Page 65 of Bad Decisions & Back Roads

The single word cracked like a gunshot.

His eyes came back to mine.

I took a step forward.“Seriously, why are you here?Did you get bored when you couldn’t destroy my life any longer, so you followed me here?Now you want to poison clients against me again?Maybe you want to whisper in my boss’s ear that I’m unstable?Dangerous?Criminal?”I jabbed a finger toward Josh.“He’s right here.Go ahead.Tell him what you told everyone else.”

Justin remained silent.

I tapped my mouth, pretending to think.“What was it?”My laugh came out sharp and broken.“Oh, right.You accused me of stealing tramadol and selling it on the street.Called the DEA on me anonymously.They couldn’t find shit because it was a lie.”I tilted my head.“Are you planning to do that here, too?”

His smile vanished.“Gia?—”

“No.”My tone turned cold.“You don’t get to say my name like we’re old friends.”Years of fury burst loose.“What about when you told grieving owners I killed their mare during foaling?That I ‘gave the wrong medication’ when you were the one who told me exactly what to administer?”

Silence crashed over the barn.

Josh looked seconds away from stroking out.

Justin didn’t even look rattled.“I’m more of an asset than you could ever be.”

“Then you’re here to try to force me out of a job?”I nodded, sharp and brisk.“Got it.”I cast Josh an apologetic gaze and softened my voice.“I’m headed to the Sawyer farm for pregnancy checks on the cows.Then there’s a prolapsed goat waiting on another property.If you want to schedule a performance review tomorrow or terminate my employment, send me a text and we can set up a time to meet.”

Without waiting for a reply, I stalked to the exit.

ChapterTwenty-Three

TIMOTHY

I glanceddown at my phone, surprised to see Mark’s number flash across the screen.I stepped out of the meeting with the HVAC accountant.

“Hey,” I answered.

“Holy motherfucker, T,” Mark said by way of greeting.“If you don’t marry Gia, I will.I’m serious.I’ll seduce her with shitty poetry and a bass boat.”

Despite everything, I barked out a short laugh.“What happened?”

Mark’s tone turned hard.“Jimmy’s been yanking her chain for days.He cornered her at the hospital today and got in her face.Tried to rough her up about the DEA bust.I know he leases out the plot, but they’ll start looking into his financial records.They’ll get him and he knows it.He asked her to spy on you to see if you’re the rat who reported him.”

If that bastard laid a hand on her?—

Mark kept going.“She told him no.Same answer she’s given him every time he pushes.She wouldn’t help him dig up dirt on the family.Then he threatened Sofia.”

My vision tunneled.“He didwhat?”

“I damn near swung on him,” Mark said.“Coming after you is one thing.Coming after your little girl?Hell no.But then…” He gave a low whistle.“Your woman went feral.”

“That son of a bitch.I’ll kill him.I swear to God, I’ll?—”

“Shut up and listen,” Mark ordered.“I’m trying to compliment your future wife.”

I went silent.

“She stepped right into Jimmy’s space.Told him if he touched Sofia, every Hurst in the county would fill him full of holes.”Mark paused, savoring it.“Then she said if they somehow missed, she’d put a bullet in his head herself because the one thing her father taught her was hownotto miss.”

God, I loved that woman.

“Not.To.Miss.She was terrifying,” Mark said, sounding almost reverent.“I mean that as the highest compliment.She kind of reminded me of your mama.Sweet until suddenly you’re standing in front of a beautiful storm wondering if your obituary’s already been written.”

I grunted, because if I opened my mouth, I might start grinning like an idiot.