Page 13 of Tempted By the Broken Cowboy
Someone grabs my arm in a firm grip, so I turn with an annoyed look, thinking that it’s Beck again. I quickly fix it when it’s Jace instead.
He quickly takes note of my sour face and drops his hold. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I wave my hands in front of me to assure him that it’s okay. “Please don’t—I’m just a little on edge.”
He hums in understanding. “I know my conditions might be difficult to meet, but please do take your time and carefully consider my offer.”
He falls silent for a moment and looks away. I follow his line of sight to find him watching Beck, who is storming off to one of the cars. We just had an altercation as I was exiting the jet, when he was reminding me of our conversation earlier. He looks pissed, and even though I hate to admit it, I understand why. His siblings are making a huge decision about his life without really considering his feelings.
“I love my brother,” Jace speaks up, pulling my attention back to him. “And he’s finally willing to turn his life around, so it’s only natural for me to want to help.”
“I know you’re only looking out for him, but we don’t really get along. I don’t think I’m the best person for this job,” I reply.
“I don’t want you two to become best friends—all I need is for you to fix his reputation, and that does not require the two of you to like each other. It’s business, not personal,” he insists.
He’s making it sound so easy, but Beck and I have history that no one else knows about. I don’t hate him for no reason—I’m not that petty. It goes way beyond what he did to make the whole town hate him. It sucks that I can’t tell anyone; otherwise, they would understand why I am so against this.
“Miss Atwood.”
“Sir?”
“My family means the world to me, and I’d go to the ends of the world for every single one of them, including Beck. I trust youwill make the best decision that will favor everyone, so I do hope to be hearing from you soon,” he decrees with a confident smirk.
He gives my shoulder a comforting squeeze before walking away. I stand on the tarmac, watching them get into the waiting SUVs before driving away. When they are all gone, only then am I able to find my way to where I parked my car. Landon is behind the wheel of his truck, waiting for me. He doesn’t say anything, just watches me silently get into my jeep.
It’s only been thirty-six hours since I decided to tail Landon and was invited to join the Morgans in Vegas, yet it feels like I’ve been away for a week. So much that I was unprepared for has happened, and now I’m left with a very big decision to make.
On the drive home, my fingers tap restlessly on the steering wheel, eyes focused on the road ahead, but my mind might as well be back on that jet.
For some reason, I find myself getting angry. What do those Morgans take me for? Just because I need money from them, they think they can use me as a rehabilitation retreat for their brother. Wait—he already went to one. There was a rumor around town of Beck being in rehab, but I confirmed it this morning when he blew up at his siblings.
It’s good that he’s trying to get better, but why do they have to pull me into the mix? Beck is as much against this as I am, but I have more to lose. It’s also not up to him but Jace, the brother who is actually in charge.
How did I finally manage to get that meeting with the Morgans only for them to give me the most ridiculous ultimatum? I am so frustrated with this whole situation I could cry, but I pull myself together.
I am quickly running out of time, which means I have two options: find another investor or give in to the Morgans’ ridiculous conditions. But it’s not easy to find someone willing to cough up fifty million dollars—believe me, I’ve tried.
By the time we get home, I am no closer to finding a solution than I was when I left yesterday.
“Are you okay?” Landon asks as we park our cars in the garage.
“What do you think?” I grumble, running my fingers through my hair.
“I don’t know much about what happened—it’s clearly none of my business—but it’s gonna be okay,” he assures me.
I manage a tight smile in response. “Thank you.”
He gives me a side hug as we walk out of the garage toward the front door. “Of course. You still owe me, though.”
“I know. I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’ll take cash—credit is fine too,” he teases, finally managing to make me laugh.
“I’ll double it if you talk to Jace for me and get him to be my investor without me having to give in to his crazy demand,” I request.
He ruffles my hair, giving me a sad smile. “I don’t have that kind of power, Quinn. My only connection to the Morgans is Beck, and he’s the person in question here.”
“It was worth a shot,” I grumble as he unlocks the door to let us in.
