Holding up a hand, she shook her head. “I just want you to catch the bastard who did this and cut off his balls. Anyone who’d hurt an innocent woman like Becca doesn’t deserve to be called a man.”
Settling an arm around her shoulders, Rock kissed her cheek. “Pretty harsh, babe.”
“Wait until you see Becca, then tell me it’s too harsh.”
Wrangler felt a sickening sensation grow in his gut. He’d shot men in battle and on missions with the Brethren. Killed without mercy when tangos were after him or his brothers. Not once had he felt any amount of disgust at doing his job.
This wasn’t the same. A man had attacked his Becca, the mother of his child, the woman he still loved. Would always love. When he found him, Wrangler would dole out punishment without a shred of pity or remorse.
“When we find him, he’s mine.”
Rock grabbed Wrangler’s arm, tugging him to a corner out of earshot. “It’s not your call, man. Look behind you.”
Glancing over his shoulder, his chest tightened at the sight of Jamie staring at him, fear and hope showing in his eyes.
“Your son needs you. Let the rest of us take the lead and find the asshole who did this. You don’t need your mind divided between your responsibility to Jamie and Becca and your need for revenge. You need to get your head out of your ass, and fuckin’ fast.”
The warning in Rock’s voice came across loud and clear. The Brethren couldn’t afford for him to go rogue, potentially blowing their cover and careers. If need be, Wrath would order men to guard him, keep him under surveillance day and night, and that wasn’t acceptable.
“I hear you.” Blowing out a long breath of renewed frustration, he clasped Rock’s shoulder. “I’ll get myself under control.” Although feeling the way he did, Wrangler wasn’t quite sure how.
“Good to hear. I’d hate to be the one to break your leg, but I damn well will if you don’t get your shit together.”
“And I’d deserve it.”
“As long as we’re clear. It may be time for you to go talk to Jamie. He looks like he’s ready to fall apart.”
Heading straight to him, Wrangler knelt down, lifting Jamie’s chin so they were eye to eye. “Come on, little man. Let’s talk.”
Chapter Seventeen
Dorn sat in the hospital parking lot, his most trusted man beside him. They’d been outside ever since the ambulance arrived with Becca North. If it hadn’t been for Lew’s quick thinking, both of them would be in jail.
“Damn bitch.” All Dorn needed was a few more minutes and she would’ve given up the location of the file.
“Now we have to wait until she gets out.” Lew slumped down, drinking the tepid coffee from one of the fast food places near the hospital. “What do you want to bet she won’t go home? With the biker friends, my guess is she’ll stay with one of them. They won’t let anyone get near her.”
“They’re just a bunch of over-muscled thugs. We can outthink them any day of the week.” Dorn hoped that was true.
He dreaded calling Victor. This should’ve been an easy job. Scare the target, get the file, and head back to Phoenix and the anonymity of a larger city. Liberty Lake was too small for Dorn’s taste. A shiver ran through him at the thought of having to live in such a hick area. In his mind, Arizona was full of them.
“Might as well get it over with, Dorn. Unless you want to wait until we find out her condition.”
Shifting to face Lew, he lowered his phone to his lap. “What are you talking about?”
“After her friends leave, I figured one of us would go inside to ask about her. Might even be able to get to her.”
“Too risky. They’ve got cameras all over the place, and their own security people. Plus, the cops are in and out of the ER all the time. I didn’t do any permanent damage to her. The doc will probably release her tomorrow. All we have to do is follow.”
“I think you’re underestimating those bikers. Burn respects them, even as he wants to eliminate the Brethren from the area. Says their egos have gotten too big.”
Dorn choked out a laugh. “Burn’s just pissed that Drago and the Brethren sometimes do joint runs. From what I’ve heard, Wrath’s wife does the legal work for Demons Blood. It’s an interesting association. One Victor wants to eliminate.”
“It’s gonna be harder than he thinks.” Lew glanced up, seeing a man and woman walk outside. “Isn’t that the Brethren sergeant-at-arms? I think his name is Rock. Our information says he married a doctor.” Lew’s eyebrows flicked up. “You can’t tell me he’s just muscle.”
Even in the darkness, Dorn studied the man and woman passing not fifteen feet in front of them. He’d always thought the Brethren would be an easy target. Dorn had forgotten their president married an attorney and the sergeant-at-arms married a doctor. Nothing added up.
“We need more background information on them, Lew. Order it done.”
“How many?”
“The officers and as many of the others as possible. We need to know everything about them.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, Lew watched Rock and Tessa get into a truck. “Burn may already have what we want.”
“Forget Burn. He may be ruthless and a born killer, but his organization isn’t sophisticated enough to get the kind of data we want. Where they were born, names of parents, siblings, wives, and girlfriends. If they attended college, I want to know which ones. Same with military service.”
Watching Rock and his wife drive away from the hospital, Dorn’s gut churned with unanswered questions. Lew was right. The Eternal Brethren didn’t seem to be anything like the Night Devils or Demons Blood.
Another thought hit. “What about our friend south of the border?”
Lew’s gaze narrowed. “What about him?”
“He has some very sophisticated equipment for locating information about people.”
“Including torture, which isn’t sophisticated in the least.” Lew shifted, his voice hardening. “It’s not a good idea to contact him about our situation up here. If we show any weakness, he’ll take advantage.”
“Such as the missing file,” Dorn muttered.
Lew was right. Dorn couldn’t imagine what their silent partner would do if he ever discovered what was inside the file stolen from Victor’s study.
Kill all of them would be his guess. And he wouldn’t make it quick.
Wrangler sat next to Becca’s bed in the intensive care unit, watching her chest rise and fall. Bandages covered her face and head. The sight sickened him. If the doctor was right, she might have to endure months of surgeries, taking time away from her work and studies. Becca couldn’t seem to catch a break, and it had all started with him leaving.
Resting his head in his hands, he wondered how long it would take for his guilt to ease. Would he ever be able to look at himself in the mirror and like what he saw? He didn’t know.
“This isn’t your fault.”
Wrath’s voice was accompanied by the scraping of chair legs across industrial flooring so common in hospitals. He set a hand on Wrangler’s shoulder, squeezing.
“You’ve got to let it go before it eats you alive.”
“What the fuck do you know about it?”
Removing his hand, Wrath closed his eyes, recalling a mistake in his past. One he’d give anything to correct.
“Remember my girlfriend in high school? The one who followed me to college?”
Straightening, Wrangler looked at him. “Yeah. Nice gal. Real pretty and smart. Kellie, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, Kellie. Anyway, I thought I loved her. But like you, I wanted to experience life. So I broke things off with her. The next night, I was already out partying. Took a gal back to my apartment. We were going at it when there was a knock on the door.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “When I opened it, Kellie stood there, asking to talk. Said it was important. That’s when the woman I’d picked up walked out. Naked as the day she was born.”
“Fuck. What happened?”
“I’d never seen anyone so hurt. The sight of the woman coming from the room Kellie and I used to share destroyed her. She ran. By the time I grabbed my pants and ushered the woman out, I couldn’t find her. No one at her dorm would talk to me. The next evening, I found out why.”
Wrangler clenched his fists in his lap, already knowing he wouldn’t like what his brother was about to say.
“I found a sealed envelope under my door, Kellie’s writing on the front.” Looking away, he scrubbed a hand down his face. “It was the results of a pregnancy test.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. It took me a week to find her. Another to get her to look at me. She never did speak, just handed me another piece of paper. This one was a receipt for an abortion. I sat down and cried. Me, a man who doesn’t let emotion get in the way of what he wants, cried like a damn baby. The following day, she dropped out of school and went back east to live with a relative. I never saw or heard from Kellie again.”
Neither spoke for several minutes, each watching the machines attached to Becca. After a while, Wrath spoke again.
“It took me years to get over the guilt and anger.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I told Dad about three years later. He’s the one who helped me through it. I don’t know if he ever told Mom. All I’m saying is you can’t go back. Only forward. It’s no secret to any of us you’re still in love with Becca. This is your second chance, but you’ll never get off the starting line if you don’t forgive yourself for walking away and never contacting her.”
“I was a complete sonofabitch. Not sure I even deserve a second chance.” Hanging his head, Wrangler stared down at the floor.
“We all deserve a second chance. Show Becca how you’ve changed. Let her know how you feel and that you’re determined to be a good father.”
“If she doesn’t want to give me another chance?”
“Then you’ve still got Jamie, a wonderful son you’ll have for the rest of your life. At some point, you’ll meet someone else and fall in love.”
Wrangler thought that doubtful. “Does Cara know what happened?”
Wrath gave a terse nod. “Yeah. She deserved to know what a total shit I could be. To my surprise, she stuck around, helped me forgive myself. Told me it was all on Kellie, not me. She said Kellie could’ve forced a conversation, told me about the pregnancy. She chose not to, leaving me with a shitload of guilt. Cara’s insights helped to finally put it all behind me.” When Wrangler raised a brow, Wrath gave him a mirthless grin. “Ask Becca to forgive you.”
He stared at the bed, his heart thudding at the tubes, wires, and bandages. Wrath was right. When Becca was ready, he’d ask her forgiveness. Maybe in time, she’d give it.
Wrath stayed another half an hour before slapping his thighs and standing. “I grabbed some clothes for Cara and me. We’re going to stay at your house with Jamie. Tomorrow’s Saturday, so we don’t have to worry about getting him to school. Stay here as long as you want.”
Standing, Wrangler pulled him into a hug. “Thanks for coming by.”
“Think about what I said. Call if you need me.”
Watching him walk out of ICU, Wrangler sucked in a breath meant to ease the constant pain in his chest. Maybe Wrath was right. He needed to stop blaming himself, and the only way to do that was to ask for Becca’s forgiveness. If she didn’t, he’d live with it and move on. Either way, he had a son to raise.
The sound of coughing drew his attention back to the bed. Becca’s eyes were closed, a hand trying to reach her mouth. Leaning close, he placed a hand on her arm.
“Hold on, sweetheart. I’ll get a nurse.” Grabbing the cord, he pushed the button. A few seconds later, a nurse appeared, rushing to the bed. “She’s coughing and trying to move her hand.”
Giving him a small smile, she moved between him and the bed. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll take care of her.”
Wrangler didn’t want to leave, but needed some air. “I’ll be back in a couple.”
Walking out of ICU, he sucked in a deep breath, still thinking about Wrath’s words. All those years, his brother dealt with some intense guilt of his own. Wrangler had been dealing with it a couple weeks and felt as if it were eating him alive.
Looking up, he caught sight of a man leaning against a wall, a ball cap pulled low. He was positioned to follow the comings and goings of those in ICU. Something about his stance, the way he didn’t raise his head to make eye contact, bothered Wrangler.
Taking a few steps closer, he watched as the man stiffened. His gaze moved over him again, spotting expensive pants and shoes. The ragged coat and scruffy hat were out of place with the rest of him. If he hadn’t been trained to spot such discrepancies, Wrangler may have missed the clues.
Taking several purposeful steps toward him, he saw the instant the man knew he’d been made. Shoving from the wall, his panicked gaze moved around the room, no doubt looking for an exit he’d been too stupid to figure out when he arrived.
“Hey. What are you doing here?” Before he could reach him, the man took off, rushing toward the exit. On the way, something fell to the floor.
Grabbing it on the run, Wrangler sprinted after him, halting when a guard snatched him by the arm. He cursed when he saw the guy slip outside into the dark night.
“You need to slow down.”
“That guy who ran past you. Does anyone know him?”
Releasing his arm, the guard looked in the same direction as Wrangler. “No. I’ve been watching him for an hour. He never moved from the spot at the wall. Kept staring at ICU. Gave me the creeps.”
Nodding, Wrangler gripped the man’s phone in his hand. “Well, I’ve got to get back to my, uh…wife in ICU. If he comes back, you may want to call for help.”
Turning, he glanced over his shoulder a couple times on his way back to Becca. Stopping just outside the door, he stared down at the phone, expecting a burner. What he saw stunned him.
It was a regular mobile phone, and it didn’t take a fingerprint to unlock it. What he did need was a passcode. Shoving it into his pocket, a grin spread across his face.
“Now I’ve got you, you sonofabitch.”
Chapter Eighteen
“I’ll explain when you get here, Wrath. How is Jamie doing?” Wrangler paced outside Becca’s room, waiting for the doctor to update him on her condition.
“Fine. Anxious to see his mother and you. How is Becca?”
“I’m waiting to hear. She woke up for a while last night, then drifted back to sleep. Good thing, too. I don’t need her telling the staff I’m not her husband.”
“We’ll be there as soon as Jamie finishes breakfast. Fair warning. Cara doesn’t think he should see Becca just yet.”
Wrangler had wondered the same. “What do you think?”
“As I recall, Mom got thrown from a horse when I was about ten. She had a broken arm, bruises, and scrapes on her face. Dad let me see her.”
“No long-term trauma?” Wrangler continued to pace, his attention divided between Becca’s room and the call.
“Nope. I felt better knowing Mom was going to be okay. I think Jamie is plenty strong enough to see Becca. He’s certainly more mature than I was at his age. Just want you to be prepared for pushback from Cara. I’ll get your boy ready. Be there soon.”
Sliding the phone away, Wrangler pulled the other one out of a pocket. He still couldn’t believe his luck. Not a throwaway, and damn easy to hack.
He’d gotten far enough to discover it belonged to a Lew Helms. The contact list was extensive. Wrangler had gotten as far as the Cs, not recognizing a single entry, before the nurse interrupted him. After the nurse left, he’d scrolled through the Ds before giving in to a fitful sleep, waking before dawn.
The time between waking and the doctor showing up dragged on, but Wrangler hadn’t wanted to leave the room. Until she woke up enough to recognize him and shoo him out, he’d stay.
“What do you h
ave?” Rock came toward him, Tessa a few feet behind, talking to one of the doctors.
“A phone.” They walked a few feet away toward a quiet corner. “Some guy was watching ICU last night. Expensive pants and shoes, old and shabby coat and ball cap. His clothes didn’t add up. When I approached, he ran. I followed, but a security guard stopped me.” Wrangler held up the phone, smirking. “The guy dropped this.”
“Burner?”
His grin spread. “Nope. I’ve already started checking his contacts. Got through the Ds, but don’t recognize anyone. Maybe some will be familiar to you, Ghost, or Wrath. I still need to hack the voicemail.” He handed it over. “It belongs to Lew Helms. Do you know him?”
Rock scrolled through the contacts. “Never heard of him. I’ll have Raider do a background search. I guarantee he’ll come up with…whoa.”
“What do you have?”
“You aren’t going to believe this. Seems Lew can’t remember his social security number.” He held up the phone, showing it to Wrangler.
“Damn.”
“Yep. Raider isn’t going to have any problem doing a deep search on Mr. Helms.”
“Wrangler!” Jamie ran up to him, jumping into his arms. “Can I see Mom?”
Setting him down, he stroked a hand down his son’s hair. “Sure, buddy.”
“You and Jamie go on in. He’s been anxious and worried about Becca. The rest of us will be in the waiting area.” Wrath looked at Wrangler. “When you’re done, you, Rock, and I need to talk.”
“Can we see her now?” Jamie asked.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Wrangler met his son’s gaze. “Do you know the reason we didn’t let you see her last night?”
His features sobered. “Yeah. She’s got lots of bandages and they gave her a bunch of drugs.”
“She’s still covered in bandages, but they’ve reduced the drugs. Your mom might not wake up while we’re with her, and if she does, she’ll be groggy.”
“I understand.”
“All right. Let’s go in.”
The doctor and nurse had vanished, leaving them alone with Becca. Wrangler felt Jamie’s back stiffen before he moved to the edge of the bed.
Untamed Page 13