Chapter 31
I sit on a log beside the fire and watch the flames dance in the air. The cabin on grid four seems as good a place as any to get this done, and I think of my grandpa as I wait for everyone to arrive.
It’s been a week since I let Maisie go, and the pain of it is just as raw. Part of me hopes the pain never goes away because despite the thousands of miles between us, it keeps me close to her.
All that I’ve sacrificed makes me even more determined to succeed, and I can’t do that alone. There’s only one way forward, and that’s the old way.
“You ready?” Mitch comes out of the cabin holding the branding iron in his hand. I can just about make out the three horses who carry Dalton, Tate and Finn coming towards us from the light the moon provides.
“They're all good men” Mitch tells me like he senses I need some reassurance. “Hank would have picked ‘em out, too. It’s already in Finn and Dalton's blood and Tate… Well, I don’t know what’s in his blood. I don’t even know if he’s fucking human. He’s earned his place here, though.”
I huff a laugh, watching them get closer and tether up their horses.
“Boss.” Finn flicks up the rim of his hat to greet me and takes a spot on the other side of the fire, and when Tate and Dalton join him, I can sense them all wondering why I asked them here.
All three of them have proven to me that they can be loyal.
It’s time to see how far they wanna take that loyalty.
Wade’s truck pulls up, and when both him and Cole get out, they look just as confused as each other. I told them a few days ago about the information Mason brought to me, and we’re all in agreement on how to handle it.
“What’s the problem?” Cole searches around suspiciously.
“Ain’t no problem,” I assure him,
“You text us both, saying you needed us,” Wade stares at me blankly.
“And you're here, which is exactly where you need to be,” I light a cigarette and wait for the headlights I can see in the distance, to get closer.
“So you gonna tell us what this is all about?” Wade pipes up again, looking even more confused, when he sees the banged-out old truck rattle up and park beside his, and all three of the River Boys get out.
They make their way toward us, and when they’re standing around the fire with everyone here, it’s time for me to explain.
“You all know about the Carson brand and what it means to take it.” I flick my cigarette into the fire.
“What the fuck would they know?” Cole tips his head toward the River Boys. “Pops put a stop to it before they were even a scratch in their daddy’s nut sack,” he laughs to himself.
“They know enough,” I nod my head at Noah, who pulls his shirt over his head and reveals the brand that I put on his chest a few years ago. And when Sawyer and Zayne do the same, I watch the shock appear on my brother’s faces.
“What the fuck?” Wade flicks his eyes between me and them, trying to figure out what he’s seeing.
“Couple of years ago, Shelby West came to me and asked for my help. Her grandson and two of his friends had got themselves into some trouble, and she didn’t know how to get ‘em out of it. I don’t need to remind you how good that woman was to us after Mom left?
” I tell my brothers, who both nod their heads in agreement, but still look confused as hell.
“So, I did what I had to do. I helped, but I had my concerns.”
“What was it you had to do?” Dalton asks with a dumbfounded look on his face.
“He helped us get rid of a body,” Noah answers his question for me without a single sign of remorse.
“I knew there were risks, the boys were young and inexperienced, but the man they killed deserved to die.”
“That doesn’t explain why they got the brand?” Cole frowns, and I can already tell how hurt he is that I kept this from him.
“I was worried that one of them might lose their head, and I figured the best way to make sure that didn’t happen was to bind them together.”
“And bind them to you?” Wade shakes his disapprovingly. “You know that ain’t what the brand’s about.”
“We took it willingly,” Sawyer speaks up. “My grandpa wore the brand. It’s the reason my grandma had no doubt about who to go to to get us out the shit. Zayne’s pa wore it, too.”
Cole stands on his feet and steps around the fire towards them.
“That brand ain’t a badge of fucking honour, kid, it’s a vow of loyalty and commitment.” He jams his finger into Sawyer’s chest.
“And have we not shown that commitment?” Sawyer questions, straightening his back and showing my brother that he won’t be intimidated.
“We may work for Mayor Walker, but we take what this means seriously.” He assures my brother, and when Cole steps down he turns his anger on me.
“How long you been doing this kind of shit? We’re supposed to be a family, and family don’t have secrets,”
“Only them, but I’m hoping that’s gonna change,” I look over the flames at Tate, Finn and Dalton.
“Years ago, Hank Carson branded men who showed him loyalty, he gave them his brand to remind ‘em and anyone who crossed ‘em that they were protected by our family and its power. We may have lost that power, but I got every intention of getting it back,”
Mitch smiles like a proud father, while Wade and Cole both show their support with a nod of their heads.
“The brand was never there to show who a man belonged to, it was there to show where a man belonged , and I invited you three here tonight because there ain’t nowhere else you belong more, than here.”
The smile on Dalton's face tells me straight away where his head is.
I was never in doubt. As a kid, he used to draw the Carson brand on his chest so he could be like his uncle.
Finn gives me his answer with a nod of his head.
His father wore the brand, and Mitch tells me Davy was a good man.
If Finn wants to follow in his footsteps, this is the perfect way to start.
Tate however, is a little harder to read. I don’t know his background other than the part about him being in jail. He’s friendly enough, but he’s got a lone wolf kinda edge to him.
“I’ll take your brand, boss,” he tells me, showing he’s willing by standing up and preparing to go first.
I hand the branding iron back to Mitch, who shoves it into the flames to heat it up.
Noah, Zayne and Sawyer watch the three other men get ready to make their vow of loyalty.
They’ll remember how it feels, and if they don’t, the smell of burning flesh will soon remind ‘em.
They were just scared teenage boys the night I brought them here and made them swear allegiance to me and each other.
“I’m also giving you boys an out.” Noah looks surprised when I turn and face them.
“Things are gonna be changing, and anyone who stands in our way will be an enemy. I don’t know what your pledge to Mayor Walker is, but if there’s a conflict, I’ll be expecting a branded man to be on my side of it.
“How you meaning to take it back?” he asks, creasing his eyebrows in confusion.
“I’m telling ya, your dues are paid. You owe me nothing. I’m hoping that promise you made me and each other that night still stands, but if you don’t want the brand and the responsibility that comes with it, Mitch gotta blow torch in the cabin,”
“Answer me a question,” he looks at me seriously, with Noah, there’s no other way.
“Ask it.”
“Why haven’t you told Walker who supplied the drugs to Tyler?” Noah and the boys are the ones who got the information out of him. “You could really fuck up Mason with that information, get him out of favour and make your life so much easier.”
“I could,” I nod my head.
“So why haven’t you? A smart man would want to be sitting in the Mayor of this town’s pocket himself.” He shakes his head like he doesn’t understand.
“A smart man doesn’t want to be sitting in anyone’s pocket at all. He wants them sitting in his, and right now, the only pocket Mason’s really in is mine. Now let me ask you a more important question?”
“Shoot,” Noah looks fearless.
“Why ain’t you told Walker who supplied the drugs to Tyler?” I ask.
“Guess there’s no need for you to ask if that promise still stands,” Noah speaks for them all wearing a deadly, serious look on his face.
When he first came into town a few years ago, I doubted him, I thought he was the wrong kind of trouble, but he’s proved me wrong.
I don’t know how he got involved in doing the Mayor’s dirty work, but right now, I’m looking at it as an advantage.
Pops was right about one thing, there is power in politics, I will use it, but I won’t be ruled by it.
“We’re ready,” Mitch takes the brand out of the fire and moves towards Tate. Noah and Sawyer move behind him, and he shoves them away when they each go to take an arm.
“I don’t need holding,” he tells them both bravely.
“Oh, it ain’t for your sake. It’s for his,” Sawyer nods his head toward Mitch. “When he shoves that thing into your chest, you're gonna wanna throw him into that fire,” he smirks.
“In that case, you better help.” Tate glances over to Zayne, who steps behind and anchors his arms around his waist while Noah and Sawyer each grab a shoulder.
Tate clamps down on his jaw and waits for the impact. When it comes, his body barely flinches, and he stares at me with eyes like stone as Mitch singes our family brand into his skin.
I nod my gratitude to him when Mitch pulls away and places the brand back in the fire.
“Wasn’t that bad, right?” Finn asks nervously, as he pulls off his shirt.
“Had a lot worse,” Tate tells him, and I watch Finn’s eyes widen with fear as the boys take hold of him and Mitch edges closer.
He stops just before he presses it into his chest, giving him one last chance to back out, and when Finn gives him the nod and squeezes his eyes shut tight, Mitch lets him have it.
The sounds of his deep-throated moan drown out the noise of sizzling skin, and Noah and Sawyer hold him as he struggles. When Mitch is done, Finn looks down at his chest and blows out a breath, then punches Tate hard in the shoulder.
“You’re one fucked up son of a bitch. That hurt like hell.”
“Can’t know that till ya been there.” Tate tips his hat back and sniggers.
“You’re next kid,” Mitch sounds proud as he reheats the brand.
“I’m ready for it,” Dalton nods enthusiastically, stripping out of his shirt and preparing himself. He’s a skinny assed fucker, but he’s strong, and when Noah and Sawyer move down the line to take his shoulders, he smiles at them gratefully.
“You realize what this means?” Mitch checks, while the iron heats back up.
“I do, sir,” he nods back at his uncle. “And I won’t let you down… None of you,” he looks around at us all.
“I know that,” Mitch takes the iron, and nodding for the boys to take some strain, he presses the iron deep into his nephew’s skin. Dalton wails so loud it pierces my ears, and when his torture finally finishes, he looks down at his scar with pride.
“Whatever it takes,” Mitch nods his head at him bursting with pride, and before he retires the branding iron for the night, I pull him back.
“You’re not done yet,” I tell him, watching his eyes stretch open with shock when I start to unbutton my shirt.
“That ain’t the way, Garrett. Us men brand ourselves to prove our loyalty to you,” He’s looking at me like I’m crazy, and so are my brothers.
“Well, it’s the way I’m making it. I won’t expect a single man standing around this fire to do anything I ain’t prepared to do myself. We wear the brand out of loyalty to each other.”
Mitch takes in what I say and smiles as he shoves the iron back into the flames.
When I look over at my brothers, Wade is already up and making his way to stand beside me.
“You get some crazy as shit ideas,” he tells me, pulling off his shirt and psyching himself up for the pain.
“How about you, you in?” I ask Cole.
He’s been detached since Mom left us. It’s the reason he lost his girl to Joe Mason, and he knows it.
“Don’t you wanna have something to offer your girl when you get her back?” I ask him, knowing it’ll hit a nerve.
“Wade’s right, you’re fucking crazy,” he snarls at me, then stands up and starts stripping out of his shirt.
“I ain’t asking you to understand it; I’m asking you to support it,” I smirk as I twist his words and throw ‘em back at him.
I can’t help feeling relieved he’s with us on this. Our family history proves that no good comes from division.
“Ready, boss?” Mitch comes at me with the brand, and I tense my body and hold firm when he presses it into my skin. The pain is excruciating, but I withstand it, knowing there’s worse to come. And as I watch Mitch brand both my brothers, I already feel some of that power we lost come back.
“I got some beers in the cabin; I say we all celebrate.” Mitch taps his nephew on the shoulder, and they head inside to get them, and I leave Wade and Cole talking to Tate and Finn, so I can head over to speak with Noah.
“I know you boys got your own commitments, and I know they come from a lot higher than Mayor Walker.” I let the kid know I ain’t a fool. “All you gotta do is stay honest with me, and we’ll figure everything else out.”
“Whatever it takes, right?” Noah pulls his shirt back over his head.
“You ain’t stopping for a beer?” I ask, when I notice the other two heading back toward the truck.
“Ain’t our kinda party, cowboy, but you know where to find us.” He backs away with a smile on his face that’s rarely seen. And when he gets in the passenger seat and Sawyer speeds off, I turn back around and look at my cowboys, my Corrupt Cowboys.
Wade and Finn compare their new scars with Dalton, while Tate and Mitch stand by the fire talking.
“I understand it,” Cole steps up beside me and hands me a beer.
“I’m glad about that. It wouldn’t be right without you,” I huff a laugh and knock it back.
“No, I mean, I understand why you let her go. I did the same thing,”
“And does it still hurt?” I ask, already knowing the answer. Cole working on the Mason’s ranch only proves that he ain’t afraid of that hurt.
“Every damn day.” He tells me honestly. “You’re doin’ a good thing here; Grandpa would be proud,” he adds, taking in the same scene as me.
“ We’re doin’ a good thing.”
“Just make sure you have someone to do it all for,” he taps me on my shoulder and moves to join the others, and I take a little while longer to look at what I got.
I’ll sin my way to hell and fight till my knuckles bleed for this ranch. The sacrifice I’ve made already proves that. I believe in the silent promises that were made here tonight, and for the first time in a real long time, I got hope for the future.
I just can’t help wishing that future could include her, too.