Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love
Page 82
“Fantastic.” Laney’s voice filled with laughter. “So was it a one night stand or are y’all going to work on things?”
“Not so fast Laney.” Mavis clucked her tongue. “I answered your first question, now answer mine.”
Silence rang through the line.
“Laney, I’m exhausted and done playing.” Mavis would kill them all later for playing such a cruel joke on them but for the moment she just wanted to know for sure whether he was alright. “Answer me, do you know where my brother is?”
Laney sighed. “Look, it’s not that simple.”
Rage and relief fought for the top emotion within Mavis.
“I mean, I have an idea but not a for sure answer.” Laney’s voice was low and uneasy. “Weston called me about two weeks ago, he was frantic that he had to do something before you made this huge mistake of marrying some idiot.”
“What did he do Laney?” Mavis breathed in deep, trying to calm herself down.
She glanced over at Bowie. His blue eyes shone with concern. Her heart ached at how much she cared for him. How had she ever tried to deny she could ever fully live without him? Yes she could survive, make it through the daily motions, but she wouldn’t be truly living without him in her life. Yet, none of that excused her brother for whatever he’d done.
“Laney, tell me what’s going on.”
“I don’t really know. I met Wes and Hart out at the house.” Her tone held an edge of uncertainty to it along with a hint of embarrassment.
A smile spread across Mavis’s face. Her best friend had gotten sweet talked by Wes and Hart. Interesting.
“Did you?” A laugh bubbled up from deep inside Mavis. No, Laney had not done it, surely she had better sense than to get involved with either one of them. “You did. Oh my god, Laney.”
An angry huff sounded from Laney’s end of the phone. “Do you want to know about your idiot brother or not?”
Bowie’s hand grazed Mavis’s. Fire shot across her skin. Reality settled back around her. She craved to find her brother, put an end to his meddling and then lose herself in another night with Bowie.
“Okay, okay. I won’t go there but you need to tell me what the hell is going on.” Her voice firmed with determination.
“Fine.” Laney huffed. “Your brother had this idea that he’d go up to a cabin for a few days, Hart would report him missing and you’d be forced to come back to Tanem.”
So far Mavis had already figured that part out.
“But the morning after…I…” Laney stumbled along, something very unlike Laney. Usually Laney was direct and straight to the truth.
“After you slept with them you panicked, told them both off and stormed away. That’s when the little plan went to hell, right?” Mavis buried her face in her palm.
What had the three of them been thinking?
“Mavis, I don’t know what the hell happened. I swear I didn’t intentionally set out to have sex with them. What’s wrong with me? Who does that?” Mavis could hear the fear, confusion and want in Laney’s voice.
Whatever had transpired between the three, Laney was afraid of it and yet Mavis knew she wanted more. Laney was in deep shit too.
“Laney, calm down. It’s not the end of the world. People do strange things all the time.”
“No, Mavis. It was more than that. I just can’t explain it, especially to you.”
Mavis understood. She really didn’t want to hear intimate details about her brother and Hart anyway. She just needed to know where he was.
“Laney, where did he go?” Mavis kept her voice soft yet firm. She understood Laney didn’t want to admit to whatever she’d done that night, but Laney had to tell her what was going on with Weston.
“Hell, I think he’s at the old cabin he bought. We got into a huge fight, all three of us.” She paused, a slight sniffle tugged on Mavis’s heart. “Hart tried to calm us down, but your damn brother just kept on pushing and pushing until he finally said I was a stubborn ass just like his sister. After that it got really bad between us and I stormed off. Hart said he went off to the cabin and was going to meet some woman. I don’t know, Hart’s mad with me too and he could be lying.”
“Laney, I don’t want any details but do you care about both of them?”
A mumbled, “Hell”, confirmed Mavis’s guess. Laney did.
“It’s not that easy Mavis. You have no idea what people say about them, or what they say about me. I can’t do it.”
“Laney, it’s okay. I understand, really I do.” And she did. Mavis knew exactly what the rumors were about her brother and Hart. She also knew what people thought about Laney. But Laney wasn’t an uppity slut. She’d never let stigmas hold her back. If a man could have sex with a woman then never look back, Laney figured she could too. What was good for one was good for all.
“Laney, look. I had no idea Wes had a cabin anywhere, he never mentioned it and I barely remember the one our mom took us to. I need your help.”
“The three of us went up there a few weekends ago.” Laney’s voice was resigned. “It’s a small cabin on a little pond. It’s really private, way off the road.”
Finally, some answers. “What road Laney?”
“The woman he went off with, Hart swears he wouldn’t take her to the cabin so I don’t know if he’s there or not. Apparently I was the only woman they’d ever taken there and I believe them. My gut says he’s at her place but just in case go easy on him.” Concern gripped her voice. “He hasn’t answered my calls and Hart swears he hasn’t answered his either. Me and Hart were giving him some time to cool off, but then Hart got worried and called you. Things just spiraled. I don’t know what’s going on with Wes.”
“Is Hart involved in Wes’s stunt?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. I think we both knew he needed some time alone to face whatever he’s going through so we backed off. Hell we all need some time. He really wants you to come back home. He said he’s all alone.”
Mavis’s heart ached. Her brother sounded just like their mother. She went through stages of depression where she’d lock herself away, always complaining of being alone in the world. Yet she always responded to them. She’d said they were rays of light in the dark.
Maybe Weston was more like their mother than she’d ever imagined. If so she needed to find him, and fast.
“Laney, text me the address to the cabin please.”
“Hart is sending it now.”
“Hart’s there?”
Silence met her ears.
“Oh Laney, you are in deep shit.” Mavis grinned as she hung up and turned to Bowie.
His blue eyes scanned her from head to toe, leaving her body on fire and wanting. Laney wasn’t the only one in deep shit.
“You okay?” He grasped her hand in his.
Despite her brother’s mess she was better than okay. For the first time in a very long time she was happy and ready to face what lay ahead of them.
“Actually, I am.” She smiled, letting the emotions flow through her body. No longer would she hold back her happiness. “Regardless of what happens, I can’t keep running away. I’m actually excited about the Grayson place and coming home.”
A thousand watt smile met her. His black stubble only made the smile brighter, lighting every part of her dark soul. She loved him and that was all she ever wanted.
“Good, cause I don’t think I could get used to driving in Houston.” He winked, melting the last remaining stony parts of her heart.
“You’re good.” She smiled and shook her head.
“Yep. So the question is how good is your brother? Did he set us up or what?” The Tahoe continued to roll down the small two lane road.
“I think it’s a combination of him setting us up and setting Laney up.” She hoped. “But I think he’s a lot like my mom too. She’d get depressed and say weird stuff. At the time I was just a kid and didn’t realize the extent of what all she was saying. It wasn’t until after she killed herself that Wes and me f
igured out she had needed help, more than what we could have given her.”
“My mom said she took medicine for depression and most of the time was fine.” Bowie’s mother had been Mavis’s mom’s only friend. “Mom said she just didn’t feel like taking it sometimes and that’s when she’d get weird. Mom still thinks she could have made sure she was taking her meds and, if she had, your mom wouldn’t have killed herself.” He squeezed her hand.
Mavis had come to terms with her mother’s suicide. She understood what had caused her mother to take her own life. Hell, she’d tried it herself.
“I think Wes might have some symptoms. Laney said he went off the handle about the marriage proposal and about her rejecting whatever is going on between her, Hart, and Wes.”
A small laugh rumbled from Bowie. “My brother is something else. How does that even work? Him, Laney and Wes? They’re crazy.” But even as his voice sounded scolding his smile and mischievous eyes said he understood exactly how it worked and that he really didn’t care what they were doing.
“Well, we both knew Hart and Wes were close, I am surprised it’s Laney that they’re involved with. She sounded like they were trying to get serious and she chickened out. Apparently the fight the three of them had set Wes off. She said he left and Hart eventually got worried. I think Wes and Hart had planned another stunt to get me back here, but when Wes left Hart didn’t know whether it was a stunt or if Wes was seriously missing.”
She secretly hoped it was just a stunt to get them all worried. Maybe it was about more than just Laney and Hart or her and Bowie.
Her phone buzzed in one hand. She immediately clicked on the message and relayed the address to Bowie. She used the map application on her phone to track how far they were away from the cabin.
“Ten minutes.” She sat up in her seat. Anxiety had her stomach knotted. What would they find? Could she handle finding Wes hurt, dead? Or what if he was fine? Could she keep from strangling him if he was there with some woman?
Chapter Seven
Bowie glanced over at Mavis. She’d been through so much in her life. From her father’s abusive ways to her mother killing herself, Mavis and Weston were proof that kids could survive horrendous situations. Yeah, they had money and lots of it to help but still, the emotional challenges the two had overcome were amazing.
Bowie had figured Weston and Hart were seeing the same woman. He just hadn’t expected it to be Laney. She’d fight tooth and nail to keep from becoming ’their’ woman. Laney was independent and not the person he had expected his brother to fall for. He also hadn’t expected Hart to withhold the fact that he’d been in a huge fight with Wes, and that was why Wes had gone off.
The puzzles pieces that only hours earlier didn’t fit were starting to fall into place. The only true concern he had was what if Wes was like his mother. Had he done something or was he really being a jackass and trying to get his way?
Soon they’d know. The pig trail of a driveway came into view and anxiety filled the cab of the Tahoe. He wanted to stop, turn around and protect Mavis from whatever they were about to find. Regardless of the chance that Wes was just being a dick and setting them up, Bowie wanted to shelter Mavis from any more pain.
“Mavis, I know the odds are saying Wes has been a jackass that needs his ass beat, but there’s still a chance he might not be here or that he’s in trouble.” He slowed the Tahoe to a stop while still on the driveway. “Let me go look around and if I find him okay I’ll come get you.”
“Are you smoking crack? I don’t think so. If Wes is here and has put us through all this bullshit because he’s a spoiled brat that wants his way, I’m going to be the first to beat his ass.”
She turned in the seat, facing him head on. “I don’t think you realize how upset I was when I thought this was for real.”
“Babe, it’s still for real. He could still be hurt or he could be on the verge of hurting himself. We don’t know.”
“I know that.” Her voice rose as she crossed her arms, glaring at him. “But I’m not a child and one night back together does not mean I will bend.”
He suppressed a laugh. She’d bend alright. Just as soon as they got Wes’s bullshit settled Bowie would have her bent over, while her pussy took his hard cock.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Her voice had turned low, almost sultry, wrapping around his cock and causing him to take a deep breath.
“Like what?” He didn’t dare look at her. If he saw the same lust in her eyes that he was feeling he’d forget all about Weston and fuck her right there in the driveway.
“You know what.”
He nodded. He did know.
“Can’t seem to help it.” He tried to smile but it was strained. All he wanted to do was grab her and take her.
“Let’s find my brother, beat his ass then run him out of the cabin.” She ran a hand across his shoulder, down his arm.
“Regardless of how you feel I’m still sheriff and I will go in and check before you go inside.” He turned to face her, this time he didn’t care how her eyes took him in, he would be the first to go inside the cabin.
“But…” She started to protest.
“No. If something has happened to him everything has to be official and you running in there like a mad woman isn’t going to cut it.”
Her lips thinned as she sat, brooding. He knew she wanted to go in and find Wes. Bowie couldn’t allow her to do it though. Regardless of it being her brother, Wes was still considered missing and Bowie had a police report to complete. Bowie eased his foot off the brake and headed the truck down the narrow road. Trees lined both sides, enclosing the area and giving it a private feel. He’d expected a better kept road, and even more landscaping, but then, if Wes hadn’t brought any one up there he wasn’t trying to show off.
“Anything look familiar?” He glanced at Mavis.
“Um… not yet.” Her eyes searched the road ahead of them.
He turned his attention back on the road. The trees opened and a small pond sat to one side of a little yard. The pond and yard were not what he’d been expecting. Honestly, he’d expected Wes to have a huge lake, pasture for a yard and even a large cabin. While Wes wasn’t stuck up or one to brag he had always liked having the best.
““This does ring a little bell.” She leaned forward, peering out of the windshield.
“What does?” He glanced across at her then back at the road, searching for sign of Wes.
“Turn right up here.” She pointed to an even narrower road.
Skeptical, but trusting her instinct he turned down the small lane.
“There’s a cabin just right up here on the left. It will have a large tree beside it with a swing hanging down.” She peered, still searching ahead of them.
Bowie didn’t say anything. He let her continue on. Her memory of the cabin was obviously getting clearer.
“What else?” He asked, slow and firm.
“The cabin faces the road, but the back deck faces a larger pond with a pier. The cabin sits up a little on a small hill.”
Sure enough, on the left a log cabin came into view. The small cabin had a tree to one side with a swing. This was the place. He knew it and so did she.
“I don’t see Wes’s truck.” Her voice held a hint of regret and relief.
“Might be in the back or to the side.” He didn’t look. He knew by instinct that she would be frowning.
“Come on, let’s go check it out.” She jerked the seatbelt off and reached for the door.
He grabbed her arm. “No ma’am. You stay here while I go check it out.”
He had no intention of letting her go in there until he knew for sure that Wes wasn’t dead or hurt inside. Mavis had lost too much over the years and experienced more pain than any one person should have to. He would try his damnedest to keep her from experiencing any more.
“I’m going to go inside and look around. You are going to stay here.” He met her eyes. He knew she wanted to argue. Fire burned i
n her eyes. He waited for the string of cuss words to fly from her mouth; instead she nodded and turned to stare out the window.
“Fine,” she mumbled.
He yearned to take away her fear and anger, but knew he couldn’t. Instead of lingering and making it harder on her, he eased out of the Tahoe. The midday sun bore down on him, his dark shirt soaking up the sun and making a thin sheen of sweat break out on his skin. The chirp of birds met him as he strode across the small green yard. He stared at the log cabin in front of him. The siding was in good shape, no logs were cracked or missing. It was a sign that someone took care of the place.
The front steps creaked under his weight but they didn’t budge. Again, the house had been taken care of. He glanced over his shoulder to find Mavis still sitting in the truck. He breathed in a breath of relief. He had expected to see her striding across the lawn after him.
Sighing he put his hand on the butt of his gun and reached for the bronze knob on the wooden door. He scanned the two large windows on either side of the door to see if anyone was looking out. Not one single movement from the inside registered with him. Turning the knob, he fought back the adrenaline surging through his body. Every cell of his being stood at attention, waiting for the worst and ready to fight.
Opening the door he had no idea what he’d find. He half expected to be assaulted with the aroma of rotting flesh and half expected to see Wes grinning at him.
What he found when the door fully opened was neither. What he found made his blood boil and rage bubble to the top.
She couldn’t take it anymore. Mavis had agreed to wait, but that was a freaking joke. She’d never been good at waiting around for anything. She had to know what was going on. Why had Bowie put his hand on the gun then relaxed and marched inside the cabin? What the hell had happened?
She bit her lip. Yes, Bowie had asked her to wait for him. Yes, she’d tried, but no, that was over. She had to know.
Mavis pushed open the door and ran toward the cabin. Her breath rushed out of her. The fresh air tried to fill her lungs but, as she took the steps two at a time, her body couldn’t fill with enough oxygen. She breathed in deep, trying to get her breath. Panic had begun to settle within her, she had to know.