Page 25 of Hitch
A moment passes, then Todd addresses me. “Who do you think it is?”
I stare at him for a moment. Todd’s muscular, like he wants to be a brown-haired movie star stunt double and uses that physique to intimidate others, but when you’ve done what I’ve done, no amount of muscles, tattoos, or grease on a man’s hands can scare you. I don’t doubt with Todd’s ease in this business, that he’s taken a few lives as well. After all, Todd suggested the mushroom idea.
And Braden knows better. Even if I give him a hard time for being afraid of the law, we respect each other too much. Bottom line, he isn’t stupid enough to cross me.
On the other hand, my girl doesn’t know what she’s getting into. She thinks she’s safe because I like the smell of her pussy. And hell,I do,but a smell like that will only get you so far. I like to killtoo,especially a pretty little thing like her. They always die like they come, and goddamn, it’s a sight to see.
“What about Reggie?” I ask.
“Secret?” Todd repeats. “Really?”
“The black-haired girl you invited here the other day?” Braden asks.
I run my thumb over my lips. I don’t like that Braden remembers her hair color. Either I’m right and they’re working together,orhe’s noticed her a little too much for my liking.
“That’s the one,” I say coldly.
“Reggie’s not dumb,” Todd says. “She’s got other ways to get money off of you. How much did you say you’re paying for her visits?”
I didn’t tell him, but I ain’t ashamed of it. “Five thousand per hour.”
Todd whistles, but Braden scoffs. “If she doesn’t own this farm through the blackmail, she’ll bleed us dry with your dick.”
This time, I’m the one who warns him: “Watch your mouth.”
Braden crosses his arm. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger. Pussy-whipped like a—”
In two steps, I’m up on the porch, shoving him into the railing. The wood splinters slightly as it presses against his back. He grits his teeth, snarling at me, but he doesn’t move, keeping still as a scarecrow on the broken wood.
Braden likes to run his mouth—always has—butneverto me. This is the first time he’s opened his mouth like that. Something’s changed with him, and I don’t like it.
“No pussy owns me,” I growl.
He spits to the side, and it pisses me off more, because I know the meaning behind his silence. I shove him again, letting him fall off of the porch, the railing finally breaking underneath him. He grunts as he gets up from the gravel, and I turn to the side, keeping myself in check.
“You can’t even think straight around her, can you?” Braden asks.
I lunge toward him, but Todd steps in front of me, blocking my path.
“Let it go,” Todd says. “He’s got a point.”
I snarl at Todd. “You want to be next?”
Todd lifts both of his hands in defense. “All I’m saying is that you brought her over here, right? We need to keep a close eye on her. For all we know, sheisthe one blackmailing you. And if she’s a problem for you, she’s a problem for all of us.”
“And you’re supposed tofixproblems, Duane, not make them,” Braden adds.
A coolness settles over my chest as I look between them. They’re right. I do need to keep an eye on her. I saw her taking photos and videos of our mushrooms. I don’t know who left it unlocked, but it’s like theywantedher to find what was inside. Like she’s working together with someone already here on my farm.
It takes courage to do something like that. Stupidity too. It’s part of why I’m curious about her. Why I haven’t killed her yet.
After our usual work in the fields and the sun goes down, I head to Stockton. It’s a Tuesday night—the customers who come out for Two Dollar Tuesdays at the Double Take are a little too rowdy for my Hitch.
So I go straight to her apartment. There’s a light on in her bedroom window. She’s awake. Must be pretending to study for that real estate exam.
After checking her car—I made a spare key a few months ago and had Braden show me how to install GPS tracking software—I drive to the auto shop and buy a new battery. I install it, using the toolbox from the back of my truck, and make sure it runs smoothly.
She refused the new phone I bought her and got one on her own. As irritating as it was, it made me smile, because it showed that she may have been dumb enough to blackmail me, but she was smart enoughnotto trust me. And she was right about that. I had Braden put tracking software on the device before I tried to give it to her. It’s a good thing she refused.
