Page 9 of King of the Weld (The Morrison Brothers #1)

I rub my bandaged knuckles, feeling the dull throb beneath the gauze. "Neither do I."

Michael sighs, the sound crackling through the connection. "Be honest with yourself about why you're doing this. Is it for her or is it because you need a mission again?"

The question lands like a punch to the gut, unwelcome but impossible to dodge. "Does it matter?" I counter. "She needs help either way."

"It matters if you're using her situation as some kind of redemption project," Michael says bluntly. "She's not a village you couldn't save, Ethan. She's a person with her own agency and choices."

"I know that," I snap, though the parallel has occurred to me in the dark corners of my mind I try not to visit. "Just take care of it, Michael."

"I will," he promises. "And I'm here if you need to talk about the rest of it."

"I don't," I say, softening it with, "but thanks."

After we hang up, I stand on the porch for several minutes, watching the tree line and considering Michael's words. Is he right? Am I substituting one mission for another, trying to fill the void left when I hung up my uniform? Using Sophia's crisis to feel necessary again?

The crunch of tires on gravel interrupts my thoughts. Sheriff Carter's patrol car appears around the bend, moving at a steady pace up my driveway. Time to focus on the immediate problem.

I head back inside to find Sophia pacing the living room, arms wrapped around herself as if warding off a chill despite the warmth of the cabin.

"Sheriff's here," I tell her. "You ready for this?"

She stops pacing, squaring her shoulders in a gesture that's becoming familiar. "What did your brother say?"

"He knows your father," I say, watching her eyes widen in surprise. "They have business dealings together. A big project in Singapore that your father apparently needs badly."

Understanding dawns on her face. "And your brother is going to threaten to pull out unless my father leaves me alone."

"Something like that," I confirm. "Michael seems to think it will be effective."

Hope flickers across her features, quickly tempered by caution. "My father doesn't respond well to threats."

"It's not a threat," I explain, repeating Michael's words. "Just a clarification of Morrison International's corporate values. Apparently, they prefer to partner with companies that don't force their daughters into marriages against their will."

A ghost of a smile touches her lips. "Your brother sounds formidable."

"He is," I agree. "In a different way than me, but equally effective when necessary."

The sound of boots on the porch steps cuts off any further discussion. I move to the door, positioning myself between it and Sophia out of instinct.

Sheriff Tom Carter is a solid man in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and the hardworking face of someone who spends most of his time outdoors.

We've known each other since I returned to Pine Haven. Not friends exactly, but something closer than acquaintances. He helped me find this property, steered me toward the building permits I needed for my workshop, occasionally stops by with welding jobs from the department.

"Ethan," he greets me with a nod as I open the door. His eyes flick past me to Sophia, then back to my face. "Got your call about trespassers. Want to tell me what's going on?"

I step aside to let him in.

"This is Sophia Valentine," I begin, watching his eyebrows rise at the name. "She's staying with me for a while. Her father and some associates showed up uninvited earlier, tried to force her to leave with them."

Carter turns to Sophia. "Miss Valentine. You're here voluntarily?"

"Yes," she confirms, her voice steady despite the tension I can see in her posture. "I left my family home four days ago to avoid being forced into an arranged marriage. Ethan found me on his property and has been helping me."

Carter nods, taking this in stride. Nothing much surprises a sheriff who's been serving rural communities for three decades. "And the men who were here today… They tried to make you leave against your will?"

"Yes," she says again. "My father, Edward Valentine. Harrison Blackwood, the man I was supposed to marry. And my cousin, Richard Valentine."

"Were threats made?" Carter asks, his eyes moving to my bandaged hand. "Looks like things got physical."

"They did," I confirm. "Richard Valentine was armed. I disarmed him. Harrison Blackwood attempted to assault me. I defended myself." I keep my tone clinical. "They made verbal threats against both of us before leaving."

Carter pulls out a notebook, taking down the details as we provide them. When we finish, he tucks it away with a thoughtful expression.

"Miss Valentine, I need to ask. Are you over eighteen and acting of your own free will?"

"I'm twenty-three," she confirms. "And yes, completely of my own free will."

"Then legally, there's not much they can do to force you to return," Carter says. "That said, families like the Valentines don't always play by the rules the rest of us follow."

"We're aware," I say grimly.

Carter gives me a measuring look. "I'll file a report about the trespassing and threats. I can issue a no-contact order if you want, though that's just paper unless they violate it."

"Do it," I say immediately. "Paper trail is important."

Sophia nods her agreement, and Carter makes a note.

"One more thing," the sheriff says, his expression turning serious. "Ethan, I know you can handle yourself but be careful. Edward Valentine has connections with the state police, the governor's office, and judges across three counties. If he decides to make this difficult..."

"He already has," I point out.

"Then he's just getting started," Carter counters. "I'll do what I can to keep an official eye on things, but my jurisdiction only goes so far."

"We may have another solution in the works," I say, not wanting to elaborate on Michael's plan until it's in motion. "But we appreciate anything you can do."

Carter tips his hat to Sophia. "Just doing my job, ma'am. And for what it's worth, I respect anyone who stands up for themselves the way you're doing."

After the sheriff leaves, promising to file the paperwork immediately and increase patrols past my property, Sophia and I are left in a silence heavy with the weight of what we're facing.

"Your brother," she says finally. "Do you really think he can help? My father isn't easily intimidated, even by other powerful men."

"Michael built a global company from nothing," I tell her. "He operates in the same world as your father, speaks the same language. If anyone can make Edward Valentine reconsider his position through business channels, it's my brother."

She nods, though doubt still clouds her expression. "I hope you're right. For both our sakes."

I move to the window, scanning the property line again. A habit I'll need to maintain more vigilantly now. "We'll know soon enough. In the meantime, we stay alert, follow the sheriff's advice, and prepare for whatever comes next."

"And if your brother's plan doesn't work?" she asks quietly.

I turn to face her, meeting her worried gaze directly. "Then we try something else. I'm not giving up, Sophia. Neither should you."

The determination in her eyes matches my own. Two people from different worlds, united by a common resolve. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together.