I’ve told her to stay back, or to run. We’ve already done that part — the part where I try and convince her that it’s a bad fucking idea to follow me down the road I’ve gotta drive down now. That she should take her half of the money and just go.

…Needless to say, she’s in the truck right next to me, dead-set on coming with me. And damned if that doesn’t just get my heart swelling up inside. It’s not just that she’s a headstrong firecracker who won’t take orders from damn near anyone. It’s that she’s not budging from my side. She’s going to see this thing through. Hell, that’s a loyalty I’ve never known outside of family.

We’re on our way to the Black Lung — this shitty, grimy little bar mostly frequented by the real old-time coal miners around here. No, we’re not thirsty. Well, yeah, I could probably use a damn drink or five right now, but the reason for our visit is that the Black Lung also happens to be owned by none other than Lawson Banner and also acts as his place of business.

…We’re going because it’s time for me to pay my dues and settle up with the devil.

We pull into the lot, and I shut off the engine. It’s empty save a few trucks, and I know the place has probably been cleared out of patrons so that Law and his crew can hold this meeting.

“You should stay here,” I mutter as I open the driver’s side door and step out.

“I probably should.”

Chastity opens her door and steps right on out too, and I grin.

“It’s always gonna be like this, isn’t it?”

“Like what?”

You being this headstrong little firecracker.”

“Yep.”

She beams at me as we meet at the front of the truck. She leans up and kisses me softly.

“That might be a take it or leave it thing.”

“I’ll damn well take it then,” I growl.

She hefts the bag with my half of the cash in it and pushes it into my hands.

“You know, we could just leave. Just run away.” Her eyes search mine, a seriousness on her face. “It doesn’t have to be Belize. With this money? Shepherd, we could go anywhere.”

I nod. “Except anywhere wouldn’t change the fact that I owe this money fair and square. And it wouldn’t change the fact that my family is still here. Law isn’t the type to lean on people that way, but me fleeing the country or something might just change that. And with Colton and Tara still living here in Sugar County? And Taylor coming back from college soon?”

I shake my head.

“No. I’ve run from my own bullshit for most of my life, darlin’. But I’m not running from this.”

She bites her lip, her eyes blazing as she nods and pulls me close. “Good,” she whispers fiercely. “It was a trick question.”

I roll my eyes, grinning. “Bullshit. You’d have jumped on the first plane to wherever with me if I’d said yes.”

She sticks her tongue out at me. “Can you blame a girl for not wanting the guy she’s into to walk into a seedy bar full of gangsters he owes a shitload of money to?”

I smile, pulling her close. “So, you’re into me, huh?”

She groans into my chest. “That’s what you took from that?”

“Uh, yeah?”

She rolls her eyes, trying to hide her grin before she drags that gaze back to mine.

“Yeah, I am,” she says quietly. “I am very much into you.”

“Funny,” I growl, pulling her close. “Cause I was just gonna say that I loved you.”

She swallows, this flush creeping over her face as I pull her close and kiss her hard.

“Let’s do this thing.”

* * *

Inside the windowless bar, one of Lawson’s guys pat us down after we voluntarily hand over my guns and her shotgun. He nods us through into the main bar, and there’s the man himself.

Law Banner is a tough-looking guy. He’s big, and just as built as me or my brother, even if he’s easily got fifteen years on me. He’s a good-looking guy too, I’ll give him that. A strong jaw, these intense, downright freakishly blue eyes, hair silvered at the corners making him look distinguished, not old, and this silvered goatee and mustache. He’s sitting with his arms folded over his chest, his denim shirt rolled up to the elbows with his tattoo ink showing. But when we walk in, he nods, standing and stretching his muscled form.

“I’m surprised.”

“That I’m here?”

He shrugs. “A bit.”

“A debt is a debt,” I growl.

Law and me? Well, our family’s got bad blood going way back. Someone’s cousin shot someone else’s grand-nephew or some hillbilly shit like that. Honestly, I don’t even know the full story, I just know that Banners and Bronsons tend to get along like napalm and fire.

It also doesn’t help that a few months before I borrowed half a million bucks from the guy, I had a gun pointed at him on my brother Colton’s front porch. A misunderstanding that got cleared up, but just the same — you might describe our professional relationship as frosty at best.

I drop the bag of cash on the table and nod. “It’s all there.”

Law’s brows raise, and he nods. He gives a quick glance at Chastity — not like he’s checking her out, which is good because even with his three armed men here, I’d take his fucking head off if he looked at her like that. But now, it’s more like he’s sizing her up and seeing clearly that she’s more than just some pretty face I pulled in here with me.

“I’m impressed, kid,” he grumbles, unzipping the bag and glancing inside. The guy who patted us down moves next to us, laying my guns on one of the bar tables and leaning her shotgun against the edge of it. I glance at them, but when I bring my eyes back up to his, I see that hard look and that head shake.

I just grin at him.

Law clears his throat. “Though I wager I know how you got this.”

“You asking?”

“It have anything to do with that shit-heel Billy-Ray getting his cookhouse ripped off yesterday morning?”

I grin, and I’m about to respond when suddenly, the door to the bar behind us kicks in with a smashing sound. Law’s guys are quick, but not that quick, and suddenly, me, Chastity, Law, and all three of his guys are putting our hands up as four guys with guns train them right on us.

Well, shit.

One of them steps forward, and instantly, that “well shit” I muttered inside just doesn’t quite do the situation enough justice. Because suddenly, standing in front of us with a gun in my face is Billy-Ray Coleman.

…And man he does not look too happy.

“You’re making a big fucking mistake here,” Law growls lowly behind me, his baritone thundering through the room.

But Billy-Ray just chuckles. “Says you, old man?” He grins, shaking his head. Billy-Ray is about my age, with these beady little eyes, a piggish nose, and one of those stupid fucking thin, chin-strap beards that looks like it was drawn on with a goddamn crayon. I mean the man has a fucking diamond tooth, like he’s some sort of gangster out of a music video.

He grins at Law. “Nah, old man, you’re just mad cause I’m muscling in on your county. Well, deal with it. Your time is over.”

He turns, and when his eyes narrow on Chastity, I growl. My hands clench to fists, and I take a step forward to move between him and her, but one of his guys shoves me back.

“You think I wouldn’t recognize you, you dumb bitch?”

Chastity’s jaw tightens, and I can see that fierce green fire in her eyes.

“Either of you bother to really even look at the people who happened to be at the cookhouse the other morning when you kicked in my damn doors?”

He sighs. “I was there, you stupid cunt. Wearing a mask like my cooks because, well—” He shrugs. “It’s a fuckin’ meth lab. Oh, but I was there. And I knew it was you the second you opened that pretty mouth of yours.” He sighs, and this time, he turns to me.

“Oh, and you?” He smiles wickedly as his eyes narrow on me. “You it wasn’t hard to find. I just asked around who the dumbest motherfucker around was who’d be stupid enough to steal from me. I checked that with a list of ‘dumb shits who owe a lot of money’ and surprise-fucking-surprise, there you are.”

His eyes narrow to slits on me, and his smile vanishes.

“Hand it over.”

“It’s not his to give,” Law growls.

“And I don’t give a flying fuck, old man,” Billy-Ray spits. “It’s mine now.”

“You take that,” Law says lowly, his voice edged. “And you’re taking from me.”

“Good,” Billy-Ray snickers.

My eyes dart around at his crew. These aren’t tough guys. Actually, most of them look about as strung out and fucked up as the cooks back at the meth lab. I hesitate for one more second, and then I make my move.

…Problem is, so does Law.

The room erupts into chaos as Law grabs for the bag of cash on the table the same time as I make a grab for the gun in one of Billy-Ray’s guy’s hands. But seeing as all attention is on that bag of money, when Law yanks it off the table, every gun in the room swivels at him, and I miss by a fucking inch. Instead, I tumble into the guy, who swears and shoves me back, sticking that gun right in my face.

Shit.

Billy-Ray swears loudly, and suddenly there’s a scream as he grabs Chastity and yanks her into him. I roar, lunging for her before one of his guys sinks a fist into my gut. I hiss, doubling up for a second as the wind gets knocked right out of me. But I’m up, and I’m going right for him again before Billy-Ray suddenly yanks a gun out of his belt and jabs it right against Chastity’s temple.

I go still as stone.

Slowly, Billy-Ray smiles thinly.

“Yeah, let’s put a stop to the bullshit right the fuck now.” He swivels to Law, the gun still on Chastity’s head. “The money, now.”

“Go fuck yourself, kid.”

I can’t tell if I want to grin at the balls on Law or fucking punch him in the face for pissing off a guy with a gun to the head of the woman I love.

“The money, now.”

“Eat a dick,” Law growls, spitting on the floor by Billy-Ray’s feet.

The drug dealer snarls, pushing the gun right against her head, and I hiss as every muscle in my body coils, like I’m just waiting for an opportunity to lung at him.

“It’s her or the money, how about that?”

“She ain’t mine,” Law shrugs.

I turn, my lips curling into a snarl at him. But his face stays hard, glaring right at Billy-Ray, who starts to snicker.

“Ahh, right, she’s yours, huh?” His eyes narrow dangerously at me. “You know, you stole from me.”

“No shit.”

He sneers. “Not the money, shit-bag, her.”

“No, the money I stole. Her you never had,” I hiss.

“Bullshit,” Billy-Ray mutters. “She was mine — part of the deal I had with her father.”

“That how you get all your dates, douchebag?”

I know I’m pushing him, but I keep going. Because I know guys like Billy-Ray. Back in the poker scene, I could and did spot them a mile away. Because guys like this asshole are easy money. They lose their cool real easy, and when they lose their cool, they get careless and sloppy. And careless and sloppy at a card table with me will get you broke faster than you can blink.

That’s what I’m betting on here. I’m betting on ticking him off enough that he gets sloppy. And when he gets sloppy here? Well, I’m not gonna take his money in a card game.

…I’m gonna put him in the ground.

“That how you pick up girls? Pay their daddies for a date?” I roll my eyes. “Man, sounds like you’re a real player.”

Billy-Ray’s eyes narrow dangerously. “You think I paid him? Fuck that. He came to me. He saw the empire I was building down here with the all those meth-heads that Lawson here won’t sell to—”

“Cause it’s fuckin’ poison,” the older man growls.

“It’s solid gold is what it is,” Billy-Ray spits back. “And her daddy saw a business opportunity. And hell, so did I. He’d fund my operations and get us going to the next level, and I’d make us both rich. This little smart-mouthed bitch here was just to sweeten the deal. Make it worth my while.”

He takes a breath. Fuck, he’s so close to losing it, and when he does, I’m gonna be there. And my hands are going to be wrapped around his throat for ever thinking he could put a gun to the girl I love’s head.

“But just wait a second.”

Billy-Ray smiles.

“She’s yours, you say?”

“I’m warning you—”

“And this old asshole won’t give up the money?”

His grin gets even bigger.

“Tell you what, shit-bag. It’s the money for her. So,” he shrugs. “Get my money.”

He nods at one of his guys, and suddenly, the man is handing me a fucking gun. I stare at it for a second, not quite believing it. But then, I get what Billy-Ray is doing here, and I know that gun of his is still pointed right at her. He wants me to get that money from Law at gunpoint, and he knows with Chastity’s life in his hands like that, I damn well will.

My fingers curl around the handle, and slowly, I heft it in my hand.

“Don’t think you’re smart here, asshole,” Billy-Ray mutters. “Don’t be the hero. Just get my money, and you and this bitch will walk out of here.” He nods at Law. “Go on, get it.”

My muscles clench, my hand tightening like iron around the handle of the gun. I look at Law, and slowly, I raise the gun. Yeah, I don’t have to hesitate here, because there’s no choice to make. I don’t have to “decide” anything, because the answer is and always will be her.

She matters more than anything. She matters more than anything I’ve ever known, and I know without a second thought that she’s it for me.

So fuck whatever comes next. If it means stealing from Law Banner — fuck, if it means killing him, I’ll do it. Easily.

“Now, dipshit,” Billy-Ray hisses.

And I’m about to do it. The gun raises, I point right at Law, and I’m about to open my mouth, when suddenly, Billy-Ray finally does.

…He finally gets sloppy.

“You know, shame that you ruined her,” he mutters. I turn, my eyes narrowing as I watch his eyes slide over Chastity. He leans in, like he’s smelling her fucking hair, and the beast inside of me almost snaps.

“But shit, you know what? Maybe before I hand her over to you, I’ll have one little taste, huh?” He grins, winking at me before he turns to her. “What do you say, babe? How about you and I go into the back room here and I’ll show you just what you’re miss—”

Chastity stamps down with the heel of her boot on Billy-Ray’s sneaker-clad toe.

Hard.

…And there’s my opening.

It goes down in slow motion. Billy-Ray swears, shoving Chastity away from him as he goes for his foot. The gun raises in my hand, Chastity ducks aside, and even as one of his guys tackles into me, I pull the trigger. Billy-Ray screams, stumbling back as my shot goes wild and wings his shoulder.

Fuck.

The whole damn place explodes into chaos — Law’s guys lunging at Billy-Ray’s guys, Billy-Ray’s guys lunging at Law’s guys. I shove the guy who tackled me away, and I’m trying to get my gun up, but even with everything moving in slow motion, I know I’m not gonna make it in time. I watch, time slowing to a crawl, as Billy-Ray clutches at his bleeding shoulder, turns to Chastity lying on the floor where he threw her, and raises his gun.

And I act.

I yell her name, and my foot jabs out, kicking the shotgun they left propped up against the bar table. The gun spins across the floor to her, and she snatches it up and swings the barrel right up to Billy-Ray.

The whole room just sort of freezes at the sound of her chambering a round, and Billy-Ray’s brows go up.

“Naw,” he growls, shaking his head as a slow smile spreads across his face. “You ain’t gonna—”

The shot comes out of nowhere. The sound is deafening as it thunders through the dingy bar. But Billy-Ray doesn’t make a sound as he goes flying forward and tumbling over a bar table, slumping to the ground in a motionless heap.

Law’s guys move fast, and so do I — getting the jump on Billy-Ray’s men and disarming them before they can even blink.

She didn’t shoot him.

Chastity is still sitting there, blinking, her face white as she stares at the gun in her hand, and the trigger she never pulled. I turn, and it’s when I see the smoking sawed-off in Law’s hands that I know what happened.

I lunge for her, pulling her up and into my chest, wrapping my arms tight around her like I ain’t never gonna let her go.

“Chastity—”

“I’m fine,” she whispers into my chest, hugging me tight. She lifts her face, her eyes shining as she looks up into mine. “I’m okay, really.” She grins. “Are you okay, princess?”

I chuckle. “That what I am?”

“Well, I think I just saved your pretty ass.”

“You like my ass huh?”

“I do actually,” she grins, kissing me.

Law clears his throat, and she blushes as she pulls away, both of us turning to him.

“Well,” he drawls, arching a brow. “That shit sure got interesting.”

He sighs, dropping the shotgun onto the bar table and sinking into a chair.

“Boys, how are we?”

One of Law’s guys nods. “We’re good boss.” A quick glance has all three of Law’s men looking battered but okay. Billy-Ray and one of his men are dead, with the other the other two looking in pretty bad shape.

“Good.” Law’s jaw grinds, his eyes darting between Chastity and me.

“Either of you have a problem with what just went down?”

“Nope.” I don’t blink as I meet his gaze and answer. “And your money’s all there,” I nod at the bag. “As for the rest—”

Law shakes his head. “Nah, no rest.” He smiles thinly. “I think we can drop the interest on this seeing as it was you running your mouth as usual that just turned those tables just now.”

I’m not gonna argue with the man on that count.

“Shepherd,” he growls, sighing. “A word of advice?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t take money from men like me anymore.”

I grin, pulling Chastity into me. “Don’t plan on it.”

“What about your land?” Law smirks as my face betrays my surprise. “This is still my county, kid. I know everything that goes on in Sugar County. You were gonna buy Wilson’s land.”

I shake my head. “Another day. Or not. Doesn’t look like it was meant to be.”

“I could loan you the money.”

I snort. “Uh, yeah, I’ll pass.”

Lawson grins. “Good. I like a man who doesn’t need to be told a lesson twice. Now, if you’ll pardon me kicking you out, I’ve got some trash to pick up and drop down a mine shaft some—”

“Mr. Banner?”

Chastity cuts him off, which, I have to say, is a ballsy fucking move when it comes to Lawson Banner. The look on his face seems to convey that he’s thinking the same thing.

“Yeah?”

She clears her throat, turning and pointing to a corner of the room — at a modern looking security camera I didn’t even notice.

“Those security cameras—”

“Miss,” Law chuckles. “You think today is the worst shit those cameras have ever seen in this bar?” He shakes his head. “Don’t worry, the recordings are under lock and—”

“Do they have audio?”

He pauses, eying her. Again, like he’s seeing that there’s way more to her than what you catch at first gorgeous glance.

“Yeah, they do.”

She nods, and suddenly, she’s reaching into her back pocket, pulling out a thick wad of cash — presumably from her half of the take — and slapping it on the table in front of Law.

“I’ll give you twenty thousand for the tapes of what just happened.”

Law arches a brow.

“You can edit or delete out the part with you shooting him, I just want the minute before that.”

Slowly, I realize what she’s up to. So does Law, because he starts to grin.

“Oh, I think I like you.”

He turns to one of his guys. “Grab one of those thumb drives and make a copy for the lady. From that dipshit kicking my door in to right after quick-draw over here puts a shot in the guy’s shoulder.”

The man nods and jumps behind the bar, pulling out a laptop and going to work.

“Let’s say this is on the house, provided they don’t get into the hands of law enforcement.” He gives me a hard look. “And if you’re wondering why I asked him to give the recording of through you shooting that prick, well, that’s my insurance that you won’t.”

“Got it, boss.”

The guy behind the bar tosses a small thumb USB drive at Law, who catches it and extends his hand out to Chastity.

“Don’t lose sleep over it, by the way.”

She frowns. “Over what?”

“Over not pulling the trigger. Look, you got balls, darlin’. But it doesn’t take balls to kill man, it just takes something dark inside. And if you don’t have that, that ain’t nothing to be upset about, trust me.” He grins as he drops the thumb drive into her hand.

“Plus, it gave me the satisfaction of taking that fuck-head out myself.”

“Thank you, Mr. Banner.”

“You’re welcome.”

She turns, and I slip my arm around her as I nod at Law and turn for the door.

“Hey. One other thing.”

I stop, and slowly, we both turn back to him.

“Since the two of you seem pretty good at kicking over meth labs and all…” his face darkened. “You know none of that shit is part of my business. And I don’t want it anywhere near Sugar County. This isn’t just where I do business, this is where I’m from. This is my home, and I want that fuckin’ poison out of here.” He shrugs. “Seems I might be looking for a couple of quick-draw types who’re good on their feet who might just be interested.”

My brow raises. “In knocking over meth labs?”

“Amongst other things.”

“Such as?”

“Robbing from and generally fucking up the works of anyone who tries to muscle in on Sugar County, especially with drugs. Whatever you’d take would be yours — cash, whatever. But burn the operations, flush the drugs.” He smiles that dark grin of his, folding his arms over his barrel chest.

“You two in?”

I blink, turning to Chastity, who looks about as bewildered as I am.

“You…” She frowns. “So, you want us to go around robbing and shutting down your competition?”

“Not competition. Cancer. Cancer on this region. Yeah, it’s good for my business if they ain’t here, but it’s good for this community too. Plus,” he chuckles. “Well, seems you might already know now that there’s some very good money in robbing from drug dealers.”

Chastity and I lock eyes, both of us trying to read the other.

“Can we think about it?”

He chuckles darkly, nodding at me before he turns and heads behind the bar, grabbing a beer and cracking the cap off.

“You go do you. But, whatever you decide?” He looks right at me. “We’re square, kid. Let’s keep it that way.”

I nod, I slip my arm around the girl I love, and we walk right on out of there.