Crude Intentions

Chapter 15: Cut Off

The tension in the cramped brokerage office was thick enough to suffocate. Deputy Danny looked at his own wrist, firmly caught in Theo Vance’s iron grip, and then looked at the absolute promise of violence in the billionaire’s dark eyes.

"Mr. Vance," Danny stammered, his boots shifting nervously on the thin commercial carpet. "I’m just responding to a corporate complaint. If there’s a dispute over the files—"

"There is no dispute," Charlie’s voice cut through the room, clear, steady, and dripping with unbothered landman authority.

She stepped out from behind Theo’s broad shoulder, though he didn't lower his arm, his body remaining completely coiled and ready to strike. Charlie opened her leather folder, pulled out the certified, hand-stamped document from the courthouse, and slapped it flat against the front desk right in front of Richard Vance’s pristine gray suit.

"Deputy," Charlie said, pointing a manicured finger at the bright blue ink. "Look at the timestamp. Six thirty-eight this morning. This is a formal, manually executed Ratification Waiver for the Henderson tract, signed by the sole corporate trustee of the family estate and recorded by the Chief Deputy Clerk of Goliad County."

Richard didn't even look down at the paper. He kept his cold gaze locked on his nephew. "A piece of paper filed by a rogue agent means nothing, Ms. Schindler. The board views this entire transaction as a conflict of interest."

"The State of Texas doesn't care what your board views, Richard," Charlie fired back, a sharp, sarcastic smirk cutting through her exhaustion. "Under Texas Property Code Section 12.013, a physical emergency title correction takes immediate legal precedence over any pending digital queues or unapproved corporate transfers. I didn't steal data. I cured a title defect for my clients. If you arrest me for filing a valid public record, Danny, you’re opening this county up to a federal wrongful arrest lawsuit that will cost more than your department's annual budget."

Deputy Danny looked at the blue ink, then at Charlie, and immediately ripped his wrist out of Theo’s grip, stepping back a full three feet. "Yeah, no. This is a civil property matter. I ain't putting cuffs on an officer of the county court over an oil lease. Y'all can sort this out in Houston."

"Danny, wait—" Garrett Cole started, stepping out from the corner, his face turning an ugly shade of red.

"I’m leaving, Garrett," Danny snapped, grabbing his hat. "And if I hear another word about vandals or data theft on a valid county filing, I’m writing you up for filing a false police report."

The heavy glass door clicked shut behind the deputy, leaving the room instantly quieter—and infinitely more dangerous.

Richard Vance slowly adjusted his cuffs, his expression shifting from corporate arrogance into a dark, calculated amusement. He looked at Theo, who was still standing like a protective wall in front of Charlie, his chest rising and falling with heavy, controlled breaths.

"You always did have a soft spot for the assets on the ground, Theodore," Richard murmured, his slick voice echoing off the brick walls. "Your father was the same way. He let his emotions dictate his land acquisitions, and it nearly broke us in '86. But you've crossed a line here. You’ve let a local landman compromise your judgment."

"I secured the entire Goliad basin in less than twenty-four hours, Richard," Theo said, his voice a low, lethal purr that shook the room. "I didn't compromise the company. I saved it from Apex’s predatory bypass. Now take your high-priced corporate puppets and get off my field."

"Your field?" Richard echoed, a slow, venomous smile spreading across his lips. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a crisp, embossed corporate document, sliding it across the desk next to Charlie's stamped receipt. "I told you on the phone, nephew. The board held an emergency proxy vote at dawn. As Chief Legal Counsel, I’ve been authorized to initiate an internal compliance audit into your management of the Southern District."

Theo’s jaw tightened, a dangerous spark flashing in his eyes. "An audit doesn't halt an executed leasehold."

"No," Richard agreed smoothly, leaning in until he was looking directly into Theo's icy glare. "But it does freeze all regional operating capital pending investigation. As of six o'clock this morning, Theodore... your corporate credit lines are suspended. Your local wire authorization is revoked. And the private jet sitting at the county airport? It’s been grounded by corporate dispatch."

Charlie felt the air leave her lungs. The signing bonus.

"The Henderson checks," Charlie whispered, her landman instincts instantly sounding the alarm. "We promised Ms. Mae and her brothers their signing bonuses would be hand-delivered to their porch by noon today. If those wire transfers don't clear, the ratification waiver contains a strict funding default clause. The lease becomes completely voidable."

Garrett Cole let out a loud, ugly laugh from the back of the room, his eyes gleaming with a manic, desperate triumph. "Which means the second that clock strikes twelve, Apex’s top lease automatically becomes the primary contract. You overmaneuvered me at the courthouse, Charlie, but the big fish just starved you out."

Theo didn't flinch. He didn't look at Garrett, and he didn't look at his uncle. He slowly turned his head to look down at Charlie. The arrogant, untouchable billionaire facade was completely gone, replaced by a raw, gritty intensity that sent a violent jolt of electricity straight to her core.

He was a tycoon stripped of his empire, cut off from his money, and stranded in a small town with nothing but the clothes on his back and the truck in the parking lot.

But as his hand slid down to grip her wrist, his touch was warm, fiercely possessive, and completely unyielding.

"We have exactly five hours until noon, Landman," Theo murmured, his deep voice a low, thrilling promise that completely ignored the corporate lawyers in the room.

Charlie looked up into his dark, burning eyes, her dry, unbothered sarcasm melting into a fierce, defiant smile. "Then I guess we better figure out how to find a million dollars in Goliad, Tycoon."