by Mark Mathews
“I can’t believe we’re actually leaving. There have been so many memories in this house…”
Alice teared up a little, and Garrett did his best not to encourage her emotions. He wanted a clear separation between himself and Alice for all intents and purposes, to show Wren that he still wanted to be with her, no matter what she said about him always wanting what wasn’t good for him. There were so many memories in that house, both good and bad, and they weren’t all so far in the past that he could bury them and forget them. The most recent was Seth’s birth. His other two children had been born here, too, and he couldn’t let that go so easily.
“I remember when you carried me over that threshold on our wedding day. The love we had back then was something I never had with Austin. I tried so hard to get that from him, and yet, I never could. What was I doing wrong?”
She looked at him, pleading, but there was nothing he could say to make her feel better. He still resented her for leaving him in the first place, so he wasn’t going to ease her mind any when she said she regretted doing it. He wanted to rant and rave to her about it, but it wouldn’t do anyone any good now. Garrett knew Alice had a penchant for being wistful. So he thought he would nip this in the bud right away before she started to get any more ideas.
“That was a good day, yes, but you can’t pretend to feel a love that isn’t there anymore.” His voice was firm, and he made sure he got his point across. Alice sighed and hugged him gently.
“I know. I’m just lucky you’re in my life at all.”
It took every ounce of strength that Garrett had not to roll his eyes. This was still typical Alice. She still thought she would be able to get him back at some point. He decided there was nothing he could do to make her stop thinking that. So he decided he would concentrate his efforts on turning her down at every opportunity.
It didn’t take long for the group to get in the truck and out on the road. Garrett put himself and Max up in the cab with Ben. Ben was gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, and it caused Garrett some concern. Max sat in silence, ever the watchful guardian, while Garrett tried to keep some innocent and light conversation going.
“How are you feeling? Need a break from driving?”
Ben shook his head but didn’t answer. Garrett frowned. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He easily could judge how people felt by the words they said or the tone of their voice, but if Ben wouldn’t talk, there was no way Garrett could tell how he was feeling. He had to think of another way to get the details he needed. He had to get on an emotional level, and he didn’t know if Ben could handle that. Seeing as Ben was driving this truck right now, Garrett really needed him to keep it together.
“Are you okay?”
The tone of voice that Garrett used implied that he was talking about the loss of Athena. Max picked up on it right away and tensed, ready to grab the steering wheel if necessary. Ben closed his eyes for a split second, then opened them again. Garrett saw tears on his eyelashes, and felt like a complete ass for bringing it up.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
It was a leaden voice with no inflection whatsoever. Ben’s heart was dead. Garrett knew what that felt like, because it was the same way that he had felt after Alice had left him for Austin.
“If you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know this is different than what I’ve been through, but I can relate to the feeling that’s overwhelming you right now.”
He threw the offer out there, but didn’t know if Ben was going to take him up on it. Silence ensued in the cab. Garrett almost wished he was in the back with the rest of the group and the supplies. It might be a little cramped, but at least the atmosphere was friendlier. He looked through the little window that separated the cab from the back of the truck. He could see Jenny sitting on a crate, with Billy in her lap, telling the little dog everything she possibly could imagine their new home to be. She was excited, and her face was animated. It made him smile just looking at her.
As he was looking around, he caught Wren’s eye. He still had a residual smile on his face, but he quickly made it disappear. He still didn’t know how she was feeling about him, but she gave him a small smile, and that made his heart thump faster. Maybe he had a shot after all. He only could hope, but he didn’t want to push her before she was ready. That would kill whatever progress he had made up to this point. Looking at his other two kids, he saw that he didn’t exist to them right now, either. Brooke was talking to Nat, and Seth was sleeping in his little carrier on Alice’s chest. He wasn’t proud of it, but all he could think about right now was that he had Seth, and they were going somewhere that Austin never would be able to follow.
Garrett couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement. Maybe not on the same level as Jenny’s, but it was there. He also felt freedom in a way that he hadn’t in a very long time. They were nearing the edge of town, and one more turn would see them safely out of this hell. As they made the turn, Garrett’s heart sank. Blocking the road in front of them was a police cruiser. It had to be Austin. This is what he got for thinking of the devil. Now he was here, and they basically were sitting ducks. The truck had everything they needed to survive, and there was no cover. What was to stop Austin and his gang from killing everyone and taking what they wanted?
“Everyone stay in the truck. No matter what you hear, stay here where it’s safe. We seem to have a little problem, but I’ll go take care of it.”
Everyone’s face showed different degrees of worry, but his voice was firm, and he only could hope that everyone listened. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt if he could help it. Ben parked the truck, and got out along with Garrett and Max. There was movement in the back of the truck, and Garrett hoped everyone was hunkering down protectively, but if he had looked back there, he would have seen Wren had a defiant look on her face. She was gearing up to get out of the truck when the men climbed down from the cab. No one said a word to her, because they either knew better than to try changing her mind, or because they didn’t want to give away what she was doing. Ben, Max, and Garrett made a loose chain in front of the truck, almost like a line of defense for the people and supplies within. Garrett was about to ask Austin what he wanted with them when Wren appeared out of thin air and stood by his side.
“I’m going to stand by you no matter what.” It warmed his heart to hear that, but if Austin had his way, that might only be the next ten minutes or so.
“Sorry to barge in on your romantic moment, but we’re going to have to cut it short. You guys aren’t leaving. This is my town, and I say who comes and goes.” He stood there with a grin on his face, his arms crossed smugly in front of him.
“Look, Austin. If you just let us go, we’ll be out of your hair and you never have to see me again.” Now anger flashed across Austin’s face, and his eyes started to blaze.
“You seem to forget that you have my wife and son in the back of that truck. I’m not leaving here without them, and if I have to shoot every single one of your friends until you hand them over, I will. Execution style.”
“Alice doesn’t want to be with you anymore, and she already has asked me to be Seth’s father. Can’t you just let them go? She left me for you, now she’s leaving you for herself. It’s something you’ll have to get over.”
Antagonizing Austin probably wasn’t the best thing to do right then, but Garrett couldn’t help it. There were things he’d wanted to say to this bully and now he might as well get them out. Not only would it make him feel better, but if he could get Austin angry enough to make a mistake, it might just help him out in the long run. Austin made a show of loading up his duty weapon that he’d received when he’d joined the sheriff’s team. The grin on his face looked like it was stretching wider and wider, in a maniacal way.
“Have it your way.”
In slow motion, Garrett watched as Austin took the safety off his pistol and started to raise it. His heart started racing as he tried to figure out who the barrel was pointing at. He
realized at the last second that Austin was aiming at Wren. The sound of the trigger being pulled reached his ears, and without thinking he lunged and threw himself in front of her. He knocked into her, sending both of them to the ground, but the bullet found him instead of her. That was all he’d wanted. If he had to die to show that he had been serious about wanting to be with her, then that was okay. He only wished he could stay there longer and protect her from every other bad thing that ever was going to come her way. This was a start, and he could die in peace, knowing he had saved her life.
The edge of his vision started to blacken, and he couldn’t make out much of what was going on around him anymore. His narrowing point of view found Wren’s face as she bent over him. Her lips were moving, and he knew she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn’t hear anything anymore, and his vision wasn’t good enough to be able to read her lips. He felt himself slipping away, and he sent up a quick little prayer to whomever was listening to keep everyone he cared about safe. He wanted them to make it out of this encounter in one piece, even if he didn’t. All he could do was wish he had done more to protect them.
Tears were streaming down Wren’s face as she bent over him, cradling him in her lap. She regretted not giving him the chance he’d wanted when he had told her that he had chosen her over Alice. She regretted that so much right now that it added a new kind of hurt on top of the hurt of losing Garrett, which quickly was becoming stronger.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FEELING WAS COMING BACK to Garrett, but all he could focus on was the extreme pain that was shooting down every nerve ending in his body. He opened his eyes, and his vision was blurry. He tried to open and close his eyes a few times to focus his gaze, but it wasn’t working. He tried pushing himself into a sitting position, but felt soft hands firmly pushing him back down to where he was laying. He turned his head, almost in slow motion, and saw Wren’s face. He broke into a smile, and felt tears welling up in his eyes. They weren’t just from the pain; they were tears of joy because he’d never thought he would see her again. When he’d been shot, he’d thought he was going to die. Which reminded him…he’d been shot. What else had happened? He tried sitting up again, and once again Wren exerted some pressure to keep him where he was.
“I need to get up. I need to know what’s going on.”
Wren’s face swam into focus, and he squinted, making sure he saw it as clearly as he could. She smiled at him as she saw him try to focus on her face. She put a hand on his cheek, giving him a soft caress. He raised his hand to cover hers, and this time, she didn’t pull away. He thought maybe now would be the perfect time for a joke. She seemed like she needed to laugh.
“You were right. I guess I do choose women who are bad for me.” He winked at her, but she gasped.
“Really? That’s what you’re going with?”
She should have been angry with him, but in light of the situation, all she did was laugh at him. She bent down and hugged him as gently as she could. It still hurt him badly, but he did his best not to wince. He was getting affection from her now that he was hurt, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it, and possibly milk it if he could. She might just be being nice to him because he was hurt, and if that was the case, he was going to do his best to use it to his advantage.
“I managed to clean and dress the wound all by myself, so be proud of me. After all, your life could depend on my medical skills.” She still was grinning at him, and he had to admit that he loved this light banter between them. He put on an expression of mock fear.
“Well, if that’s the case, I’m a goner for sure.” She lightly swatted his shoulder, and when he winced, her hands flew up to her face in shock, as he chuckled at her.
“It didn’t hurt that bad.” Her eyebrows knitted together in mock anger.
“Then maybe I should hit you harder.”
She couldn’t keep her face in character and started laughing. He was starting to pick up on the fact that she was stalling, but he really wanted to know what had happened in the confrontation with Austin and his gang. The comment about no one leaving his town without his permission really had rankled Garrett. If he could have punched Austin’s face in for that comment, he would have. Unfortunately, he hadn’t gotten that far. If she wanted to stall, maybe he could help her with that. Using the arm that hurt the least, he pulled her down by the back of her neck and kissed her tentatively. She fought him at first, but then she deepened the kiss, putting her hand behind his head to angle their mouths together even better. That encouraged him, and he put more force into it, almost like he was trying to devour her entire face. He lost himself in the kiss, and for a few minutes, there was no pain, no confrontation, hell, no apocalypse. It was just the two of them, and they were healing each other’s broken hearts.
“Are you going to tell me what happened? And where we are?” He pulled back, staring into her eyes and holding her mesmerized. She sobered up and looked at him meaningfully.
“We’re at the factories. We made it.” That didn’t sound as though everything had gone as well as he originally had planned, so he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“You said we ‘made it’. That implies something went wrong. What happened?” His heart was racing, and he was amazed at how afraid he was of her potential answer. After they’d lost Athena, losing his loved ones cut him much deeper than it ever had before. They were all he had left in this world, and he didn’t want to lose any more of them. Wren was quiet, fiddling with a loose string on the hem of her shirt. He tried to catch her eye to make her look at him, but she refused. He tried to reach out a hand to tilt her chin up, forcing her to face him, but she moved out of his reach.
“Wren.” She winced and closed her eyes, almost like this was bad news she didn’t want to hear. That made it ten times worse for him, since he didn’t know what had happened after he’d blacked out.
“Alice got us out of there.” That was nowhere near satisfactory enough for Garrett. It immediately put all sorts of dangerous situations in his mind that he didn’t want to dwell on. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. Wren didn’t offer up any more information.
“What does that mean?” It wasn’t a question, and he spoke it through gritted teeth, doing the only thing he could to keep them from chattering.
“She didn’t want Austin to hurt anyone else…so she took Seth and left with him.”
Garrett’s world crashed down around him. He’d lost his son. Austin had done it. He’d gotten that poor, innocent little baby under his control. Now there was no telling what he was going to do to both Seth and Alice. As far as Garrett was concerned, Austin just acquired two pawns to use against him, and he wasn’t going to stand for it. He needed to get a plan together to rescue both Alice and the baby. Max and Ben would have to help him, but he refused to take Wren with him. Austin knew that she was his main weakness, and he wasn’t going to put her in danger again. Hearing all of this, he completely set aside the pain and tried to get up. The reminder came in the form of a debilitating wave of pain that made him groan as he bit down on a scream. Wren was instantly at his side, trying to comfort him in any way she knew how. A sudden thought entered his head, and even though he didn’t want to know the answer, he had to ask.
“Wren?” The change in his tone of voice made her look up at him immediately. “Tell me the truth. Did you let her go? Or did you try to make her stay?”
It just had occurred to him that Wren might have whispered in her ear to go, because of the quasi-love triangle the three of them made. He’d thought he had made it clear to both women who he wanted to be with, but he also knew that women could be petty and cruel. Her eyes filled with tears. She was hurt that he even had asked, but he had to know the truth.
“Of course I didn’t tell her to go!” Now her voice was hard and she was the one with gritted teeth, in an effort not to scream her words at him. “It was the only way to get us all out of there alive! The others already are coming up with a plan to
get her and Seth back safely.”
With those words, she stormed out of the little room they were in. Garrett kicked himself for asking her. Now it seemed that any progress he’d made with her just had been erased, and what was more, he’d been set back even further than he’d ever been before. Why, oh, why, couldn’t he just keep his stupid mouth shut sometimes? He deserved every ounce of pain that he was feeling because he was stupid enough to hurt others this much. He lay there, eyes closed for a while, wondering what in the world was going to happen. Not just with her, but with the plan to get Alice and Seth back. A little voice in the back of his mind told him that he should be celebrating the fact that there had been no casualties on his side. Granted, they were missing two members of the family, but they weren’t so far gone as never to be reachable again. After a little while, Max came in. The noise made Garrett open his eyes and try turning his head in that direction. Max sat down next to the makeshift bed that Garrett had been propped up on so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck.
“I want to be a part of the rescue effort. I’m not saying that we have to wait longer for me to be feeling better, I just want to go. I don’t care what happens to me, but I’ll do what I have to do to protect my family.” The fierceness in Garrett’s eyes was a mixture of anger and fever, but Max didn’t try to baby him.
“Listen. It’s not that we don’t want you, it’s more that we have to wait because we need you. We won’t have the numbers without you.”
Garrett always liked to have more on his side than his opponent when it came to things like this, but Max’s words were too ominous. Something else had gone wrong, and it looked like he’d run Wren off before she could tell him.
“What’s wrong?” Max looked down at his hands, and it worried Garrett. He’d never seen Max look this nervous.
“Ben ran off.”
Garrett felt like his heart had stopped. Ben was the one he and Max were supposed to be taking care of. Now it seemed that they had ignored him, and Ben had slipped through the cracks. A huge weight settled on Garrett’s shoulders. If anything happened to him, Garrett would feel personally responsible.