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. Like hell. No deal. Strickler rolled his eyes. I told you he wouldn t go for it. Amber rose to her feet and swayed over to Barrett, her gaze neverleaving him.The other brothers audibly groaned as she leaned up andcrushed her breasts against Barrett s chest and held her lips just out ofreach of his. I need your deed, daddy. He was definitely going to have a stroke.Without warning, Amber backed up, the paper from his insidepocket now in her hot little hands.Barrett slapped at his chest andcursed.How did she do that?With a triumphant grin, she took her seat at Michael s desk onceagain. Once the transfer is complete, you will sign this little piece ofpaper, and the ranch will be mine. Ours, Norris cut in.Barrett shot him a lethal glare. Exactly. Strickler nodded in agreement.Amber smiled sweetly and opened her laptop. You re on, Lucky.Give me your numbers. Strickler crossed his arms in front of him. Not until I see yours inthere first. Show me yours and I ll show you mine? Something like that. Strickler eased his sleazy lips into a grin, and Barrett s entire bodytensed, his need to kill this bastard overwhelming all other senses.Fuck the plan.Strickler wouldn t be able to steal money from anotherfamily if Barrett ended his pathetic life. Aren t you just the cutest thing. Amber winked and tapped atthe keys. There.Done.See? Isn t this fun? Everyone crowded around the laptop after Strickler typed in his Trio 233account number.No one moved.No one spoke.No one breathed.Thecursor turned to an hourglass as a message blinked across the screen.Transfer in Progress.The amount on the screen changed from two million to fourmillion.Amber then typed in a new transaction, and the computerblinked again as another transfer took place, changing the amountremaining to zero. It s done. She batted her large green eyes up at Barrett. Do youneed a pen? Strickler laughed and shook his head. So cold.I think I love you.A woman without a heart is a rare commodity. Barrett flicked his gaze to Sarah, who had shifted so that she kepthim in her sights.He just made out her pretty eyes from the sidewhere the sunglasses didn t hide them.She winked, and he let out a relieved sigh.He turned to Chris andgave him a single nod, which brought a slight curl to Chris s lips. Okay, Barrett.Your turn.Let s see if your signature looks asgood as the owner. He snapped his glare back to Amber. For four million dollars? That s my offer, she said and sat back, folding her hands infront of her. Take it or leave it. I m leaving it. Amber jerked forward, her eyes wide. What? You heard me.Until I am physically removed from this property,I say what goes.And this does not. Matt stepped up and took the pen from Barrett s hand. I ll sign. Matt, no.This is wrong. He didn t know whether he should beputting up this much of a fight, but, goddamn it, this was his life.Whowouldn t fight for his life?He whipped around. No.You know what s wrong? Alwaysleaving the decisions up to you.It s bullshit.I say we sign.Fourmillion dollars, Barrett.No more debt.We can start over fresh. Matt signed the paper and handed the pen to Wyatt, who did the 234 Eve Adamssame before turning and looking at Barrett with sorrow in his eyes. I m sorry, Barrett.I have to go with Matt on this. Michael then approached and took the pen from Wyatt.He shookhis head and muttered a curse as he signed his name. There.I hopeyou re happy. Not until all of you sign. Amber looked at Barrett.He glanced at each of his brothers, saw that vulnerable kid in themhe d fought so hard to protect.They looked to him for guidance, forsecurity.And what did he do with that trust? He let a con artist movein right under his nose and take away everything.He didn t deserve to be the head of the family. Fuck, Barrett bit out and jerked the pen from Michael. I ll finda way to get the ranch back.I swear to you, this is not permanent. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Strickler rubbed his fingers against histhumbs as he fixed his gaze on the paper Amber folded up and heldclose to her breast. Not in this lifetime, Barrett.Now get the hell offmy property before I call the cops. No need, a sultry voice sounded from the doorframe.There, in the doorframe, stood Carol, but that wasn t the biggestshock.In her hand she held an FBI badge.She wore a nice brown turtleneck with a beige blazer andmatching slacks.She looked nothing like the Carol who d been at theranch a few weeks back.That Carol had bleach blonde hair and toomuch makeup, and dressed like a cheap hairdresser.This Carol wore her blonde hair back in a sleek ponytail, verylittle makeup, and looked every bit the part of a federal agent.Behindher stood two more agents in dark suits, not looking much differentthan Norris and Sarah, sunglasses and all.Strickler s mouth dropped open. Carol? The Gideons fell into a stunned silence.Barrett didn t see thatcoming.From the looks on his kin s faces, they didn t, either.Everyone except Matt.He walked over and kissed Carol s cheek. Thanks for taking my call. Trio 235She replaced her badge on her belt and pulled cuffs out frombehind her back as she walked into the room, her gaze intent onStrickler. Hello, Lucky. Carol? he repeated. Agent Dewitt, she corrected. We ve been after you for a longtime.When I got Matt s call, I knew we had you. Barrett squeezed his hands into fists so tight he swore the mendingbones in his left hand snapped under the pressure.And he didn t care.He wanted to know what the fuck was going on, and he wanted toknow now. Matt, you have five seconds to explain. His brother widened his eyes before hiding behind the beautifulFBI agent. Don t look at me like that. You re right, Carol said to Matt. He does look ready to kill.Listen, Barrett.Don t be too angry at him.I needed to stay close toLucky without losing contact with someone from the ranch in caseLucky decided to go out on his own.Since I didn t even know aboutthis meeting, I guess it was a good thing I kept in contact with Matt.When he called me and told me what you all were up to, I figured I dpay the ranch a visit.Imagine my surprise to find Lucky here. I haven t done anything wrong.You have no proof. She gave Strickler a shrug and nodded for the men behind her totake him.They did without hesitation. I have two million dollars inproof. That s my money.And this is my ranch.Check the deed. Amber handed the paper to Carol, who opened it and then grinnedas she turned it around to show Strickler. It s blank, aside from thesignatures. No.No, goddamn it! That was supposed to be the deed.I put uptwo million dollars for a piece of this ranch. Carol s voice was smooth, cool. Looks like you put up twomillion dollars for a piece of paper. Strickler shook his head desperately. No.That s not possible. 236 Eve Adams Oh, but it is
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