Page 5 of Ranch's Resolve

“What about the men and the women?”

“Axel is driving the SUV. He went to your house while we came out here. He’s on his way. He can take our guests over to Angela’s. Angela will sort them out.”

Angela Westbrook controls several cartels and is systematically taking over more each day. She has built an army dedicated to rounding up cartels under a single umbrella. Her goal is to transform Mexico into the paradise she has always believed it could be. She has her work cut out for her, but if anyone can achieve this goal, it's her.

“Can you ride back, or do you want me to have Max bring an ATV?” I ask Athena.

“I can ride,” she assures me. “But what about them?” She nods at the men and women surrounded by my brothers.

“We’ll get them some help,” I evade.

Athena nods before she mounts Sunset. We ride back to the house, where Athena grabs a bag from the back of her SUV before following me inside. I show her to a bathroom before I go outside to find Max taking care of the horses.

“I saw a helicopter. Do you know who it was?” Max asks.

“It was Maia and Dr. Chambers,” I tell him about running into the immigrants and Athena helping the woman who had just given birth.

“Want me to head out there to help?” Max asks.

I shake my head. “No, take care of the horses. I’ll head back out there once Athena is on her way out. Although I could use one of the UTVs.”

“I’ll get it for you,” Max says as he leads the horses back to the stables.

The door opens behind me. I turn to find Athena stepping outside. She’s no longer wearing jeans, boots, and a flannel shirt but has changed into a bright purple skirt that hugs her curves.The matching jacket highlights her tiny waist. I take her in from top to bottom and back again. She’s fucking gorgeous.

“You are so beautiful,” I tell her.

She blushes. “Thank you. You’re not bad-looking yourself.”

I grin at her. “Yeah?”

She nods.

“We kind of got distracted and didn’t finish our discussion,” I say with a grin. “How about dinner tonight, and we can finalize the details?”

“I’d like that,” she says, taking my phone and entering her number. She calls herself and grins at me. “There. You have my number. Give me a call, and we can make plans.”

“I’ll call,” I say, taking back the phone. I open her car door and close it after she slides in. Waving, I watch her drive off.

Max drives up with the UTV. I hop in and head off to join my brothers. When I crest the small hill and spot the group below, my phone buzzes. Glancing at the display, I see that it’s Athena.

“Athena? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but I thought I should warn you. I just spotted several unmarked vehicles heading your way. There were several men inside. They just turned down your driveway.”

“Fuck. Okay, thanks. Keep driving. Don’t come back here. I’ll take care of everything.”

Ending the call, I push the UTV to its maximum speed. Hopping off the bike, I notice only Manuel remains. The other men and the rest of the women are gone. So is the club SUV. I hope like hell they don’t run into our visitors on the way out.

“Where’s Axel?” I ask Dante.

“Almost to Angela’s ranch,” Dante nods at the fence. “He went the back way.”

“Good, because Athena just called. She said we’re about to get company. A tip-off?”

“Or part of the plan,” Dante says, glancing at Manuel as Carver joins us. “We were just heading out to search for his partners. Keep an eye on him.”

“Gladly,” says Carver.

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