When he doesn’t reply, I add, “When it comes to her safety, I will protect her with my life, and you know that.”
My best friend nods and takes his seat.
“We’re all on the group chat,” Knox says. “Each house has security. If anything seems off or if we spot someone we don’t know creeping around, the first thing we do is notify the guys on the security detail. The second step is to message the group. No more secrets. No more keeping each other out of the loop. We all agree, yeah?”
Sounds of agreement ring around the table, and then Knox wraps up the conversation. “Good, now everybody eat your fucking cheesecake.”
“God, big bro. So bossy.” Daisy sticks her tongue out at him, but I know she appreciates him stepping in.
“You have no idea,” Ryan says, and the table erupts.
“Ry, I’m trying to eat my dessert. I don’t need to know that kind of shit,” Angus says, pushing his plate away for about half a second before diving back in.
“He’s right. What you two do in the bedroom is your business.” Daisy pretends to throw up. “That’s too far, girl.”
It may turn her stomach to hear about her brother bossing her friend around in the bedroom, but I know she loves it when she’s with me. It takes every bit of my self-control not to look in her direction. But when the girls all direct their attention back at Daisy with eyebrows lifted and smiles that say they know she likes it that way, my mouth falls open.
She fucking told them.
Hell yes, she did! And she better have told them it’s only me she likes it with and that she never wants another man to make her come ever again. I mean, why even bother with the rest when I’m all hers.
Ryan’s comment was what the group needed to lighten the mood, and from there we’re back to our regular fun shit-talking while we devour our cheesecake.
The girls hang out in the kitchen doing dishes while the guys huddle around the fire on my back porch while I clean the grill.
“My gut tells me whoever cut the fence is a local. I think they paid someone who knows their way around Goose Hollow,” Cal says.
“I agree, but who?” Gus asks. “Do we have any disgruntled farmhands or any employees who left the store on bad terms, Cal?”
“Dusty Armstrong is the only person who left the store on bad terms. He was an asshole to clients and disrespectful to the female employees, so I let him go.”
Dusty Fucking Armstrong.
This is gonna piss the three of them off, but I think we may have our guy.
“So, Dusty might be someone we want to look into.”
They all look at me, silently waiting for me to go on.
“The same day Daisy met the asshole from Boston, she had a run-in with Dusty at one of her job sites. She put him in his place, and I may or may not have paid him a visit, encouraging him to keep his distance. He didn’t take it kindly. Especially since Devon let him go soon after.”
“So, I fired him,” Cal states pointing at himself. “Daisy put him in his place, you emasculated him, and then he lost another job. I think it’s safe to say, he wouldn’t hesitate if someone offered him cash to mess with us.”
“The problem is we have no proof,” I say.
Cal goes quiet looking off into the distance.
“On another note,” Knox says, shifting the conversation. “Did the cameras get installed at the ranch this afternoon?”
“Affirmative. All the buildings are now covered. Your team at Lotus has been great. It’s pretty impressive how fast they got the guys up here,” Angus confirms. “I’m setting up a couple more cameras at the bar tomorrow.”
“Knox, we can’t thank you enough,” Cal adds sincerely. “This security can’t be cheap. Do I even want to know what this is gonna cost us?”
“I’ve got it, brother,” the rock star replies.
Gus steps in. “No, seriously. You just got back; you don’t need to pay for all of this.”
“I’m happy to help. Besides, I’m selling my Manhattan penthouse and moving to my cabin in the woods. I’m not gonna have any overhead. I want to do this.”
