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Shane pulledup to the Keagan property and shut off his car. He stared at the house that still looked like it needed a lot of work done. Brielle had done so much already, and it was definitely improving, but it would be another while yet before it was brought back to its former glory.
After Madeline had made her announcement at that party, most of the people in town appeared uncomfortable around him. They didn’t seem angry. It was more like confusion as to why he would bring in another stranger to Copper Creek. They had just started to accepthim.
Whatever. He’d lost the most important thing in his life already. And going forward, he’d make sure he didn’t spend time with the folks in town so he could keep them shielded from Madeline’s devious nature.
Wade was one person he hadn’t seen at the party. That didn’t mean he hadn’t heard the news. In fact, Shane was positive everyone in this town and the surrounding ones knew about the local billionaire and his over-the-top new business partner. More importantly, had Brielle told Wade that he’d broken up with Eloise? Shane just couldn’t be sure how Wade would react. If he walked up to that front door and asked to borrow a horse, it could go one of several different ways.
The man might laugh at him or treat him with his usual barely veiled disdain. Either way, it was going to be better than having to sit in the same building as Madeline.
Shane climbed out of his car, shutting the door behind him before heading for the house. The property was quieter than he’d expected. The Keagan family had twelve children. Normally, he would have expected to see at least a few of them wandering the property. The older ones were supposedly working the ranch, but it wasn’t unusual to see children as young as eight pulling their own weight.
The front door of the house banged open, and Shane got his first good look at the wrong side of a shotgun. He stumbled back a few steps, but his shoe caught on a rock and he fell onto his backside. Wade held the gun up to his face, his eyes flashing with fury.
“I didn’t think you’d be stupid enough to show up here after what you did to that poor Callahan girl.”
Shane held up his hands. “I didn’t do anything to her.”
Wade snorted. “You city folk are all the same. You think you can toy with people and get away with it.”
“I wasn’tusingher. This wasn’t how any of it was supposed to go.”
Folks thought Zeke Callahan was scary, but they hadn’t come face-to-face with Wade Keagan. This was a man everyone should think twice about crossing. Shane couldn’t wrap his head around how Wade was acting. It wasn’t like he’d been dating Eloise. He’d been interested in Brielle last Shane had heard.
Shane scrambled backward so he could get to his feet and move away from the madman with a gun. “I swear, the only reason this is happening is because I’m trying to protect her. No one knows just how bad Madeline can be.”
Confusion blended with the fury in Wade’s eyes. “If she’s so bad, then why are you making her your business partner?”
Wasn’t it obvious? Madeline equaled bad. She was forcing his hand. Shane cleared his throat and gestured toward the gun that was still pointed at him. “Do you mind?”
“Yeah, I do.”
He raked a hand through his hair. “It doesn’t matter. The point is, I don’t want her here any more than anyone else does. But she’s got me over a barrel—sorta like you.” He nodded toward the gun again. “I’m stuck. She’s got… information.”
“So spill it before she does. It takes away her power.”
Shane swallowed hard. “It’s not that easy. She’s got information about—” He caught himself before he gave away too much information. He couldn’t share Brielle’s secret, especially not with Wade. He wasn’t afraid that Wade would gossip about it. It was more of a concern regarding the relationship that might be growing between the two.
It wasn’t his secret to spill.
Wade gave him a pointed look. “She’s got information about what?”
Clearing his throat did nothing to release the bulge lodged there. “Madeline has stuff on the Callahans.”
Wade’s brows shot up like a rocket. The neutral color of his skin burst with color and his eyes darkened. “That little…” His eyes darted to Shane, and he lowered his gun. “So what are you gonna do about it?”
Shane shrugged. “What can I do? If I don’t make her my partner and keep away from Eloise, she’s going to spill every detail she has.”
“You need leverage.”
“Don’t you think I’ve thought of that?” Shane said. He leaned against his car and folded his arms. “I’ve gone over everything in my head more than once. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I’m stuck in my own personal purgatory with no way out.”
Wade moved toward him. “Well, you can’t just let her hold that over your head. What happens if one day she decides she doesn’t care anymore and she spills everything out of spite.”
Shane shook his head. “She wouldn’t do that. I’ve got it built into our contract. If she does, she’s liable for millions. It’s mutually assured destruction. I’m the ball and chain she’s attaching herself to, and if she hurts the people I care about, she’s going to drown, too.”
“You really must love her.”
Shane’s head snapped up. “Idespiseher.”
