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“I’m not stupid. Look, how’s it going with your conquest?”
“I think I’m in shock. She accepted my marriage proposal. It just kind of slipped out, but I meant every word, except now I’m worried that she won’t want me when she finds out about…”
What was he doing? He deleted his message. No way did he want to talk about Emily with another woman. He gave Eva the shortest answer he could think of: “Great.”
“Yup, this is Nash. You proved it; you’re closed off as usual.” Another text popped up almost instantaneously beneath it. “You know, I think you love that woman. You tell me what you need me to do to make this official. Remember—I help you and YOU help me.”
Could she call off Lynch’s morons? He needed a video deleted, and… no way did Eva have that kind of power, especially if he’d double cross her father if she did it. “What do you have in mind?”he asked.
“I think we need to talk face to face. You’re at Millie’s Ranch, aren’t you? My daddy told me about that place, Nash. You’ve got your work cut out for you.”
That was a mouthful. What did she know about it? “It’s pretty tough over here,” he admitted.
“I bet.”
Normally, he’d switch this to a call by now, but Emily was sleeping in the other room. He didn’t want to wake her… or have her overhear anything too inflammatory. He was officially going behind her back now.“What’s with this oil?” Nash asked Eva.
“It’s awesome, right? It’s going to be bigger than the Alaskan pipeline.”
He gulped. If she was so sure, then how was this even a risk for their company? It wasn’t. West was a big liar, and Nash had swallowed all of West’s arguments like the big fool that he was. It was worse though, because Nash had originally accepted those lies so that he could sweep this all under the rug and still feel virtuous. That certainly would’ve been easier at one time.
He texted West next: “No one knew that there was oil here, huh, West? Everyone does, except Millie. I thought you said that it wasn’t a sure thing?”
And just like clockwork, West texted him back the very next instant. Everyone was on top of their game today: “Trout gave the go ahead to offer up to twenty-five million for your appraisal. That’s almost four million for you.”
Nash’s heart skipped and sank at that. Great. Had they found the price of his soul then?
West texted again after his brother’s silence: “Trout is thrilled about our work over there. He’s ready to congratulate you on a job well done when you get back. He wants to thank you personally.”
No! Nash wasn’t letting West get away with his lies anymore. “Did you read what I said?”
“Of course, but I heard that you had no choice but to go through with the appraisal,” West returned.
Nash choked.“That had better not have been you behind that, West.”
There was no answer.
Nash’s anger blurred his vision. Was this why West had pushed Emily into coming along? Of course it was! West didn’t have a sentimental bone in his body. Nash shoved his foot into his running shoe. He found the other one wedged under the couch. He wrestled that out and threw it on. Pushing through the front door, Nash shot outside, his feet barely touching the ground as he ran.
He didn’t want to feel anymore. He didn’t want to think, so that he could over-examine his every little option with circular logic that gave him no answers.
Everything was spinning out of his control. Nash wasn’t in charge of his life anymore—his brother was. West had flattered him, manipulated him, used him, just like he did everyone. Why did Nash think he’d be different? He’d thought West had changed after he’d done so much to help their mother, that he could trust him… even just a little bit.
Of course, Nash knew that West still had a bite in him. He’d seen it for himself when he’d double crossed Grey Bridges to make his own deals with Trout. Nash’s problem was that he’d thought he could outsmart the snake, until the snake convinced him that he was tame and Nash had let his guard down.
What was West’s end game in all this, not just with this job, but for Nash’s life? West could very well trap Nash into a corner after what he had done here and make him dance out the rest of his life as his slave. How could Nash face his father again after this was through? And what about Emily, Millie, and all the people that he would hurt if he continued to work with West?
Was it possible to outrun his conscience? His troubles? His emotions? Nash ran until he was out of breath, and that’s when he found out that he couldn’t outrun anything at all. He clutched a knee, the other one throbbing while he gasped for air. Everything he tried was useless.
“God?” He tried pleading with him one last time. “I’m powerless, but you’re not. I need a little intervention. You mind throwing me a lifeline here?”
Nash got nothing. Either he was past helping or completely unworthy of an answer. He sighed out, feeling his own wretchedness consume him. God saw all things. Emily might think Nash was a good man, but God knew better, it seemed. It was only a matter of time before Emily came to the same conclusion.
He couldn’t hide from her anymore, just like he couldn’t hide from God. Everything would come to light. It always did. He groaned. Nash wasn’t worthy of Emily anyway, so why not save her career by selling off the rest of his soul?
Four million? It almost made things worse that it was so much. He’d do everything to make sure that Emily didn’t go down with him.
Straightening, he made his way back to the house, his steps much slower than when he’d left. Tomorrow was going to be a big day. He’d make sure that he held Emily especially tight because he was going to lose her. He knew that now.
Tomorrow was his last day of freedom before he made his bid.
