Page 114 of Notorious

I stand and shake their hands. “Hi, I’m Kurt. You’re Charlie? And Rowan?”

“That is correct,” Charlie says, taking a seat next to mine. Rowan perches on his lap, and Charlie anchors him by the waist. I almost laugh. Rowan’s clearly got Charlie wrapped around his bejeweled pinky.

“Charlie said you need some … assistance.” Rowan smirks.

“Yeah.” I sigh. “I don’t know where to start. My boyfriend—or rather, husband. It’s a little confusing.”

“Sounds like my brother Cam,” Charlie says.

I nod. “I heard about that. Yeah, kind of the same thing. Well, I’m married to Velvet the Cowboy.”

Rowan’s eyes nearly do a full cartoon pop. “Holy fuck, he’s the hottest.”

Charlie glares at him. “Thought that was me.”

“It is you. But I can still have porn.”

“Maybe,” Charlie says with an edge.

I watch them, distracted and amused by their dynamic, then turn my mind back to the sickening reason I’m here. “The short story is, a porn director orchestrated an assault …” I feel like I’m violating Johnny’s privacy by telling his story, but I need them to understand. And it’s all going to come out at the trial, anyway. “He drugged Johnny and had him gang-raped. I want vengeance.”

“Say no more,” Rowan says, pulling a switchblade from his skintight sea green jeans. “I’m in.”

Charlie looks up at the sky. “You had to bring up violence.”

Wringing my hands, I look at them. “I’ll pay you whatever you want. I just need him dealt with. Not yet—there’s a civil trial coming up, and I don’t want to do anything that could rebound on that. But after.” I shiver. “I’m not a murderer. Don’t kill him. Or try not to. I’m not going to lose too much sleep if there’s an accident. But I want to make sure he won’t rape another person, ever.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Rowan says. “No money required. This will be fun.”

I’ve never done anything like this before, but Johnny deserves more retribution than the justice system is going to provide. And so do I, if I’m honest. No one fucks with what’s mine. Even if he wasn’t mine back then, he’s mine now.

In the evening, I drive to Hidden Valley and the expansive ranch where Johnny’s working.

When I get out of my car, he saunters over to me, Lady at his heels.

I nearly swoon at the sight.

He’s truly a cowboy. Long legged, with tanned skin and a cowboy hat. He looks like he was born in those boots. And then there’s his handsome face.

I melt.

This man is so special. Not Velvet the Cowboy, no matter how much I enjoyed watching him on my screen. But Johnny, the outdoorsman who truly cares for animals. Who has ties to a long tradition of working with them. Who takes equally good care of me.

I go up on my toes, and he leans down to kiss me, and I get lost in his pale eyes.

“C’mon. Let me introduce you to this side of the family,” he says with a grin.

Holding hands, we walk into the stable, where there are horses in most of the divided areas. This is super fancy. It even smells nice. Everything is shiny and gleams. The horses look exceptionally healthy.

“What kind of horses are these?” I ask.

“They’re American Quarter Horses.”

“They’re beautiful,” I say, admiring their chestnut brown coats and glossy manes.

“Ready to go for a ride?”

“Sure. Do you have one that’s good for me?”

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