Page 46 of Brutal Heir

I pick up my cell, to call Addler. He likes to know what’s happening on his property at any given point. It’s a lesson learned from the old man himself.

His truck’s out front, so he should be home. What the hell. May as well stop off and see how he’s doing. Might catch him limping around after a day of hard labor. Been a while since the college boy had to sweat. Might get a word or two about his friend.

I pull up to the two-story Spanish-style house Addler calls home and kill the engine. I open the door, take a step out, and wince. Getting out of the truck brings my own sore muscles to mind. Not that it stopped me from a good, hard fuck not too longago.

I take a deep breath and check the perimeter. There’s nothing out of the ordinary in the vast expanse of the ranch stretching out around me. In the distance, the cow I just dropped off in the next field is grazing lazily along with a few others.

I open the wrought-iron gate in front of the house. It creaks a little as I push it open. The day’s so tranquil, I can hear the sound echoing across the property. There’s enough security around the house that we’d get notified if anyone without a fob was coming too close. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

Locking up behind me, I move on to the large wooden door at the entrance and let myself in. More out of habit than anything else, I check my boots before stepping into the grand foyer. Best to avoid Mayela’s wrath by keeping from dragging dirt and mud through the place while she’s away.

The walls are covered in his mama’s artwork. Images from the ranch at different points in time. Some while she was here and others from pictures out of the family albums. There’s several doorways leading out to different parts of the house.

I hear noise coming from the kitchen. It’s pretty much where I figured I’d find him, so I continue on through the main living room and dining area. Damn, it’s a whole workout to get across the house. I shoulda gone around the back like I usually do, so I’d avoid all this.

I walk into the kitchen and get one hell of a surprise.

Addler’s on the kitchen floor, with a woman draped over him. She’s wearing his shirt; the curve of her hips and her bare legs show she’s astride him. Her feet are down around what looks to be his shorts. It’s Elena, I’d recognize that long, dark hair anywhere.

Damn it. I may be able to back out of here without them noticing. They’re both caught up in a kiss that don’t look like it’s gonna end any time soon. The image is hotter than any porn I’ve ever come across.

Resigned, I let out a breath then clear my throat.

She gasps, looking up to find me standing close by. I have enough sense to look away. I’m still a man, so it’s not like I could ignore that rack of hers. I don’t need to think about that right now.

Staring at the kitchen table doesn’t help. Out of the corner of my eye, I see her sit up, and the shirt she’s wearing is wide open.Holy fuck.

Addler drags her down against him. She curls into him like a lost child. There’s only so much I can do to be polite to the nice lady. And this is really pushing the limit.

“I’ll come back,” I offer.

“Give us a second,” Addler says, enjoying himself enough that he’ll probably be paying for it later.

“Gotcha,” I reply. The best I can do is head to the back. “I’ll be out here.” I let myself onto the patio through the French doors.

I can’t help but wonder how long this has been going on, and it bugs the shit out of me. I don’t usually have the curiosity of acomadrelooking for good gossip. Which gets me to wonder if Mayela hasn’t heard thechisme. As the de Marco’s long-time housekeeper, she’s always up to date on what’s happening.

I step outside and take a deep breath of fresh air. The sun is high in the sky, already beating down onto land.

Speaking of heating up, the door opens, and Addler joins me on the patio.

“Well, that was unexpected.” I’m not sure if I should apologize or give him a hard time about not saying anything about Elena.

He runs his hand over his beard. “Didn’t exactly plan on it myself.” A shit-eating grin covers his face.

“Wanted to check in with you,” I say, before we end up distracted by what I just walked in on. “Something’s up.”

He immediately loses the grin. That’s to be expected. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, so, if things go wrong, we can only rely on one another. “What happened?”

I look to the roads in the distance. “Got some security vehicles running around out there.”

“You sure it’s them?” As if I haven’t been watching everything that’s been going on since the day Kelly Oil showed up on the ranch.

“It’s several vehicles running around. They’re kicking up enough caliche to show they’re speeding,” I point out. “Which means it has to be security.”

He frowns. “They haven’t called in?”

“No.” I push back my hat, running the back of my hand over my forehead.

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