Chapter Thirty-Six

Irene

When Irene opened her eyes, it was still dark outside. Sweat dripped down her forehead, past her ear, and disappeared into her hair. She’d had a nightmare. She relived everything that had happened yesterday all over again.

It didn’t really surprise her; she suspected something like this would happen. Yesterday was a chaotic day. A lot had happened.

She knew Angelo meant no good—she had been warned about him more than once—so she knew she had to stay away from him. But what he did yesterday… She never saw that coming.

She stepped out of her bed and took a bottle of water out of the little refrigerator that stood next to the door. When she looked at the clock on the table next to the bed, she saw it was almost three in the morning.

Way too early to wake up. She crawled back into her bed and tried to sleep, but she was having a hard time falling asleep again.

Zach

It was very early, still dark, when Zach looked out the windows of his bedroom. He looked shabby. His hair was disheveled, his stubble was clearly visible, and he had bags underneath his eyes.

He rubbed his stubble with one hand and frowned. He was so tired; it was a late night last night. The fight had worn out all his men.

The cleanup had taken a long time, but all the wounded were now taken care of, and the deceased were buried. All the captured thugs were locked up, waiting to be questioned.

On top of that, he had woken up around three in the morning, all sweaty and hot, but he had no idea why he was awake. He had a hard time going back to sleep after that.

He turned around and walked into his bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed some water in his face to wake up a little. When he looked in the mirror, he saw how he looked. He looked like he’d had a wild night.

He turned a little and lifted his shirt to look at the wound on his side. It was healing. Slowly, but it was healing. He put his shirt back down and hunched over with his hands on the sink.

He felt horrible; his instincts had been restless ever since the situation with Angelo. His instincts wanted to tear Angelo apart, then pledge to Irene and never let her go, to make sure she’d always be safe with him.

He knew he couldn’t. Irene probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he did that. She was a person with a will of her own, without a destined bond.

As he sat at his table, waiting for breakfast to be served, boss Vance joined him and took a seat next to him.

Zach estimated boss Vance was in his late forties, but he had an impressive beard that made him look much older. Zach still had a lot to learn, and he felt like Jackson could be the one teaching him a thing or two.

“Good morning,” Jackson said. “I hope you don’t mind me sitting next to you.”

“No, take a seat,” Zach said. “Please, I’m honored. I am so grateful you are here. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“You’re welcome, son.” Jackson winked. “It’s nice to have a friend out here in this crazy world.”

“That is so true,” Zach agreed.

“You wanted to discuss something with me?” Jackson looked curious.

“Yes, that is right. I am having some trouble finding a new source of income.”

Some family members started serving breakfast. Zach looked down at his plate and started eating.

“What’s wrong with your current source of income?” Jackson asked, and he started his food as well.

“I am looking for a different way to earn income. I currently have a booming business in Rockdale, but I hate the city. I’d rather have an income here in Redwater Creek.

“I hate going back to Rockdale. It’s too crowded, too loud, too much of everything. I just don’t know what I can do to make sure we don’t lose any money.”

“Hmm…” Jackson put down his cutlery for a minute to think about the things that Zach had said. “I could tell you what I do for our income. Maybe you can do the same.”

Zach nodded. “Please, tell me.”

“I have converted my land into a nature reserve. The land right next to mine was already a nature reserve, so it was only a small step to combine it with mine.

“We ensure that the number of animals that live there are in balance, ensure that the trees and plants stay healthy, fine poachers, and so on. I receive a generous premium from the government for it.

“All of the men that work for me to maintain the land are registered and receive wages as well.”

“That is great! There actually is a reserve here right next to this land, and the current administrator is going to resign in a few months. I’ll see if I can give him a call about what to do. That would be an excellent idea.”

“There is another benefit,” Jackson said. “You can protect your land much better this way. Keep strangers at bay.”

Irene

Irene walked into the big hall. It was crowded and warm. Joanna, who had shown her around and taken care of her, walked in front of her. Joanna walked over to a long table and took a seat next to Ethan.

Across from Ethan, Adrian and Jackson sat with a beautiful woman in between them.

To Ethan’s left, sat a broad, muscled man with a beard, who was deep in conversation with Zachary, who sat at the head of the table. She didn’t recognize the rest of the people at the table.

She took a seat next to Joanna and started eating her breakfast. When she looked up, she noticed Zach staring at her. She couldn’t help but think about what he’d said yesterday—that she was just a normal person.

She frowned. Was that really what he thought about her? That she was weak? She wondered what else he thought about her. Apparently, Ethan was wrong, and Zach didn’t care about her.

On top of that, Angelo attacked her and held her hostage to get to Zach. She had all these problems because of that man! That man who thought she was weak!

She was getting angry, and she let her cutlery fall on her plate. The noise made everyone at the table look at her in surprise. When she shot an angry look at the head of the table, she saw a confused frown.

The ass had no idea what he’d said. Of course! She shoved her chair out of the way and got up. She needed some fresh air, and she hurried out. When she was on the steps of the porch, she took a deep breath.

She could hear some muffled noises from inside, stumbling, and the raised voices of men. Then it became quiet again.

Zach

When Irene left so suddenly, Zach wanted nothing more than to go after her and take her into his arms to get rid of what made her so upset.

“What was that about? Who is that?” Jackson asked him.

“That is my destined,” Zach told him. “I have no idea what’s wrong. I should go and see what’s wrong.”

But as he stepped away from his chair, Ethan got in front of him and stopped him. “Boss, let her go. Talk to her later.” Ethan looked concerned. “Give her some space.”

Zach sat back down. The way she’d shot daggers at him didn’t sit well with him. Was she angry with him? What did he do wrong?

Irene

A while later, Joanna came to see her. “Hey, there you are. You left in such a hurry earlier. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Irene shrugged.

“What’s bothering you?”

Irene sighed. “I am a bit puzzled, I guess.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I never realized that the mob could be so violent. I saw things yesterday I never, ever want to see again. I knew it was dangerous, but I didn’t expect ~that much~ blood.

“There was nothing ‘normal’ about them anymore. It really is a different world. I feel so uncomfortable around here now.”

Joanna frowned. “I understand what you’re saying. The first time I saw the aftermath of a fight, I thought the same. I saw all these wounded men coming into the clinic.

“But the people around here are not just fighting, you know. They only fight when they are provoked, or when they have to defend themselves.

“It’s those intruders that start the fights, that threaten the people that live here. You don’t have to be scared or uncomfortable. These people here will always protect you; they won’t hurt you.

“Especially because you’re the boss’s destined. You’re the most important person around here for these people.”

Irene sighed again. “But still, it’s hard. It’s a totally different world than I’m used to.”

“Give it some time. Maybe you won’t get used to it, but you’ll find a way to deal with it. It gets easier, trust me, I know.” Joanna grabbed Irene’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“It’s not just that.”

“What else is bothering you? Tell me. I’m here for you.”

“I am mad. I am mad at Zachary. Yesterday he was convincing Angelo to let me go and I really thought he cared about me. The way he was when Angelo was in my apartment, I really thought I could fall in love with him.

“But then yesterday he told Angelo that I am just some ordinary person. I know I’m not in the mob, but I’m not some boring, helpless girl. I don’t know, it feels like he punched me in the gut.”

“Do you really think he meant it that way? Don’t you think he was just convincing Angelo that you were just an outsider so he would let you go?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“Ask him. Talk to him. I think that will clarify a lot.”