Chapter 1 #2
Cullen’s gaze held a cynical edge, showing suspicion that only someone who had been neck-deep in war would understand. His hair was kept in the typical style of the Marines—high and tight—with the sides shaved close to his head and only a quarter inch spiked on top.
“Damn, it’s been a while,” Cullen said with a bright smile.
He playfully slapped Cullen on the cheek, but he couldn’t hold his smile. Not when he knew what had brought them together. “You’ve grown up, little brother.”
Cullen’s laughter died as his gaze moved over Owen’s shoulder. The grin was gone, the hardness back in place. “Wyatt.”
Owen turned around to find Wyatt on the porch, watching them. Life as a Loughman hadn’t been easy for any of them, but particularly Wyatt. Owen still remembered being a young boy, how people used to be envious of their ranch. For a few years, the siblings had lived a life of wonder and joy.
But it all shattered one stormy day.
None of the boys had been the same since. Owen looked between his two brothers, hating that the tension was already back.
“What’s going on?” Cullen asked as his sharp gaze looked around. “Where are Uncle Virgil and Aunt Charlotte?”
Wyatt leaned against the post. “Dead.”
Cullen’s eyes become intense. “How?”
“I’d say at least five men,” Owen said.
Wyatt added, “Six.” He walked down the steps and pointed to the ground. “Two came in the front. Another two from the back, and I spotted two more sets of footprints around the barns.”
Owen scrubbed a hand down his face. This was a hit.
Pure and simple. But against his aunt and uncle, who were some of the best human beings he’d ever known?
This wasn’t about Charlotte and Virgil. This was about something else.
He immediately thought of his father. But it could be because of one of them, as well.
He and his brothers had enemies of their own.
That soured his stomach. Hadn’t he sworn he wouldn’t allow such things to touch his family again?
He walked back into the house and to the living area, followed by Cullen and Wyatt. He looked at the recliner where their uncle had been killed to the fireplace where one of the shotguns hung.
“It’s untouched,” Cullen stated.
Owen glanced around the room. “Virgil never got to it.”
“He didn’t stand a chance against such firepower,” Wyatt stated.
Cullen strode to the kitchen and stood quietly for several minutes. When he spoke, his voice was low and filled with raw fury. “I’ll not stop until I find out who did this.”
“We feel the same,” Owen said, fully understanding how Cullen felt.
Cullen released a breath and faced his brothers. “I was in the middle of a mission when my team was pulled. No way was I picked up and immediately brought here just because they were murdered.”
“You weren’t the only one, kid,” Wyatt said. “Iwas on a mission, too.”
Owen crossed his arms over his chest. “Make that all three of us. I can’t think of any of my enemies who would know to track me here.”
“Me either,” Cullen replied.
Wyatt gave a single shake of his head.
Owen’s anger burned brightly. “This involves Dad. It has to.”
A muscle ticked in Wyatt’s jaw. Owen ignored the telltale sign that Wyatt was furious and frowned when he heard the sound of an automobile approaching.
The three instantly fanned out. Cullen took the back door while Owen positioned himself at the front.
Wyatt squatted behind the sofa in the formal living room.
The motor shut off, and a moment later, a vehicle door closed. Owen glanced out the window and caught sight of the front of a dark gray BMW 6 Series.
Seconds ticked by without the sound of anyone approaching. Wyatt turned his head toward the back of the house when the front door was thrown open, and someone stepped inside. Owen stilled a second before he grabbed the slim form.
He had the intruder flipped onto their back immediately. In the next moment, Owen found himself on the floor, staring at the ceiling. He jumped to his feet and tried to look beneath the baseball cap of the person, but he couldn’t make out anything.
Owen didn’t waste any time getting the advantage and slamming the person against the wall. There was a gasp that sounded distinctly feminine as the air in the intruder’s lungs was forced out.
That caught his attention. With a shove, he knocked the hat off. A wealth of light brown hair tumbled free.
All the breath left him as he stared into green eyes he feared he’d never see again.
“Natalie?”
“Hi, boys,” she said off-handedly.
He frowned, suddenly furious to find her there. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“She’s looking for me,” came a voice behind them.
“Callie?” Wyatt asked in a strangled voice full of surprise and annoyance as he stood.
Callie Reed glared at each of them as she walked around Owen and nodded to Natalie. He released Natalie, and she moved to stand beside Callie. He exchanged a look with his brothers, though Wyatt couldn’t stop staring at Callie.
“Someone please tell us what’s going on?” Owen demanded.
Callie shrugged. “I work here.”
Green eyes met his. “I came to help.”