Page 40 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

“Are you done? I have work that needs to get done,” she hisses lowly.

“You leave tomorrow” I say, my jaw clenched tight. “I don’t care where you go or what happens to you, but you’re gone.”

With that, I stride away in satisfaction, leaving her standing there, beautifully defiant.

The rain startsto fall just as I return to the house.

My boots squelch in the mud as I head up the porch steps, the boards creaking under my weight. I don’t bother shaking off the rain when I step inside; the water dripping from my jacket matches the cold, wet feeling settling in my gut.

Hank and Ben are in the living room, their faces tense as they look up from whatever it is they were discussing before I had barged in. I don’t give them time to ask where I’ve been, or why I look like I’ve been through hell and back. The words are out before I can think of them.

“You two need to stay the hell away from that woman,” I snap, my voice cutting through the silence.

Hank raises an eyebrow, a flash of annoyance crosses his face. “JT, what the hell are you talking about?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about,” I growl, peeling off my soaked jacket and tossing it onto the nearest chair. “Mac. You guys need to stay away from her.”

Ben looks from me to Hank and back again, confusion written all over his face. “What happened?”

“What happened,” I say, my voice cold and deliberate, “is that she’s out there digging up dirt on us, trying to find something to bring us down. And you two are playing right into her hands.”

“JT, you’re overreacting,” Hank says, his tone is flat, but there’s an edge to it, like he’s barely holding back his own frustration.

“She’s got it in her head that Dad was involved in something illegal, and she’s determined to prove it.”

Ben crosses his arms, watching me cooly. “And what if she’s right, JT? What if Dad was into something we didn’t know about?”

“Don’t even start with that,” I snap, feeling the anger surge again. “You really think Dad was poaching animals? You think he’d risk everything we’ve built? For what? A few bucks on the black market?”

Ben’s eyes widen, shock and disbelief flickering across his face. “Poaching? Is that what she’s saying?”

“Yeah. Poaching a rare and near extinct animal,” I say, meeting his gaze, seeing the worry there. “And if she’s right—if she finds proof—then everything we’ve worked for goes up in smoke. Everything.”

The room falls silent, the only sound is the steady beating of the rain against the windows, and the wind howling outside like some wild thing.

Hank’s eyes narrow, a flicker of something dark passing over his face. “So, what do we do, JT? Kick her out? Run her off? And what if she’s already found something?”

I don’t have an answer, and the silence between us stretches, the unease growing, filling the space between us. I don’t want to believe it, don’t want to even consider the possibility that ourfather—our father—could have been involved in something so dirty, and dangerous.

“She hasn’t found anything,” I say, my voice tight, though I’m not sure if I’m trying more to convince them or myself.

Ben’s face pales, and he looks like he’s about to say something, but I don’t give him the chance. I’m done with this conversation, doubt and fear gnawing at my insides. I head for the stairs, the wooden steps creaking under my weight.

“I’m going to cool off,” I throw over my shoulder, though the words feel hollow. There’s no cooling off from this, no escaping.

As I reach the top of the stairs, the house shudders with a loud crack of thunder, and the lights flicker ominously. I pause, my hand gripping the banister.

Dammit it, Dad!

I shake my head, trying to push the thoughts away, but they stick like tar, coating everything.

I reach the door to my room, my hand hovering over the knob. I can’t stop thinking about Mac—about what she might know, and what she might find.

Mac’s face flashes through my mind, the curve of her lips and her dark eyes as she watched me, defied me.

Damn her too.

I suppress a shiver, trying to ignore the way my body tingles at the thought of her. Anger surges through me, hot and wild. I curse her again for making me feel this way—confused, angry,aroused.

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