Chapter Thirteen
Wyatt stood at the edge of the woods, snow clinging to his boots, hoping he’d made it out of the cabin without waking Sawyer or Sabrina. He’d gotten the text he’d been waiting for hours after they’d finally gone to bed. Sabrina had fallen asleep against him, but at some point she’d turned and ended up with her head on Sawyer’s chest.
It had been his first lucky break of the entire last twenty-four fucking hours.
He’d slipped out of bed and gotten on his laptop. He’d finished the job because there was zero way his brother didn’t show up and soon.
He didn’t want Wayne to decide to meet him at the cabin. He didn’t want Wayne to know there was a cabin at all.
So he’d texted his brother and told him to meet him at Hell on Wheels if he wanted his accounts.
As he’d suspected, his brother had told him he’d be there in half an hour and not to be late.
He’d known the fucker was in town and probably seething since he wouldn’t be able to get his people out of jail until tomorrow.
He’d known the fucker wasn’t back in Colorado Springs.
The purr of an engine let Wyatt know it was time to come out of the shadows.
Would his brother finally take a knife to his throat? Hadn’t he been expecting it since the moment he’d told Wayne he wanted out and he would do it one way or another? He’d told his brother he would either let him go or Wyatt would go to the police and hand over everything he had on the club.
That was when they’d made their devil’s bargain. The one that could cost Wyatt everything.
As he stepped out of the tree line and onto the gravel of the parking lot, he realized he hadn’t gotten out alone.
Bella walked up beside him, her tongue lolling out of her mouth as she took her place at his side.
“How did you get out?” They hadn’t put her in her crate because they’d been far too busy taking Sabrina to the bedroom to deal with coaxing Bella in. Then when they’d taken a break, Wyatt had fed her and then gotten pulled back into sex.
Naturally the dog said nothing, simply looked up at him and wagged her tail.
“Go back.” He said the words even though he knew damn well she wouldn’t obey him. No one obeyed him tonight.
He felt under his jacket where the small pistol lay against his side. Could he do it? Could he kill his brother in cold blood?
Yes. To save Sabrina and Sawyer he could certainly do it, but he had to be careful because if one attempted to take down the monster, one better not miss.
The sound of at least two other engines told him tonight wasn’t going to be his night unless he wanted to die, too. Which he would consider, but first he would give his brother a chance.
There was nothing to do but walk out and pray Bella didn’t get hurt. The alternative was to go back to the cabin, and Wayne would certainly find the trail if he looked for it.
Wyatt stepped around the back of the bar, moving to the front parking lot as the motorcycle headlights came into view. Funnels of light that always preceded the darkest part of his life.
Bella headed the other way, disappearing back up the trail. A wave of relief went through Wyatt. She’d probably seen a squirrel or a rabbit and would spend the next hour chasing it. The good news was she’d been distracted, and he didn’t have to worry about her until it came time to head back to the cabin.
If he headed back to the cabin.
This might be the right time to disappear. Though it was made far more difficult by Sabrina’s actions. He didn’t even have his freaking wallet.
But he’d walked away with nothing before.
He held his hands up because he couldn’t be sure his brother’s men wouldn’t take any shot they had.
Luckily they kind of needed him alive for the time being.
The neon sign was dark and when Wayne parked and turned off his bike, the others followed suit, and they were left with only the moonlight to illuminate the night around them. He wasn’t sure what phase the moon was in but it was still bright and shining, and it would be dawn soon. Wyatt stared across the parking lot. Wayne had brought three men with him, though he couldn’t see their faces. Yet. He knew his brother’s build. Even in shadow he could pick Wayne out. He’d always been the monster in Wyatt’s life, the shadow turning everything dark.
“You want to explain yourself, brother?” Wayne didn’t care for pleasantries.
Probably because there wasn’t anything at all pleasant about him. “Your men came in and got handsy with some of the women in the bar. This isn’t Horde territory.”
Wayne whistled, and his head dropped forward. “Let me guess how it went. You decided some chick who’s probably got a triple digit body count was actually the Virgin Mother and you did that crazy killer thing you do. Anyone dead?”
He wondered how Wayne didn’t know. “No one called you?”
“No,” Wayne shot back, moving in closer. He pulled leather gloves off his hands, and Wyatt could see his brother was now sporting a longish gray beard. He looked more and more like their father every day. “Which is why I’m here. I need to know if you and the traitor killed my men.”
If Sawyer was a traitor simply because he wanted to leave, he wasn’t sure what Wayne would consider his own crimes to be. “No one is dead. One of the servers got scared and called the sheriff. This isn’t Horde territory, so the law around here did its job. They’re being held overnight in town. You’ll probably be able to bail them out in the morning.”
Wayne seemed to consider the scenario. “Someone bail you out?”
Wyatt had to admit it surprised him as well. He’d expected the sheriff to act like he was an animal and take him in. He was surprised no one had to fight him to make him stop. All Sabrina had to do was be there to get him to calm down. “Didn’t have to. The sheriff took my word about what happened.”
Wayne adjusted the cap on his head. “You mean the sheriff took Sawyer’s word. You don’t talk much after you lose it. Now if I remember correctly, the town down there belongs to Sheriff Wright. Nathan Wright. Former DEA agent Wright. Why would Wright take your word for anything? Or Sawyer’s.”
“I haven’t been in trouble since I got here. Neither has Sawyer. And we weren’t the only witnesses,” Wyatt explained. “You should know Zane Hollister’s here, too. This town is full of ex-law enforcement.”
In the moonlight, he saw a brow rise over his brother’s dark eyes. “You think that’ll save you? You think they’ll help you out once they know who you really are?”
His gut clenched but he didn’t back down. He knew what his brother was talking about, what was always hanging over his head. “I think if they figure out who I am, they’ll definitely find a way to come after you.”
“For that particular crime? Well, I had nothing to do with it, but you sure did.” Wayne nodded toward the bar. “You going to invite me in? Have you lost all your manners?”
“You never taught me manners, and no, you can’t come in. We’re closed for the night. I’m not here to drink with you and pretend this is some kind of family reunion. I’m here to give you the account codes so we can be done. If your men hadn’t been such sexually molesting assholes, this thing would be over and you would have your money and wouldn’t have to spend some of it on bailing them out.”
Wayne stared at him for a moment. “You took out all four men? Or did Sawyer get his freak on too?”
In this he didn’t have to lie. “Sawyer didn’t touch them. It was all me.”
And Sabrina. Actually it was half Sabrina, but he was never telling that story to his brother. The men would keep quiet too because they would never let it be known a five-foot four-inch curvy schoolteacher had taken them down without breaking a nail. But they would still mention her.
“I often wonder what you could have been if you hadn’t been such a pussy,” Wayne spat out with disdain.
“We’ll never know,” Wyatt replied.
“Oh, I have an inkling.” His brother looked him up and down. “You look good. You look taken care of. You got a woman? I would bet Sawyer isn’t the one putting meat on your bones.”
He hadn’t eaten much back then. The last few years in the MC he’d kind of wasted away. Now he realized it was due to depression and anxiety, and when he wasn’t dealing with those things, he ate like a horse. “I’m learning to cook.”
Wayne’s eyes rolled. “Of course you are. So this thing between you and Sawyer is… I mean, you’re the girl, right? I always knew Sawyer was a lightweight and you probably swung both ways, but the thought of the two of you together kind of makes me sick.”
If his brother wanted to believe he and Sawyer were lovers, it was fine with him. It might throw him off the scent when it came to Sabrina.
“It can make you sick all you like, asshole,” a deep voice said.
Fuck a duck. Sawyer was leaning against one of the big cedars lining the back of the parking lot, Bella at his side.
Had he been betrayed by the dog? Had Bella run back and gotten Sawyer up? And he’d given her treats…
There were suddenly a whole bunch of guns pointed Sawyer’s way, and the big guy’s hands came up.
“I’m unarmed, assholes,” he said. “And the dog’s a sweetheart. She’s only dangerous to ground meat and my knees when she tries to trip me. I’m serious. You want to see me go all John Wick on your asses, hurt my dog.”
“You’re all about protecting your dog and not your lover?” There was a nasty challenge in Wayne’s tone. “That’s sad for my brother. I’m sure he thought he was gaining a protector.”
“Wyatt doesn’t need one,” Sawyer replied, his hands coming down as the weapons were holstered again. “Wyatt’s good at taking care of himself.”
“He seems to think he’s good at taking care of you.” Wayne was all masculine taunting now, as though he thought if he pushed them enough he might get the fight he truly wanted. “He was telling me how he’s learning to cook.”
“And he’s reading a lot.” Sawyer moved closer. He wore a pair of pajama bottoms and a hoodie Wyatt would bet wasn’t covering a shirt. He’d obviously dressed with haste since he had on a set of slippers instead of the boots he would normally wear. Wyatt knew those slippers had been a gift from his friend Lucy the year before. He never wore them outside the house. “He started Twilight. Picked it up at the library last time he was in Del Norte.”
The men behind Wayne snorted.
Wyatt wasn’t about to be shamed for his reading choices. It was good. He was almost finished and would be moving on to the next book in the series. It would be fun to talk about it with Sabrina. Well, it would have been if his asshole brother hadn’t shown up to ruin his life. Now Sawyer was being a jerk, too. It was just his night. “I wanted to know about Bella’s name,” he said under his breath before turning back to his brother. “I’ve got the account numbers you need on a drive along with the codes. They were all there, just hidden, as they should be since you’re a criminal organization and law enforcement is pretty good with computers these days. I took a look through the system your new guy brought. He’s sloppy with the laundry, if you know what I mean. I would watch him.”
The new guy was the asshole who’d started this whole fucked-up mess of an evening. If Wyatt could get him executed with a few truths, all the better for the world.
“Does law enforcement have my laptop now?” Wayne’s voice had gone dangerously low.
“No. We didn’t disclose the reason your men had for coming to visit,” Wyatt explained, and now he realized how lucky/unlucky he’d been. Though if Wright had the laptop, there would likely have been a disturbance at the sheriff’s office, and someone could have gotten hurt.
“I’ve got it.” Sawyer moved back to where he’d been standing and retrieved the small tote bag he’d left there. “One of the reasons I came down was to give you this. Can’t have it hanging around.”
Wyatt felt his face flush. He’d forgotten the damn laptop. The one in the cabin where Sabrina was sleeping. At least he hoped she was sleeping and didn’t show up like a warrior princess to save the damn day.
“He can be forgetful,” Sawyer said, handing the bag over. “Now, you have what you came for. I need to know this is over.”
Wayne took the bag, handing it off to one of his men. “It could have been if Wyatt had kept his temper in check. An ex-DEA agent has my men. We could have avoided this.”
“They won’t talk, and Wright’s not one to do what it would take to make them talk.” If there was one thing he’d figured out about the sheriff it was that the man was fair. He wouldn’t engage in the kind of torture Wayne would use to loosen up lips. “Pay their bail and I’ll see if I can’t get the charges dropped so we can all move on.”
“I’m not so sure about Wright,” Wayne countered. “Once a DEA agent and all. But I’ll have our lawyer up here in the morning. Wyatt, you do understand what I’ll do to you and your boy toy here if you’re lying to me.”
Sawyer huffed. “I’m not the boy toy. He is obviously the boy toy. I’m like a… What do they call them? Bears. I’m like a bear. A grizzly bear. He’s a teddy bear.”
It was good to know Sawyer was having fun. He chose to ignore the sarcasm. “I’m not lying. I want you gone. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“So all this time I thought you wanted out because you were too weak to handle our lifestyle. Instead it was because Sawyer turned you,” Wayne said, and there was no way to miss the disgust in his tone.
Wyatt wasn’t sure what to say, and he half expected Sawyer to punch the guy and the whole scenario to go off the rails again.
Sawyer sighed and obviously braced himself. And then his arm went awkwardly around Wyatt’s shoulders. “Don’t make this less than it is. Your brother is a…” Sawyer took a long breath. “Very good boyfriend.”
He had totally underestimated Sawyer. Oh, he’d known the man had nothing against sexuality of any kind, but he’d kind of expected him to proclaim his masculinity.
But then when a person was comfortable with his masculinity, he didn’t need to herald it from the rooftops. He didn’t need to play into entrenched gender roles to feel like a man.
Bella sat down in front of him like she was posing for their yearly Christmas card.
Ooo, getting a Christmas card might continue to throw his brother off the scent. Although there was one problem. “But could you keep it quiet when you go pick up Doug and the guys? We’re not exactly out in town. I’ve even got a girl I see so no one suspects.”
Sawyer’s hand tightened on his shoulder, though Wyatt couldn’t tell if it was a you’re a dumbass squeeze or keep it up, buddy. He was sure he would find out in a couple of minutes.
“Yeah, it was our friend your guys tried to molest tonight,” Sawyer added. “She’s been good to us, and that’s why Wyatt lost his shit.”
Definitely keep it up, buddy.
Wayne stared at them like he wasn’t sure he bought it, but then he nodded. “Well, I’ll let you two get back to your evening. I meant what I said, Wyatt. If I ever find out you’ve been talking, we’re going to have a problem, you and me.”
Wyatt stood stiffly, watching as Wayne got on his bike. The sun was starting to come up as they revved their engines. Pinks and golds streaked over the sky as they drove away.
“I’m a beard now?”
Sawyer’s arm dropped as he turned Sabrina’s way. “I told you to stay in the cabin.”
She seemed to have been hiding behind the tree line. She was wrapped in one of Sawyer’s coats, her legs bare against the chill and feet covered in oversized socks and Crocs. Her hair was kind of wild around her head, and she yawned. She was unkempt and so sexy it hurt to look at her. “I’m not so great at following directions.”
She moved to Wyatt.
“You better get good at taking a spanking then,” Sawyer said with a frown. “They could have seen you and then all of Wyatt’s work would be trashed.”
She moved into Wyatt’s space, wrapping her arms around him. “It won’t work, but it’s okay. Though I have to wonder if I’m your beard, why is it my backside that’s sore? It doesn’t seem fair.”
Wyatt knew he should protest, should tell her to stay away from him, but he couldn’t hold back. He needed her warmth far too much. He wrapped his arms around her. “Sorry, baby. It was the only way I could think of to counter what Doug is going to tell him. If he thinks I’m involved with Sawyer, he’ll come after him if he feels the need.”
“And I’ll be ready,” Sawyer shot back. “But we have to make things clear. I am absolutely the bear in this relationship.”
Sabrina chuckled and yawned as she stepped back. “I don’t think anyone is going to mistake you for a twink, babe. Come on. Let’s get some coffee going. I have to be at school in a couple of hours.”
And he had to be at the sheriff’s office soon. He watched as Sawyer took Sabrina’s hand and started to lead her back up the road toward the cabin as Bella dashed behind them.
Everything he cared about was on that road.
He had to ensure they survived no matter what.
* * * *
“You’re going to a school board meeting?” Lucy looked at him like he’d grown two heads.
Sawyer staved off a yawn. He hadn’t gotten a ton of sleep between all the sex and then Wyatt thinking he was a ninja and trying to sneak out. A loud ninja. A forgetful ninja. And then there had been breakfast and taking Sabrina into work, and he’d gone to the sheriff’s office to give his recollections of the night before.
He needed a nap.
Lucy had caught him as he’d headed out of the sheriff’s office. Wyatt’s statement was taking a while, and he couldn’t head back to the bar without him, so he was going to take the time to run a couple of errands. He had a list he needed to pick up from the Trading Post. Apparently women didn’t use bar soap on their hair. And he’d caught her trying to shave those gorgeous legs of hers with his razor.
So if she was going to stay with them for a while, she needed some stuff. Would Marie laugh her ass off if he asked her what kind of shampoo Sabrina might like?
Of course now he had two women to talk to since Lucy wasn’t alone.
“Sawyer Hathaway at a school board meeting?” River Lee smiled up at him. “I can’t believe it. Do you think the place will burn down when he enters? Is it like a church and he’s a demon?”
Lucy frowned and slapped her best friend on the arm. It was a familiar gesture, one he’d seen many times during their shared childhood. “Don’t tease him.”
He didn’t see a problem. “Nah, she’s right. It’ll probably cause a minor earthquake, though I seem to have survived going into the sheriff’s department.”
Cameron Briggs had been the one to take his statement, and he’d been professional and easy to deal with. All in all, not how he’d thought the interview would go. He’d envisioned getting grilled under harsh lights or something and the law enforcement officer would try to trip him up and get him to admit some terrible crime because he was Sawyer Hathaway and they wouldn’t believe he could do anything that wasn’t criminal.
Huh. It did sound a little dramatic.
Lucy’s eyes went wide. “I heard. Ty said he had to go down to the sheriff’s office and check on some bikers last night who’d gotten pretty beat on. Are you okay?”
He should have known they would come looking for him. They were always nosing around…
They cared about him. He needed to stop fucking around and say things that were real. Lucy and River and Ty cared about him, and they had for years. He was the problem. He was the one who hated change and shoved people away when things didn’t stay exactly the same as they had before. It was good River had gotten married to a man who adored her and Lucy and Tyler had gotten their shit together, even if they’d needed a six-and-a-half-foot, at one point could have been mistaken for a Sasquatch lawman to do it.
He stopped and gave Lucy what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Wyatt’s fine. Sabrina’s fine.”
River studied him, her head tilting slightly as though she wasn’t sure what she was seeing. “Why are your lips doing that? Should we call Ty? Or take him to Doc’s. He’s having a stroke.”
Such a brat. A guy smiles once… “I am not having a stroke. And last night was a blip. Wyatt’s brother needed some information, and he sent the wrong people to get it. They’re all out on bail this morning, and now the lawyers can work through it.” He thought of something. “Oh, hey, if anyone comes around asking if I’m sleeping with the teacher, I need you to tell them I’m in a committed relationship with Wyatt and would never cheat on my man.”
Lucy’s jaw dropped open. “Holy shit. He is having a stroke.”
“I’m not having a stroke. It’s to protect Sabrina,” Sawyer explained. “Wyatt’s brother’s guys got a good look at her and he’s worried they’ll use her as leverage, so when he met with Wayne last night he mentioned it wasn’t Sabrina he was in love with. It’s me, and Sabrina’s a friend who helps us cover the relationship so the town doesn’t know we’re lovers. But I need the town to know we’re lovers. Well, fake lovers.”
No one in Bliss would blink an eye if he’d walked down Main Street holding Wyatt’s hand. Love was love was love in Bliss, but they were also excellent at going along with a plot. Especially if said plot meant protecting someone they all cared about.
They would do it for Sabrina. Not him. Maybe for Wyatt.
“But you’re sleeping with her, right? Not with Wyatt? The Wyatt part is the fake part?” River asked, and then her head shook and she flushed. “I mean it’s fine if you are. It’s lovely. I just… You were into women when we were growing up. Like in them all the time. I’m pretty sure you slept with all of the cheerleaders at our high school.”
And a whole lot of the pep club members, and both French horn players. They’d been startlingly good at oral. “I’m not sleeping with Wyatt.” It wasn’t entirely true. “I am, but we’re sleeping sleeping, not not sleeping sleeping. I’m not doing him is what I’m trying to say.”
“But you are doing Sabrina Leal?” River seemed to require clarity.
Well, it wasn’t like he could keep it a secret. Wayne might buy the whole Sabrina as a distraction thing, but no one in Bliss would. It’s not like Sabrina would keep it a secret. “Yeah. Apparently she’s my…” It was hard to say. It was just a word. He’d used it before. He was sure he had. He’d even said it yesterday, but these were his closest friends. He mumbled his way through. “Girlfriend.”
Lucy leaned in. “What? I didn’t catch that. You’re whispering, Sawyer.”
He glanced around to see if anyone was listening. “Girlfriend. She’s my girlfriend. And she’s Wyatt’s girlfriend. We’re sharing her.”
River’s face lit up. “This is the best news I ever heard.”
Lucy nodded her way. “It is. Sawyer is dating the schoolteacher. I always thought you would go for a… I don’t know. I didn’t see you with a schoolteacher. Don’t get me wrong. Ms. Leal is gorgeous and smart and charming, but I guess I didn’t see you involved with someone who wears so many cardigans.”
“She wasn’t wearing one when I did her on the pool table last night,” he said. It was kind of nice talking to his friends.
Lucy stopped for a minute. “Like on the pool table or like using the pool table as leverage? I’m trying to work the physics out in my head.”
He thought about it. “Both.”
River shook her head. “Nope. There’s math and there’s girl math and then there’s sex math, and we should just accept it. Also, we should steam clean the pool table. Now how are we going to get you ready for the school board meeting? What kind of popcorn do you like? Also, do we think Wyatt’s brother will be attacking the town hall? I want to know so I know how much popcorn to bring. I’ve never done a school board meeting. Also, should I bring pepper spray? If there’s going to be blood I’ll leave Buster at home because he’s sensitive, but Jax will be excited. Sometimes he misses the whole ‘we’re on the run and the world is out to kill him’ thing.”
Maybe there was a reason he’d never been to a meeting in Bliss. “Uh, if I thought we were in real danger, I would tell the mayor to call off the meeting.”
Lucy shook her head as they started walking down the street toward the Trading Post. His day was looking up because if Lucy and River were with him, he wouldn’t have to ask Marie about tampons. Or would she want pads? He hadn’t gotten around to asking about her menstrual habits.
“Don’t call off the meeting,” River argued. “I’m never going to be able to join the I Shot a Son of a Bitch club if we go all peaceful and stuff. You would think after years on the run with a paramilitary group I would have shot someone, but nope. And they have all the best snacks. I’m jealous of Lucy’s T-shirt. She didn’t actually shoot anyone, either.”
“We use the word shot because it sounds cool. I have, in fact, had a hand in murdering a cult leader who was trying to murder me. Oh, and I helped solve a murder. I mean, Nell figured it out, but she wouldn’t have been able to without me.” Lucy sighed and smiled. “Life really is better in Bliss.”
“Also, part of the meeting is to approve the funds Ms. Leal wants to build the new library. Right now it’s a couple of shelves, and I’ve heard she’s not happy with the selection,” River explained as they walked along Main, passing Stella’s. “Stefan Talbot picked the books himself. I think we might need to talk to him about not getting upset with Sabrina.”
Sawyer shrugged. “Nah. She’ll take him down and make him pay for the pleasure of doing it. She’s way meaner than she looks. And she’s the expert. Talbot needs to write his checks and keep his nose out of Teach’s business.” Watching her filet Talbot with words would be fun. “Do you have any cheese popcorn?”
Lucy had stopped as they came to the corner. Up ahead was the building that housed the mayor’s office and all the town’s governing boards. To the right was the Trading Post, which housed Marie and Teeny and five different businesses that supplied Bliss with pretty much everything from groceries to sporting goods to fudge.
He could eat some fudge. He should stock up on snacks. Sabrina was a snacker.
“You are in love with this woman,” Lucy said, her voice filled with wonder.
River drew her hand over her throat in a quick motion. The universal sign for shut up. “Ixnay on the ovlay, sister. You know he can’t handle that word.”
He could say he loved baseball. He loved nachos. He was only in like with Stella’s waffles. They could be crisper. “I love fucking Sabrina.”
Lucy’s eyes rolled. “Take one word out and you’re there, buddy. So close.”
“It’s all he can do,” River countered. “I’m proud of him. He’s coming to a meeting. He talked to people in the sheriff’s office and no one arrested him for being an asshole. He said her name and the word love in the same sentence, and he didn’t gag. This is progress. Also, when the hell did you get so eager to overshare about your sex life?”
He shrugged and looked both ways. A couple of cars were rolling down the lane. It was a busy day. “I don’t know. Everyone is chatty so I thought I should fit in. Come on. Aren’t you always on me for not talking? You kind of get on me about it.”
Come to this party, Sawyer. Don’t work so much. Come to dinner, Sawyer. I’ll make your favorite foods.
It had annoyed him but now he wondered. What if it wasn’t about annoying him and being in some weird rut where one had to invite their misanthropic childhood friend to things because it was expected? What if… What if Luce and River and Ty were…his family?
This was all Sabrina’s fault. She was trying to de-Grinch him, and he was happy not hanging with the Whos. God, he even had a dog now.
Was his heart going to grow three sizes?
How did he know this much about a children’s story?
“I think we broke him.” River waved a hand in front of his face.
Something had broken inside him. Some wall he’d placed between himself and everyone else. He wasn’t sure why it had built up so hard, but Sabrina was making it shake.
You do know, asshole. You don’t want to admit everyone is right about you. But maybe if you do, you might find yourself carving that roast beast with all the Who kids this Christmas.
Huh, he wondered if the library had Dr. Seuss or if Talbot had stocked the whole thing with pretentious books about art.
“Nah, I’m just thinking about things.” He wasn’t about to tell them he was thinking about how fun it could be to have Christmas with them. Wyatt probably could make some kind of dessert, and Sabrina would have to sit on his lap if they were at River and Jax’s because they wouldn’t have enough seats. And Bella and Buster would run around looking cute and making everyone laugh.
It could be the first nice Christmas he’d had since his mother died. His granddad had tried, but grief had tinged every single one.
He was not doing a therapy thing here in the middle of town. He wasn’t doing a therapy thing ever. But he did have tasks to get through. “Hey, would y’all mind coming to the Trading Post with me? Sabrina’s staying at our place for a few days, and I need girl stuff.”
Lucy’s lips tugged. “I think we can help you out there.”
River threaded an arm through his. “Definitely.”
Why had he ever stayed away from his friends?
“Sawyer,” a voice called out.
He glanced over and there was the man, the myth, the legend himself. Stef Talbot was looking casual in jeans and boots and a blue Western shirt. He wore the ensemble often, as if it could make anyone forget he was a billionaire and not a cowboy. Sawyer nodded his way. “Talbot.”
Stef hurried across the road, coming from the city building. “We need to talk. A few of us are worried about how recent events could potentially have an effect on county business, and you’re at the heart of them. We knew you were coming in this morning to talk to the sheriff’s department so we thought we could catch you for an informal chat.”
“No.” He wasn’t going to talk about codes or plans or shit. There was only so far he was willing to go to support Sabrina, and taking a meeting with council people was definitely a bridge way too fucking far. “I have tampons to buy.”
He started to cross the street with his friends, who were snorting and proving themselves to be extremely juvenile.
“Then we’ll do it at the school board meeting, Sawyer,” Talbot said in a deep voice. “We can get this out of the way or we’ll do it in public.”
He stopped.
“You can’t kill him,” Lucy whispered.
Oh, he could. But then Sabrina would have lost the biggest donor to her school, and she’d pretty much be pissed at him because he probably shouldn’t murder people who annoyed him.
“Fine.” He turned. “See you two later. This better be good, Talbot. You just lost me my experts at what heavy flow means.”
Stef shook his head as though he wasn’t sure he’d heard what he’d heard, and then he was jogging to keep up. “We’re in the main conference room.”
Sawyer strode through the doors leading to the lobby. It wasn’t half bad, though it could use a couple of tables. Maybe some nicely made chairs. This was Bliss. It wasn’t supposed to be some arty farty place. It should be homey.
What the hell were they going to complain about now? He’d known the sheriff had handled things too well the night before. Now there would be the actual reckoning. A flare of anger started up. Now they would tell him he was threatening the whole town by having Wyatt around. Or maybe they would simply lump them together. After all, they’d both been members of that fucked-up MC at one point in time.
Sabrina. He forced himself to follow Talbot down the long hallway toward the big double doors dominating the end. Sabrina would be the leverage they used. They would point out all the ways he could hurt Sabrina and her reputation in the town.
And he was going to tell them to fuck right the hell off.
Or should he listen? Had things honestly changed beyond the fact that Sabrina was sexy and mean and could take him down when he needed it?
He still was nothing more than the owner of a seedy bar with questionable connections.
Talbot opened the door and Sawyer wondered who was going to be the town’s enforcer. Probably Wright and maybe the mayor, and definitely Mel, who would tell him not to touch his brand-new daughter.
Yep. He stood inside the doorway, and all three of those men were there along with Max and Rye Harper, who sat next to Henry Flanders. The ex-CIA agent was sunny and smiling and had a baby on his chest.
And for a moment he’d thought he might fit in.
Mel stood, a serious expression on his face. “Welcome, son.”
Son? “What the hell is going on?”
Talbot closed the doors behind them. “Like I said, it’s time we talked.”
“Welcome, Sawyer,” Mel intoned formally. “This is a Meeting of Men.”
Alarm bells went off. This was way worse than a dressing down.
They were going to…fuck…they were going to give him advice.
He tested the doors but they were locked.
So much worse than buying feminine necessaries…
Wyatt was still at the station house. No one would save him.
“Shall we get started?” Mel asked.
Sawyer turned and faced what he was sure would be the most horrifying hours of his entire life.