Theo and I had picked up his truck while Oliver andRowan went after Aspen. She was safe and home now, but it had been a long couple of days helping them both, and I was just happy it was finally over and settled down.
I looked up as I walked into the barn. Rowan had the fucker strung up from the rafters of the barn. His arms were chained above his head, and he was swaying slightly, his feet not touching the ground. They were glaring at each other—any other time it would be funny—but tonight, not so much.
“Not much of a talker, huh?” I said as I walked up next to Rowan.
“Nah, doesn’t seem like it,” he replied. His voice was even and calm, but I knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.
“Fuck, there’s two of you? Is that why she chose you? Fucking you both? Makes sense for a fucking whore,” Samuel mumbled. I couldn’t help the chuckle that rumbled from my chest.
Rowan’s eyes met my own. “Damn, you’re fucking my girl too?”
I chuckled again, immediately thinking of my fiery girl. “Nah, I have a different gal in mind at the moment. Spicy like Aspen though. I think they’d get along well.”
Though I hadn’t had much time for her since that night. Between work, a few quick security jobs I’d picked up on the side to keep me busy, and looking after the turkey strung up above me, I hadn’t left the ranch much.
Rowan nodded, the understanding clear in his eyes. “Makes sense. Can’t wait to meet her.”
I scoffed, her dark eyes behind that mask appearing in my mind. “Yeah, me too.”
He arched a brow at me, and I shook my head. I wasn’t going to explain right here and now. That was a conversation for later, after this fiasco was handled.
I stood back with Theo and Oliver as we watched Ro talkto the strung-up asshole. We’d all taken turns keeping his dumb ass alive the last few days while Aspen was in the hospital, but now that we knew she was going to be okay and she was home, Rowan was ready to end him.
Me? I was more than ready for this adventure to be over. So I watched, a smirk on my face, as my brother beat the man to death. Did that make me slightly off kilter? Maybe.
I threwthe dirt over my shoulder as I continued to dig this fucking hole in the middle of the night. Glancing behind me, I shook my head at the bag next to my foot. How did I end up with the torso? This fucker wasn’t even a big dude, but here I was, lugging his heavy damn torso around as if I were the muscles of this family, and not the brains.
Once Rowan was finally done, and fuck head was officially beaten to a pulp, I’d spent the rest of the evening helping him and my brothers dispose of said fucker. If we were being honest, we did the world a favor. He truly didn’t deserve to live. When you’re a man who can’t keep his hands, or his fists, to himself, you’ve got to go.
When I finished burying my section of his body, I could go the fuck home and shower, maybe find some time in my schedule for a spicy redhead.
Footsteps sounded from behind me, but I didn’t bother turning to look. I already knew who it was.
“Almost done?” he asked. He sounded even more tired than I felt right now, but I didn’t blame him. He hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in almost a week, and he’d spent the last few days sleeping in a hospital chair next to Aspen’s bed.
I threw the last bit of dirt over shit head’s torso and thenshoved the shovel into the now soft dirt. Truly, Rowan was lucky he didn’t off this guy any later into the year, or the ground would’ve been solid and we would’ve had to dispose of him a different way. Maybe the neighbor had a pig. That was something I’d have to look into. Just in case.
“There. Best twin brother you’ve ever had,” I said with a smirk.
“Only twin brother I’ve ever had, thank the gods above. Want to walk back with me?”
I nodded, grabbed my shovel, and we started back to the barn where we’d burn our shit and finally head home.
“So,” Rowan started.
“Yeah?” I asked after a moment of silence.
“New girl, huh?” I didn’t reply for a moment, and Rowan didn’t push. He’d always been more of the talker compared to me. I was the quiet twin, and while Rowan had always been vocal about his thoughts on marriage and committed relationships, before Aspen, I hadn’t.
Where Rowan was committed to his work with Oliver on our family’s ranch and the rest of our family itself, I was committed to my job and having a good time with whatever chick of the week wanted to be there. I didn’t actively seek to avoid commitment like him, but I sure as fuck made it a point to ensure every woman I was with understood that I was here for a good time and not a long time.
Our father had passed away when I was twelve, and while it was devastating to all of us, what really hurt was watching Mom lose the love of her life and still having to raise the five of us.
I hadn’t found anyone in my life I was willing to risk it all for that way, but a pair of dark eyes hidden behind a forest green mask came to mind, and I shook my head, forcingaway the thought. That was insane—I didn’t even know her name.
“I, uh…” I cleared my throat and ran my free hand over my face. “My boss for the project over at Silk and Spice wanted me on the app to make sure it worked and shit, told me I needed to fully test it out, so I did. Met up with this girl the other night and we…well, it was anonymous, and she was…fuck Rowan, she was amazing. I haven’t stopped thinking about her since.”
My brother chuckled. “How was it anonymous? Did you both wear ski masks or some shit?”
