Page 89 of The Lies We Told Ourselves

A loud bang came from Bullet’s stable as I lifted the hay net over the door for Spirit, and I turned to look at it with a frown.

He wasn’t normally this aggressive.

“Do you want a hay net too, boy?” I asked, hoping just talking to him would be enough to calm him down.

Bullet didn’t normally have another feed until this evening because he was already healthy and strong. But maybe an extra something wouldn’t hurt. Lord, we’d have a whole ranch of fat horses if it was down to me.

I quickly secured the hay net and then decided to see if I could talk some sense into Bullet as another loud crash came from the stable. He was still healing, and having him injure himself more wasn’t what anyone wanted.

“What’s all the noise about, hey?” I purred as I walked over to his stable noise.

“Oh, it’s just us boys getting acquainted,” Camden’s voice responded.

I should have run to Booker. I should have pulled out the damn cell phone in my pocket that he’d made me carry around. Instead, I rolled back my shoulders, and I let the anger that had been building inside rule my emotions.

I never claimed to be smart.

“Crawled back out of the gutter, I see. Nothing better to do than irritate the horses?”

Camden threw back his head and laughed as Bullet pranced back at the sound. Standing inside that stable wasn’t the smartest thing Camden had ever done, but judging from the long piece of wood in his hand, I guessed he thought threatening the horses was the best way to get whatever it was he wanted.

“You always were amusing, Reece. Not that smart, though. You should have stayed off social media. It didn’t take any effort to get a PI to track you down once you logged on,” he said, tapping the wood against the palm of his hand. “Now, here’s the deal, sweetheart. You’re going to give me the files you stole from me, or I’m going to break this horse’s leg.”

“That hardly seems like a deal worth taking,” I said calmly, trying not to let the panic show in my voice.

“It’s his leg or yours.” Camden turned to me with that smarmy smile on his face. He was enjoying himself. This was the sort of thing he got off on, and I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid not to see it before. “You have to be punished for the things you do, Reece. Don’t you remember the first lesson I gave you?”

“I remember you beating me because you didn’t get your way. Is that the lesson you’re talking about?” I asked sweetly.

“You never used to have such a big mouth. Clearly, your first lesson didn’t stick. You could always come home, you know. No one knows about this stupid fanciful vacation you’ve taken. All could be forgiven. You don’t need to stay in this dump. You could stand by my side, and we could do something great…” His voice started that strange croon he did when he thought he was being persuasive, but really, it just turned my stomach at the sound.

But at least his attention was on me. I could see in his eyes how much he wanted me. The fervor had him licking his lips, and then he sighed. It made me feel like I needed a shower to wash away the feeling of his gaze drifting across my body.

“I’m going to stop you right there,” I told him, holding up my hand. “I’d rather choke to death on my own vomit than allow you anywhere near me. The chances of me stepping foot into your home again are less than Bullet here bearing your first child. Now, this is what’s actually going to happen. You’re going to put down your stick and pretend for one moment that you can be an actual functioning adult. Then you’re going to walk out of here, get in your car, and drive away. There’s nothing for you here, Camden.”

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest that I was sure it was about to leap out of my mouth. All I needed was for him tocome out of the stable and away from Bullet. I didn’t much care what was about to happen to me.

I’d healed from Camden once, and I’d do it again if I had to. But I wasn’t about to let him hurt an innocent animal just because he thought it would make him a big, scary man.

Camden laughed, his arms resting over the top of the stable door as he rested the piece of wood over his shoulder.

“I’ve got a much better idea, baby.”

“No one calls her baby but me,” Booker growled from behind me, his arm coming over my shoulder as he grabbed Camden by the collar and then pulled him straight off his feet and over the top of the stable door.

I scurried to the side, my eyes wide as I watched Booker dump Camden onto the ground at his feet.

And there he stood, like my avenging angel, about to put all the wrongs in the world right for me again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

BOOKER

As soon as Reece had left, of course, I’d turned on the camera to watch her sweetly talking to Bullet as she fed the horses the snacks she thought she was hiding.

It was the favorite part of my day, watching her clucking around like a mother hen as she looked after her charges. I couldn’t wait until she was doing it with our own kids. Reece was going to be an incredible mother, and for once in my life, I could see a future with a couple of rugrats tearing around the ranch while we chased after them.

I was already smiling as I turned to the camera, but the sight I found there had me freezing in my seat. My good hand gripped the arm of my chair so tightly that the plastic creaked beneath my fingers. Then I surged out of my seat, striding for the door.

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