Chapter Twenty-Three
“Pleasure doing business with you, ma’am.”
I shake Monty’s hand. He climbs into his truck and follows the rest of his entourage out. I watch the cattle trailers bump over the uneven ground until they’re out of sight before turning back to the house.
I startle at the sight of Riggs standing just behind me, his arms crossed.
“You ready to tell me what’s wrong yet?”
“What makes you think something’s wrong?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’re as skittish as a cat on a hot tin roof.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how that saying goes.”
“Pretty sure you still get my point.”
I sigh and move toward him. “I’m fine. Honest. Just woke up in a weird mood.”
“Something happened between you and the sheriff I should know about? Or me, for that matter? I know I fell asleep on the sofa. Did I—”
“Shepard walked you back to the ranch house. You didn’t put up a fight.
” It’s the truth, just with a bunch of details missing.
I’m such a bitch. Here and now, I have the perfect opportunity to tell him.
Yet when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.
It takes me a minute to sift through my feelings.
I’m not scared of his reaction in the sense that I think he’ll hurt me.
No, I’m scared he’ll leave. I’ve grown to like having him here in my space, and the thought of risking that makes me choke on any words of explanation.
Scrambling for something else to use as an excuse, I remember the snippets of conversation I heard between him and Shepard.
“I heard you and Shepard talking last night,” I blurt out, wincing at how shrill it sounds.
He stalks closer, his arm pulling me toward him as if he’s worried I’ll run. “We were just talking.”
“Really? Because it felt like more than that.”
He sighs, leaning down to press his forehead against mine. “I’ve not exactly hidden from you how much I want you.”
I bite my lip. “You haven’t pushed for more than this, though,” I whisper, knowing I’m encroaching on dangerous territory.
“I don’t want you to think that’s all I’m after.”
“What if I said that was all I have to give?”
“I’d call bullshit.”
I huff out a laugh. I wish I had half of this man’s confidence. “Can we just play things by ear? I wasn’t prepared for you or Shepard. And mentally, I’m not sure I’m in the right place to be making promises I don’t know if I can keep.”
“Everything is at your pace. You want to slow things down or speed them up, you tell me. I’m not going anywhere, Calliope. I feel more at home here with you than I have anywhere else for a long fucking time. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize that.”
“What if I do? What if I fuck it up so bad, I won’t be able to come back from it?”
“I don’t deal with what-ifs. I don’t see anything you can do that would turn me away, especially not this early in the game, when we haven’t made any promises to each other. Just live your life, Opie. I’m more than happy just standing here beside you, watching it happen.”
I can’t help but smile up at him. “I don’t know what kind of serendipity brought you into my life, but I’m thankful for it. I feel more myself with you than I ever do alone. I don’t understand it, but I know I like it enough not to question it.”
“Maybe it’s the fates at play, or maybe it’s magic.”
I tense and swallow. “You believe in magic?”
“Before I met you? Absolutely not. But now, how else can I describe what’s happening between us?”
Feeling a little spooked at his words, I look away, not sure what to make of it all. Was this just a chance thing, or is something magical afoot here?
I cough to clear my suddenly dry throat. “You have plans for today?”
“Thought I’d get started on your workspace, if that’s alright with you.”
“Yeah, sounds perfect. I’m going to start planting in one of the pastures I had you get ready.”
“You sure you don’t need a hand with that?”
“I’m sure. I’m only doing a section of it for now, but I know where to find you if I need you.”
“Good.” He kisses my head and takes a couple of steps away before I frown. “What’s wrong?”
I turn and look toward the entrance of Corvis Wing. “Someone’s coming.”
“How do you always know that?”
I look over my shoulder at him and wink. “I can read the land, cowboy. Can’t you?”
He huffs out a laugh before moving up beside me. We watch as an unfamiliar car approaches. They stop, and a man in a cheap suit climbs out with an envelope in his hand.
“Calliope Hart?”
“That’s me.”
“You’ve been served.”
I take the letter from him as he gets back in his car and drives away. I pay him no attention as I tear it open and scan the documents.
“What’s it say?”
I laugh. I can’t help it. “It’s basically a letter telling me that I’m to pause the sale of any items from this ranch, including and not limited to the cattle, until this court date.”
“I’m so confused.”
“That makes two of us. Gimmie a second.”
I pull out my cell phone and dial Jen, who answers almost immediately.
“You’ve been arrested?”
“Ye of little faith.”
“I’m joking. What’s up?”
“I just got served.”
“I’m sorry?”
I read her what the document says, then pull the phone from my ear when she goes off on a tirade. Once she quiets down, I listen again.
“The man doesn’t have a leg to stand on. He had no legal right to anything. I can only assume he pulled this shit just to inconvenience you and force you to spend money. What I’m struggling to understand is how the fuck he got a judge to sign off on it.”
“Well, the cattle sold. The guy came to collect them this morning, as agreed, before the letter even arrived.”
“Good. If the sale predates the papers you received today, there is fuck-all they can do. Leave it to me. I’m going to dig into this. I sure as shit wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Alright, that’s all I wanted to hear. I just can’t believe Porter had the audacity to pull a stunt like this.”
“Men always act like children when someone takes away their favorite toy, and that’s what the ranch clearly was to him.
I’m actually going to put together a notice myself.
I’m planning to counter-sue because these figures just aren’t matching up.
I think he’s been funneling money, likely to offshore accounts.
At the very least, I’m going to insist that the judge order a full audit.
And by pulling this stunt, he can’t refuse. In a way, it’s done us a favor.”
“I’m just going to have to trust you on that. Speaking of which, have you had any luck getting the website up and running since I emailed over the things you needed?”
“It’s up and ready for you to go over. It’s not live yet. David says he’ll do it as soon as you’ve checked everything to make sure you’re happy with it, and that you have stock to be able to fulfill any orders placed.”
“Perfect. I’ll have enough of the basics by the end of the week. Some of the more complicated things will need a little longer, so I’ll get David to mark them as temporarily out of stock.”
“Alright, I’ll let you confer with him. I’ll keep you posted on the rest.”
“Yeah, that’s fine by me.”
“While I have you, I wanted to let you know that I’ve dug into your father.
That man, well, I’m not even comfortable calling him a man.
He’s more like a fucking virus that infects everyone he touches.
But I digress. You asked me to figure out if he knew about the inheritance.
And everything I’ve been able to find suggests no.
Legally, if you had died before you inherited, it would have been passed down to the next female descendant in the Hart line.
And if there wasn’t any, it was to be divided up to a dozen preselected charities, most of which are domestic violence shelters and various children’s services. ”
“What about if I’d inherited and then died?” I have to be sure there wasn’t a clause somewhere. Just because he didn’t arrange for me to be killed inside doesn’t mean that option is off the table now, especially if he’ll benefit from it.
“It still wouldn’t have gone to your father.
If you had a working will stating otherwise, that would be different.
But as it stands, it goes into a trust. And, again, would have been funneled into various charities unless you made provisions for something else yourself.
As I’m an excellent lawyer, I’ve drawn up a will for you to review.
You can add what you want and make stipulations, but this is just another guarantee that nobody can touch that place or your money. ”
“Thanks, Jen.”
“I’ll always protect you. That’s what I’m here for. Well, that and margarita Tuesdays.”
I laugh as she hangs up, and turn back to Riggs. “Jen has everything handled.”
“Well, I for one won’t doubt that woman anytime soon. If she says she has it covered, then she has it covered.”
“Exactly.”
Ispend the rest of the day outside. It’s only when it gets too dark for me to see properly that I give up for the day. I turn to head back and startle when I see Riggs waiting for me.
“You scared the shit out of me.” I huff out a laugh, tugging off my gloves and stretching to work out the kinks. “How goes the workshop? I can’t wait until I have more space to move around.”
When he doesn’t answer, I move closer, worried something has happened. “Riggs?”
I’m barely a foot from him when he lifts his head. The hat that was obscuring my vision shows me the face of a man I hoped I’d never see again.
“Austin?” My voice croaks as he takes a step toward me, his eyes drinking me in as if he’s been waiting a whole lifetime for this moment.
“It’s been a long time, Calliope. Too long.”
Sparks crackle over my skin, my fear and anger creating the perfect storm. I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood. If he lays a single finger on me, I won’t be able to stop myself from killing him where he stands.
“Get the fuck off my land,” I snarl.
He ignores me, moving closer. “Don’t,” he whispers, his eyes moving over my body in a soft caress. It’s enough to make me want to claw his eyes out.
“I swear to god if you come near me, I’ll kill you.”
“No, you won’t. You’re not a killer, Calliope.”
I laugh then, a twisted, ugly sound that would strip the flesh from anyone else’s bones. But not Austin. He’s far too potent for that. “I think the justice system would disagree with you there.”
The sparks have grown in intensity. They’re almost painful now. I’ll need to purge it soon before it becomes too much.
“Your father was a fucking scourge on the world that needed wiping out. If I’d known what would happen, I’d—”
“Don’t. Don’t you fucking dare. You drugged me.”
“I was trying to keep you safe.”
“Fuck you. I was raped because of you.”
He flinches so hard he staggers. So it wasn’t him. But that just means he left me vulnerable to his brother. He’s just as guilty in my eyes.
“Why? Why would you do that to me?”
He removes his hat and runs his hand through his hair. “It’s complicated.”
“How about I uncomplicate things for you?” I lift my hand so he can see the sparks jumping around my palm.
“I’m not scared of you, Calliope. Your powers won’t work on me.”
That has me startled. “You know what I am?”
“Of course I do. My family has been in this town as long as yours has, if not longer.”
I think back to the history books I read before it hits me. “Dyer,” I snarl, remembering that name now. I never made the connection before. “Can’t say I’m surprised. For a small town, we collect a lot of fucking murderers.”
“I’m born from a long line of hunters. It’s in my blood, just like witchcraft is in yours, but I’m not like my ancestors.”
I smirk, the sparks jumping higher. “Why? Because you didn’t kill me yet? You think you’re better than that because you used rape as foreplay?”
“I didn’t—”
“You set it in motion. What the fuck did you think would happen when you left me drugged and unconscious?”
“I thought you’d be safe,” he implores.
I shake my head. “You have three seconds to leave before I light you up like a Christmas tree.”
“I told you. Your powers don’t work on me.”
“Oh yeah? Let’s test that theory.”
I hit him with it, unable to hold back my scream as a torrent of anger and pain surges to the surface.
And now I’ve started, I can’t turn it off.
Fifteen years of hell that this man was a catalyst in starting, fifteen years of losing my home, my body, my sanity—pieces I’ll never get back—and now he walks up here, like it was nothing.
It’s more than I can bear. Still, the power rushes out of me.
Even when I sway, my reserves rapidly depleting.
Blood gushes from my nose as a look of horror crosses Austin’s face.
And I understand then, why. I feel it running from my eyes and ears too.
I cough it up, choking on it, feeling it bubble in my lungs.
One of us is dying, only it’s not the man it should be.
He’s standing in front of me, unharmed, as everything that makes me, me, drains away.
I look into the eyes of the man who stole so many of my years and laugh through my tears at the irony that I just gifted him the rest. As I feel the last of my power leave me, I drop to my knees, my head ready to explode.
I grin at him, a sight I’m sure looks macabre at best, with blood coating my face and teeth.
“I hope this moment and all the ones that came before it haunt you. I hope you never know a moment of peace.”
He drops to his knees in front of me, but I’m done.
I have nothing left to give. I lie down in the dirt as the house and land scream in agony.
I try to send it love and comfort. I promised I wouldn’t leave again, and I guess I kept that promise after all.
Just not in the way I would have ever imagined.
Austin reaches for me. I’m too weak to fight back, so I do the only thing I can. I close my eyes and shut him out, giving in to the darkness.
I think of Riggs and Shepard, wishing I’d had more time. I should have remembered that wishing was for fools.
“Calliope!”
I can almost hear Riggs calling my name. I pretend he’s whispering goodbye. It’s enough. It has to be. I let my tears fall, even as a smile graces my face, and wrap my despair around me like a blanket.
I feel my heart give one final beat, and then blissfully, I feel nothing at all.
…To be continued in Tethered.