Chapter 5 #2
“No, I...” She let out a breath, then shrugged again.
“Maybe a little. I really did want to find a way to grow it to help people. Like Braylon for example. He spent years suffering from chronic pain and marijuana was the only thing that seemed to help him, but he couldn’t get it living here.
Now he can, and I’ve seen for myself how much it’s helped him, but there’s still this piece of me that likes that my father doesn’t know what I’m doing.
So, yeah. I guess, in some small way, I did do all this as a way to get back at him. ”
“I get It. I really do. It had to have been tough to see what you saw, especially as a kid, but you gotta know that what a man does for a living isn’t the be-all and end-all of his existence, Kiersten. It’s just a job.”
“Yeah, but what he’s doing is more than just some job, Country,” she argued.
“No, but he’s still your father. He’s still the man who did whatever he had to do to give you the life he thought you deserved.”
“I know and I appreciate that. I really do, but I would’ve rather him stay the man I always thought he was.”
“I’m sure he would say the same about you.”
She cut her eyes towards the dark shy as she muttered, “I’m sure he would.”
“So, Billy really doesn’t have a clue about what you’re doing here? He thinks you’re just off at college doing your thing?”
“Yep.”
“Damn.” I shook my head. “He’s gonna blow a fucking gasket when he finds out.”
“I have no intention of him ever finding out.” Before I could tell her that she was crazy if she thought a man like Billy wouldn’t figure out what she was up to, Kiersten stood and brushed off her pants. “It’s late and we have a big day tomorrow. I better call it a night.”
“Okay.” I stood and stepped over to her. “I’ll walk you back to your place.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
A warm smile crossed her face as she gave me a nod and started towards her place. Neither of us spoke as we made our way across the dark, grassy field and up to her doorstep. Kiersten looked up at me with those beautiful doe eyes and asked, “You want to come in.”
“Yes, but it’s not a good idea.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re probably right.” A look of disappointment flashed through her eyes as she said, “Maybe some other time.”
“Maybe.”
Those doe eyes remained locked on mine—tempting me, drawing me in like a fucking moth to a flame.
I knew what she wanted. Hell, I wanted the same fucking thing, and the temptation was only growing more intense as we stood there staring back at one another.
Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how much I wanted to kiss her.
I couldn’t do a damn thing until I’d discussed the situation with Viper.
Unable to force myself to leave, I motioned my head towards the door and said, “Go inside, Kiersten.”
“Is that what you really want?”
“Don’t ask me that.”
“It’s a legitimate question, Country.”
“It’s not a question I can answer.”
Not willing to give it up, she crossed her arms and asked, “Why not?”
“Because it doesn’t matter what I want.” I motioned my hand between us. “This can’t happen.”
“I didn’t ask if it could or couldn’t happen. I asked what you wanted.”
“Say goodnight, Kiersten.”
She studied me for a moment, then opened her door and stepped inside. She turned back to me with one last soul-searching stare, then whispered, “Goodnight, Country.”
As soon as she closed the door, I stepped down from her porch and started back over to the sitting area to look for Rafe.
Every step away from her place was harder than the last. I didn’t want to leave.
I wanted to grab her up, carry her back into the house, and spend the entire night tangled in her arms. My only consolation was the fact that I would be seeing her again later that night.
I would have those soft, warm lips on mine once again—even if it was just in my dreams.
By the time I made it back over to the picnic area, Rafe was done pillaging the fridge and was ready to call it a night.
We both went back to our guest quarters and crashed.
The following day, Kiersten treated us all to one hell of a breakfast, then finished her tour of the grounds.
Once we were done, she led us back into her conference room to share the files she created for each of her employees.
As I sat there listening to her talk about the background checks she’d done on each of them, I couldn’t take my eyes off her—not just because she looked amazing in her jeans and boots, but because of the way she spoke about her work.
Kiersten was passionate and determined, and she was incredibly smart—even smarter than I’d realized.
She’d done a great job piecing this place together, and she knew it.
Even when Hawk or Menace would question her on her methods, she didn’t let it get to her.
She simply stuck to her guns and forged ahead—just like she did when Menace pointed to the files she’d made on her employees and asked, “You mind if I take a look at those?”
“Okay.” She slid the stack across the table. “But you have nothing to worry about when it comes to the people who work for me. I’ve been very meticulous in that regard.”
“I’m sure you have. We just need to be sure, Kiersten.” Hawk leaned back in his chair as he said, “So, who’s actually moving the goods?”
“We all are. Regan, Mia, and I cover the college scene. We try to limit our days to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but we never miss sporting events and Frat parties. They’re both big moneymakers for us. Braylon, Timms, and Duggar take care of deliveries with our larger buyers.”
“Like Fury?”
“Exactly.”
“And Braylon, Timms, and Duggar handle security?”
“They do.”
“And you feel certain they can handle any trouble that might come their way?”
“Braylon told you himself that he was ex-military, but what he didn’t tell you was that he was steps away from becoming a Navy seal. He would’ve made it if had hadn’t been injured during his qualification training and lost his leg.”
“Damn. Tough break.”
“It was a very tough break, especially since he was hurt helping one of the other men he was in training with. They made the mistake, but Bray was the one who paid the price for it.” Her tone turned serious as she said, “That being said, I have full faith that Braylon can handle whatever needs to be handled.”
“That’s a lot for one man to take on.”
“It’s not just one man. He has Timms and Duggar to help out, and they are equally qualified.”
“Not sure I agree.”
“I need you to understand something. When I decided to do this, I knew what I was getting into.” She cleared her throat, before continuing, “I knew what would happen if I got greedy or tangled up with the wrong people. I’d either end up in jail or six feet under—that wasn’t something I learned from my father.
I’m not going to let that happen. I’ve been careful from the start and I’m going to continue to be careful.
And that goes for every aspect of this business—from how I grow my product to who I get to protect it. ”
“You’ve clearly put a lot into this place, and it’s doing well.
Certainly better than I expected, but I’m still concerned about the level of security you have here.
” Hawk glanced up at one of the cameras in the corner of the room.
“Even with everything Riggs has done and with Braylon’s expertise, I’m not sure you will have the means to protect yourself if things go south. ”
“Well, if I do my job right, that won’t happen.”
“Things happen, Kiersten. No matter how well you plan. No matter how careful you are. There’s always someone who will come along and try to fuck it all up.”
“So what are you saying?”
“If we were to join forces, you would have to make some changes.”
“What kind of changes?”
“For one, you need to stop selling at the college. You would have to leave the distribution up to us.”
“But I make good money there.”
“Maybe, but it’s too close. It leaves you too exposed. It’s only a matter of time before those sales lead someone here, and that can’t happen.”
“And what about Fury?”
“We will take care of them.”
“So, you will just take things over?”
Hawk shook his head. “No. Just the sales and distribution. That way you can focus on things here.”
“Is that the only option?”
“I can’t say for sure. I’ll have to run this all by Viper, but yeah. If we were to go into business with you, it would be the only way we’d do it.”
“I’m going to need to talk it over with the others before I make a decision.”
“Take your time.” Hawk stood, then said, “We’re going to head back. Once we’ve had a chance to discuss things with the rest of the club, we will be in touch.”
“Okay. Sounds good.”
I could feel Kiersten’s eyes on me as I stood and followed the others towards the door.
I wanted to look at her, take her in one last time, but I knew it would only make it that much harder to leave—which was already something I didn’t want to do.
I wanted more time with her, but there was only one way that was going to happen.
I had to talk to Viper.