The more Sam thought about how little she knew Stone Montgomery, the more frustrated she became. How could she have fallen so hard for someone she barely knew? She knew more now.

After Stone left, she'd been unable to sleep, so she'd done some long-overdue digging into the Montgomery family.

She blamed Carla. If she hadn't sent Sam to Hartstone, hadn't bragged so much about the good times, the hot brothers, the family atmosphere, then Sam wouldn't have gotten involved. She would have kept to herself and ignored the magnetic pull that Stone had on her.

Yep. She would have ignored the devastatingly handsome cowboy who sent a thrill through her with a simple smile. She would have ignored his deep, rich voice, his penetrating eyes, that strong body that he wielded like a secret weapon. Yep. She definitely would have stayed away from all of that.

She stood in the middle of her closet, trying to pick out her clothes for the day, sighing in frustration, because all she wanted to do was call him and apologize. She just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Because he had been evasive when she asked about his visit, and she knew that was never a good sign. Then again, she'd never really been in a relationship, so maybe he was just trying to have some of his own time without hurting her feelings. She snorted and huffed, glancing at Jasper who lay on the floor, one eye closed, one eye observing her.

"He shouldn't not want to spend time with me, right?” She inquired of her four-legged friend.

Jasper just lifted his head to look at her with curiosity, thumping his tail on the floor. Sam waved a dismissive hand at him.

"You're no help at all, Jas. I mean, it's not like we see each other every day or anything. We don't even live in the same state for goodness sake."

Unable to make a decision on what to wear, she went with a staple outfit: Black silk blouse, grey pencil skirt, black patent-leather pumps. As she dressed, she thought about what she'd learned about the Montgomery family during her dig last night.

Stone and his twin brother, Dean, were the oldest of the five brothers, but Stone was the one who’d stepped in to take over the business when his father retired three years ago. There wasn't much information available about the family, even though their business had its own listing on Wikipedia. It seemed their cattle business was the bread and butter of their operation, shipping Prime quality beef all over the world.

There was brief mention about Stone's military service, enough to let Sam know there was more to his military career than he let on, but everything she found felt controlled. The only reason she picked up on it, was because she did exactly the same thing with her own publicity.

When it came to public knowledge about Samantha Covington and her company, the leash was extremely short. She had people working for her whose only job was to keep her and information about her life out of the public eye. It worked. Sam doubted anyone she passed on the street would have a clue who she was.

So, the lack of information available on the Montgomery family was disappointing, but not out of the ordinary. Carla and Cameron had been spending summers at Hartstone for many years, and if Sam was sure of anything, it was that Carla would have warned her off Stone from the beginning if there was reason to do so. Maybe her problem was that she was always top dog, always the one calling the shots, but she didn’t know what to call in this situation. Stone was throwing her off her game because he played by rules she hadn't learned yet.

* * *

Riding the elevator to her office with Jasper sitting quietly at her heel, Sam worked to clear her mind. She needed to focus. There was too much work to do, she didn't have time to let Stone keep interrupting her thoughts. They had a fight, it was part of being a couple. At least, that's what she'd heard. She would say she was sorry, he would say he was sorry, and they would be fine. Wasn’t that how these things worked?

The elevator doors opened with a whisper. She and Jasper stepped out and the hairs on her arms stood up when she saw the strained look on Nora's face as she rushed toward them.

"Sam, I’ve called Cameron already. You shouldn't go to your office." Nora's eyes were pleading and apologetic at the same time.

Sam looked down the hall where Dan and Alec stood just outside her office door. Both men regarded her with something like sympathy, for better or worse, it was that look that made her set her jaw and press forward.

"Gentlemen."

The two men nodded, but it was Alec who spoke up first.

"Ma'am, you don't need to see this. Please let Cam and Agent DeLuc take care of it for you."

She assessed him for a moment, trying to gauge the severity of what she was about to encounter. Alec looked steadily back at her, but didn't say anything else.

"Alec, I’m thankful for your concern, but I need to know."

Alec stepped aside with a solemn nod and Sam's breath stopped at the sight that greeted her. Her little finger twitched, she felt the ache in her shoulder, like her body remembered what her mind could only jumble together.

A crime scene in black and white, taped to the cabinets that lined the back wall of her office. She swallowed hard, forcing herself to step forward. The whisper of Jasper's soft hair against her leg brought a small measure of comfort as her blank mind scrambled for references to the images before her.

The center photo: Javier, herself, her father, lying in growing pools of blood. She knew the blood wasn't spreading. These photos were taken thirteen years ago, but in her mind, she saw it spreading. She saw the life seeping out of her first love, her father, herself. With a blink, she scanned the other photos surrounding the focal point.

One was of her mother, taken in a café. A memory flashed through her mind. The photo was obviously taken by someone who'd been hired to do it. Sam must have been six or seven at the time. She couldn't stop staring at that smiling face, the face of a woman who was happy once. A woman who was smiling at the little girl beside her. Sam reached out her hand, brushed her fingers across a pale cheekbone, the cool, glossy paper beneath her skin a cruel reminder of where she was. It had been such a long time, she'd forgotten how beautiful her mother was.

Her eyes flicked to the photo beneath, even as her mind screamed at her to look anywhere else. It was her mother, laid out on her bed with a bottle of pills, a bottle of wine spilling over the side.

The fourth photograph: Her childhood home in flames, the words, YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU scrawled in bright red ink across the black and white canvas.

"Sam."

Carla's soft voice brought her back to the present, she blinked, felt the moisture on her cheeks and lifted a trembling hand to pat it away.

"Sam, honey, you don't have to be here. Let Cam and Agent DeLuc take care of this."

Sam turned to face her friend, catching sight of Cameron and Agent DeLuc just inside the doorway. She set her jaw as she turned to face them. “I need to know everything.” She said resolutely. "If I step aside for one moment, that's when I lose. Where are we with everyone's details?" She pinned Cameron and DeLuc with a look that let them know she wasn't going anywhere.

Cameron sighed a heavy sigh. “We're on a one-to-one with each of the kids, you've got Alec, Nora's got Dan, and Carla’s got me." Cameron glanced at his wife who offered him a soft smile. "We have two men outside each residence twenty-four-seven. Agent DeLuc has his own men gathering intel as well."

That all sounded well and good, but there was one elephant that needed to be addressed.

"Why haven't you found her yet?"

At her question, Agent DeLuc and Cameron exchanged a glance. It was Agent DeLuc who spoke this time.

"According to records, Cynthia Morales died four years ago from liver failure. She had no next of kin, so the state auctioned all of her assets."

Sam's mind reeled at his words. “But I saw her. I know that face. I'll never forget it."

"We're not saying it wasn't her." Cameron offered. "But if it was her, she has an entirely new identity, and Norman and James have been manipulating her for a while if they “killed” her four years ago."

The hairs on her arms raised as she asked the question she didn’t want to ask, but needed the answer nonetheless.

"Did you get a copy of her death certificate?" At Cameron's nod, she continued. "Who was the Coroner?"

Cameron sighed and dropped his chin to his chest before looking back up at her.

"The fact that you're asking me, tells me you already know the answer."

“It was the same man who ruled my mother's death a suicide,” She pointed angrily to the photo on the wall. "When there are clearly handprints around her neck!"

Sam took a deep breath to control the emotions flooding through her.

"We know they have people on their payroll.” DeLuc admitted. “We just don't know who or how many."

"You know this guy is one of them. What are you doing about him?" Her eyebrows drew together as she looked at him, watching him squirm under the heat of her gaze.

"Ms. Covington, you need to understand, even I have to work within certain constraints. We have surveillance on multiple suspects in multiple departments. I have undercover agents and C.I’s reporting to me daily. We're doing all we can to take these guys down."

Sam regarded the two men carefully, the understanding that she was going to have to get her hands dirty slowly dawning on her. She gave a nod and straightened herself.

"Ok. You're doing all you can. I appreciate it. Please keep me up to date on anything you find." With that, she brushed past them, Jasper and Carla hot on her heels.

"Sam.” Carla implored as she trotted to keep up with her. “I know that look. Please don't do anything rash. Let the guys handle this."

Carla grabbed Sam’s arm and jerked her to a stop, her eyes filled with concern when Sam met her gaze. "Sam, if something happens to you... Please, just let them handle it. Whatever you're thinking, just stop it."

Sam pulled Carla into a hug, held her tight, and took a deep breath.

"Carla, I promise I'll be careful. I won't do anything stupid and I'll have Jasper and Alec with me at all times. Okay?"

She released her friend and stepped back.

"Alec!” She called, turning into the elevator. "You coming?"

"Yes ma'am!" Came the quick reply.

"Sam!" Carla said sternly. “If you let something happen to yourself, I will personally come and kick your ass."

Sam chuckled and smiled back at her. "Deal". Then she stepped onto the elevator with Alec and Jasper.

* * *

“I kept everything." Sam explained to Alec while she pulled boxes from the top shelf of her closet, handing them to him to stack on the floor. “I haven't looked at any of this in years, but I knew it would be useful at some point." She handed him the last box and climbed down from her step ladder.

"What?” She asked at the expression on his face.

"I'm feel like I’m in some kind of twisted story." Alec admitted with a befuddled expression. “I mean, I know this kind of stuff happens, but it's a little surreal to be standing here with someone in the middle of it."

Sam barked out a laugh, bending to pick up a box. "That’s my life, just a crazy, twisted tale.”

While they carried boxes into the living room, Sam thought about just how crazy her life really had been and sent up a silent prayer that she would find her happy ending. The two of them worked silently for a while, spreading the contents across the floor in order of date, type, and topic. It took a couple of hours, doing it to Sam’s specifications, but when they were done, she and Alec stood back to observe the fruits of their labor.

"Do you see it?” She gestured to the rows of newsprint followed by bank statements, followed by her father's own handwritten notes and a few police reports.

Alec blew out a breath, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I should call Cam and Agent DeLuc. They need to see this too."

Sam placed a hand on his arm, stopping his motion to grab his phone.

"Wait. There's one more thing we need for the whole picture."

Alec looked at her questioningly.

"We need the police records."

"With all due respect ma'am, they're not going to just hand over evidence to us."

Sam glanced at him with a gleam in her eye. "Ah, but I have a favor to call in. I didn't know what I was saving it for, but I knew it would be big, and here we are. There's just one itty, bitty thing I’m going to need from you."

An hour later, Sam listened in on Alec's comm as he greeted the receptionist at Police Headquarters.

"Good afternoon, ma'am."

Sam smiled as the receptionist greeted Alec in return. She could almost see the blush on the poor girls face as Alec laid on the charm. He was better than she thought he'd be.

“I need to speak with detective Monroe, please."

"Do you have an appointment?" The girl asked in a sweet voice.

"No, sweetheart, I sure don't. Call up and tell him a representative for the charity benefitting his daughter is here to see him. If he still needs an appointment, I’ll make one and come back later."

Sam paused, holding her breath for the response.

"Ok, I'll just call him for you."

It seemed like an eternity before Sam heard the girl's voice again.

"Mr. Monroe, There's a Mr. Stanford here to see you about your daughter. Should I have him make an appointment? O-oh... Oh, ok. Yes sir."

Sam heard the click as the phone was placed in its cradle, then the receptionist’s confused voice. "He said to tell you he’s coming right down and please don't go anywhere."

She heard the smile in Alec's voice as he thanked her.

Twenty minutes later, Alec and Detective Morales emerged from the building, each carrying a large briefcase. The color drained from Detective Morales’ face when Alec opened the door of his SUV, revealing Sam in the back seat.

"Sa - Ms. Covington." The Detective stuttered. "Is this it?"

"Is it all there?” Sam asked coolly.

"Every detail we have." He responded.

"We're almost there, Detective. Your testimony will be the last thing I require of you."

Detective Morales Blanched. Sam controlled the urge to comfort the poor man. She couldn't let him see her emotions at play here. He had to think, like everyone else, that she was a cold-hearted bitch who would do whatever it took to protect her interests. That was the only thing these kinds of people understood fully. A person's perceived threat was often more powerful than an actual threat. She gave him a forced, half smile.

"Detective, I know you’re under surveillance and under pressure, but I would like to take this moment to remind you of your promise to me, and of my promise to you."

“I haven't forgotten." He said apologetically.

“I know you haven't. I’m also so glad your daughter is thriving in her new position."

Morales face went blank and he hung his head. "Whatever you need Ms. Covington. I’m at your service."

She gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Detective. Enjoy the rest of your day."

Alec closed the door as the detective crossed the street back to the station and Sam let out a shaky breath. She unclasped her hands, flexing her fingers to stop the tremble. Alec climbed in the driver's seat, looking at her in the rearview as he pulled away from the curb.

“I sure would like to know the story behind that one." He said slowly.

Sam stared out the window, oblivious to the passing scenery. “I tried to run away one night, from my father. I went to the police, thinking they were there to protect the innocent.” She paused, took a breath, met Alec's eyes in the rearview. "Detective Morales is the one who took me home. He said he had an obligation to my father." Her eyes slid away from his as she turned back to the window.

“I found out later, after my father's death, that he hadn't wanted to take me back, that he knew what kind of monster my father was. When I went to the station, they went to his house, held his own daughter in exchange for me." Sam huffed bitterly. "He was already in their pockets, covering up things they were doing, so it wasn't hard to twist his arm a little more."

She glanced back at Alec, but his eyes were fixed on the road ahead.

“I tried to make amends with a lot of people for the things Michael Covington did, but he was someone I wanted to confront. When he told me the whole story, I saw an opportunity for future gain and I used it. I told him to keep doing whatever it was he did for James and Norman, keep taking their money, but I doubled the amount they were giving him and sent his daughter to Stanford. I got her the job she has now. I told him I’d collect one day and the man is too greedy, too much of a coward to put a stop to it."

Alec glanced back at her, pulling into her building's underground parking. She dropped her eyes at his penetrative gaze.

"You think I’m as bad as they are.” She observed with a shake of her head.

"No ma'am." He replied firmly. He parked the big Rover and twisted in his seat to look at her directly. “I think you're playing the game you were born into. I don't think you want to, but you have to. I think you're smart enough to know which strings to pull and when. And," he added with a fierceness that took her by surprise. “I think, when the dust settles on this shit storm, you'll be the one still standing."

His words were a soothing balm to her battered emotions. "Thank you Alec. That means more than you know."

“I’ve been through war, ma'am. It would be foolish for us to think of this as anything less. I want you to know I’m not just spouting words to make you feel better. I mean what I said."

Sam nodded and Alec exited the car, coming around the side to open her door.

"You're a good man, Alec. When this is all over, anything you need, just let me know and it's yours."

He grinned down at her. "Cam's the one who’s got me under contract ma'am. He takes excellent care of his men. I'll just be grateful when I can spend a quiet evening with my wife again."

"Maybe I'll send the two of you on a vacation.” She offered while they gathered the briefcases and headed for the elevators.

Back inside her apartment, the two started the process of sorting the documents and photos Detective Morales had given them.

Sam absentmindedly scratched Jasper, who had come to lay next to her on the couch while she looked through a folder of black and white photographs.

"Alec.” She said suddenly. "Did you document my office at some point?"

"Yes ma'am. I’ve got the photos on my phone."

She asked to see them, comparing Alec’s photos with the ones she held.

"Alec, these are the same pictures."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Call your boss, have him and Agent DeLuc meet us first thing in the morning. Then we'll organize this with what we've done already."

Three hours later, Sam's eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but her mind wouldn't stop replaying the story laid out in front of her.

"Alec, go to bed.” She wearily commanded him.

Alec just laughed at her.

"Ma'am, you're just as exhausted as I am. I'll go when you go."

She shook her head in amusement.

"When did people stop following my orders? Fine, let's go to bed, because you're right, I’m cooked."

* * *

This can't be happening... in a moment of stunned disbelief, Sam's eyes flew from the body lying next to her in a growing pool of blood, to the man standing in front of her, his eyes cold as ice while he laughed at her. The gun she held shook violently in her grasp. She watched the red stain blossom on his shirt, terror ripping through her at his lack of response to the bullet she'd put in him. He's totally insane. She thought, her body trembling with fear and anger as he raised his own gun and leveled it at her.

This isn’t how this was supposed to go. Her mind reeled, her body betrayed her. She wanted to get away, that was all. This had never been in the plan.

He smiled a cruel, merciless smile.

“You finally decided to get a backbone, Samantha. I’m so proud of you. I always wanted you to stand up and be the leader I knew you were capable of being. The problem, you see, is that I needed you to be ruthless in the boardroom, at the negotiating table, at the HEAD of CSM! You were going to be my greatest legacy. But here you are, standing against me… ME!”

His eyes held nothing but contempt in their icy depths, his voice little more than a hiss as he continued his tirade. “You are an ungrateful little bitch. I gave you everything. I made you what you are and I would have made you the greatest female CEO the business world has ever known. But no, you wanted to care. Well, look where that got you." He spat at her. "Look what happens to people you care about!” He growled as he gestured to the body of her only friend, just feet from where she stood rooted to the ground.

"You have fought me every step of the way, but no more! I made you and I will end you".

Before she knew what was happening, her body was flying backwards onto the living room floor. Three deafening shots rang out in measured succession. Searing pain ripped through her as the bullets tore through her flesh. She tried to take a breath, but her lungs refused to cooperate. She tried to move, but her limbs were as good as if they were bound to the floor.

Sam came awake gasping, sobbing for air, thrashing for freedom. She realized with growing clarity that she was completely tangled in her sheets, rivulets of sweat slipped down her forehead. She felt the dampness of her skin against the covers.

Jasper whined beside the bed. Sam reached a hand out to touch him, the feel of his soft fur beneath her fingertips calming her, comforting her. She took a few deep breaths and untangled herself from the sheets.

Sam hadn't thought about that night in a long time. It was always a memory she kept at bay, but now she knew that she had to go back there. She and Alec had found too many connecting dots. She had to put aside the emotions and remember the events. There was some key detail in the time between her father pulling the trigger, and her loss of consciousness. She had to remember. It was there, somewhere in the recesses of her mind. she just needed to access it.

She glanced at her nightstand clock: three a.m. glared back at her. Throwing an arm over her face, she blew out a breath. Stone weighed heavily on her mind. The way they'd left things was eating her up. The dream she'd just had made her realize how petty she'd been. Life was messy and unpredictable, but she knew Stone loved her, that he wouldn't purposefully hurt her. She grabbed her phone, dialed his number.

"Hey, Sweetness." Came the voice she loved, raspy with sleep. "What's wrong, Love?"

She nearly sobbed with relief at his greeting. "Stone, I’m sorry, so sorry for the things I said to you."

"Been thinking about it, have you?" He asked slowly, sounding a little more awake.

“I didn't mean what I said.” She continued. “I can't stop thinking about it. Can you forgive me? What I said about ending up like my mother, I... Stone, that was so wrong. I feel things with you that scare the living daylights out of me..."

"Ah, baby." He interrupted. “It's ok to be scared. You're a fighter. I’m glad for that. Might not have you with me today if you weren't so fierce.” She heard him take a breath and waited for him to continue. “I got my feathers ruffled too. Let's call this our first tiff, how's that sound? Of course I forgive you. Will you forgive me for walking out like I did?" He asked softly.

"Yes. Yes, of course I do.” She answered with a smile, even though he couldn't see it.

"Stone?"

"Yeah Sweetness?"

“I love you."

“I love you too, Samantha. I hope one day you know how much. Now, back to sleep with you. I'll call you tomorrow." He cleared his throat, trying to conceal the gruffness in his voice.

"Goodnight, Stone.” She said quietly.

"Night Sam."