Chapter 11
Wyatt stalked into the house, furious that a Reed dared to call his bluff. That’s how he knew the Saints were involved. In all of his dealings with Callie’s family, none of them had ever attempted to go against him.
Now, all of a sudden, Melvin changed tactics?
This was the Saints. And he’d bet every weapon he owned that the Ahmadi and his men coming after him was the Saints doing, as well.
Wyatt paced the dining area before he stopped and leaned down, putting his hands on the table. He hung his head as the truth revealed itself.
He heard Callie behind him. She was out of breath from running. He squeezed his eyes shut at the desperation that pounded through him to take her into his arms and simply hold her.
How sure he’d been that staying with her would keep her safe. Never had he thought his enemies a half a world away would find him. If he had, he’d have stayed as far from her as he could get. But there was no choice for them now.
If only they’d remained at Carl’s.
“Whatever it is you’ve put together, just tell me,” Callie said.
Wyatt opened his eyes and straightened, facing her. “We’re going to be hit from two sides.”
“The terrorists and . . .” she paused, frowning. Then her eyes went wide as realization dawned. “My family.”
“The Saints have set it up. We could handle one attack, but a duel assault?”
Callie slowly walked farther into the room. “It’s a setup.”
“To kill us.”
“Maybe.” Her blue eyes met his. “I think they’d be happy to take one of the Loughman sons out of the mix, but I think the real trap is being set for Orrin.”
Wyatt dropped his head back to look at the ceiling. Fuck. Callie was right. Orrin already knew about Ahmadi planning something. If his father was aware of that, then the odds were that Orrin knew of the Reeds, too.
That would bring him straight to Wyatt and Callie to try and help—which was exactly what the Saints wanted.
Wyatt lifted his head and looked at Callie. “Can you get a message to Orrin?”
“I don’t know,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Orrin found you.”
“Yes, because we set up a way for him to contact me if he was ever in trouble.”
Wyatt flattened his lips. “And neither of you thought that the situation might be reversed and you’d need his help?”
“There wasn’t a need. I was supposed to be safely inside the base at the ranch.”
“Did he happen to leave you an idea of how to get in contact with him after this latest communication?”
She opened her mouth to answer, then paused. Her lips closed as she frowned and walked to her laptop. She sat and opened the computer. A moment later, her fingers were flying over the keyboard.
Wyatt watched her for a moment before he went to the large window that overlooked the front yard.
The cabin was situated at the top of a hill, giving them the advantage for an attack.
Austin’s arid climate kept the trees from getting too tall.
That gave them the ability to see virtually unhindered all around the property.
Who would come for them first? The Reeds or Ahmadi? Or would they attack together?
Ahmadi wanted him dead, which meant their attack would be to decimate everyone and everything around. That was in direct contrast to the Reeds, who wanted Callie at all costs.
Knowing Callie’s family as he did, they wouldn’t have aligned themselves with the Saints unless they knew for certain that, in the end, Callie would be theirs.
It made sense for the Reeds to attack first, but that didn’t mean that would be what happened.
Ahmadi might wait for Callie to leave before they came after him.
Wyatt turned and looked at her. If they remained together, he could fight beside her against her family and possibly win once and for all against them.
But against Ahmadi—he knew he needed to send her away. If she remained with him, she’d end up dead.
That thought had him facing the window. He couldn’t imagine Callie taken from this world. She would be out of reach of her family’s claws once and for all, but she would no longer be a part of his life.
Orrin would never forgive him.
He’d never forgive himself.
The sound of her typing was soothing in a way. At first, he’d hated it since it disturbed the quiet, but it didn’t take long for it to become a comfort. It filled the silence since she had nothing to say to him, and he didn’t know what to say to her.
When she’d come to the stream, he first thought it was to be with him. He should’ve known better. The past couldn’t be undone, nor did he want it to be. What he’d said to Callie years ago still applied.
It didn’t matter that he’d lied about having no feelings for her. It didn’t matter that he’d lied about just wanting to have some fun during the summer.
With every word that fell from his lips, he’d seen them wound her more deeply than a blade ever could.
He almost hadn’t been able to get it all out. Being with her those few months had been as close to Heaven as he was likely to get. She’d freely given him her love, her smile shining brighter than the sun.
But he’d known what his future held. Bringing someone like her into his world of blood and death was a sin. And he hadn’t wanted her ending up murdered like his mother.
Not once did he seen Callie cry after he broke it off. She didn’t try to talk him out of it or beg him not to end things. She didn’t demand a better explanation or call him names as he deserved. Not his Callie.
She’d stood straight and silent, taking it all in.
But he saw her change nonetheless. Right before his eyes, he saw her heart protect itself as much as it could.
He saw it because he’d erected those same walls after he found his mother’s body.
No one had ever even dented those barriers until Callie.
Her tenacity and persistence working at the ranch, as well as her smile and bright outlook on life despite her family affected him. Without even trying, she’d busted through his walls as if they were made of smoke.
He was the one who’d approached her on the premise of teaching her how to throw knives. She was a quick learner, eager to soak up any kind of knowledge be it about the ranch, school, weaponry, or life.
Of all the girls who had tried in vain to catch his attention, there hadn’t been anyone like Callie.
Nor had there been anyone like her after he left Texas.
He blew out a breath. If he’d known Orrin would pull Callie into his Black Ops business, he’d have confronted his father years ago. Instead, Wyatt assumed that Callie only helped manage the ranch with his uncle.
All those years, Orrin had put her life in danger. All those years while Wyatt had stupidly assumed the most peril to Callie’s life was dealing with the livestock at the ranch.
His ignorance was his fault alone. He’d kept close tabs on her the first few years he was away, but it became too hard when she began dating.
For his own peace of mind, he’d stopped being so involved.
It helped him find sleep once more, but he never stopped loving her.
Though he’d never told her the words, he’d fallen in love with her the first week they began talking.
Before claiming her body, even before their fist kiss, he’d been madly in love with her.
He hadn’t cut her out of his life for himself. He’d done it for her. He’d freed her from any ties to him or his family. And he had hoped she would take it.
When he was forced to return to Texas, he’d been thrilled to see her. Until he learned she worked for his father. It made him hate Orrin all the more.
“I think I might have found something,” Callie said from behind him.
Wyatt didn’t bother to respond. She was too deep in her work to hear him anyway. Instead, he walked the house, checking the weapons and ammunition as well as the locks on the windows and doors.
The two days he’d spent away from the cabin had been both a blessing and a curse. Not once could he stop thinking about her, and it had nothing to do with the danger surrounding them. Their last conversation had been tough to hear. Worse, it had come from her.
He heard and saw just how little she thought of him. At least he didn’t need to worry about there being anything between them again. Even if he wanted it, she’d probably just as soon gut him as allow him to touch her.
The hours passed in an excruciating crawl. When his stomach growled, he made them dinner. She ate the hamburger while still working and barely looked up from the screen to acknowledge him.
Wyatt didn’t bother her. If she were able to discover a way to get in touch with Orrin, then he would let his father know not to come to Austin. And that Wyatt was sending Callie to him.
While stretched out on the sofa thinking of ways to get Callie to leave, he heard her typing halt. He sat up and looked her way to find her bent over the table, her head on the laptop with her eyes closed.
He rose and went to her. Carefully, he lifted her in his arms. She sighed as her head rolled to lie on his shoulder. The only other time he’d ever carried her like this was when he’d found her in the woods.
Though he knew he should walk to her bedroom and put her on the bed to sleep, he enjoyed having her in his arms again.
He didn’t know how long he stood there holding her before he finally made his way to the bedroom. The lights were out, leaving only the beam from the living room coming through the door to guide him.
Reluctantly, he bent and laid her on the mattress. When he stood and turned to walk away, her fingers grabbed his hand. Wyatt halted and turned back to her, but her hand went slack, releasing him.
He walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him. He went to the computer to see if he could tell what she’d been doing, but it was all gibberish to him. He had no idea what any of the code was or how to use it.
He closed the laptop and shut off the lights. Then he went back to the sofa. There would be little sleep for him, but it wouldn’t be the first time. He rarely slept before a battle.
His mind was full of plans and ideas. The fact that he knew both enemies intimately helped to determine how they might act or react. Without a doubt, the most lethal of the two foes was Ahmadi.
The Reeds weren’t to be cast aside, however. But they were used to fighting with their charm and smooth talk. This would be an entirely different kind of battle, but they would be prepared.
For Ahmadi, this was a way of life. Most of his men had been born into war. They lived it, breathed it. They wouldn’t attack quickly. Based on his past encounters with Ahmadi and his men, they would inspect the area, deciphering where the best place to attack would be.
Wyatt already knew the place they would choose. It was one of the reasons he’d set up even more traps during the past two days. Some were visible—a deception to make his enemies believe they could outsmart him.
He threw an arm over his eyes, his thoughts shifting to Callie. There was no way he would allow Ahmadi to get near her. If they suspected she meant anything to him, they would torture her in front of him.
The irony of the situation didn’t go unnoticed. Wyatt had done everything right years ago so Callie would never be in this situation.
And yet, here she was.
When Wyatt finally did see Orrin, he would have a hard time not killing his father.