She chuckled. “Well, I think you nailed that one.”
He pulled her hand so she’d follow him. They sat in a nearby lounger next to the drinks he’d made for them, and he handed her one. “This will help.”
“Keep them coming. I feel a long night coming on,” she teased.
“You can have as many as you want,” he said, wrapping his arm around her.
When she noticed his glass was still on the table, she questioned him. “You aren’t going to join me?”
“Oh, that’s for you, darlin’. I made you two.” Wylie winked at her. “I’ll stick to water tonight so you can cut loose a little.”
“You’re not drinking,” she said as a statement, not a question. “You think there’s something to worry about?”
“Nope. That’s not why. I think you need that drink worse than I do. It’s just your turn.”
With a nod, she set her drink aside and laid against him, cradling into his side. “Will it ever go away?”
He tipped his head down at her with a questioning expression.
“Will I always be like…this now?”
He rubbed her arm and kissed the top of her head. “No, honey. It gets better. You just need to fight back a little bit and get what was taken from you. And you will.”
They sat in silence until the adrenaline had worn off, and their nerves were calm.
“They knew I’d be looking,” Wylie said, staring at the same rocks Eva had been. “Liam did, anyway. He’s always a step ahead.”
Eva looked up at him. “What does that mean?”
“It means he left me some information that he knew we might like to have. It wasn’t directly to me. It was in their offline conversation with the teams headed to Montana he left on the secure server for me.”
Eva sat up, waiting for the punch to the gut.
“It was a highlight reel of all sorts of bullshit that he literally left as a list of bullet points.” Wylie laughed. “He’s such a fucking nerd like that. Looks like everyone made it to Wyatt Ranch safely. So that’s good.”
“Wylie. What else was there? You’re stalling.”
Wylie dragged his hands over his face and shook his head in disbelief. “Just that we made the right move by leaving when we did. Watermark Tower was hit by the feds—full search and seizure. Obviously, they came away with nothing. At the same time, they hit my parents’ pub down the street, and any other known properties owned by or associated with Brother’s Keeper and the O’Reillys.”
“Oh, no. Wylie.”
“Oh, they even hit Rip’s tattoo shop and brought him in for questioning. He’s good, though, because they had nothing on him. Sounds like Carter is taking care of everyone for us in that regard.”
“Why do I feel like there’s more?”
“Because there is…” Wylie reached around Eva and pulled her long dark hair over her shoulder, running his hands over it while he stared off just beyond her. “C.T.’s and Mendoza’s homes and offices were hit. They even flipped Ronan and Ryker’s place up in Deception Pass.”
“Wait. Ro and Ry are on your bounty. They gave them your bounty intentionally.”
“That’s how we know this is just a big fucking game. I guess they volunteered to have their place searched to stay on the bounty, but still.”
“Then they must’ve been here too, then. Blake’s in Portland, so that had to send up red flags.”
“Oh, there were here too. Blake’s house, Beck McCain’s businesses and homes, my little sister’s home…”
“Oh, Wylie.” Eva felt his pain as he talked about all the people close to him. “Poor Carigan. You know this isn’t your fault, right? This is something else altogether, and we’re all caught in the crosshairs.”
“I know, but my sister? My parents? Jesus, McCain? They’re just flexing their muscles at this point. He’s a good guy and not a part of our business.”
“But he’s a client, a really big one, and he has money and power…lots of it. It makes sense.”
They were discussing their friend Beck McCain who resided in McKenzie Ridge but had homes everywhere. He was a tech mogul and had nearly endless resources…and was a close friend of the O’Reillys.
“Carter is playing along, and I know it has to be killing him. He’s like family…a brother.”
“He is family and is a brother—the bonus brother, remember?” she teased, trying to help Wylie through his heartache. “He’s doing this for you, though. He’s trying to protect all of you and crack this case just like you’ve done for him a hundred times before. If he didn’t want to do this, he wouldn’t.”
“I know. It’s just…”
“A lot…” she finished for him. “I know.”
“They’re testing us, right?” he asked, frustration pouring over his words. “This is a test to see how far we can be pushed. They’re testing Ro and Ry, testing Carter…”
“Whoever they are…”
“Exactly, Eva. Thank you. It just doesn’t make sense. We have the entire country breathing down our necks, hunting us, and it looks like the cartel is playing along and coming for you. What do the two have in common?”
“A lot,” Eva deadpanned. “Both are corrupt and full of criminals out for money and blood. That’s what it’s always about. I think we got too close and threatened their money, so they want our blood any way they can get it. We may not know how, but it’s clearly all connected. Our worlds are colliding and imploding.”
Wylie agreed. “If that’s the case, this has been going on for a very long time. This isn’t the kind of shit that happens overnight.”
“Why haven’t I been outed publicly? That’s another point I can’t make clear. Someone knows I’m working both sides and why. They’ve turned parts of my organization against me, but not all… And why would someone want to dox me? I’m taking down a vile piece of our community—taking out the trash. This serves our government and country. Who hurts if I take down my father’s empire?”
“Very good question. Especially if eliminating you from the picture just brings down the cartel that much faster and hurts us too? Not to mention the other crime families who would just pick up the baton and run with it.”
“Unless it’s another family, but I can’t see that happening either,” she maintained.
“If we look at optics and who our greatest enemies are, none of them add up. Our own government, up to this point, has been our greatest ally. It’s smoke and mirrors, right? A distraction that has us on a wild goose chase while we play some serious hide-and-go-seek. I have to think the cartel is just keeping us busy while someone else pulls something off in the background while we aren’t looking. What David gave us was just the tip of the iceberg—I mean, he said as much. He said it was huge.”
“But this is just a piece of the government. It’s all unofficial, according to Kimble. These are individuals within the government who have personal gain.”
“So maybe Kimble is the key, and whoever we are dealing with here knows he’s sharing details. Maybe the incident at the coast was more or less an opportunity to shut him up. I mean, it worked. The man is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.”
“Well, see…that’s the plot twist.” Wylie chuckled.
“Excuse me?”
“David’s gone.”
Eva gasped. “He died? Oh no, his daughter…poor Ivy.”
“No…not exactly. He isn’t dead. He’s just…gone.”
“Gone? Like he left?” Eva was stunned when Wylie nodded. “Why didn’t anyone stop him?”
“Because they didn’t see him. The guy is just…gone.”
Eva looked out to the woods beyond the rocks in the distance. “Wylie…”
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “I already thought about that. I’ll die before I let him or anyone hurt you.”
Perhaps that was what they were both afraid of.
21
Wylie woke up the next morning to the sound of Eva in the shower and decided to join her. They’d
spent the night together in each other’s arms while trying to decipher what was happening around them. His heart pinched at the thought of her standing on the back deck and fighting him like she was. The fear she carried was more like torture, and it pained him to even think about it.
He’d do anything to take that away from her and help her get her confidence back so she feels secure in her own skin. Hopefully, she’d let him help her, even when all of this was over. Wylie didn’t expect anything to change, but there was no guarantee that things would stay the same with them either. It was a total crapshoot, one where their attraction and dependency on each other were strictly based on necessity and lack of options.
For now, he was present. He would take care of her if she needed him to and protect her if she needed him to. He’d be whatever she wanted. Eva’s fear-fueled frenzy the day before was proof of that. She’d completely unleashed on him, and he’d let her do it again and again. He was committed to being the vessel she needed to cleanse her soul and mend her heart, and when she was finished, too tired to go on, he’d finish for her.
When he entered the bathroom, he noticed she had her hands on the wall, propping herself up, and her head hanging down. Eva was overwhelmed, both physically and emotionally drained. He could visibly see it. Stepping in the shower behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and felt her ease into his embrace. She leaned on him and let out a deep sigh.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She spun in his arms to face him. “Just a little tired.”
Eva tried to stand on her toes to kiss him but lost her balance a bit.
“Whoa. You sure you’re okay?”
“It was the drinks last night and being an outlaw—very exhausting,” she teased, leaving her head back and lips puckered.
He leaned down to kiss her, his hands moving up and down her sides. He felt her tense when he rubbed her arm and got close to the cut she received as they were leaving Vegas.
“This thing getting worse?” he asked as he inspected her arm. “It looks a little…”
She pulled her arm away. “I’m fine. I promise. All of me is fine. I’m healing. Just tired.”
“Well, if you’re sure…”
“O’Reilly? Just kiss me.”
So he did. He kissed all of her, from her collarbone to her shoulder, to her abdomen, to her hip. Then he lifted her leg over his shoulder and kissed her there. His tongue slid across her mound, then between her lips, taunting and teasing as he did. Eva began to move against his mouth, but he wasn’t letting her off that easily. He pinned her hips to the wall and continued his lashing.
“Wylie!” she cried out, but he wasn’t done. He wanted her to feel everything she was feeling.
With a tight grip on his hair, she began to cry out louder, her breathing pitchy and fast. When her back wanted to arch, reaching for that finish, he slid his hand between her legs and slipped his fingers inside her. Stroke for stroke, his mouth and fingers played her like a well-practiced melody.
When waves of pleasure coursed through her, he turned her around and held her at her waist while he drove into her. He could feel her pulse around his hardened length until he peaked and rode the wave with her.
They finished their shower together, each intimately lathering the other, often getting lost in their kisses until the water turned cold, and it was time to get out.
“Whoa,” Wylie shouted, rushing to Eva as she stumbled in front of the vanity, wrapped only in her towel. “You okay, baby?”
She palmed her forehead. “Yeah, just felt a little dizzy for a second. That’s all.”
“Do you need anything? How can I help?” He stroked her arms, earning a wince when he neared the cut on her arm again. “This thing is looking a little angry. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Wylie, it’s fine. After what we just did in there, I’m sure anyone would be a little dizzy.” She chuckled, then swayed once more, quick to regain her footing. “Whoa. I think I had a little too much alcohol last night and too little sleep the past week or so. I’ll be fine. I just need a nap.”
Wylie wasn’t convinced. Something felt off at that moment, and worry was settling in. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Just tired and now, extremely relaxed, thanks to you,” she teased. “I’ll just lie down for a bit.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “I was thinking we’d leave tonight for the ranch, but if we need one more day, we can make that happen.”
“No. We can go. I have plenty of time to catch up on sleep before this evening. I’ll even drive this time and let you rest,” she promised. And when he gave her a strained look, she added, “I’ll be fine. It’s the last leg of the trip, and it’s only about ten, twelve hours tops.”
Wylie swept her off her feet and carried her to bed, causing her to laugh.
“Okay. But you stay here and rest. I’ll get the final route down and then make sure we’re packed up and the house is locked back down.” He pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead, noting it felt a bit warm, but they had just showered and made love, so he wasn’t worried yet. “Holler if you need anything. I’m at your beck and call.”
“Be careful,” she said in a near whisper, already drifting off to sleep. “I might get used to this.”
He could get used to it too.
Wylie had been tending to Eva all day, and her condition had only worsened. The warm forehead was a full-blown fever. She had the chills and was barely coherent. He hadn’t been able to get her to eat and only kept her hydrated by rubbing ice cubes across her lips, hoping that was somehow helping.
There was no way in hell they were leaving. He didn’t know if he had ten hours to spend in the car getting to the team and ultimately help. But taking her to the hospital was also too risky, especially in a town that was likely being watched. Dr. Mason Charles, and his wife, Everly Shaw, were good friends of the family, but because of that, they were off-limits and would likely draw unintentional attention Wylie and Eva’s way.
Calling for a doctor in the next town over, Arrow Springs, was just as risky. They didn’t have the same kind of contacts there, nor could he trust their whereabouts with a stranger. The only other option was to call Beck McCain and fly someone in they could trust, but again…it would draw too much attention, and the risk outweighed the reward.
There was only one choice to make with the least risk, and he hoped like hell it was the right one. When a car could be heard coming up his long driveway, Wylie killed the lights to the bedroom, and the rest of the house, leaving only the porch light on. He watched from the front window, weapon ready, as the one person he could call on arrived. Doc Baine.
He was friendly with the O’Reillys, and they all were acquainted, but he wasn’t like the rest of those he knew were under surveillance in town. He was also the last person any of them would probably need if in crisis because…he was a veterinarian.
If anyone were injured during any entanglements, a medical doctor or nurse would most likely be the person called on, and that’s what made them all off-limits—but not a vet. It was a chance worth taking with the least amount of risk, and Doc Baine could be trusted to help if he could and keep their presence silent.
Baine got out of his old beat-up truck, bag in tow, and headed for the front step. He was cautious, looked around, unsure. Wylie didn’t tell him who he was, just that he had an injured animal and needed Baine at his property. Clearly, Baine picked up on the subliminal messaging and knew this was a house call he personally needed to make.
Wylie opened the door. “Get in here, quick.”
A puzzled look crossed Doc Baine’s face. “Wylie?”
“Get in here, Doc.” After waving him in, Wylie slammed the door and locked it. “Don’t move.”
Wylie went to the window and watched again to see if anyone had followed the doc. When he felt the coast was clear, he turned to the wide-eyed doctor.
“Wh-why am I here?” Doc looked around. “I don’t see a hurt slot
h anywhere.”
“There isn’t one. Follow me.” Wylie guided him down the dark hallway to the bedroom. “I couldn’t say anything else and risk you sending someone else out. I knew your girl had that sloth and…”
Baine put up his hand as they entered the dark room. “No need. I get it. Are you in some kind of trouble? I’m still not quite sure why I’m here…and under these circumstances.”
Wylie flipped on the light, and when he looked at the bed, Baine’s gaze followed.
“Jesus, Wylie,” he gasped, rushing to Eva’s bedside. “What happened to her?”
“I don’t know. And I didn’t know who else to call. It’s a long story, but there’s some serious shit going down, and I couldn’t call anyone else. They’re being watched.”
“The agents. I saw them all over town,” Baine shared, picking up Eva’s wrist and feeling for her pulse. “Should I be worried?”
“Not where I’m concerned. If I had details, I would let you know, but unfortunately, I don’t. We are being hunted and have no idea by who. I need to get her to Montana to the team, but she’s sick, Doc… Real sick.”
“I can see that.” Baine put on sterile gloves and began to inspect her obvious injuries. “Were you guys in an accident or, rather, was she?”
“No. She was attacked about a week or so ago. Time’s running together, so I can’t be sure exactly when. We’ve been on the run ever since.”
“A week ago? These lacerations appear fresh, and they appear to be infected.”
Wylie nodded. “The ones on her face were nearly healed. That just happened today. It’s like they opened back up. The big one on her arm is from two days ago. Someone walking by her in Vegas cut her.”
“Cut her? Maliciously?”
“No, in passing. Seemed like an accident. Maybe something hanging off his backpack.” Wylie raked his hands through his hair. “We can’t be certain. It happened fast, and we were trying to get out of there in a hurry. She was fine until this morning. She was tired and had a little dizzy spell. She was going to take a nap, and then this.”
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 129