Page 36 of Jagged Little Pieces

“He’s messed up,” Ruin says, lowering his hard shell to reveal his worries and guilt. “I should have known something was coming.”

“The Halvorson family aren’t like our normal enemies. They’re soft and spoiled. We never thought they’d do anything. It’s possible they didn’t. The Frank guy could have been lying to keep the other men from bailing. This thing might just be over.”

“Yeah, but it’s not safe in the Valley,” Ruin says immediately as if he can’t shake his negativity. “You need to understand how people know the club is on its back foot right now. Todd Rogers is helping out with all his hired muscle, but we don’t need him getting any ideas about how the club could be removed with ease. I need you and Goose back here. Our people should be riding the roads and reminding people who runs the Valley.”

“Austen needs only a day to get her stuff in order. I mean, her business burned down yesterday, man. I’m moving her sweet ass as fast as I can, but it’ll be at least two days before we’re back in town.”

“Only two days.”

“Three at the most.”

“Good Lord,” he mutters. “Don’t let this chick convince you to stay there.”

“I’m completely in control of the situation,” I promise him before hanging up.

As if to push back against my statement, I’m almost immediately cornered by Suzanne. She enters the library and closes the door before anyone can join her.

“I don’t want Austen to go back to her father.”

“She’ll be staying with me in McMurdo Valley.”

Suzanne’s eyes narrow. “Did she tell you what he did?” she asks before chuckling in a wholly unpleasant way. “Or what he did not do?”

“She only hinted how the ranch hands were perverts.”

“They stole something from my daughters,” Suzanne hisses, riling herself up to avoid feeling sad. “And what did Urick do after his main bitch stepped in and saved the girls? Not a fucking thing. He claimed he needed to keep his team intact until he finished a deal with that year’s horses.”

When she falls silent and glares at me, I point out, “Urick and I aren’t buddies. If you’re waiting for me to defend him, we’ll be here for a while.”

“Austen’s never been the same. I hoped she’d find peace in her skin, but they stole her confidence and innocence. She was so fearless before them,” Suzanne says, and her voice cracks.

She looks startled to hear the pain in her own voice. Inhaling sharply, she gets hold of herself and continues, “Urick was shocked by how Austen didn’t stick around that summer. She came back here and refused to talk to him. He claimed she was overreacting. He had handled the problem. She wouldn’t be alone with those men again.”

Sensing she needs to hear how we’re on the same team, I reply, “Urick is a piece of shit. His sons don’t impress me, either. I’ve heard Peter’s wife is a bitch, and his mother is a viper. I know Erik’s girlfriend is a devious skank, and I’m sure she’ll dump him soon. But Austen isn’t going with me to spend time with them. She’ll have my people in her life.”

“I don’t buy those ranch hands did all this shit alone,” she hisses, pissed again. “Why the hell would they come all the way to Banta City to kill a woman they’ve never met? There’s no sense in that plan. How would that punish Urick or his sons?”

“I won’t claim I believe Peter is innocent in this situation. Before Erik ended up in a wheelchair, I would have pinned everything on him. I think they’re both scum. Urick is, too. But his house is filled with pictures of Austen. Some of them aren’t that old.”

“He has someone spying on her,” Suzanne says and narrows her gaze. “I’m sure that’s how you found her.”

“Yes, but my point is those ranch workers might not have realized how Austen was estranged from her father.”

Suzanne considers my logic before shifting gears. “I don’t want her to leave Banta City.”

“I know, but I can’t stay long. My town is still reeling from the attack.”

“That’s another reason for her to remain here. Your town isn’t safe.”

“Many of my club brothers have women and kids. They’re safe, and Austen will be, too.”

“And what if Peter is behind all this? How will you keep Austen safe?”

“I’ll explain to him, man to man, how if anything happens to Austen, I’ll assume it was him. If she drowns while swimming, I’m killing him. If she chokes on a chicken bone, I’m killing him. If she and I die in an accident, my club will kill him and his woman. Peter will understand how his only way to survive is to keep her safe.”

Suzanne isn’t accustomed to people telling her no. I bet Aunt Fred and those bikers treated her with kid gloves. However, I refuse to back down when my heart is on the line.

“I need to protect my club by returning to McMurdo Valley,” I explain when she refuses to stop glaring at me. “I also need to give this thing with Austen a shot. She’s been on my mind for years, but I never figured it would happen. Now, I’ve gotten my shot, and I can’t walk away.”

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