Chapter 8 Calder
Calder
The drive into Black Hollow Creek takes twenty minutes from the cabin, following a route that exists on no map. I navigate by memory through the dense pine forest, over creek beds that will flood come spring, and past the old mining road that hasn’t seen use since my grandfather’s time.
My mind is elsewhere—on the woman back at my cabin, on the problem I’ve created, on the impossibility of any clean solution.
Her face haunts me. Not just the terror from when I first took her, but the defiance.
The way she looked at me last night when I touched her, when her body betrayed what her mouth denied.
Except with her, something in me fractures.
The forest thins as I approach the main road, mountains rising on either side like ancient guardians. Morning light spills through the canyon, setting the granite faces ablaze.
This land owns me as much as my family owns it.
Black Hollow Creek sprawls below me as I crest the final ridge.
The town clings to the valley floor, with a population of 2,847, according to the sign that hasn’t been updated since I was a kid.
Main Street cuts through the center—two lanes of cracked asphalt lined with false-front buildings unchanged since the 1950s.
I park outside Garrison’s Feed Store. The truck’s black paint is dust-covered from the drive. The morning sun shines on Blackfeet Peak in shades of amber and rust. I need supplies that won’t raise questions and need to be seen conducting normal business.
The feed store’s bell announces my entrance. Tom Garrison emerges from behind the counter, his weathered face carefully neutral.
“Morning, Calder. What can I do for you?”
“Usual order,” I tell him. “Throw in an extra bag of that high-protein mix.”
Tom nods, jotting notes. “Heard there was some commotion out near the James place Friday night. Gunshots, someone said.”
The other customers pretend not to listen, but their attention sharpens. This is how news travels in Black Hollow Creek.
“Probably poachers,” I say, examining a coil of rope with feigned interest. “Season doesn’t start for another month.”
Tom makes a noncommittal sound. “I’ll have Miguel load your order. Be ready in twenty.”
I leave, stepping back into the morning air that tastes like winter. My gaze swings to the bakery three doors down. I need bread, basics. Things any bachelor might buy.
The bell chimes when I enter, softer here, welcoming me into a space that smells of cinnamon and fresh dough.
That’s when I catch sight of them.
Allie Porter stands at the counter, her copper hair catching in the light. She’s dressed for the city—designer jeans and a leather jacket. Her mother, Emma Porter, stands beside her—ramrod straight, gray hair pulled into a low bun, wearing expensive western wear.
Of course, Emma sees me first. Her spine stiffens impossibly further, and her hand moves to Allie’s elbow in warning. Allie turns, and when she spots me, her green eyes narrow.
“Calder.” She crosses the bakery in quick strides. “Have you seen Saintlyn?”
The sound of her name in someone else’s mouth causes a strange clenching in my chest. I keep my expression neutral as I select a loaf of sourdough.
“No.”
“Are you sure?” Allie presses, moving to block my path. “I went to her house this morning. She’s not there. Her car’s there, but she’s not. No one’s seen her since Friday afternoon.”
Every muscle in my body tightens, but I don’t let it show. I step around her and place the bread on the counter.
“Maybe she’s out helping some animal.” I don’t spare her a glance. “How the hell should I know where your friend is?”
“Something’s wrong. I know it.” Allie grabs my arm as I turn to leave. “And I think you know it too.”
I look down at her hand on my arm, then back at her eyes. That singular look makes her release me immediately.
“I know nothing about your friend,” I say, each word precise and cold. “But if I were you, I’d be careful about making accusations you have no evidence to support.”
Emma Porter moves between us. “Are you threatening my daughter?”
“Consider it friendly advice,” I tell her calmly. “The Bishops don’t concern themselves with the Porter Ranch. Yet.”
The threat lands. Emma’s face pales slightly.
“Come on, Mom.” Allie’s still watching me. “Let’s go see Sheriff Tanner. Or maybe I can call Reese. She works for the FBI. If anyone can get us information, it’s her.”
“Good idea,” I say, surprising them. “Go bother the sheriff and the FBI with your problems. Just leave my family and me out of it.”
Sheriff Tanner has been in my father’s pocket for fifteen years. Any report will come straight to us. As for Reese, I didn’t know she was working for the FBI. I feel like this is something I should know about: if our enemy has a cousin who’s part of the FBI.
“She’s my best friend,” Allie says quietly. “If something’s happened to her…” Then her shoulders deflate, and she shakes her head. “You were right, Mom. The only safe person in this fucking town is a Bishop.”
The words hang in the air, and I force myself not to react.
“I’m sure Sheriff Tanner will sort it out,” I finish dismissively.
I pay and leave them standing there, Emma’s protective stance and Allie’s suspicious glare following me out.
Outside, I stand on the wooden sidewalk, surveying the town my family essentially owns. That’s when it hits me—a realization that’s been circling at the edge of my thoughts.
The only people safe in this town are Bishops.
Allie's words echo in my mind, mingling with something Saint said once in church about good people being too afraid to stand up to bad ones.
Being a Bishop is the greatest form of protection.
The thought settles in my mind like a seed, small but persistent. I couldn’t. That’s not a solution. That’s just another kind of prison. But as I walk back to my truck, I can’t quite shake the idea. My phone buzzes. A text from my father.
Father: Meeting moved to noon. Don’t be late.
Three hours. I have three hours to figure this out.
I pull up a group text to my brothers:
Me: Need to meet. Now. Garrison’s back lot. Come alone. Tell no one.
The response from Kade is immediate:
Kade: Old man know about this?
Me: No. And it stays that way. This is just us. Important.
Sawyer: Sounds serious. On my way.
Levi:
I wait by my truck, watching the cars as they pass down the street. Within fifteen minutes, all three of my brothers arrive. Kade pulls up first in his mud-splattered truck, followed by Sawyer in his sleek SUV, then Levi in his Jeep.
“This better be good,” Kade grumbles, joining me. “I was in the middle of something.”
Sawyer shoves his hands into the pockets of his expensive wool coat, fixing me with his penetrating stare. “What’s this about, Calder? You look like hell.”
Levi leans against his Jeep, easy and relaxed. “Mysterious meeting. I’m intrigued.”
I look at them—my brothers, my blood, the only people who might understand.
“I need your help. All of you.” I wait for one of them to say something, but all they do is nod, staring back at me, waiting for me to tell them the rest. “What I’m about to tell you can never leave this parking lot. It can never get back to Dad.”
The atmosphere shifts immediately.
“We’re listening,” Sawyer says carefully.
The dam inside me breaks, and the words spill out like vomit.
I explain what happened. About Martin Everett.
The chase. Saint witnessing the killing.
My father’s order to eliminate her. My inability to follow through.
About keeping her at the cabin. About our father’s plan to frame Allie Porter.
And finally, my newest plan, the only alternative I’ve got—marriage.
When I finish, the silence is deafening.
“You disobeyed a direct order from Dad?” Kade’s voice is low, dangerous. “For some preacher’s daughter?”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“No, it’s really not.” Kade’s expression is thunderous. “Jesus Christ, Calder. He finds out about this, we’re all fucked.”
“Not if we make it work,” I counter. “If we sell it right.”
“And what exactly are we selling?” Sawyer asks. “This marriage scheme?”
“Yes. I want to sell it as an obsession, possession. That’s something he’ll understand. Bishop men take what they want.”
Levi, who’s been quiet, finally speaks. “Okay, this could actually work. The forbidden aspect would appeal to Dad’s sense of conquest.”
“All I want is to fix the situation.”
“You had a way to fix it, and you made the wrong choice.” Kade interjects and I pin him with a dark look. He continues dismissing me. “Since when do you care about unnecessary bloodshed?”
“This is different. She’s innocent.”
“And you think marrying her won’t subject her to worse?” Sawyer questions skeptically.
“It will, but it’s better than death. Plus, if I have each of you backing me, we can present ourselves as a united front. He can’t possibly move against all four of us at once.”
Kade laughs, and the sound is harsh. “If we choose to help you, to support you in this, we’re risking our own lives, brother. That’s a big ask.”
I wince because it’s true. The risk they’re taking by supporting me is astronomical. “I know, and I wouldn’t ask if there were any other way.”
“Again, there was another way,” Kade mumbles under his breath.
He looks off at something in the distance, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed or irritated. Maybe both? Kade’s never shown any interest in girls, not beyond bedding them and sending them on their way.
“That was never going to be an option for me.” My voice comes out hard, but I want Kade to understand that getting rid of her isn’t going to happen.
Saint is mine.
Sawyer studies me, his gaze penetrating. “It’s obvious she really matters to you.”
I don’t confirm or deny the indirect question. I don’t need to explain how deeply my feelings for Saint go in order to have their support. “What’s it going to be? Are you in or not?”
Silence falls around us, and my brothers exchange glances with each other.
Levi shrugs and smiles. “I’m in. Sounds like it might be fun.”
“Fun to die? Your life is hanging in the balance.” Kade snaps.
“Our lives are always hanging in the balance. All this means is that we’d better make sure Dad believes exactly what we want him to believe,” Levi interrupts, serious now.
“That Calder got obsessed with the preacher’s daughter.
Couldn’t eliminate her, so he claimed her instead.
Bishops take what they want. He’ll be pissed, but he’ll respect the impulse. ”
“We need a public debut,” Sawyer continues. “Something that establishes the relationship in everyone’s minds at once.”
“Oh, the rodeo,” Levi suggests. “Saturday. Everyone will be there, including Dad.”
“That’s in a few days,” I point out.
“Good. Less time for whispers. We do a hard launch—you and Saint can’t keep your hands off each other. By the time Dad processes it, it’s an established fact, and nothing can be done to change it.”
It sounds like Sawyer and Levi are on board, but Kade doesn’t seem as convinced.
“What about you, Kade?” I ask. “Are you in or out?”
Kade meets my gaze, his dark green eyes cold. “I’m in. But I want your word on something. If this goes bad—if Dad sees through it, if she doesn’t play along—you end it. Permanently. I’ll help with this crazy scheme, but I won’t let it destroy the family. The Bishop name comes first. Always.”
“Agreed,” I say, the lie bitter on my tongue. “Family first.”
“Look at us working together as a team!” Levi snickers.
Sawyer, being the planner he is, takes initiative immediately and starts delegating jobs to each of us. “Calder, you talk to Saint and make her understand that there is no other option. Prepare her. Meanwhile, Levi, you drop hints around town.”
“I can run interference with Dad,” Kade says. “Keep him distracted until the rodeo.”
“Thank you,” I say. “All of you.”
“Don’t thank us yet,” Kade warns. “This could still blow up in our faces.”
“If it does,” Sawyer adds quietly, “we were never here, and never had this conversation.”
“Agreed.” I nod.
“Alright, I have shit to do. I’m out.” Kade gives a half-wave and heads to his truck to leave.
“Same. Dad’s got me working on a bunch of new shit.” Sawyer gives me a slap on the back. “You’ve got this, brother.”
I don’t tell him it doesn’t feel like it, that I’m terrified of the what-if.
It’s just Levi and me left, and we start toward our vehicles, and he falls into step beside me.
“Not to make this any more difficult for you, since I know the pressure is already on, but you’ll need to be convincing.
Real convincing. Dad will be watching, and any missteps may give you away.
This whole marriage thing needs to be concrete as hell. ”
“You act like I don’t know any of this. It won’t be a problem. I’ll do whatever I need to do to make sure Saint gets through this in one piece.”
Levi’s lips curve into a smile. “Holy shit. I think Sawyer is right. I never thought I’d see the day you’d defy Dad for a girl.
She must be important to you.” I don’t answer, and that only encourages him to continue.
He bumps his shoulder into mine. “The iceman has a heart after all. No worries, brother. Your secret’s safe with me. ”
“Don’t push it, Levi.”
“Oh, I’m going to do so much more than push it.” He winks before climbing into his Jeep. I don’t even care what kind of shit he stirs up. Hopefully, it’s good enough to convince our father. I climb into my truck and start it up, turning out of the parking lot to head back to the cabin.
As I drive, his words echo in my mind.
Your secret’s safe with me.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel. This has to work. It will work. I’ve committed my brothers to this path, risking their lives.
All for a woman who might still refuse me.
The truth is, even knowing what I know now, the danger, the circumstances. I’d do it all again. I’d risk everything for the chance to keep her safe. The truth of that thought should terrify me. It doesn’t. Instead, it feels like the first truthful thing I’ve done in years.