Page 58 of Burning for You

Land deeds. Debt warnings. Takeover notices.

“I swear, I’ve never seen these before.” Austin Holt; I remember Rhea’s text. It’s their father.

“My dad was tricked into selling parts of his land.” He points at a map with marks signifying the boundaries of a new development complex.

“And you think it was me?”

“It was Brilliance.”

I shake my head. “Brilliance doesn’t deal with ranches and farmlands.” Then, seeing the logo on the paperwork, revulsion climbs into my gut.

Now I know where Rupert Teller sits in all of this. These boys weren’t hired by anyone. They’re simply defending their property.

“It’s all him! It’s not Brilliance,” I say, pointing at the HPI logo. “I forced Rupert Teller to resign from my company, Sass, and he was bitter about it. Did he tell you I was involved?”

“Nice try, Miss Meyer,” Levi says.

“I told you she wouldn’t cooperate.” Jesse rises from his seat. I jump behind Levi, who instinctively shields me from his brother.

Instead of gunning for me, Jesse gets out of the room.

“This man,” I say to Levi, pointing at the HPI logo, “hates me. Whatever he told you, he tried to frame me! Why would Brilliance want this remote area with no facilities? It makes no sense. How did you even link that bastard to my company? To me?”

“You tell me, Miss Meyer.” His eyes widen in an exaggerated way. He knows the answer. The man just wants me to say something that confirms his secret knowledge. “These are, in fact, old plans. Things have changed a lot since then. You came up with a bigger, bolder plan. Perhaps after you decided you were going to buy fifty-one percent of Brilliance?”

This is absurd—but he looks dead serious.

Levi takes a deep breath, about to say something further, but he releases a sudden gah as Jesse shoulders him from behind.

The older Holt brother shoves a series of photos at me. The guy is in tears—and I don’t think it’s from the drugs. He catches my chin, pointing a gun at my jaw. “Look at him! Look at our dad!”

Levi, seemingly petrified looking at those photos, hesitates to stop his brother. Only when he glances at me does he attempt to pull his brother away.

The big Jesse Holt says to him, “I’ll fucking kill her if you keep trying to be a peacekeeper.”

Levi steps back, his face terror-stricken—I think from being reminded of the gruesome death of his dad, and the certainty of Jesse’s intention.

“Jesse! Put the gun away,” he begs.

But Jesse carries on, telling me, “He shot himself here. Right here.” He digs the barrel into my neck while his other hand is clutching a picture of Austin Holt, his head blown up. Blood everywhere.

“Put it away. Please,” I say.

“Jesse, let her go.”

“And this!” Jesse says, holding up a foreclosure notice with brown specks on it, which I’m sure are dried blood. He shoves the piece of paper in my face.

“Jesse, enough!” Levi hauls his brother away from me.

“It’s too late, brother,” Jesse says. “This bitch isn’t gonna help us.”

Levi slides himself between Jesse and me, and then he wraps his fingers around Jesse’s hand, driving the gun to his own chest. “You shoot me first.”

Nodding in concession, Jesse cries. He looks at the senior Holt’s suicide photos scattered on the floor. He says, “Even now you’re against me. So much for being a family.” He hands his gun over to Levi. “If you ever decide to kill her, use this, won’t you?”

With that, he storms out of the room.

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