Page 1 of Last Chance Love

LEON

Well, this was an absolute shit show if I ever saw one.

I was hard-pressed not to turn around, glare at the two men following silently behind me, and ignore the glares they kept shooting at one another. Maintaining some sense of control was essential, which was hilarious because if I’d been in control, I wouldn’t be facing the possibility of losing one of my charges. Now I had to clean up the mess and hope I didn’t drop the ball…again.

Or maybe I needed to start accepting things could easily go wrong living on a ranch that housed dozens of felons. Well, they were supposed to be felons who aspired to change their lives and fix their behavior through working hard, working with others, and having a sense of camaraderie and community. That was the entire point of being at Isaiah Ranch. Hell, it was an opportunity most people didn’t get, so it wasn’t unreasonable to expect people to behave themselves…or try to anyway.

I should have known there would be a problem, at least with Reno. The guy really lived up to the stereotype about redheads and their tempers. He’d been here a handful of weeks, and I’d yet to see anything but hostility and barely contained anger from him. It was only a matter of time before his self-control finally unraveled, and he found himself in hot water.

It didn’t get any hotter than sucker-punching one of the newest members of the ranch. Again, I should have seen it coming, and I definitely shouldn’t have let Reno participate in the impromptu wrestling tournament. It was all well and good to let the guys blow off steam in healthy ways during their free time, but Reno was already infamous for his short fuse. It had been a recipe for disaster.

So here I was, guiding him and Elliot, a hyperactive goofball who had tried to fight Reno over the incident, up to the second floor of the Big House. Most of the time, no one in the program set foot in the main part of the Big House, the building living up to its name at the center of the ranch. Most guys only saw the main parts of the Big House when they first arrived and were introduced to the ranch’s owner, Mr. Isaiah, and his second in command. That and graduating from the program. Any other time being led into the Big House was an ominous sign.

It was the second in command I was worried about most. Mona Wilson was by far the most capable person on the ranch. She was a staunch believer in the mission to help felons fix their lives and was completely dedicated to the cause. She was intelligent, organized, and as my grandfather had been fond of saying, had a mind like a steel trap. She could also be demanding and uncompromising and had absolutely no fear of nailing someone to the wall if they screwed up.

Hoping I looked like I knew what I was doing, I led Reno and Elliot into a random room. Like most of the house, it was decorated with things that looked right at home on a ranch, but at the same time, nothing stuck out. I had no idea what the room was usually used for, but there was a table and some chairs, and it was good enough to keep Reno and Elliot in one place while I talked to Mona.

“Sit,” I told them, glancing at the table, then at them. Reno scowled, which was normal, but Elliot looked ready to argue. The last thing I needed was more trouble on my hands, so I stared at them until they sat at the table.

“You two stay here. No talking, no more fighting, understand? Any fighting, and you’ll be in deeper trouble than you already are,” I began before realizing Elliot was opening his mouth. “And no talking to me! Stay here. We’ll deal with this when I come back, got it? Just nod.”

They both nodded, though Reno’s could have just been an irritated twitch of his head for all I knew. It was important they both took me seriously, which I needed at the moment. I also needed to get out of that room before I tempted one of them, Elliot mostly, to break the silence and talk.

With that in mind, I turned and walked out. After closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath and left the hallway, following the carpeted runner into the main foyer. It was grand for a foyer, at least for a house built in the classic Texas ranch style, looking more like a ballroom with the branching stairs, the wide-open space, and the way the upper floor overlooked the main floor.

And there, to no one’s surprise, was Mona, standing on the landing where the stairs split, waiting for me. Her dark skin glowed warmly from the soft lights in the sconces behind her, but the look in her eyes was anything but warm. Mona wasn’t always easy to read, at least when she didn’t want you to figure things out about her. Right now, though, it felt like she was practically radiating dangerous energy as she gestured for me to follow her.

Dread washed over me as she walked up the stairs and headed toward Mr. Isaiah’s office. I’d thought we’d go toheroffice to sort this situation out. If she was bringing this up in front of Mr. Isaiah, things were even worse than I thought.

Sure enough, I followed her through the double doors into the spacious office. It was well-lit, probably because of the large windows facing out onto the property, giving a good view of everything. There were the customary horns and animal heads on the walls and a large cabinet with glass doors housing bottles and glasses. And, of course, the large desk near the windows, with Mr. Isaiah behind it.

“Well, ain’t this a pleasant surprise?” Mr. Isaiah said with a grin. “Good to see you again, Leon.”

“I’m not sure this is a good moment, but it’s good to see you again, sir,” I said as Mona walked over to the cabinet and opened it.

“Now, now, there’s no need to be glum,” he said, patting his round stomach and chuckling as he leaned back in his seat.

“Garret,” Mona said in a warning voice, “this is serious. We’ve got someone in the infirmary with a dislocated jaw. It could have been so much worse. Reno almost broke it.”

I grimaced, knowing it had been bad, but I hadn’t known the full details of the injuries. I was still hopingsomethingcould be salvaged, and if Riley’s injuries were rough but not awful, then that might be the avenue I could use to fix things.

“So Riley’s okay?” I asked.

“Riley?” Mr. Isaiah asked, the smile on his face withering slightly.

“He’s the one Reno attacked,” I said, confused by him not knowing the full details and by his reaction.

“And all this over wrestling?” he asked, turning to Mona.

“Yes,” she said, setting a glass in front of him and keeping another in her hand.

“No,” I said quickly before she could add more. It burst out of me before I could stop myself and my stomach curled unpleasantly when Mona shot me a scrutinizing look. God, I hated it when she looked at me like that, like she was privy to my thoughts or knew something I didn’t.

“No?” she asked, swirling the liquor in the glass and watching me closely. “From every account I’ve heard, that’s what happened.”

“Now, now, we put Leon in charge of Reno,” Mr. Isaiah chided Mona gently. “Maybe we should take a moment and hear him out.”

I fought the urge to grimace at his support. The mentor system at the ranch was hands down one of the best things, in my opinion. The role was reserved for those who’d been in the program long enough to have reached Tier One status, but not all of them. I wasn’t sure what their exact criteria were for a mentor. That had never been shared with me, but Mona and Mr. Isaiah agreed over a year ago that I fit the bill.

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