Chapter 4
“I missed,” Freddy said as he hung his head.
Isaac Gomez puffed on the fat cigar, making smacking sounds with his lips as he turned the stogie in his fingers.
He leaned back and put his feet up on his desk, the walls covered with proof of his many accomplishments, including pictures with presidents and Texas governors. “You had one job, Freddy. One job.”
Freddy removed his cowboy hat, holding it by the brim and turning the straw Stetson around and around. “The wind prevented the first bullet from finding its mark. But . . . someone was with her.”
“Who?” Isaac demanded, his dark eyes locked on Freddy.
Freddy shrugged, fear making his eyes go round. “Cal Bennett.”
Isaac started laughing. Things couldn’t be more perfect if he had planned them himself. Oh, wait. He had.
“He’s the one who pulled her out of the way,” Freddy hurried to say.
“Don’t worry about him.”
Freddy frowned. “So, he’s with us?”
Isaac’s dark eyes glared at him. “I said not to worry about Cal.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go. I’ll send for you when it’s time to fulfill your promise.”
Freddy nodded and hurried out of the office.
The minute the door closed, Isaac lowered his feet to the floor and turned his head when a side door opened.
Isaac’s career as a lawyer had been a good one.
He’d worked hard and played even harder.
He and his wife—as well as his numerous girlfriends—had enjoyed the many benefits his connections had sown.
He liked money. The more, the better. He’d always had expensive tastes. It was what had led him to be an attorney. Not to mention, he had an affinity for learning laws—and discovering how to bend them to suit his purposes. It was a win-win situation.
No matter how much money he had that gave him a very comfortable living, he always wanted something else. And once he coveted something, he didn’t stop until he had it. Which had put him in his current situation.
“He missed? What the fuck did he mean?”
Isaac held his cigar between his first two fingers and put his elbow on the arm of the chair so his hand dangled as he stared into Hank Stephens’ bright blue eyes. Hank was tall, charismatic, and a ladies’ man. “Your tactic was taking too long.”
Hank ran a hand down his face and turned away before he spun back to Isaac, his hands braced on the back of one of the two chairs before Isaac’s desk. “You tried to kill her?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You hired that man,” Hank stated, poking his finger on the desk to accentuate each word.
Isaac shrugged and took another puff of his cigar.
Hank dropped his chin to his chest. “Dammit, Isaac. I told you we had to be careful. I didn’t want to be connected to anything with the Bar 4 or Dillon Young. Not after I tried to buy the ranch.”
“You sent her offers,” Isaac said with a wave of his hand. “People do that all the time. That doesn’t make you a murderer.”
“Perhaps. But if she comes up dead, I’m the first person the police are going to look at.”
Isaac grinned. “It’s why you hired me. Don’t worry, Hank. Everything will go our way.”
“Not if you have her killed,” he said in a low whisper.
“We tried things your way. She’s not budging.”
“Those things take time. She’s hanging on by a thread. I can’t believe you made a decision without discussing it with me.”
Isaac clenched his teeth as rage rolled through him.
“You were quick to take my suggestions when she wouldn’t consider any of your offers to purchase the ranch.
You were looking for any way to get that land.
So much so, you took me on as a partner in this.
Nothing is going to happen to you. Because if it does, it happens to me. ”
Hank was quiet as he considered Isaac’s words.
“Besides,” Isaac said, “she was hit with a double dose this morning.”
“What did you do?”
“There’s a stallion waiting for you on your ranch.”
Hank’s face went white. “You didn’t.”
“I didn’t.”
“You know what I mean!”
Isaac quirked a brow. “The more problems she has, the more money she loses, and the quicker she’ll sell.”
“Do you have any idea what will happen now? Horse thefts aren’t taken lightly.”
“As if you need to worry. Bill will do whatever we want.”
Hank’s nostrils flared. “One of these days, the sheriff isn’t going to do what we want.”
“You know as well as I do that Bill is an imbecile. Stop worrying.”
Hank shook his head in anger. “You’re doing all of this without talking to me. But worse than that, you’re putting the heat on me.”
Isaac sat forward, leaning his forearms on his desk. “Do you know how much money we’re going to make once that land is ours? Remember that when you’re second-guessing my decisions.”
“Do you think she knows what we’re after?” Hank asked.
Isaac made a sound in the back of his throat. “No.”
“But you can’t be sure.”
“Go ask her, then. Shit, Hank. You’ve never acted like this before.”
His nostrils flared again as he stood straight. “We’ve never taken such drastic . . . action . . . before.”
“Fine,” Isaac said, throwing up his hands. “You win. We’ll go back to your plan if that’s what you want.”
Hank nodded once. “It’s what I want.”
“If she discovers what we’re after, she’ll fight tooth and nail.”
“Then let’s make sure she doesn’t find out.”
Everyone thought Isaac could pull shit like this out of his ass. He couldn’t guarantee that Dillon Young wouldn’t discover why Hank Stephens was so keen on getting her land.
Hank turned to go, then paused and looked at Isaac. “What is Cal doing at the Bar 4?”
“I thought you knew.”
“Isaac, I’m not in the mood to be fucked with.”
Isaac rolled his eyes. “So testy. You can’t even take a joke. Let’s just say he was a little drunk last night, and I had some friends help him onto Dillon’s land. He’ll be aiding us.”
“Why?” Hank asked with narrowed eyes.
“Don’t worry. Cal will be fine.”
“Why?” Hank demanded a second time.
Isaac sighed heavily. “He’s spying for us.”
“You knew I’d never allow you to bring Cal into this.”
“Stop worrying. Cal was all for it once I mentioned your name.”
Hank let out a long breath. “I hope you’re right.”
“Oh, please,” Isaac said with a roll of his eyes. “No one will suspect Cal. I thought you’d approve.”
“I promised Cal’s father I’d keep an eye on him, not put him in the middle of our scheme.”
Isaac fisted his left hand. He was used to getting what he wanted, and he hated when anyone tried to tell him what to do.
Hank was a client, and though that technically meant that Isaac worked for him, that was never how Isaac saw things.
Besides, they were partners at the moment.
Hank needed to realize that he wasn’t running things anymore.
“Cal Bennett is a grown-ass man who can make his own decisions. He doesn’t need anyone looking out for him.”
“Shouldn’t he be going to the next town with the rodeo?” Hank asked.
Isaac raised his brows. “Wow. For someone keeping a promise to an old friend, you don’t know shit about Cal. He didn’t qualify.”
Hank’s shoulders lifted as he took a deep breath, stretching the confines of his button-down. He put his hands on the large belt buckle proclaiming him a rodeo champion from twenty-three years earlier.
“I don’t want Cal mixed up in this.”
“Too late. He’s in.”
Hank’s blue eyes were hard and unyielding. “No more decisions without discussing them with me. That’s what we agreed on.”
“Cal is on Dillon’s ranch. He was the one who got her out of harm’s way. You should be thankful I sent him there.”
“If you won’t pull Cal out, then I’ll go see him myself.”
“You do what you have to do. But remember, the longer it takes for us to get the land, the more time it gives Dillon to figure things out.”
Hank left without another word.
Isaac stared at the door well after it’d closed behind his long-time client. He’d always considered Hank a friend, but if the man got in the way, Isaac would do whatever was necessary to secure the land.
Slowly, he sat back in his chair, contemplating not sharing the profits with anyone. He might pursue it, but Hank had the documents secured at his ranch. Which meant that Isaac had no choice but to keep Hank as a partner. Just as Hank had to keep him.
Isaac rose from his chair and went to the windows.
He parted the blinds and looked into the parking lot to see Hank getting into a white Ford King Ranch pickup.
Hank sat in the driver’s seat for several minutes, staring out the window before starting the engine and driving away. Isaac breathed a sigh of relief.
His years with Hank had allowed him to read the rancher. Hank was calculating and manipulative, but he wasn’t an idiot. He knew a good deal when he found it. Despite Hank’s aversion to killing Dillon, or Cal Bennett being on the ranch, he wouldn’t interfere.
Isaac walked to the bar cart in his office and poured himself a bourbon.
When he looked up, he stared into the mirror.
He smoothed his hand over his clean-shaven face.
Unremarkable brown eyes stared back at him.
He kept his brown hair trimmed neatly. He wasn’t handsome, but that didn’t seem to matter once he acquired wealth and power.
His gaze lowered to his trim physique that he worked hard to maintain.
As a child, he’d sworn not to have a potbelly, and he had kept that vow.
All in all, he looked healthy. The signs of the cancer eating away at his body weren’t visible. He still felt good, but he wasn’t going to take chances. It was why he had upped the stakes with Dillon Young and the Bar 4 Ranch.
He had time scheduled in the next few weeks that would take him to Houston for treatment.
He would beat the disease. He had no doubt.
Simply because there was a lot of money nearly in his hands that he wanted to enjoy.
Once the Bar 4 was theirs, he would shut down the law practice and leave the area forever.
Isaac didn’t know where he would go, but it was time for a fresh start.
His office door opened, and Stella walked in. She flashed him a bright smile and leaned against the closed door. He turned to eye her hourglass figure, the way her blouse clung to her large breasts, and her pencil skirt highlighting her small waist and wide hips.
“Damn, woman. You are beautiful.”
Her red lips curved upward. Then she crooked a perfectly manicured finger at him, her long nails painted crimson. He set aside his bourbon and strode to her. Isaac groaned as he gripped her hips and ground himself into her.
“From the moment you walked into my office two years ago, all I wanted to do was fuck you.”
She giggled as she wound her arms around him. “We had sex in the middle of the interview. I’ll never forget that.”
He kissed her, loving the taste and feel of her.
She was a unique woman. He’d never known anyone who liked sex as much as he did, but Stella did.
Half the time, he couldn’t keep up with her.
He’d kept their affair going because she’d never asked for a relationship.
Never wanted to know what they were. She simply allowed them to enjoy whatever it was they had.
He ended the kiss and pulled back to look down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I came to ask you that,” she said as she fixed his bolero at his neck. “Hank left looking rather annoyed, and I heard raised voices. Everything okay between the two of you?”
“It’ll be fine. Just a difference of opinion.”
“Anything I can help with?”
It wasn’t the first time Isaac had considered sharing what he and Hank had planned with Stella, but he decided against it once more. Stella had shown her loyalties, but Isaac knew what money did to people. Greed was a powerful force. He should know. He’d lost against it his entire life.
He shook his head as he kissed her. “I’ve got it.”
She pulled out of his arms and walked to his desk. Then she turned and pulled her skirt up to show her thigh-high stockings before sitting on the desk, her legs spread. “Then perhaps there’s something else I can do,” she said in a sultry voice.
“Definitely,” he replied as he began unbuckling his belt.