The hum of the truck engine does nothing to drown out the thoughts clawing through my skull as I drive. Maci is for surehere for Duke. She admitted as much herself. I blow out a heavy breath as I turn up the side road and follow the pine trees up the mountain until the wood sided clubhouse rises in the distance.
This is going to be interesting.
Inside, Duke sits like a demon in the center of the kitchen, the guys surrounding him as though they’re waiting for spontaneous combustion. He’s leaned back in a wood chair, arm thrown over the back, body lazily swung, legs parted. I’ve never seen him looking quite this strung-out.
“We have a problem,” he groans.
One of the guy’s shuffles, scraping his boot against the floor a little too rough, breaking up the stifled silence that resonates around our Prez.
I lean into the counter, toothpick in the corner of my mouth, trying to ease my nerves. “Yeah? What kind of problem?”
He scrubs a hand through his hair, like it might help push the truth back down where it can’t burn him alive. “I’m looking for someone.” His voice lowers as he says, “A girl. She’s sharp, annoying, won’t shut up, and I,” he laughs once, humorlessly, “I should hate her.”
A beat.
His jaw is clenched tight like it’s holding back something heavier. “I need to see her again.” He pulls his phone out of his back pocket. “I’m texting you all a photo.”
The room quiets to still silence as he starts pacing, fists clenched.
My phone dings in tandem with everyone else’s and I glance down at the screen, pretending not to recognize the curvy brunette I just dropped off at the inn with Mae.
Fuck!
“Whoever brings her to me gets a bounty and a favor. One big fuckin’ favor,” Duke groans.
Hushed chatter explodes amongst the guys, and I get the feeling they’re all for this twisted game of hide and seek. We’ve all been looking for a thrill since we got up here and a bounty raises the stakes.
“Duke, what are you doing?” I ask low and edged, the words more a warning than a question.
“I didn’t ask your fuckin’ opinion. I want her roped and ready, dead center stage in the horse ring at my ranch. I want those pretty pink lips of hers begging for mercy, and I want it now.Move!” He doesn’t flinch, just tilts his head, his eyes cold.
Growing up poor teaches you one thing fast. Survival isn’t always pretty. You steal some, lie a little, learn to make peace with the worst version of yourself, just to make it to the next day. The military didn’t clean that up. It sharpens it. They taught me to follow orders, even the ones that kept me up at night.
If I turn Maci in, Mae would never forgive me. And honestly, I’m not sure I’d forgive myself at this point.
The guys take off. It won’t take them long to hunt her down. The girl is all over social media. I should’ve reminded her not to post. Everything can be tracked nowadays.
“Red,” Duke barks before I turn away.
“Yeah?” My chest tightens as though he somehow knows that I know exactly where the girl is.
“You’re my best hunter,” he growls. “I’ll throw extra in for you if you get her to me tonight.”
This shit is insane. Duke’s spinning out, and everyone sees it. The cocky control he used to command is slipping, replaced with something… erratic.
He used to play the game ten steps ahead, cool as ice. Now, he’s making moves out of spite, not reason. It’s reckless, dangerous, and we're all just orbiting his madness, pretending it’s business as usual.
I nod again, slower this time, my stomach twisting. I’m not sure who I’m protecting anymore. Maci, myself, or the last scrap of loyalty I’ve still got left for a man unraveling at the seams.
I need to get the fuck out of here and get back to the girls, maybe give Maci a reality check, then take my princess and disappear back to the little cabin in the woods where life was a fuck of a lot simpler.
Chapter Seven
Mae
“Yeah, so this Duke guy is hot. Like… red flag hot!” Maci paces the room back and forth, chewing on her fingernail. “I mean, he’s dangerous, but that just makes him hotter. He’s the kind of dude you mess around with a few times and call it an experience, ya know?”
“An experience?”
