Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
JENSEN
Brothers leaves after dinner, taking two of his men.
They’re lean, versatile types, like me. He’s got a particular kind of man he recruits to his team, the kind that fights hard and works well without rules.
I have nothing to do but go to bed, so I return to my old room upstairs.
This is what I imagine coming home as an adult to feel like.
Everything is the same, even the sheets on the four poster bed.
I pour a bourbon and sink against the headboard.
I’m wishing I was back in Montana, where my past was locked behind bulletproof glass. But more than that, I wish Della was here, safe in my arms.
The moon is a pale sliver over the magnolia trees outside. It’s getting late. I empty my glass and set it aside, sliding to my back, but I can’t sleep. There are too many memories in this house. I toss and turn until almost three in the morning. People come and go, then things settle to silence.
I get up, pulling on a pair of sweats. Brothers had a maid leave me some clothes. Of course, they all fit perfectly. Then, I leave the room and wander like a ghost down the empty hallway. Downstairs, the kitchen is shut down. The dining room feels like a graveyard, chairs like markers in a row.
I lean my temple against the doorway.
I lost my innocence in this house at the hands of people older and more capable. Maybe that’s why it’s important to me that Della gets her boy back. I’ve never seen him, I might never put eyes on him, but he reminds me of myself.
I push off the doorway and circle around to the back staircase.
There’s a faint sound from the door on the opposite side.
It’s dark down there, but it leads up and around to the second floor.
Curious, I move silently down past the open door.
There’s a faint glow coming from inside.
Tucked away in the shadows, I pause and look through the gap.
It’s Brothers’ office, I knew that. Half the desk is visible.
Brothers sits on the edge, disheveled. The whole front of his Sunday shirt hangs open.
He’s talking quietly, a glass in his fingers.
There’s a disturbance, like someone getting up from a couch, and then the sound of heels on the floor.
A woman in lingerie walks into view and goes to stand between his knees.
She says something, touching his jaw. He smiles and puts his hand on her waist, absently playing with her garter belt.
I’m taken aback by the way he’s gazing up at her. Is Brothers Boyd…human? There’s a softness to his face that only deepens when she leans in and kisses him, blocking my view with her dark curtain of hair.
That’s…Kayleigh Caudill.
If I bet on what kind of woman would have Brothers Boyd wrapped around her little finger, this one wouldn’t even make the list.
She’s everything I thought he resented. Lexington bourgeoisie—young, spray tanned, luxurious brown hair falling to the middle of her back, neon pink nails holding a crystal glass.
Her lean body is curvy with a little waist, highlighted in full lingerie the same shade as her nails.
I think I can see the Victoria’s Secret emblem in rhinestones right above her ass.
I shouldn’t be here, and yet, I can’t move.
My brain kicks into overdrive. Brothers said he wanted to topple the Caudill empire and take their territory a long time ago, but is it possible there’s something personal in this for him as well? I know he’d never admit to having feelings, but I’m not sure he has to say it out loud.
I’m looking at it.
She pulls back, and he’s gazing up at her like she hung the damn moon and stars. He says something, and she laughs, hair rippling. They both set their glasses aside. Then, she sinks to her knees between his boots. Her neon nails dig into the clasp of his leather belt.
That’s my cue to get the fuck out. I’ve already been scarred by Brothers enough. I don’t need to see him get blown.
Soundlessly, I go back upstairs and lie down. I’m pretending I can’t sleep because everything I just saw puts Brothers in a new light, a more human one. But, deep down, I’m staring up at the ceiling and wishing Della was back in my bed where she belongs.
My eyes burn when I peel myself out of bed around six.
The spacious bathroom got an update. Everything is sleek gray, and it takes me several minutes of cursing to get the shower on.
The dresser is stocked with clothes, the kind I’ve always worn.
I pull on a clean t-shirt, work pants, and boots.
He even bought my favorite brand with the thick soles, good for Montana winters.
I go downstairs. The house is empty, save for the dining room. There’s a security guard on the porch. Brothers sits at the head of the table, the Lexington Herald in his hand. He’s got the same breakfast he’s always eaten laid out—three strips of steak and a peeled orange.
I sink down. He looks up, offering a mild smile.
“How’d you sleep, Jen?”
“I didn’t.” I take a plate from the stack and fill it. A woman in a kitchen uniform appears and silently pours my coffee cup. “You probably didn’t get much rest either.”
His brow draws together. “How’s that?”
“I came down to the kitchen and walked past your office on the way back up,” I say, not giving a shit if I offend him anymore. “How’s it feel, inviting a Caudill into your home?”
His eyes narrow, and he leans back. “You already knew about Kayleigh.”
“You’re a sick fuck,” I say quietly.
“Oh?”
“You know what Leland will do to her if he finds out.”
“She knows the risks.” He flicks his cheek with his tongue.
“Same way I did?” I say. “Same way Holly did?”
An image of Holly on my grandmother’s kitchen floor pierces my mind.
Dead eyes open, blood matting the hair she used to brush out in the mirror before wrapping it carefully in curlers.
It felt like blasphemy to see all her beautiful hair ruined.
I hope the funeral home fixed it for her before they put her in the dirt.
He sighs, steepling his fingers. “You have to put the bitter pill of what I did to you between your teeth and swallow it,” he says finally.
He’s right. There’s no working together if I can’t handle my resentment.
“I want to talk to Kayleigh,” I say. “She’s my only link to Della.”
I half expect him to say no, but he nods. “Fine. I’m seeing her for lunch today. You can come.”
“Alright,” I say. “Where are we going?”
“Down to the lake country,” he says. “Kayleigh’s particular. She likes this little place down there. Serves the wine she’s partial to.”
“She says jump and you say how high?”
He shakes his head, a flicker of exasperation in his eyes. “If I’m being honest, she’s got me by the balls.”
“Good,” I say. “I hope it hurts.”
He sighs, getting up. “I’ve got business. We leave at eleven.”
I watch him go, gazing out the window at the green fields outside.
It’s a nice day, the sky bright blue and the bluegrass swaying.
After everything, I need a second to breathe, outside of this house.
I fetch my cigarettes from upstairs and leave through the side door, down the winding path beside the barn.
The horses are out, glimmering chestnut in the sun.
I lean on the fence, watching them absently.
I miss her. She’s been gone a day, and I miss her so much, it hurts.
We travel almost two hours from the city for lunch.
Brothers is quiet most of the way. I’m glad for it.
After yesterday and the things I said, I know he’s sore and pretending he’s not.
When we pull up and the windows roll down, I can see we’re in a small town with shops lining the main street.
Brothers gets out, buttoning his jacket.
He’s in a gray suit. I’m in a button down and good pants.
He leads the way through the door of a restaurant with darkened windows. Inside, everything is sleek black and gold, more opulent than I’d expected. A woman in a well cut suit appears out of nowhere, smiling like she knows Brothers.
“Right this way, Mr. Boyd,” she says.
Brothers starts asking her about her family as we move through the tables.
We dip through a velvet curtain. The back room is sleek wood with high top bourbon barrel tables.
In the corner on a bench seat in a booth sits the same woman from his office the other night—Kayleigh.
She’s dolled up in a tight rhinestone dress with a scooped neck that shows everything, hugging her body all the way to the ground.
Brothers crosses the room, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She gives him a smile that says she knows who she’s got wrapped around her little finger. Up close, she’s younger than I expected, maybe a few years older than Della.
“This Jensen?” she says, leaning forward.
I shake her hand. When I do, her gold rings and long pink nails dig into my fingers, then release. Brothers sinks down beside her, leaning back and crossing one knee over the other. His hand rests on her thigh.
I sit opposite. “Nice to meet you,” I say. “Have you talked to Della?”
She purses her lips. “Leland’s being a cunt. I asked if I could see her the night she came back and he said no.”
Her accent is thicker than I expected. She draws out the word—cuuuunt—letting me know there’s no love lost between them.
Before I can respond, the woman in the suit appears again to take our drink orders.
Brothers and I get a bourbon, and Kayleigh gets something tall and gold with edible flowers overflowing down the side.
“Is there a way you can get to her?” Brothers asks.
She sighs. “I’m working on getting Leland to let me take her to the salon to get her hair did. He likes her to be all done up.”
“Which salon?” I ask.
She has a sip of her drink. “No, I’m not having you show up. Leland will lose his shit if he thinks she’s not serious about going back to him.”
“Kayleigh’s right,” Brothers says.
“Thanks, baby,” she says, nestling under his arm. “Give me a cigarette.”
He takes one from his breast pocket and holds the lighter for her. She inhales, leaving a crescent pink moon on the white paper.
“If we’re getting her out with Landis, it’s got to be real subtle,” she says.
I study her carefully, trying to figure her out. “Where are your people from?”
Her brows lift. “I’m a Caudill.”
“No, you’re something else too,” I say.
“My mama’s from Pike County. She married Matthew’s little brother,” she says, a flicker of something unreadable passing over her face. “She wasn’t too different from Della. I got cousins with silver spoons in their mouths and cousins mining coal.”
Everything makes a little more sense with that information. Still, my guard is up. She is a Caudill, after all.
“How long have you and Brothers been dating?” I ask.
She laughs, slapping his thigh. “Oh please, I’m not dating him,” she drawls.
Brothers sighs. “She’s my mistress.”
“Shut up. More like you’re my boy toy.” She elbows him in the side, and he gives her a look that lets me know they’re about to butt heads later. I wonder what that looks like, probably plates and insults flying a mile a minute.
“I’d like to draw Leland out,” says Brothers.
“How’s that?” I say.
She leans over and taps her cigarette out in his drink. His mouth thins, and he moves his arm from around her shoulders.
“Jesus, you quit acting up,” he says.
She rolls her eyes subtly, but I can tell she loves egging him on. “Anyway, Brothers is going to see if they can meet in the gorge on Monday. Can’t do Sunday like I wanted.”
“Why?” I ask, realizing the answer as I do.
“Brothers doesn’t do cage fighting on Sundays,” she says. “That’s the Lord’s Day.”
“Oh, obviously,” I say. “How could I forget?”
“Still got a little sass to you,” Brothers drawls.
“Hush and go get yourself a new drink, honey,” she says. “This is my plan. You’re just here to look pretty.”
His arm moves, and she jumps like he pinched her under the table. I look between them, people as different as night and day, and hope I threw my lot in with the right ones.
“Why in the gorge?” I ask.
Brothers sighs, tongue flicking the inside of his cheek. “Because the Caudills still run the pit fights in the gorge. That’s the only place to get him face to face and make sure he’s staying put.”
“Then I’m gonna go in and grab Della and Landis,” Kayleigh says.
“Is it…that simple?” I press.
Brothers shrugs. “Yes and no. The gorge is the place where he’s least protected because it’s remote, so he brings all his men. That leaves the house relatively unguarded. At least, the most unguarded it’ll ever be.”
I think it over. “Alright. So how are we getting him there?”
“I propose a cage fight,” says Brothers. “One of my men, one of his.”
“Have you done that before?”
“Sometimes.”
They’re both sitting there, looking like this is a foolproof plan. “So…what do you do? Send him a text?” I ask.
“No,” Brothers says. “I’ll send him an email.”
Kayleigh giggles. “Isn’t he funny?”
I release a slow sigh. There’s something in my face that sobers them both.
Brothers leans forward, pushing his ruined drink aside.
“We send a paper invitation for the fight,” he says.
“It’s all sport, but serious. If he accepts, he’ll send back the name of his fighter.
I accept. We go about it like gentlemen. ”
I’m quiet.
“What do you say?” Kayleigh asks.
I turn my eyes on her. “Can you get Della out?”
She takes a second to answer. “I’ll have to iron out the details, but I’m confident I can get her as far as Byway. After that, you have to be there to pick her and Landis up.”
“I will be,” I say firmly.
Her face softens. “I always hoped she’d end up with someone like you.”
“We’re not really together, not yet.”
“Oh, but you love her. I can tell.”
I’m silent. Brothers watches me, face unreadable. I finish the last bit of bourbon and push my glass aside.
“I don’t know her well enough to discuss that with others,” I say.
“Oh, sure you do,” she says, ignoring my discomfort. “You’d make a fine daddy for Landis. He needs a better example than Leland. Don’t you think, honey?”
She turns to Brothers, who gives a minute nod. That’s enough for her to smile and pat his thigh. “Brothers would make a good—”
Brothers’ arm shoots around her head, and he clamps his hand over her mouth. “That’s enough. We need to move on.”
He releases her, and she gasps, jumping up. “Now I have to fix my lipstick. Fuck you,” she spits.
He lets out a sigh from deep within. She grabs her purse and exits the room, disappearing through the curtain. He picks up his napkin and wipes the makeup off his hand.
“You’ve got your hands full,” I say.
“Well, I don’t like being bored,” he says. “And I never am. Now, let’s figure this shit out, huh, Jen?”
“Fine,” I say. “Who’s your fighter?”