Cowboy Casanova - Lorelei James [108]
Ben had called her again today. First thing. He’d been nice. Polite. Purposely un-Dom-like. And he’d gotten the same damn response. A polite fucking brush off.
It’d taken every ounce of strength not to march into her office, throw her over his shoulder and drag her to his place, where he could tie her to the bed, and make her listen to him. Make her understand that he fucking loved her. And this waiting to tell her what she meant to him was killing him.
His phone rang. He’d barely said hello, when Kane barked, “Ben? Hope you ain’t busy, but we’re in need of your peacekeeping abilities.”
“What’s goin’ on?”
“Tell and Colt got into it, and now Brandt and Dalton jumped in. I can’t hold ’em all back from beatin’ the shit outta Colt.”
“Where are you?”
“Uncle Casper’s place.”
Ben hit the brakes and spun a U-turn in the middle of the road. “On my way.”
Seven minutes later he reached the turnoff to Casper’s place.
Tell stood nose to nose with Colt. Brandt and Dalton flanked Tell on either side. Kane had positioned himself to Colt’s right. Their focus shifted when Ben skidded into the driveway. He jumped out of his truck, noticing Colt had seized the opportunity to step back a couple of feet.
“Hey, guys. What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s none of your fuckin’ business what’s goin’ on, Ben, so back the fuck off and go home,” Tell snarled.
That threw him off. Tell was the most even-keeled one in the family. “Fine. Me’n Colt and Kane will go.”
“Colt ain’t goin’ nowhere until he gives us some fuckin’ answers.”
Tell started to push into Colt’s face again, but Ben stepped between them. “Back off, Tell.”
“No. Move outta the way.”
“I said. Back. Off.”
That tone caught Tell’s attention. Some of the rage in his eyes momentarily cleared.
Ben pointed to Colt and Tell. “Now someone start talking.”
“Yeah, Colt, you heard what Ben said. Start talking,” Dalton sneered.
Colt’s arms were folded across his chest. “This would be easier for all of us if you’d just move aside and let me get what I came for.”
“Where is he?”
“Where is who?” Ben asked with total confusion.
“Our dad,” Brandt said. “He’s been gone five days.”
“Five days? Why’s this the first I’ve heard of it?” He looked at Kane.
“Hey, it was the first I’ve heard of it too. How come no one told us he was gone?”
“Don’t pretend you give a shit about Casper. None of you even bothered to come by and see him after Mom left,” Tell said.
Ben disputed that statement. “Quinn came by about six months ago and Casper threatened to shoot him. So I’ll hazard a guess you don’t know everyone that stopped by to check on him.”
But Brandt, Dalton and Tell were focused on Colt. Fists clenched. Eyes hard.
“Go ahead and take a swing at me,” Colt said. “Won’t change nothin’.”
“Nobody is takin’ a swing at no one,” Kane said. “And quit fuckin’ taunting them, Colt. It ain’t helpin’.”
“Will somebody please tell me what the fuck is goin’ on?” Ben demanded.
Colt said, “I stopped by to get something Casper asked for. These guys won’t let me in the house to get it.”
“Because he won’t tell us where Dad is.”
Kane drawled, “Ain’t this fun? Been at this point since I called you.”
Ben addressed Colt. “So is Casper staying with you or something?”
“Or something would cover it.”
He sensed Colt wanted to talk, but their cousins had pushed him in the corner and he wouldn’t be the first to back out. “Come on, Colt, give ’em more than that. Obviously they’re worried.”
“Coulda fooled me,” he muttered.
“You are such a smug asshole,” Tell hissed.
Ben glared at his cousin. “Not helping. And I wouldn’t talk to you either if you said shit like that to me, so shut it, Tell.”
No one said anything for a solid minute.
Colt dropped the defensive posture. “Fine.