Page 14 of Stone Cold Savage

When neither said a word, Coy turned back to Dillon, who shrugged, letting Coy know he wasn’t the only one stumped by the interaction between Rip and Devyn.

“Oh, come on. Just say it.” Nash chimed in. “Coy. Dill.”

“Not the time, little brother.” Coy got up from his seat and stood in front of Devyn, blocking her from Rip’s view and vice versa. “I’ll go with you, Dev. It won’t be suspicious if it’s the two of us, especially since you wrote the original. It’s reasonable for you to question the new one.”

“I’ll go, too,” Kenzie said. “While you work the will over with the guy, I’ll look for anything else that may be out of place.”

“Will it seem off if the rest of us aren’t present?” Cut asked.

“No. Your wife is about to have a baby, so you’re staying close by. Dill has an entire detail that follows her everywhere, so not exactly practical for her to join us either. Besides, I don’t want to leave the ranch vulnerable, and we need those agents here.” Coy shared.

“I’d rather be here anyway. I’ll work with Rip to hold things down while you’re gone.” Dillon said.

“Or, I follow in a second vehicle and watch your six. Nobody here knows me, and I won’t be familiar.” Rip insisted. “Play this right.”

Coy turned around and looked at Rip, “You aren’t going to take no for an answer, are you?”

Rip took his plate to the kitchen sink and handed it to Devyn, who’d started rinsing dishes. “Not a chance,” he said.

“It’s a good idea,” Kenzie said. “It can’t hurt to have another set of fresh eyes on the lookout.”

“Done,” Coy said.

“Then I guess I’ll ride with the big guy?” Nash asked.

“No.” They all said in unison, catching each other off guard.

“Then, what am I supposed to do?” Nash continued, “Or is this a case of leave Nash behind so he doesn’t screw shit up.”

When nobody spoke, Nash got up from the table to leave the room, “Got it. Leave the screw-up here so he can only screw shit up on the ranch.”

“That’s not it, and you know it, Nash.”

“Then what, Coy? What is it? Am I still paying for the damn pot plants? Did that really cripple your trust in me that much? Or maybe there wasn’t any trust to begin with. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“I need you here,” Coy said. “Cut’s going to be close to the house. Dillon is going to oversee security. I need someone to cover for me. Keep me updated if anything happens. Run information between us as needed. Can you do that?”

“So, I’m the hub.”

“You could say that. You kept your cool and jumped right in when shit hit the fan. You didn’t even flinch when all that went down with Devyn and Ran’s agent.”

“So, what I’m hearing is… you need me.” Nash grinned.

“Yes, Nash. I need you.” Coy rolled his eyes. “We all need you.”

“Well, big brother, you got me. I’ll do whatever it takes to help get us out of whatever it is we’re stuck in the middle of.” Nash vowed stoically, “I always knew I was the heart of this family.”

Coy shook his head, “Pfft. I wouldn’t take it that far, but yeah, if that’s how you feel. You’re the heart.”

“You can count on me. I mean that. I won’t disappoint any of you again.” Nash said. “We’re a team. A family. If we can’t count on each other… who can we count on?”

5

“Like I said, Mr. Stone,” Attorney Ellis Steele spoke from behind his dark mahogany desk, encircled by matching bookshelves adorned with stacks of law books and gold-framed degrees and awards. It was evident the space was meant to appear rich or elite, but it was merely dark and musty and gave off a cold and eerie vibe. If walls could talk, this place would surely tell tales of misdeeds and mayhem.

“Like I said… it’s Coy.” He scolded, seeming unimpressed.

“Right, Coy.” Ellis said in a smarmy manner, “I cannot discuss the details outside of whatever is already in writing. Attorney Client privilege exists, even out here in the middle of nowhere, small town USA.”

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