Page 48 of Wildest Forever (Lovelock Bay #3)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

PACEY

I wish I could tell you what my brothers were talking about, but being honest, I had no clue.

My mind was on tonight and finally teaching Morgan how to pleasure me.

She asked.

I agreed.

“Pacey,” Riggs’ deep voice pulls me from my thoughts.

“Yeah?” my tone higher than normal and Tripp’s eyes burn into the side of my head.

“What are your thoughts?” he asks, tapping his fingers on the large oak table of our dining room.

“About?” and there is no point lying. My mind was elsewhere.

“Fuck’s sake,” Riggs sighs and I watch as Tripp scrubbed his face.

“Did you hear anything?”

Again, no point.

“No.” I shrug a shoulder up which gets an eye roll from Riggs.

“Luke… what shall we do with him? He still stands that he had no idea who sent him, just that he was sent to find the diamond.”

“I don’t believe him, do you?” Tripp looks at Riggs and Riggs shakes his head from side to side.

“Do I fuck,” he sits back in his seat, hands now clasped in front of him.

“Then we don’t let him go,” I say as my eyes bounce between my brothers.

“I can throw him in the cell, I don’t think it’s right you have him chained up in the basement,” I side eye Tripp who gives a subtle nod.

“We can toss him in the back of the truck and take him to my place… or,” my lips turn down as I look at Riggs, “we can put a bullet through the middle of his eyes and make him disappear.”

“Not an option,” he says, lips rolled into a tight line.

“Why?” Tripp asks, elbows on the table.

“We have enough shit on our plates at the moment, do you really think we need another dead man under our belt?”

“Technically, we didn’t kill any of those men.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass Pacey,” he growls and Tripp laughs.

“You sure you don’t mind him being in the cell?” Riggs changes the subject rather rapidly and stares me down.

“Nope, no skin off my teeth,” I shrug and then let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

“Cool, I’ll get him moved later on.” I nod. Tripp nods and then Riggs nods.

“Okay, moving on,” Tripp says, sitting back, his head swinging between me and Riggs. “The suits…”

“We need to rid them once and for all. First they blew the mine entrance, then they cornered me and Buck and now Conrad.”

“We don’t know if it was them who killed Conrad,” Riggs reminds me softly.

“I still think it was Marty,” and as soon as the words leave my lips their eyes are on me.

“What?” they both say in unison.

Sighing, I lick my lips.

“I called the number that he said was his family’s number from out of town…

” I trail off and then fish my phone out my pocket.

“It wasn’t. It went through to some bar and as soon as I mentioned Marty’s name, they cut the line off.

Not been able to get back through since.

” I twist my lips and slide my phone across to Riggs.

“Have you searched it up?” Tripp asks the question and I roll my eyes.

“Duh,” and he swats me around the back of the head, knocking my cap off as it lands on the table.

“You shouldn’t even have that on anyway,” Riggs makes a point of saying as he brings my phone to his ear then furrows his brow when he gets the same tone I did.

“Where is Marty now?” his pushes from the table.

“With Austin I guess.”

“Does he know anything?” he asks, and I blink a couple of times.

“Who? Marty?”

“No, Austin,” Riggs tone is growing more agitated as the seconds pass.

“Not really, just told me to check the number out,” I take my phone from Riggs and glance down at the number.

“This is a shit show,” Tripp mumbles and runs his hand around the back of his neck as he gives it a tight squeeze.

“That it is,” I nod as I push away from the table and follow Riggs out.

“We really need to end this…” I look over my shoulder just as Dixie walks into the room, leaning down and kissing Tripp.

“Before it ends us,” Riggs finishes and I swallow down the bile that threatens to spill up my throat, burning as it does. “Let me speak to Austin, you still got the suits business card?” he asks as he lifts his hat from the stand and places it on his head.

“Buck took it,” I mumble, and Riggs gives a nod.

“You sort a meeting with the suits, I’ll speak to Austin.”

“What about me?” Tripp calls out and I chuckle softly.

“You just worry about Dixie, we don’t need you getting hurt now do we,” he lifts a brow and doesn’t give Tripp a chance to respond before he is out the door.

I hover for a moment, and I see Dixie give him a sad smile.

“Everything will be okay Dix, we’re not going to let it get to a full-blown war,” I try and reassure her just as mom walks around the corner.

“You hope,” my ma says and I sigh.

“Ma, I am trying to make her feel better, not panic. She’ll go into early labor,” and mom rolls her eyes.

“We need to be realistic. This has been going on for a lot longer than us Pacey, our family have been dealing with this for generations. Sure, you might stop it for a few years, but before we know it, your kids will be dealing with exactly the same thing,” and that sentence makes my blood run cold because she is right.

We’re not stopping what’s inevitable. We’re just delaying it.

The first-born son will become heir.

If they choose to sell the land… then so be it.

She sighs as she sits down, and Tripp reaches his hand across the table and covers hers with his.

A fire burns in my stomach, and I find myself storming from the room and out of the front door.

Climbing into the truck, I glance the time. Four p.m.

Not too late for an unannounced visit to the new neighbours.

Pulling out of my family’s ranch, I drive towards Blossom Cove. Slowing when I see their sign, I turn my blinker on and drive down the red dirt road before cutting the engine just before the car port.

Blood thrashes through my veins and I have no idea why, but my mom’s words haunt me. Maybe because it is the truth. We can fight to save our little corner of earth, but we can only save it for so long.

Greed wins most of the time.

But not now.

Sure, years down the line our kids may decide to sell, but until then, I’ll be fighting to my last dying breath to make sure no one gets their hands on my legacy.

On my families legacy.

On their legacy.

Climbing the three steps, my boots hit the wooden porch, and I knock softly on the door.

I wait for what feels like hours before Nate opens the door.

“Pacey, all okay?” he asks and I can hear the chatter of company.

“I need a minute,” I step forward and Nate looks over his shoulder before stepping aside and letting me in. I give him a nod and take my cap off, holding it in my hands.

“You okay?” he asks quietly, his hands fisting into his pockets.

“Can you look into a couple of people for me?” and Nate smirks.

“Sure thing.”

“Luke Montgomery, Marty Styles, and Dixie Walker.”

He blinks at me.

“Dixie as in…”

“Dixie as in…” I repeat and roll my lips. “It’s not about her man, but I need to know what comes up when you search her, can you do that for me?”

Nate nods and slips his phone out as he makes a note.

“Nate,” a loud British accent booms around the large entrance hall and I see a greying blond man stop in the archway of I am assuming the dining room.

“Xavi, this is Pacey.”

“The other Rivera boy, we have met before,” his lips twitch before he steps forward and holds his hand out for me to shake, which I do, gladly.

“That’s me,” he drops my hand and then looks to Nate. “Really sorry to just show up unannounced but I needed someone like Nate to help me.”

“You in trouble?” his odd color eyes burn into mine.

“I’ve been in trouble since the moment I was born,” I admit on a sigh and try and have a chuckle.

He laughs and Nate gives the smallest smile.

“Just some issues with suits… won’t bore you with the details,” I run my hand over my hair and Xavier looks to Nate then to me.

“We can help, I used to work in a similar sector to Nates,” and I see Nate raise a brow then look at Xavier and back to me.

“Wouldn’t say they were similar Xavi, you helped clean up messes when things went to shit.”

“Pretty much what you did was it not?” Xavier smirks and rocks into the ball of his feet, hands still tucked into his suit pant pockets.

“Now, now children,” Titus’ deep voice booms around the room and Nate rolls his eyes.

“Ah, Titty.”

“Xavi,” he grunts as he stands beside him.

“Would you like a drink?” Titus asks, stepping towards me and shaking my hand.

“No thank you,” I decline politely. “I just needed Nate’s help with something.”

“Oh yeah?” Titus looks from me to Nate to Xavi.

“Yeah,” I sigh, “got suits on my back, random guys breaking into my house and sniffing around for shit that doesn’t belong to them. Getting a little tired of it all now and just want this all dead and buried.”

The three men all exchange looks.

“We’ll help,” they say in unison and a nervous laugh bubbles out of me.

“Honestly, I really don’t want to have to drag you guys into this, I just needed Nate to look into a few people for me.”

“The bigger the army,” Xavi whistles.

“That’s the problem though, I am not sure if we need an army. We just need to cut this off from the source, but that’s the problem, I am not sure who or where the source is.”

“Leave it with us,” Nate nods then leads me to the door. “If you have any information or something that might help…” and I pause him, reaching for my phone and showing him this number.

“I need to know what this is. When I called it, it went through to a bar. I mentioned the name Marty and then they cut the phone off. Not been able to get back through since.”

Xavier raises a brow.

“I think Marty is up to no good.”

“I think you’re right,” I give Xavier a nod.

“Only problem is, I think he knows we’re onto him.

We thought it was someone else in our circle, but he wound up dead at one of the entrances of our mines.

But then again, it could have all just been a cover up.

I feel like I am walking around and not sure who to trust anymore. ”