Page 206 of Ride the Sky

“I didn’t bring you here for romance,” he growls. “Move away from her.”

Wyatt snarls, holding tighter to me.

Anger turns behind Tripp’s eyes. “I’m not asking,” he says, pulling a gun from his right hip.

Shit.

We’ll have a hell of a fight on our hands with a gun.

Grimly, I back away from Wyatt. That dark look on Tripp’s face fades as he nears my prison. The metal of my cell door screeches. The veins in his neck bulge in a way that tells me he’s losing it.

“You look angry,” I say.

“You think this is easy? Watching you with him.” Tripp’s shaking, his face as red-hot as his voice. “That was supposed to be my job. Taking care of you, that’s why I did this. So that we could be together without distractions. Without anyone keeping us apart.”

Tripp slams a hand against the cage, causing Wyatt and I both to jump. “And then you go and marry him.Him?”

I arch a brow. “You sound jealous.”

A muscle bounces in his jaw. “I’ve always been jealous of whoever has you.”

My stomach plummets when Tripp turns the gun on Wyatt.

“Don’t.” I ball my fists, vibrating with rage. Panic. “Don’t hurt him.”

“What if I do?” No inflection to Tripp’s voice. He jabs the barrel of the gun against the metal of the cage. Instead of flinching, Wyatt stares him down.

I bite back an angry remark. Anger won’t work here.

I think fast. I have to do this right. I can’t fuck it up. I have to get Tripp to forget about Wyatt and focus on us.

Us.

I can use that. To get Wyatt and I out of here.

Never once have I shied away from a bull, a bronco. The last thing I will do is cower to a man. Another man who only wants what isn’t his. Who wants to take. To hurt.

Fuck that. I win.

“If you do,” I say quietly. “I—I won’t like you anymore.”

Tripp’s face changes. “You like me?” He sounds dubious.

I scoff. “Of course. You’re an idiot for not seeing it.” I rove my gaze around the cage. “For stooping this low. Really, Tripp. I expected better.”

Both Wyatt and Tripp gawk at me.

I almost smirk. Tripp looks like a begging dog with his tongue out.

Tripp clears his throat. “I didn’t know.”

I school my face into innocent neutrality. “You never asked, did you?” I chuckle. “We never got to talk. Like really talk. Pappy was always around.”

“Yeah.” Tripp licks his lips. “That asshole.”

“He really fuckin’ was.” I smile. “An asshole.”

Tripp and I share a laugh. I try not to bristle as he steps into the cell. Wyatt’s ring on his finger sends a visceral reaction through my body. I want to throw up.

---