by Emily Bowie
I feel like I’m going to hyperventilate. All the horses gone. How did I not notice that?
“We need the money.” His eyes give away the guilt riddling him.
“What use is a new barn with no animals?” I start to stalk over to the new barn.
This is my fault. I’m sure Trevor and I could have come to some sort of understanding.
“Don’t even go there, sis.”
It’s as if he read my mind.
“By the new year we will have it all back. I have this under control.”
“Control?” I stalk toward him. “We are one payment from foreclosing. Does Mom know?”
He shakes his head before coming to his own defense. “After tonight, I will be able to get a few of the horses back. But first I need your help.”
*
TYSON
I’ve been to Jewels’s work for the last three days; finally, I was told that if I came back I would be banned. Yep, definitely stalker vibe. Now, I’m sitting on her doorstep once again, in the fucking heat. My back is against the wall and my feet are out straight across their front concrete steps. I keep changing my position as the sun moves around me, trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.
My fourth water bottle sits empty along with the other three on the step below me, making a bit of mess. How desperate am I that I even brought water along knowing I could potentially be sitting here for hours?
My phone buzzes in my hand with a message.
Brody: Here is your daily intel. Chase had a sleepover last night.
Typical Brody, investing in everyone else’s love life.
Me: I thought your last text was, I quote “Everyone hates Chase.”
Brody: He’s getting more popular, what can I say?
I chuckle and shake my head and it’s that movement that now has me realizing my mistake. I have to piss like a racehorse, with no bathroom in sight.
Something about Jewels backing out of my house, her big blue eyes captured my heart. I’m determined to not let her go. A feeling I’ve never had before, and I’m determined I need to see where we can go. It’s been on repeat in my head. It’s messing with me.
But now I’m more determined than ever to man up and get the girl. No more pussyfooting around. Jewels will be mine.
Not able to take the burning in my bladder any longer, I look around. No one is in sight and that flowerpot is far too inviting. Not needing to dance around anymore, I pee in the black soil. Relief hits me, ah yes.
A clearing of a voice is behind me, and I need to turn around, but it’s impossible. It’s coming out too fast, there is no way to cut it off.
I turn my head over my shoulder. “It’s not what it looks like.”
Mandy raises her eyebrow at me and tries to take a peek around me. “You’re not peeing in my flowers?”
It’s still going, it’s the longest piss ever, fuck me.
“Nope, it’s precisely what it looks like.” I try to jiggle to cut it, but after this long it’s still going.
“You haven’t been home for three days and it looked dry. Thought I’d water them.”
Finally, it begins to slow and ends. Zipping up my fly, I face Mandy, standing my ground.
“You’ve been here for three days?” A humorous smirk slides onto her face.
“Do you know where Jewels is?” I look right in her eyes.
“Should I be getting a security system?” she mocks me. If it wasn’t for that grin I would be worried she actually thought that.
“I fucked up and need to make it up to her.” Now I’m pleading.
“She went back home to Three Rivers.”
Chapter 13
JEWELS
I keep telling myself I am in a dream; it’s the only reasonable explanation. I did not just dress a bunch of girls like they were going to their homecoming in sexy little dresses then send them on their way to be part of some backyard casino. I am not standing in a room with surveillance videos to make sure no one is counting cards. And there are not hundreds, possibly thousands, of hundred-dollar bills stacked sitting all over this tiny room. If I concentrate for a few minutes I could have the total in my head, but I don’t want to know. I still want to be able to plead innocent. Yep, if I said this out loud I might even have someone tell me to stop complaining, that it’s not that bad, even for a dream. But I forgot to mention that there are three other scary looking dudes here with guns, just in case I somehow fuck up. Luke is in over his head and because I love my big brother I am helping him dig himself a deeper hole. Even if that means I get thrown in that same hole. Literally.
Figuring out a few stats on the men who will be here tonight, I create a board with the spread. These people can even bet on who will make the most money, who will fold first, who will sit on the slots the most. Pretty much anything. Think of it like a huge football game where people bet on what the coin toss will be. The smallest littlest thing can be bet on, over and beyond the actual gambling games. This is paradise for anyone who has a gambling addiction.
As if on cue, a few of the men begin to trickle in. Taking their seats at their game of choice.
A loud creak draws my attention to the door, where no one is allowed, to only see an innocent head pop through. It’s Kat, the only girl from Three Rivers here. Luke’s an idiot. Not needing her to get shot with me, I quickly stand up.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, trying to keep my voice low, even if it’s pointless. I can already feel their eyes boring holes through me and three bullets that have my name on it.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” I can hear two of the three men now coming out from the shadows before I feel the tip of a gun at my back.
“She’s cool,” I reassure them, keeping my voice even as I push her out of the room. “Don’t mention this to anyone,” I whisper in Kat’s ear before I shove her out of the room by closing the door.
When I turn to face the man, he is pointing his gun in my face. I feel like I want to vomit.
“She’s a waitress here.” I point to the screen for them to see. “And she thought this was the bathroom.” Slowly, he lowers his gun and motions for me to go back to doing my job.
By the time I am able to head to bed my mind is whirling. Am I a hypocrite for treating Tyson the way I did? I was just in a room with men who would not have hesitated to shoot me if it came to that. Not only that, I helped run a casino in Texas where casinos are illegal. Am I an equal to whatever Tyson is involved in?
Even though what transpired here didn’t harm anyone, per se, I can’t help but feel what I did tonight is probably just as bad as whatever Tyson is implicated in.
Chapter 14
TYSON
Do I go or do I stay? This has been running through my mind most of the day and now it’s dark. Chase has still not called me to even bother to tell me he left for Three Rivers. Needing to do something, I call him. “Hey, brother,” I answer, hearing the click of his phone picking up. “You find out anything?”
“No, not yet. It didn’t go as I had hoped,” Chase answers, sounding vague.
“It’s not that girl clouding your vision, is it?” I pause, waiting for a reaction, and I’m only met with silence. A grunt leaves me, not caring for his lack of response. Brody has kept me in the loop with the girl he seems to be chasing around. Completely unlike the brother I know. “So, Brody was telling the truth. Holy fuck.” I chuckle, almost not believing it. “Did you see a redhead named Jewels?” I try to say it casually, like it’s no big deal.
“Ruby?” A woman’s voice sounds through loud and clear.
“She’s with you right now, man? What the fuck?” I shake my head, he could have at least given me a heads-up he wasn’t alone.
“Who’s Ruby?” Chase asks the girl.
“That’s Luke’s sister. Her nickname is Ruby because of her hair, but her real name is Jewels.”
An exasperated breath gets blown into the phone. “I had no idea, man,” Chase says, almost like he is apologiz
ing for that.
“Call me later.” I end the call, trying to determine my next line of defense. I think it’s about time Jewels and I have a little chat.
Chapter 15
JEWELS
Trevor puts me on edge. I don’t trust him, yet he seems to be my only savior. I’m in my jean shorts, and my Snow White biker princess tank top. I tried to pick the outfit that showed I no longer belong here. At least that’s what I’m still trying to convince myself of.
The way his eyes fall down my body has me squirming.
“I want to buy one of your studs,” I tell him, trying to sound as professional as possible.
His family just placed one of their breeding stallions on sale. And my family’s ranch survival will depend on its sperm. If he is anything like his daddy, I will have money-winning stars who will come from all over just for a sample.
He flicks the toothpick in his mouth in a full circle. The act itself repulsing me.
“So no rekindling our flame?” He leans back into his seat, making me sweat this out.
“One stud, one loan, that is all that is on the table.” I stare into his eyes; he will not drag me down again. I’m determined to prove to Luke I can help him with our family’s legacy. Living in the city has taught me that I am a very determined person when I want to be.
The way he sits back has me glancing at the tables behind him.
Seeing Kat—the girl from our backyard casino—across the room of Van’s BBQ has me realizing that this poor girl has gotten herself into some bad stuff. Her affiliation with Chase Bennett will only top her problems. I have to warn her, it’s the least I can do. If I could go back in time I would want to be warned of Tyson, right? My head has been spinning around Tyson Bennett’s name the last few hours. With the methods Luke is using to save our ranch, how different am I from him?
I stand, ending our meeting. “Think about it and draw up the paperwork for the contract.” He gives me his evil smile, like he thinks he has me. He may have had Ruby but he doesn’t have Jewels. I am more confident than I have ever been.
I can’t help myself when opportunity knocks on my door. As soon as I see Kat heading into the women’s bathroom, I follow behind her.
When she sees me in the bathroom, she doesn’t hesitate to wrap a warm, friendly embrace around me, sealing my line of thinking. The Bennett brothers are nothing but bad news.
“Ruby!” Kat hugs me tighter in her welcome.
“Is that a Bennett boy you’re with?” I ask her as she slowly releases me. I’m almost positive I’m right.
“Yes. Do you know him?” she asks, looking like I caught her off guard.
“You be careful and watch your back with him.” I lower my voice, offering her my warning. “They hold a lot of power, and I have seen how it ruins everythin’ in its path.”
I take a step back. Thinking about what I had walked into at Tyson’s home. Andrea’s words come flooding forward about the blackmail pictures of myself Tyson had taken. If the other Bennett brothers are anything like Tyson you never know how low they may go to get their way.
“If I were you, I would stay away from him.” Then I leave before she has a chance to say a word.
Quietly, I slip out the back unnoticed, and for the first time in my life I am okay with that.
Stepping into the back alley where a lone dumpster sits, my steps no longer press onto the asphalt and my body feels like a feather as I am grabbed and lifted off my feet. Before I have a chance to scream, my back is against the restaurant’s exterior wall. Seeing the determination in Tyson’s eyes has me gasping, I never thought he’d follow me out here.
Slowly, I drop my eyes from his face, casting my eyes down his body, all six feet of him. He is wearing a leather jacket that seems much too hot to have on, and a white button-down cotton shirt with faded blue jeans.
I hate that his presence still makes butterflies in my stomach.
Biting my lip, I try not to lean in to smell his masculine cologne. Looking back up, his eyes mirror mine.
The anger slowly retreats but the dominance stays.
“You never answered any of my calls, Ruby.”
The way he says my nickname has a shiver running through me. Knowing he has looked into me should make me want to run, instead I fight back a grin knowing that he’s invested enough time to find out the name I normally go by.
His eyes keep me pinned, even without him touching me.
Forcing the saliva down, I force my voice out, hoping for it to come out strong. “It’s Jewels to you.” But I feel like a lusty fool, and lick my lips for moisture. “What are you doing here, Tyson Bennett?”
Dipping his head down, I can feel his breath on my lips, it takes all my control to stay put.
“You keep playing with that bottom lips of yours, while saying my name how you just did, will have me taking you for keeps.”
I’m pretty sure my knees almost buckle right in front of him. I force my hand to the wall for extra support.
“Before I take you all caveman-like, we have things to discuss.” Hearing his deep, rough voice has my rational side yelling for me to run. But my feet stay planted. I hear the hidden tone of warning that he will stay true to his word, which only heats my core.
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I dropped beer off to you as a parting gift, simple as that.”
His hands wrap around my waist, pulling me closer. “We both know that’s not true.”
We are so close it would be impossible for anyone to hear his words.
“And there is another thing…your dealings with the ranch.”
The way he says your has me stiffening, like a kid caught in a candy store.
“We are not that different, Jewels.”
I can feel his lips on my earlobe; the pounding in my body makes it difficult to concentrate on what he’s saying.
“Now be a good girl and hop onto the back of my bike so we can go talk somewhere.” His hands run over my bare shoulders.
My words are stuck in the back of my throat and all I can do is nod.
Linking his fingers through mine, he leads me to his ride. He swipes my hair away from the sides of my face before placing his helmet onto my head. The act is so gentle and caring.
Lifting the dark mask up, he gives me a chaste kiss before lifting me onto the cushiony back.
The load roar brings the bike to life, and I wrap my hands around his body harder, keeping my legs snug beside him.
I allow my cheek to rest on his back and tell myself it’s only to keep the wind from hitting my face. Taking this silent moment to relax, I can’t help but feel a little concerned over how the next part is going to go.
*
TYSON
I drove for an hour after I reached the small town, trying to make a plan that did not consist of throwing Jewels over my shoulder to take her back home. But, in essence, this is what I have done.
I kill the motor at an old abandoned church; its doors and windows have been boarded up. I found this gem during my ride. I lead her toward the back where one of the windows has been pulled off. It’s dark and you can hear the bugs flying around with the long grass not being attended to.
“Where are we going?” I can hear the uncertainty in her sweet vixen voice.
Pulling the loose, lone board down, until it’s hanging on one nail, I motion inside. “In here.”
“I don’t think that’s safe.” I don’t have to see her to know she’s a little bit scared.
“Jewels.” I place my hands on her shoulders because I can’t hold myself back from touching her. “I checked this place out earlier, it’s safe.” I pull her in a little closer. “I would never intentionally put you in harm’s way.”
I can hardly see her nod in the dark before I hoist her up and over the window.
I walk over to the lantern I left here for this reason and turn it on. This may not be the most romantic place, but it has a certain ambience. It is a very small church and looks like it
originally held eight or so rows of pews.
Taking a seat, I sit facing forward and pat beside me. This is way more awkward than I anticipated. Clearing my voice I start, “Sorry for what you walked in on the other day.” I run my hands through my hair in a smooth sweep.
“Is it true what Andrea said?” she asks me straight out. “About the pictures?”
She is standing with her arms crossed, glaring down at me. I watch her gauging what to say. “There were no indecent photos taken of you.” I shake my head, feeling like we have bigger issues to talk about. I can see her visibly relax, and realize I need to be more truthful than this.
“But I did take photos.”
Her hands go up into the air. “Oh, so there are photos.” Her voice is sarcastic. “No big deal, right?” Her head bobs back and forth as she begins her lecture.
“It’s not like that. I had planned on deleting them before that night, just never got around to it.” I turn my body to face her, refusing to stand back up, and lean against the back of the seat trying to look relaxed.
“Look, Bennett, I realize you’re still learning how to treat a lady right.” Her hands are moving as she is talking, and I wait for my turn to speak. “But that is in no way an appropriate manner in which to treat a lady. I expect those photos to be fully deleted in front of me.”
Her eyes stare into mine. “Well, that’s impossible,” I tell her.
I can see her eyes go wide and her about to go off on me, so I continue before she can take a big enough breath to go on a rant.
“Because they are already deleted. Not even a professional would be able to get those pictures off the deleted parts of my hard drive.”
Her mouth closes and I can see that I stumped her. Without saying a word, she takes a seat beside me, relieving a bit of the pressure I am feeling.
“Look, I realize I come with my own baggage that comes with the ranch but I just can’t see myself associating with someone in your position.” Her voice gives her away; she doesn’t truly feel this way. I can hear when someone is scared. This is what she thinks she should be saying.
