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“Your brother is in Little Rock this weekend,” the bounty hunter deadpanned, his lips turning down. I knew the schedule. I knew where he would be, but that wasn’t the issue.
I felt the muscle in my cheek tick. This was going to be harder than I thought. Even though Valerie told me about her past, I had yet to tell her about mine.
“Mason is a free spirit. He doesn’t travel with the rodeo. He just shows up when it’s his time to ride,” I explained truthfully. Mason was never one to follow orders. For the longest time, he couldn’t keep a fucking manager. Now, afteryears, he had a decent manager and a PR team. However, none of those fuckers keep tabs on him when he wasn’t on the back of a bull.
Grayson nodded and pulled out his laptop. “So, you want me to find him and bring him back here?”
I shook my head. “No. I want you find him and give him a message.”
The bounty hunter froze and shot his gaze to me. I could feel my Enchantress’ eyes on me too, but I couldn’t look at her right now. If I did, I would give in to her. I would tell her everything right here and now, Joseph Grayson be damned.
I couldn’t.
I feared that when I did, when I told her about the monster inside of me, she would run. I would have to see her back again as she walked away from me. I would be alone again.
She isn’t leaving you, my sweet boy. She will understand.
My jaw tightened at the sound of Momma’s voice in my head. She had been speaking to me more in the last few weeks than she had since her passing, and I knew deep in my gut that it was because of the woman next to me.
“What message?” he pressed.
“Tell him to come home,” I growled, not meaning to.
Grayson sighed, clearly frustrated. “You aren’t telling me everything.”
“Nope.”
He stood up and walked to the window, his brown eyes looking at one of the most precious things in my life. The one thing I vowed to protect. I couldn’t lose it. Mason signed over his rights to ranch, telling his lawyer he didn’t want or need Hallow Ranch’s money. He was still getting it, whether he liked it or not. There was a bank account waiting for him. Even his sponsor was Hallow Ranch.
“Smoke,” Valerie whispered. She reached over and put her hand on my thigh under the table. My head slowly turned to hers to find her eyes pleading. Without a second thought, my hand enclosed around hers, giving it a squeeze.
Before I could say something, the man by the window cut me off. “Before I take on new clients, I like to have all the facts, Mr. Langston. I don’t like being left in the dark,” he said, an edge to his voice now. “You’re paying me a shit ton of money to find your brother and give hima message.That’s not what I do. I am not a messenger.” Joseph’s voice was angry now, and I could see the glint of distrust in his eyes.
“My brother and I aren’t on speaking terms,” I explained, through clenched teeth.
“Why is that?” he inquired, coming to take his seat again. This time, he leaned back, pushing the chair out a bit so he could cross an ankle over his knee.
Great, it’s fucking therapy.
“We had a falling out years ago,” I admitted, turning Valerie’s hand up so I could entwine my fingers with hers. “I haven’t spoken one word to my brother in over a decade, Mr. Grayson. Could I get his phone number? Yes. Would he answer? Hell, no. He didn’t answer me years ago, and he sure as fuck ain’t gonna answer me now. I don’t blame him, but I need him to come home.”
He studied us for a moment, his brown eyes looking to Valerie for another moment. I get she was stunning, but if he kept his eyes on her for a second longer than I’m comfortable with, his ass would be on the ground.
“Because of Moonie Pipelines,” he guessed. My body went on alert as a cocky smirk formed on his lips. “I did some digging of my own.”
“If you did, then why in the hell did you just throw a hissy fit?” Valerie spat.
Hissy fit?
Did this woman just say hissy fit?
He smiled at her, chuckling a bit. “Never go into a man’s home without knowing his enemies, Ms. Cross.”He knew her fucking last name.
“You looked into her?” I hissed.
“I look into everyone. I gathered all the facts I could. Just because I have the facts doesn’t mean they passed my test,” he explained. “You need your brother home to take down Moonie. I just needed to know why you couldn’t do it yourself and I need to know why a former employee is in your house, holding your hand under the table.” He jerked his thumb at her.
“I’m here in this house because I want to be. You’re correct, Mr. Grayson, I am a former employee of Moonie Pipelines. I was hired, I did the work, and he fired me."
