Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100853 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“He’ll find someone better,” West finished for me. “Knowing Haywood, he wasn’t planning for this guy to kill you. He just wanted to watch you dance, and if his guy got lucky, then that was a bonus. But now that he’s in prison, I don’t see him playing around. He has connections and cash. And my gut says he was prepared for this.”
“You think he already had a backup plan in place?” Hawk asked, his dark eyes narrowed in thought.
“It would be on brand for Haywood,” Griffen said slowly.
“As long as I’m here, the rest of you are in danger,” I said. Stating the truth that baldly sent a bolt of fear up my spine. My gut told me I was right. Being in prison had barely slowed him down. Cole would never stop, and I didn’t know what to do about that.
Griffen gave a slow nod, his arms folded across his chest. “And what do you want? Do you want to go? I know you’re not without resources. You could do it. The will doesn’t apply to you since Dad disinherited you. You could pack your things, take off, and start over somewhere else.”
Everything inside me recoiled at that idea. When I’d lived under my father’s rule, all I’d wanted was freedom. Especially after I’d gotten rid of Griffen and realized I was only more trapped now that I was alone with Prentice. But freedom no longer meant being out there somewhere, untethered from my family and Sawyers Bend. Freedom meant the chance to have a real life. If I started running, I’d never be able to stop.
“No, it isn’t what I want,” I said finally, meeting Griffen’s sea-green eyes, so like my own. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes. The worst with you and Finn. I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking only about what I wanted, what would make me happy.”
“And now?” Griffen asked quietly.
I paused, understanding this was a time I had to be completely honest, especially with myself.
“I want a second chance, even though I don’t deserve one. I want to try to make up for everything I’ve fucked up. I want a future as a part of this family. That’s what I want. I just don’t think it’s the best way to keep all of you safe, because as long as Cole has connections, he’s going to keep trying to kill me.”
“We don’t sacrifice one of us for the good of the rest,” Griffen said firmly. “Ever. We have shit to figure out, but not this way. Not by exiling you.”
“It’s what I did to you,” I reminded him, guilt a cold hollow in my chest. If Griffen wanted revenge, this was his chance.
He dropped his arms to his sides and rolled his eyes. “It’s not the same thing. We were kids, and you were an asshole. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve paid for it, and I was better off. I don’t like how it went down—that’s the asshole part—but you’re the one who had to marry Vanessa.”
I shook my head, trying not to think about my brief marriage. Calling her a viper was an insult to snakes. I was sorry she was dead, but that was about all I could say.
“And you dealt with Dad by yourself,” Griffen continued. “I think, at the end of the day, you got what you deserved. I don’t need to punish you. Whatever lies between us moving forward, you’re my brother. I won’t throw you to the wolves. Even if I wanted to—which I do not—Avery, Sterling, and Quinn would kill me, and the rest wouldn’t be far behind. Your family doesn’t want you gone, Ford. We need to take a stand. If part of that means beefing up security,” his eyes flicked to Hawk, who nodded, “then we’ll work it out.” To West, he said, “You’ll talk to Avery about putting Ford on nights at the taproom. She’s not going to like it, but I think she’ll go along.”
West agreed. “I’ll let you know when we’ll start.”
Hawk gave a nod. “I’ll go meet with the team, see how we can organize things. Might need to bring in someone from the outside, but I think we can handle this in-house.”
Griffen turned his attention back to me, one blond eyebrow raised. “So how beat-up are you?”
I shrugged. “I’m a little sore here and there. I’m okay.”
“Good.” Griffen came toward me, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Then let’s get started. If he jumps you again, we’ll make sure you can take him down.”
Chapter Nine
PAIGE
Iput some antibacterial ointment on the scrapes on my forearms and changed clothes before I went to hunt down the kids, already home from school and probably having a snack in the kitchen. Now that I was back at Heartstone Manor, I was slowly processing what had happened in the parking lot. Some of it was still a blur, but of one thing I had no doubt—Ford Sawyer had not killed his father.