Auggie’s head cleared.“What is it?”
Her first thought was the girls, of course.The second was…his sisters were supposed to show up at any time.She and that wicked, wicked man would have to keep their clothes on.At least tonight.But her hands had been under his shirt, and that man was built in a way designed to make a woman want to touch.Em had been right that night they’d found him alongside the road.He was a very beautiful man.
Maybe she would keep him—for breeding stock and whatever else he wanted to be for her.Or maybe she’d let him keep her, to do his wicked things to her.Or maybe they’d just keep each other, scars and all.
His hands tightened on her.He tensed.
She turned.
Auggie screamed, seeing the man standing there, staring at them.Breathing heavily.
With a gun in his hands.
Cal jerked her around, put her behind him.He stood.“Neilson, what the hell are you doing in my house?”
He was between her and her babies.Auggie fought the panic.“Cal, the girls!”
“I know.Just stay real still.”
His hard body was in front of her.Protecting her.
From the man in his living room covered in what had to be blood.
61
He hadn’t knownTyler’s girl would be there.He hadn’t seen a second car or anything in the driveway.Just Grady’s truck.New one.He smirked at that.He’d heard Grady’s other truck had been totaled that day.
“You should be dead.”He just looked at the bastard who was his brother’s best friend.The son of the man who had betrayed Jacob’s father so much.He’d already killed his own brother—he didn’t give a shit about this man at all.
Jacob forced his hand to steady a bit more on the gun.He was shaking.
“Well, I don’t agree.”Grady was shifting again.Keeping that redheaded whore of his behind him.
“She’s not that hot.Good tits, though.You fucked her yet?I always wanted to.”Jacob wouldn’t have minded sleeping with her, even before.Or now.She was a beautiful woman.Sexy in that way some women had.She’d been the same in high school, but she’d been quiet.Like that girl of his brother’s.
He was going to have to tell precious Quinn about Kameron, wasn’t he?Destroy her world.At the least that Clary girl would be finding another job soon.Unless Jacob inherited Kameron’s business, anyway.He’d keep her.See what made her so fucking special his brother had wanted to screw her so much.Maybe he’d slip Quinn something, have a little fun sometime, too.Not like his brother would be around to care now.
“You’re drunk.What are you wanting here?”Grady demanded.Always making demands, men like him.
“Restitution for the past, mostly.I want to know what your old man did to mine.With help fromhers.Didn’t know she’d be here, though.That just makes it more complicated.”Because maybe people wouldn’t believe Bruce Tyler would kill his own daughter.Or…maybe they would.Everyone knew what a crazy bastard that guy was.“Don’t move, Grady.”
That woman had six kids, though.If he killed her, what would happen to those kids?Not that he really cared—he had to do it.She would tell the cops that it was him, he knew she was related to the sheriff somehow now.All the Tylers in town were.
She had other sisters.Those kids would be okay.
Not like he was orphaning them or anything.Kids were resilient, right?They’d adjust.Everyone adjusted.He had, to his parents divorcing, his mom taking off, his dad losing everything.
He hadn’t had a rich mother to give him money just for the hell of it.Not like Fucking Perfect Kameron.He hadn’t had a father as important in town as Jasper Grady, Mister Perfect Mayor.Until the bastard had gone off the rails.
Jacob hadn’t had shit.And it was this guy’s father’s fault.“It’s all your father’s fault.Yours, hers.Mine.Hell, and perfect Kameron.Always getting everything he wanted.I hate my brother.Hate him.He got what he deserved.”
62
He’d always been disgustedby Jacob Neilson.The younger man had wasted every opportunity he’d been given in life and turned into an asshole while doing it.But now…
“I’ll admit it, I’m not sure what in the hell is going on here.”
Auggie was pressed against his back.He could feel her shaking.Her terror.Of course she was terrified.After everything she’d been through, of course she was.
