And then I was going to crush him.
I expected resistance when we arrived.
Instead, the fancy gates parted and we were allowed up to the main entrance.
Martel waited for us on the steps looking as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Looking smug.
I looked at the two thugs standing beside him and wondered if either of them were involved with what happened to Chastity, and my hand itched over my gun. Bull glanced in my direction. Despite his sunglasses, I knew he was looking at me, giving me a silent reminder to keep my cool. I gritted my teeth, fighting every fiber of my being that screamed at me to put a bullet between Martel’s eyes.
“Friends!” Martel opened his arms as if asking a question. “No truck?”
Bull smiled calmly. “You know you’re not getting that truck back until its driving your drug-dealing ass out of town.”
Martel’s smile barely wavered. “Then we find ourselves in an interesting situation, gentlemen. An impasse, if you will. But I’m sure we can reach some reasonable compromise.”
“You lied,” Bull said, a twitch in his jaw. “We don’t compromise with liars.”
“Please, let’s not discuss business on the porch like common folk. Join me in the parlor and let us settle this over a pinot noir and brioche.”
I’d had about enough and stepped forward. I was prickling to make him pay for what he ordered to be done to Chastity.
“Fuck you and your parlor, you whiny little toad. You’re a dead man, do you understand me. I’m going to crush you like the slimy critter you are. I’m going to personally skin your hide and wear that smug little smile of yours as a hat. And I’m going to enjoy it, you psychopathic fuck!” I leaned in. “You come after our loved ones and its war.”
Martel grinned, amused by the emotion and the obvious torture on my face.
“I see,” he said as I stepped back. “That was very descriptive, thank you, Mr. La Montagne.”
His use of my last name made me want to set fire to him. But by the look on his face he knew I was motivated by something a little more than Chastity being family. I had to rein it in before Bull came to the same realization.
As I took a step back, Bull stepped forward and removed his glasses. Bright with emotion, his unholy eyes glowed with warning.
“You came after my niece.” He leaned closer, and in a low and dangerous voice, added, “If you wanted to see the mad Bull, then know that you’ve unleashed it.”
Martel’s smile slipped, but he quickly recovered. “Duly noted.”
We turned away. We were done. As we descended the steps and walked to our bikes, Bull replaced his sunglasses.
“Next move?” I asked
Bull slid his legs over his bike.
“We burn it,” he said, looking across at the grapevines. “We burn it all to the ground.”
We waited until it was dark before we descended.
From the shadows we took out Martel’s men and drove the truck full of cocaine into the field of Martel’s prized Syrah vines.
And when it was in position, we set it alight and stood silhouetted against the raging inferno and watched as the truck, the grapevines, and Eagle’s Nest all burned to the ground.
CHASTITY
It was late when Ruger got home, and the moment he walked in I knew he was furious. The look on his face told me everything.
“You know, don’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Know what? That my girlfriend was assaulted by a piece of shit thug who works for the drug dealing asshole we currently have over a barrel? Or the fact that she didn’t tell me someone pulled her over and assaulted her on the side of the road?” He strode over to me and took my face in his hands. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
I was momentarily taken back by the emotion in his eyes.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Are you sure?”
His eyes searched my face and I could see how tormented he was at the thought.
“Yes, I’m fine.” I put my hand on his arm. “He didn’t hurt me. I was able to disarm him before he could do anything.”
Ruger let out a shaky, angry breath. “I want to kill him.”
“I think Bull has already taken care of the situation.”
He pulled away from me. “I should’ve been here. Why didn’t you tell me?”
It was hard to miss the hint of blame in his tone. He wasn’t just angry at Deputy Monroe. He was also angry at me for not telling him.
“You had enough on your plate,” I said calmly.
His eyes burned into mine. “Nothing is more important to me than you. Do you understand me? Nothing.”
While his protectiveness lit a fire in my heart and made me want to tear his clothes off his big body, it could also be a little tiresome being treated like I couldn’t handle things myself.