Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 97369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
His sister.
“She’s Archer’s sister too,” I say, feeling the need to be as brave and bold as possible despite being outplayed by the master of games.
“She should have died the day her parents died. Milo shot her in the head. She’s physically and mentally impaired. She needs help eating, talking, and shitting. She’s blind in one eye. And I’ve spent more money on her care than the rest of my family combined. Times a hundred.”
“So why can’t Milo see her?”
“It’s called atonement.” Control slips quickly while Fletcher’s words come out faster, lacking control while his voice escalates. “Milo owes me for taking away my best friend and for everything I’ve done for his sister. He owes me his life. He shouldn't have shot her if he wanted to see his sister. We all make mistakes, darlin’, and we all pay for them.”
“Was I a mistake?”
“Half my life has been a mistake,” he scoffs. “Don’t take it personally.”
“Was Ruthie a mistake?”
His expression hardens. She’s still his Achilles’ heel. “Ty, escort Indie upstairs. Have her pack her things and drive her to her destination.”
“What about Benjamin?”
“Don’t you worry about him.”
Ty, with his taped nose and bruised face, appears from around the corner as I turn around. His hand reaches for my arm, and I turn to the side before he can touch me. His big feet clod up the stairs behind me, and when I reach the top, I turn so we’re at eye level.
“He’s going to go through you with a fucking bullet to get to him,” I say.
Ty’s Adam’s apple bobs while the overworked muscles in his jaw flex. He doesn’t say a word.
He doesn’t have to.
It’s in his eyes.
He knows I’m not lying. He knows the he I’m referring to.
On our way out of the ranch in Ty’s truck, I don’t see any sign of Milo. Not his truck. Not his horse. He could easily be anywhere. In town. On one of the other ranches. Anywhere.
“What’s he have over your head?” I murmur while my gaze strays out my window, hoping for a sign that Milo’s okay.
“Nothing,” Ty says.
“Bullshit.” I shake my head. “People don’t work for Fletcher Ellington because he offers good health insurance and a nice retirement package. He did something for you, something that’s given him ownership of your life. Or is it your daughter?”
“You mean Milo’s ex-girlfriend?”
I laugh. “Is that the best you’ve got? Look in the mirror. Who’d Milo beat up for Rae?”
“Watch it. That’s my daughter you’re talking about.”
“You brought her up, not me.” I shrug. “Kinda made her sound like one of the many women Milo’s fucked in the back of the barn next to his horse. I bet he puts horseshoes on the wall for his conquests instead of notches on his bedpost. I’m sure you’re proud of her.”
“Fuck you.” His knuckles turn white as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel.
“I will,” I mumble.
I feel his extended sidelong glance.
“I’ll let you fuck me if you let me go.”
37
IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE
MILO
“Where is everyone?” I ask Fletcher just after nine at night.
He stares at his bookshelf, sipping his whiskey.
“Everyone?”
“Benjamin? Jolene? Indie?”
“Pauline took Benjamin … away for a while. Jolene is staying in Dallas. It’s closer to her law firm. Just until things get settled.”
Settled? I sort through his words. His tone. And the hair on the back of my neck stands erect.
I can’t fucking breathe.
It’s déjà vu—this calm, calculating side of Fletcher Ellington.
“Annie is safe. She’s being cared for better than before you shot her in the head. She lost the baby. You killed her baby. And maybe that was for the best. But listen, son, I’ve got you. I’m going to take care of you. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Archer. All you have to do is work hard for me. The harder you work to make me happy, to follow instructions without question, the safer Annie will be. And that’s all we want. Right, Milo? We want Annie to be safe and … alive.”
I glance over my shoulder, and Ty’s body fills the doorway. The muscles in his face curl into a self-satisfied grin. And for that, I’m going to knock out every tooth in his head with the toe of my boot before I kill him. The man in the wheelchair didn’t physically remove Indie from the premises.
“You know, Milo … you know how exhausting it is to break a horse. And sometimes you think they’re too stubborn. You think they’d rather die than let you put a saddle on them. But we never give up. Right? You can't give up when you know what’s best for them. That’s how I feel about you. Jolene’s husband. Benjamin’s father. I have too much of my goddamn life invested in you to give up now. So here I am, just a guy who wants to retire and leave a legacy for his grandchildren, but you refuse to do your part. Why? Why do you have to make everything so hard?”