Page 74 of Peaches

Rolling my window down an inch, I pull up next to the men on the ground, careful not to accidentally run over their feet. “Is the bar open?” I ask them.

The man with the sacked drink in his hand smirks. “Nah, door’s locked and we ain’t seen anyone around all night. Weird for a Friday.” He lifts the drink to make sure I can see it. “But I’m happy to share this with a pretty girl like you.”

I shake my head, forcing myself to smile. “No thanks!”

I roll the window back up and turn my car around.

The bar is closed.

I want to scream into my steering wheel.

There’s only one place left to go.

* * *

Almost twenty minutes later—adrive that would have been so much faster in the daylight—I pull up the long, winding lane to Bennett Ranch. The weight of what I’m doing presses down uncomfortably against my spine as the white house comes into view, because I know Rhett’snotin there. But his family is—people who are currently experiencing unimaginable pain—and I’m about to make things worse.

I started second-guessing myself the minute I turned onto their driveway. Rhett said he was with a friend—what are the chances it’s for a legitimate reason? I doubt he’d be out on a social call so soon after his sister-in-law’s death, but it’s totally plausible there’s a good reason for whatever Rhett’s up to. If that’s the case, I’ll be walking out of here with my tail tucked.

But simply seeing a friend wouldn’t explain the tone of his voice on the phone earlier. I might still have a lot to learn about who Rhett is, but Iknowhim. I know him enough to be petrified.

The driveway spreads wide closer to the house and I pull my car far to the left where there’s an open spot next to the handful of other vehicles—mostly trucks—already parked here. The ranch is dark and quiet, but the house shows signs of life through half-open shutters sprinkled around the first floor. After pulling my key from the ignition, I sit and stare at it, wondering who might be home. I know Rhett has his own cabin, and I imagine the same is true for his brothers, so it’s entirely possible that it’s only his parents who stay in the big house at night.

I wish I knew how I could find Kasey’s cabin, or Wells’s. The last thing I want to do is come clean to Rhett’s mother—or his father—but without knowing where else to go, I’m just going to have to chance it.

I pull the latch of the door handle, forcing myself out into the night air, and briefly tip my head up toward the blanket of stars overhead. For a moment, I close my eyes and whisper an apology to the sky. Whatever happens next, I know I’ll never regret ensuring Rhett’s safety, even if it costs me his trust.

I draw in a deep breath, feeling my lungs expand as I set my sights toward the house’s front steps—and I almost jump out of my skin when I see the silhouette of a man standing in front of the door. It’s obvious he’s looking at me, but I can’t tell who it is because his face is obscured by the dark.

“Olivia?” a deep voice calls out. The man steps forward, down the first step, and when the light of the moon washes over his face, I see that it’s Kasey. “Is that you?”

“Yeah,” I call back, relief rolling through me. “I-I’m sorry to just show up like this.”

“Rhett’s not here.”

“I know. Um . . .” I move closer so we don’t have to keep shouting at each other. “That’s actually why I came. I think he needs help.” Up close, I notice the deep lines set around Kasey’s mouth, the downturn of his lips. He looks exhausted, like he’s hanging on by a thread, and my heart leaps. “I’m really sorry. I went to Wild Coyote first—I didn’t want to just show up like this.”

He nods. “Bar’s closed for the week.” He stares at me for a long minute, like he’s not sure how to handle this. “My brother’s wife died.”

I squeeze my eyes shut for a beat. “I know,” I say quietly. “Rhett told me. I’m so sorry.”

“You said Rhett needs help?” he asks, brows pulling to a bunch at the top of his nose like he’s only just processed the words. “He told us he was going to see you.”

The words rake through me. I steel myself with another deep breath. “I’m just going to cut to the chase,” I say. “We got into a . . . a fight last night. It’s a long story, but he’s mentioned there’s a threat to the ranch, and I’m not sure what that means, but last night he alluded to needing money.”

Something came up with a friend of mine.

“I called him a few hours ago,” I continue, “and he said he was with a friend but . . . something felt off.”

Kasey scrutinizes my face. “Off?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Like . . . like he was hiding something. Like he didn’t want me to worry. I don’t know the ways he might be able to get himself in trouble, but I was hoping you might know where to look.”

Kasey scoffs, shaking his head as he pulls his hands up to his hips. He studies the ground for a minute, and I’m not sure if I should keep talking or?—

He suddenly straightens, pulling his phone out of his back pocket to look at the time, or maybe the date? “Fuck!” he curses loudly, eyes flying back to me. “That fucking idiot.”

My stomach plunges. “What?—?”

---