Page 22 of Wilde's End
“Don’t act like I haven’t gotten to you.”
Hudson reaches up and pats my scruffy cheek, but I jerk away from his touch. “Of course you have. You’ve made itsomuch more fun than I thought.”
“Fun?” I set the head of the sledgehammer against his sternum and give it a little shove. Hudson’s the one who staggers back this time, even as he tries to stubbornly hold his ground. Movement out of the corner of my eye tells me his brothers have stepped outside too, but neither of them comes closer. No. Those two are scared of me … so why isn’t Hudson?
“Yeah,” he answers. “Fun. Ever heard of that before? Or is it all hunting animals and building mud huts out here?”
“You won’t be around long enough to find out the answer.”
His eyes flash, dangerously green in the sunlight. “Why do you want us gone so badly?”
“We don’t like outsiders.”
“What about the people who owned this place before we did? Did you try to drive them out too? Is that why they sold?”
The fact that he didn’t do even the most basic research before buying Wilde’s End only pisses me off more. “Bert’s owned this place since before I moved here. He came in, did maintenance, and then he went straight back to where he came from.”
“You want us to maintain this place, for you, for free, while you get to live here all you like?”
He’s deliberately twisting my words, but I don’t know how to argue against it. That was the arrangement, but it’s not like we ever asked for it. Bert just showed up and moved on.
I’m done with getting off track.
“Iwantyou to take your brothers. And leave. I’ve been very clear about that.”
“But what you haven’t been clear on is why. I’m a curious guy. I can’t walk away without answers.”
I’m ninety percent sure he doesn’t actually want to know why, but I ignore my better judgment and answer the question anyway. “We like Wilde’s End the way it is. We’ve worked hard to make it into something special, and we don’t want people coming up this way and ruining what we’ve built.”
He looks genuinely surprised by that. “Ruining? This place is falling apart. We’re making itbetter.”
“And then what will you do once it’s better?” I push. We’re less than a foot apart, staring each other down, and I swear I can see a debate going on behind his eyes. Hudson might be attractive, stubborn, and impulsive, but he’s not the type of man I will ever see eye to eye with. Pretty, rich, self-destructive guys were my weakness before I moved here, and I’ve done everything in my power to distance myself from men like him. Not only are they a threat to Wilde’s End, but Hudson is a very real threat to the person I’ve become.
His internal debate comes to an end, and he steps forward, clearly expecting me to retreat, and when I don’t, his face lightsup. “When we’re done here, we’ll sell the dream. Remote luxury for people with more money than brains. My brothers and I are onto a gold mine, and nothing you say is going to stop us from making bank.”
“The last people who moved here after a windfall are all gone. I was here long before, and I’ll be here long after you and your brothers realize this is a fruitless effort. You want money?” I sneer in his face. “Buy a lotto ticket. Our town isn’t for sale.”
“Considering I bought it, I strongly disagree.”
If I ever see Bert again in my life, I’m going to have words for that man. “Fine. Name your price.”
Surprise lights up his face. “Ah … what?”
“Name your price. What will you sell it for?”
His eyes do that thing where they search each of mine, like they’re looking for answers. It’s instinctive to look away, but I force myself to meet his piercing stare. “You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“You really thinkyoucan afford this place?”
“I can.”
Amusement takes over as he turns his head to look at the buildings, and my focus drops to his scruffy jawline. He’s far too close, but stepping back will look weak, and I refuse to give him the upper hand. “Ten million dollars.”
“What?”
“No, you’re right,” he says on a laugh. “That doesn’t divide three ways equally. Let’s go twelve.”
