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As if they weren’t even standing there, Kane wrapped his arm around Peyton and drew her ear against his mouth. She turned as red as the coloring in a stick of peppermint candy and whispered something back. “Boys, it was nice meeting you.”
“You, too,” they chimed, watching as she sashayed away.
“I’ll let you have that one,” Kane said, looking at Flint. “Since we just met, you obviously don’t know any better, but that booty you were ogling is branded like most of the livestock roaming these fields. You look again and it’ll be at your own risk.” Kane gave Flint another firm glare and walked away. With his hand on the screen door latch, he added, “Let me be sure Brianna isn’t inside. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as he left them alone again, Jax pointed at Flint. “That’s inexcusable.”
“Who would’ve thought he would’ve caught me.”
“Well, he did,” Tyler pointed out.
“He’s obviously a possessive old fuck,” Flint said. “Besides you can both guess what I was thinking.”
“Peyton Cartwell doesn’t look anything like Brianna,” Jax said.
“Maybe not, but she has an ass that won’t quit and works that walk like she wants a man’s attention.”
“That was probably for her old man, Flint,” Tyler pointed out. “She’s obviously smitten by the guy.”
Kane returned with another beer. “She’s not inside. Gemma and Coco are here and they both said she may have gone riding with Nory and Drina.”
“They were already gone when we stopped at the barn,” Flint said.
“Huh, well, I guess she doesn’t want to talk to you fellas. Did that ever occur to ya?”
“It crossed my mind,” Jax admitted. “But at the moment, Mr. Cartwell, I don’t care if she wants to talk to me or not. I have a few things I need to say. When I find her, all she needs to do is sit still, look real pretty, and pay close attention, but I will have a word with her.”
“And what is it that you want to say exactly?” Kane seemed amused.
“That’s between me, Brianna, and my brothers,” Jax said.
“Maybe so, but I’d appreciate it if you’d fill me in and tell me what happened this morning. Did you happen across the man who assaulted Brianna?”
“We believe we did.”
Kane pivoted to the left and stood directly in front of Jax. “Either you did or you didn’t. Which is it?”
“It’s complicated.”
Tyler said, “Brianna says the guy didn’t do anything she didn’t want him to do.”
“And you believe her?” Kane asked.
“Hell no.” Jax was still pissed that she’d tried to pass off her time with Handsome as consensual.
Kane nodded at the patio furniture. “Pull up a chair, fellas. Let me tell you what I know and you tell me what you’ve got on this guy. Maybe by the time we’re done here, we’ll all have a better idea of what we’re dealing with and why.”
Chapter Seven
“So you’re saying the guy had New York plates?” Ten minutes later, Kane was still trying to decide if the Jackson guys were telling him the whole truth. The fact that they’d roughed up the fellow responsible for harming Brianna but hadn’t dragged him off to the local sheriff’s office was telling.
They’d let him go for a reason.
“He had an accent, too,” Tyler said.
Kane paced the porch, thought of something, and stopped. “This club where she met this fella, where is it?”
“On the old highway right outside of Erwin. It sets back off the road at the top of the ridge,” Flint said.
