I wasn’t sure about that. My oldest brother had a way of getting everyone to spill their secrets. “He’ll try.”
Beau huffed out a breath. “I’m disappointed you weren’t ready on time this morning.”
I wanted to point out that he wasn’t either, but I didn’t dare. “Later tonight, there will be consequences for that.”
“What kind of consequences?” I asked, sounding ridiculously eager. I was no longer as worried as I’d been a few minutes ago.
“I’ll let you think about that today, let you wonder how I might remind you of the importance of obeying me.”
“Shit, Beau. How am I supposed to work today thinking about that?”
“That’s the whole point, baby. You’ve got to learn to think ahead and find more self-discipline.”
“But can’t you just… Can’t you go ahead and tell me…”
“No, we have other things to talk about now.” His voice had changed. He was serious.
“What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t show up this morning because you let your brother get you drunk last night. I didn’t show up on time because I spent the night out in the swamp in a shack, learning what I could from your cousin about the man who wants to ruin me.”
“Ambrose let you spend the night at his cabin?”
“Only because he was worried I couldn’t navigate back to civilization in the dark.”
“Shit, you drove out there?”
“I did. I can’t have this threat hanging over my head or yours.”
“I really don’t think—”
“The people behind this are after your family too.”
Anger built in my gut. “Who is it?”
“I’m hoping you can help me figure that out. Ambrose is going to work his network, and I’ve got another friend—the one who called last night—who’s going to find out what he can as well. I told Ambrose I’d have a chat with you.”
“With me?”
“Yes, with you.”
What had Ambrose thought of that? He hadn’t seen me in years, and I was pretty sure he thought I was still a little child. “But I’m… Lance and Remy know so much more.”
“People say things around you because they think you’re a kid. They think you’re not listening and paying attention. I bet you know a lot more than you give yourself credit for.”
Did I? Beau might just be right. “But Lance is the one who—”
“I’ll talk to him if I need to, but right now I’m talking to you.”
“You make me all confused.” Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.
He glanced over at me and grinned. “I never said I’d make this easy.”
“No, you basically said exactly the opposite.”
His smile widened. “This is what you need. You also need someone who trusts you, and I do.”
“But I screwed up again. I was irresponsible, and I…”
“You admitted it and said you were sorry. That’s a huge step, baby. You would never have apologized to me for being a brat the first day you came into my shop.”
My cheeks burned even hotter as I remember that day. I’d been convinced Beau needed to bow down to me because I was so incredibly important. I couldn’t believe he’d ever agreed to fix Remy’s car, not after the way I’d acted.
“Why did you agree to help me?”
“I told myself it was because you were never going to meet my conditions, but the real reason was because you were a challenge I couldn’t resist. I wanted to see what you could learn from having to take orders from me.”
I’d learned that it’s hot as fuck, and I would basically do anything he said.
“So let me tell you what I know, and you see if you can fill in any of the blanks.”
Twenty-Four
Beau
I couldn’t resist glancing over at Corbin again. He was so damn beautiful. I’d planned to tell him off before I’d seen him ready to stand up for himself against his brother and be willing to apologize and open himself up. After that, I couldn’t be angry anymore. All I could do was be thankful he was unharmed.
If I’d been the cause of something happening to him, I would have lost it. It didn’t matter that Corbin put himself in danger every day for his family. I was responsible for him now. I wanted to wrap him in my arms and kiss him just to reassure myself how very alive he was. I would have if his brother hadn’t been there. I wasn’t sure I could stop myself once I tasted Corbin again, and Lance didn’t need to witness that.
I explained what Louis had told me and what Ambrose had added to it. “Do you have any idea who this backer could be?”
Corbin seemed to concentrate hard on the question before shaking his head. “I really don’t. I know who Guidry is, but I’ve never met him, and we’ve never done business with him. I’ll see if I can find anything out, and I’ll alert Lance that there’s something going down. Do you want me to keep your name out of it?”