Tied Up, Tied Down (Rough Riders #4)(68)

“Yes.”


“Give me a goddamned break,” Kade snapped. “That guy was pissed off, outta control and lookin’ for trouble.”


“No, you’re out of control. You’re a hundred times more trouble.”


“What the f*ck is that supposed to mean?”


“Just like I suspected, the little bit of control I allowed you wasn’t enough. Now you want all the control in my life and take it at the first opportunity.” Skylar spoke through clenched teeth. “You’re not content to call the shots in the bedroom any more. You want to do the same here. Guess what? Not happening.”


Kade could not believe she’d thrown that in his face. Control wasn’t the issue and she damn well knew it. “Well excuse the f*ck outta me.”


Her eyes narrowed.

“I’ll put aside your ignorant, wrong and just plain damn petty insult and give it to you straight. This is about safety, not control. And guess what? Your security measures are piss-poor, darlin’. First, that guy shouldna been able to get that close to the building.

Second, he coulda waltzed right in the front door. Know how I know that? Because I’ve done it several times. No one stoppin’ me, no security inside or out. You, or whoever is in control doesn’t even lock the goddamn door during workin’ hours.”


Skylar’s icy glare continued.

“This is a business. If you’ve hired women with a history of domestic violence issues, you oughta be more vigilant about security issues than normal, not less. Alarms on the doors and windows. A gate with a code box to keep out trespassers. You already have a damn gate, hell, you have two gates, why would you leave them open night and day?

You’ve got kids in there, Sky. You’ve got my kid in there. And the way it sits, ain’t nothin’ stoppin’ an angry ex or a pissed-off boyfriend from stormin’ the joint with a gun and killin’ every last person in there.”


“That wouldn’t happen. Not here.”


“Wrong. It happens all the time and you know it. So you’d better fix your security problems pronto, because after this incident today, I ain’t about to let you put my daughter in danger any more.”


Skylar bristled. “What are you getting at?”


“Just what I said. Fix the problems or I’ll yank Eliza out of here so fast it’ll make your head spin.”


“You wouldn’t.”


“Don’t f*ckin’ push me on this because I’d do it in a f*ckin’ heartbeat. And yeah, if you wanna be technical, I’m exercisin’ my parental control and right to remove her from a potentially dangerous situation. I’ll make sure my kid don’t become another tragic statistic because you have too much pride to admit you are wrong.”


Footsteps splashed up next to them. “You two oughta take this inside.”


“We’re done.”


“Done? What the hell do you mean done?”


“Oh, honey, you have a gash on your jaw,” Annie said to Kade. “Why don’t you come in and I’ll take a look at it?”


“I’m fine. Probably had worse.” Kade rubbed the sore spot and his fingers came away bloody. Sucker did hurt. “I gotta take off pretty quick anyway.” He didn’t bother to hide the anger in his eyes. “Think about what I said. And don’t wait up for me tonight.”


“Where are you going?”


He said, “Out,” and walked away from her without looking back.

Out.

Damn him.

Why did he make her feel like she was in the wrong when he was the one who’d been involved in a fistfight, with her employee’s husband, in the parking lot of her business, in front of her employees? And then he had the balls to tell her how she’d been putting everyone—including their child—in danger?


What she didn’t realize? That was not his family’s way to blab about personal issues…unless they considered her part of the family, which appeared to be the case with Sky.

So why couldn’t Sky see that? Why was she so damn resistant to a permanent relationship with him? Why couldn’t he just buck up, tell her he loved her, and they were tying the knot whether she liked it or not?

You’re taking control in every aspect of my life.

Yeah. That caveman behavior would go over like a club to the head.

“Kade? Buddy? You still here?” Cord asked.

He looked up guiltily. “Sorry, just thinkin’ about something else. What’d I miss?”


“Ben said Chase scored a ninety-one in the final go round in Lewiston on Sunday afternoon. Ended up in third place.”


“Cool. Which circuit is that?”


“Dodge. The PBR had an off week, but you know him. He’s obsessed with bull ridin’ so he found another event to feed his habit.”


“Glad to see my little cuz is keepin’ the McKay name alive in the world of rodeo,”


Colby said.

“Rumor has it Keely’s makin’ quite a name for herself on every circuit too.”


Dead quiet.

Cord slowly lowered his beer. “You’d better be explainin’ that statement, Bennett, right f*ckin’ now.”