Page 20 of Diamond

“I told them you’re not dating because you just moved, duh.” She slaps her forehead, and I laugh. “They were asking a lot of questions.”

“Well, that’s lucky you’re my number one girl,” I say, giving her a grin.

She sighs. “Daddy? I think it’s time.”

I frown, not understanding. “For what?”

“For a girlfriend. I’m seven now. It’s okay. You don’t want to be alone forever do you?”

Sometimes I wonder what the fuck is in that cereal I give her.

I pinch her chin gently. “How about you leave all that grownup stuff to me, all right?”

“Fine, but if Sophie’s mom asks me for your number one more time, I’m going to lose it.”

I chuckle.

Seven going on seventeen, that’s my girl.

CHAPTER 10

DIAMOND

“I know, Dad, trust me, heads are gonna roll,” I say, assessing the fence as I talk to my dad on the phone. When Dustin, Sapphire, and Topaz checked the boundary this morning, they came back with grave news.

I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I can take one guess.

“I’ll be over as soon as I’m done here,” he replies. “I’ll bring supplies.”

“Dad, I have everything I need in the shed.”

“I know, but just in case.”

I smile to myself. “Thanks. See you soon.”

No matter what I say, my dad always wants to help. He lives across town on a small parcel of land with his dog, Burt, a Cavalier King Charles, and a whole bunch of animals.

“This is fucked,” Sapphire says. “We need to check the surveillance cameras.”

I give her a look. “We’ve never needed them before.”

“Right, but that was before these asswipes decided to move in on us.”

I rejected a counter offer with Mr. Lanzetti himself yesterday, and now they want a sit-down. I wonder how that affects the restraining order?

If I sit down with him today, I’ll probably slit his throat with any tool I can get my hands on. The sharper the better.

“They’ll get what’s coming to them,” I reply. “I’ll have Gem and Coral patrolling at night until this whole mess clears up.” Gem and Coral are our two prospects. Coral, also known as Lisa, usually guards the front gate, but she won’t mind a little action out on the prairie.

I run a hand over my face as Ruby grips my shoulder. We all rode out here to check on the damage. “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll get to the bottom of it, one way or the other.”

I roll my neck, wanting this nightmare to be over, but I know this is just the beginning. I’m in their way. Even if they take me out personally, my club will avenge my wishes regarding this ranch. It’s my lifeline. The very thing that brought me back from the brink. The place I reunited with my child and gave her a happy home when her father was convicted of fraud and several other crimes. It’s the place that brought me back to myself. It will never be for sale.

“I know,” I say, gratefully. “It’s just a busted fence, it’ll mend.”

My phone pings as I look down at it with a message from an unknown number.

Then I realize who it is.