“When you get something. He’ll pay even if I have to beat it out of him. Besides, if he’s rich enough to own a big ol’ ranch, he can afford to give his long-lost sister some of it.”
The confidence in his voice made her skin crawl. In Troy's mind, the money was already his. He'd convinced himself he was entitled to it, and reality had never stood in the way of getting what he wanted.
“And like I said, if you decide to screw me over...” He let the words trail off while his gaze drifted toward the window, as though the Triple R sat just beyond the glass. “Shane won't be the only one having a bad day.”
A chill crept through her. “What's that supposed to mean?”
He looked back at her, a nasty grin spreading across his face. “It means I hit a bar up the road for a burger and some beer last night after I got into town. Found out from a couple of drunks that Shane Wilson’s got a wife and a husband—fucking queer. And he’s got a few rugrats. You know what they say—accidents happen.” He shrugged. “That ranch of his is a pretty big place. He’s got a lot of employees, too. Bet your boyfriend is one of them. Does he fuck guys, too, when he’s not screwing a loser like you?”
The threat landed exactly as he'd intended. “You stay the hell away from them—all of them!”
His grin widened another notch. “Make me.”
Fear replaced anger so quickly, it stole her breath. The warning hung between them, ugly and unmistakable.
Outside, a horn gave a quick toot, followed by approaching footsteps and the murmur of voices. They passed her door a moment later, their conversation fading as they continued across the parking lot. Ordinary sounds. Ordinary people going about their day.
Inside the motel room, nothing felt ordinary anymore.
A few minutes ago, Troy had been the last person she'd expected to find outside her door. Now he had become something far worse. He wasn't only demanding part of an inheritance he had no right to. He was threatening the fragile relationships she'd built since coming to Hazard Falls, and she knew he'd follow through if she backed him into a corner.
Before he showed up, she'd been surprised to realize the inheritance no longer mattered most to her. The chance to build a genuine relationship with Shane had taken its place, and somewhere along the way, Seth had climbed to the top of the list too. Now all of it was at risk.
There was no denying that the money would make her life easier. It would erase years of scraping by and give her the freedom to stop worrying about every unexpected expense. But if she walked away from Hazard Falls with nothing more than the life she'd arrived with, she'd still be leaving behind far more than she'd ever expected to find.
She'd grown to love the town and most of the people in it—well, at least the ones who didn't talk about Shane, Tucker, and Paige as though they were the devil's spawn. More than that, she'd discovered something she'd never imagined having—a brother who might actually want her in his life instead of wishing she'd never existed.
Apparently satisfied he'd made himself perfectly clear, Troy turned away from her, crossed the room, and dropped onto the bed again. He rested one arm along the headboard and looked at her expectantly. “So, where are you working? I doubt you have enough money saved up to pay for this motel room every night. Unless you've been whoring yourself out.”
She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to tell him to fuck off.
Then dread overtook her again. It wasn't just everyone at the Triple-R she had to worry about now. If Troy knew where she worked, he'd have another place to find her and stir up trouble. Betty Lou, her coworkers, the regulars at Bar None... none of them deserved to be caught in the middle of his schemes, yet he wouldn't think twice about using any of them if it got him what he wanted.
She could lie and tell him she had a job in Wexler or one of the neighboring towns. But he'd already been to Bar None. That realization gave her pause. Her name must not have come up while he'd been there. Troy was a loser and an asshole, but he was at least smart enough to know that asking about her would draw unwanted attention to himself.
It wouldn't stay that way for long, though.
Troy would end up back at Bar None eventually. He always gravitated toward bars when he had nowhere else to be, and when he saw her there, he'd know she'd lied.
And then she'd have another disaster to deal with.
She blew out a quiet breath. Lying would only delay the inevitable. “I work at the bar you were at last night.”
His eyebrows climbed, but before he could say anything, she added, “But stay away from it.”
“Why?”
“Because I know the people there, and they know me. This town isn't big enough for strangers to go unnoticed. If you hang around, somebody's going to realize we know each other or worse, that we're related. We have the same last name. Then they'll start asking questions.”
“So let ’em.”
“No.” Her voice sharpened before she forced it back under control. “I'm finally getting somewhere, Troy. I don't need you screwing it up.”
He watched her for a moment. “Fine. Where am I supposed to drink?”
“The Last Chance Saloon.”
“The what?”
