Page 13 of Brutal Heir

I cringe, preparing to tell him I’m not ready. I can already hear him berating me for not being prepared. “I’m not in uniform,” I admit. And there’s only one way I can get into uniform. I guarantee he’s not going to like it. “I’ll have to go back to Carrizo Springs to change before I can come in.”

“You’re not doing some damn beauty pageant,” he snaps.This time it’s my turn to be annoyed.

I try one last time. “Can we reschedule for tomorrow morning? I can be there before—”

“No, I need you here, and I need you now,” he stresses. “If you can’t handle the job, say so.”

I grit my teeth again. After the news I got about the de Marcos buying the company, it’s not a good idea to push it with this guy. He won’t be going anywhere. The same can’t be said about me. While I hope it doesn’t happen, my job might be on the line after Monday’s announcement.

You don’t belong here.

It took me a long time to get settled, more importantly, tofeelsettled. Realistically, there’s a chance I’ll have to pick up and move to another company and maybe even another part of the country.

You don’t belong here.

A hollow feeling grows inside me. Still, I’m here now, and the unclear future doesn’t mean I’m going to drop the ball today. Regardless of anything else, part of me wants to show Ezequiel who I am and what I do.

“All right. Let me head back to…” He hasn’t actually said where I’m going or what we’re going to do. I won’t push it, but Iwillget details. “Where is here?” I ask, keeping my tone as neutral as possible.

He pauses. I switch gears and check for traffic. A tanker truck zooms by; the draft left by his speed shakes the truck. “Go to gate seven. I’ll leave it open for you then we can meet at the hangar to switch trucks. And I don’t care if you show up in pajamas—just get here.Now.”

“I’m on the way.” I end the call, not bothering to wait for him to say anything else.

I take a calming breath. I should have told him I was on the other side of the border patrol checkpoint. It would have bought me some time to swing by the office and see if we have anything I can use.

I scoff. While it’s an idea, I already know we won’t have anything in my size, either clothes or boots. The typical oilfield worker doesn’t come with big boobs or an ass like mine.

Come on, you fat bitch. The man’s voice echoes in my head.

Shaking away the thought, I pull out to the highway and do a U-turn. Ezequiel. I have to focus on him and what he wants.

I’ve never been to the hangar, but I know where it sits in Delta section. As security lead, I had to learn the map in case I have to show up anywhere. From my calculations, I should have about forty-five minutes before I have to face him, at best.

That’s still not enough time to prepare myself mentally for what I’m sure is coming.

Chapter 7

Ezequiel

I’ve been cooling my heels at the hangar for over an hour, waiting for the security truck to arrive. That’s time wasted. I could have been doing something else, like looking for my missing cows.

The sun beats down on the damp ground, sending a hot wind whipping through the open hangar doors. It makes sitting here that much less tolerable.

Damn Addler for making it a point that I take security with me. I’ve been working this ranch for years, and I know my way around better than even him. But Addler insisted, and I suspect he has a good reason for the decision. The fact he can’t say more is telling.

I turn to my laptop, moving the screen to a movie I plan to come back to before going home, so I can look at a map. The list Addler sent will take us across the ranch and back then out to the newest portion. My property. More to the point, the property mykid, or kids will own someday. It’s my exit strategy from the life my family has chosen.

The security truck finally pulls up beside the window. I turn to the security monitor, a massive seventy-inch screen that displays feeds from around the building.

Sage climbs out of the truck, and every muscle on my face goes slack. She’s in shorts and a tank top. My eyes are immediately drawn to her pulling down at the inseam where the loose material of her shorts was bunched up against her pussy.

“Fuck my life,” I curse under my breath.

She walks past, but I can barely see her head over the hood. The wind’s picking up, tossing her hair all over…and her shorts. She just ducks and runs a delicate hand along her temple while the wind points out every curve.

I don’t get it. What’s this damn princess doing out on a ranch, running security, for fuck’s sake. At this point, she’s probably a magnet to every dangerous thing on the ranch, me included. She’s 100 percent distraction, something I don’t need or want.

Or so I keep telling myself.

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