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“Frisk me?!”
Patti’s anxiety spiked even higher as Tobias approached her. She tried to keep her expression neutral, but her mind raced with worry. “Please be gentle,” she whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady.
“Course, ma’am.” She got a good feeling from Tobias. He may be big and scary, but he seemed to be respecting her.
Tobias’s hands moved with practiced efficiency, and, despite his respectful search, within moments, he found the wire Patti was wearing. She felt her heart stutter in her chest, horrified that her plan might be falling apart before it even started.
“Boss,” Tobias said, holding up the wire for Brandon to see. “It seems Miss Raven came prepared.”
“Never one to do things by half measures, are you, Patti?” Brandon taunted, his eye twitching at the mention of her name. “You can leave us now, Tobias.” He waved his hand to dismiss the guard, who nodded and left the room. Then, Brandon turned back to Patti, his predatory gaze making her skin crawl. “Now that we’re alone, let’s get down to business. On the phone, you mentioned that you had terms before paying me back the money you owe me. What are those terms?”
Patti exhaled slowly, trying to regain control over her racing thoughts. “I want a job,” she said, her voice firm despite the turmoil inside her. “At Rosy Pastures.”
“Is that all?” Brandon asked, raising an eyebrow. The curiosity in his eyes was tinged with something darker, more menacing.
“That’s the most important thing,” Patti replied, swallowing hard. “But... I also need to know what happened at Littlecreek Ranch.”
Brandon leaned back in his chair, studying her intently. His silence weighed heavily on her as she tried to gauge his reaction. As each second ticked by, Patti couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of unease. Did he suspect her true motives? Would he deny her the answers she sought?
“Why?” Brandon had a sly look in his eye. “What happened at Littlecreek?”
“Surely you know,” Patti said, doing everything she could to appear sincere. “We had disaster after disaster. Illness. Death. Fire.”
“I can give you a job here,” Brandon said. “If that’s what you really want. But I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to that joke of a ranch you used to work at.”
“Joke?”
“Well, it wasn’t really a ranch, was it? More of a sex resort. A filthy, BDSM, diaper-filled cesspit.”
Tears welled up in Patti’s eyes as she felt the weight of her past crashing down upon her. She blinked, letting them roll down her cheeks, and sniffled for good measure. “It... wasn’t s a cesspit,” she said, her voice garbled by tears.
Brandon leaned back in his chair, a smug smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Didn’t peg you as the weepy type,” he said, clearly amused by her display of emotion. “Is this new?”
“I’m not the weepy type. Or at least, I never used to be,” she admitted, her voice shaking with each word. “I’ve only felt like this since what happened at Alpha.” She wiped her tears on her sleeve, trying to look as vulnerable as possible. “I feel so guilty about the awful mistake I made, a-and the terrible amount of money I lost you.”
“Really?” Brandon said, raising an eyebrow, looking as though he didn’t quite believe her.
“Really,” Patti confirmed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I always looked up to you. Always saw you as a mentor. And to think I cost you so much... It tore me apart.”
Brandon snorted, his amusement momentarily overshadowed by surprise. “You saw me as a mentor? I always thought you despised me.”
“Despised you? No!” Then, Patti locked eyes with Brandon. This was it. The make or break moment. “I felt... the opposite about you.”
A flicker of vulnerability crossed Brandon’s face, so quick she might have imagined it. Patti’s heart raced as she realized she might have struck a chord. Maybe, just maybe, she had a chance at getting the truth from him.
“I... I’m sorry it’s been hard on you,” he said, his tone softening. “I appreciate that you’re going to be giving me my money back.” He paused, his expression hardening. “But why did you come here wearing a wire? Why were you planning on recording all of this? Are you trying to trick me, Patti?”
Patti locked her gaze with his, her determination unwavering. “I just need to know that it wasn’t my fault,” she insisted. “I wanted to record you saying that I couldn’t have done anything to save those animals at the ranch. Please. Tell me. I’ve been wracked with guilt. Just let me know that it wasn’t my fault. You were behind the sabotage at Littlecreek, weren’t you?”
He paused for what felt like an eternity. Then, almost imperceptibly, he shrugged.
“Please, Mr. Grouse. Say it,” she demanded, her voice quavering. “I need to hear it.”
Brandon leaned in closer, his intense brown eyes never leaving Patti’s. “It was me. I planned it all. And I enjoyed it.”
Patti’s heart quickened. The hair on the back of her neck pricked with anxiety.
“I bought Rosy Pastures as soon as I found out you were at Littlecreek. You made me so angry, Patti. The way you tricked me into investing in that trade.”
