Page 78 of Peaches

But Wells just shakes his head and gives me his back, following Kasey out into the dark night.

I rise to my feet and throw Ellis a hard glare.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he says again, voice trembling.

And the weight of all that’s happened presses down around us. Ellis might have taken too many risks tonight, but he’s not the only one at fault. I should have never been here. I should have never thought this would be the way out.

Still—I look at all the money on the ground.

“I expect sixty percent of this cash to be in my hands within three days.”

Ellis frowns. “Sixty?”

I nod. “Twenty for me, twenty for Kasey, and twenty for Wells. Isn’t that how this works? We protect each other and split the profits?” He’d be an idiot if he didn’t think I’d expect shares for my brothers.

“Fine,” he says. “Three days.”

“And the rest of it goes to Colt and Wylie. Twenty each, Ellis.” I lean down close to his face. “Noneof this goes to you. Nothing but the blame, should it come to that. Got it?”

Anger sparks in his eyes, but he nods.

“Don’t fuck with me, Ellis. I’ll make sure Colt knows. I don’t care if you told them what was happening here tonight—I know you didn’t give them a choice. You played with fucking fire and now it’s time to feel it burn. If Colt and Wylie don’t get their cuts, I’m coming for you.”

And then I turn and walk out of the barn.

Kasey’s truck sits next to where my bike is parked, and I watch my brothers work together to lift it into the bed.

“I can ride home,” I say, looking at Kasey.

But he just shakes his head and looks back at me. “You owe her,” he says.

Owe her?

And then the passenger door of the truck is swinging open and Olivia is jumping out. My heart stutters and then stops altogether as she faces me, her eyes so full of emotion that I can hardly breathe. The relief on her face is palpable, and in the light of the moon, I notice the tears that spill off her chin. “Rhett?” she says.

It washer. She tipped off my brothers. “Olivia,” I say on a rough exhale.

She rushes forward, and I open my arms to catch her body against mine. But when she reaches me, she stops. I watch in fascination as her relief turns into a scowl, her sad eyes narrowing in anger.

And she punches me right in the jaw.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

OLIVIA

“Fuck,” Rhett mumbles, stepping back from the force of my hit.

I match his curse with my own as pain sears through my hand. I’ve never punched anyone in my life, and I didn’t expect it to hurt so much.

Rhett’s eyes zero in on where I clutch my hand to my chest. “Shit, let me see.”

“No!” I yell, turning away.

“Peaches,” he pleads.

I turn to get another good look at him. At his stupid eyes and stupid mouth andstupiddark waves that cluster at his collar from beneath his stupid hat.

Stupid, stupid man.

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