Page 54 of Wait in the Truck
Rhett’s arms dangle at his sides, but the tension is there, humming. “I think it’s time you call it a day, Samuel. Or better yet, take a vacation.”
He steps closer, narrowing the distance like he wants to test us. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Rhett, but I don’t work for you. So, if you wouldn’t mind, fuck off and let me do my job.”
“Sagedoesn’t want you here while her dad’s away,” Rhett says coldly.
Samuel gives a humorless laugh. “You can’t just fire me ’cause she says so. I work for her father, not her.”
A rasping chuckle leaves my throat. “Wanna bet? She’s an Everett, you’re the help. She says you’re done, you’re done.” I tap a loose board on the fence post, my gaze boring into him. “Now, put the tools down and walk off while you still have functioning legs.”
He bares his teeth, the hammer quivering. “Every bit your daddy’s son, I see.”
My heartbeat goes thunderous, the savage itch beneath my skin intensifying. My father was more of a man than this weasel could ever be. “Mention my father again and I’ll make you regret crawling out of whatever hole you slithered from,” I snarl. “We know about the inhumane shit you’ve been doing with the cattle. It won’t take much to persuade me to deliver you to evil. Just ask my brother here, I can be very fucking creative.”
Samuel pales, then flushes with rage. “I don’t know what that girlie has been tellin’ you. But she’s lyin’.”
“I doubt that,” Rhett interjects, circling to cut off any escape. “If folks catch wind of your… extracurriculars, you’ll never step foot on another ranch. Might even land behind bars for animal cruelty. Folks around here don’t take kindly to people sticking their dicks in cattle, Sammy. How’d your wife feel if she found out she wasn’t the only heifer subjected to your shriveled cock?”
A flicker of fear sparks in his eyes, the hammer shaking like he’s on the edge of swinging it. Part of me prays he will. I’d break him so fast. But he just stands there, breath ragged. “Ain’t nobody gonna believe a word you say,” he mutters, voice wavering.
I lean in, forcing him to look me in the eye. The air between us smells of sweat, wet wood, and the acrid stench of his own fear. “This town feeds on rumors. One whisper, and your life is over. So get off the Everett ranch”—my lips peel back in a quiet snarl—“or you’ll find out how easily a man can vanish on it.”
“You have no right to speak to me like that. I work for Ridge?—”
“Do you need a reminder? Ridge isn’t here,” I snap, my voice hard-edged. “Sage is in charge until further notice, and she wants you gone. Next time I see you snooping around, I’ll personally see you leave in a body bag.” My words vibrate with anger. “Got it?”
He looks like he wants to lunge, but the trembling in his arms betrays him. “You can’t scare me,” he growls.
A dark, vicious smile twists my lips. “Sure I can. Question is, do you really want to find out how far I can take my crazy? Fun fact: It’s fucking endless.”
Rhett’s tone is iron as he backs me up. “Last warning, Sammy. Walk away, or we make you.”
The tense moment stretches in the thick evening air. Finally, he slams the hammer against the fence post with a clang, shoulders hunched in defeat. “Fine,” he spits. “I’m gone. But I won’t forget this. That girl will pay for the lies she spews.”
My gut seizes at his words. “Is that a threat?” I warn, voice going lethal. “Because if you’re too stupid to keep your mouth shut, I own a sharp set of Burdizzos that could remove your tongue faster than you can say oral castration.”
He backs off, cursing under his breath, stomping away into the gloom, but not before I toss out one final insult. “Have fun chokin’ your chicken to your Only Farms account.”Sick bastard.
Samuel tosses a middle finger over his shoulder. My blood roars, demanding I chase after him, but Rhett clamps a hand on my shoulder.
“Enough, Kade,” he mutters. “We can’t risk more heat.”
I force a long breath, the red haze receding an inch. “He’d better stay gone.”
Rhett nods, scanning the toolbox to ensure Samuel didn’t pocket anything valuable. “Come on. Sage’ll be worried.”
SAGE
29
Sitting at our kitchen table,I stare across to the space my father used to fill. I will never be able to look at his chair again without remembering him sitting there. I want to fucking smash it to pieces. Maybe I will. I rub my hands over my face, frustrated at the strange path my mind has taken. This sort of thing has been happening for a week now. Every time I look at anything that reminds me of him, I come close to losing it. Most often, I’m sad, but there have been plenty of instances when I’m simply mad at everything he put me through.
Even the steaming cup of coffee laden with cream and sugar doesn’t alter my current foul mood. Maybe it’s too much to expect—and too soon—that I’d be able to adjust easily to life without the man who tormented me.
It’s obvious why today has been bad—I’ve been walking a tightrope of emotion the last few days. It’d taken everythingin me to go to Kade and Rhett for help with the Samuel situation. Can’t say I’m sorry they told him to fuck off and not come back until my father does. Then there’s the fact we contacted the police to report my father missing. I feel terrible that I don’t even want to think of him as my dad anymore. What he did to me has forever altered the fabric of my being. I’d rather cut all memories of him out of my soul with a dull blade.
A rap at the front door makes me jerk so hard my chair scratches across the floor, the sound of it grating like nails on a chalkboard. My first thought is that Samuel is back, and it sends my heart galloping hard. Unlocking my gaze from the mug of coffee clenched in my grasp, I push back from the table, standing on unsteady legs.
But wait.
