by Chloe Lang
“Fuck Oscar,” Seth snapped.
“Forget this.” Charly stepped back from him. “My mom’s life is on the line. You’ve got to let me go.”
He put his arm around her shoulder. “Do you trust me?”
“I want to,” she confessed.
“Good enough. Listen to me, love. He won’t have a chance to touch your mom before my brothers find him. Your half brother made a big mistake coming back to Wilde. We know this town like the back of our hands. I only have to distract the bastard for a few seconds. He’s not going to hurt anyone. We’ll get him, I promise. I’ve got five minutes. When Preston calls you, you call me.”
Without a word her knight in the designer dress ran out the door.
* * * *
Heath Strong sat atop Sneaky Pete’s Wedding Chapel, hiding behind its steeple. He’d chosen that locale since it was directly across the street from Stanley’s Funeral Home and gave him the best view of Dry Creek Road and Main Street. If Preston Cromwell so much as peeked out a window, he would see him and send a bullet into the bastard’s skull.
Drake was with Charly at the diner. Tobias had sent him there just in case Preston had thought to trip them all up, trying to double back to the diner and catch her alone. Knowing she was with the best shot of the six of them gave Heath some relief, if only a bit.
He wouldn’t relax until the motherfucker was stone-cold dead.
Seth stood by the hearse, which was parked in the entryway under the carport. The big hat and sunglasses masked him some, but the dress looked ridiculous on his frame. The camouflage wasn’t ideal but would have to suffice. Still, his brother was smart to stand in the shadows. A casual onlooker might be deceived into believing him to be a female. They only needed a few seconds for this plan to work.
He scanned the street and spotted Dax with his pistol drawn entering the Wilde Community Center, which was on the opposite corner of the intersection from the funeral home. The rest of their brothers and cousins were checking every nook and cranny of the town for any sign of Charly’s half brother.
After receiving the call from Tobias, he’d checked with the relief dispatcher, Sally, who told him Sheriff Davis and his deputy had been called out of town to Vice. The state officers had gone back to Carson City yesterday. They didn’t believe there was any more work left for them to do on the case in Wilde. Made sense to him, since their latest evidence pointed to Preston not being in the state but in Arizona. With the sheriff, his deputy, and the state boys gone, Wilde’s streets were free of officers of the law. That meant justice had to be served by his brothers and him. Their version wouldn’t be a slow-to-convict, quick-to-parole kind of justice for Charly’s half brother. Instead, it would be quick and final. Exactly as it should be.
Within the hour, the son of a bitch who had shot and tried to kill Charly in the hotel fire would be executed—Wilde style. Once done, there would be no tears shed or guilt felt. The woman of Heath’s dreams would be safe from harm. He prayed her mother was still alive, though he couldn’t be sure, given Preston’s evil bent.
His cell vibrated. He looked down at the text from his cousin Austin. “No sign of him in the casino. Going to check City Hall, now.”
“Where are you, motherfucker?” he thought silently.
Most of the town had been checked off already. The thought that the psycho might’ve been planning a drive-by shooting had him looking down the streets in all directions. The only moving vehicle was one of the Masters twins’ truck. He aimed his gun, looking through the scope. In the crosshairs he saw Wyatt Masters behind the wheel.
As the truck turned left onto Dry Creek off of Main away from the funeral home, he lowered his gun. Every inch of him was in full-on protective mode. There was nothing heroic or noble about his frame of mind. In fact, it was dark, ruthless, and all-consuming. No one would harm Charly or his brothers. But the truth was he’d harmed them all, especially Seth.
He looked over at his brother standing in drag in front of the funeral home to save the woman who had changed all their lives. Seth was the hero, not him.
Heath had done what he thought he had to do to ensure his younger brothers didn’t get ensnared in Gabby’s selfish trap. There might’ve been a better way, but for the life of him, he’d not known what else to do to save Drake, Dax, and Seth. His actions had ripped all six of them apart.
A curvy angel with long, dark hair had come to Wilde, had stolen his heart, and had planted hope inside him. He’d let himself dream for the first time of a life with his five brothers and him sharing the woman of their dreams, Charly. One by one, they’d come on board to the idea, save one. How foolish he’d been to believe Seth would ever forgive him all the hurt he’d caused.
Another text came in. This one from Nate that stated the bank had come up empty, too.
Fuck!
Once this was over and Preston was dead, he would slip away quietly. What happened to him didn’t matter, even though leaving Wilde and the ones he loved behind would crush him completely. Charly and his brothers deserved a chance at happiness, and that wouldn’t happen unless he was out of the picture.
He looked through his scope, scanning every dark corner that might conceal the killer. I want to be the one who takes you down.
Chapter Three
Charly looked at her cell for the millionth time. Full bars. No call.
She sat in one of the chairs Mackenzie had brought back to the kitchen of Norma’s Diner. Drake had insisted it was the best spot in the place to keep her safe—no windows.
Her panic didn’t back down, as she looked at the people gathered around her in the little space.
Less than fifteen seconds after Seth had bolted out the door, Drake had come in, having been next door at the Horseshoe. Now, he stood at the back door that opened onto the alley, which he’d cracked open just a sliver allowing him to peer out—his pistol at the ready in his hand. Though she’d never been around guns much, she was glad he had it with him here. Her cowboy bodyguard was on high alert, which normally would’ve comforted her. Not now. Not with her mother in the clutches of her half brother.
Jessie and her husband Phoenix had arrived just after Drake. Following his instructions, they had hung the Closed sign on the window and locked the door. Jessie and Phoenix had been across the street at the bank. Her cousin sat next to her. Her husband minded the swinging doors that led to the dining room, ensuring no one surprised them from that direction.
Gabby sat across from her wrapped up in an overcoat Mackenzie had pulled out of the diner’s lost and found. It was for a man, so it covered the woman fully. She hadn’t said a word after Seth had left, though her eyes had seemed to lighten up when Drake had arrived.
The cook, Nick, and Mackenzie cleaned counters and shelves, glancing Charly’s way from time to time.
The waiting was killing her.
“It’s been too long, Jessie. This can’t be happening. Not to my mother. She’s been through too much already.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I wish everyone would stop telling me that. I shouldn’t have let Seth talk me into this.”
“Did he really give you a choice?” Gabby asked flatly.
She snapped. “You were there. You already know that he didn’t.”
“Shh.” Phoenix drew his gun. “Someone is at the front door. I can’t see them from this angle.”
“Nick, watch the back door.” Drake went with Phoenix through the swinging doors into the dining room.
Grabbing Jessie’s hand, she squeezed. Is it Preston?
* * * *
Preston looked in on his captive, tied up in the motel room’s bathtub with duct tape over her mouth.
Just for his own amusement, he placed the gun at the center of her head. He laughed as her eyes went wide as saucers. There was no way he would shoot her without the silencer attached to the pistol’s barrel. That would be foolish and cause undue attention he didn’t want to deal with. The stringy-haired woman behind
the counter of the motel’s office had agreed to let him have the room farthest from the office. He’d told her he needed utter quiet in order to sleep since he drove nights. She’d smiled and handed him the key. Dumb bitch.
He’d been able to get his package into the room without anyone seeing him. Check off that task.
“Relax, my dear. This will all be over very soon.” He put the gun back in its holster. “Going to call your precious, little girl now, Mrs. Wynn. Before I do, can I get you anything?”
He flipped the switch that turned on the vent above. It whirred to life, drowning out any whimpers the bitch might utter. He winked at her before closing the door.
Looking at the screen of Mrs. Wynn’s cell made him smile for two reasons. One, it let him know that he was already late calling Charlene back. Not really late, actually. It had always been his plan to make his sister suffer. “Ticktock. Ticktock. I bet you’re wondering if I’m going to call you or not.”
The other thing that amused him about the nutty old broad’s cell was that she’d entered her daughter’s number under the name “my baby girl.” His sister was, right now, standing like a sheep about to be slaughtered in front of the funeral home in Wilde. Only the most intelligent in the world—like him—would’ve seen the irony he’d created by ordering her there.
* * * *
Charly listened intently but never heard gunfire. The only sounds coming from the dining room were three male voices. Jessie and Mackenzie actually jumped up between her and the door. The swinging door opened, and Gabby squealed.
She relaxed as Dr. Wayne Champion, her mother’s new beau, rushed in, but when she saw the ugly gash above his left eyebrow, tension took a seat in the middle of her gut.
“Have you seen your mother?” he asked frantically. “Someone hit me over the head, and when I came to, she was gone.”
“When and where did this happen?” Drake asked.
Dr. Champion’s eyes were filled with worry. “Connie wanted to get some of her things from Seth’s place, so I drove her there. That was earlier this morning. We went in and that’s when it happened.”
Her heart sunk even lower as she told the doctor about the phone call she’d gotten from Preston. “We must’ve just missed you at Seth’s place.” In the back of her mind she’d clung to the slim chance that Preston had only stolen her mother’s phone and nothing more. But with Dr. Champion’s account known, there was no denying the horrific fact that the monster did have her mom. Dreadful shivers washed over her.
“Have a seat, Doctor.” Jessie pointed to one of the empty chairs Mackenzie had brought into the kitchen. “We need to get you to the hospital, I think.”
“Please call me Wayne. No, I’m fine.” He sat down and pulled the chair closer to Charly.
“Mackenzie, do you mind getting Dr. Champion some ice for his head?” Charly asked.
“Of course, I don’t mind. There’s some in the bin in the dining room.”
“I’m going with you,” Nick said, and they both walked through the swinging door.
“I love your mom very much.” Dr. Champion’s voice cracked a bit.
“I know,” she said softly, placing her hand over his.
“I should’ve been more cautious when we got to Seth’s place. Since the sheriff had told us that Preston was in Arizona, I was too careless. I screwed up. I’m so sorry.”
She turned to the others. “Can you give us a minute?”
Jessie nodded. “I’ll tell Mac to hold off on that ice pack until you tell us to come back, okay?”
“Thanks,” she answered.
Her cousin and Phoenix exited to the dining room.
Drake frowned. “I’m not leaving you alone.”
“I’m not telling you to go far, cowboy, just recon the alley or whatever else you think you should do right now. I just want a moment alone with Wayne. Okay?”
He shrugged. “Two minutes. That’s all.” Then he walked out the back door.
“Wayne, you didn’t do anything wrong. You’ve changed my mother’s life. I’ve seen it in her smile since the day you two met.”
“She’s the love of my life.” He didn’t cry, but she could see the tears well up in his eyes. “I shouldn’t have left her alone, Charly. She’s got to get through this.”
She repeated the words she’d been told by the ones who cared for her. “Everything is going to be okay.”
Then her cell rang.
* * * *
Preston held the phone to his ear.
“I’m here, Preston.”
“I see you there. Very good,” he lied. Stupid bitch doesn’t have a clue I’m not in Wilde.
There was a pause on the other end of the call.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked.
“No. I’m scared. That’s all. Where are you?”
“Can’t see me, can you? Good. Did you tell your fuck buddies anything?”
“No. No one knows I’m here. Please put my mother on the phone, Preston. Let me know she’s okay.”
“Not yet.” The dread in her voice fuelled his resolve. Soon, every pound will be mine alone. “You’ve done very well, sis. Keep it up and your dear old mum is going to be back by your side in no time at all.”
“Anything. I’ll do anything.”
Like taking candy from a mentally deficient fucking slut.
A pounding on his door startled him.
“Just a second, sis.”
He walked to the window and peered out, recognizing the two men dressed in uniforms at his door. One was the sheriff from Wilde and the other was his deputy. Their guns were out.
Fuck!
The ugly clerk who had checked him in late last night stood about fifteen feet away. The bitch would pay for sticking her nose into his business, but first, he had to deal with the men.
“Open up the door now and come out with your hands up,” the older of the two said.
“I said no law, sis,” he whispered.
“I swear. It wasn’t me. Please, Preston. I need to talk to my—”
“Fuck you.” He killed the call.
Chapter Four
Drake read the text from Tobias. “The town has been scoured. No Preston. Heading to the diner now.”
Dr. Champion came out the back door of the diner into the alley. “Preston just called Charly,” the doc said frantically. “She sent me for you.”
He followed Dr. Champion back into the kitchen where he’d left the woman of his dreams. She was staring at her phone as if hypnotized by it.
She was his. He was supposed to protect her from harm, but he’d failed miserably.
He hated seeing her suffer. Why had he and his brothers screwed up so badly? She was alive and safe, but her mother, who they should’ve been keeping tabs on, too, wasn’t safe and might even be dead.
Phoenix and Jessie rushed in from the dining room. Behind them came Mackenzie, carrying some ice in a cloth for Dr. Champion’s head. Nick was next to her. Gabby was the last to come in, the smirk on her face pissing him off. No time to set that bitch straight. That would come later.
He took the chair closest to Charly and put his arm around her shoulder.
“Talk to me, sweetheart.” He pulled her in tight. “What did Preston say?”
The others in the room stood back, obviously giving her space and waiting for her to speak.
She looked him in the eyes and blinked. “I think I heard Sheriff Davis’s voice in the background. Then the line went dead, Drake.”
Suddenly, all his brothers bolted into the room together.
“Fill us in,” Heath said.
Charly rattled off what she’d heard from Preston.
Gabby’s hands went up to her mouth. “My poor dress.”
He looked at Seth, who was pulling off the tattered garment. “Shut up, Gabby.”
What had he, Dax, and Seth ever seen in that woman?
“The sheriff and his deputy went to The Stockton Motel just outside Vice,” Heath said.
“How far is Vice from Wilde?” Charly asked.
“Seventeen miles north of us,” Dr. Champion answered.
She stood. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Drake gently pulled her back into her chair. “You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
“He has my mother. I have to go.”
“I’m with Drake on this one, pet.” Seth sat down in the chair on the opposite side of her. “You and I are staying put.”
“N–No, Seth. I–I can’t stay.”
Seth leaned forward and looked him in the eye. “Go. Take the whole posse.”
He knew by “posse” his brother meant him and his brothers and all their cousins. “I’m on it.” He got up on his feet.
“I’m going with you,” Dr. Champion stated, removing the ice pack from his head.
“You’re injured, Doc,” Seth said. “Likely a concussion. You need to get seen about that.”
“This bump on my head is nothing to worry about.”
Seth shook his head. “I know better, and so do you.”
“I’ve got a medical degree. You’re an EMT. You understand the difference?” Dr. Champion wasn’t backing down. Not one inch. “This injury can be looked at after Connie is safe at my side and not before. No one is going to stand in my way.”
“You know the risks.” Seth held up both his hands in the universal sign of defeat.
Wayne Champion could clearly hold his own in and out of the examining room.
If it was Charly instead of her mom in danger, he would do the same thing, and nothing or no one would get in his way. He admired Dr. Champion’s guts. “You have a gun, Doc?”
Dr. Champion put the ice and towel aside. “In my car.”
Drake kissed Charly’s forehead before walking to the door. “Get it. My truck is the white one parked outside. I’ll drive.”
“Take care of my wife, Seth.” Phoenix kissed Jessie.
“Honey, be safe,” Charly’s cousin said. “Bring back my aunt, please.”