Chapter 19 Kade
Kade
Ipull up to the usual meeting spot, my headlights flashing over three figures framed by the mountains behind them. Two of the men are smoking cigarettes—the tips glow bright—while the other blows into his cupped hands.
The temperature has plummeted over the last couple of hours, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s started to snow.
You can never be too sure about Montana weather.
I park my truck and climb out. If we weren’t in the middle of nowhere, a passerby might notice the four of us and do a double take.
There’s no reason for a man to be out here dressed in a tuxedo, but that’s what I’m still wearing.
I can’t wait to take the damn thing off.
I already resent wearing it to begin with.
I was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant tanking Emma’s gala and her reputation along with it. Better yet, with her reputation sunk, the Lowrys should’ve left Allie alone. How was I supposed to know the night would take that turn?
“Everything taken care of?” I ask the men as I approach.
One of them nods before sucking a long drag from his cigarette. The others keep their shoulders hunched against the cold, kicking at the dirt and rocks under their boots. My gaze bounces from one to another. “Did you all go mute all of a sudden?”
Kyle and I have worked together on more than one job like this.
Cleaning up unfortunate messes, then making sure what needs to be silent stays that way.
He stamps out his smoke before shoving his hands into the pockets of his coat.
“Body gone, car chopped up or as good as by morning, security footage taken from the guardhouse. Real shame about that Lambo, though.”
I’m an expert at resentment. I’ve wrestled with it all my life. I know the sound, and I’m hearing it now. “So what’s the issue?”
“I guess we’re just wondering, is all,” he says.
“About what?” I don’t have time for this shit. Why don’t we sit around with our knitting while we’re at it and share some stories?
“It’s just… you know…” He casts a look at his accomplices. “Who says you get to call us and we just come running?”
Have they forgotten who they’re dealing with?
My gaze lands heavy on them in turn. The other two at least have enough sense to look uncomfortable. Granted, they’re a couple of pussies to let somebody else do all the talking for them, but at least they have a little self-preservation.
Not Kyle, who has the nerve to jerk his chin at me. “We’re not on call around the clock.”
“Like this is the first time you’ve ever got a call out of the blue. Since when can’t I count on you?”
He has the nerve to scoff. “Since Roman kicked the bucket. We worked for him. We don’t work for you.”
Now I get it, and I don’t feel the cold anymore. It must be the way my blood boils. “I see.” This dumbass doesn’t even realize my voice has gone flat.
I swing around to face the other two. “Is this the general opinion?” I can imagine them bitching and moaning together, but they don’t even have the balls to look me in the eye.
“Last I checked, the three of you are on the Bishop payroll,” I remind them through clenched teeth.
“Then maybe we need to discuss the terms of our original agreement,” Kyle suggests. He has the nerve to try to stare me down.
“Could be,” I agree, then slide my hand under my tuxedo jacket and pull out the pistol tucked in my waistband.
He barely has time to react to the gun before I’ve aimed it at his chest and fired a shot that echoes through the icy night.
The other two men jump back while Kyle drops to his knees, staring down at his chest, both hands covering the red stain blooming against his canvas coat. His mouth works, but not a sound comes out before he drops to his side and releases one strangled gurgle.
My voice cuts through the sudden, profound silence. “Let’s get this straight. You still belong to the Bishop family. You do what we say, or you get cut out of the family the way this fucker is now.”
I lower the gun but keep it visible.”Anybody else want to renegotiate their fucking job terms tonight?”
They exchange a terrified glance and shake their heads. “Good. Now get rid of this body while you’re at it.”
I don’t know exactly what they did with Jackson or his car, but I also don’t give a fuck. It’s better that I not know the details—plausible deniability and all that shit.
Though Kyle’s bitching makes me think twice before I’m in the truck.
I turn back with the door open. “And you better hope you did your job right. Don’t let me find out the three of you had a little group tantrum and half-assed your work.
I get any word of trouble over this, and the two of you will get a visit from me.
Got it?” They nod quickly as one of them takes Kyle’s ankles and the other grabs him by the arms. I’m satisfied by the time I’m in the truck, turning up the heat before backing away.
Assholes. Sometimes people start thinking they’re more than tools who get paid extremely well for the work they do. You pay them well enough, and they start thinking it earns them a seat at the table. Then you need to adjust their expectations. Sometimes with a bullet.
Now that I’ve confirmed the job is done, there are some decisions to make.
Do I keep this to myself, or do I tell my brothers?
Calder is out. I don’t even have to think about it after the way he treated me tonight.
Acting like he’s never put a bullet in a man’s chest, when it’s what ended up getting him his wife.
In this case, I’m not covering my own ass. It’s Allie who needs help. My help. Mine alone.
That’s all it takes for any indecision to blow away, like smoke in a strong breeze.
Keeping this between us means keeping her closer.
It gives me an excuse to watch her, to hover.
I’m her only lifeline right now, and I plan to make the most of it.
In the end, she might regret ever needing my help. But she requires it anyway.
I only wish I could’ve killed the fucker myself.
Remembering the scene in her house takes the air out of my lungs and makes my head pound.
I know exactly what happened. All it took was one look.
The fucker got what was coming to him for thinking he could take what belongs to me.
He assumed my little filly wouldn’t fight back.
Clearly, she did. I can’t help but be proud of her, even if the cleanup was a headache.
She’s probably lying in bed now, wide awake, wondering what comes next and how she can live with herself. I felt that way after my first kill too. But I told myself I was doing it for the family. For Dad. She doesn’t have that to fall back on.
Not that I feel sorry for her. I can’t feel sorry for her. My fucking mangled mess of a heart can’t afford to feel sorry for her.
So when I park at home and pull out my phone, it’s not because I want to reassure her. Comfort is for people who didn’t throw me away like a used tissue.
She picks up immediately, whispering, “Hello?”
“You still alone in the house?”
“As far as I know.”
That means yes. I don’t think Emma will be quiet when she gets there. “Repeat the story.”
She blows out a breath. “Jackson dropped me off at the house. I only wanted to take a shower and go to bed. He drove off and never told me if he planned to go anywhere else. I assumed he would return to the country club,” she adds.
I don’t normally approve of riffing at a time like this, but the added detail makes sense and feels natural.
“Good,” I grunt. “You’re going into town tomorrow.”
“What? Why?”
My eyes close, and my head falls against the padded rest behind it. Christ, she needs to use her imagination. “We want to make sure you’re seen. If you hide out, it looks like you’re guilty of something. You have to act as normally as possible.”
“Did you forget what you did earlier tonight? I probably would have stayed home tomorrow, anyway,” she spits. There she is, my little filly. Even if I want to shake her, it’s nice to hear her fire.
My teeth grind against the rush of bitterness rising in my chest. “You’re going out, and you’re acting like everything is normal. Pretend you’re, I don’t know, keeping your head high. Like you’re telling everybody to fuck off.”
She releases a shaky breath. “I see what you mean. Make sure everybody sees I’m fine.”
“Right.” I look up at the house. Most of the windows are dark. Blank. Like so many eyes looking down on me, counting my sins. I added a few new ones to the list tonight. “Give them your attitude if you have to. Stare them down.”
“Right.”
“You’ll get through this,” I add.
Am I comforting her? No, just stating facts, because I’m helping her.
“I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” She’s in misery, and I hate the dull tone seeping back into her voice. “I never have, really.”
That, I find hard to believe. Allie has always made her own choices up until a few months ago. “Try to get some sleep. And don’t forget. The only thing on your mind tomorrow is showing your face after you were embarrassed at the country club. That’s all you need to think about.”
“You make it sound so easy.” Then she snorts. “I guess you have more practice than I do.”
“Sleep tight, killer,” I reply, waiting for her sharp intake of breath before ending the call. It wasn’t necessary, but I didn’t like her attitude.
Once I’m in the silent house, I head straight for my bedroom, stripping off my jacket while I go.
I need to be as careful with what I’m wearing as Allie was.
This will all go into a burn pit tomorrow, first thing.
For now, I leave the tuxedo wrapped in an old towel on the floor of my bathroom before climbing into the shower.
There is no reason for me to feel as weighed down as I do now.
In the grand scheme of things, the night couldn’t have gone better.
Allie might as well be sewn to my side now.
I have leverage over her that I couldn’t have dreamed of.
It’s shitty how it came about, and I wouldn’t have allowed the fucker to touch her with his dick, but it didn’t happen. Thankfully, I got there in time.
And Emma was humiliated. By now, she must regret throwing me away, leaving me to be bent and twisted by Roman.
Look where it got her. All of Black Hollow Creek knows she was Roman’s cum dumpster.
A sick sort of satisfaction cuts through me.
Thoughts of Allie drift to the forefront of my mind as I scrub down under scalding water and rising steam.
Allie needs me more than she ever has. She owes me her life. Nothing less and I’m going to use this situation to my advantage to get her back.