming of the next Star Trek.

"The birds, Jonah."

His brother's full-of-himself smile sagged. He peered up and down the sidewalk before retrieving his gumball from the pavement.

"Good, bro."

Jonah flicked the gum at Britt's head.

"Damn punk," Britt grumbled, but his gaze followed his brother's retreat.

Jonah carried with him a host of secrets, masking them all behind a distracted, can't-be-bothered-by-life mien. Though they tended to forget, every one of the Steele clan was aware of the emotional scar Jonah carried. They bore the same one, but none so deep as Jonah's.

After checking his sideview mirror, Britt push the door open and made his way inside Triple B. He spotted Kris McKay cleaning off a table in the lounge area.

"Hey, Kris."

"Hey, Britt. How's it going?"

"Not too bad." He glanced around the coffee shop. "How about you?"

"Our main cooler failed overnight."

"What happened?"

"The electricity shut down. A faulty wire or something."

"Just to the cooler?"

"Yeah, it's on a separate system from the rest." Kris sent a worried look toward the back of the shop. "I thought maybe a mouse got into the wiring, but the electrician didn't think so."

"What's his theory?"

"The wire didn't look gnawed on, and he didn't find a fried rodent. The electrician's choosing his words carefully, but it sounds like someone might have tampered with the wire."

"Any idea who?"

"No, everyone loves working for Randi."

"Isn't there a warning alarm on the cooler?"

"A very loud backup generator. But the gas tank was empty."

"Any sign of forced entry-damaged lock, broken window?"

"Everything looks normal-except the ruined food and broken wire."

"What's the damage?"

"We lost all our food stock. The insurance adjuster is on his way. Grady said they'll probably investigate, given the electrician's assessment."

Which meant no payout for a while.

"How's Randi?"

"Upset, but she's already working on a solution."

"She here?"

"Next door meeting with some hottie in a suit."

Britt checked the time. 2:40. He'd cut it close, but what attorney was thirty minutes early? Shit!

He raked a hand through his hair, fighting the urge to barge into her meeting. If he did, he risked embarrassing her and she might tell him to get lost. If he didn't do something rash, the red wolves would lose. Big time.

"Everything okay, Britt?"

He stared at the wall separating Randi's coffee shop and bar, undecided. Peering down at Kris's concerned face, he said, "I have something important to discuss with her, something that could affect her decision in that meeting."

"Would you like me to get her a message?"

"I would owe you a huge favor, if you could."

A sexy, impish grin appeared. "I like having one of the Steele boys in my debt. Give me a moment while I dump this stuff behind the counter."

"I'll do that." He took the tray from her. "See if you can get Randi to meet me in her office. What I need to say should be in private."

"Her office door is probably locked."

"I'll wait in the hallway."

"Let me see if I can pull her away."

"Try hard, Kris."

"You're going to owe me a very big favor for this."

"Done. Now haul ass."

She hurried away, laughing.

Britt took the tray of mugs and plates to one of the baristas and made his way to the back of the shop. In the same hallway he'd used to find Randi in her stockroom last week he came across another stockroom. She probably kept her supplies for the coffee shop and bar separated. He wondered if that meant she had two different accounting systems going, or if it was just easier on her staff to find what they needed.

He twisted the handle on Randi's office door. Locked. He considered searching for the cooler and taking a look at the wiring. But staring at a repaired wire wouldn't do him a bit of good. Besides, he didn't want to take the chance of missing Randi.

Had someone sabotaged her business by destroying her perishables? He'd never heard an ill word said about her, which said a lot considering the tough stance she had to take with some of her drinking customers. He made a mental note to talk to the electrician. Maybe the guy would open up to him-tradesman to tradesman-in a way he wouldn't be comfortable doing with a client.

Randi came around the corner. He couldn't tell from her expression if she was relieved or peeved. All he could really see was a bone-deep fatigue weighing on her features.

She gave him a thorough once-over that sent his mind straight to their kiss, to the feel of her lips moving over his with excruciating tenderness. He couldn't recall now who had made the first move and, in all honesty, he could give a shit. But his body had been yearning for the warmth of her breath on his face again.

Unlocking the door, she motioned for him to enter. "Kris said you had something urgent you needed to tell me. Did something happen to the wolf pups?"

"No, not that I'm aware of." He set his hands on his hips, unsure how to proceed. This whole day had been surreal, otherworldly. He kept waiting for something to blow up in his face.

"Kris told me about the cooler. You've had a run of bad luck."

She laughed. A tired sound, a defeated sound. "Can't say I care much for this year so far."

"I'm sorry for interrupting your meeting."

"You didn't. We had concluded our business right before Kris arrived."

A vine of desperation wrapped around Britt's throat, squeezing. "Was the hottie in the suit from the Carolina Club?"

She eyed him questioningly, but nodded.

Britt barely got his next words out over the constriction in his throat. "Did you accept?"

"They offered me another twenty percent." She grabbed water out of the small fridge and threw it to him, then pulled one out for herself. "Only a fool would have declined."

"Dammit, Randi! When they find out about those wolves, they're going to hunt them into oblivion."

"And you know this how?"

"I paid them a visit today."

"You did what?"

"Invaded their inner sanctum. They're not conservationists in the sense you're familiar with through your mother. The club preserves the land and wildlife in order to maintain their sport."

"If they're into preservation, why do you think they'll hunt the wolves into extinction?"

"Because they're not just game hunters, they're trophy hunters. They live and breathe checking animals off their kill list. Rare red wolves would be an unexpected gift to them."

Something flitted across her features. The shift happened so fast that Britt questioned whether he saw it at all. She didn't help matters when she turned her face away to open her water bottle.

"Well, I guess it's good that I'm a fool."

Britt froze. "What'd you say?"

"I said I'm a damned fool."

"You refused the club's offer?"

"God help me, I did." Facing him, she pressed the cool plastic against her forehead. "I've never done anything so irresponsible in my life." Terror-filled eyes glared at him. "And that statement includes the poor investment I made that got me into this unholy mess."