Page 38 of Legacy of Lies
“How do you know our sister?” Hank shouted.
Kerr raised his hands up farther. “Hey, simmer down. We went to high school together. She was a nice girl.”
“You’re not running around to see our ‘nice girl’ sister, or we’ll kick your ass,” Hank spat.
Garrison’s internal alarm system shot to red alert. His brother was goading the guy. Or trying to distract him. Why?
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Kerr shrugged and brushed his knuckles over his jeans-clad leg. “Kick my ass? Who are you kidding? Obviously, you were unconscious for the past two years and never listened to town rumors. Else you’d know that I couldn’t run around for any reason. Now can I, Wyatt?”
Wyatt’s eyes cut away from Kerr’s prosthetic leg locked into the stirrup.
“Hell, boys, I can’t even kick my own ass.” When he smiled, there was pain behind the jokes.
Wyatt swallowed and dropped the tip of his rifle. “Hank, come on, man, let’s go home. You made your point.”
Hank stared at Garrison down the barrel of his gun for a full minute before taking a step back and dropping the tip of the weapon. “Fine. Just stay away from our property.” He glared at Kerr. “Keep your hands off our sister.” With another hawk and spit, he pointed his chin at Garrison. “And stay away from that teacher. Got it?”
Far be it from Garrison to argue with a loaded gun, but it took an inhuman amount of self-restraint to keep his mouth shut in the face of such an asshole.
Garrison and Kerr turned the horses around and slowly rode away. His skin crawled. At any minute, he expected to hear the crack of a rifle and feel the pain of a bullet tearing through his back. Wouldn’t put it past that bastard.
Hank was cagey. Out of proportion with reality. Paranoid.
Those guys had to be hiding something.
Why did Hank hate the Taggart family so much?
The family quarrel, Garrison could understand. Dad had purchased the ranch back in the day, fair and square, and later found out the Brands had wanted it but couldn’t afford it.
But what else had Hank been about to say? Garrison had taken something of Hank’s, and now the guy wanted to take it back? What the hell was he talking about? Damn it. Nothing came to mind.
Even stranger, he wanted Garrison to have zero contact with Sara Lopez.
What lengths would Hank go to, to make sure his orders were followed? How much danger were Sara and the Taggarts in right now?
What was the connection?
• • •
Sara shut the front door after Izzy left her house. They’d eaten pizza while Sara enjoyed a therapeutic vent session. Okay. Vent session minus a description of the steamy kiss. She wanted to keep that detail as her own little secret, at least for now. Also, her friend was still Hank’s sister, even if their friendship placed Izzy firmly on Sara’s side.
Blowing out a long, slow breath, she dragged herself back to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and pizza box. Once she put everything away, Sara collapsed on the couch, rolling the tension from her neck and shoulders. Even nice company, simple carbs, and oozy cheese couldn’t completely relax her.
God, today couldn’t end soon enough. Last night’s roller coaster hadn’t ended with Hank leaving. Between the hours spent staring at her bedroom ceiling, she managed to sleep a little bit, but her dreams oscillated between hot rancher and creepy ex-boyfriend. Safety and fear. Confidence and humiliation. Desire and repulsion.
Her whole world kept tilting from side to side.
When the two men had finally morphed into one, she had given up and gotten out of bed.
If she had more days like today, her poor performance would attract undue attention. Not only did she nod off during class, but it took more energy to maintain vigilance for Zach’s safety.
With every knock on her classroom door, every flicker of movement behind the school windows when she monitored the kids at recess, she teetered on edge. When would the principal take action and relieve her of her job?
To make matters worse, she wanted to see Garrison again, but not if doing so put him or any of his family in danger. Not if she’d get fired in the process.
Maybe she could go to the police?
