by Chloe Lang
A man, obviously the person they’d all been looking for, squeezed her mother tight in front of him, holding a gun to her head.
The killer’s lips curved into a crooked smile. “Hey, sis.”
She knew his voice with its British timbre instantly. “Preston, please.”
He stood on some of the glass that had been part of Norma’s entry door just moments ago. “You might want to tell your fuck buddies to put their guns down, Charlene, unless you don’t mind having your mum’s brains splattered all over this eatery’s tables and chairs. Your call though.”
Both Michael and Seth were now standing side by side with their guns out and ready. She looked back at her mother, whose eyes were wide. The tape on her mom’s mouth keeping her from speaking and also on her wrists holding her arms folded up over her chest were just a couple of the many brutal reminders that her half brother had the upper hand at the moment. “Guys, do as he says. Please.”
Neither did, keeping their barrels pointing directly at Preston’s head. It was clear to her that Michael was struggling with what he should do next. But Seth? His face was filled with rage. He didn’t seem prepared to back down.
“Stubborn,” Preston smirked. “Works for me either way. Good-bye, Mrs. Wynn. It’s been interesting.”
She saw him pull the hammer back on the gun and heard it click. “Please, guys. I beg you.”
Michael placed his gun on the floor. Seth did the same a second later, reluctantly.
“Very good,” the sociopath said. “Now, kick them and make sure they get all the way over to me.”
Thankfully, both yielded to his demands.
The weapons slid to within a foot and a half from Preston’s feet.
Seth’s phone rang.
“Don’t answer that,” the killer ordered, not moving to pick up the two guns.
“Okay,” Seth said.
The psycho nodded. “Now, isn’t this so much more civilized?”
She saw his hold on her mother loosen some.
“Can you please take the tape off my mom’s mouth? I want to talk to her.”
He shook his head. “No, Charlene. You’re not in charge here. I am.”
Her fright grew to just shy of paralyzing. She pressed it down. Their chances were dwindling, but she wasn’t about to give up. “What do you want from me, Preston?”
“Foolish girl. You’re not even asking the right questions.”
“I know I’m not. Help me to understand. Please.”
He seemed taken aback by her words. His eyelids narrowed and he remained silent for a few seconds. She held her breath, waiting for him to speak.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Why not? I’ve got nothing to lose now.” He glanced at the other women. “You bitches don’t move a muscle while I talk to Charlene.”
“We won’t do anything,” Mackenzie said calmly, which was surprising to Charly given the crisis they were dealing with.
Preston sent the woman a lurid wink. Then he looked at Seth and Michael. “Take a seat, gentlemen.”
Charly turned back to them and mouthed the word “please.”
Michael landed back in the booth’s seat, where he’d been sitting earlier.
Seth didn’t return to the booth, but instead sat in the chair closest to her.
Always my protector. She was glad for it most times, but right now, cooler heads had to prevail or her half brother would go on a killing spree, beginning with her mom.
“Magnificent,” the maniac said.
“We’re all doing what you asked us to do, Preston. I’m ready to listen.”
“Where to begin?”
“How about telling me about your mother?” she suggested.
“Why? The woman barely had enough brain cells to remember to breathe. The local authorities placed me in foster care when I was eight with a couple who couldn’t have children. Assholes. The old bugger and his bitch were only a step above Neanderthals themselves. Living with them was often dreadful, but I made the best of it and turned things to my advantage. The idiots actually tried to kick me out several times, but using my superior intellect, I was able to stay until I was thirteen. By then, I was ready to leave anyway. I hit the streets. Again, I was able to make it. How many boys of that age do you know who could survive on their own?”
“None.”
“Damn right, none.” Preston clearly reveled in telling his story. “I had to go back to my mum, though. The bitch told me about dear old dad. I thought she was lying, but a visit to yours and my grandparents let me know she wasn’t.”
“My father’s parents, did they take you in?” she asked, prodding him along. If he continued to talk, her mother would stay alive, and maybe some clue or hint would emerge where she might be able to persuade him to turn himself in.
“Of course they did, Charlene. I’m very convincing when I need to be. You know they were very rich?”
“No. I didn’t even know they existed.”
“They didn’t know you did either. Things were going along quite well, until our grandmother started missing our dear old dad. Without my knowledge, she convinced our grandfather to hire someone to find out where the son they’d disowned so long ago was. Apparently, using only a computer, it didn’t take long for the investigator to discover our dad was about to be released from his long prison term in the States. I still wonder how someone like me came from someone like Charles Wynn. I’ve been arrested a few times, but I have always been too smart for anything to stick.”
He shook his head and sighed.
Keep him talking. “What happened next, Preston?”
“Shut the fuck up. I’m the one telling this tale, not you.”
Her heart raced in her chest. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
“Better. Now, where was I? Oh yes, our grandparents. Don’t worry your little head about them, Charlene. I took care of them.”
It was obvious what he’d done. This man was ruthless and had absolutely no kindness, no empathy, no mercy inside him. His entire being was cruel, selfish, and homicidal.
“When the solicitor told me about the change in their will, I didn’t hesitate to act. I never do, sis. That’s what separates me from the masses. You, on the other hand, hesitate often. Too bad.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but wasn’t about to interrupt him again, fearing she might rile him more.
“You had a chance at that job in Malibu and you blew it.” Preston rambled on and on about how worthless and foolish she had been and how he’d stayed one step ahead of her.
With each passing minute, his insanity seemed to bubble more violently inside him. She let him go on, praying for some glimmer at the end of this terrifying tunnel she was in to shine through.
“I deserve the fortune of our grandparents. Not you. Not our father. Only me. Killing him and his buddy was easy. Really easy. Making sure that cowboy fucker got implicated was pure genius. Tied you and your studs up for a while.” Preston smiled. “The fire at that flea-infested hotel would’ve solved everything for me. Too bad it didn’t.”
His confessions of all the horrible things he’d done made her sick to her stomach, but what else could she do but listen to him? Once he stopped talking, the real nightmare would begin.
“When I saw you fall to the ground near that barn, I was certain I could go back to England and collect my due.”
“How did you know Charly wasn’t dead?” Seth asked, his tone sharp and threatening.
She held her breath, praying his words wouldn’t infuriate Preston.
Her half brother smiled broadly. “Great question.”
Quietly, she thanked God Seth hadn’t hit a nerve in him.
“I’m truly remarkable, if I do say so myself. Women are lesser than men, don’t you think, cowboy?” The sociopath didn’t wait for Seth to answer, but continued on with his diatribe. “Bitches are so easy to manipulate. I had one in Elko that kept me informed about everything going on. She was actually one of your nurses, Charlene. Do you
remember Pamela? She was a piece of cake to play. All I had to do was fuck her once or twice and she was putty in my hands.”
“I remember her,” she confessed. Pamela had been very sweet. The lying bastard had clearly swept the poor woman off her feet.
“What else to tell you?” Preston began to hum a single note.
She knew time was almost up. Wringing her hands together, she tried to figure a way out of this monstrosity. “You kidnapped my mom? How?”
“Oh yes, your mum here. That’s what happened next. When she and her boyfriend came to his place,” he motioned Seth’s direction. “I thought about killing the doctor, but I was too smart for that. I knew things would go better and you would be more inclined to follow my instructions if you had a witness to tell you what I had done. Was I right?”
She nodded.
“How is the old guy?”
“He’s fine, Preston.”
“Too bad. Anyway, my plan was working beautifully. Any evidence these local pricks had that pointed to me was only circumstantial until you disobeyed me.” His face darkened.
She gasped. “What do you mean?”
“You told, sis. Told your six cowboys. I asked you not to, but you did it anyway. You’re nothing but a fucking slut.” The anger in his voice reached into her and made her tremble.
She needed to turn him from his fury and back to his terrible tale. “What about our grandparents’ money?”
“I may not get what I deserve, but you are not about to get my fortune.”
Oh God, no!
Then she spotted Heath, standing outside the big glass window with his gun out. He held up his index finger to his lips, and her heartbeat sped up as he rushed to the ruined door.
“I’m done now. Time for you to watch your mother die, bitch.” Preston sent her a toothy smile. Then he moved his gaze to the back of her mom’s head. “Mrs. Wynn, it has been a pleasure, but it is time to say good-bye, now.”
Charly didn’t stop to ponder her options but leapt for the killer, even though there was no chance she could reach him in time to save her mother. Someone from behind pulled her to the ground and gunshots went off.
Please, God! Save my mom!
She looked up from the floor and saw Dr. Champion pulling her mother, shaking but still alive, into his arms.
Thank you, God.
With Tobias, Nate, Dax, and Drake standing behind him, Heath leaned over Preston’s unmoving body. He looked up at her. “He’s dead, sweetheart. It’s over.”
“You okay?” Michael asked, his voice coming from the booth behind her.
Seth? She twisted around to thank him and saw blood pouring out of his forehead.
“Oh God, no!”
“I’m okay, honey. I just hit my head on the corner of a table as we were going down.” Seth rolled off of her. “Your mother needs you.”
Full of relief and joy, she kissed him briefly. Then she jumped to her feet and rushed to her mom.
Chapter Seven
Charly sat in a chair in one of the examining rooms in the hospital in Elko holding the hand of one of the men she was totally in love with—Seth.
Her mom had already been checked out and given a clean bill of health, which thrilled her beyond belief. The nightmare was finally over.
Like a queen holding court, her mother was sitting just on the other side of the swinging doors in the waiting room with all the Strongs and Wildes attending to her every need.
Sheriff Davis was in stable condition, and though still in ICU, his prognosis was good. His deputy had been declared dead at The Stockton Motel.
Seth had grumbled the whole way from Wilde to Elko, but Dr. Champion hadn’t let up on him, demanding he get his head checked out at the hospital. He’d finally relinquished, thankfully.
She knew he wasn’t on board with the six-and-one family makeup, not yet anyway. Clearly it had nothing to do with Gabby. Seth had been completely focused on her, not on his old flame, at the diner. She wasn’t sure where the woman had disappeared to after the sheriff from Elko County had finished asking them questions about what had happened at Norma’s.
Though it might take her several months, a year, or even a decade, she vowed to do whatever she must to convince him what was best for all of them. Heaven help her. Once he got his clean bill of health, she would get cracking on just that. Tonight, she only wanted him to get well and get some rest.
Alex, the younger Dr. Champion, wrote something on Seth’s chart. Niki, the on-duty nurse, stood beside him. The elder Dr. Champion stood behind them, reading over his son’s shoulder.
“May I leave now?” Seth asked.
“Not a chance,” the older doc said.
“I’m with Dad on this, buddy. Better to keep you overnight and monitor you. You need to be checked on every hour. You know that.”
“Bullshit. I’m fine.”
Dr. Wayne Champion, the man who had won her mother’s heart and completely endeared himself to her, placed his hand on Seth’s shoulder. “You’re staying. That’s final. Once we know you’re fine, then you can be released and not until.”
Seth tilted his head to the side. “Doc, what about your head? Did you listen to my sound medical advice?”
The younger doc turned to his father. “What about your head?”
“Aha. You didn’t tell Alex, did you?” Seth grinned. “He got knocked in the head by the butt of a gun this morning by the psycho. Your dad should’ve been hospitalized right then, but refused.”
“My woman was in danger. I wasn’t about to leave her rescue to just you and your brothers. Besides, I’m a doctor. I know more about concussions than you’ll ever know, young man.”
“Sit down, Dad.” Alex pointed to the chair beside Charly. “I’m going to admit you, too. I’m also going to run you through the same tests I did Seth. No arguing. If you do, I’ll call your two other sons. Brandon is an attorney. I bet he can get you declared incompetent. Justin has the buckles to prove he can tie you up in three seconds flat. What’s it going to be?”
“If I can’t handle you three boys, then I am ready for the retirement home now. But I can. Bring it on, son. Make my day.”
Charly patted the seat next to her. “Why don’t you sit down, Dr. Champion. Listen to your son.”
“Call me Wayne, hun. Why should I?”
Men. Why were they so stubborn when it came to their health? “Mom got checked out and she’s fine. What do you think she’ll do if she finds out you are refusing to be checked out yourself? I have to tell her. A daughter shouldn’t lie to her mother.”
“Damn,” Wayne Champion said, finally sitting down. “I wanted to spend the evening with Connie.”
“She can stay with you, Dad. I actually want to keep an eye on her, too. She’s fine, but a little extra caution is due given what you all have been through. If I had enough beds open, I think I’d put all of you in them.”
Charly shook her head. “Nothing is wrong with me, Doc, that a little rest won’t cure. You said so yourself.”
“I did. So, when are you going to get on that, Charly?” Alex asked.
Seth squeezed her hand, and a delicious shiver shot up her spine. “She’s going to start immediately.”
“No way, cowboy. I want to stay here tonight with you.”
Seth looked at the nurse. “Niki, go get her mother, please.”
“I surrender,” Charly said.
“Good choice, love.”
Alex laughed. “Connie Wynn has a lot of power here, doesn’t she?”
She and Dr. Champion nodded together.
“I might need to hire her for my office.”
“Not a chance, son. I’m not letting Connie get more than five feet away from me ever again.”
“Drake and Dax can take you back to Wilde,” Seth said to her.
“No way. I will check in to the hotel across the street. It’s more than five feet, but it is still a heck of a lot closer than Wilde.”
“What’s your cell number,
Charly?” Alex asked.
She gave it to him.
“I’ll call you if anything changes. I’m sure you’ll sleep through the night, though. Seth is going to be fine.”
Her cowboy frowned. “If you really think that, Alex, then let me go home.”
“Not a chance. Niki, let’s get our grumpy guest a room for the night.”
* * * *
Charly was in the middle of the bed in her hotel room surrounded by five of her six cowboys. The other one was across the street in the hospital.
Her hair was still damp from the warm bath she’d just enjoyed. Wrapped in one of the white robes that had hung from the hook in the bathroom, she looked at each of these men that had changed her entire world. They’d rushed to her aid—and her mother’s—with no hesitation.
“Drink it, love.” Drake sat on the end of the bed with his twin. Both were twisted around looking at her. He motioned toward the cup in her hand. “Mom says it’s good for you.”
“Then why don’t you have it, sweetheart?” she asked. “Why don’t all of you have some?
“We already did, doll,” Dax said. “Mom made everyone in the waiting room drink some while you were with Seth in the ER when he was being examined. She’s always pushed home remedies for most ailments.”
“I don’t have any ailments according to Alex.” She sipped on the herbal tea, which wasn’t half bad.
Tobias was on her right in the bed, resting against the headboard. “This is to help you relax and sleep, darling.”
She took another sip of the warm tea and once again thanked the heavens her mom was safe. She’d left her in Dr. Champion’s hospital room just before coming over to the hotel tonight. Her mom had fussed over Wayne like a schoolgirl in love.
She finished the tea and handed the empty cup to Nate, who was on her left, also leaning against the headboard. “All done. Satisfied? I don’t think it’s going to work.”
Even though she was exhausted and completely wrung out, sleep seemed out of her reach. So much had happened to her, to all of them, today.