by Emily Bowie
“Pull yourself together, man. You need to prove yourself before you can pull rank like this.”
I realize he’s telling me this as a friend, since we do go far back. I’ve helped him enough to earn this courtesy, but it won’t stretch much further.
“Yeah.” Turning my back, I head out, needing to find a plan B. Otherwise, Sloan will be in just as deep as Kip, and that’s a place I can’t save her from. My stomach twists thinking she could be safer staying with Ace. At least he’s honest about what he wants.
CHAPTER 33
“I thought you were to be babysat twenty-four seven?” Ace’s deep voice comes from the side as he rounds the garage toward me.
“And here I thought stalking was beneath you.” I sneer at him, hating how he holds the power to scare me. Turning my head, I look down the street to see it vacant. My eyes close for a brief moment, hoping Shay comes fast enough to scare him off.
He strolls into my personal space so that we are eye to eye. His calloused hand cups my cheek before I pull away from his touch, feeling dirty.
He chuckles, a deep, throaty laugh at my reaction toward him. “And I thought you were loyal.”
Feeling my spine stiffen, I hold myself taller. “I never offered you my loyalty.”
“Yet, you give it to a stranger?” he accuses, his tone laced with venom.
His words twirl around in my head. Have I given Kellen my loyalty? I gave him my heart. Is that the same as loyalty?
“That’s what I love best about you, Sloan. You always wear your heart on your sleeve for me to find.”
My eyes narrow on him. I want to beat my fists against his chest and scream about how he’s made my life miserable. How he destroyed everything.
“I’ll sign those divorce papers under one condition.” His jaw twitches, while his pupils flare with a fire that would no doubt like to torch me.
“I want the lean off my house too.” I refuse to shift my posture, keeping my eyes on him.
His grin widens at me. “I don’t think you’re in a position to negotiate.”
“You’re not in a position to turn me down either.” I mock his smile.
We stare at each other, waiting to see who will be the first one to back down.
“You choose which one.” He shrugs like this was part of his bigger plan. “When you pick up a car for me, I will consider your other request.”
“I thought grand theft auto was beneath you?” I consider his angle. Stealing a car is too easy. Much too easy. It won’t be just any car; this one would be special to his business.
He looks at me dismissively, like you would to a mosquito buzzing in your ear. “I’ll give you three seconds to decide.”
“Or you’ll what?” I snap, my hands going to my hips.
“I have the power to remove Kip’s small-town business.” He snaps his fingers, his shoulders rising cockily like it would take no effort at all. “Then you would lose the only two people who care about you.” He begins to slowly back away from me. “One…”
“What happened to the man who swept me off my feet all those years ago?” I ask, wondering how he changed so much.
“Honey, you were always a pawn in my little game. Don’t flatter yourself.” He takes another step backward. “Two…” His body begins to turn as he counts out his last number. “Three.”
“Fine!” I shout, exasperated, not knowing what else to do. At least accepting will buy me time. “Then, you will leave me alone,” I clarify, not ready to trust anything he says.
“See you around, Sloan.” He begins walking away just as I see Shay’s car coming down my road. I roll my eyes at her timing.
What’s one little extra car, anyway?
CHAPTER 34
Me: What are you and Sloan up to?
I text my sister, checking up on them. I hated leaving Sloan by herself, and hated that Kiptyn called me on it. I scrub my hands over my face.
Shay: Naked pillow fight while waiting for Raya.
Me: No, seriously.
As much as I would love to think about Sloan naked, I need to know she’s safe. And I don’t want to hear any part about Shay being naked. I can’t go there. Nope, can’t do it.
Me: You better not text that to anyone else.
I send a stabby emoji with it.
It might be slightly crossing the line, but it portrays how I’m feeling. If Luke starts to bug me about Shay and Sloan naked in a pillow fight, I will kill him. No one should be thinking about my girl naked.
Shay: We’re going to head to yoga together. Cassy Bennett is teaching a class.
I consider asking if it’s naked yoga, after hearing Cassy has done that in the past. But Shay keeps getting in the way of my overactive imagination. If she had stayed out of Three Rivers, I could have gone a hundred different directions with my thoughts, and I’d allow for my cock to spring free.
Me: Text me when you’re out and I’ll bring you coffee.
Shay: Stop stalking us. Sloan is fine.
Leave it to Shay to know my intentions. Tossing my phone into the passenger seat, I pick up my burner phone, ready to call David. I’m secluded in the broken-in dirt road that leads to the rodeo fairgrounds. With no rodeo in town, the area is vacant, leaving me to myself.
“Steele.” David’s voice comes through strong.
“Everything will go down tonight.” My answer is stiff as I lose the relaxed Kellen and become the person the FBI needs.
“Kiptyn Tate will be there? What about Ace Hill?”
For a fleeting moment, my stomach drops as I think about my friend Kiptyn. In the end, I knew it would come down to this.
“As far as I know, Ace has left town.”
“What about that girl of yours, Sloan?”
My teeth grind together at how casual her name comes up. Like he’s insinuating I’m only with her because she’s a pawn in my game and will lead me to the answers.
Punching my seat, I realize I did refer to her like that to him. I can only blame myself for that.
“What about her?” My voice is clipped as my heart wars with my mind.
“I know Ace wasn’t part of the plan, but he’s in the Top 100 Most Wanted.” I can already hear David bragging about that promotion he’s been striving for.
“He was never in our agreement.” I throw this statement out, only because I hate feeling like I’m being bullied.
“Too bad. I think I could manage a big bonus and pension for you if we pulled both of these guys in.”
Even good cops bribe in their own way. I’m the one doing all the legwork. There’s not much of a “we” in our situation. I can’t help grunt out my disagreement. I also recognize my situation. Guys like me are a one-problem use.
“You always know how to sweeten the deal. How do I know you’ll keep your word?” I lean my seat back while rolling down my window, breathing in the fresh air as I consider my situation.
“Have I wronged you before?”
I let my mind wander as I think about this. He hasn’t, but there wasn’t much opportunity for him to.
“You bring him to us, and I’ll take that as your answer. How’s that?” David comes in loud and clear through my phone.
“Yeah,” I say dryly, not in a position to do much else.
David hangs up first, leaving me to my thoughts in the middle of nowhere.
I hate to admit I have nowhere to go. Sloan is safe. I’m not needed with Kiptyn. The chores at the ranch are done, leaving me with nothing to do since I arrived back in Three Rivers.
It’s not until I start to pull out when I see Molly in the grass, topless, her back exposed. I sit there watching her, wondering if she could have heard any part of my conversation. She looks asleep, and if I know Molly, she’s probably wearing headphones to drown out the sounds. Her body doesn’t move; I can’t even see her breathing. I finally decide she must be sleeping; otherwise she would have joined up with Shay already.
Slowly, I leave to head home. Thinking back, it would have
been impossible to hear David, and it was unlikely she heard my side of the conversation. I’m not worried, I convince myself.
Pulling onto the ranch’s long driveway, I see Brax pacing, and it looks like he’s talking to himself.
“What’s up?” I close my truck door, heading toward him.
“Raya is putting us off again.”
Instead of commenting, I pick up the tool chest on the stairs. “Let’s go build shit.”
“She promised she would leave first thing to be here by noon, but an emergency came up, and now she won’t get here till supper.”
I nod, listening. I don’t know the girl, but there always seems to be a reason why she can’t come down here. History repeats itself, and I would put my money on her not arriving at all.
“Go down to see her,” I toss over my shoulder, walking into the framed house.
He grumbles to himself, pulling out a two-by-four from the pile and heading to the saw. The sound takes over the space, signifying he’s done sharing. At least this will give me something to do while Sloan is busy.
CHAPTER 35
Kellen knocks on the barn door before he pokes his head in. I’m sitting on a bale of hay that has a blanket spread over it, with a fruit-flavored cooler in my hand. I don’t like drinking before I head to work for Kip, so I settled for a drink I knew I would hate. I’ve nursed the thing all night, and now it’s warm. Placing the half-full bottle on the floor, I waltz over to Kellen and wrap my arms around him before giving him a very nice kiss, with tongue and all. The girls catcall behind us, and I love the fact that Molly is left having to watch the scene in front of her.
I hate being petty, but I thought Molly and I were friends. The way she seems to be fixated on my love life leads me to believe she still holds a torch for Kellen, who she obsessed over throughout her childhood.
I can feel Kellen smile against my lips, enjoying the attention, before he makes a show by dipping me to end the kiss. My feet feel drunk as Kellen stands me up again.
The whistles and hollers continue. I can feel myself blushing from the audience. Turning around, I wave at the girls with this stupid smile on my face that I can’t get rid of whenever he’s close to me.
“Have a good night,” Molly sings toward us, her voice higher than the rest. I hate that my eyes go to hers. That smile on her face seems fixed, and a shiver runs down my spine.
“Sloan, remember he’s my brother and I don’t do details,” Shay teases as she winks at me, looking happy about the two of us together. “Well, maybe just PG-13 ones.” She giggles as she takes another sip of her drink.
“Bye, ladies!” I give them a wave before Kellen puts his hand on my lower back, leading me out of the barn and into the cooling night air.
“That lip gloss you’re wearing tastes delicious.” I can feel his hot breath on my neck as he whispers to me. “Want to know what tastes even better?”
His hands skim over my hips, rounding my ass before finding my back again. My panties dampen immediately, wanting to know the answer.
Turning my head, I tilt toward him, my eyebrow rising for him to finish. Possessively, he brings my body snug against his, his hardening length digging into me. My breath catches, not accepting the sudden movement. His nose drags across my cheek, his close proximity sending my ovaries firing to get what he’s offering. “Your sweet pussy, the one I plan to devour after this is done tonight.”
“You play your cards just right, and I may even let you,” I tease him, trying to keep from swooning right into his big hands, forcing myself not to ride that big cock of his right here and now.
His hand goes between my thighs. “I could say the same thing to you.” Just as I feel his fingers hovering over where I really want them, they’re gone, and Kellen moves past me to open the truck door.
The cold wraps around me, and I do the only thing I know to keep my heart from flying away from me. “Now get your head in the game,” I scold playfully, moving to the inside of the door.
His hand smacks me on the ass as he goes toward his side of the car before we bounce down his driveway.
“You look excited.” His hand goes to hold mine.
“Old habits die hard.” I laugh out loud, never expecting to be doing this ever again. I had promised myself no more. I can’t deny the thrill of the unknown, of the danger, especially doing this with Kellen—someone I trust to have my back, and I know I’ll have his. When did that happen? My feelings are strong and my heart rate accelerates. I may actually like this more than smoking. Both bad habits I cut out a long time ago.
“I used to be really good at this.” My mind remembers the high I would get from the chase, how wild and free I felt, when my real life felt anything but.
“Then why did I never see you before?”
“You must have come on the scene right around when I left. I must have been no older than eighteen; Ace and I married a month before I was nineteen.” That all seems like a lifetime ago.
“I was only around for about a year. We must have just missed paths.”
Looking out into the darkness of trees, I start to second-guess myself. Is this a good idea? Am I doing what I always do, going back to my old life? Kellen may be sweet as honey, but I have a feeling he’s also as dangerous as the devil himself.
“You plan on staying in Kip’s crew the rest of your life?” I don’t bother to glance over at him as I continue looking out at my view. Stretching my neck to look toward the sky, I see there is no moon. I should be happy about the moonlight being gone. But I can’t stop thinking this might be an omen.
The silence stretches between us, making my heart thump louder in my ears. Again, I’m not sure if it’s from the thrill or the deafening silence of leaning onto my old life.
“No.” He pauses. “I don’t plan to do this after I’m back on my feet.”
I should be happy. For the first time in my life, I want more. I deserve more. But I’ve been around this business my whole life. No one is ever back on their feet. No one ever has the same amount of money. Being a law-abiding citizen is the equivalent to being poor for people like me.
From what I know, neither Kellen nor I have much education. We can’t get some fancy job that makes a lot of money. I’m okay with that. I came to those terms a long time ago. I just hope he has too. I know enough to understand ranching is hard; it takes a whole family to run one. Ranching is never the answer to making it big with money. It’s the answer to having honest work and loving your life, being fulfilled, to not need anything more.
“Good, because this is the last favor I owe Kip, and I don’t see myself doing this again.” I cringe at my own words, hoping they don’t come off as too judgmental or above him. Taking a deep breath, I wish I had a cigarette right now.
“Looks like we’re on the same page then.”
This time, I look over at him and see him grinning. My heart flutters out of my chest, and he officially owns it.
CHAPTER 36
The drive is dark as I head toward the mansion. Sloan stays in the corner of my eye as she stares out the window into nothing. I would love to know what is running through her mind.
Pulling into the parking lot, I watch as the gate toward the back opens and we are welcomed.
This is it. Show time.
As I shift my truck into Park, Sloan doesn’t wait for me to come to her side. She jumps out, and I follow her lead. The small camera on my button-down shirt sits heavy on my mind, the wiring digging into my skin like razors. I scratch at my cuffs that are rolled up, trying not to adjust anything else.
A flash of Cynthia’s dead body plays across my eyes, a vision I wish I could erase. I can’t help but look over toward Sloan. Kip has her in an embrace, giving her a hug. I can see his lips moving slightly, telling me they are speaking.
“Good to have you back,” Russ’s voice cuts through, and I’m forced to turn toward him as we shake hands.
My mind keeps racing with worst-case scenarios and how I can change the outc
ome. I can’t help but have that frightful night five years ago—when I had to save my sister—flash in the back of my mind. These thoughts jab at me like a woodpecker in a tree as I try to focus on what Russ is telling me.
Russ and I walk toward the large whiteboard that has a list of cars. This is the smallest list I’ve seen Kip have.
“What’s with the small list?” I nod toward the board.
“It’s all about quality not quantity nowadays.”
I jam my hands into my pockets, looking over the cars before I turn to see where Sloan has gone.
“Don’t worry, man. She’s in good hands,” Russ remarks, giving me a friendly slap on the back twice.
My eyes continue their scan of the room, unable to find Sloan before I shift, turning back to him. I look over at my acquaintance, knowing he couldn’t have seen where she went.
For the first time tonight, I take a good look at who is in the room with me. I had spent hours studying Kip and his men before I ever knew Sloan was mixed up in this lifestyle. I looked for weaknesses, and where I could worm my way in to benefit myself.
The problem is I’ve been too distracted with Sloan to realize that Kip’s business has changed.
“Who are the new guys?” I ask, keeping my stance relaxed as I cross my arms.
Russ whistles a low and long tune. “Times have changed.”
I can feel my jaw grinding back and forth as I take my time to get a read on the group.
“Anything I should be aware of?” My eyes stare down into Russ’s, acting as the lie detectors they are.
“This crew is honest and will do anything Kip says,” he replies with sincerity I believe, yet the way he says it doesn’t sit right.
The vibe throughout the room is different, and I can’t put my finger on why.
Grunting out my response, I begin to walk away just as Russ catches my attention once again.
“She can’t be tamed. You realize that, right?”
