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“Vi–”
“I’m going to be late. Tell Cody I’ll take him on a four-wheel tour later today.”
I jog out to my truck and stop dead in my tracks at the hood. My front tire is completely deflated. A quick look at my back tire shows the same thing. With every step I take, circling my truck and seeing each tire not only flat but slashed, my vision turns a deeper shade of red.
These motherfuckers.
My stomach drops as I realize last night meant nothing to West. Clearly waiting for me and fucking me was some sort of diversion so the other two could do this. I wonder what other fucked up shit they’ve done to the property overnight.
I charge back into my cabin to confront West but he’s already left. Fucking coward knew what I’d find out here and didn’t wait around to deal with the consequences. Storm circles me, whining at my distress as Blue watches closely from their perch in the rafters.
I go into my office and grab the bat I keep there. Fuck these assholes. Anger feels better than the burning embarrassment and shame of thinking things might be different now. I’m so stupid. Last night I almost let him in. I almost cracked and bared everything to him.
I give Storm his guard cue and he falls in beside me, ears pinned back and ready for war. With each step, I reinforce my barriers. If there’s one thing I excel at, it’s building walls higher than the mountains at my back. Getting to their cabin, I kick the door open.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
The front door slams against the wall as I lean against the counter, talking to West over coffee. Both our heads swing to see a wrathful, gorgeous Cherry. A low growl rumbles from Storm and Ghost leaves our side to take her master’s other side.
“What the fuck is your game?” she asks, lifting the bat menacingly.
“What do you mean?” I ask, genuinely confused. I thought she knew why we were here, even if she doesn’t fully trust us.
“I mean,” she sneers at me, “that clearly West missed his calling as an actor because while he was fucking me last night you two were out slashing my tires.” She scoffs and moves closer. “I can’t believe how easily I fell for it.”
“You fucked?” I look over at West who scowls at me.
“Now isn’t the time.” His attention turns to Cherry. “We didn’t do anything to your tires. It was probably a stick that sliced it open on the drive home last night.”
“What’s going on in here?” Blake asks as he comes into the room, dressed in a hoodie and gym shorts, his hair sticking up on the side. His eyes take in the scene before him, a wrathful Violet flanked by her angry guard dogs and holding a baseball bat. West and I completely bewildered.
“Don’t play fucking stupid. You’re too smart for that.” Her ire turns his way before settling back on West. “I am absolutely disgusted by you. Here I was, thinking things could be different. That you three had changed. That somehow we could wade through the years of hurt and anger and misunderstandings, but nope.”
“We didn’t slash your tire, Cherry.”
“You drove home late, I’m telling you it must have been a stick.”
“It’s all four fucking tires and you know it,” she yells at us, her cheeks flushed with anger.
“What?” West races past her and out the door.
For a second her shield falters, and I can see the hurt in her baby blues. Blake runs off after West and I stop in front of her, gently reaching for the bat. Her eyes are glossy, as if she’s fighting back tears, but she blinks and they’re gone.
“As you know, I’m more of a football guy, but I’ll take this off your hands for now.” Storm growls as my fingers graze hers. “I’m probably more used to handling wood than you are anyway.”
She scoffs but releases it, giving Storm a cue with her fingers that has him relaxing slightly. “I still don’t fucking trust you guys.”
“But you want to.” I hold her gaze, seeing right down into her. She’s cracking for us. “Come on, let’s see what happened.”
She follows me back into the early light of the morning, traversing the trail effortlessly. “I’ll tell you what happened. All four of my tires were slashed. About a two inch gash in each of them.
“Who would do that?” I ask.
She stops and side eyes me. “Gee, I wonder.”
“I know we’re your prime suspects, but who else?” I ask as we step onto the driveway her truck’s parked on.
“Mitch.” West looks over at Violet, his jaw set and violence shimmering in his eyes. “Did he try something and get mad when you turned him down?”
