Page 27 of Ranch's Resolve

“Describe them,” barks Chaos.

“They’re Mexican. Black hair, brown eyes. One is a few inches taller, and the other is my height. They spoke Spanish.”

“That’s it?” Chaos looks at Dante. “That could be anyone. This person isn’t providing us with what we need. I could use a workout. He’ll make a decent punching bag. Scar can patch him up after I’ve finished, then we can see if I’ve jogged anything free.”

“No! No, wait. I was just trying to remember. They dressed well, really well. They were wearing nice suits and ties. They looked like businessmen until they got close. One had a scar under his right eye. From the end of his eye to his nose. The other had a tattoo. It was on his neck. I first thought it was a spider web, but then I saw the tattoo was of vines, like rose vines. They had thorns. That’s all I remember. Please don’t kill me. My son needs me. I promise I’ll leave town and never come back. You’ll never see me again.”

He’s openly sobbing as Dante gestures for Chaos and me to follow him away from the prisoner.

“Do you believe him?” Dante asks us.

“I think so. He tied the wire close to the entrance. If he wanted to cause more damage, it would have been smarter to tiethe line closer to the end of the drive. I would have sped up once I saw the flames. He jumped me but didn’t pull a weapon. He backed off when the horses screamed.”

“He’s an idiot, but he sounds desperate,” Chaos says. “Evie may only be a few weeks pregnant with my kid, but I’d kill for it. Wouldn’t think twice about it.”

Dante smirks. “Same. Ranch? You’re the one he attacked. The fuckers burned down your barn. Want him to pay for it?”

“Are you kidding? Look at the sap. Killing him wouldn’t be worth the effort of disposing of the body. Besides, I don’t like the idea of leaving a kid out there all alone. Who knows what will happen to him. He’ll be wondering why his dad abandoned him. It isn’t his fault his dad is a fuckup.”

Dante chuckles.

“I don’t like the idea of just letting him go. He could go to the cops and rat us out. We could take him to get his kid and dump him back into Mexico.”

As Dante considers the suggestion, I have a different idea. “What if we take him to get his son, and I take him back to the ranch? He can work off the damage. My men can keep an eye on him, but I doubt he’ll cause trouble in front of his kid.”

Chaos frowns, but Dante slowly nods his head.

“That’s not a bad idea. We’ll have him close in case we need him to identify the assholes who hired him.”

“Okay, but I think you need some prospects or patched members watching him, too,” Chaos adds. “I don’t trust the fucker.”

“I planned on asking Carver, Reaper, Flame, and Ghost to help at the ranch. I was going to bring it up in Church. As for Carlos, we’ll have his son,” I remind him. “If his son is important to him, he won’t fuck up and put him in danger. He doesn’t have to know we’d never hurt his kid.”

“True. Let me explain what will happen to him if he fucks up and betrays us. Then you can tell him the good news.”

Chaos steps back into the room and wraps his hand around Carlos’s throat. “Today is your lucky day, asswipe, but if you fuck it up, I’ll fucking end you.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: ATHENA

Tanya’s statement has me sitting back in my chair and thinking about how I feel, which isn’t fair to Tanya. She’s here for a consult, not for me to consult.

“It sounds like you’ve found happiness with Ghost,” I say, pushing us back on track.

“I have,” she beams. “He’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met. He’s strong but also very calm. You know I cared about Deion. I still do. But I didn’t see a future with Deion. I do with Ghost. We’ve selected a plot of land behind the clubhouse where we’ll build our house. We’re still reviewing house plans, but we’ve narrowed down the choices to three. I can already see us living there and having kids. Flame and Brooke, along with Reaper and Ashlyn, have the plots near ours. Our kids will grow up together. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted and more than I ever hoped to have.”

“That’s wonderful! You sound so positive.”

“I feel positive. I feel amazing. Before Ghost, I dreamed about Teddy and what he and his men did to me every night. This past month, I’ve only had ten nightmares. I used to wake up every morning thinking I was still trapped. But now I wake up, andI see Ghost. He’s usually awake and watching me sleep.” She chuckles. “That probably sounds creepy, but it isn’t. Not to me.”

“I think it sounds nice. Waking up with the person you care about is a great way to start the day.”

“It is! He makes me feel protected. But more than that, he makes me feel like I’m the center of his world. I’ve never felt like that before.”

“I’m glad. Now, how do you feel when you’re away from him?”

She shrugs. “The same. That’s what makes me so happy. I know that while I’m at work or out with friends, he’s thinking about me. Just like I’m thinking about him. I trust him. That’s big for me—the trust. Even when Ghost goes out of town, I don’t worry about him being with someone else. Not only because Flame and Reaper would kick his ass but because he doesn’t want anyone else, and he makes sure I know it. He trusts me, too. I can’t describe how wonderful it feels to have someone trust me as completely as Ghost does.”

I consider her comment about trust and push on her claim. “You say Ghost trusts you, but what about with club business? I know the Demon Dawgs have secrets they don’t share with their significant others. How do you deal with those secrets?”

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