Page 57 of Brutal Heir

“What the hell happened here?” I demand. “Who did this to you?”

“It was meeee,” Alvaro jeers, as if he’s rubbing it in my face. He snorts, clearly enjoying the chaos he’s caused. “I told you, I came to collect, and she was going to pay for what she did, until you stepped in.”

My blood boils. “You knew she was heading here, and you still did this?” I gesture to Sage’s battered form.

“Alvaro,” Moy says, warning. His gaze is fixed on me. “You’ve caused enough trouble.”

Alvaro glares at him. “You think you have enough balls to tell me what to do?”

“I’m the one who’s going to make sure you pay for what you’ve done,” I reply, cold and steady. “You don’t touch what’s mine.”

We stare at each other, a silent challenge passing between us. He turns away, looking at Moy. “Look at this guy,” he says with a mocking laugh. Then, just as I expected, Alvaro makes a move. He turns in a flash, reaching for his weapon.

By then, I have my gun out. I squeeze the trigger, in a three shot grouping before he can get off a shot. All the while, I’m keeping Moy in my peripheral vision.

It’s short and brutal, and, when it’s over, Alvaro hits his knees. His body slumps to the ground, lifeless. Then I find my new target.

“You think twice before messing with what’s mine,” I growl.

Moy holds up his hand. “I didn’t—”

“He didn’t touch me,” Sage jumps in to defend him, stopping me from finishing it.

I lower my gun. “Let’s get you home.”

“What about him?” Moy asks.

“Don’t worry about him.”

“And what about me?” he asks, his body tense.

I look down at the bag at my feet. Moy is my uncle, my father’s brother. While he’s part of the family, he’s on the rightside. “Take the bag. It’s a million five. It could keep you for the rest of your life if you work it out right.”

He nods slowly. “Yeah.” He rubs his hand across his mouth. “Yeah, I can do that.”

Together, we lift Alvaro’s body and carry him to his truck. I can’t help but feel a sense of relief and anger. Relief that the threat is gone, but anger that it had to end this way…in front of her.

Sage is pale, her eyes downcast.

I take a deep breath, trying to push down the frustration.

Chapter 33

Sage

We’ve driven back to his house in silence, the only sound the hum of my truck’s engine. My eyes are fixed on the passing scenery, but I don’t really see any of it. I’m lost in my thoughts, trying to make sense of what just happened.

“You okay?” he asks, as he turns off the truck.

I nod, numb. “Yeah. I’ll be okay.”

That’s not entirely true, I’m shaken to my very soul. I need time to process what’s happened. If he still had his truck, I would have gone back to Carrizo.

My mind replays the last hour, picking apart every detail. I don’t want to be helpless anymore. How many times could I have ended up in major trouble over the past couple of days. But he saved me each time.

You think twice before messing with what’s mine. I wrap up those words and tuck them near my heart.

Mine. The word itself echoes in my mind.

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