“All I want is to fix the situation.”
“You had a way to fix it, and you made the wrong choice.” Kade interjects and I pin him with a dark look. He continues dismissing me. “Since when do you care about unnecessary bloodshed?”
“This is different. She’s innocent.”
“And you think marrying her won’t subject her to worse?” Sawyer questions skeptically.
“It will, but it’s better than death. Plus, if I have each of you backing me, we can present ourselves as a united front. He can’t possibly move against all four of us at once.”
Kade laughs, and the sound is harsh. “If we choose to help you, to support you in this, we’re risking our own lives, brother. That’s a big ask.”
I wince because it’s true. The risk they’re taking by supporting me is astronomical. “I know, and I wouldn’t ask if there were any other way.”
“Again, there was another way,” Kade mumbles under his breath.
He looks off at something in the distance, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or irritated.Maybe both?Kade’s never shown anyinterest in girls, not beyond bedding them and sending them on their way.
“That was never going to be an option for me.” My voice comes out hard, but I want Kade to understand that getting rid of her isn’t going to happen.
Saint is mine.
Sawyer studies me, his gaze penetrating. “It’s obvious she really matters to you.”
I don’t confirm or deny the indirect question. I don’t need to explain how deeply my feelings for Saint go in order to have their support. “What’s it going to be? Are you in or not?”
Silence falls around us, and my brothers exchange glances with each other.
Levi shrugs and smiles. “I’m in. Sounds like it might be fun.”
“Fun to die? Your life is hanging in the balance.” Kade snaps.
“Our lives are always hanging in the balance. All this means is that we’d better make sure Dad believes exactly what we want him to believe,” Levi interrupts, serious now. “That Calder got obsessed with the preacher’s daughter. Couldn’t eliminate her, so he claimed her instead. Bishops take what they want. He’ll be pissed, but he’ll respect the impulse.”
“We need a public debut,” Sawyer continues. “Something that establishes the relationship in everyone’s minds at once.”
“Oh, the rodeo,” Levi suggests. “Saturday. Everyone will be there, including Dad.”
“That’s in a few days,” I point out.
“Good. Less time for whispers. We do a hard launch—you and Saint can’t keep your hands off each other. By the time Dad processes it, it’s an established fact, and nothing can be done to change it.”
It sounds like Sawyer and Levi are on board, but Kade doesn’t seem as convinced.
“What about you, Kade?” I ask. “Are you in or out?”
Kade meets my gaze, his dark green eyes cold. “I’m in. But I want your word on something. If this goes bad—if Dad sees through it, if she doesn’t play along—you end it. Permanently. I’ll help with this crazy scheme, but I won’t let it destroy the family. The Bishop name comes first. Always.”
“Agreed,” I say, the lie bitter on my tongue. “Family first.”
“Look at us working together as a team!” Levi snickers.
Sawyer, being the planner he is, takes initiative immediately and starts delegating jobs to each of us. “Calder, you talk to Saint and make her understand that there is no other option. Prepare her. Meanwhile, Levi, you drop hints around town.”
“I can run interference with Dad,” Kade says. “Keep him distracted until the rodeo.”
“Thank you,” I say. “All of you.”
“Don’t thank us yet,” Kade warns. “This could still blow up in our faces.”
