Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HUNTER
Song- The Summoning, Sleep Token
The Kourakos brothers arrive at Sterling Ranch in two black supercars that look about as out of place as tuxedos at a rodeo.
Dust coats their polished paint before they even reach the house.
I lean against the stable fence, hat tipped low, arms folded, watching them approach.
Rex, my cattle dog, is sitting beside my feet.
Although he's more of a family dog now, he’s done his years of work.
Now that Wyatt is here, they’re best of friends.
Behind me, Tornado stomps in his stall, annoyed at the disruption.
Somewhere outside, a ranch hand shouts about a busted gate.
Normal morning. Except today we’re hosting the Greek mafia.
Ace strolls up beside me, cracking his knuckles. “You gonna be polite?”
“No.”
Colten steps out of the barn, wiping grease off his hands. “Could’ve at least put chairs out.”
I nod toward what we threw together. A feed trough flipped upside down with planks thrown across it for a table. Hay bales for seating. Horses shifting in their stalls behind us.
Ace grins. “You invited LA mafia royalty to sit in horse shit.”
“They invited themselves when their guy trespassed.”
The SUVs stop and their doors open, and Rex erupts into a fit of barking.
“Enough, boy,” I tell him, holding out my hand to him for him to stop.
He halts his noise as two suited men step out, all polished shoes and city swagger. Nikos Kourakos leads, his younger brother Stefanos just behind him, eyes scanning the ranch.
They approach, noses twitching at the stable smell.
“Mr. Sterling,” Nikos greets smoothly.
“Hunter is fine.”
His gaze sweeps the barn. “You conduct business… here?”
I shrug. “This is where I work.”
They sit, careful not to dirty their suits. Ace flops down across from them, boots on the table. Colten leans against a post. Beau stays near the entrance, quiet but watching.
And Rex is playing security by the door.
Nikos clasps his hands. “We appreciate the invitation.”
“You weren’t invited,” I say. “Your guy invited himself, and ended up dead for it.”
His smile tightens. “A misunderstanding.”
Ace snorts. “Misunderstandin’ caught a bullet.”
Nikos ignores him. “We’re here to discuss a partnership. Expansion benefits everyone. Surely you understand that, looking at the size of your business?”
I stare at him. “This ain’t a business. This is our life. As was our fathers, and his before.”
He nods, but it means nothing to me.
“You operate in LA. That’s a hell of a difference to Arizona,” I say flatly.
“Yes. We believe it would work well between us.”
I shake my head. “No. It wouldn’t.”
Silence.
Stefanos leans forward. “Perhaps you misunderstand our offer.”
I cut him off. “No. You misunderstand the answer.”
Nikos studies me, recalculating his options, it looks like. “Double,” he says calmly. “Whatever Enzo Testa pays you. We double it.”
Ace lets out a low whistle. Colten’s jaw tightens slightly. And I just laugh. Like they can outprice Enzo.
I stand slowly, boots crunching in the hay. “You think this is about money? You think you can stand up against Enzo and win?”
Nikos shrugs. “Everything is about money.”
I step closer to the table. “Then you’d understand you’ll make more money alive than six feet under when Enzo orders me to put you there?”
His smile falters slightly.
“You think money runs this life. It doesn’t.” I lean forward, voice low now. “Loyalty does. And how you conduct business is what will get you killed. Mark my fucking words.”
The horses shift behind me, but no one moves.
Stefanos scoffs. “Business is business. If you heard us out, you’d understand what we have to offer you.”
I laugh once. “I don’t need to hear it.”
Silence.
“What you operate… that’s corporate bullshit. The exact opposite of how we work here.”
Ace chuckles behind me.
“Greed is what destroys families. Gets men killed. Makes people forget who kept them alive.” I tap the table once. “Testa’s people? They’re family.” My voice hardens. “And family doesn’t get sold.”
Nikos stares at me, jaw tight now. “You’re turning down double the money.”
I straighten. “I’m telling you loyalty matters more. Look around, does it look like I’m short of cash? What am I going to do with a fancy supercar other than cover it in fucking dirt?”
I pause, watching their reactions. The disappointment on their faces when they realize money really can’t buy everything.
“And the fact you think we can be bought tells me exactly why nobody should trust you.”
Silence hangs heavy in the stable.
Then I add, calmly… “And if even one more of your men steps foot on my land?” I tip my hat slightly. “They’ll end up buried beside the others in our pasture. Because that’s what happens when you fuck with cowboys. We have our own rules.”
Stefanos bristles. “Is that a threat?”
I meet his gaze, expression flat. “No. That’s how we do hospitality.”
The brothers stand slowly. “You’re making enemies,” Nikos says.
I shrug. “Only if you’re stupid.”
They leave without another word, loafers crunching toward their fancy-ass cars.
Ace whistles once they’re gone. “Think that's going to be the end of this?”
I glance toward the back of the ranch where the graves sit hidden beyond the ridge. “No.”
Colten exhales. “So we’re going to war.”
I adjust my hat. “Looks like it. Eventually.”
It was always going to happen. Mafia or not. Someone is always after what we have. My father dealt with the same battles. It's the nature of our life. It’s why he cut a deal with Enzo. And why he decided to have me in on that deal, and make sure I was the one to continue it after he died.
We just have to make sure we win it.
But as the SUVs disappear down the drive, something else drifts back into my mind.
Cherry-red curls. Green eyes. A firefly slipping through my fingers. And suddenly mafia negotiations seem a hell of a lot easier than figuring out Lola.
I walk over to Tornado’s stall and run a hand down his neck. He snorts softly, nudging my shoulder, already impatient to get out.
“At least someone around here listens,” I grumble, scratching behind his ear.
“Everything set for Wyatt’s party tomorrow?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder at Ace.
He’s leaning against the barn door like he’s personally responsible for Christmas morning.
“The bounce house is comin’ in an hour,” he says proudly. “Guys are setting up the hunting game in the back woods.”
I turn slowly, eyebrow lifting. “Hunting game? These kids are six, Ace.”
He shrugs. “Kid version. They go find hidden stuff and shoot targets with fake guns. Honestly sounds like the kinda shit I would’ve loved as a kid.”
I snort, shaking my head. Ace was feral even as a kid, had us all runnin’ around after him.
I walk over and clap a hand on his shoulder. “Fine. You can host the game.”
His grin widens. “Duh. I’m the fun uncle.”
Then his expression shifts slightly. “Oh. Yeah. The catering company called earlier and said they’ve got a staffing issue and are looking to hire in extra help. I told ’em it was fine.”
I nod, already mentally adding it to the checklist. “Just run security checks on anyone new coming in. Last thing I need is strangers wanderin’ around Wyatt’s birthday.”
Ace nods. “Already on it.”
Beau steps out of the barn stall just as I untie Tornado, arms folded, but the gun still in his hand. “Double, Hunter,” he says. “Did you hear them?”
I turn slowly to face him. “I heard them perfectly fine, Beau. I ain’t deaf. And the answer’s still no.”
Out of all of us, Beau’s the one who’s always wanted more than this place. More money. More reach. More something. And hell, I’ve tried to help him find it. Investments. Side ventures. Anything. Nothing ever seems good enough.
“It’s not up for discussion,” I add.
His jaw flexes, but he nods and backs off. For now.
I lead Tornado out into the sunlight, dust kicking up around his hooves. “I’ll be out later,” I tell them. “Gotta go pick up Wyatt’s presents from his mom.”
Beau’s head snaps up. “You’re going to her place?”
I grunt. “Unfortunately.”
Ace laughs behind me. “Try not to murder her, Hunter.”
I shake my head. As much as I hate what Ashley did to us—what she did to Wyatt—I wouldn’t wish her dead. She’s still his mom. And I’ve tried to help her for Wyatt’s sake over the years. Nothing works. Some people just can’t change.
“A pretty face like this wouldn’t last in jail,” I joke.
All three of my brothers laugh at that.
Truth is, if I ever ended up locked up, they’d probably just keep adding years to my sentence every time someone pissed me off.
I swing up onto Tornado’s back and guide him toward the paddock. A few hours to clear my head is what I need.