Only Her Undercover Spy - Cami Checketts Page 0,3

elevation. This morning, it was probably sixty, and it might break eighty by late afternoon. Perfect.

His assignment was due to arrive around noon, so he had some time to explore. He walked past some large swimming pools and then along a beach spot with nicely manicured grass and a spot of sand. There was everything from kayaks to floating islands in the water. A couple of zip lines ended in the water, and there were a variety of different platforms to jump off, a rope swing, and an adventure course that went through the trees and out over the water. Already there were teenagers and children enjoying the play area. A young mom caught his eye and gave him a brazen wink. Devon pretended he hadn’t noticed and walked on. Better not to engage anyone, unless they were a certain beautiful blonde housekeeper.

There were trails darting away from the main lodge into the trees to the west and north, and a paved road headed west, probably encircling the entire lake. He could see all sizes of cabins across the lake: small older cabins, decent-sized cabins partially hidden in the trees, and structures graduating to huge mansions. The cabins stretched around to the west and south sides of the lake. He knew from his research there was a small town on the east side of the lake, and he could glimpse bits of shops, restaurants, and even a Ferris wheel. There was also a large ranch south and east of town owned by a Stetson Stillwater. The airport was small and north of town toward the only road in and out of the valley. The lake was probably six or seven miles in circumference, so though the trees gave some privacy to the various cabins, it was fairly easy to see across the lake and into their backyards.

His intel said the target, Antonio Jasper, was planning to stay at the resort, meet up with his contacts, and set up transfer points somewhere in the small valley. It was far enough off the beaten path that nobody would expect drug runners to fly drugs into the small, private airport or make exchanges with trucks up in these tranquil mountains. Devon hated that even in this picturesque valley, there were drug runners and deals going down.

Rumor had it that Antonio, who was Italian by birth, had made significant contacts throughout South America and was suspected to be moving mountains of drugs into America. It was assumed he was also involved in human and sex trafficking. So far, the man hadn’t been caught, and sadly, they couldn’t arrest him on rumors.

Devon’s gut tightened. There was nothing he loathed more than the scum who exploited and enslaved others for their gain. Devon was an independent contractor, but he had built up a solid reputation with a clientele he could feel proud to work for while making incredible money doing the jobs their people couldn’t accomplish. He mostly gathered intel, then allowed the government agency or private business who’d hired him to proceed with that information, but sometimes he got into sticky situations. Which was why he was grateful for his Army background. He also carried his Glock and had a variety of weapons cleared to travel with him, stored in a suitcase and now in his rental car as well.

The danger surrounding his job was why he avoided getting to know the locals; he didn’t want to involve anyone else with the scum he needed to survey. A few times, he’d had to protect such locals from trafficking or being used as shields when the scum got caught.

Speaking of locals … As he strolled along a trail through the trees toward the west, he could see a gravel road winding off the main road. It led down to a large cabin situated on the lakeside. Within, he caught a flash of blond hair and a red T-shirt like his housekeeper had been wearing.

Curious, he sidled through the trees until he had a decent view of the large main area of the cabin. Some open windows gave him a view into the kitchen, but most of the main area’s large windows overlooked the lake. He caught another glimpse of the woman before she disappeared up a wide staircase with a wooden railing. An older lady was in the kitchen chopping onions at the counter. She had tomatoes and peppers spread over the counter, possibly making salsa. The sight brought back a memory of his mom cutting