Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

Her mouth fell open as she stared for a minute. “You?” She looked sincere in her confusion, although she’d turned into quite a skilled liar after doing drugs.

“David Briggs heard about my inheritance through your oversharing during one of your groups in rehab. He wanted it. He married you, hired someone to kill me so you, as my beneficiary, would inherit it all.” None of it was proven, but we all knew it to be true. We just needed to know if Beth was involved.

“Wait…wait,” she said, holding up her free hand.

I didn’t wait, but kept right on talking.

“As your husband, what’s yours is his, especially since there was no prenup.”

“No way.” She shook her head vehemently. “David would never do that. He’s not like that. You’re wrong, Kady. You just can’t stand to see me happy, to have a gorgeous man who loves me. Jealousy makes you petty and think up this shit.”

“Then why are you here?”

“In Montana? David wanted to meet you.”

“David wanted to finish what his hired thug didn’t. That’s why he had you call the other day, to confirm I was actually in Barlow. The guy he paid to kill me broke into my house that night. And this morning, he asked you to call me, didn’t he? Not because he wanted you to break the news of your marriage, but to see if I was alive or not.”

All that just came to me. It made so much sense. All of it.

“I don’t believe you.”

I stood then. There was nothing else for me to say. She wasn’t going to believe me. Not her sister. No, she would believe the lies David Briggs fed her instead. She was gullible, vulnerable and like Archer said, brainwashed.

“You don’t have to believe me. Sheriff, would it be all right if Beth listened in while you talk with David Briggs?”

“That can be arranged.”

With that, I walked out. Beth was on her own. From my talk, Archer could easily see she was just an unwitting accomplice. But she needed to see the truth about the man she married and she’d have to learn the hard way.

Consequences were a bitch. But I couldn’t save Beth from them. She was on her own.

As I walked out the door, my men were there, pulling me into their arms. God, they smelled good. Felt good. So big, so strong. So mine. I wasn’t on my own. I had Cord and Riley. I wouldn’t be alone again.

14

RILEY

“You think I had anything to do with this?” David Briggs asked, his voice clear through the speaker.

We stood in the small office once again, this time with Kady. I stood behind her, had a hand on her shoulder as we watched Archer talk with the asshole. The hug we’d shared wasn’t enough. Just watching her with her sister…fuck, that had been rough. It was obvious the kind of shit her sister had put her through. The lack of appreciation, the selfishness. I’d wanted to go in and hug Kady and throttle Beth in equal measure. But Kady had held her own. She was so fucking strong, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want to toss her over my shoulder, get her the hell out of the station and home. Our home. Not Steele Ranch. Kady’s home was with us. I wanted her naked and beneath me. No, naked and between me and Cord. Our cocks buried deep, making her truly ours. Proving to her that she was what brought us together, made us a family. The three of us were one.

A little sappy, yes. I didn’t care. My father found the love of his life with my mother. While I was young when she’d died, I remembered them together. The connection, the devotion. They were the example I used for what it should be like. And while sharing Kady with Cord was completely outside of the norm, it was still the same. I was devoted to her. I’d protect her with my life. I’d…I’d love her for the rest of my life.

This fuck-all with her sister and Briggs brought it into quick focus. I didn’t want to lose her and as soon as we were done here, I’d prove it.

“She’s a druggie,” Briggs continued, breaking me from my thoughts. “Beth’s desperate and with a rich bitch sister, it was an easy way to score the next fix.”

Archer had been letting Briggs talk for the past few minutes, being the Good Cop. Letting Briggs relax, continue to think his shit didn’t stink, let him trap himself with his own words. Archer’s assessment had been right. He was a dangerous sociopath, easily lying to push the blame right off his shoulders. I could only imagine how many times he’d done it in the past.

The takedown had been simple. Too simple. I hadn’t been sure what to expect, but after having a guy break in the main house and try to kill Kady, I’d envisioned guns. A standoff of some kind like Kady had said. Stun guns and Tasers at a minimum. But no. One of the deputies had seen their rental car, the one that had a BOLO on it. It wasn’t too hard to be on the lookout around here. Especially on the county road heading to Steele Ranch. That road catered to a dually or durable pickup trucks, not a two-door hatchback with rear-wheel drive.

I was glad the deputy got to them first. Cord wanted to kill Briggs. So did the others. Me, too. But I wanted the fucker in jail, not any of my friends.

When we arrived, both Briggs and Kady’s sister had been standing by the hood of the car, handcuffed. No bullets. Hell, Briggs hadn’t even had a gun on him. Archer said one had been in his suitcase, but it wasn’t anywhere convenient to be used right away.

It hadn’t been dangerous. Not that we’d have let Kady come either way. And now Briggs was spouting shit and Beth stood right in front of the one-way glass, her wrists handcuffed together, her mouth open in stunned silence. I never would have guessed they were sisters. Half-sisters. Where Kady was vibrant and full of life, Beth was dull in comparison. She was several inches shorter with dark hair, lean physique. It was obvious she’d lived a hard life. She looked…worn down. And listening to her new husband’s words had to hit her hard. She’d been conned and conned hard. He’d used her need for love against her and it made me feel a little bit sorry for her. A little bit.

“So you planned it all,” Archer said.