Page 69 of Bayou Knights

“I’ll be home soon,” I tell them.

“Yes, you will.”

“Get some sleep, little one,” Greer says right before I hang up.

“Thank you,” I hand Pike back his phone as he hands me a plate with several slices of pizza on it. I nearly devour it in one bite.

“Slow down,” Sawyer chuckles.

“I’m hungry,” I whine, and they both laugh.

We eat and watch movies the rest of the night. I fall asleep and wake up on the plane. I hear the men talking from my seat, Pike next to me.

“They’re finalizing plans. It will be over soon,” Pike says.

“I’m glad,” I reply as I watch the airstrip near my house come into view.

“I didn’t know your grandpa had an airstrip,” Pike wonders aloud.

“Yeah, he has a plane too. I just haven’t told the guys. He would use it to check his lands since there is so much of it. Easy to check cattle that way and send out his hands if he needed to,” I shrug.

“That’s cool,” he says right as the doors open and Santorini grabs me.

We drive to the house and dread fills my stomach. What if something goes wrong?

I don’t see anyone, but from what the guys said last night, they’re here.

“Inside,” Sawyer shows the way, Santorini drags me with him.

His men stay outside as we step inside.

“Let go of the girl,” I hear a gun click and Santorini drops my arm. I don’t recognize the voice. I do recognize the man that steps out from behind the man with the gun.

“This was all very anti-climactic,” Nate says.

“What is he doing here?” I start to back up and I run into a wall. Well, I run into Zion.

“He can explain. Greed makes people do weird things,” Zion sneers at Santorini.

“My men will look for me,” Santorini says.

“They’re my men now,” the man with the gun replies.

“Dominic, we have a deal,” Nate says.

“I stay on my side,” Dominic states, as he leaves with his men.

“Put him in the barn,” Zion points to Santorini. As soon as the man is out of the room, I spin on all of them.

“What is going on? Why is he here? Am I out of danger?”

“Yes, to no more danger. Dominic contacted Santorini’s men to make this go off without bloodshed. Beck is here because he needs to say sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Plum, my real name is Beck. I’m an agent with the FBI. I was undercover in the cartel. I’m sorry about everything I did to you.”

“You’re with the FBI?” I ask.