The room goes quiet for a beat, then Abigail swallows. “So… what happens now?”
I watch Lawson before he answers. He’s gone still in that way that he gets when he’s done weighing his options. When the decision’s already been made and the rest of us just haven’t caught up yet.
He sets his mug down slowly and clears his throat. “It’s time we send a message."
No one argues.
Not Beau, whose grin is as menacing as it is dangerous.
Not Jasper, whose jaw flexes like he’s already gearing up for a fight.
And not me, because whatever line the Coates boys think they crossed last night?
Well, they’re about a hundred feet over.
“We should go out there,” I suggest to the group.
Beau throws his hands in the air dramatically. “Or, hear me out, wedon’tleave the ranch unattended again. Kinda feels like invitin’ them back to fuck with us twice in one weekend.”
Lawson shakes his head. “Ranch hands will be here until dinner. Full crew. And they’re a bunch of idiots but even I don’t think they’re dumb enough to pull somethin’ in broad daylight.”
I glance at Abigail as she listens. Eyes sharp. Really taking everything in. Lawson’s gaze must follow mine. “She’s comin’.”
Jasper’s first to react, pushing up from his relaxed position at the table so fast his chair scrapes the floor. “No. Absolutely fuckin’ not.” His voice isn’t angry—it’s panicked. Raw in a way only someone who’s lost everything can sound. For a moment, I glance back at Beau, wondering if he’ll have the same reaction, but he’s surprisingly calm. Then again, while there were some similarities, his experience was much different than Jasper’s. “I’m not takin’ her anywhere near them,” he continues. “You know how they are Lawson. If you think I’m lettin’ her near them you are out of your damn mind.”
“It’s not like she’ll be alone,” Beau says evenly. “We’re all going.”
“And she won’t be safer here without us,” Lawson adds. “It’s not up for debate, Jas.”
Jasper turns to me, eyes blazing. “And you’re good with this?”
I don’t answer right away. Instead, I look at Abigail. She doesn’t look scared. She looks resolved. Determined. Then, she reaches for Jasper’s hand from where she sits. Threading her fingers through his as if on instinct. Like she knows exactly the weight he’s carrying and what he needs to make the load feel a little lighter. “I’ll be okay. I promise,” she says softly.
Jasper exhales hard, shoulder slumping just a fraction. “I hate this, just for the record.”
“I know,” I say. “But we’ve got her.”
We’re halfway through town on the way to their ranch when we see them.
All three of them, walking like they own the town rather than being it’s embarrassment. Their laughs are loud even through the truck as they head straight for The Busted Barrel like it’s just another fucking Saturday.
The atmosphere in the truck immediately shifts, every instinct in our bodies sharpens, as Lawson swerves to pull the truck over.
“Well,” Beau mutters. “Ain’t that convenient.”
The second the truck’s in park, the doors are open and our boots hit the pavement. Abigail stays behind the four of us without being told, tucked where she belongs. Where she’s protected.
The middle brother spots us first.
Ethan Coates. The worst of the three and the one with the longest rap sheet, the shortest fuse, and the tiniest fucking dick. He elbows Grayson, the oldest, and smirks as his eyes land on Abigail.
Mistake number one.
Ethan’s grin stretches slow and ugly. He slaps Grayson on the chest without looking away from her. “Guess this is the one you were talkin’ about, huh, Gray?”
Grayson glances past us, eyes flicking over her like she’s a piece of meat. “Sure is.”
Mistake number two.
