“You went after his kids, man. His fucking kids. Even if they took those kids away from him, they wouldn’t give you the land. It would still be held in trust for them until they got to be of age.”
“Can I get you something, sir?” The bartender sounded hesitant, but he still broke in anyway.
“I’ll take whatever IPA you have on draft.” That way, the bartender would have work to do and would not be paying them any attention.
As soon as his half-brother turned away to pull his beer, Ellis stepped into Rick’s personal space. “What the fuck, man? What did you think you were going to accomplish?”
“Well, I figured if they took his kids away from him,then someone else in the family would get charge of them. Why not me?”
“Because you’re not actually family. You were Vic’s stepson. They have grandparents. If something happened, they would go to them first.”
He didn’t understand what Rick’s motivation was here. He had to know he was defeated, so why was he being so damn petty?
“Look, bro. I wanted this deal to go down really bad. I needed it to. So yeah, I was being shitty. Sue me.” Rick grabbed his beer and took a big gulp.
“Here you go.” The bartender slid his IPA across to him. “Would you like to start a tab?”
“No.” Ellis pulled out his wallet and handed the guy a twenty. “Keep the change, and we’re having a private conversation here.”
“Sure, of course.” The bartender headed off to the other end of the bar, not even looking at them anymore. Good man.
He turned his attention back to Rick. “You might get your ass sued. That might actually happen. Ichabod is hysterically furious at you.”
“Good. Slimy little bastard. Coming in and taking something that wasn’t his.”
Ellis threw his hands up in the air. “It wasn’t yours, Rick. It was never yours. Those kids own that ranch, and I’m going to make sure it stays successful enough that they can own it for the next fifty years if that’s what they want.”
“Yeah, you’re fucking their dad.” He shook his head. “You always did fuck things up.”
His mouth dropped open. “Me? How do I fuck things up for you? You’re the one who does stupid shit, man.”
“You always have Dad on your side. He never even thinks about me when he needs help, and he never offers tohelp me.” Rick’s anger was palpable, the expression in his gaze almost hateful.
That hurt Ellis’ heart. The fact Rick was using this to push a wedge between them. “Wow. You’ve worked yourself into victim mode here, buddy. That’s on you, not me or Dad. But I’m only going to tell you this once. Leave Ichabod and those kids alone from now on or I will make sure you regret it.”
Rick’s eyebrows flew up. “Is that a threat?”
“No, it’s a promise. And you gotta remember, there ain’t nowhere you can go that I won’t be able to track you down. I know you better than you know me, buddy. Never forget that.” Ellis was sick of this shit; it wasn’t gonna fly with him anymore. He was done, and he needed Rick to understand that.
Rick stared at him, trying to get him to back down. He knew it. But he was a cowboy for fuck’s sake. He didn’t back down from a two-thousand-pound bull. Why was he going to do it for his asshole brother? So, he waited, knowing there was value in silence.
Finally Rick looked away, his ears going hot red. “Fine. Fine. What the fuck ever. Just take the ranch and the little gay boy lover. I think it’s gross.”
“Funny how it never bothered you before that I was gay until my lover had something you wanted.” He shook his head and he stabbed a finger at Rick’s chest. “Clear out. Leave town and don’t come back.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’m headed for Dallas. Don’t worry, I won’t mess with your precious children anymore.” Rick drained his beer when he stood. “But don’t ask me for shit if you need anything from me.”
“You’re the one who asked me to stop, Rick. I never count on you when the chips are down.” And that was the God’s honest truth, and he hated it. Because deep down he loved hisbrother, but he didn’t want to be mixed up in any of his schemes.
“Fuck you, man.” Rick turned on his heel and headed toward the door.
“Goodbye, Rick.” He sat, watching Rick as he stormed out, and then he sighed and shook his head, tugging his phone from his pocket. He grabbed the menu off the bar before taking a sip of his beer, even as he hit speed dial for his dad’s number.
“Hello?” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath because it was damn good to hear his dad’s voice.
“Hey, Dad. I need to talk to you about Rick again.”
“Aw shit,” His dad’s voice took on a tone of long suffering. “What did he do now?”
