KADE
28
Dusk slips in and coats the sky with bruise-dark smudges over Lilac Meadows. Looks like more rain might threaten, but so far, it’s holding off. The air is thick with the scent of wet hay and muddy soil, poignantly clinging to every surface. It’s the kind of damp that lingers on your skin like a silent reminder that Mother Nature is a fickle bitch.
I’m outside the barn, pacing, restless as a caged animal. The breeze tugs at the wooden slats, making them groan. My hands twitch at my sides—fists forming, then loosening, then forming again. The image of that bastard near Sage keeps replaying in my head, each loop fueling the anger thrumming under my skin. He dared threaten her? Over my dead body. Or better yet, over his.
I hear a truck engine approaching, gravel crunching under the wheels. My pulse kicks up, adrenaline licking through my veins. Go time. The familiar sunburnt-orange Silverado pulls to a halt, and Rhett climbs out, scanning the yard like he expects a bomb to go off.
“Took you long enough,” I growl, closing the distance between us. Mud clings to my boots, trying to suck me down, but I’m too wired to care.
Rhett’s eyes flick to the house. “Sorry, I got caught up doing your job,” he says, a faint smirk on his lips. “Some of us didn’t have the pleasure of taking a day off.”
I grunt, ignoring the jab. “Sage’s inside. Too wound up to watch us deal with this, so I told her to stay put.” I jerk my thumb at the barn, then wave vaguely toward the back fields. “She saw Samuel arrive this morning, said he headed out that way.”
Rhett exhales, tension riding every line of his posture. “Let’s flush him out, then.”
We stride across the property, the wet grass brushing our ankles and tendrils of fog clinging to our legs like spirits. The evening gloom wraps around us, matching the dark coil of anger in my gut. If Samuel thinks he can waltz around here with some air of power, he’s about to learn otherwise. Don’t fuck around if you don’t wanna find out.
Sure enough, we spot him by a fence post that’s seen better days, rummaging in a toolbox. Chest puffed like a peacock as if he owns the place. My blood simmers the second I catch sight of him.
He senses us closing in and goes rigid. The hammer in his grip catches the half-light just enough to shine. Good. Let him think he stands a chance. He’ll find out he should’ve stayed sitting.
“Samuel,” Rhett calls, voice calm as a loaded gun.
The ranch hand’s gaze flicks between us. There’s fear there, sure, but also a stubborn glint, like he thinks he can hold his ground against two Rivers brothers. “Rhett. Kade.” His tone tries for casual, fails. “To what do I owe the displeasure? Last I checked, you belong on the other side of the property line.”
I take a step closer, letting him feel the weight of my stare. “My brother and I are helping Sage out with an animal welfare check,” I say, letting a twisted grin curl my lips. “Can’t be too cautious these days.”
He snorts, hammer trembling in his hand. “Are you insinuating something, boy?”
A savage little laugh escapes me, menacing and dangerous. “I dunno, old man. Am I?” My fists itch, hoping he’ll make the first move so I have an excuse to silence this fucked-up freak for good.
Rhett’s arms dangle at his sides, but the tension is there, humming. “I think it’s time you call it a day, Samuel. Or better yet, take a vacation.”
He steps closer, narrowing the distance like he wants to test us. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Rhett, but I don’t work for you. So, if you wouldn’t mind, fuck off and let me do my job.”
“Sage doesn’t want you here while her dad’s away,” Rhett says coldly.
Samuel gives a humorless laugh. “You can’t just fire me ’cause she says so. I work for her father, not her.”
A rasping chuckle leaves my throat. “Wanna bet? She’s an Everett, you’re the help. She says you’re done, you’re done.” I tap a loose board on the fence post, my gaze boring into him. “Now, put the tools down and walk off while you still have functioning legs.”
He bares his teeth, the hammer quivering. “Every bit your daddy’s son, I see.”
My heartbeat goes thunderous, the savage itch beneath my skin intensifying. My father was more of a man than this weasel could ever be. “Mention my father again and I’ll make you regret crawling out of whatever hole you slithered from,” I snarl. “We know about the inhumane shit you’ve been doing with the cattle. It won’t take much to persuade me to deliver you to evil. Just ask my brother here, I can be very fucking creative.”
Samuel pales, then flushes with rage. “I don’t know what that girlie has been tellin’ you. But she’s lyin’.”
“I doubt that,” Rhett interjects, circling to cut off any escape. “If folks catch wind of your… extracurriculars, you’ll never step foot on another ranch. Might even land behind bars for animal cruelty. Folks around here don’t take kindly to people sticking their dicks in cattle, Sammy. Ho w’d your wife feel if she found out she wasn’t the only heifer subjected to your shriveled cock?”
A flicker of fear sparks in his eyes, the hammer shaking like he’s on the edge of swinging it. Part of me prays he will. I’d break him so fast. But he just stands there, breath ragged. “Ain’t nobody gonna believe a word you say,” he mutters, voice wavering.
I lean in, forcing him to look me in the eye. The air between us smells of sweat, wet wood, and the acrid stench of his own fear. “This town feeds on rumors. One whisper, and your life is over. So get off the Everett ranch”—my lips peel back in a quiet snarl—“or you’ll find out how easily a man can vanish on it.”
“You have no right to speak to me like that. I work for Ridge?—”
“Do you need a reminder? Ridge isn’t here,” I snap, my voice hard-edged. “Sage is in charge until further notice, and she wants you gone. Next time I see you snooping around, I’ll personally see you leave in a body bag.” My words vibrate with anger. “Got it?”
He looks like he wants to lunge, but the trembling in his arms betrays him. “You can’t scare me,” he growls.
A dark, vicious smile twists my lips. “Sure I can. Question is, do you really want to find out how far I can take my crazy? Fun fact: It’s fucking endless.”
Rhett’s tone is iron as he backs me up. “Last warning, Sammy. Walk away, or we make you. ”
The tense moment stretches in the thick evening air. Finally, he slams the hammer against the fence post with a clang, shoulders hunched in defeat. “Fine,” he spits. “I’m gone. But I won’t forget this. That girl will pay for the lies she spews.”
My gut seizes at his words. “Is that a threat?” I warn, voice going lethal. “Because if you’re too stupid to keep your mouth shut, I own a sharp set of Burdizzos that could remove your tongue faster than you can say oral castration.”
He backs off, cursing under his breath, stomping away into the gloom, but not before I toss out one final insult. “Have fun chokin’ your chicken to your Only Farms account.” Sick bastard.
Samuel tosses a middle finger over his shoulder. My blood roars, demanding I chase after him, but Rhett clamps a hand on my shoulder.
“Enough, Kade,” he mutters. “We can’t risk more heat.”
I force a long breath, the red haze receding an inch. “He’d better stay gone.”
Rhett nods, scanning the toolbox to ensure Samuel didn’t pocket anything valuable. “Come on. Sage’ll be worried.”