“I’ll take care of him,” Evelyn assured me, her voice low enough that only I could hear. “He’s hurt and needs some time. That’s all. Go back to the ranch and keep your head down. That’s the best thing you can do for both of you right now.”
She was right, and I hated it. The best thing I could do for Ryder was to stay as far away from him as possible. I was the reason his father had just disowned him in front of half the town. I was the reason he’d lost his inheritance, his home, everything he’d ever suffered for.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, not sure if I was apologizing to Ryder or Evelyn or both.
“This isn’t your fault,” Evelyn said firmly. “Pete McGrath has been a ticking time bomb for years. This was just the match that lit the fuse.”
I glanced at Ryder one last time. He stood with his arms wrapped around himself, looking lost and small in a way I’d never seen before. I wanted to pull him into my arms, to tell him everything would be okay, but I knew that would only make things worse. Not with so many witnesses. Not with his father potentially coming back any minute.
“Tell him...” I swallowed hard, fighting against the lump in my throat. “Tell him I love him.”
Evelyn nodded, her eyes sad but determined. “Go on now. Larry will drive you all back.”
I joined the other guys by the door, ignoring their questioning looks. Larry was holding a bag of ice to his jaw, wincing as he adjusted it.
“You okay?” I asked him as we walked out to the truck.
He shrugged. “Been hit harder by better men. Besides, worth it to see the look on Pete’s face when Evelyn stood up to him. That woman’s got more balls than half the men in this town.”
I couldn’t help but smile at that, though it faded quickly. “You didn’t have to take that hit for me. Or for Ryder.”
Larry’s eyes softened. “Yeah, I did. If he’d hit you, there would be evidence to suggest you’d been fighting, and thatwouldbreak the terms of your parole. I don’t want Ryder to lose you too.”
I stared at him, not sure I’d ever been so grateful to anyone in my life. “Th-Thank you, Larry,” I said, choking back my emotions. “You’re a good man.”
“Just make me a promise.”
“Anything,” I replied.
“When this is all said and done, take damn good care of Ryder. Okay?”
I nodded, patting him on the shoulder. “That’s an easy promise to make.”
Chapter 25
Connor
Asudden racket woke me from my sleep. I sat bolt upright in bed, trying desperately to blink the sleep out of my eyes and figure out what the hell was going on. As my eyes finally focused, I found myself staring at the silhouette of Pete standing in the doorway to the bunkhouse, an old rusty dinner triangle in his hands. He was beating the every-living shit out of it to wake everyone up.
“Rise and shine, motherfuckers,” he cried, his words slightly slurred. “Time to get to work!”
Judging by the slurring, the wild hair, and the bloodshot eyes, Pete had never gone to bed last night after his explosion down at the church. Instead, it seemed like he’d stayed up all night drinking and now planned to make our lives a living hell. The others roused, all of them just as confused as I was.
“No breakfast today,” Pete laughed. “You’re going straight to the southern fence line and replacing the entiregoddamnthing.” He paused for only a moment to take in our startled faces. “And if you don’t get your asses moving, you’ll be on the truck back to prison before lunch.”
I scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over my own feet. The other guys were doing the same, cursing under their breathas they fumbled for their clothes. Joey caught my eye across the room, his expression saying what we were all thinking. This was going to be a nightmare of a day.
“Five minutes!” Pete bellowed, giving the triangle another deafening whack. “Anyone not on the truck in five minutes stays behind for some one-on-one time with me.” His eyes found mine, narrowing with pure hatred. “Especially you, Connor.”
My stomach dropped. There it was, the target on my back I’d been expecting since last night. Pete lingered in the doorway for another moment, his gaze burning into me before he turned and staggered away, still ringing that damn triangle.
“Jesus Christ,” Greg muttered, yanking on his boots. “He’s completely lost it.”
“He’s still drunk from last night,” Darius said, pulling a shirt over his head. “This is gonna be bad.”
I didn’t waste breath responding, just focused on getting dressed as quickly as possible. My hands shook slightly as I laced up my boots, adrenaline and fear coursing through my veins. Pete was looking for any excuse to send me back to prison, and I wasn’t going to give it to him.
“Hey,” Joey said quietly, appearing at my side. “We got your back, man. Stay close to us today.”
