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Dex
I’ve never seen Liam so quick to act before. Usually, he’s calm and methodical. An attack of this caliber would be thought out for weeks or months. He’d map the property, hire people to surround the ranch, and he’d show up when he was least expected.
So, the fact that we’re driving up to a mountain that we haven’t mapped, to threaten a family with no backup is slightly unnerving… even for me. That said, we still have an hour drive back to the airfield, a five-hour flight, and another hour up to the ranch. Seven hours is plenty of time for him to change his mind.
“Do you want me to drive?”
He laughs. “And trust that you’d take us to the jet?” He shakes his head. “Nice try, mate. I think you’d stop off at those weird looking Waffle Houses and spend time exploring your feelings on all of this.”
“You know I care about her too, right?”
Liam looks to the side, scratching his beard against his palm before focusing on the road again. “What do you mean,too? I thought I cared for her. I was wrong. It’s over. Move on.”
I shrug. “Okay, butIstill care about her. I don’t want her to feel hurt, embarrassed, or—”
His jaw locks and his voice rumbles as he says, “It wasn’t your jewels that were stolen! It wasn’t you who was lied to! So, if you want me to rent a car at the airport, you’re free to go wherever you’d like. I’m sure you’re needed back at the farm, anyway.”
I consider his offer. Disconnecting from the mess he’s about to put himself in, would be ideal. I could also call and warn Beth. I have Bryan’s number. I could let them know we’re coming, giving her time to run. But… it wouldn’t take long for Liam to figure what I’d done, and in the state he’s in right now, I know he’d only retaliate whatever pain he was feeling onto me. We may be friends, but he’s still… him.
I suck in a deep breath and study the dark landscape. There’s nothing but a few low palms and shrubbery that can’t be identified. I wish there were more to see. If there was, I wouldn’t keep slipping into thoughts about Beth. I wouldn’t imagine how warm it felt to have her next to me or how comfortable it was to have her on my skin, in my space, on my body. My mind keeps envisioning her smooth hands pumping my cock as I twist my thumb over her slippery wet clit.
My cock unfolds and I shake myself back to reality, forcing a vision of Christmas morning last year when the barn went up in flames. It was an exceptionally cold night and I’d left the heating lamps too close to a bale of hay.
Poof, there went the barn and a season of hay. Thankfully, I was able to get the chickens out before the structure was destroyed, but the building itself was a complete rebuild.
Yup, that does it.My cock retreats and my brain slips back to reality as I stare at the jet parked on the tarmac.
I look over a Liam to see if he’s done anything to change his mind. Nope, you can see it in his eyes.
That settles that. I’m going to need to ride this out, for all of their sakes, no matter the outcome.
Chapter Fifteen
Beth
I sit on the front porch, pushed back gently in the old creaking rocker, staring out at the horizon of mountains in front of me.
“Maybe we should move out here,” I say to Bryan. “I don’t want to leave! We could rent one of the cabins on the other side of the property and work on the farm.”
“With a bunch of ex-cons?” he laughs. “Plus, I’m not sure Jack would appreciate the company. He seems to be digging into this lifestyle a little more than most, doesn’t he?”
I nod. “Maybe that’s a good reason to stay longer.”
He shrugs. “Or maybe it’s a good reason to find a place of our own. A place like this, just a little less… extreme.”
I nod and suck in a deep breath of mountain air as I watch a hawk dive for a field mouse. The attack is graceful and right away, he wins, flying his prize in a circle before taking it to a nearby pine. “Are you sure we could handle all this ruggedness?”
Bryan smiles. “It’s not all rugged. There’s a field of wildflowers over there. I think we’d do well in the wilderness, on our own,” he pauses and looks me deeply in the eyes, “but I have to know what happened with the gems first, Beth.”
My pulse races against my throat, and my heart stalls, then starts with a cough as a bee buzzes next to my toe.
“You know where they are, don’t you?” Bryan’s eyes are wide and eager for information. “I need to know what’s going on if I’m going to help.”
I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When I lost the baby, I thought I’d never recover. I assumed I’d live in misery forever. When we met, you were the first person to remind me what love felt like. You still do, every day.” I pinch my lips together. “But something inside me is broken, Bryan. Something I can’t describe. Something I can’t repair. I—”
A truck pulls up the long narrow drive, kicking dust up as it moves. This is a working farm, so at first, I do nothing more than take note of its existence, and turn back to Bryan to finish our conversation. But when the front door squeaks and Jack steps out onto the porch with his rifle aimed, I figure it’s time to head inside.
“Hold on,” Jack groans. “Those are your boys and you’ve had your three days. You ready to tell them what you know?”
