Stifling her amusement, Sage pokes the bobby pin back into her bun. “We’ll figure it out some other time.”
RHETT
29
Kade’s truckeases up the drive just as the last of the daylight drains out of the sky. His pickup’s headlights catch the fence line before sweeping across the front porch. By the time he climbs out of the cab, I’m already pushing from the swing.
Tipping his chin in greeting, Kade shuts his truck door with his hip, a six-pack swinging from his hand, cardboard bent where his fingers have dug in. He takes the steps two at a time, boots thudding against the wood. “Don’t worry,” he drawls out. “They’re nonalcoholic.” He lifts the carton slightly, not smiling. “Figured I’d bring something, and since you said you’re dialing down on the booze…”
“Thanks.” I step back, gesturing with a hand for him to come inside. He’s supposed to be collecting Sage after she kept Noah company while I took care of my vetapprentice responsibilities. It seems like he’s already decided to stay awhile, and from the look on his face, wants to finish our earlier conversation.
Once inside, he shrugs out of his jacket and hangs it on the hook by the door. His eyes travel over my shoulder to the open-plan kitchen. “This place is really startin’ to shape up. You must be working on it day and night. It looks good. Homey.”
He’s not wrong. The house, although livable, still needs some attention. “Some parts are more finished than others, but I’ve been doing as much as I can whenever sleep evades me or if Noah is napping.” There’s still a lot to get through, but the main floor is almost finished, minus the living area, which still needs to be plastered and painted. “But yeah. It’s coming together.”
I lead the way, and Kade follows behind me toward the kitchen. My footsteps halt as I peer out the floor-to-ceiling panes of glass that make up the entire back wall. The view itself is stunning, red-and-orange hues forming a picturesque sunset across the mountain range. But that’s not what steals my focus. The hammock is just visible, sagging deep with the weight of two bodies curled toward each other. Noah’s bare foot peeks out from under the blanket while Sage rests her arm over her friend’s torso. Noah looks more peaceful than she has in days, and it causes my chest to tighten.
Next to me, Kade follows my gaze, stopping on thegirls. His shoulders ease, just slightly, as something inside him loosens. “I know both their situations are fucked, but I’m glad they have each other.”
“Yeah. Same,” I mutter, nodding once, because with everything that’s been happening, I almost forgot that Sage, my newfound sister, is dealing with her own demons too. Sure, she has Kade, but maybe she and Noah can confide in each other.
We stand there a moment longer than necessary, both of us watching the hammock sway just enough to prove the night is still moving in. Finally, Kade heads to the kitchen table and sets the six-pack down. I take the chair across from him and sit. The wood creaks under my weight. My hands rest flat on the table, fingers spread, like I need the contact to stay present.
Kade finally opens his beer, and the soft hiss breaks the quiet. “So.” He eyes the bottle, not me. “I’ve been thinking about what you said this morning.” Letting his statement marinate, I draw in a breath. My mind drifts back to our previous conversation. While I was at the ranch, I’d spoken to Kade about Noah and filled him in on the details, at least those he needed to know. It comes as no surprise that my brother is all for hunting Bradley and his friends down and gutting them alive. And honestly, I’m beginning to see his logic. But as I said back in California, we need a plan of attack—preferably one that won’thave either of us rotting behind bars for the rest of fucking time.
I recall the words I’d uttered to him while I explained the events of that night.I’m gonna kill them, Kade. All of them. And I might need your help.
“You don’t tell someone like me you need help disposing of a body or three and… leave it hanging,” he continues. “Not unless you’ve already concocted a plan.”
My jaw tightens, and I shift in my seat, the chair legs scraping softly against the floor. “I meant every word,” I state firmly. “I just haven’t figured out the how. It’s a logistical problem, nothing fucking more.” The words come out like a fact I’ve been carrying around long enough that it’s shaped itself to my ribs.
Kade looks up, then really looks at me. His gaze sharpens, searching my face for hesitation he’s not going to find. “So what do you wanna do?” He chuckles in a way only he could, dripping in menace. “Let’s lay out the options. Tell me what the plan is?”
My fingers curl against the edge of the table before I realize I’m doing it and take a drink instead of answering, the cold grounding, the bitterness welcome. When I set the bottle down, I do it carefully, like control still matters. “I’m thinking we don’t start with Bradley.”
Kade stills. Not dramatically. Just enough that I notice the shift. “The hell we don’t.”
“Hear me out.” I wait a beat before continuing. “That motherfucker deserves a slow, painful death.”
“Agreed.” Kade grits between clenched teeth.
“But I think in order to cover our own asses, we pin the deaths of the other two on him. I want Bradley Hemstock to be petrified to breathe, knowing I’m watching. Knowing I’m coming for him. He needs to be looking over his shoulder, waiting for the moment I decide his days are up.” My heart rate picks up pace. “I’m starving for the kill, Kade. But a part of me wants to draw it out.”
A deep chuckle rumbles from my brother’s chest. “Didn’t Grandma Jo teach you not to play with your food?”
“She also taught me to enjoy every bite. So, I’m choosing the latter.”
Silence stretches between us, thick with everything we’re not saying. Kade leans back in his chair, studies the ceiling like it might offer him a better angle on this. “So,” he rumbles, “you’re thinking we pluck the two chickens first?”
I nod, solid in my decision. “Yeah. It will be easier to access them if they don’t know I’m coming. We may even use Bradley as bait.”
“What are you planning for him?”
My throat tightens. For a split second, Noah’s face flashes through my mind—not as she was in California,but as she is now, asleep and unguarded, trusting the quiet only I can provide her.
“He’ll come later,” I tease my lower lip with my teeth. “But we need to lure him here, first. Give him a reason to hunt us. If he’s taking heat for the other two, he’s gonna want restitution. Then, we attack. Predator becomes prey.”
Kade exhales slowly, like he’s been waiting to hear that part. “And how exactly do you see this plan of yours playing out?”
