Page 16 of The Contractor & the Entrepreneur

“Stay back, Sloan,” Rhett warned.

He downed Jaxon with a solid hit to the temple. As Jaxon thumped to the floor, Rhett turned to face Preston. The moment seemed to slow as Rhett in all his brawny glory easily defeated one cousin and was ready to take on the other. He was absolutely heroic. She’d never seen any man to equal Rhett Coleville.

Preston jabbed his fists into Rhett’s upper body, and Sloan cried out. Even heroes got worn down. Rhett was tired and had just battled the brute Jaxon.

Jaxon stirred on the floor, and she feared he’d rise up and join the fight again. Oh, no. No, no, no. Should she call the police? Pick up one of the metal fire pokers and try to bash Jaxon over the head? She shuddered at her violent thought, but it was Jaxon who had started this fight.

Preston and Rhett battled it out, trading hits. Sloan winced every time Rhett took a hit, though they only seemed to land on his muscular torso or his arms, which were raised to block, and did no real damage.

Rhett’s cowboy hat got knocked off and his jaw tightened. “Hey, now,” he said in a warning voice.

Jaxon struggled to his knees. Sloan’s fears rose. She reached for her phone to call 911, but her pockets were empty. The phone was in her purse in the truck. Oh, shoot. What a nightmare. They were defenseless and in danger.

She edged toward the door. She’d have to take her shoes off and run for the truck barefoot, call for help, and then come back and try to help Rhett with this battle. The fire poker was the only weapon she could see.

Rhett’s fists became a whirlwind. He drove Preston back with precise punches to his chest and abdomen.

Jaxon made it to his feet, wobbly but still standing.

“Rhett!” Sloan cried out, lifting one foot and trying to undo the slim buckle. It was covered in mud and slick in her trembling fingers.

She was as terrified as she felt each time she faced her father.

Rhett grabbed Preston’s forearm, whipped him around in front of him, and yanked his hand and arm back in an unnatural and painful-looking chicken wing position.

Preston yelped and cursed, sweating and writhing.

Rhett held him in place with fierce pressure on that one arm. He reached across, grabbed the pistol out with his left hand and pointed it straight at Jaxon.

Her unsteady cousin backed up and bumped into the wall, holding up his hands, while Preston continued to writhe but made no progress in freeing himself.

Sloan’s jaw dropped. She released her shoe. Was she seeing this correctly? Rhett was in complete control of this battle. He was a superstar, a warrior, the toughest general contractor she’d ever met in her life. With his handsome face and fighting skills, he should be on the big screen. Her fears fled and she thanked the good Lord for putting a man like Rhett Coleville in her path.

“Now,” Rhett said, calm as could be. “Would you two like to vacate the premises or do I need to help you to your trucks?”

“We’ll leave,” Preston cried out. “Please. Just let me go.”

Jaxon’s eyes were wild and darting around. “You ain’t gonna shoot us,” he muttered. “We have more right to be here thanshe does, and Sheriff Joe will take our side. He hates stuck-up outsiders like her.”

“I have no problem shooting you. Then it won’t matter whose side the sheriff takes,” Rhett said with a raised brow. “You are trespassing, and you attacked me. If you dare threaten or get anywhere close to Sloan, I’ll shoot you through the heart. If you keep mouthing off to me, I’ll just take off a finger or two. What’ll it be?”

Silence filled the room, except for Preston’s whimpering. He’d stopped fighting to free himself. Rhett looked fearlessly superhuman. Sloan didn’t think even her thick-witted cousins would dare mess with him.

“Let’s go,” Preston urged his brother.

“Fine.” Jaxon turned and stomped toward the door, and her.

Sloan scurried to the side. She hated that she was afraid of him, but she was. She was acting opposite of the brave, accomplished businesswoman she’d worked so hard to become, but she’d been thrust into an alternate universe up here. Rhett was her only safe space.

“This isn’t over, pretty cousin,” Jaxon sneered.

“Through the heart, then?” Rhett asked, still in that cool, composed tone. His finger tightened on the trigger.

“No!” Jaxon screamed. He tripped down the porch steps, righted himself, and raced for his truck, slamming himself inside. The motor roared and he peeled out of the driveway.

“Loyal brother you have there,” Rhett said. He released Preston’s arm and commanded, “Turn and face me.”

Preston hurried to comply, cradling his one arm against his stomach and holding his other hand up as the gun was now pointed at him. “You ain’t got no call to shoot me,” Preston said, his voice quavering and his aloft hand shaking.

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