Page 54 of Rough Ride

She nodded. “Of course.”

“I understand Danny is keeping his nose clean over there,” Evan said to Eli.

“Yes. Hard worker. I’d love to have him full time but I know he won’t stay.”

“Those Aionas are all hard workers. He’s got the drive to be a doctor. I was surprised he took the summer off, but he said he needed a break and wanted to save up some money for med school.”

“He’s definitely earning it.”

“Good. You call me if you have any issues with him. Or Kai. I think he’s more afraid of Kai than anyone.” He gave her a wink. “You let us know if you need anything and I hope to see you soon again.”

Turning, he walked away.

“There’s another Aiona?” Crysta asked as they watched Evan walk away. People stopped him and it took him awhile to make his way out of the club.

“Yeah, Kai Aiona, but he’s married and, on top of that, he’s never played.”

She sighed. “I know you apparently think I’m on the hunt for a Dom, but I’m not.”

When he didn’t say anything, she glanced at him. He was studying her as if trying to figure out some great puzzle. He opened his mouth but Micah tapped him on the shoulder.

She was surprised when she saw the frown marring the club owner’s face. Fear slipped through her, chilling her blood. She knew something bad had happened.

“Eli, there was a call from Dillon. You’ve got problems at the ranch.”

seventeen

Eli swallowed back the bile and attempted to keep his nerves in check. From the frenzied packing to their hop back over the island, he had been in constant contact with Jerry. He knew what had happened, but he was now worried about what was right around the corner.

They sped toward the ranch in the SUV. He still didn’t know how bad it was. All Jerry could tell him was that cows had been mutilated.

“I hope everyone’s okay,” Crysta said. He almost didn’t hear her. Eli was accustomed to her enthusiastic tone, not the barely audible tenor she struck now.

Since the call, she hadn’t said much. He had told her what he knew, and she had taken care of her own things, then calmly went into his room and took care of his. It was odd because he’d never had a woman pack his clothes for him. Because she had been so steady, he hadn’t realized until now that she was worried. He glanced at her. It was still dark so he couldn’t make out her features, and he knew she wasn’t crying. Still, he heard the worry in her voice.

“No one was hurt except a few cows, from what Jerry said.”

She nodded. He didn’t know what more to say. They just weren’t accustomed to this kind of crime. They had issues with rustlers from time to time, but it was hard to rustle cattle on an island and people not find out about it. So often the culprits were caught. This was different. This was another level of attack he hadn’t expected.

They turned onto the path that led the way to the ranch. Before he could punch in the code, the gate opened for him. As they drove closer to the house, it was easy to see it. Lights blazed and there were men running around. He saw Mitch Smith’s SUV when he drove up. Jerry said he had the cops out on the scene.

He parked the truck but before he could open the door, Jerry was coming out the front door.

Mitch was right behind him.

“That didn’t take very long,” Mitch said as he looked over at Crysta.

“Mitch, this is Crysta Miller, who owns the ranch with me now.”

He nodded in her direction. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Miller. Your uncle really had nice things to say about you.”

She nodded but said nothing else. Her anxiety was easy to feel. He didn’t blame her. It was horrendous to him, but for someone like her, in an unfamiliar place, it had to be terrifying.

“Why don’t we go inside,” Jerry said, his grim expression, along with his bleak pallor told Eli it was probably worse than he could imagine. “We’ve got coffee going. It’s going to be a long fucking night.”

Jerry glanced in Crysta’s direction. “Sorry.”

She gave the foreman a tired smile. “Don’t worry. You’re right. It’s going to be a long fucking night.”

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