“Leave him, Juni,” I rasp thickly, “Save yourself.”
“It’s not that easy,” she looks down at her boots, “Did you mean it?”
“What?”
“That you’re going to take him down.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes.” I vow. “Come with me.”
She looks to the stables, “I can’t.”
“You can.” With Dottie settled, I leave the trailer and close the door. “You can, Juni.”
“No, I can’t,” she squeezes her eyes closed. “I’ll be okay though; I always am.”
I shake my head, “You deserve more.”
“Perhaps,” she shrugs, “or perhaps not. We will never know.”
“Juni.” I reach for her but drop my hand when she steps away.
“It was really good to meet you, Silas.” Her brown eyes glaze over, “You gave me something I didn’t think existed anymore.”
“What?” I frown.
“Kindness.”
She turns and walks away from me, back into the stables,to him.
There’s a war inside of me, one that tells me to chase after her and another to get the fuck away from here.
I can’t force her away from him; we are nothing to each other but strangers. A buzz forms in my ears asI walk around my truck and climb in behind the wheel.
The whole thing feelswrong.
I’ll get her out next. When I take down Cal, I’ll save her.
Starting the engine, I pull away from the stables, only stopping once to grab all my shit from the cabin. I never unpacked, so it’s easy to get everything together and thrown into the back of the truck, and then I’m driving away from Scott Ranch, away from that fucking prick and away fromher.It’s only when I’m on the road, heading back to Sunstone Ridge and Knight Falls Ranch that it explodes out of me. My palm thumps against the steering wheel enough times for pain to bloom in my hand and up my arm.
“Fuck!” I roar, gripping it so hard it feels like the skin over my knuckles may split more than they already have.
What kind of man am I?
Chapter Eight
I keep quiet as I tend to Cal’s bloody nose, hiding the blooming sense of satisfaction I feel seeing the dry and crusty blood on his face. It’s been such a long time coming and just needed someone brave enough to stand up to him. It won’t be enough, I know that; nothing will be enough to stop Calvin. No threats or investigations.
Silas’s heart is in the right place, but nothing will come of it. Cal has too much money and too many people in his pocket. He can close any investigation that is opened against him; he just has to pay off the right people, and unfortunately, he knows the right people. Either that, or he bribes and blackmails them, digs up dirt to hold against them.
It’s how this place got so big so quickly.
He is obsessed with being on top, holding the power, and having money. Just like he has with me, he uses people, holds them under his thumb until they break.
I hope Silas is the difference, that he is the one to end all of this, but it’s hard to hold on to hope when hope was sucked out of me a long time ago.
I never thought I’d be this girl, never thought I’d let a man have this control over me, but I was quick to learn that sometimes it happens without us really knowing it.
It starts small and builds up.
