Page 44 of Rough
Tucking the butt of the gun into my armpit, I step toward him, and he hurries back out to the main space of the barn. Quickly following, I find all three of them standing shoulder to shoulder as I step out of the office, my other hand hanging loose down at my side.
“You ruined my sperm?” My eyes falling to the destroyed samples. I’m hoping that since it was unplugged, the freezer is salvageable, but I’m positive everything that was insideisn’t.
“Bets, I need you to listen to me.” Wilder tries again to get my attention, holding his hands out in front of him. Maybe he subconsciously thinks that if he shows he’s unarmed, it’ll cool me down.
He’s so fucking wrong.
“You all ruined my sperm.” It’s not a question directed at them. It’s me making a statement, trying to wrap my head around why the hell they’d be this vindictive.
Sucking in another quick breath, I try to curb the tears that want to form because of howfuriousI am with them right now.
“Why’d you ruin my sperm?” I ask, meeting each of their eyes as I look between them. There’s a mix of shame and shock over all their faces. Remy looks a little green as well, probably from all that whiskey he drank last night, but I don’t give a shit. Clyde’s Stetson is lower over his eyes than normal, probably hiding from me. Heshouldbe hiding.
Remy clears his throat, mimicking Wilder’s open-handed gesture. “We thought… Well, we were drunk and still thinkin’ you stole the farm from me.”
I bare my teeth at him, surprised that a growl doesn’t escape when I hiss, “But the sperm? I didn’t steal this from you!”
Shoving his hand through his hair, Remy tugs on it hard, breathing slowly like he’s trying to stop himself from vomiting everywhere. I fuckingdarehim to puke in my barn. “Would you stop sayingsperm?” he begs, looking like it’s taking everything to keep himself from getting sick.
“It was my sperm, though,” I hiss in warning.
“Listen.” Wilder tries to save Remy from the threat of little old me. Finally, someone is trying to make good choices today. “We stopped by to see our horses. Alcohol doesn’t make for good decisions, especially mixed with anger. It was a stupid mistake.”
Whipping my pellet gun up, I aim it at his feet and pull the trigger. My bared teeth smile turns into a maniacal one filled with so much glee I can barely contain my laughter as all three of them jump back and start shouting.
“Country!”
“What the hell, Bets!”
“Stop! Are you crazy?”
Covering my mouth as I let the gun down, I stare at them with wide, apologetic eyes. We all know I’m full of shit. “Oops.Sosorry. God, that was such astupidmistake!”
Finally, Clyde decides to speak up after being silent this entire time. “Country, we didn’t mean to do this. Weknowwe fucked up. How can we make it up to you?”
“You can fuckin’leave,” I snarl.
I’ve never been more serious than I am at this moment. I can’t stand to even look at these dicks. Thousands of dollars’ worth of sperm that’s going to be literally washed down the drain. Years of jacking off bulls, putting my own money into their housing and care, purely so I can develop a breeding program down the road. A program I set up for these fucking imbeciles.
“We aren’t goin’ anywhere. Not until we figure out how to make this right.” I ignore Wilder’s protest and lift my gun again to aim at their feet. Don’t want to accidentally go trigger happy on their asses even though a pelletprobablywon’t do too much damage.
“Whoa! Hey! You’re completely overreacting right now. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you.” His statement is no better than telling a woman to calm down when she’s upset.Worsein this instance.
Cocking my gun, I lift it higher. Far enough that they know it’ll hit a knee if they keep running their mouths. “You have no fuckin’ideahow much money was tied up in that freezer.No fuckin’ idea!”
“Christ Betsy! You’re fuckin’ mad!” Remy shouts, moving back toward the door. Good. This motherfucker is learning that I’ve never been more serious in my life. The other two don’t move. Wilder is still trying to come up with something to say, and I think Clyde is just shell-shocked.
“Last warning or I’ll start at your thigh.” Raising the barrel higher, I point it directly at Wilder’s junk, forcing him to cover his dick and hurry back, then I move it to the left to point at Clyde. “Although my aim might be a little off. Haven’t practicedin a while. You should probably go… wouldn’t wanna risk ruining your sperm too, would ya?”
“Fucking crazy ass woman!” Wilder shouts, then shoots to the left to grab Clyde’s shoulder to tug him away from me.
As they run out of the barn, I let my pellet gun fall to the floor and shout, “I did this for all ofyou!You’re fuckin’ right I’m crazy! Ya’ll fuckin’ ruinedeverything!”
Of course, they have nothing else to say, which I’m thankful for. This whole thing was inexcusable. I don’t move from my spot until I hear the doors of the SUV slam shut, the engine start, and their tires peel out of my driveway.
Sinking down to my knees, I relish the way my anguish and frustration take over me. Dropping my chin to my chest, I let the tears escape for the next fifteen minutes before I shove them away and push myself to my feet. Using my shoulder to wipe off the remaining wetness from my cheeks, I blink rapidly, then take a deep breath and get on with my day.
Chapter Eighteen
