Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87067 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 435(@200wpm)___ 348(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Katie’s head popped up and twisted around, her features immediately lighting up at the sound of Noah’s voice. “Noah!” she shrieked. She released JB and threw herself at Noah.
JB laughed. They’d spoken several times over skype when JB had been stationed overseas. She’d been disappointed when JB told her that Noah had fallen for another man, but that was okay. It was obvious she liked Cole just as much.
Rowe stepped over to him and nudged Dillinger with his toe. “How?” JB held up the empty tranq dart and grinned. “Son of a bitch. Sneaky bastard.”
“That I am.”
“You sure you want to leave him alive?”
Oh, it was fucking tempting to put a couple of bullets in Dillinger’s head and call it a night. He’d threatened his sister, his ranch, and the man he was falling in love with. Dillinger more than deserved death in his mind, but it wasn’t right. He had another way of dealing with him.
“No. Wyatt Earp gave me a gift before we left.” JB reached inside his tactical vest and pulled out a thick sheaf of folded papers. He tossed them down on the floor in front of Dillinger, allowing them to fan out. It was proof that he’d ordered the poison, that he ordered the cows to be murdered, that he’d ordered the hit on JB in his truck. But more than that, it was proof of his other dirty dealings over the years. Piles of proof. But just the copies.
The threat was clear. Leave or JB was going to hand all that lovely proof over to the cops. As it was, the man was likely under investigation because of the poisoning on both the Alexander and Jenkins ranches.
“Vehicles arriving in one minute. Out the front door,” Cole ordered and JB smiled. He’d called in the calvary to pick them up.
“Time to get gone, people,” JB said loudly.
Katie shoved away from Noah and darted back to Dillinger. She kicked him square in the balls. “Fucking prick!”
Rowe and Noah laughed like hyenas while JB scooped up his discarded weapons. They ran out of the house and down the front stairs as a trio of vehicles pulled to dusty stops right in front of the house. They loaded up and sped out into the night.
“Posse is mounted,” JB said when they were racing toward the main road.
“Good. We’ve got your exit covered. Get your ass home.”
JB sighed heavily and closed his eyes, sinking deeper into the seat as Danny drove the SUV like a bat out of hell. Home. Home to his man. That sounded like an excellent idea.
Chapter Twenty-Five
JB looked up as his mother and father wandered out to the corral. Life on the ranch was back to normal, and he doubted Dillinger would ever darken their doorstep again. Cops had popped out to discuss the poisoned cattle yet again, but there had been no mention of strange events on the llama farm the previous night, to his immense relief.
Worry still gnawed at him over the Jenkinses and the Robertses. It sucked that they were losing out on good money for their ranches. He planned to touch base with them in a few days once they had a chance to cool down.
Right now, he had bigger problems. His mother had an extremely determined expression on her face, and it was far too late for him to escape.
“I thought we’d have a good old-fashioned cookout for your friends before they leave tomorrow.” Belinda leaned on the fence. “Figured you could come inside and whip up some of your marinade.”
“That’s a great idea,” JB said as he stroked Bandit’s nose and slipped him a treat. His horse was all better now but still milking as much pity as he could muster from people.
He dusted off his hands on his jeans and followed his parents into the house. His mother would have all the ingredients he needed.
The bright teal kitchen was welcoming as always, and he felt a little peace settle in among all the heartache that was currently shredding his chest. It didn’t do much to alleviate it, but anything was welcome. He’d had a hard time leaving Cole in the bed they’d shared that morning and had spent the time since worrying.
Or more like aching. He was sure his heart was never going to recover from Cole leaving. The time had come. The ranch was no longer in danger. Rowe was going to demand that he return to Cincinnati.
Once he washed his hands and started mixing, he noticed both parents were just standing in the kitchen, watching him and he narrowed his eyes at them. “What?”
“Is Cole leaving with the others?” Jesse asked.
He shrugged. “Don’t know. Probably. They’ve got that private plane and all.”
But the thought was like a knife to his gut. He poured in Worcestershire sauce and stirred, blinking away the suspicious moisture that came to his eyes. Moisture that had nothing to do with the sharp-smelling marinade.