Stone Cold Cowboy(106)
Connor exploded, grabbing her shirt and hauling her up to her toes. “Not this time. This time, I’m in control.”
“Bullshit. You can’t even control yourself. You’re high. You haven’t slept in days by the looks of you. You have absolutely no plan. You think getting rid of me will solve all your problems, but that’s not you, Connor.”
“You get everything you ever want. This time, it’s mine.” Connor’s eyes glassed over with mania, brought on by the drugs he cooked up and sent out into the world. Those drugs ruined lives. They’d ruined Connor’s.
She planted both hands on Connor and shoved him back, breaking his hold on her. “Why are you doing this? You don’t want to hurt me. You’re angry and hurting because Dad died. You don’t know what to do with all that grief, so you’re trying to take it out on me. The thing is, I’m done, Connor. I can’t do this anymore. I won’t be the person you blame, the one you hurt to make yourself feel better, the one you take and take and take from without giving anything back. I won’t be your scapegoat for all that’s wrong in your life. I can’t watch you waste away, those drugs stealing your dreams, your future, your life. I can’t. I won’t.”
“It’s about time you got back,” Derek called, walking out of the cave behind Connor and dropping two large duffel bags at his feet.
Sadie hadn’t paid much attention since leaping out of the back of the trunk and confronting her whacked-out brother. The hum of a generator nearby droned on and added to the whooshing gusts of wind whipping through the gully between the rocky hills on both sides of them. The dark hole in the side of the hill wasn’t much more than a wide jagged slit with a large overhang that shadowed the entrance. Large trees grew nearby; their canopy overhung the gap between the hills that came together not far from where the dirt road ended at this secluded hideaway.
The shack concealed by large bushes with fans in the windows could only be the place Connor cooked up death.
Derek stopped midstride when his gaze collided with hers. The vile smile died quickly when Trigger shifted behind her, drawing Derek’s attention.
“Are you stupid or suicidal? Why would you bring him here? This place is off-limits to everyone but us,” Derek said.
“I didn’t bring him here. I took her, but he came out of nowhere.”
“You took her?” Derek strode forward, making Sadie’s gut tighten with nerves. Adrenaline surged through her veins. Her heart thrashed against her ribs so hard she could barely breathe. She wanted to run, but froze in place, knowing better than to play the scared fawn to Derek’s wolf. She plastered on a bored expression, hoping to cover the fear building inside her.
Connor puffed out his bony chest and sneered at her. “Yeah. She won’t fuck this up for me. If she can’t turn me in, I can deliver. I’ll finally be set.”
Trigger swore and shook his head. “Torres will never let you out from under his thumb. You’re living on borrowed time. If the drugs don’t kill you, Torres will when you fuck up again and put his operation in jeopardy like you did when those guys hijacked the shipment and the cops showed up.”
Sadie turned and stepped back, putting all three men in front of her.
Connor tried to keep up his bravado, but the sweat trailing down his face and the way his gaze shifted back and forth showed how out of control he felt. “If Torres doesn’t want to work with us, we’ll go with the deal Guzman offered.”
Trigger swore. Connor’s gaze fell to the dirt. Derek’s eyes filled with fury. Sadie had no idea what was really going on here, but it all felt wrong.
Derek pulled his knife and pointed it at Connor. “Why can’t you keep your fucking mouth shut?”
“Me? You’re the one who blabbed at that bar that we had a huge score moving through Missoula. You nearly got Trigger killed. He barely escaped getting shot and arrested.”
Sadie’s gaze flew to Trigger. The man gave nothing away in his eyes or expression. He kept his unyielding attention locked on Derek and the knife.
“Something else went down that night.” The suspicion in Derek’s voice matched the gleam of distrust in his narrowed gaze.
Trigger reminded her of a lion ready to pounce. “People get caught for one simple reason. They can’t shut up.”
“Still, how’d those cops get there so fast? I might have tipped off the other side, but someone else ratted us out to the cops.”
“You’re already playing both sides with Torres and Guzman, maybe the reason you think you can get away with it is because you’re the rat squeaking to the cops,” Trigger shot back.