I left my rings on the nightstand.
The realization hits me like a wave of nausea. I’m sitting in a stranger’s house, tied to a chair, with no phone, no rings, and no way to reach anyone. And the last time I saw Hunter, I walked out on him after an argument. I didn’t text him. I didn’t tell him I loved him back.
The voices outside the door turn into hushed whispers, and then the door crashes open.
Beau walks in first, and I suck in a breath. I knew he wasn’t my biggest fan. But I didn’t realize he hated me this much.
He doesn’t look at me. He crosses the room and takes a seat on the leather couch, legs spread, arms resting along the back, like he’s settling in for a movie.
And then Reese walks in behind him.
My heart drops through the floor.
He looks different. Thinner. The suit is gone, replaced by jeans and a black shirt. His hair is longer, unkempt in a way the old Reese would never have allowed.
Still looks like an asshole.
He sees me looking and smiles. It’s the most terrifying smile I’ve ever seen. Worse than the time he attacked me. This is the real Reese. The maniac. Dead behind the eyes now.
“Well, well.” He slides his hands into his pockets and stops in front of me. “Lola Sterling. Or is it Jackson? I hear you took the rings off.”
My stomach lurches. I look at Beau. He’s watching the wall, his expression blank.
“Funny how things work out, isn’t it?” Reese continues, crouching down in front of my chair until his face is level with mine. “I said you’d end up with me eventually. And here you are.”
“You’re delusional,” I hiss.
“Maybe.” He tilts his head. “But I’m not the one tied to a chair, sweetheart.”
He stands and takes a breath, and I’m waiting for his big speech to arrive, probably about how he isn’t a cunt. He was forced to behave like this or some crap.
“Your husband had a chance to make this all go away, you know. A simple deal. Work with the right people. Share the shipments. Make the right call for the ranch instead of stupidly aligning with his dead father's wishes. None of this would have happened if he had just taken the damn deal. You know, I thought he was doing the right thing. That was until he turnedon me. And I realized all he’s been doing is treating me like his errand boy with a law degree.” He stops. Glancing back to Beau and then to me. “But Hunter Sterling doesn’t share. Doesn’t compromise. Doesn’t listen to anyone who isn’t wearing his last name.”
He leans in close. I can smell his cologne. The same one from that night in the apartment. “So he fucked me over. Smashed my house. Broke my hand.” He holds up his right hand. The knuckles are misshapen, still swollen, the fingers not quite sitting right. “And then he fired me. Threw away thirty years because some redhead from New York batted her eyelashes.”
He clearly loves the sound of his own voice.
“He threw you away because you put your hands on me,” I spit. I won’t let them see my fear. Because these men are weak. And stupid to go up against my husband.
His jaw tightens. For a second, the mask slips and I see the rage underneath. Then he smiles again. “Doesn’t matter now. Because when one door closes, another opens. And I don’t need Hunter Sterling.” He glances at Beau. “I’ve got his brother.”
I turn to Beau. He still won’t look at me. What the hell is going on? Was all of this Reese? Even before Hunter beat his ass?
How is Beau connected to this?
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Lola.” Reese pulls a chair from the dining table and sits down in front of me, crossing one leg over the other like we’re having a business meeting. “You’re going to be very useful to me. See, Hunter doesn’t negotiate when people threaten his money, his land, or his freedom. The Greeks tried it, even Beau tried that. Didn’t work. That’s why Beau enlisted me. We needed to get more creative.”
So, Beau. Beau wants to work with the other people, and threw his own brother under the bus to get what he wants.
I feel sick.
He leans forward. “But his wife? The woman he married in a courthouse and fucked in a wedding boutique?” His eyes glitter. “That’s the leverage that makes Hunter Sterling do whatever I tell him to.”
My blood runs cold. “And Beau?” I manage, my voice cracking. “What does he get?”
Reese grins and gestures at Beau like he’s presenting a prize. “Beau gets what he’s always deserved. The ranch. The name. The seat at the head of the table that Hunter stole from him when their daddy died. And Reese gets to make double the money with the Greeks.”
I don’t even understand what the Greeks want. I assume it’s mafia business.