Page 67 of Hell or High Water

“Well, if you think of anything, I’ll stop on our way back.”

“Thanks.” I should be happy that he was no longer being a jerk.

He turned again, and like Linc’s, there was an imposing iron gate in front of us. Than rolled down his window, then reached out and pressed a number into a box. The gate slowly swung open, and he pulled on through. We drove between rows of trees until a brick home with tall white columns came into view. It wasn’t as massive as Linc’s, but it was close. Than veered to the far left toward a garage you couldn’t see from the front of the house due to a line of trees that hid it. One of five garage doors opened, and he pulled his truck into the only empty space.

“They’re all here,” he drawled, then grinned at me before cutting the engine and opening his door to get out.

I did the same, assuming he didn’t want me to sit out in the truck. He hadn’t really said. Thankfully, he was waiting on me, so I’d done the right thing.

“This way,” he said, then started toward a door. When he reached it, there was another keypad, and he tapped in a code.

Why was this place so secured? It was a bunch of guys living here with one woman and a baby.

Like all the other times today, he walked inside, leaving me to get the door for myself. I didn’t know why that bothered me. It shouldn’t. I was perfectly capable of getting a door for myself.

But Momma’s voice was in my head.

“If he doesn’t have enough regard for you to hold the door for you, then, honey, you’re just a piece of ass and nothin’ more.”

Trying to silence Momma in my head, I followed him down a hallway that opened up to a full gym. A punching bag hung in the center, and there were machines of all kinds surrounding it. This explained Than’s cut body.

We walked from there into a room that I assumed was a game room. It had a pool table, a stocked bar, a television screen that covered most of the wall, two sectional sofas, a few plush chairs, and two smaller sofas. They were a mix of brown and burgundy leather.

Than said nothing as he continued down another hallway. He didn’t even glance back to make sure I was still following him. I was being sensitive and needed to stop.

He turned, and we entered a large room with a vaulted ceiling. There were two guys sitting on a U-shaped black leather sofa with plates of food. Both of them turned their gazes from the flat screen to Than and then to me. The older one’s eyebrows rose as he briefly glanced at me, then swung his eyes back to Than.

“Broke free of the cabin?” the younger one asked him, shifting his eyes from Than to me. The corners of his mouth quirked as if he wanted to smile. His green eyes glinted with amusement.

“Needed clean clothes,” Than told him, and then for the first time, he glanced back at me. “Montana, this is Oz and Forge Savelle,” he said.

The younger one put his plate on the rustic-looking coffee table that sat in front of him and stood up, smiling at me now. That was a flirty smile. He stepped around the sofa and came toward me.

“I see Gathe wasn’t exaggerating,” he said and held out his hand to me. “I’m Forge, the younger, better-looking Savelle.”

I started to lift my arm to slip my hand into his when Than’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, stopping me.

“Rein it in, Romeo,” he said tightly.

Taking my wrist, he began walking toward another arched doorway across the room.

“Hey! I was being polite,” Forge called out behind us.

I glanced back over my shoulder at him, and he winked.

“Don’t be stupid,” the older one, who had to be Oz, muttered loud enough for me to hear.

They didn’t look alike. While Forge was a dark blond with green eyes, Oz had jet-black hair with gray eyes that were striking but intimidating. Unlike Forge, he hadn’t appeared interested in me.

Than ignored him and kept walking.

“You can leave her in here while you go get your things,” Forge’s voice called from the other room once we were in a new hallway.

Than continued to act as if he wasn’t talking. His strides got so long that I had to almost jog to keep up with him.

He didn’t release my wrist or slow down. I was about to ask him if he would do both when a squeal rang out, and then a small tornado with blond hair came barreling around the corner, going as fast as his short legs could go.

Than released me at the sight of Hawkins and jumped in front of him to block his path before bending down to scoop him up. “Got you!” he said as the little boy wiggled in his arms.

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