Wylie placed his gun in his rear waistband and landed his hands on her shoulders where he began to stroke her arms. “I told you I would be okay. And if I wasn’t, you were to leave. Eva, I appreciate you having my back, but I need to know you are on board and not going to take risks like that. We could both end up dead, and I can’t stand the thought of that.”
“I owed you one, okay?” She shrugged him off and turned her back to him. “I owed you one for coming to New Mexico and for…saving me. Saving me when no one else was coming.”
“I’ll always come for you.” Eva stiffened just as Wylie realized what he’d just said. “You don’t owe me anything except your promise to run if it comes to that. Promise me that next time, you run.”
“Wylie…”
“Promise me, Eva.”
“I…promise.”
Wylie pulled her into his arms and held her despite her rigidity. “I couldn’t live with knowing you didn’t make it out of here. I need you to make it, even if…”
“Don’t say it,” she begged. “We’re both making it out of this.”
“Okay. We both get out of here. If we don’t kill each other first.”
They stood, holding each other for a handful of seconds or maybe it was minutes. There was no telling because, at that moment, time stood still. More was said now than they ever could with spoken words. Promises, commitments, honesty and truths, affection—it was all there—but so was the extraordinary hurdle of a wall that remained between them.
“It was me, wasn’t it?” she asked quietly. “The shadows you were chasing inside?”
“Clearly,” he sneered in a deep timbre laced with a faux sense of annoyance. “Seems it’s my new thing to do.”
14
They woke to the sound of glass breaking in the distance, and Wylie instinctively reached for his weapon, as did Eva, now wide-awake, sitting in their next getaway car with windows down so they could hear. After securing the safe house, they had decided to shower and sleep for a few hours before hitting the road again. They were in the middle of nowhere with several nearby routes to escape through. It felt safe. Until now.
“They found us,” Eva whispered, terrified from being woken up so abruptly. She clutched her weapon tighter, ready to fight alongside Wylie if needed.
“Sounds like someone did,” Wylie confirmed, watching across the lawn from the hay barn the car was staged in next door. “I had a feeling.”
“I owe you then. I thought sleeping out here in the car was ridiculous.” Eva jumped at the sound of weapons firing. “Shit, Wy.”
“Just be calm,” he assured, putting a hand on her thigh as the windows lit up with each shot that went off. “They won’t look in here. We’re completely surrounded by hay bales, so they don’t know we’re in here.”
“Yeah, until we break through said bales of hay, and everything comes tumbling down,” Eva remarked. “I mean, this is clever in many ways, especially that perfectly placed peephole.”
“Sometimes doing what we do is less technical and more about creativity. They get too close, we’ll see them and block it with hay. They’ll be none the wiser.”
Another shot rang out followed by rapid fire.
“I can’t quite tell, but the single shots appear to be coming from the woods and the others from around the house?”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Eva questioned, “They’re firing on each other?”
“Maybe we have more than one group of visitors?” Wylie observed. “I…I can’t really tell. We’ll sit here until it’s safe to leave. We may be able to run and shake a tail, but a bullet is a little harder to outrun.”
So they sat. The gunfire had stopped shortly after their conversation, and they hadn’t spoken a word since. There was at least one person in the woods, and it appeared they took out whoever else was there. Since they only had the single peephole, they were at a disadvantage and couldn’t see if anyone was coming from another angle.
They covered the hole and sat in total silence so as not to give away their location. There hadn’t been a single car, coming or going, so they had to assume they weren’t alone. Sure, the person in the woods could’ve parked elsewhere and hiked in, hence not hearing their arrival or departure, but they weren’t going to risk a thing. So they sat. And sat. Then sat some more.
Eventually, the sun went down, leaving it nearly pitch black where they were in the hay barn. Wylie pulled the hay away from the hole in the building and noted it was dusk and the interior lights inside the house were on. There was also a man in dark fatigues standing on the front porch, but Wylie couldn’t make out his face because he was too far away.
“He’s still there,” Wylie whispered. “He’s going inside.”
Evan whispered back, “He’s been in the house this entire time?”
“Looks like it. He’s inside for now, and there’s just enough light to see the road without turning on the headlights. I think this is our opportunity.”
“He’s going to hear us.”
“We have two choices. Sit in this car another day and hope nobody else shows up and he leaves—given he’s the only one in the house. Or we tear out of here, sans lights, and get a hell of a head start before he even knows what happened.”
“I don’t like either option. Both are risky, and we don’t take risks. We make calculated moves.”
Wylie snickered. “Well, if you’d like to go knock on the door and ask the nice man with a gun if he’s alone or entertaining tonight…be my guest.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “I can’t spend the night in this barn, much less another day. I have to go to the bathroom as it is.”
“Then let’s haul ass to the next town or two and find you a gas station bathroom.”
“Aw, my knight in shining armor.”
Wylie smiled as he landed his hand on the ignition. “You ready?”
She buckled herself in. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
With a quick nod, Wylie turned over the ignition, and when the car started immediately, he proceeded just as he’d explained. After quickly putting the car in gear, he floored it, knocking through the single wall of partial hay bales without headlights, and headed east away from the house.
Eva had her weapon ready and watched behind them in her side mirror. “Go. Go. Go. He’s outside. He heard us.”
“Can you tell who it is?” Wylie asked, eyes focused on the road as they rounded a curve, and the house was no longer in view.
“Not a clue. Too far away. I didn’t see a car out front, so I think we’re okay, but how about you flip on those headlights and kick it up a notch. Let’s get out of here.”
“Done and done,” he agreed. “Settle in. We have nearly a full tank of gas, so we’ll be on the road a while before we need to stop.”
“But you said…”
“Gas station. I know. And we’ll find one. Unless you feel like you’re going to piss all over that seat, we aren’t stopping until we have to.”
“Excellent.” She huffed. “My kidneys will be pleased.”
Wylie grabbed his water bottle from the center console and tossed back a large gulp before extending it to Eva. “Thirsty?”
She replied with a steely glare and fully extended middle finger.
“Okay then.”
They’d traveled several hours before finally rolling into a small “blink and you missed it” town that had nothing but a dingy-looking diner, run-down gas station service center, and a five bungalow, pay-by-the-hour motel that looked like a crime scene waiting to happen.
“You get your pick—gas station food or something from that diner,” Wylie offered as they pulled into the service station.
“Hmm. I feel like using the bathroom is risky enough. I’m going to opt for a bag of chips and some beef jerky. Want to share?”
“Only if I get a soda to wash it all down with. We have a long drive ahead of us still. I could use some caffeine.”
“I’ll be back in a minute.”
Wylie noticed she was moving a little slower and had a slight limp as she stretched while walking toward the gas station’s market. Her wounds were healing but still present and sitting in the car for long periods and eating junk food probably wasn’t helping her heal. Another day, maybe two, barring any issues, and they’d be somewhere safe where they could take a day or two to rest, make contact with the brothers, and make their final leg of the trip to Montana to join the team.
15
“Lookin’ a little flat there,” the attendant commented, getting Wylie’s attention.
Wylie looked at Eva, then back to the man who looked like he hadn’t taken pride in personal hygiene. “Excuse me? What’s that supposed to mean?”
The man gave him a wary look and traced his view, then smiled. “Oh, I meant your tire. Not the girl. She ain’t flat anywhere.”
“How about you mind your business and keep your eyes over here, asshole.” Wylie released the gas nozzle and took a step toward the frumpy man and puffed out his chest.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean no harm. Just appreciate a pretty woman when I see one,” the man stuttered with a toothless smile. “You do that to her face?”
Shock washed over Wylie. Sure, he was a man of tremendous size and strength, but he would never harm a woman, and the thought disgusted him. What made his stomach roil more is that the attendant’s smarmy grin told a story of its own. When Wylie glanced at the man’s left ring finger and noticed he seemed to be married, he cringed.
“No. I didn’t do that to her face. Only piece of shit sons of bitches with small dicks lay a violent hand on a woman. You one of those pieces of shit who like to hurt women…” Wylie paused to read the name on the man’s shirt and clenched his fists as some sort of warning. “Terry? ’Cause I hate pricks like that.”
Terry shifted from one foot to the other, completely unprepared for the direction the conversation was going. “No. No way, not me. I don’t like those…small…dick…guys either. Real, uh, assholes.”
Wylie relaxed his posture, smiled, and went back to pumping his gas. “Good, Terry. Glad to hear it. I like to take my frustrations out on those kinds of guys. You know, make it a fair fight and such.”
“Oh. Yeah. I, uh…do too. Real assholes deserve a beatin’.”
Wylie snorted. “Then we agree on something, Terry. Women deserve our best, not our worst.”
The man nodded. “Hey. You’re losing a lot of air fast. I can put the spare on for ya.”
Wylie looked closer at the tire and noted that Terry was right. But there was no way they’d get as far as they needed, as fast as they needed on a spare. He looked at the building next to the market. “Looks like I might need a new tire. You stock them here?”
“Oh. We do.” Terry seemed thrilled to help Wylie out as though he was suddenly trying to impress him. “Can’t do it until morning, though. Shop’s closed, and Buddy won’t be back until six.”
“You can’t open it up and do a quick change for me? I’ll pay you for the extra effort.”
“Sorry. Buddy is the only one who runs that shop. He owns it. I’d give him a call, but he’s at the bar, next town over, celebratin’ something. Buddy’s always celebratin’.”
Wylie pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t suppose there’s a shop in the next town over?”
“Sure, but they don’t open until later in the mornin’. That’s why Buddy opens so early, steals their business. Smart guy.”
“Yeah, that’s real smart, Terry.” Wylie looked between the shop and the motel, then his watch noting they had several hours to wait for Buddy. “You know how I can get a room then until six?”
“Oh, yeah. I can help you with that. I run that place with my old lady. We live in the first one. You need one or two rooms?” Terry had that smarmy look again as he watched Eva come their way and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand like he forgot Wylie was standing right there.
If they weren’t already trying to keep a low profile, Wylie would teach this guy some manners, but this wasn’t the time or place. “Hey, Terry. Terry?”
The man jumped, returning his attention to Wylie. “Oh, uh…”
“We’ll just need one room.” He knew this would piss Eva off, but Terry had keys to the rooms and seemed to have a crush, despite having his own old lady. “She’s with me.”
“Oh. Uh. Yeah. If you just want to pull your car up in front of the shop, I’ll meet you next door and get you all set up with a room.”
“Thanks, Terry.”
Wylie hung the gas hose back on the pump and opened Eva’s door for her before grabbing the brown paper bag she was holding.
She gave him a confused look. “A room?”
“Just get in. I’ll explain.”
They moved the car to the shop and met Terry at the motel after Wylie explained why they needed the room and why there would only be one room.
“I can smell the mildew from here,” Eva blurted.
“Yeah, well, would you rather hang out in the car? Out in the open?”
“Not a chance. Although the way Terry keeps looking at me, I think I need to sleep with my gun.”
“Not with me around. That prick won’t get within arm’s length of you.”
Eva rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself, O’Reilly. I don’t need you defending my honor. Save the macho bullshit for someone else. It’s kind of gross.”
Wylie gave her a surprised look. “Really? Never mind. You’re right. You got this, don’t need me. I’ll just sleep in the car…”
“No, you won’t,” she corrected, lacing her arm through his. “He’s doing it again.”
Wylie watched Terry through the window, where he was waiting to check them in and was taking the opportunity to check Eva out. Wylie decided to give Terry a warning. He stopped, causing her halt, and he turned her to face him. Cupping her face, he leaned down and kissed her. Long. Hard. And definitely dirty when his hands moved down her sides and eventually cupped her ass instead and squeezed.
A little squeak escaped her, and she pulled away, eyes glazed over and lids heavy. “Wh-what was that for?”
“Sending Terry a little message.” Wylie shrugged and smiled down at her, his hands still on her perfect, round ass.
“Um. You know you’re still squeezing my, uh…”
“Yep.”
“O-kay.” She stammered, still off-kilter from his kiss. “Are you, uh, going to let go?”
“Do you want me to? I feel like he needs to know I’m serious.”
Her brow raised as her senses began to return. “Serious? What’s going to be serious is my knee to your dick, which is, uh…clearly enjoying this a little too much.”
Wylie pulled away quickly, only then realizing the effect she had on him. “Don’t be crazy. I’m not… I don’t have…”
“Let’s just get the room, Wy.”
“Okay.” He led them inside where Terry would no longer make eye contact, but it seemed he had other ideas.
“There’s only one room, and it’s right next to ours,” he lied, sweat beading around his mouth and brow.
Wylie looked out at the parking lot, noting there weren’t any cars. “You sure about that? All the other rooms are occupied?”
Terry stumbled over his words again and shifted from side to side, looking everywhere but at Wylie and Eva. “No. They’re being, uh, renovated. Not ready for anyone. Real mess.”
Seemed this guy might be a bit of a voyeur or counting on thin walls to get off maybe.
Wylie’s stomach twisted in disgust. “You sure we’ll be able to get out of her shortly after six?”
“I sent a text to Buddy and let him know he had a tire to fix as soon as he opened in the morning. Leave the keys with me, and I’ll make sure he gets them so you’re all set and ready to go.”
“Send him a text and let him know there’s a bonus if he has us on the road by six.”
“Will do.”
As they turned to leave the motel office, Wylie landed his
hand on Eva’s ass once more because he could feel Terry’s eyes fixed on Eva’s backside.
She squeaked and straightened as she whispered, “Another message?”
“Mm-hmm.”
16
“Omg, I think someone died in this bed,” Eva bellowed as she pulled back the covers, and a pungent smell filled the room.
Wylie pulled back the sheets to her bed and revealed a large dark stain that covered half the mattress of the double bed. “I’m pretty sure someone did. And Terry tried to bleach the stain out.”
“I’m going to die here tonight, aren’t I?”
Wylie laughed and inspected his bed. “No, you’re going to use this bed. No blood.”
“Where are you going to sleep?” she asked.
“The chair, I suppose…oh.” He looked around the room and noticed there wasn’t a chair. There wasn’t much of anything. Two double beds, a nightstand with a lamp, and an old TV with a dial sitting on a rickety table across the room. “Where’s the chair? All hotels have a chair in the room at the very least.”
“News flash, big guy,” she teased. “This isn’t a ho-tel. It’s a mo-tel.”
“So motels don’t have chairs?”
“This one doesn’t. So again, where are you going to sleep?”
“I don’t mind the car…”
“Nonsense. We’ll share the bed, Wylie. It’s…fine. We’ll be fine.” There was hesitation in her tone, like a sense of nervousness, maybe.
“I’m almost the size of that whole bed…”
Eva swallowed so hard he could hear it. “So, we’ll have to sleep…close. It’s fine. We’ve been next to each other in the car. Same thing.”
Wylie grinned. “Yeah. Totally the same thing.”
“Just go with it, okay?” Eva pulled out the thin blanket she had in her duffel bag. “We’ll put this down over everything, toss the pillows on the floor, and hopefully we don’t catch anything.”
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 125