Authors: RJ Scott
Austin was with another cowboy, a tall skinny guy with spiky blond hair, a skin problem, and an attitude. The hair and skin Riley had seen when the other guy knocked into him, up close and personal, in the line for burgers. The attitude was obvious from tall-and-skinny staring right at Riley with a sneer of contempt. There was something in those eyes that threatened violence and the scent of beer on the guy's breath hit Riley like a brick. Riley hoped to God the man wasn't bull riding or going anywhere near any livestock in this rodeo; he looked frustrated and angry and just plain drunk.
Riley deliberately looked at the retreating skinny guy and then back to the one person he was trying to avoid. Austin
freaking
Hemmings.
"Friend?" Riley said. He immediately regretted saying anything as Austin's eyes lit up with an unholy glee.
"Another one of Jack's exes," Austin said. "Surprised Jack didn't make you a list."
Riley shrugged. He wanted to say something quick and witty and profound. Hell, what he really wanted to do was pound Austin into the dirt.
"Not bothered about the past," he said. That was his way of cutting Austin dead. He tipped his hat and walked away without looking back, although he could feel the weight of Austin's stare. Quite apart from circling Jack and pissing in a circle around him there was only one way he could think of reinforcing his claim on his husband. Failing full-blown public sex he settled for eating his burger and then finding Jack for a kiss or a hug or something.
Finding Jack was easy. He was sitting on a gate—at the center of a group of similarly dressed guys and two girls, all chatting away about horses and training, and Jack's expression was animated. Riley could watch the man all day but really, he should make himself known.
"Hey, cowboy," Riley said.
"Riley!" Jack's eyes lit up. "Guys, this is Riley." Jack slid off of the gate and pulled Riley to him in an embrace. Riley leaned into the hug and grinned at his husband. There were more catcalls and a couple of suggestive remarks before Riley moved to one side. Standing here together, with his fingers threaded possessively through Jack's belt loops, Riley had never felt happier. Austin walked past and glanced briefly at Jack. There was a frown between Jack's eyes but it cleared when someone spoke to him.
Something about Austin Hemmings made Riley's gut turn.
"You want to get out of here?" Jack had finished his part of today's festivities and the rodeo was quieting down for today.
"You sure? You all done?" Riley didn't want Jack to have to leave early on his account. He was enjoying seeing his husband being the center of attention and dealing with it so well. He couldn't have been prouder of the man he married.
"I need a beer, a shower, and you. In that order." Riley smiled. He could get with that. "Rusty Nail?" "Rusty Nail."
Despite the brawl they'd taken part in a few years
before, the Rusty Nail welcomed Riley and Jack on a frequent basis. The bar in the middle of nowhere was a rundown place that only remained standing, in Riley's opinion, due to dirt and willpower. The beer was cold and the food was hot, it was close to the Rodeo and that was exactly what he needed.
The bar itself was halfway between the showground and the Double D, and they made it there in good time. Jack was quiet and had slid down in his seat a little on the journey over but he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as soon as they arrived.
Steaks ordered and beer in hand, the two men ensconced themselves in a corner and people-watched. A lot of the rodeo participants had made their way here. The bar was a good place to shoot the breeze and not feel like you had to be something different than you were. The air was ripe with laughter and cursing and congratulations to winners. Riley relaxed inch by inch, and to his credit only tensed a little when Austin and skinny guy walked in with two or three other cowboys.
Riley debated telling Jack what Austin had said about the list. But knowing Jack's temper it would probably not go down so well. Instead, he pointedly ignored even thinking about the guy and turned his attention to Jack, who was talking to him.
"…noticed he was a little spaced out."
"Sorry?" Riley had clearly missed something. "Sean." Jack tilted his beer and swallowed a good
"I noticed that." Riley bristled at the memory. The guy was all over Eden like a rash, and yeah, Riley liked the guy, but something was going on with him. If Jack had noticed too then maybe he should get a PI to tail Sean and see what was going on. He'd better not be cheating on Eden or—
"Riley!" Jack was snapping fingers in front of his face and Riley startled. "Wherever you freaky brain is taking this you need to take a step back. He clearly adores Eden, I just think maybe, on his last trip overseas with the Marines, he could have experienced some things that make a man stop and think."
"So why go back?" Riley leaned back in his chair and huffed his disapproval. "He doesn't need to do that. He's not a forces guy, he's a goddamned civilian."
"Would you respect him if he stayed here and didn't finish out his contract? Do you want that kind of guy for your sister?"
Damn Jack and his ability to cut through the bullshit.
"She's my sister," Riley said helplessly.
"Let him know how you feel. At least then you can stop worrying that he doesn't know how it affects you. Talk to him, het-boy. "
Riley smiled at the familiar nickname, and their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their food and another beer for Jack. Riley was driving and one beer was enough now that he was a responsible daddy and husband.
They ate companionably for a while. The noise of the growing crowd made intimate conversation difficult anyway and when they had finished, they both stood to leave by silent agreement.
"Going so soon, Jackson? Husband got you whipped?"
Austin's voice was loud, raucously so, and right in Riley's ear, causing him to jerk away in surprise.
"Little jumpy, aren't we?" Austin added with a laugh.
Riley looked to Jack but his husband was pointedly ignoring Austin and shrugging on his jacket, ready to leave. Riley took a step farther away from Austin.
"Fuck off, Austin," he snapped.
Jack nodded and together they made their way through the crowd toward the door. Jack was swallowed by the crowd and Riley got snagged up by two cowgirls who evidently thought he was a stripper's pole. Laughing, he encouraged them to one side and then continued to catch up his husband.
Someone grabbed at Riley's jacket and caught him off balance—able to haul him close. Austin. The guy's breath smelled of hard liquor and beer and Riley grimaced.
"Bet he spends more time fucking with his horses than he does fucking you," Austin said. "You like cowboys? You get tossed by him like I was and you're horny, come find me."
"I said, fuck off." Riley pulled his sleeve free but it appeared Austin wasn't finished.
"He was a shit fuck anyway—"
Riley lost it between one heartbeat and the next. Worry about Sean and Eden had started the irritation inside him and the crowd pressing in around him and now Austin giving attitude and shit just made it worse. Anger rolled through him in a wave and he spun on his heel and hit fist to flesh in a second. The sheer number of people stopped Austin falling to the floor but quite a few drinks spilled, and the mood of the crowd went from mellow to what-thefuck in seconds. Austin was pushed back, and with the weight of his body behind him, he aimed straight at Riley's face. Riley managed to dodge the blow enough so that the hit connected with his neck but regretted the move as soon as dizziness forced him to grab hold of the nearest body to stay upright. That same body pushed him away and this time Austin's fist connected with Riley's chin.
Riley saw red. He blocked the next hit and then, using his superior height, he followed through with several punches. Skinny guy was there at his left and Riley tensed as he now had two assailants in this crowd. A hand yanked at his arm and dragged him backward.
"We're moving this outside." Jack's voice.
Riley tried to pull back but as he stumbled out into the fresh air he realized Austin and skinny guy were following as was a group of hangers-on who evidently wanted to watch.
"What happened, Riley?" Jack asked urgently.
"I hit him. He hit me," Riley answered and took a step toward Austin. Austin took a step back and Riley could see he was nursing a broken nose. Chalk that up as one for the office guy.
"He's an asshole," Jack said firmly. "We're leaving."
"That's right—take your pretty boy home before I stomp him in the dirt, Jacky boy," Austin threatened from the safety of the group of people around him.
Silence.
"What did he do, Austin? Hmmm? Did he dismiss you out of hand? Did he call you on your bullshit?" Jack was deceptively calm. Riley could see the temper in Jack's eyes and feel the ice that dripped in his voice. "He's a bit big to force yourself on though…"
Gradually as Jack spoke, one by one, the small group of watchers melted away until only the four men remained.
"Now Jack—"
"Austin, you're going to want to turn around and take yourself back into the bar," Riley said. He deliberately stood between Jack and Austin. "Else I think Jack'll hurt you."
The men stood in a face-off until with a loud "fuck" Austin turned and walked straight back into the Rusty Nail, skinny guy following.
Riley couldn't stop the huff of a laugh that left his mouth and when he turned to Jack he saw a familiar smile on his husband's face.
"You enjoyed that," Jack said.
"He deserved it," Riley replied.
"Wanna go home now, het-boy?"
Riley gripped Jack's hand and together they walked to the 4x4. They stopped at Jack's door. Gently Jack cradled Riley's face.
"You're bleeding," he said. He wiped at blood on the corner of Riley's mouth and then, with a soft press of his lips, he sealed the hurt with a kiss.
Riley melted. Right there in the parking lot of the Rusty Nail with someone's jealousy and anger marked into his face he fell in love with Jack all over again.
When Ernst Christian turned up at his office without an appointment Riley knew something was wrong. This assumption was backed up by the way Ernst shut the door behind him. Not only that, but there was a very serious expression on his co-investor's face as Ernst carefully placed the sheaf of papers on Riley's desk. Ernst was another stalwart in the Texas oil industry and had never really seen eye to eye with Gerald Hayes, one of the reasons Riley approached him to be part of the first CH consulting project. When he agreed to place money behind Riley's first foray into ethical exploration he had shaken his hand and said he had faith in Riley.
Riley remembered those words to this day. He glanced down at the paperwork and recognized the CH logo. The papers were the bound copies of the research report backing up the potential ten percent increase on returns and the investment in local economies.
"Would you like coffee?"
"No."
"Something stronger?" Riley was asking out of politeness but Ernst waved it away. Evidently this was more important than the usual business hellos.
"Someone gave these papers to me today. I think you should look at them."
"The reports from CH?" Riley said. "The ones from the meeting?"
"The person who gave them to me claims that the calculations and assumptions you used were based on falsified results and that these new copies are of the originals you amended."
"Who gave them to you, Ernst?"
"Is it true?" Ernst looked pale. As well he would. Inaccurate figures at this stage could get them the contract with the inability to fund the work, which would incur huge fines and then cut severely into any small perceived profit. Riley was well aware Christex Oil was in some financial trouble. He tried not to take it personally.
"You are asking me if the paperwork I supplied you with to inform your decision on this investment was falsified in any way?" Riley refused to feel accused. "Then I say no. Whatever you received from me is the correct data. This version of the report is nothing more than lies."
"My analysts looked at it and they say what is in the new report, which looks to be from your office, makes for some very interesting reading. They say the differences are subtle enough so as not to make much difference to an untrained eye. But they can't be sure one way or another which is correct without going back to the very beginning of it all."
Riley held his frustration very close to him. They were literally days away from hearing if their bid had been accepted. Financially he probably could stand to lose one investor but to lose Ernst and maybe some of the others who had been fed the lies in an altered report? That would leave CH unable to take this bid forward. They were so close.
"Who gave you this new information and implied I had withheld something from the syndicate?"
"Josiah Harrold."
Riley sat back in his chair. What possible benefit could Josiah gain from stopping a deal at this late stage? He was as exposed as the next man in this small team of investors. He stood to make a huge profit despite only getting twenty percent when he had demanded thirty.
Ernst continued. What he said made everything absolutely clear.
"He's been working up an alternative consortium— says he already has four investors and wants us to move over to what he says. Our percentage would be lower, it's not an equal split, but he says he has an alternative in place. Going in at a much more reasonable level of bid, cutting back on some of the ethical concerns, maybe hiring outside of the county…" Ernst's voice trailed away. He looked confused.
If there was one person in the group Riley thought would have his back it was Ernst. He was a good man under incredible pressure in both his private life and financially since the Gulf spill. Riley respected him.
"The point of CH consulting is to assist companies like yours to create local jobs and to be a positive force in the economy while balancing the needs for fuel—"
"Josiah said we can't rely on your —"
"This was the reason why you came on board, Ernst. You said you wanted more for your inheritance than some old seventies oil company with no thought for anything past money."
"That isn't the point, Riley. I'm nervous. I want to believe you wouldn't screw us over, but, hell, I don't know you as well as I should, son. Is what Josiah said true?"
"I said no."
"You know how much money Christex has tied up in compensation schemes."
Ernst looked tired and Riley went to the mini-fridge in the corner of his room and pulled out two beers. He cracked the tops and handed one to Ernst, who took it without hesitation. Swallowing half the bottle's contents in one go he then straightened in his chair. "You have to know that I'm considering withdrawing from the syndicate."
"Ernst, you've spent so long working with me to get to this stage. I can take your analysts through the entire setup to approve the figures again. Reassure you that what I am doing here is sound."
"It isn't that, Riley. You have to know that Josiah has put in a rival bid and has asked myself and the others to push our investment his way."
"Using my research," Riley said. He couldn't help the bitterness in his voice and felt the need for revenge well up inside him. Clearly the feelings inside were showing on his face as Ernst held up a hand in a gesture of defense. Riley forced himself to calm down. He wasn't angry with Ernst, it was a different target he had in his head.
"I'm not saying yes to him. But what if Helmes and Masters do? You and I couldn't pull this off on our own and I can't risk the financial exposure."
Riley considered what Ernst was saying. He was right. What if Helmes and Masters jumped ship to Josiah and then Ernst did the same. That left Riley with an unworkable bid and months of work wasted.
Holding up a hand he simply said, "Wait."
First call—his dad. Second one to Jack telling him he would be home late. Then calls to both Helmes and Masters asking them to meet. If Josiah was trying to screw with him then he had chosen the wrong man to do it to. Should they meet here? Maybe his office was too obvious? Josiah would expect Riley to call a meeting if anyone leaked details of this new consortium. They needed somewhere better to meet away from prying eyes. HayesOil had security and suddenly Riley sensed whatever happened next had to happen in the Tower. A theatrical backdrop to a dramatic impasse.