Page 143 of Family Jewels

“That’s right.” Buck sounded more amused than angry.

I cocked my head. “I don’t know much about white sapphires. Are they as hard as diamonds?” I asked, surveying the room for a reaction. “Anyone know? How easy is it to smash a sapphire?” I shot a glance at James. “Do any of your men happen to have a sledgehammer?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Buck growled.

I turned my cold gaze to his. “Try me.” I set the necklace on the table behind me. “You broke rule number one, Mr. Reynolds, and if you do it again, I will crush every stone in this necklace and have you removed from the premises. And I suspect you won’t get far because you won’t get your weapons back.”

The fury in his eyes told me he didn’t like his options, but he kept his mouth shut.

“I don’t know how you came to the belief that women are beneath you, Mr. Reynolds, but you are sadly mistaken. I saw Trixie’s face. You are a lowlife piece of scum.”

“That’s no concern of yours.” His hands, resting on the table, were clenched into fists.

I was close enough that he could lunge across the table and grab me. My ability to keep a cool façade rested in the certainty that the two men behind me would rip Buck Reynolds apart if he so much as laid a hand on me.

“I’mmakingit my concern, Mr. Reynolds,” I said, leaning over the table as I looked into his heartless eyes. “The well-being of the people in this county is my utmost concern, andyouhave proven that you have little regard for human life.” I stood up straighter and took a step back. “Yes, I workedwithSkeeter Malcolm last winter, but I joined forces with him to eliminate an evil threat. We had a common purpose—to take down J.R. Simmons. I won’t think twice about joining forces with him again to present a united force against you. And I assure you that wewillwin.”

“Who the hell are you?” he asked. “What kind of power do you think you have?”

“She’s like Harry freaking Potter,” Neely Kate said. “Daniel Crocker tried to kill her twice, and both times she took him out and became stronger than before. Then she took out J.R. Simmons when no one else could. Trust me. You don’t want to test her patience.” Neely Kate curled her upper lip in disgust. “You, Buck Reynolds, are no Daniel Crocker.”

Buck looked like he was beginning to have second thoughts, but it was equally obvious he didn’t want to let on that he’d been thwarted by a woman.

I decided it was time to finish this thing. “I’m weary of the constant upheaval in this county. You may not like Skeeter Malcolm, but frankly, I don’t care. I’m not too fond of him myself right now. But he’s the best ruler this county has had in years. I don’t condone criminal activities, but I’m not naive enough to think they’re going away anytime soon. So I’d rather have a levelheaded man with a business mentality overlooking the county than a hothead who beats women and thinks Fenton County is his own personal Wild West. But I assure you, should Skeeter Malcolm abuse his power, I’ll take up arms against him too.” I grabbed the necklace and let it dangle in front of him. “You will slink back to the hole you crawled from, and you will end all attempts to take over this county. If I hear you’ve renewed your attempts, we will be enemies, Mr. Reynolds.” I leaned forward. “And that is something you do not want.”

I took it as a good sign when he remained silent.

I held his gaze. “I need you to agree to my terms.”

His eyes bugged out and his head jutted forward. “You want what?”

“You will neither interfere with Mr. Malcolm’s rule, nor will you provide support to anyone who intends to overthrow him.”

He snorted. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I walked over to the chair and picked up James’ biggest handgun, before I set the necklace on the table in front of James and Jed and turned on the safety. The two men watched me with expressionless faces, but I saw a twinkle in James’ eyes as I lifted his gun over my head, ready to smash the butt of the handle against the center stone.

“All right!” Buck shouted. “I agree!”

Picking up the necklace, I turned around to face him. “I want to hear you say the words.”

“Fine. I won’t make a run for Malcolm’s throne, and I won’t help anyone who is.”

I hid my relief and remained aloof. “And you won’t use this necklace to aid in any takeover attempts.”

“I won’t.”

I paused. “And you won’t hit Trixie.”

He hesitated, then said, “Fine. I won’t hit her.”

I dropped the necklace on the table, then put my hand on his shoulder and forced a vision of whether he would attack James. The vision quickly filled my head.

I saw Kip sitting across the table from me—Buck—in One Eyed Joes.

“You really gonna let it go?” Kip asked. “They weren’t lyin’ about her killin’ Daniel Crocker, and rumor has it she pulled the trigger on the gun that killed J.R. Simmons. His son just took the credit. I’m not sure it’s smart to mess with her.”

“We’ll let it go for now. Lady freakin’ scares me, but her friend scares me even more. I won’t be able to screw Trixie for a week. It feels like my balls are about to fall off.”

---