"Yeah. Something's going on at Ranch 42. I've got Romeo doing some digging," Colten tells me.
Romeo is one of the best hackers in the world. He's Enzo's second-in-command. And Enzo, he’s the King of our mafia empire, an operation that spans nearly every state, with reach across the world. Nothing gets past him.
We hold up our end here in Arizona. A deal my dad forged years ago to keep our ranch alive and family protected. We run the territory. We manage the product. We handle the problems. And in return, Enzo keeps the wolves from our door.
But turns out, the one place Enzo doesn't have an army is LA. And those motherfucking Greeks are wanting a way in, trying to get through us to get to Enzo.
They put my brother in jail. They hurt my nephew and Lola. And they will pay for it soon.
And we ain't playing their games.
We run differently from most mafia. This is our ranch. Our fuckin' land. And we defend it the way cowboys always have—with grit, loyalty, and the willingness to do whatever needs doing when the sun goes down.
"So how explosive do you want me to be?" I ask.
I can already feel Jett bouncing with excitement next to me. Jett has his own ranch here in Arizona with his brother, Tate. Ranch 42 sits between us. We both fuckin' hate them.
Hunter crosses his arms. "Enough to send a message. Warn them not to fucking come near our land again."
I glance at Jett.
"Couple of outbuildings? And return the favor?" I suggest.
"Colt, you oversee this before Ace burns down their whole ranch." Hunter chuckles.
I would. And I'd make sure they're all in there burning alive. If our missing cattle are hurt, if even one of those calves has a scratch on it, then they fuckin' deserve it.
"I'm taking Wyatt to school. I'll be back after, and I'm going to help Paulie look for our missing ones," Hunter tells us.
I nod.
"I'm taking V for lunch," Jett says. Almost quietly. Which is alarming, because Jett doesn't do anything quietly.
We all spin to face him. Violet is a ball of fire with black hair and a cute smile. She’s becoming part of the family alongside Lola.
"Jett Lawson. Are you fucking Lola's best friend?" Hunter asks.
He shakes his head.
"No. No. We're… friends?" he says, with a small smile that fools absolutely no one.
I blow out a breath. "Yeah. Like Jett 'Tripod' Lawson can be friends with a girl," I joke.
The room erupts into laughter.
Jett is convinced he's got the biggest dick in Arizona and, famously, whilst very drunk at a family barbecue, declared himself atripod.In front of our grandmother. And the name stuck. Permanently. Tattooed into Sterling family lore. Even our grandmother used to grill him for that.
Hunter claps his hand down on Jett's shoulder. "Don't piss off Violet. Okay?"
He salutes Hunter. "You got it, boss."
"And yes. You can take her for lunch. You and Ace will be doing what needs to be done while it's dark. Let's not have any more of us in jail any time soon. Drago probably wants a break from being our lawyer."
“Now, Ace, get back to training. The Sterlings don’t do second place,” Hunter tells me.
“Trust me, I know,” I say. Trying to pretend that I don’t feel the weight of our family name on my shoulders constantly.
That losing my place in the championships is nothing in comparison to losing the love of my life.
