Chapter Twenty-One
chapter TWENTY-ONE
“C are to explain what the fuck that was all about?” Travis yelled when they stepped out of Moonshiners and into the chilly night air.
Sawyer reined in his temper before turning to face his brother. Barely. At least Brendon had the good sense to turn around and go back inside.
“No, I fucking don’t,” Sawyer bit out, yanking his arm out of Travis’s vise-like grip as he headed for his car. He didn’t want to fucking talk, he wanted to pound the shit out of Jimmy Reardon. He wanted to repay the bastard for what he’d done to Ethan all those years ago.
Shit, as soon as he heard Jimmy’s voice, the memories of that horrible night when Ethan called and Sawyer had found him looking like death warmed over had blindsided him. If anyone ever questioned whether that infamous red haze was real, well, Sawyer could now attest to its existence. His vision was still hazy as the rage continued to simmer inside of him.
Did he overreact? Probably. Did he draw unnecessary attention? Maybe. Did he fucking care? Not one goddamn bit. Sawyer would do it all again in a heartbeat.
The appropriate response would’ve been to let the statement roll off his back the way Ethan had managed to do. Unfortunately, he wasn’t built that way. Then again, had it been anyone else, Sawyer knew good and damn well that Ethan would’ve gone the distance to protect the victim of that hateful bullshit.
It was how they were raised.
But when it came to the differences between him and Ethan, Sawyer would admit that his younger brother possessed significantly more self-restraint. He envied Ethan and his ability to keep his head up with all the bullshit that went on around him on a daily basis. The fact that Ethan remained in Coyote Ridge proved just how much his family meant to him. Sawyer wouldn’t have blamed Ethan if he had disappeared long ago, gone in search of a place that was much more accepting of him than this fucked-up little town.
Then again, Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d know what to do if Ethan wasn’t there. Ethan might be a loner, but he was still his brother, and knowing where he was and that he was all right was one of the most important things to Sawyer.
And tonight, Sawyer had been strangled by the hatred he felt for Jimmy Reardon. He wanted to pay him back for the hell he put Ethan through when he’d beaten him and left him for dead down by the lake. The only saving grace was that Ethan had managed to call him. When Sawyer had arrived with Greyson in tow, he’d been terrified that he was too late.
What they found was a beaten and bloodied Ethan, his face so messed up he was barely recognizable. Greyson, being a paramedic, had wanted to get Ethan to the hospital, but Ethan had refused. Thankfully, aside from a few damaged ribs, a mild concussion, and a broken nose, they’d only had to worry about the bruises, which had finally faded over time.
Well, that was all they had to worry about in the physical sense. Ethan was damaged much more than that on an emotional level.
Still, to this day, Sawyer wasn’t sure how he’d managed to keep from killing Jimmy. He’d never talked to a soul about what happened. Well, aside from his father. Since most of the night he’d been swamped by fear, calling Curtis had been his only option. But aside from that conversation, he’d never mentioned the incident to anyone, not even Travis.
Of course, his dad informed his mother, which was only fair. She had been beside herself with grief and sorrow over what had been done to Ethan. And with her anonymous help, Sawyer had managed to nurse Ethan back to health. He was pretty sure Ethan still didn’t know that their parents had found out. And he certainly wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.
Sawyer had kept the events of that night all bottled up inside, and since that day, he’d kept his eyes on his brother. Ethan was tough, could handle himself now that he knew what to expect, but Sawyer hated the fact that he had to be on the lookout for dickheads like Jimmy everywhere he turned.
Sawyer paced back and forth in front of Travis, his mind going ninety miles a minute as he tried to calm himself down.
“You good now?” Travis asked.
No, he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.
Sawyer looked up to see Travis leaning casually against one of the wood posts that supported the small covered area in front of Moonshiners.
“Go home,” Gage instructed Sawyer when he joined them a second later.
What the fuck did the guy think he was going to do? He fumbled with his key fob in his pocket, making his way over to his car. Trying to unlock his car, Sawyer could hardly hit the button on the remote because his hands were still shaking.
“That’s where I’m headed,” Sawyer assured him.
“Don’t make me come bail you out of jail,” Travis threatened.
Sawyer hoped it didn’t come to that, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep everything inside. He hated the bullshit that people spouted. He fucking hated that he lived in a town where so many people were closed-minded assholes who didn’t have the decency to keep their opinions to themselves.
He fucking hated it.
“Hey.”
The sound of Ethan’s voice broke through the red haze that was quickly creeping back in. Sawyer turned to face him. “Hey.”
It took a moment to realize that Travis and Gage were now gone, but Ethan wasn’t the only person standing close by. He glanced over and noticed Beau Bennett, his hands in his pockets as he stared back at him.
“Thanks,” Ethan said quietly, his arms crossed over his chest.
“For what? Making an ass of myself? Letting that fucker get to me?”
Ethan grinned. It was barely visible, but Sawyer saw it. “No, for giving a shit.”
“We all give a shit,” Sawyer assured him. “If they knew, they’d have done the same thing.”
“I know. That’s what I worry about.”
Sawyer nodded, understanding. He glanced over at Beau and then back at Ethan. Was that the reason Reardon had mouthed off? Was there something going on with these two that Sawyer hadn’t noticed?
As though Ethan knew what he was thinking, his younger brother glanced over at Beau and then back to Sawyer.
“It’s all good,” Ethan said softly. “Don’t let them get to you.”
“Easy for you to say,” Sawyer said snidely, noticing the anger that pierced Ethan’s face. “Shit. Sorry.”
A moment of silence lingered between them before Ethan finally turned and walked away, Beau not far behind. Both men went to their separate vehicles, but Sawyer knew that when he passed Ethan’s house in a bit, they’d both be parked out front.
For some reason, that eased some of the tension in his chest. Sawyer liked Beau, although... Beau was gay? He’d had no idea. And how the hell had he missed that?
“Beau,” Sawyer called out as the big man passed by the front of his car. When Beau turned back, Sawyer met his gaze and said, “Keep an eye on him for me, would ya?”
“Absolutely.”
Sawyer nodded his appreciation and then climbed into his car. When he reached for the steering wheel, pain shot through his hand. He glanced down and noticed the knuckles on his right hand were bleeding. Yep, it’d been a while since he’d thrown a punch, but damn it had felt good. Shit, if it hadn’t been for Travis and Gage, he’d have managed to release years’ worth of frustration on Jimmy’s fucked-up face.
Strange. A part of him wished for the opportunity to present itself again. But a stronger part prayed that it didn’t. Sawyer knew without a doubt if Jimmy did anything to hurt Ethan again, the loser would prefer the wrath of God over what Sawyer would do to him.