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“Yeah?” I bark out, not taking my eyes off the last remaining SUV.
“Are you going to let us in?”
Ritchie Hayward.
The call ends, and I take a moment to just breathe. All that commotion, and now it’s over and done with.
“It’s Ritchie. Go down and let him in, JJ.”
He climbs down first, and the rest of us follow. Landing on my feet, I head over to the gates and wait for the SUV to roll in.
All four brothers climb out, straightening their jackets as they walk toward me.
“We should talk inside.”
They turn to Ben, and he pulls out a case from the car.
“He’ll sweep the perimeter, make sure no one left any gifts to catch us out,” Jamie Boy advises.
It’ll save one of us from doing it.
“I take it the farmhouse was down to you?” I coax as we walk inside.
“We heard it was a gas explosion,” Ritchie chuckles with an evil smirk on his lips. “People should really get their shit checked once in a while. Very nasty business if you don’t.”
Alannah rushes to my side, looking ready to ask a million questions.
“It’s over. You can take the old ladies and the kids back over to the house.”
“You sure?”
Before I can reply, Cody steps forward and takes Alannah’s hand. The smile she offers would seem welcoming to him, but it tells me she’s on guard.
“You must be Alannah. We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Cody Hayward.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cody.”
“Pleasure’s all ours, love. Please accept our apology for you having to endure your lockdown longer than we’d have liked.”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds, but I do need to get my granddaughter settled. If you’ll excuse me, I’m sure you have more important things to discuss with my husband.”
“She’s very beautiful, Cas,” he proclaims.
“That, she is.” I walk around them and sit at a table, expecting them to join me. They do.
Leo pulls out a chair to the left of me, and Sparky takes the right. As usual, the brothers sit side by side. We all remain quiet until Ben walks in and nods to Jamie Boy, giving him the all clear.
“The Dead Rats are no longer an issue for you, and the sheriff no longer has anyone to back her in this town,” Jamie Boy starts.
“I take it the woman who scared off the feds was someone with more power than them?” I ask.
Ritchie leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “We now have certain people on our payroll, and it paid off today. No one will be getting collared, and there’ll be no shoot-outs.”
“So that’s it? The heat’s off of us?” Sparky questions.
“Yes.”
“I’m sure this will come at a price,” Leo grumbles, and I hold back my smile.
