Page 116 of Trick or Tease

He raised an eyebrow at my tone but didn’t seem particularly concerned about offending me. Typical.

“Right. Well, anyway, I need to find Garrett. We have some contracts to finalize.”

I forced a smile that probably looked more like a snarl. “Of course you do. Tell you what. I’ll go find Garrett for you.” I gestured toward the corn maze. “But since you’re so interested in what the farm has to offer, why don’t you take a tour while you wait? Get the full experience.”

I caught the eye of Jake, one of the football players who’d been helping out all season. He was built like a linebacker and had a mischievous streak that I had grown to appreciate. He was the rowdy one. The one we had to gently lecture about being too scary for the kids. I waved him over.

“Jake, this is Mr. Geiss,” I said sweetly. “He’s very interested in seeing what our corn maze has to offer. Since he’s never experienced anything like this before, make sure he gets the full treatment. Really show him what we’re all about.”

Jake’s eyes lit up with understanding, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Oh, absolutely. I’ll make sure he has an unforgettable experience.”

“That’s really not necessary—” Ron started to protest, but Jake was already taking hold of his arm with one massive hand.

“Come on, Mr. Geiss! You’re gonna love this. We’ve got some special surprises just for visitors like you.”

“I’d rather just wait here—” Ron tried again, but Jake was already steering him toward the maze entrance with the kind of gentle but irresistible force that came from years of moving much smaller people around on a football field.

“Trust me, you don’t want to miss this,” Jake called back to me with a wink.

I watched them disappear into the corn maze, Ron’s protests fading as they moved deeper into the twisting paths. A few seconds later, I heard a genuine cry of terror echoing from somewhere in the maze.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Jake and the other kids were going to give Garrett’s boss the full Halloween experience, whether he wanted it or not.

My momentary satisfaction faded quickly, replaced by the burning anger that had been simmering all day. Ron’s presence here meant this sale was moving forward, contracts and all. Garrett wasn’t just planning to betray us—he was actively doing it, right now, while we were all working our asses off to make his family’s farm successful.

I needed to find him and let him know his puppet master had arrived.

It took me another ten minutes to track Garrett down. I found him near the trebuchets, helping a group of kids load pumpkins while their parents took pictures. He was smiling and laughing, playing the part of the devoted family man, and it made me sick.

I marched up to him, not caring that there were families around. “Your asshole boss is here,” I said loudly enough that several people turned to look.

Garrett’s face went pale. “What?”

“Ron Geiss. He’s been looking for you all day, apparently. Something about contracts that need finalizing.” I practically spat the words at him. “Go collect him at the corn maze exit in about ten minutes. Jake’s giving him the full experience.”

I didn’t wait for his response. I turned on my heel and walked away, wanting no part of whatever corporate bullshit he had going on. Let him deal with his boss and his contracts and his seven-point-two-million-dollar betrayal.

I was done being part of Garrett Hogan’s lies.

44

GARRETT

Iheaded toward the corn maze, my jaw clenched tight enough to crack teeth. The nerve of Ron. I told him I needed time to talk this through with Billy, that I never actually promised the land was for sale. But of course, that didn’t matter to him. Ron operated under the assumption that the world revolved around him and that money could solve any problem or bulldoze any obstacle.

Fucking rich people.

I stopped dead in my tracks as that thought hit me. Up until a few days ago, I looked up to Ron. I wanted to be him. I emulated the man. I wanted to be successful, powerful, and respected in legal circles. I had spent years trying to prove myself worthy of his approval, working late nights and weekends to climb the ladder at his firm.

I wanted his acknowledgement like a fucking kid deprived of his parents’ attention.

But now? Now I couldn’t imagine wanting to be anything like him. The thought of turning into someone who saw dollar signs where other people saw homes, community, and legacy made my stomach turn.

I found him stumbling out of the maze exit, his expensive suit rumpled and twisted, pieces of hay sticking out of his perfectly styled hair. His face was flushed red with fury, and his eyes were wild. He looked like he had been through a war zone instead of a corn maze designed for families.

Then I saw Jake walk out behind him grinning like he just had the time of his life.

I knew that look. And I knew exactly what he had done to Ron.