Ethan immediately got defensive, fully expecting Zane to lay into him after their last turbulent conversation at the shop the day before. He prayed that with Beau standing that close, they wouldn’t have it out here and now, but with Zane, there was no way to tell what was going to come out of his mouth.
“Did he just laugh?” Zane asked seriously as he glanced back and forth between Zoey, Kaleb and Beau. “I seriously think he did.” Zane turned to address the bar. “Hey! Hey! Seriously, y’all pay attention here!”
Fuck.
Ethan hated when Zane felt the need to spout off. Although it was something Ethan had grown accustomed to, he seriously hated when his younger brother singled him out. It went against everything he was to be called out in public. There was a reason he kept his head down and out of the limelight. Being around Zane didn’t help in that regard.
“Ethan Walker does know how to laugh. So, for all of you assholes who said otherwise… you owe me ten bucks.”
The group at the back laughed along with Zane, and even Ethan found himself grinning. Granted, he did so behind the lip of his beer bottle, not wanting to encourage Zane any further.
“Fucking faggot!”
The words came from someone on the far side of the room, but Ethan heard them like they’d been shouted through a megaphone and apparently so did the rest of the bar.
That wasn’t the unsettling part.
The part that had Ethan’s heart rate jumping was the sound of chairs scraping against the wood floor, pool sticks being tossed onto the felt table tops, beer bottles slamming down on tables. It all came together as a line of Walkers made a stand and turned to face whoever had spouted the nasty comment.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Sawyer’s deep baritone boomed through the small bar.
Fucking hell.
Ethan stood from his chair, backing away from Beau as best he could because he surely didn’t want to drag him into the middle of the chaos that would likely ensue. This was the exact fucking reason he hated being out with people. It was the main reason he usually kept himself isolated from his brothers – yes, isolated. Even when they were all hanging out at their local bar.
“You heard me.” The mumble came from a bunch of guys sitting near the door. Ethan searched the shadows to see who was there, and he noticed Ricky Dillinger was amongst them. The rest Ethan didn’t recognize, but there was one whose face he couldn’t see.
Ethan knew immediately who that was, and the past nearly came back full throttle, making his legs shake from the effort to remain standing.
Jimmy Reardon.
Gavin’s older brother.
The guy who’d almost beaten Ethan within an inch of his life all those years ago.
Fucking hell. Ethan knew without a doubt he wasn’t going to be able to hold Sawyer back this time. Especially since Sawyer was the only one of them who knew what happened back then because Ethan had needed someone to help him, someone who could keep a secret. And then he had needed a place to go, refusing to let his parents see him in that state.
At the time, seeking Sawyer’s help had been a no-brainer because Travis had been in the Army. His oldest brother would’ve been his first choice, but now that he thought about it, Ethan was glad Travis hadn’t been around. It probably would’ve ended badly, all things considered.
But the blinding rage that he’d seen on Sawyer’s face after he managed to explain what happened was something he would never forget. It was a miracle Sawyer hadn’t gone after Jimmy already. Ethan also knew Sawyer had never said a word to their brothers because Ethan knew Travis would’ve probably done something they would’ve all regretted.
“No, I don’t think I did,” Sawyer answered loudly, moving closer.
“Come on, boys,” Mack hollered from behind the bar. “Not in here.”
No one seemed to pay the bartender any mind, especially not Sawyer.
And that’s when Ethan realized he’d have been better off staying at home.
♂♂
The anger pumping through Beau’s veins was making his vision hazy. He’d heard the words, but he didn’t even have time to process the voice to know whom it belonged to. And he’d immediately turned to face the crowd near the door where everyone’s attention was now focused, but before he could make it very far, he was tucked at the back of a group of pissed off Walker males.
Sawyer was in front, his cowboy hat sitting low on his head, shielding his face, but the balled up fists at his sides and the hatred in his tone was unmistakable. The guy was pissed. Possibly angrier than Beau had ever seen him.
Behind him, Zane, Brendon, Braydon, Jared, and Kaleb looked like linebackers as they too took careful steps forward, coming around to circle Sawyer when he stopped a few feet short of the table.
Beau caught movement and noticed Ethan had eased away from him and was standing next to Travis and Gage who’d carried up the rear, looking damn ready to rip some heads off.
“Care to repeat it, Reardon?” Sawyer asked, his voice low and deadly.
The scene wasn’t new to Beau, but seeing all of the Walker brothers standing practically shoulder to shoulder, their six-foot-five-plus frames taking up any available real estate was an intimidating sight, that was for damn sure.
Beau moved in closer, coming to stand next to Zane. Ready and willing to jump in if he needed to. In fact, he was burning for a fight, something he hadn’t done in years. And these foul mouthed mother fuckers were beginning to piss him off.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Jimmy said, keeping his head low, his body obviously braced for a fight.
“I don’t give a fuck who you were talking to, boy.”
Another chair scraped across the hardwood as Jimmy got to his feet. “Who the fuck are you callin’ boy?”
Sawyer’s chest bowed up and his arms bulged as he went nose to nose with Jimmy. It was clear to Beau that there had to be bad blood between the two men. They were staring one another down like they were geared up to kill each other. Sure, a comment the likes of which Reardon spouted could undeniably trigger retaliation, but this was more. This seemed… personal.
“Lay off the boy, Walker,” an older man sitting in the corner said.
“No can do, Charlie,” Sawyer answered simply, his head never turning, which meant his eyes never left Jimmy’s face. Beau almost felt sorry for the prick. Almost. It would serve him right to have to go toe to toe with Sawyer.
Beau didn’t know much about Jimmy Reardon, other than the guy liked to run off at the mouth. If he remembered correctly, Jimmy had a younger brother, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the guy. For some reason he wanted to say there was a story there, but he couldn’t get his brain to function long enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Beau’s attention was redirected when Ricky Dillinger pushed his chair back, his eyes darting around the room. Beau followed his gaze until he noticed where it landed… on Ethan. He was standing beside Travis, his arms crossed over his expansive chest, his eyes narrowed and intent.
“No, bullshit. Sit your fucking ass down,” one of the other guys at the table mumbled when Ricky started to rise to his feet.
“We don’t want no trouble, man. Fucking sit down, Reardon.”
“Looks to me like you should choose your friends more wisely if you’re not lookin’ for trouble,” Sawyer mouthed, never moving a muscle as he faced off with Jimmy.
It was clear to Beau that Sawyer was itching for a fight. Never mind the fact that no one else seemed to know whom Jimmy was mouthing off to. No one except Ethan. And Beau only knew because Ethan had told him that Ricky had spouted the same bullshit before. Coincidence? Definitely not.
Then again, Zane had mentioned Ethan’s name, calling him out in the middle of the bar. Would people put two and two together?
“Fucking cocksucker,” Ricky murmured, probably thinking no one could hear and presumably hoping he’d have Jimmy to stand behind. Since the bar was eerily quiet, the words lingered
in the still air.
That was until Sawyer broke free, sidestepping Jimmy. The man moved like a fucking cat. Before Beau knew what the hell had happened, Sawyer had ripped Ricky right out of his chair, sort of in the same manner Beau had picked him up off the ground the other day when his mouth had gotten the better of him.
“I’m not going to say this again, you better find your manners, kid. Go home to mommy and daddy and ask for a fucking lesson because if I hear anything even remotely close to that out of your mouth again, I’m going to rearrange your ugly fucking face.”
Beau took a step closer, as did the rest of the group. When Jimmy moved, Travis took a single step forward, successfully inserting himself between Jimmy and Sawyer.
“Come on, man,” Zane said, gripping Sawyer’s arm. “It ain’t worth it.” Zane’s eyes moved across the group before he followed up with, “And no matter how hard you try, you can’t fix stupid.”
“True, but I can help adjust their way of thinking,” Sawyer growled.
Beau was anxious to get in the middle of it, to carry Ricky’s sorry ass outside and leave Jimmy to Sawyer or Travis, but he knew better than to draw attention to Ethan.
Considering Ethan was the one who brought the tow truck to Dillinger’s, Beau knew Ricky would immediately start spouting more nonsense. And that would be hitting too close to home. So much so, Beau was certain Ethan would back off even more than he had before.
At this point, the last thing Beau cared to deal with was Ethan running from him. If this was what they were going to be up against, Beau was prepared to fight for what he wanted. He damn sure wasn’t going to sit back and let Ethan get bullied this way.
Another guy at the table pushed to his feet, but before he could move, Gage came from nowhere and had him pinned between the wall and his towering frame.
The rest of the brothers and Jared closed in.
“Sorry, man,” Ricky muttered to Sawyer, sounding not sorry at all.
But, apparently it worked because Sawyer dropped him, releasing his t-shirt and offering a not-so-gentle shove that sent him stumbling backward into the chair.
Travis didn’t move, his angry gaze locked with Jimmy’s. “Be careful, Reardon.”
Sawyer backed away from the table slowly so as not to be caught unaware, but no one seemed to move from where they were riveted to the floor in the middle of the bar.
“I plan to be. And the next time I teach that little faggot a lesson, I’ll make him suffer everything he’s made my family suffer.”
Beau heard the threat, but had no idea what Jimmy was talking about, but when he glanced over at Ethan, he noticed the same embanked fury on his handsome face as Sawyer had. He didn’t have a moment to try and figure out how it all linked together before all hell broke loose.
Sawyer took a step closer, and before anyone could stop him, he cold-cocked Jimmy. The guy stumbled, but before he could hit the floor, Sawyer grabbed him again. An uncivilized roar erupted from Ethan’s older brother, one that shook the thin walls of the bar before he began wailing on Jimmy’s lax form.
Beau moved in when Zane did, keeping the others at the table back while Travis and Gage reached for Sawyer, finally managing to pull him off of Jimmy. Beau watched as the two brawny men used all of their strength to hold Sawyer back, barely able to maintain a grip on him.
“You son of a bitch! Keep in mind, I know what you did. You even fucking think about threatening him again, and I’ll rip you apart. Understand me?”
Sawyer tried to lunge out of Travis’ hold, but failed. The twins moved suddenly, coming to stand between them. While Braydon kept his eyes on Jimmy, Brendon turned to face Sawyer.
“Come on, it’s time to head out,” Brendon said, grabbing Sawyer’s shoulder and pulling him out of Travis’ grasp and closer to the door.
Beau moved in alongside Jared, Ethan and Zane, the three of them now forming a line that separated Brendon and Travis who were escorting Sawyer outside. Zoey, Kylie, Jessie, and V followed Kaleb toward the door, but all four of the women looked fit to be tied. If Beau had to guess, they weren’t as angry at their men as they were at the situation. It was just a damn good thing they’d stayed out of it. Lord knew what kind of hell would’ve rained down if something had happened to one of them. A mated Walker was a beast better left unprovoked.
When Jimmy dropped down into his seat, the rest of the guys at his table followed suit. Only then did some of the tension dissipate.
Braydon turned to the bartender, his voice loud and clear. “Yo, Mack, when you close up tonight, you might want to take the trash out. It’s beginning to fucking stink in here.”
No one responded to Braydon’s bitter remark, but Beau noticed the weary look in Mack’s rugged, worn features.
Beau had to wonder how often this happened. It wasn’t a secret that Travis and Gage were married to each other and to Kylie, which in itself had brought about some rumors within town, but Beau knew no one had the balls to stand up to Travis Walker, so it was clear who the target had been.
The group dispersed slowly, everyone moving over to the bar to settle their tabs, including Ethan who had remained silent the whole time. Beau wanted to ask him if he was all right, but he knew better than to approach him. For months they’d been doing this little song and dance, eye contact that spoke volumes, but no words were ever said unless the other brothers were the ones doing the talking. Ethan had perfected the art of keeping himself distanced.
Beau pulled his wallet from his back pocket when Mack approached.
“I got yours, man,” Ethan told Beau, surprising the fuck out of him. “Mack, I’ll settle both tabs.”
Beau knew he looked like an idiot, his mouth probably hanging open, but the simple fact that Ethan had said something to him in public had caught him totally off guard.
“Thanks.” It was the most he could offer. He couldn’t find any other words.
Ethan didn’t say anything more, but the hint of a sexy grin tipped the very edges of his lips. What the hell had come over him?
Not that Beau really needed to know the answer to that question. Not yet anyway.
In fifteen minutes though, that was certainly going to change.
Chapter Twenty One
♂
“Care to explain what the fuck that was all about?” Travis yelled when they stepped out of Moonshiners and into the chilly night air.
Sawyer reined in his temper before turning to face his brother. Barely. At least Brendon had the good sense to turn around and go back inside.
“No, I fucking don’t,” Sawyer bit out, yanking his arm out of Travis’ vicelike grip as he headed for his car. He didn’t want to fucking talk, he wanted to pound the shit out of Jimmy Reardon. He wanted to repay the bastard for what he’d done to Ethan all those years ago.
Shit, as soon as he heard Jimmy’s voice, the memories of that horrible night when Ethan called, and Sawyer had found him looking like death warmed over had blindsided him. If anyone ever questioned whether that infamous red haze was real, well Sawyer could now attest to its existence. His vision was still hazy as the rage continued to simmer inside of him.
Did he overreact? Probably. Did he draw unnecessary attention? Maybe. Did he fucking care? Not one goddamn bit. Sawyer would do it all again in a heartbeat.
The appropriate response would’ve been to let the statement roll off his back the way Ethan had managed to do. Unfortunately, he wasn’t built that way. Then again, had it been anyone else, Sawyer knew good and damn well that Ethan would’ve gone the distance to protect the victim of that hateful bullshit.
It was how they were raised.
But, when it came to the differences between him and Ethan, Sawyer would admit that his younger brother possessed significantly more self-restraint. He envied Ethan and his ability to keep his head up with all of the bullshit that went on around him on a daily basis. The fact that Ethan remained in Coyote Ridge proved just how much his family meant to him. Sawyer wouldn’t have blamed Ethan
if he had disappeared long ago, gone in search of a place that was much more accepting of him than this fucked up little town.
Then again, Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d know what to do if Ethan wasn’t there. Ethan might be a loner, but he was still his brother and knowing where he was and that he was all right was one of the most important things to Sawyer.
And tonight, Sawyer had been strangled by the hatred he felt for Jimmy Reardon. He wanted to pay him back for the hell he put Ethan through when he’d beaten him and left him for dead down by the lake. The only saving grace was that Ethan had managed to call him. When Sawyer had arrived with Greyson in tow, he’d been terrified that he was too late.
What they found was a beaten and bloodied Ethan, his face so messed up he was barely recognizable. Greyson, being a paramedic, had wanted to get Ethan to the hospital, but Ethan had refused. Thankfully, aside from a few cracked ribs, a mild concussion and a broken nose, they’d had to only worry about the bruises that had finally faded over time.
Well, that was all they had to worry about in the physical sense. Ethan was damaged much more than that on an emotional level.
Still, to this day, Sawyer wasn’t sure how he’d managed to keep from killing Jimmy. He’d never talked to a soul about what happened. Well, aside from his father. He’d been beside himself with fear that night and calling Curtis had been his only option. But aside from that conversation, he’d never mentioned the incident to anyone, not even Travis.
Of course, his dad informed his mother, which was only fair. She had been beside herself with grief and sorrow over what had been done to Ethan. And with her anonymous help, Sawyer had managed to nurse Ethan back to health. He was pretty sure Ethan still didn’t know that their parents had found out. And he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.
Sawyer had kept the events of that night all bottled up inside, and since that day, he’d kept his eyes on his brother. Ethan was tough, could handle himself now that he knew what to expect, but Sawyer hated the fact that he had to be on the lookout for dickheads like Jimmy everywhere he turned.
Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) Page 19