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“Phone?” I ask.

“Burner.”

The wounded man groans.

I tighten the pressure on his shoulder until the bleeding slows.

“Who sent you?”

He spits into the dirt.

Arthur removes his knife from the man’s sleeve and wipes the blade clean.

“You came armed onto private property,” I say. “You fired first, and we have the entire thing recorded. You can answer my questions now, or you can wait for the deputies.”

The man turns his head enough to look at me.

“You Campbell?”

My blood cools.

“You know who I am.”

A smile pulls at his mouth. “We know the girl was looking for you.”

“Her name is Sage.”

“We know her name.”

“Who sent you?”

His smile widens. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Arthur holds up the burner phone.

“It’s locked.”

“Give it to the sheriff,” I say.

The wounded man laughs. “The police won’t help you.”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.”

His laughter stops.

“What does your boss want with Sage?” I ask.

“What belongs to him.”

Rage surges through me so fast that my vision narrows.

I force myself not to move.

“Sage doesn’t belong to anyone.”

“Navarro paid for her.”