Page 69 of My Three Rivals

Nick’s face shadowed, and he puffed out his sinewy shoulders, trying to look intimidating.

“You don’t know shit,” he snorted. “There’s nothing there anymore.”

Sickness twisted my stomach, but I held my ground. “You’re a pig. You have a sister…”

I trailed off, sensing how little he cared for any kind of woman, especially his own kin. I cleared my throat. “I need to find Lou.”

Nick turned his head and spat on the ground, spittle flying back up and rushing shudders through my entire body.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he lied.

“Don’t bullshit me, Nick. I’ll go as soon as you give me some way to contact that guy.”

Nick grinned again, this time displaying his almost toothless mouth. “You ain’t too bright, are you?”

I gritted my teeth. “Nick—”

“Don’t worry, Nicholas. I’ll take it from here,” a semi-familiar voice interjected.

I whirled around, but before I could fully take in the figure, something hard and solid cracked against my head.

And the world went black before I hit the ground.

* * *

I should have answered Wyatt’s call. That wasn’t fair. He’ll be worried.

That was the first coherent thought to filter through my otherwise fuzzy brain as I blinked, my limbs heavy and cumbersome. I moved my hands to wipe at the haze, my lids thick, but I couldn’t move them.

Slowly, painfully, my eyes opened, splotches of red coloring my line of sight.

The ocean. I could smell water.

But that didn’t make any sense. The closest body of water to the vineyard was the Sacramento River, and that didn’t smell like this…

You’re not in Sacramento or at Five Penny.

My eyes opened the rest of the way, and I tried to move my hands again, but the effort was futile. I was bound to a chair, my surroundings completely foreign, the dimness outlining several casks of old boats. My tongue jutted out to lick my lips, but the action froze as a shadowy figure approached.

“Hello again!” the jovial voice called out, and I inhaled sharply, the breath hurting my lungs. Lou appeared before me, looking far more disheveled than the last time I’d seen him. Still, he maintained the smirk on his face, ambling closer to peer at me. “Apologies for such a sudden greeting. I didn’t mean to mark you up.”

His phrasing sent chills through me, and I threw my head back defiantly.

“What the fuck is this, Lou?” I challenged bravely, knowing I had no upper hand here at all, but anger still outweighed my fear. “Untie me!”

He sashayed closer, extending a finger to bop me on the nose, much to my disgust. I tried to move my head away, but he grabbed my face.

“No, I don’t think I will,” he replied flatly, any signs of cordiality gone from his dark eyes. “In fact, I should have come for you first after Emerson fucked everything up, but Suncrop was just the more viable option… until they weren’t.”

I drew in a suck of breath, my head still discombobulated as I struggled to make sense of what was happening.

“So taking me is a viable option?” I fired back, my heart thudding in my ears. I was afraid, no doubt, but I was also outright pissed off at this prick.

“Not my first option, but now that the pipeline is all dried up, I have to make my money somewhere, don’t I?”

The fear that I’d pushed aside for my ire bubbled up as his words struck home.

“W-what does that mean?” I sputtered.

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