by Aspen Grey
“What is it, baby?” I asked him, pressing my body against his back. He was so strong, taut like a statue. I could feel the tension in his body.
“It’s nothing,” he told me quickly, shaking his head.
“Stop,” I replied. “I know it’s something. You can tell me.”
Preston was quiet a long time, standing beneath the water with his head down. I didn’t press him. I knew he would tell me when he was ready. All I could do was be supportive. That was my job now.
Finally, he spoke.
“Jasper’s father is buying the farm from Frank.”
What!?
That’s what I wanted to say, but I held myself back, trying to think of the right words to use. I slid my arms around him and held him tight, letting him know I was with him no matter what.
“Why – why would Frank do that to you?” I finally asked. Preston sighed deeply.
“No, it’s not his fault,” he replied. “Frank has to do what’s right for him. He’s getting older and can’t run this place forever.”
“You could!” I said excitedly. “You’ve told me what you think could be done with this place!”
“I don’t have the money,” he said sadly. “And no bank would give it to me. I don’t have any collateral.”
It just wasn’t fair. Preston would be able to run the farm with ease, and even expand it to its fullest potential. He’d told me his vision for the place, the larger gardens, irrigation, everything he would grow. Somehow I’d always believed that would be possible, but if Jasper’s family took over…that dream would never become a reality.
“There’s got to be something we can do,” I told him, my mind racing, trying to come up with something. But Preston and I were just starting to build a life together. What were we supposed to do against a powerful family like Jasper’s?
“Son of a bitch!” Preston roared, slamming a hand against the shower wall. His outburst made me jump, but I quickly wrapped my arms back around him.
“Don’t worry, babe,” I told him. “We’ll figure something out.”
Preston turned around and looked at me. In his eyes, something like regret was beginning to form. He opened his mouth to speak, but something stopped him.
His nose twitched, and his head snapped toward the door.
“What is it?” I asked, and then I smelled it. My whole body went tense.
Jasper!? Here!?
Before I could react, Preston leapt out of the shower and was running for the door.
“Baby, wait!” I shouted, shutting off the water and racing after him. We were both still completely naked. I sprinted down the hall and into the living room to find him standing on the porch. As I ran toward him, he held up a hand, letting me know I should stay back. I stopped and waited.
He was seconds away from shifting, I could see it in the way he was holding himself. As I gazed outside beyond him, I could see three figures. Jasper, and two others, standing in front of an expensive black SUV.
Flanked by the headlights, they were nothing more than silhouettes. It was like something out of a gangster movie, and I felt a rush of terror slink down my spine like a tube of icy slush.
We were basically out in the middle of nowhere, alone, with three hostile alphas staring us down. I never doubted Preston’s strength, but without the element of surprise, would he be able to fight them off if they attacked?
“Evening,” Jasper called out. “Frank tell you guys the news?”
Preston didn’t answer. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. Their truck had kicked up cloud of dust that blew toward us. It was like a toxic haze of dirt and their filthy scents and made me want to throw up.
“Get out of here, Jasper,” Preston finally growled.
“What do you mean?” Jasper scoffed arrogantly. “This is my land. I can do whatever I want here.”
“It’s not your land yet,” Preston replied. Jasper shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.
“Technicalities,” he laughed. “Whatever the case – it’s not yours.”
Preston stood ready, staring at the three invaders. I should have known they’d find us eventually. It was inevitable.
We should have moved to Boston, I thought. We would have been safe there!
“What’s the matter, Preston?” Jasper continued, taunting my mate. “Don’t have the jump on us? The element of surprise? Too scared to take us on in a fair fight?”
“Three on one isn’t a fair fight,” Preston growled.
“True,” Jasper smirked. “But you know what? I don’t give a good goddamn about playing fair.”
No! My soul screamed out as Preston shifted in front of me.
“Preston, stop!” I shouted, but it was too late.
15
Preston
I was boiling over with rage as I shifted. My fangs protruded as I raced toward Jasper and the two alphas flanking him. I wanted to tear them limb from limb. I didn’t care if I was outnumbered, nothing was going to stop me from defending my mate.
This is my home!
Kenneth was behind me, and there was no way I was going to let anything happen to him. He was carrying my child. I’d die before I let them touch him.
But as I raced toward them, Jasper and his alphas didn’t shift. Instead, they started to get back into the SUV.
Are they running? I thought as I pushed forward, picking up speed.
But before I reached them, they all slid back into the SUV and slammed the doors. I threw myself forward and slammed into the passenger side, denting the back door. But before I could do much else, the engine roared and the tires spun out as Jasper threw the vehicle into a hard turn, kicking up dust and rocks in my direction.
I leapt out of the way as the back of the SUV spun toward me. Jasper floored it and sped away at top speed, throwing a middle finger out the air to taunt me as he pulled away.
What the Hell? I thought as I chased after them. But I’d never be able to catch them – not at that speed. I slowed down and watched as they sped away. I was panting heavily. Adrenaline was coursing through me. I was ready for a fight, and they were running off?
No, I thought, as I realized what had just happened. They didn’t come for a fight. They came to taunt me.
In Jasper’s mind, the fight had already been won. His family would soon own the land where I was renting, and I’d be ousted from my home as soon as the ink was dry on the contracts. He didn’t need to beat me in a real fight. As far as he was concerned, he and his family had already won. And he was right.
I shifted back to human form and watched as the SUV’s taillights vanished into the darkness.
“This is a nightmare,” I said to myself, feeling utterly defeated. I felt like I’d been transported into one of those movies where the lone guy is going up against the powerful mafia family. I felt helpless. It was my job, my duty to protect Kenneth, and I didn’t have a clue how to do that in the face of such power.
I was just a farm hand. Sure, I could kick Jasper’s ass in a fight, but his family could buy cops, judges, and half the town if they needed to. I mean, Jasper had tried to roofie me and my mate, and then convinced everyone that I was the sleazy one! If only people understood what kind of person he really was, maybe then I’d at least have a way to fight back.
That’s it! I thought as an idea hit me. I had to out Jasper for the slime he was. Real evidence would go a long way, even against his corrupt family, but how would I get it? That was the problem.
My mind churning, I turned around and walked slowly back toward the house.
And then there was the matter of the farm. Even if I managed to damage Jasper and his family’s reputation, they’d still buy the farm and throw us out. And I still didn’t have the money to give Frank to reverse his decision.
“Shit!” I cursed, slamming a fist into my leg as I made my way back to the house. Kenneth was standing on the porch waiting for me, his eyes filled with concern.
“Oh, thank God!” he cried
out, racing over to me and throwing his arms around me. “I didn’t know what to do!”
“I’m okay,” I told him, stroking the back of his head. “He just came here to taunt me. Nothing more.”
“I hate him!” Kenneth snapped.
“That makes two of us,” I told him as I walked him over to the porch and sat down beside him. He was quivering, and leaned his head against my shoulder.
“We need to expose him,” I told him. “But I don’t know how.”
“What do you mean?” Kenneth asked.
“People need to know about him!” I growled. “What he tried to do to me – to you! If it got out that he was running around trying to drug people, if we have real evidence against him, that would damage his family. Take them down a notch. We could hurt them the way they’re trying to hurt us.”
Kenneth didn’t respond for a moment, and I could tell by his silence that he was thinking of something. I looked down at him and poked him gently with my elbow.
“What?” I asked him. “What is it?”
“I – I have an idea that might work,” he said slowly. He looked up at me with a sheepish smile. “But you’re not going to like it.”
16
Kenneth
My heart was racing and my palms were sweaty as I gripped the steering wheel as I drove toward Austin. I was in my car, with Preston following behind me in Frank’s truck. He was coming just to make sure nothing went wrong, but this plan relied on both of us.
“Evidence, evidence, evidence,” I muttered as I spotted the sign for my exit. “We need evidence.”
I was headed back to R7 to find Jasper. If he wasn’t there, someone would know how to find him. The idea was to convince him, hopefully, that I was ready to jump ship and leave Preston and be with him. After that, get him to admit to trying to roofie either of us, record his confession on my cell phone, and bring it to the cops.
That was the plan at least.
It was a long shot, and we both knew that, but what other choice did we have? Jasper’s father would buy the land, kick us out and we’d have nothing. I barely had enough money to get myself started up in Boston, let alone support us both. And with our baby on the way, our backs were against the wall.
Preston’s headlights in my rearview were comforting. I was right on the verge of freaking out, but knowing he was with me was the only thing keeping me from totally losing it. Even if all else failed, and I completely blew my performance in front of Jasper, Preston would be there to save me.
I pulled off the highway and retraced my route back to the bar. I felt like I was taking a step backwards and couldn’t help but relive the old emotions I’d brought with me the last time I was there.
The feelings of loss, missing my family, feeling alone, needing someone to hold me. Those negative feelings had led me to R7 in the first place, and to all the problems we were caught up in now.
But they also led me to Preston! I reminded myself. There’s no good without bad, and this was a shining example of that. Preston was the light of my life, but Jasper was a terrible, black cloud hanging over us, doing everything to extinguish the sun. But we would fight this together. And we would win.
I pulled my car into the lot across the street from R7. The usual crowd was out front, talking, smoking, laughing and making comments to the guys heading inside. Preston was going to park by Evening Glory again so no one would see us together. It was my job to head inside and find Jasper.
I wished I could smell Preston, just once before I went inside, but I’d made sure to wash as much of his scent off of me as I could, and rubbed myself with lavender scented body lotion to try and overpower whatever was left. Jasper wouldn’t expect me to be completely devoid of his scent, but would be suspicious if I was just dripping with it.
Trying to calm myself down, I gritted my teeth and summoned up as much determination as I could muster.
You can do this, I told myself, placing a hand on my belly. Even if I was able to convince Jasper that I wanted to leave Preston, would he want to take me while I was carrying another alpha’s child? Jasper was sick, and that’s what I was counting on to make my plan work. His pure arrogance and lust for dominance over everyone he encountered was the only thing that might make our plan work.
Gritting my teeth, I got out of the car and began to make my way over to the front door of the club.
“So, I tell the guy – hey, if you wanna drink from this tap, you gotta buy me a drink first!”
The small crowd of men burst out laughing like this beta had just cracked the world’s greatest joke. I wasn’t even sure if I understood it, and kept my head down and shoulders up as I approached.
“Aye, boyo,” one of them called out as I tried to make my way past them without being noticed. “What’d you think of this guy’s joke?”
A hand stopped me and I looked up into the grinning face of a blond alpha with a full beard. “Drink from this tap?”
“Don’t get it,” I said simply. I tried to move past him, but he kept his arm in my way as he burst out laughing.
“Ha ha, see, Lloyd?” He cackled. “Not everyone’s into the ol’ golden shower routine like you are!”
I felt my stomach heave as I grimaced and pushed past them and stepped into the bar. Places like R7 weren’t exactly known for their upscale clientele.
The place was packed, which was odd as it was a Wednesday night, but all that meant was I had a greater chance of running into Jasper. Shouldering my way through the crowd, I made my way to the bar. An enormous man with piercings, tattoos and a leather vest was serving beers to a couple of guys who looked like they were barely out of college.
“Don’t get yourselves into too much trouble, ya hear?” he said as they took the bottles. They giggled something and scuttled away.
“Hi there,” I said as casually as possible. “You know a guy named Jasper?”
“Jasper Vanderton?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You joking?”
“No…”
“‘Course I know ‘em,” he chuckled, wiping the bar top with a rag. “Everybody in and around Austin knows Jasper.”
“Seen him tonight?” I asked. My heart sank as the barkeep shook his head.
“Nah,” he replied. “But he comes in late anyway. My best advice, grab a seat and get comfortable.”
Great, I thought as I turned around and looked out at the crowd. Sticking around all night waiting for Jasper meant I was going to get hit on – a lot. No matter how flattering that might be, I was a taken man and not looking for that kind of attention.
Preston was probably hanging out over at Evening Glory. I could always go over there and wait with him, but then if Jasper showed up I wouldn’t know it, and he could easily pick up someone and leave before I came back, and that would mean we wasted an entire night on a plan that we didn’t even get to try out.
No, I’m stuck here, I thought as I asked the barkeep for a vodka tonic with more tonic than vodka.
“Laying low tonight?” he asked as he passed the glass to me.
“Yeah,” I said with a grimace. “Something like that.”
There was a two-seater table in the corner by an old jukebox. I grabbed my drink and took it over there. My chair, that looked like it had been rescued from a diner on its way to being torn down, screeched like a crow as I sat down.
I sat there sipping my drink for what felt like forever, trying to avoid having to go to the bar to get another one, when suddenly I heard a commotion from somewhere near the back door.
Jasper!? I hoped, looking toward the noise. But no one was coming into the bar. In fact, half of the people inside were flooding out the door into the back parking lot.
“Fight!” someone shouted. “It’s a fight!”
Ugh, I thought with a groan. A fight. That was another reason I rarely went to bars – all the drama. Guys were filled with hormones, then got all pumped up on alcohol, and next thing you know the fists started flying.
I closed my eyes, leaned
back and stretched, feeling less and less confident in our plan every second. I felt powerless, just sitting there waiting.
I heard the front door to the bar open, and the voices of the guys outside drift in. But with them, there was something else. A scent.
My eyes flicked open and I stood up, just in time to see Jasper and two of his goons step inside.
17
Preston
“That’s your plan?” Chuck asked skeptically, sipping a bottle of one of the local craft beers Evening Glory stocked. “Record him saying some incriminating shit? I dunno, buddy. I wouldn’t bet too hard on that working.”
Chuck was working late.
“Uh huh,” I grumbled, popping the top off my beer and taking a swig. “Well, I’m a bit out of options here. His family’s buying the land and throwing us out. He came by with two buddies last night.”
“And?”
“And I tried to fucking tear them to pieces,” I laughed. “But they drove off like a bunch of pussies.”
“Don’t need to beat you in a fight,” Chuck shrugged. “That’s how the Vandertons do it. Beat you with their money.”
“So, you can see why we’re doin’ what we’re doin’,” I told him.
“Still think it’s a long shot,” he replied.
“Yeah, well, if you guys would help me buy the damn farm, none of this would be happening.”
“You’d need Jamie on board for that,” he replied.
“Come on, man,” I went on. “You know it would be a great idea for all of us. Tell her that!”
“It’s a big risk, Preston,” Chuck replied, taking another swig of his beer. “Let’s just say we sink a bunch of cash into the farm – put the business up as collateral. And then it doesn’t produce…”
