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“My point is, they have every intention of taking down this whole family and it’s not an empty threat. They’ve turned over every stone. When I saw these pictures they had, I prepared myself for the possibility that you and your little girlfriend might already be dead by the time I got here. You need to leave. And fast.”
“And go where?” I scoff. “Let me guess, New York? So I can put my ass on the line to help save yours? That’s the real reason you’re here right?” It’s harsh, but I don’t exactly have the extra time for beating around the bush.
“I don’t expect you to drop everything to help. You may have abandoned us, but I still thought you might want to step in if someone was trying to kill your family. My bad,” his words are laced with anger now.
A disbelieving evil laugh erupts from my chest. “Abandoned you? You mean like how Dad abandoned my mother and lied to me about her being dead?”
I was young enough to believe the story my father fed me.
I received a letter from a man when I turned eighteen saying that my mother had just passed away and left behind a few things in my name. I was shocked because I was told that she’d already been dead for years after a car accident when I was a child. In truth, my father had forced her away when she couldn’t get on board with the constant danger he put her in, and I’ll never forgive him for that. I came down to Texas after getting that letter to find a horse, an old truck, and a little piece of land that she had lived on. All passed down to me, along with a file of notes she’d written detailing the devastating nature of her absence from my life.
I was accustomed to lavish mansions and brand-new sports cars. Prep school uniforms and rooftop parties that were held for no reason other than to show off how much money you could spend. I hated every second of it. Even as a young man, I was well aware that my father made his fortune from crooks paying him out the ass to keep them out of jail. It never impressed me, and the posh lifestyle didn’t suit me one bit either.
I hated the way I never knew if a girl was dating me for my money or because she genuinely liked me. Or if a friend was using me for status instead of actually wanting to hang out. I knew if I ever got out of the rich and famous circle, I’d prevent myself from ever having to feel like that again.
“She gave Dad an ultimatum and ran when he wouldn’t clean up his act,” Bash scoffs like it’s a well-known fact.
Wrong. She was scared, and he forced her out when she refused to support him. Swallowing hard, I stare him down.
“You don’t know shit about what happened,” I growl.
“Maybe not,” he shrugs. “But I know we’re brothers. And unless you got a death wish, we’re going to have to shove the Mommy and Daddy issue baggage into the closet and focus on not getting killed.”
I hate that he has a point. I nod reluctantly.
“Look, I know we have a piece of shit Dad. And I get why you left and made a whole new life. But if we argue about the past until our noses bleed, we won’t survive long enough to see next week. We need a plan,” he says.
Thoughts of Blythe and my friends being in danger remind me why I took this meeting with Bash in the first place. He’s right.
“How many men do they have and how many of yours did you bring?”
“Not sure how many they’ve got to be honest. Ten at least from what we saw around the house where they’re at. I have eight. You have a lot of manpower at the ranch don’t you?”
“Not really. I have several employees, but there are only four of us at the ranch full-time right now. And about that…” I trail off.
“What?”
“They might be a little surprised.”Understatement. “They don’t exactly know who I am. I mean, they know who I am they just…” I struggle to explain the situation. “I wanted to leave my previous life behind. Start fresh. They think I just work at the ranch. I’ve never told them much of anything that has to do with Dad or what I used to be involved in or… money.”
And rightfully so. Because look what my past has dragged them into now.
At this point, there’s no way around not telling them. Not when continuing to lie puts them in danger like this. I just hope they understand and don’t immediately get pissed and never talk to me again. My three best friends and the only girl I’ve ever really cared about may no longer be a part of my life by the time this day is through, but I’ll risk that possibility to make sure they have a life to live at all.
“Oh shit,” he howls. His fist covers his mouth and he coughs from cackling so hard. He leans back in his chair and beams. “So they just think you’re some poor motherfucker living off canned beanie weenies and roping cows for a living?”
“More or less,” I admit.
“That is rich. Richer than you,” he laughs even harder. “Your girl know?”
“No. And she’s not technicallymygirl.”
Not yet.
I’ll have a short ride back to the ranch to figure out how to tell her all of this and convince her not only to forgive me for not being totally upfront with her but that we should drop the act of friends with benefits. The protectiveness I felt over her when I saw Bash at the gate earlier was a clear sign to me. Whether or not she or I realized it, she’s mine to protect. To love and the be with. I’m done with the fun and games.
This is a fuckingmess.
I couldn’t even fit all of the ways this could go wrong on one sheet of paper.
