Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Ace
Song- No Good, KALEO
"Come on, you've got ten more in ya," Jett calls out from the ground.
I drop my body weight, letting out a huff. Every muscle in my arms is screaming. My shoulders are on fire. Sweat is rolling down my back and pooling at the waistband of my shorts.
"I don't see you doing pull-ups, Jett. In fact, I don't see you doing fuck all."
I rest my hands on my knees, shaking out the tiredness.
"One more set, Ace." He holds up his phone. Camera rolling as per usual.
"I swear to God, Jett. The next session is gonna be me and you in the bull pen fighting."
He laughs. He'd be a tough son of a bitch to knock out. Don't mean I won't try.
I rip off my T-shirt and toss it on the bench.
"That's the spirit, Ace. Shirt off, sweaty abs. They're gonna fucking eat this shit up."
I roll my eyes. I don't give a fuck what people say about me on the internet. I just care what one woman thinks about my body.
Reluctantly, I stand under the bar, look up, jump, and start the set. Heaving my body over the bar, rep after rep, trying not to pass out. My arms are shaking by the eighth rep. My lungs are burning by the ninth.
On my final rep, I open my eyes.
And I already know she's here. Every nerve stands on end. The air shifts. The room changes. The same way it's changed every time Harper Jones has walked into any space I'm in since I was sixteen years old.
She's leaning against the doorframe, holding a folder in her arms. Blue dress. Hat. Boots. And my cock is already two steps ahead of me.
I drop to the floor, wipe the sweat from my forehead, and stride toward her. With each step, her smile grows wider.
I knock Jett's phone out of his hand on the way past.
"Fuckin' hell," he mutters.
"Hi, Goldie," I whisper, tipping her chin up.
"That looks like one hell of a workout routine, Ace."
I laugh. "Yeah. I'm fucked."
Jett appears at my side, shoving a bottle of water in my hand. "I'll meet you at the barn."
I nod. He's gone.
"Didn't expect to see you so early," I whisper, leaning in for a kiss.
"Well, I got some documents to show you guys." She presses the folder against my sweaty chest. Her eyes dart down to my shorts. Then to my hat.
"Okay. I love you in a cowboy hat. But a backward hat? Are you trying to kill me, Ace?"
I wink. "Noted."
Anything that keeps her looking at me like that.
"Well, I'm heading to the barn. Colten got hold of a couple of Greeks."
Her eyebrow arches. "Got hold of?"
I chuckle. "The sophisticated method of kidnapping. Not the kind Jett tried with you."
She grins. "Ah."
"Involved being bundled into a horse trailer outside a liquor store. But whatever. Worked. We had our guys track their phone locations, their patterns. Caught 'em on a supply run."
She rests her hand on my chest. "Very organized."
"Yeah. This ain't our first rodeo." I cup her face. "You wanna come with me? You can lead the investigation. Get answers to whatever you found today that's got you all fired up."
She's in full investigator mode. Something in that file has her lit up from the inside. I love that about her. Once she's onto something, God help anyone in her way.
"You don't mind a bit of blood, do you?" I ask, tilting my head.
Her eyes flash with a darkness reserved only for me. My girl used to stand and cheer me on at fights in high school. She's never been the type to flinch.
She licks her lips. "Just don't get any on my dress."
She wanted to keep her distance from this; the less she knew, the better. But the more we’ve spoken about it, leaving her out makes it more complicated. She needs to see who we really are. I need her to see this, to make sure this is what she wants.
"Deal, baby. Let's go."
I thread my fingers through hers and lead her around the back of the gym, toward the barn. The same barn where we keep the equipment that doesn't go on the books. The one with the reinforced door and the soundproofing Colten installed last year.
"You got plans Saturday?" I ask as we approach.
"Only you," she teases.
Fuck. I'm walking into an interrogation with a semi and a smile on my face.
"The rodeo is Saturday night. It's a big one. Gotta win this to stay in line for the championship. You wanna come be my cheerleader?"
Her hand rests on her hat. "Fuck yeah, I do."
I press a kiss to her lips. "Good girl."
"I swear to fuckin' God, Ace. Get in here." Colten shoves the barn door open from inside.
I walk us over to my brother. He's got a coiled whip in one hand and a cigarette in the other. His sleeves are rolled to the elbows, forearms streaked with dirt. He looks like he's been at this for a while.
"Harper, you good coming in here? It ain't gonna be pretty," Colten says, glancing between us.
"I'm good. I got some information from the town office. I think I can get something useful for you guys."
Colten shrugs. Not fazed by the fact that she wants in on an interrogation between cowboys and the Greek mafia in a barn on a Thursday afternoon. That's a Sterling woman for you. You either handle it or you don't. Harper handles it.
Her hand squeezes mine. I squeeze back.
Colten looks at me, and I give him a nod that tells him it’s all good.
"We're fine, bro."
I lead her inside.