“I will. Keep me posted,” Leo said before signing off.
Matthew pulled Garrett’s files up on his computer and combed through them again. If Garrett brought trouble to Serenity Ranch, Matthew needed to shut it down or risk exposing them all.
CHAPTER FOUR
On the other side of town, Kenny used his weight and size to intimidate the woman sitting on the barstool. Riley Stewart didn’t dare blink or gaze in her sister’s direction.
“If you want your sister out of this life, someone has to pay,” he said, his hot, sour breath hitting her face.
“I already told you, I only have thirty-seven hundred dollars. It’s all I can pay,” she insisted.
Kenny walked in circles around her, giving her a chance to glimpse her sister. The black eye, busted lip, and the cut on her cheek made Riley want to rake her nails down the biker’s face.
His dirty finger ran a trail down her cheek. “Maybe we can come to some other arrangement,” he suggested quietly, while he glanced in his girlfriend’s direction.
“Tara never scratched your bike. If she did, thirty-seven hundred dollars would be more than enough to pay for it,” she ground out. “You didn’t need to rough her up.”
“We asked her, and the bitch lied,” Kenny gave Riley’s long ponytail a jerk.
Tara burst into tears as another monstrous biker moved closer to her.
“What do you want? I’ll pay for it. I’ll give you my earnings every week,” Riley called out, attempting to catch the attention of the biker close to her sister.
Kenny leaned close to her ear. “I don’t want your money.”
Riley braced herself, waiting for the man to assault her. When she convinced Tara to run away from their alcoholic father, the biker bar hired her on with no proof of identification. She kept Tara stowed away in the apartment two buildings down and warned her never to come inside. Unfortunately, when her father discovered their whereabouts, Tara climbed down the fire escape and fled to her sister.
The biggest troublemaker in the bar latched on to her little sister, and Riley now found herself in a jam.
“I need a favor,” Kenny drawled. “You’ll go to Mystic Ranch and locate Garrett Johnson. You’ll seduce him and have him tell you what he did with the money. You’ll report every day. Once you figure out where he keeps it, I’ll let your sister go.”
“It might take me weeks to find the man, much less drag information out of him. Let my sister come with me. It’ll make him less suspicious,” she grasped at straws.
Kenny let out a sinister laugh. “You won’t need to worry. Your sister will stay with us for safekeeping.”
Riley felt the involuntary shiver run down her body, refusing to imagine what they might do to her sixteen-year-old sister while they waited for her to report to them. “How do I even recognize the man? What if he’s moved on? Ranch hands don’t stay long.”
The woman sitting in the corner rose from her chair andthrust a picture in her face. “Memorize it,” she ordered. “He has my money, and I want every single cent. If you come back empty-handed, we’ll let the boys have their fun,” she taunted, smiling broadly.
“You’re sick,” Riley spat. “She’s a young girl. I’ll find the damn man. If you know where he’s located, why don’t you grab him yourself?”
“Stupid girl,” Kenny swore. “He doesn’t know we’re out of prison. No use in letting the cat out of the bag quite yet. Find him and discover where he’s keeping the money. Then we’ll take care of him.”
“Fine, but I want some assurances. Nobody touches my sister,” Riley demanded.
The man behind her sister sniffed her hair and Riley jumped from her seat and launched herself toward the man, letting out a growl. The man moved like lightning, knocking her to the floor. His boot kicked her in the ribs, making her grunt in pain. Tara whimpered as the man held a knife to her throat.
“You shouldn’t have riled Blade up,” Kenny said, shaking his head. “I think he likes her.”
Riley slowly sat up and glared in his direction. “It seems to me you’re up a shit creek. If you want me to locate this man and keep your name out of it, I suggest you think twice about Blade touching her. Unless you want Garrett to get wind of you searching for him,” she said, spitting out blood.
Kenny twisted his hand in her hair and dragged her back to her feet. She refused to give him the satisfaction of crying out, knowing it’d only terrorize her sister more.
“You have one week to find him and use your assets,” he said, pinching her behind hard.
“I can’t walk my way to Mystic Ranch,” she said calmly. “It’ll appear more suspicious if I show up walking down the drive. There’s nothing for miles,” she explained.
“Stitch, give her the keys to your car,” Kenny ordered. “Take the kid and put her beside my room and padlock the door. We don’t want big sis getting any ideas of sneaking in and taking her out from under our noses.”
