Chapter 81 I don’t know you
Chapter 81 I don’t know you
Chapter 81: I don’t know you
The wind moved through the tall grass, the animals shifted in their pens, and somewhere in the distance metal clanged against wood. Thomas stood near the barn, wiping his hands on his jeans, his jaw tight as he watched Scar Face approach across the dirt. He hadn’t expected to see him here.
“Uncle Scar, what are you doing here?” Thomas asked as soon as Scar Face was close enough. His voice was low but sharp. “I heard you’re Audrey’s personal bodyguard. What is happening? You didn’t tell me of this move.”
Scar Face stopped a few feet away, eyes scanning the farm like he was taking inventory. “Relax,” he said calmly. “Nobody from the main house followed me.”
“That’s not the point,” Thomas snapped. “You showing up here puts everything at risk. How did you even get that rich man’s son hire you?”
Scar Face finally looked at him, head tilting slightly. “I needed to see things for myself.”
Thomas frowned. “See what?”
“What’s slowing you down,” Scar Face replied. “Why this whole thing is dragging.”
Thomas scoffed. “Uncle Scar, you think I’m just sitting around?”
“I think you’re stuck,” Scar Face said bluntly. “And I don’t like being in the dark.”
Thomas crossed his arms. “Tennessee is tougher than you thought.”
Scar Face’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile. “Everybody’s tough until they trust the wrong person.”
Thomas stared at him. “You shouldn’t even be near this place.”
“I am here,” Scar Face said. “You better sit up or…”
Thomas shook his head, pacing a step away. “You don’t understand how tight things are at the mansion. He’s watching everything. Cameras everywhere. People everywhere.”
Scar Face followed him with his eyes. “That’s why I took the job.”
Thomas stopped pacing and turned back. “That’s exactly why you shouldn’t have.”
Scar Face stepped closer, lowering his voice. “He trusts me with Audrey.”
Thomas’s jaw tightened. “That’s what scares me.”
“That’s what helps us,” Scar Face corrected. “You’ve been circling the edges. I’m inside.”
Thomas exhaled sharply. “You’re playing a dangerous game.”
Scar Face nodded once. “So are you. Difference is, I finish mine.”
Thomas looked away toward the fields. “You don’t know Tennessee like I do.”
Scar Face chuckled softly. “I know his type. Power, control, guilt. Boys like him think they’re untouchable.”
“He’s not stupid,” Thomas said.
“Neither am I,” Scar Face replied evenly.
Thomas turned back to him. “If anyone sees us together…”
“They won’t,” Scar Face cut in. “I didn’t come here to get sloppy.”
Thomas studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Good. Because if anyone even suspects we know each other, everything falls apart.”
Scar Face glanced around again, then back at Thomas. “That’s why this is the last time we meet like this.”
Thomas swallowed. “Why are you here?”
“Because I need to reset the board,” Scar Face said. “And give you new focus.”
Thomas frowned. “What do you mean?”
Scar Face’s gaze sharpened. “Leave Tennessee to me.”
Thomas hesitated. “You’re sure?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t,” Scar Face replied. “My position gives me access. Time. Influence.”
“And Audrey?” Thomas asked quietly.
Scar Face didn’t answer immediately. He looked toward the farmhouse, then back at Thomas. “I’ll handle Audrey too.”
Thomas stiffened. “Carefully.”
“Always,” Scar Face said. “But you? You’ve got another assignment.”
Thomas’s eyes narrowed. “Yvonne?”
Scar Face nodded. “She’s the loose wire.”
“She looks easy,” Thomas said. “And Audrey listens to her.”
“And that’s why she’s a good target,” Scar Face replied. “Find out what she likes.”
Thomas rubbed his jaw. “She already suspects too much since Audrey lost her legs.”
“Then distract her,” Scar Face said. “Redirect her. Slow her down.”
Thomas sighed. “That won’t be easy.”
“Nothing worth doing is,” Scar Face said.
Thomas met his eyes. “You really think you can control Tennessee?”
Scar Face’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t need to control him. I just need him to believe.”
“Believe what?”
“That I’m loyal,” Scar Face said. “That I’m useful. That I’m on his side.”
Thomas nodded slowly. “He already thinks that.”
“Good,” Scar Face said. “Then we’re ahead.”
A tractor engine roared to life somewhere nearby. Thomas glanced around nervously. “You should go.”
Scar Face adjusted his jacket. “I was about to.”
Thomas hesitated, then spoke again. “Just… be careful.”
Scar Face gave him a long look. “You too.”
Thomas lowered his voice. “Remember. No one can see us together. Ever.”
“They won’t,” Scar Face repeated. “If anyone asks, I don’t know you, Monkey.”
Thomas let out a dry laugh. “Funny.”
Scar Face stepped back, already turning away. “Focus on Yvonne,” he said over his shoulder. “That’s your job now.”
Thomas watched him walk off, the dirt crunching under his boots, until he disappeared beyond the fence line. The farm felt quieter after that, heavier.
Thomas stood there for a long moment, the weight of the conversation settling in his chest, before turning back to his work, his thoughts already shifting toward Yvonne and the trouble she promised.