Page 7 of Toxic

“I was checking out the damn property when I heard a vehicle pull up. Your girl there is quick.” He walked out of the barn, grumbling to himself.

“We’re in a local motorcycle club,” Toxic explained.

My brows shot up. I knew what motorcycle clubs were, though I hadn’t ever known anyone in one. I mostly kept to myself out here on the ranch and only worked with my crew. Gramps still did most of the shopping since that was a job he could do. It meant I didn’t exactly mingle with people very often anymore.

“Danica is with a biker?” I asked. How had Keely kept that from me? We were going to have to have a long talk soon.

Toxic chuckled. “Yeah, Smokehouse.”

“Interesting names,” I said, returning his smile. It was hard to resist, but I wiped it off my face almost as soon as it formed. I didn’t need this man knowing how much he affected me.

“Road names,” he explained. He looked around. “Lockout, my president, didn’t have a lot of information about what’s happening out here. Care to explain?”

I eyeballed him, wondering if I could trust him. Everything inside of me was screaming yes, which just made me that much more suspicious. I looked at Eris, who was still doing her ‘oh boy, you’re home’ happy dance. The fact that she didn’t have her teeth sunk into Toxic’s leg was further proof I could trust him. “Okay, but let’s go inside,” I told him. The sun was going down and I didn’t want to have this conversation in the low light in thebarn in case these guys ended up not being who they said they were. I wanted to plug my phone in and call Keely before I told them anything.

He seemed to realize I was struggling to trust him. The little lines at the edges of his eyes crinkled as he smiled at me. That was the only indication that he might be a bit older. Otherwise I’d place him in his thirties. “Why don’t you go call Keely? I’ll finish feeding the rest of the animals and we’ll meet you inside in about a half hour?”

I didn’t want them wandering my ranch on their own, but the animals did need feeding and I did need to call my friend. Not to mention I was so tired I was swaying on my feet. Chores should have been finished hours ago and I would normally be finishing up dinner and getting ready for bed. When you woke up at four in the morning every day, staying up late didn’t happen. It was only now approaching seven p.m., but the worry and exhaustion of the day was catching up to me.

I was only twenty-nine years old, but I spent most my days the way an old person would, getting up early, eating early, going to bed early. Late was one of those bad four letter words in my world.

“Okay, but I’m keeping an eye on you,” I warned. “Eris.” I motioned to Toxic and her easy demeanor shifted immediately.

She sized up the man standing in the stall with Hank, her tail raising until it was straight up in the air. She was a sweet dog, to me anyway, but when I was leery of someone, so was she. Hell, there’d been times when she’d taken a chunk out of someone I hadn’t intended her to. Heelers could be a bit…insane. That was why I loved them, loved her so much. The fact that she’d trusted Toxic from the start was a good sign for him. I trusted her instincts.

Toxic eyed the dog as he scooted past us and walked out of the barn. He had a loose, easy gait, and despite the aura ofdanger surrounding him, I could now see that swagger that a lot of cowboys had. It was the leather vest and tattoos that were throwing me off.

With Eris following him around, watching him like a hawk, I was comfortable enough to run into the house. I plugged my phone into the charger and raked my hands through my hair as I waited for it to get enough battery to make a call.

My eyes ached from exhaustion, and I’d long since taken my hair out of my usual ponytail to ward off the headache that was pressing in on me. I didn’t have time for a headache. Not with someone out to get me and my family and random gorgeous men on my ranch.

Butcher was a good looking man too, but he hadn’t affected me the same way that Toxic had. Why was my heart fluttering in my chest like a trapped bird at just the thought of him?

My phone blinked on, distracting me from the sexy man outside. I grabbed it up and hit Keely’s number. “Pick up, pick up, pick- Oh thank God,” I sighed when I heard her voice. “Please tell me you sent these two guys out to my place? Toxic and Butcher?”

She laughed. “If you picked up your phone I would have told you that before you surprised each other out there. I’m guessing that’s what happened since you sound so frantic?”

“Yeah, I pointed a shotgun at his head, Keels. Then at his balls.”

“Oh…my…God, which one?” she said, breathless.

“Toxic.”

“Whew, at least it wasn’t Butcher. He’s a little…scary.”

“No, Butcher pointed a gun atmyhead when he found us.”

She gasped. “I’m so sorry! I left you messages!”

“My phone died.”

“What happened?” she breathed, sounding like she was on the edge of her seat.

“Toxic took care of it.”

There was a long pause. “Billie?”

“What?”

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