Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

“It appears she’s just a pawn in all this, but I’ll need your help talking to her to find out. But she’s not innocent either.”

“Can I see her?” I looked up at Riley and Cord. “Would that be all right?”

“I’d like it if you did. Your sister’s somewhat…brainwashed by Briggs. She needs rehab, Kady, as you know. I can probably get her into a jail drug program.”

I nodded. “You want her to see the truth about Briggs.”

He looked at me steadily. “I do. It’s the only way to get her on her way to recovery. When you talk to her, it’s not going to be pretty. She’s going to be mad at you. Besides inheriting money, she’s been arrested coming to see you. She and her husband are now in jail—separated—again, because of you,” Archer continued. “She’s using, Kady. The signs are all there, but I don’t know when she’ll need another fix.”

“I understand.” I’d been through it before, recognized the signs. Knew what happened.

“I’ll be in the room with you,” Archer continued. “Your men can watch from my office. I don’t want them in there. I don’t want her to know anything about you here. About Cord and Riley, at least not until you’ve had a chance to talk to her. You have what she wants. A man—men—to love you. Instead, she’s got Briggs. You’ve got it all, Kady.”

I glanced up at Riley and Cord. I did have it all.

“All right.”

“There’s a one-way mirror in there so Cord and Riley can observe.”

This confrontation with Beth was years in the making. Our relationship, what was left of it, was dependent upon the outcome. I knew I’d have to be prepared to walk away, to let Beth go, in order for me to move on. She was toxic—and dangerous to me—and unless she got serious help and turned her life around, she couldn’t be in it. I just had to hope I was strong enough for whatever happened.

But just seeing Riley and Cord before me, stalwart and strong, I knew I could handle it. I wasn’t alone anymore. I could face this, or any other problem, because they’d be with me. Beside me.

“I’m ready.”

“Keep this in mind,” Archer began. “Briggs is going away for a long time. Decades, if not life. So whatever you hear, whatever happens next, he won’t have access to Beth. And, know that he can’t bother you again.”

After those grim, but reassuring words, Archer led me into a small room, used for meetings or group work, but also served as an interrogation room. The only sign of that use was a metal rod permanently affixed to the sturdy table where handcuffs kept Beth’s wrist secured. She looked up when I came in, her eyes widening in surprise.

Where I had red hair like our mother, she favored her father. Black hair, dark eyes. Her once porcelain complexion was splotchy and gray. Her hair was cut simply just above her shoulders. She wore no makeup and had on a plain black t-shirt. I couldn’t see her lower half to know what else she had on.

“Kady. God, get me out of here!”

She tugged on the cuff, making the metal rattle. “They’ve made a mistake. I shouldn’t be in handcuffs. Do something.”

“What did they say you did?” I asked neutrally, pulling out the chair across from her, sitting. I folded my hands on the table, settled into the neutral mindset I used when I had to deal with a crazy parent at parent-teacher conferences.

“I don’t know! No one is telling me anything. We’ve only been in Montana for two days and all we’ve done is come to visit you. Where is he? Why aren’t we together?”

“He’s in one of the jail cells. This place is pretty small.”

She relaxed knowing he was nearby. “He’s gorgeous, isn’t he? Women on the plane were looking at him and they were jealous. Spitting jealous of me. Of me!”

“When you called this morning, you said you two met at New Beginnings.”

“It was fate.” She sighed, her eyes all dreamy. “We were in a group together.”

“Why was he there?”

She gave a small shrug, looked down at her fingernails. “Drugs. The judge”—the word was spit out as if it was poison—“made him go. David said he’d been framed, that he had to be there for six months because someone put heroine in his car. Can you believe the way he was treated?”

Six months in rehab instead of years, perhaps decades, in prison for possession? I had to wonder what he’d said to get the judge to be so…flexible. Based on the clear-cut evidence Archer mentioned against him, I doubted he’d get out of these charges with time in a no-security rehab facility.

“Doesn’t matter now because David is fine and decided to leave the place.” She tugged at a hangnail and I had to look away. “Well, once we got engaged.”

“Sounds romantic.” It wasn’t, but I had to say what she wanted to hear to keep her happy. And she wanted me to be pleased for her. Anything else and she’d go off. I’d seen it enough times to know how to walk this mine field.

She tucked her hands back into her lap, looked at me and beamed, all dreamy like a seventh grader with her first crush. “It wasn’t love at first sight or anything, but when we got together…wow. It was like he really wanted to know about me. He listens. I mean, what guy wants to hear a fucked-up story like ours?”