Guess he’d forgotten about that too.
Jeb’s office was this ridiculous “homage” to all things western — cowboy hatseverywhere, fringe everything, and everything in these stupid drab “western” colors. I mean shit, the man hadspurson his fuckingdesk.
Give me a break.
What made this even more ridiculous was the fact that Jeb Pike was no cowboy. He was a poser, a pretender. A fake piece of shit. Believe me, Roman and I were born country. We’d grown up tying knots, mucking out barns, learning to shoot, and riding horses.
Shit, I missed riding.
Jeb was none of that. Hell, even his accent was forced and fake. The man was a Jersey mobster with a cowboy fetish, and everything about him pissed me the fuck off. And that’d beenbeforehe’d started abducting women for cash.
“Well, fellas?” He rubbed the side of his head, dropping two Alka-Seltzer’s into a glass and letting them fizzle.
“Look—”
“It’s going well,” I said, seeing that hard-edged look in Roman’s eyes and knowing how incapable my friend was at keeping his emotions in check when he should have.
“Good, good,” Jeb nodded as he grabbed the glass of fizzing water and gulped half of it down, wincing.
“She’ll be presentable soon?”
I nodded.
“Excellent.”
I could see Roman bristle out of the corner of my eye, and kicked his shin with my boot.
“I’ve already got some clients lined up, so I need her looking perfect and ready to serve as soon as possible.” His eyes darted between us, and I guess this time,neitherof us could keep emotion off our faces.
“You don’t like this, I know,” Jeb mused, smiling sickly.
We both glared at him.
“Don’t forget our arrangement, fellas. A certain grand-pappy of yours? Well, be nice, and do as you’re fuckin’ told, and he might justkeepthat farm you went through all this trouble make sure he got.”
Jeb pointed a finger at us both.
“These guys coming tomorrow, they’re not just clients.”
I frowned
“These aremybosses. These are the guys calling the shots and holding the purse strings of the whole operation, so don’t fuck this up.” He chuckled. “Shit, I know you don’t like me much, but these guys make me look like a goddamnnun, you get me? Cross me, and our deal is off. Cross these guys, and they’ll kill you, your grandfather, your barber, the bartender at your favorite spot — hell, the fuckin stripper you last passed a buck to. These guysdo notfuck around, you understand?”
I could feel my jaw tighten, my eyes narrowing at him.
“And they’re here to see some of the new merchandise, including that little farm girl I’ve got you two lookin’ after.”
Jeb whistled. “MyGod, that innocent little thing? She’ll fetch a pretty penny, just you wait.”
I looked over at Roman to see him about to tear the arms off the wooden chair he was sitting in.
“Too bad she ain’t a pure one, huh?”
Roman and I glanced at each other.
“Yep,” my friend growled, swallowing.
Jeb nodded, pointing a finger at us over his desk. “Now, that little filly is being sold, you hear? I know you don’t much like what I’m doing with some of these new girls, but you’ll learn. I know you want to fight this, ‘cause I know you’re the fighting type, but you shut that shitdown, understand?”