Chapter 19
Dylan
“You’re wasting your time trying to protect me,” Harlow says from her bed.
She’s sitting up and thumbing through a magazine as if she didn’t nearly die yesterday.
It’s been like this ever since she woke up from the anesthesia.
She’s barely spoken unless it’s to tell us that we’re wasting our time on her.
Thankfully, as soon as the nurses finish the discharge paperwork, we’re headed back to the ranch. And whether she likes it or not, Harlow is coming with us. Something she’s been pretending isn’t going to happen.
But even if I have to throw her over my shoulder to get her there, she will be in Pine Creek by the end of the day.
Even Tucker got tired of her arguing, so he headed downstairs to get us both coffee while the nurses work on her paperwork. We’re mere hours away from going home, and I can’t wait. Emma’s been on my mind all day.
Just as she was on my mind all night.
“It wouldn’t be a waste of time if you’d tell me what I want to know,” I counter.
“I can’t give you anything else.”
“You’re lying.” I continue staring out the window at the bright afternoon sun. We’d checked Harlow in as Jane Doe, only after a phone call from a federal agent—courtesy of Frank Loyotta—convinced local PD and the hospital staff to keep her anonymous.
Though I doubt it’ll stay that way for long.
The door opens, and two armed men step in ahead of a third.
Adrenaline pulses through my system, and Delta growls at my side, his hackles standing on edge. “Sitz,” I order him. Sit.
Dressed in black leather, a snake tattoo climbing up the side of his neck and ending on his cheek, Heath Slater is everything Emma described. Though I don’t find him intimidating. No, I’ve stared monsters like him in the face before and lived to tell the tale.
So, as far as I’m concerned, Heath is merely another monster in need of slaying.
A criminal I plan to help put behind bars.
“Heath,” Harlow greets, her tone sharp and lacking all emotion. “Nice of you to visit.”
“Of course, Mother,” he replies with a savage smile as he moves farther into the room.
My hand instinctively goes to my lower back, where a firearm is holstered. “You can stop right there, Slater.”
He stops and turns his attention to me. “Well, well, if it isn’t the cowboy. Dylan Hunt, I presume?”
I’m not surprised that he knows who I am. I tighten my hands into fists, fighting the urge to end things right here. Right now. “Yes.”
“Good. I’ve been wanting to have a sit-down with you for a couple of days now.” He leans back against the counter near the needle disposal unit.
“What a coincidence, so have I.”
Heath smiles. “Look at that, then. What a coincidence that my mother happened to get shot in your vicinity. And how kind it was of you to bring her here so she could be tended to.”
It was planned, then. “That why she’s not dead? Because you wanted me to bring her here?”
“Are you insinuating that I had something to do with my mother being shot?”
“I’m not insinuating anything,” I reply. “Merely making an observation based on facts.” I cross my arms.
Heath stares at me for a moment, clearly sizing me up.
He’ll likely underestimate me. They always do.
But the most venomous creatures on this planet appear unassuming at first. Until they strike.
I may not have the height of Bradyn, nor the same bulky muscle mass of Elliot, but even combined, they don’t match my lethality.
“Where is my wife?” he asks, tone level, voice calm.
“I wasn’t aware you were married.”
He grins. “Emmaline. Where is she? I won’t ask again.” He doesn’t even try to coat the threat in his voice. Too bad he’s trying to go toe-to-toe with a man who’s had a death wish for over a decade.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. The facade he’s had since stepping into the room begins to crack, showing his frustration lingering beneath the surface. Heath straightens and takes a step closer.
Delta growls in warning, but Heath pays him no attention as he crosses his arms right in front of me. We’re nearly a match for height and mass, but I’m not worried.
Not even a little.
“You’re out of your league, cowboy,” he warns. “If you’re not careful, you and every member of your family are going to end up at the wrong end of a tragic accident.”
“Similar to the one Felicity Karver faced in that boutique?”
His arrogant grin spreads. “What a tragedy that was. Does Emmaline know what happened to her? Or did you hide it so she’d be unaware of what happened to her mother? All because she couldn’t remain where she was supposed to.” He clicks his tongue. “Naughty girl.”
My muscles are trembling in response to the shackles I’ve placed around the fury pumping through my veins. I want to lay him out on the floor right now. Watch as that arrogant smile fades from his face.
But that would only land me in jail for assault, and who knows how many cops he has on his payroll. I’ll likely never make it out of the cell they throw me in. So, I control myself—for now.
“I bet you hid it from her because you know she’d blame you too.
See, I know you’re the one who took her from me.
I watched the security tapes and saw you enter the boutique.
Saw you leave too.” He moves closer, and I drop a hand to Delta’s head to keep him in place.
“If you knew what happens to people who steal from me, then you’d never have touched her. ”
“She’s not yours,” I growl, taking my own step closer. We’re nose to nose. So close I can feel the heat of his breath on my face.
My stomach churns as my mind tries to throw me back into that pit. Hot breath fanning over my face. My neck. Lord, don’t let me lose it now.
“You’re a bug compared to me, cowboy. And the sooner you realize that, the easier it will be for everyone involved. I will find Emmaline. And when I do, no one in her vicinity will be spared. I’ll lay waste to everything.”
“Whoa, looks like I missed a party invite,” Tucker announces as he steps into the room.
Heath continues glaring at me for a moment, waiting for me to break eye contact first, but I don’t even blink. Not until he tears his gaze away and turns toward my twin. “Tucker Hunt. Tell me, how is Alice?”
Tucker’s expression goes from cool to ice-cold in a second. He squeezes a cup of coffee so hard that it collapses in his grip, and hot coffee spills out, coating his hand and the ground. He doesn’t even flinch at the heat.
I drop my arms and clench my hands into fists as a fresh wave of anger pulses through me.
“I thought so,” Heath adds, then turns back to me. “I’ll be seeing you really soon, cowboy.” With one final glare in my direction, he steps back and heads toward the door. “You too, Mother.”
The door closes as the last of his armed bodyguards leaves the room.
“We need to get back to the ranch,” I tell Tucker.
He nods. “And prepare for war.”
Stepping out of my truck and making my way up toward my house should feel far better than it does now. But when I see my dad sitting on the porch, a familiar look on his face, I groan.
“I’m tired, Dad,” I say quickly, seriously hoping to avoid a conversation I’m really not in the mood to have.
“Not too tired for this. Sit with me, please,” he adds, then gestures toward the rocking chair beside the one he’s in. Delta wags his tail and plops down at my dad’s feet, and Dad pets him while he waits for me to take a seat.
I set my bag down near the door, then sit in the chair.
“That woman you brought back with you, is she dangerous?” he asks.
“She’s not.”
“But someone associated with her is.”
“She’s Heath Slater’s mother.”
He turns toward me, eyes wide. “As in the Heath Slater who intends to marry Emma?”
“One and the same.”
“Why is she here? You’re not using her as bait, are you?”
“I’m not stupid, Dad.”
“No,” he agrees. “But you’ve been known to be a bit reckless from time to time.”
I wish I could argue, but he’s not wrong. “With my life. But never with any of yours.”
My dad nods. “Then why bring her here?”
“Heath would’ve killed her. And she’s the only one who can give us all the answers.”
“She hasn’t already?”
I shake my head. “But I think that will change.”
My dad eyes me curiously. “Because Emma’s here. You believe she’ll open up to her?”
“It’s worth a shot. Felicity was her best friend, and Emma looks just like her. I’m hoping that will be enough.”
“And if it’s not?”
“Then we keep her safe until he’s no longer a threat.”
“He’s her son.”
“It’s not like that, Dad. Their family isn’t like ours. Blood doesn’t equal loyalty. Her son has had her under his thumb ever since her husband died and he took over. She hates him, and he tried to kill her.”
My dad whistles. “I’m glad I’ll never understand what she’s going through then.”
“We set her up in the vacant cabin. She’ll have twenty-four-hour surveillance on the entire exterior of the house. Windows and doors have sensors. No one’s getting in or out without us knowing about it.”
“That makes me feel a bit better then.” He sighs. “I don’t mean to doubt your reasoning, son, but I just want to make sure—”
“I know, Dad.” I take a deep breath. Now is as good a time as any. Nervousness replaces my frustration for not being able to head straight in and shower. “I’ve—uh—started reading my Bible again.”
He turns toward me, joy reflected in his familiar gaze as a smile spreads over his face. “You have?”
“I don’t want to feel like this anymore. And I figure, if anything can help, it’s Him.”
My dad’s been trying to get me to open up ever since I got back. Sometimes, he’ll just come over and sit on the porch with me in complete silence. Waiting for me to rip open the wounds of my past and bare my soul so he can help me pick up the pieces.
He’s always been like that. A superhero in this world. At least, he is to us.
“You’re on the right path. He’s the only one who can.”
“It’s a process.”
“You’re starting, though, and that’s what matters.”
We fall into familiar silence as the world around us moves slowly.
Birds chirp in the distance, and cows graze in the field across from my house.
I’ve always felt like time stood still here.
Even right after I got home, when the world was at its loudest, there was a sort of peace that settled over me whenever my feet would touch the bare ground of this place.
More than once, I’d woken up from a nightmare, covered in sweat, and run outside barefoot. Something—anything—to ground me back into reality.
“How are you doing with Emma being so close?”
“Fine. She’s—uh—actually going to come stay in my guest room.”
My dad turns to face me again, this time his eyes wide with surprise and concern. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“She’ll have a lock on her door,” I say, frustrated because it’s the same argument I had with Bradyn when I informed him that she needs to be staying with me.
But after Heath’s clear threat, I won’t risk my brothers’ wives getting caught in the crossfire.
Not when I’m the one who kept instigating a fight they wanted to leave alone. “It’s safer if she’s with me.”
“Is it safe for you if she’s with you?”
I glance over at him, and fresh irritation bubbles to the surface. My dad has never been afraid to ask difficult questions. He’s kind, God-fearing, and would do anything for us. But right now, I wish he’d just let it go. I wish they all would. “I’ll be fine.”
Truth is, I’m not entirely sure. But she can’t stay there. Not if it means risking the lives of the families my brothers are building. If Slater or the Karvers come for her, they won’t be going through my brothers to get to her. No, they’ll come straight to me.
And no amount of preparation will help them when they do.
“How’s Alice?” Heath’s threat was clear as day. He might as well have spelled it out: “I know your family, and they aren’t safe.”
“Are you sure?” he presses.
“Positive, Dad.” I push to my feet. “I need to shower and get fresh sheets on the guest room bed before she gets here.”
“You get in the shower,” he says as he stands. “I’ll handle the guest room.”
“It’s okay.”
“I don’t mind, son. I’ll even make you a fresh pot of coffee.”
I grin, seeing an opening to ease the tension a bit. “Doesn’t Mom usually make the coffee?”
“Hey, I know how to use a coffeepot.”
“I believe you,” I say, holding up both hands, then bending down to retrieve my bag. “But if you set off the fire alarms, I’ll never let you live it down.”