“Of course, we’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Teddy informs me.
Leaning down, I give her a quick kiss on the lips. “Be back as soon as I can.”
Pop and Asher are already in the pickup when I walk out into the garage. As we head toward the stable, an uneasy feeling settles in my gut. I know it’s probably the chaos of the night that has me feeling this way. The storm, the looming knowledge of what Selena discovered, and the potential danger that lies ahead, but I shove it all aside as we pull up to the stable.
The guys aren’t gone for very long before the power comes back on but Rosco won’t stop barking.
“What is it, boy?” I ask, looking out the kitchen window. The rain is coming down so hard I can’t see anything.
Teddy taps his leg and Rosco comes over to rest his jowls on his thigh.
“Looks like you found a new friend.”
“He’s a good boy. Very intuitive.” Rosco wags his tail as Teddy scratches the back of his ear.
“I think I’ll put on another pot of coffee. I’m sure the guys will need something warm when they get back. This rain is crazy.”
With another boom of thunder, Rosco goes nuts again, his deep howl making the hairs on my arms stand on end. Teddy rises from his seat, reaching for his cane to steady himself before walking into the living room. Rosco flanking him.
I continue making coffee, trying to keep my mind occupied. Exhaustion weighs down my shoulders, the revelations of the night finally beginning to take their toll.
After I have the coffee going, I go in search of Teddy and Rosco but they are nowhere to be found. The front door is standing halfway open, a gust of air pushing it to smack the wall.
“Teddy?” I walk out onto the porch, expecting to find him there but pain explodes behind my eyes when I’m struck from behind.
My head throbs as I fall forward, my cheek smacking the wood of the porch. Darkness teases my consciousness but I do everything I can not to let it take me under.
“Get up,” the familiar voice orders, and I somehow summon enough strength to lift my head, a pair of wet, shiny shoes directly in my line of sight.
Pushing from the floor, I get up on my knees then to my feet. I sway, reaching for the back of my head, fingers prodding the wet stickiness. My vision comes into focus long enough to see dark eyes piercing mine. The anger and rage burning inside of me bubbles to the surface.
I spit in his face.
“I hate you,” I seethe, my body tense with ire and flowing with adrenaline.
Grinning, Carlito pulls a handkerchief from inside of his coat pocket to wipe the saliva from his face. Lightning cracks in the sky behind him, illuminating the stables off in the distance.
“You have her fight you know; she was such a resilient creature.” He leans in close, his whiskey-tinged breath infiltrating my nose. “That’s why I had to break her.”
Bile rises in my throat as I raise my hand to slap him but he grabs hold of my wrist, twisting and squeezing hard enough to bring me to my knees. Lowering his mouth to my ear, he turns my chin toward the end of the porch. My heart breaks in two. Teddy is hogtied, unconscious, blood trickling from the side of his face.
Carlito’s grip tightens on my chin, his fingers digging into my skin. “Unless you want me to put a bullet in his head, you’ll do exactly as I say, understand?”
I nod, willing to do whatever I have to in order to keep him safe.
Unease plagues me, something tugging at my gut that I can’t put my finger on. At first I chalk it up to the storm, they’ve always made me uneasy. A lot can happen, things you need to be prepared for, especially on a ranch as big as this one. So I shove it aside, that’s until I notice Dino.
Ever since we got here he’s been acting weird, as if he’s feeling the same uncertainty as me. He’s constantly looking over his shoulder, shifting on his feet.
When his eyes meet mine, I finally call him out, “Everything all right?”
“Fine, why?”
I shrug. “You seem on edge.”
“Who isn’t?” His eyes shift away, avoiding my hard stare. It puts me even more on alert.
