Callused fingers slid over Ben’s skin, sending a zip of excitement through him. He closed his eyes and sighed, enjoying the moment of peace and happiness, an island in the sea of fear that was his life.
A firm knock on the front door made Ben jump, but Ashton smiled and got up and answered the door. “It’s okay. Reg is here.” He motioned, and a man as big as a bear lumbered into the kitchen. All bundled up, he looked like a yeti. As the layers came off, his size didn’t diminish much.
“I hear you got yourself a little bit of trouble.” The man’s Georgia accent came through clearly. Once he had his gear off, Reg pulled Ashton into a full-body hug. Ben looked away at the pang of jealousy that stabbed at his gut. He knew he had no right to feel that way, but the stab was still there.
“It’s a distinct possibility.” Ashton patted Reg and then backed away. “This is Ben.”
“The guy you found in the barn?” Reg shook his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I bet you wish you’d picked another barn to take shelter in, right?”
Ben shrugged in response.
“Well….” Ashton wagged his eyebrows. “It seems that maybe my problem with my asshole neighbor isn’t the worst of our worries right now.” Ashton told Reg a condensed version of what Ben had related to him. “As far as we know, they aren’t aware Ben is in the area, but we’re dealing with a man with a long reach. I think it’s best to be careful.”
Reg chuckled. “So let me guess. Basically, you want this place locked down tight and you don’t want anyone to be able to tell until you need it.” He shrugged. “Piece of cake.”
“And we have to figure a way to find out if Dallas and his friends are snooping around. I’d like to think that Ben got away and that Dallas is chasing his tail, but we can’t be sure, and it pays to be on guard.”
“He isn’t going to give up. Dallas never does.” Ben put his hands in his lap to keep them from shaking. “He doesn’t stop until he gets what he wants.”
“What does the kid know?” Reg asked Ashton. “He must have some info, otherwise why would Dallas care?”
“Ben doesn’t know. That’s part of the issue.” Ashton turned to him. “I’m willing to bet, Ben, that you know more than you think you do. We’re going to have to work to put the pieces together.” At least Ashton didn’t talk around him. “But don’t worry. This place is going to be more secure than Fort Knox once we’re done.”
“I’ll start drawing up plans. I have a bunch of gear arriving tomorrow, and we’ll get it installed. Ben, how are you with tools?” Reg asked.
“Depends on what kind you want me to use,” Ben quipped, and Reg snapped his head around. Okay, maybe it was a bad joke, but Ashton got it and smiled. “I’m really good with some tools,” he corrected.
Reg groaned. “Hammers, screwdrivers, drills,” he griped. “I don’t want to hear about any of that other stuff. If you guys are bumping uglies, that’s cool. I don’t need to know any details of your kinky sex lives.”
“Reg was always squeamish about the gay thing.” Ashton smirked, and he seemed to be having fun. “He once took out a sniper’s nest damned near on his own without batting an eye, but the gay stuff makes him as jittery as a virgin at a nudist colony.”
“Eat shit, you ass. I just don’t want to hear about it any more than you want to hear about boobies. So knock it off, you jerk.” He was smiling, so Ben figured this was just part of their schtick.
“Yeah, yeah,” Ashton said and stood using his cane. “I’ll get us some dinner, and then we can all get started. Lucifer and Marcel will be here in about an hour, and then we can plan things out just in case someone is tracking Ben.”
“Don’t you think you might be overreacting?” Ben asked. “We don’t even know if Dallas has a clue where I am. This seems like a lot of expense.”
“You were willing to run away from here on the chance that Dallas might be able to track you. We’ll have things in place just in case, and if we don’t need them, they can be removed.” Ashton seemed so logical.
“And this neighbor of yours,” Reg said. “Tell me about him.”
“He’s pissed because Dad was considering selling to him. Henderson had finally worn him down; then I came home and killed that deal. He’s wanted this place for the last ten years. I think he has visions of a resort of some kind. I don’t know and I don’t care. This is my home and I’m staying here.” Ashton grinned. “Ya know, maybe I should make him an offer on his place. It’s close enough that with a few more hands, we could enlarge the operation and really make this place pay. Maybe open a restaurant in town, sell my own beef. Folks would pay for that.” It seemed Ashton had big ideas. “That would frost Henderson’s ass real good.” He clearly liked that idea.
“All right. You and your cooking.” He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve missed that a lot, I can tell you. Like a pig misses slop.” He actually rubbed his hands together. “I need a layout of all the buildings and the land. We need to lock this place down, and that means the barns and house as well as the cattle. Don’t want someone hurting you through the way the ranch makes its living.”
“There’s an aerial layout in the office. Left-hand side of the desk, second drawer. Go ahead and get it.”
It was pretty obvious that Ashton was hurting. Ben took his mug to the sink and joined him. “I can help you,” he said. “What do you need?” He didn’t like the tension around Ashton’s eyes. “I’m not great in the kitchen the way you are, but I can definitely help out.”
“I’ve got some steaks we can broil, and there are veggies in the freezer and potatoes in the cellar. It’s right over there. They’re in the pantry area, toward the back.” Ashton started getting food out of the refrigerator, and Ben descended into the mostly empty basement to find what Ashton had sent him for. He brought up enough for everyone to have plenty. Ashton asked him to peel them and get the water boiling for mashed potatoes. After all the excitement of the past few hours, doing something domestic soothed his nerves, at least for a little while.
“GET THE hell out, and don’t think of being late again or I’ll break more than your nose,” Dallas said calmly. He loved inflicting pain, and he really didn’t care who he hurt. All that mattered was the results he achieved. “And don’t bleed on the carpet or I’ll add it to your debt.”
The man in his fifties turned and hurried toward the door. Dallas could almost smell the fear mixed with relief as he passed through it and out of the office. God, he loved that smell almost as much as he loved the scent of money.
“Boss,” Jake said with a gentle knock on the door.
“You better have some good news for me.” He looked up from the papers on his desk as his right-hand man stepped into the office. Even two-hundred-and-twenty-pound Jake, built like a linebacker, moved carefully in his presence. Dallas loved being feared. People who crossed him paid the price… just like those who made him unhappy. And everyone knew he wasn’t happy, and hadn’t been since his favorite toy had flown the coop. How dare the ungrateful little shit run away from him? When Dallas got his hands on him, he’d make sure Ben paid dearly for his little escapade.