“Yeah, I’ve had my fill.”I sit and drop the folder onto the table.
“I gave Lucifer the watered-down version of what we were discussing the other night,” Shadow says as he plops his ass in the chair next to me.“I figured you could plead your case better than me, anyway.”
Something about that last sentence gives me pause.I didn’t realize I’d have to plead anything.I thought this was a sure deal.The club needed a business to invest in, and I needed a Hail Mary.
Swiping my hands over my jeans, I turn my attention from Shadow to Lucifer.
“Well, as it turns out, I got some news today that changes things since Shadow and I spoke.”
Slipping a cigarette between his lips, he pats the front of his vest.A moment later he pulls a lighter out from one of his pockets.“Shadow mentioned you had a visitor from Landry Oil.Don’t tell me he showed up at your doorstep again.”
I shake my head as he lights his cigarette.“No, that remains the same.Landry is still looking to buy my land, but today I learned it’s not just my land.My grandfather left the ranch to me and my sister.As it stands, she retains fifty percent of everything, which means I need to buy her out.”
Shadow lets out a low whistle.
“That certainly changes things,” Lucifer says.“Is she willing to sell?”
My hands go still on top of my thighs, and my jaw tightens.“Della has no use for the ranch.It’s a fucking joke that he even left her any part of it.She deserted the place years ago to make a better life for herself.I doubt she wants to trade in her designer clothes for overalls, and mucking stalls really ain’t her thing.”I lean forward.“I’ve been working my ass off to expand the ranch, but I keep taking blow after blow.The property taxes alone are killing me.”I push the folder toward him.“All my financials are in there, along with the business plan I’ve been trying to implement.”
He flicks his cigarette and takes the folder.Opening it, he flips through the papers, pausing to read some more thoroughly than others.
“Is this right?You just purchased a new herd of cattle?”
“Yes,” I say.“And I was hoping to purchase some bison too.”
Lucifer’s eyes lift and lock with mine.“Big money in that.”
“There’s big money in a lot of things.It’s executing them that’s the problem.”
“You ever consider wholesale distribution or a farm to table type of operation?”
“Man, I’ve considered everything.There’s a nice open area on the other side of the pasture that I wanted to use to open a restaurant.You’ll find a bunch of quotes from different contractors in that folder.I even scouted some chefs I thought would be a good fit.I got the ideas, and the will.I need the capital.”
He considers my words for a moment before drawing his attention back to the records.After he’s looked over everything, he snuffs out his cigarette and leans back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head.
“According to the last property assessment, you need $ 3.5 million just to buy your sister out, and that doesn’t even begin to solve your problems.Now, I see a lot of potential in Meadows Ranch, but it’s going to take a big chunk of change to turn this shit around, and if you ain’t willing to have your sister as a partner, I gotta guess you’re not going to be too willing to take on my club as one either.”
“With all due respect, Lucifer, you got it wrong.My sister didn’t earn a stake in what I’ve kept going for the last three years.The only thing I want is to save my ranch, and I’m willing to do whatever the fuck that takes.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you would relinquish forty percent ownership to the Fallen Demons and change the name from Meadows Ranch to Fallen Meadows Ranch?”
Stunned at what he’s suggesting, I try to control my features, but I don’t know that I do such a good job, especially when Lucifer shakes his head.“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Hold on a second,” I say.“Why the hell do we have to change the name?”
“Brother, money is a problem for you, yeah, but if you think that’s your only problem, you’re fucked.Landry Oil is one of the biggest oil refinery companies in the industry.If they want your land, they are going to find a way to take it.But you know that already, or you wouldn’t be here.The name changes to Fallen Meadows because the Fallen Demons are the only thing that’s going to stand in the way of that happening.We protect our investments, and should your ranch become one of them, then the whole fucking world is going to know every fucking acre is off limits.”
What he’s saying makes sense.The Fallen Demons are feared, no one on the right side of the law wants to fuck with them, but that doesn’t make any of what he’s saying easier to digest.
“I like the idea of a restaurant, but you’re going to need a lot more working capital.You could probably cut costs if you get someone to process the meat on the ranch.”He glances at Shadow.“We can call the butcher, get his take on it.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Shadow agrees.
My gaze bounces from Shadow to Lucifer.How we jumped from changing the name of my ranch to hiring a butcher, I don’t know.
“You’re telling me you just happen to have a butcher on hand?”
I mean I guess it’s possible with them being silent partners in The Hideaway, but I don’t think a restaurant like that sources meat from a private butcher.
