Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Organized crime. I heard that right. I’m certain I did. He admitted his family is involved in organized crime. This is the moment I walk out, the reason I’ve been looking for to really put an end to whatever strange hold this man has over me.
Is that what I do?
No. Despite what I’ve seen, I can’t help but still want him.
“You should do whatever it is you need to do to get this cleaned up and then we’re going to dinner with my cousins,” I tell Sammie.
He tilts his head. His eyes bore into mine, assessing me. I have no idea what he’s looking for. But eventually, he smiles. “You sure you want us to come to dinner?”
“You need to eat.” I shrug. “You’re going to need your energy to deliver all those orgasms you promised me later tonight.”
“Imogen, we’re going now!” Sammie yells out. Stepping towards me, he takes hold of my hand and starts pulling me out of the room. “Let’s go before whatever shock you’re clearly in wears off and you come to your senses.”
“Wait… Don’t you need to do something about him?” I point to the body currently attached to the cabinet.
It’s not the first dead person I’ve seen.
It’s not the first tortured corpse I’ve seen either.
There are things my father and uncle and now even my cousins have had to do in order to keep the ranch in the hands of the family.
There are things that we don’t speak about publicly.
But whatever it takes has always been the family motto. It’s something we all live by.
I’ve personally never had to do anything illegal. My mother was very insistent on keeping me as far away from that side of the ranch as possible. Little good it did her, though.
“Those two will deal with it when they wake up,” Sammie says, looking at the guys currently sleeping on the table.
Imogen chooses this moment to walk out. My smile widens. She did not take my warning seriously, because the dress she has on is gorgeous and does nothing to hide her body.
“I’m sorry you saw this. It’s not his fault, just so you know. He is a good guy. Don’t hold this against him,” Imogen tells me.
“I know he’s a good one.” I nod.
“Let’s go. This dinner needs to happen already. I’ve got plans tonight.”
“I heard and that’s something I can’t unhear by the way,” Imogen grumbles from behind us.
“I’m driving. You can leave your car here and get it later,” he says as he leads us out of the house.
“Or… you could just come with me,” I tell him.
“Yeah, that’s not happening. Again. You take the term drive it like you stole it literally. My sister is not getting in that car with you behind the wheel. Actually, you should let me get you a driver, so you don’t ever need to be behind the wheel,” Sammie says.
“That would be a huge waste of your money. I would never use ?em. You can follow me,” I tell him, walking over to my car. I get in and start up the engine.
The passenger door opens and Sammie climbs in. “Imogen is following us.”
“So you don’t want your sister in a car with me driving, but you’re going to sit there with me driving?” I raise a brow.
“I care about her life more than my own,” he says.
“Okay… Just so you know, my cousins are heathens and your sister is hot. They’re going to be drooling over her,” I warn.
“I think you’ve seen that Imogen is more than capable of handling herself,” Sammie replies.
“What exactly do you do?”
“I help my father and uncles run casinos along the Vegas Strip,” he says.
“Right, what else?” I ask.
“Whatever it takes to stay on top,” he answers.
“I get it.”
His eyes flick in my direction before staring back out at the road. “You do?”
“I mean, it’s not ideal walking in on unalived bodies, but I get that you do what you need to. Don’t you think it’s a bit much, though? What your sister did? I mean, does it really matter if someone said something about me?” I press. “I don’t think it deserves that level of torture.”
“It’s the disrespect. If we let one soldier get away with disrespecting us, they will all try it. And that’s when you lose power. We can’t show weakness. Besides, he got off light. If I would have heard it, he would have suffered a lot more.”
Well, shit, I don’t even know what to say about that. I know if Jaxson had heard someone say something like that about me, I’d probably never see the person again either. Except I’d have that ignorant bliss of never actually knowing what happened.
Then again, I wouldn’t have known now if I hadn’t walked in on that scene. Sammie and Imogen wouldn’t have told me.
“I think I like ignorance,” I admit aloud.
“What do you mean?” Sammie asks.
“It’s how I grew up. My mom always made sure I never knew what truly went on around the ranch.
So, what I mean is… although I know shit isn’t always above that gray line, I like to live life being ignorant.
I don’t need to know the details of what you get up to every day. And I certainly don’t want to see it.”
“Careful, Poppy. It sounds an awful lot like you’re planning to stick around for a while.”
“You’re underestimating the power of a good orgasm, Sammie. There is a lot a girl would overlook for the kind of pleasure you give.”
When I pull into the ranch, I peer up at the sign: Kestral Valley Ranch. I’ve driven under this sign all my life. When I was a child, I loved it. Ever since I was sixteen, I’ve hated it. It’s a reminder of everything I’ve lost.
“What’s wrong?” Sammie turns in his seat to look at me.
“Nothing.” I shake the thoughts of my parents from my mind.
“Something happened just now. What were you thinking?”
“It’s nothing,” I assure him, slowing a little on the dirt road.
“It’s something. You got real sad real fast, Poppy. Why?”
“It’s just this place has memories, and not all of them are good,” I say cryptically. “Now, before we get to the main house, I should really warn you that my cousins are pure Texan cowboys—rough and fiery as hell.”
“Are you trying to intimidate me?” Sammie chuckles.
“No, I know you can handle yourself. I saw you fight Jaxson at the bar. But I just… They’re my family. I have to put up with them. You don’t.”
“Do you not like your cousins?”
“I love them. I just know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.” I shrug.
“Trust me, I doubt they have anything on my cousins.” Sammie reaches over and takes hold of my hand. “You need to stop worrying. It’s just dinner, Poppy.”
“Jaxson has never invited any of my boyfriends to dinner before,” I mutter under my breath.
Sammie’s smile widens. “I’m your boyfriend, huh?”
“That’s not what I meant.” I shake my head.
“Too late. You put it out into the universe.”
“I’m taking it back,” I insist as I park the car. Imogen pulls in right beside us. I did my best not to drive like a maniac so she could follow.
“No takebacks, babe.” Sammie says as he gets out of the car. He walks around to my side but I’m out before he can open the door. He frowns at me.
“Yeah, he doesn’t like not being able to open doors.” Imogen laughs. “Wait! Are those stables? You have horses, right?”
“Yeah, we do. I can take you to have a look after dinner if you want.”
“Can I ride one?” Imogen is practically jumping in place.
“No,” Sammie says.
“Sure, I have an older guy who’s real gentle,” I tell her.
Sammie glares at me. “We talked about this,” he hisses under his breath.
“We did, but I think she can decide for herself if she wants to ride a horse or not. You know… her body, her choice and all.”
A look crosses Imogen’s face, but it’s gone before Sammie turns to look at her. “I don’t want you on a horse, Imogen.”
“I will call Mom and tell her you’re trying to control me.” His sister pulls her phone out of her purse.
I glance from Imogen to Sammie. “I think maybe being an only child was a blessing after all,” I murmur as the two remain locked in a stare-off.
“What’s it going to be?” Imogen says, waving her phone in the air.
“Fine, you can ride a horse. A really old, slow horse,” Sammie grunts.
“Man, you really are scared of your mama.” I laugh at him.
“She’s awesome,” Imogen tells me, linking her arm through mine as she starts walking towards the house. “She’s going to love you too. Also, this place is amazing. It must be so peaceful out here.”
“It can be,” I tell her.
Sammie trails behind us, looking around everywhere, probably searching for the bogeyman he thinks is going to jump out.
There’s something comforting about his awareness and the way he scans for danger, even if I’m not supposed to know he’s doing it.
My mom taught me to do the same thing from a young age.