A COWBOYS REDEMPTION

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇

SAWYOR'S POV

"I know, right? I'm going to be an uncle. This all feels so unreal," I replied, still wrapping my head around the news.

Nancy gave me a warm smile. "Yes! I remember the day my sister had her baby. It was like my whole world changed, and I treated her son as if he was my own."

I chuckled. "Yeah, the little one will definitely be with me more than his mother." We both laughed at the thought, sharing the excitement of new life.

"Well, I'm going to head out. I'll see you later, okay?" Nancy said as she turned towards the exit.

"Goodnight!" I waved, watching her leave before heading to the clock-out station myself.

As I made my way to the door, I noticed the flashing lights of two ambulances pulling up with two police cars and a fire truck close behind. "What the hell?" I muttered, stepping outside to get a better look.

Paramedics were already rushing to unload someone from the back of one of the ambulances. I took a step back inside, curiosity and concern bubbling up. "What's going on?" I asked aloud, hoping someone would fill me in.

"Sawyor!"

I turned at the sound of my name and saw Jonah sprinting towards me in his firefighter uniform. He yanked off his helmet and wrapped me in a tight hug.

"Hey, babe, what are you doing here?" I asked, confused by his sudden appearance.

Jonah's face was pale and full of panic. "The call we got from this scene was from Akhilles and Milia."

My heart sank. "What?" I barely whispered, the word catching in my throat.

Just then, paramedics rushed Akhilles out on a stretcher. His eyes were barely open, his face bleeding. I ran to his side. "Akhilles?"

His head turned slightly towards me. "S-Sawyor?" he croaked, his voice weak.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded, gripping his hand.

Akhilles' lips trembled as he whispered, "C-call Sienna, please." The paramedics moved swiftly, pushing him inside the hospital.

My attention shifted as more paramedics brought out another stretcher. This time, it was Milia, her face beaten and bleeding. My breath hitched, and I felt my knees give way, but Jonah was there, catching me before I hit the ground.

I staggered to an officer nearby, my voice rising with panic. "Someone tell me what the fuck happened to my little sister and my brother."

The officer's face was tense as he turned to me, "Sir, we got a call from a female who was in a truck with another male. They were being chased on the highway by an escaped inmate named Malakai West."

The world around me seemed to blur and slow. Malakai. The name echoed in my mind, a nightmare resurfacing. My breath came in short gasps. "D-did you catch Malakai?"

The officer shook his head. "When we arrived on the scene, there was no one else there."

The ground beneath me felt like it was crumbling. Malakai was out there—free. My chest tightened with dread, thinking of Milia's broken body. I turned abruptly and ran back into the hospital.

I found a paramedic standing near the entrance. Desperation crept into my voice as I asked, "Was she breathing when you arrived on the scene?"

The paramedic hesitated before answering, "No, sir... we didn't feel a pulse or a heartbeat when we arrived. The male victim was alive and breathing, just with a few injuries and a broken arm."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Milia hadn't been breathing. My legs felt weak, and I struggled to keep standing. Slowly, I turned to Jonah, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I need to call Sienna and Wyatt now."

??°

The engine of my truck roared as I sped down the highway, my heart racing with dread.

I knew I shouldn't have avoided Milia—not after everything that had happened.

It wasn't her fault that Beau had done what he did.

But when I'd seen my father's lips on her neck, something inside me had snapped.

I couldn't face her then. I was lost in a feeling of anger and betrayal.

As I drove, I spotted a line of firefighters, ambulances, and police officers speeding past me, their lights flashing bright against the night sky.

I swerved off the road, my instincts kicking in.

"Woah... what the fuck is going on?" I muttered to myself, watching as they rushed by.

Curiosity nagged at me, but I didn't dwell on it. I needed to talk to Milia.

Just as I got back on the highway, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

I glanced down, my heart sinking. The alarm system I had installed for my grandmother's florist shop had been triggered.

It was ten, and I knew she must have been closing up.

If that button was pressed, something wasn't right.

Panic surged through me, and I took the next exit, my foot pressing hard on the gas.

When I pulled into the parking lot of my grandma's flower shop, I jumped out of the truck and ran inside. The sight that I saw was chaotic—broken flower pots and shattered vases on the floor, water everywhere. "Grandma?!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty shop.

I rushed to the back of the shop, my heart pounding in my chest. And then I froze.

There, against the wall, was my grandma, struggling to breathe as a man choked her.

Rage boiled inside me, and I charged forward, grabbing the guy by his collar and shoving him back onto the ground.

My grandma gasped for air, and I turned to check on her. "Are you okay?" I asked, desperate.

She pointed weakly, her voice barely a whisper. "B-Beau."

My blood ran cold as I turned to face my father. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I asked, disbelief flooding my system.

"Hello, Wyatt," he said, a sickening smile spreading across his face.

Without thinking, I lunged at him, tackling Beau to the ground. I started throwing punch after punch, fueled by adrenaline and anger. But he shoved me back, laughing even as blood trickled down his lip. "That's no way to treat your old man, now is it?" he taunted.

"Beau, what are you here for? You attacked my grandma—are you serious?" I shouted, struggling to keep my emotions in check.

"Son, son... I'm only here to tell you the truth," he replied, a sinister smirk on his face.

I narrowed my eyes, confusion swirling in my mind. "The truth about what?"

"The truth about Milia," he said, and my heart dropped at the mention of her name. "Did you know that she was still seeing Malakai even after you two started dating?"

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Milia? Seeing Malakai? No way. "I don't believe you," I said, shaking my head in denial.

Beau laughed, a cruel sound. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to me.

I hesitated, then took it, unfolding it with trembling hands.

What I saw were visitation records, proof of Milia seeing Malakai.

I looked back at Beau, still not convinced.

I knew Milia; she wouldn't be brave enough to see him ever again.

She was afraid of him.

Beau just laughed, pacing the room. "But that's okay. After tonight? You won't have to worry about that little bitch ever again."

His words sent a wave of confusion and fear over me. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Let's just say there's someone who hates Milia just as much as I do," he continued, "So I paid them a visit and offered them a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I asked, my heart racing.

"One to kill Milia. And let's just say... he was thrilled to accept my offer."

The realization hit me, my stomach twisting in horror. There was only one person who hated Milia that much...

"Malakai."

"Ding ding ding," Beau said, his smile widening.

My then phone rang again. I grabbed it, seeing Sienna's name flash across the screen. "What did you do?" I asked, my heart raced as I answered the call, dread forming in my stomach. "What happened Sienna?"

"Wyatt!" Sienna sobbed on the other end, her cries made my stomach turn even more. "M-Malakai... he... he attacked her and ran her and Achilles off the road." I felt the world around me start to crumble.

"They said Milia wasn't breathing when they arrived on the scene. Y-you should get to the hospital," Sienna said, her voice breaking into a sob before she hung up.

My heart fell to my feet as the weight of her words sank in. I stood there, frozen, holding my chest as tears started to pour down my cheeks. "No, no, no..." I whispered, shaking my head in disbelief. Milia couldn't be gone. Not like this.

"Wyatt, baby, what happened? What's wrong with Milia?" my grandma asked gently, reaching out to touch my arm. But I couldn't focus on her words. My mind was racing, consumed by anger and hurt.

I slowly turned my gaze to Beau, the hatred bubbling inside me.

"I'm going to kill you," I whispered before I charged at him, tackling him to the ground again.

I threw punch after punch, my fists fueled by pure rage.

I stood up, pulling Beau by his shirt and throwing him across the room.

The sound of his body hitting the wall was satisfying.

I kicked Beau in the head, the sound of his skull connecting with my boot echoing in the shop. Sirens rang out in the distance, but I barely focused on them. All I could focus on was the man who had hurt my family, who had hurt Milia.

I stood over Beau, wrapping my hands around his neck, feeling the power in my grip.

I wanted him to know the fear I felt when I thought I might lose Milia.

I wanted him to feel every ounce of pain he had caused.

As I squeezed tighter, memories of my mother flooded back to me, memories of Beau taking her from me.

This was how he had her, and I wanted to make him pay.

"Wyatt! Buckie, put him down! You're going to murder him!" my grandma shouted, her voice cutting through the rage. I hesitated, the sound of her voice pulling me back to reality.

But in that moment, I blacked out. I couldn't see anything but red; the world around me faded. The only thing that mattered was my father's life under my hands. I was going to end this.

Then, suddenly, the police stormed in. One of the officers pushed me away from Beau, my body stumbling back. Everything moved in slow motion as I watched Beau cough and spit, a smirk still plastered on his face despite the blood on his lips.

"Get on the ground! Now!" one of the officers shouted, and I could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on me. My heart raced, the adrenaline crashing through me like waves. I was in denial. Milia could not be gone.

I backed away, still in shock, my hands trembling at my sides as the officers restrained Beau, pulling him away. I glanced at my grandma, who looked terrified, and then back at Beau, who was still laughing, even as they dragged him out.

"Wyatt, it's going to be okay," my grandma said.

"I have to go," I said, my voice breaking.

I needed to get to Milia.

I couldn't let it end like this.