Page 41 of Trig
Just like before the chute opened, adrenaline kicked in. But this wasn’t a bull ride. This was me taking care of my woman.
“Stick to the plan.” He nodded, then gave a short whistle.
Except for Shep who was keeping an eye on Ellie and our parents, my brothers were here, too. Bray and Buck were camped out at the top of the stairs. Hayes and Cam were in my garage. Colt headed into the mud room. While they probably heard, he was letting them know it was time.
I didn’t know if my brothers were needed, but I’d take them as backup any day.
Seconds later, Trout banged on my door.
I opened it right away. “Trout. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I heard you married her,” he snarled. He was in crisp jeans and a navy jacket. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and receding at the crown. He was unusually tan for this time of year, unless he’d spent some time in the tropics recently.
“Ellie Mann? Sure did.” I crossed my arms over my chest. Pretty much preened. Hell, I couldn’t help but smile.
Colt had put the good news out into the small town gossip mill–the best place being the town diner, the Sip N’ Serv–and it had spread to Trout as expected, and in record time.
His face turned a blotchy red and a vein throbbed in his temple.
“So she was here after all.”
“Found her almost dead in a blizzard, you asshole, running from you. You think I’d ever let you near her?”
“You didn’t have tomarryher!”
“That virgin pussy was ripe,” I taunted, pushing an already riled Trout even further. I didn’t want to tell him shit about what Ellie was like in bed, but I needed to piss this guy off even more.To make him snap. If he was going to kill me, now was the time. The faster this was over, the faster I could be back in my wife’s ripe pussy.
“That was mine.” His voice boomed.
I shrugged, trying not to rip his head off for saying her virginity was his, not Ellie herself. The fucker. “Not any longer. Take care.”
With my hand on the door, I swung it closed, but Trout stopped it and flung it wide open.
“I paid off his debt.” He stepped into the house.
“Whose?” I asked, making sure Colt got the admission he needed if he was going to file charges.
“Mann’s. I paid good money for her.” He pointed his finger at me as if I’d stolen from him.
“You mean Mann used the money you gave him and you didn’t get your side of the bargain.”
“That’s right. Since I can’t marry her, I want the money back.”
He was here about the money?
“Your issue with Mann has nothing to do with my wife. Maybe you should circle back to him. Maybe kill him instead of me.”
His eyes widened. “Kill you? Kill him? What the fuck are you talking about? Mann’s better use to me alive, but it’ll be her land someday. I’m not waiting that long. I want back the half mil I gave Mann.”
Ellie was worth a mere half a million dollars.
I clenched my fists, ready to punch him in the face. “She’s Ellie Wilder now and I doubt her daddy’s gonna give that money back. But that’s ayouproblem.”
“I’m the one who lost here!” He charged me, an evil glint in his eyes. His face was red and a vein throbbed at his temple.
“I’d check with your lawyer, but I assume there was no contract since arranged, paid marriages aren’t legal in this country. That means whatever agreement you had with Mann isn’t gonna happen if she’s married to me. Ellie’s not responsible for your bad deals.”
With every word I said, he got angrier and angrier. His fists clenched, body taut. Gaze narrowed and furious.
