Chapter 16
Sixteen
Adam
The first gunshot has me leaping out of bed so fast I nearly lose my balance. The second causes me to scoop my woman off the mattress and drop low to the floor, covering her with my own body.
“Adam?” Her voice shakes with confusion and fear.
I reach out with my hand, set my thumb on the top of the gun safe that’s attached to the underside of the bed, and hold my palm out so the pistol can drop into my hand.
Rebekah starts crying.
I cover her mouth with my free hand. “Shhh. I know you’re scared. Try not to make any sounds. Can you do that for me?”
She nods, still whimpering.
I’m glad we didn’t close the thick blackout curtains before we went to bed because the faint light from the moon allows me to see my wife’s expression.
We’re both naked, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let any fucker frighten me and my wife in our own home so badly that we stop sleeping naked. The idea enrages me.
A third shot fills our ears, making Rebekah curl into me and cover her ears. She’s trying so hard to be brave. Her eyes are wide with fear, but her lips are pursed shut.
Next, I hear shouting. I can only make out the word motherfucker and the fact that the voice is Asher’s. I wonder how he got this close to us so fast. I shouldn’t be surprised. He’s probably been on the prowl day and night since we left Richard Sharp stomping angry at his house yesterday.
I suspected this would happen. It’s why I gave my girl lectures and instructions about saferooms in both houses.
Thank fuck I added her thumbprint to the keypad already.
There was no chance that asshole was going to let Rebekah and me walk into the sunset without a fight.
The abusive prick was using her as his own personal slave. He has lost his workhorse.
Glancing around, I spot my T-shirt close by, snag it, and hold it in front of Rebekah. “Pull this over your head, sweetheart.” I try to keep my voice calm. I don’t want to panic her further.
I’m far less concerned now that I know my brother is out there. He’s an excellent marksman. No fucking way would anyone get the best of him. Nevertheless, I want to go outside and help.
Luckily my wife obeys me and has my shirt on in seconds.
“Good girl. Look at me.” This is going to test her. I know she won’t be happy about it. “I need you to crawl over to the closet and get in the saferoom.”
She shakes her head and grabs my arm. “No. Please.”
“This is important, Rebekah. You may defy me on every topic tomorrow, but don’t argue with me on this tonight. I need to know you’re safe so I can help defuse this situation. You could be carrying our first child. Would you risk their life?”
“No,” she whimpers.
“Good girl. Go.” I release her and pat her bottom. She looks back at me before scrambling across the room and into the closet. My heart races as I wait for her to reach up and push the button, and I’m fucking relieved when the light from the saferoom streaks across the floor before disappearing.
I grab my jeans from the floor and shrug into them as quickly as possible before slipping on my shoes and palming my gun. Without turning on the lights, I sneak toward the back door and peer out through the window.
It’s probable that the shots are coming from Richard Sharp. The man was furious when I saw him yesterday. He’s here for revenge. It’s unlikely he knows which cabin is mine, so I doubt he’s watching this particular house. He’s nearby because I hear him shout again as I open the back door.
“Give her up, asshole,” he shouts. “If my daughter doesn’t show her face in thirty seconds, I’m going to start shooting at these cabins until I kill all of you righteous fuckers. Think you own this fucking mountain? Think you’re so fucking important? You ain’t!”
The truth is my family does own a good portion of this mountain. There are a few homesteads my parents did not buy out when they moved here. Sharp’s property was one of them.
Seems like Mom and Dad should have made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. If they had, perhaps I wouldn’t be standing here tonight fucking defending my land and my woman.
A chill runs down my spine. Two other outcomes were likely the direct result of my parents not buying that land.
One, I might never have met Rebekah if her father had moved away before he even married and had children.
Two—and my blood runs cold at this thought—perhaps my parents would be alive today.
I don’t have proof, but I have my suspicions, and one of them is that Richard Sharp started the fire that killed my parents.
I may never know. It could have been anyone.
It might not have even been arson. But judging by how erratic this fucker is tonight, I’m inclined to believe he is guilty as sin.
After slipping outside, I ease the door closed and move as quickly and quietly as possible to get to the tree line. The clearing around my house is small. I’m out of sight in seconds.
“Come out here, you fucking coward,” Sharp bellows.
I turn in the direction of his voice and make my way toward him, staying in the shadows. My gun is lifted and ready. I’d really rather not kill my wife’s father, no matter what he’s done. But I will if I have to. If it’s me or him. If it’s one of my brothers or him.
“Rebekah!” he screams loud enough for every one of my brothers to hear. It’s the middle of the night. I’m certain each of them is out here squeezing in on this asshole.
The gunshots would have awoken all of them. His follow-up shouting would have drawn them outside. I should have grabbed my phone. There could be texts from my brothers. But my only thought was to neutralize this situation as fast as possible.
Another shot rings out. Birds scatter toward the sky. The asshole better be shooting at the moon. If he’s hitting anything on our property, I may change my mind and strangle him with my bare hands.
Suddenly, I see him. He’s pacing in front of one of our storage sheds, swinging the gun around like a madman.
The door to the shed is ajar. I wonder if he’s been hiding in there.
He’s probably drunk. His movements are erratic, and he nearly trips over his own feet while I watch.
I’m surprised his words aren’t more slurred.
“Get your ass out here, Rebekah. You’re in so much trouble. If I have to shoot every one of these fucking Gallants, I will. They can’t protect you.”
He’s mistaken, and I pray Rebekah does not come out of the saferoom. She can’t hear the ranting from inside, so it shouldn’t be influencing her. Her allegiance is to me. I gave her an order. I need her to be safe.
The man keeps yelling, even though he has no real audience.
“Should have killed all of you the first time. Too bad you assholes weren’t all home when I murdered your parents.
Why the fuck did you come back? So I could finish the job?
Idiots. Then you think you can take my fucking slut of a daughter from me? Think again, motherfuckers!”
My blood runs cold at his admission. We all suspected Sharp was the one to start the fire that killed our parents, but we never had proof.
After all, his land was adjacent to ours, and he was emasculated every time my parents fed Rebekah.
He didn’t take care of his own daughter himself, so my parents did it.
Now she’s mine, and I’m going to take care of her.
Richard Sharp has always preferred that his daughters remain ignorant about the world.
It was easier to control them if they didn’t know a better life existed.
My parents demonstrated to Rebekah that she could be loved and fed.
That pissed Richard off. And we’re back.
That’s gotten under his skin. Apparently in a big way.
This is not going to end well. I can feel it in my bones.
Spotting Andrew across the clearing, I nod to let him know I see him.
We stare at each other for a few seconds.
We’ve been dealt a huge blow. As I scan the area, I notice both Aaron and Adrian.
I’m not sure where Aaric is, and I doubt any of us knows where Asher might be. He’s the stealthiest of all of us.
Suddenly, Sharp lifts his shotgun high in the air and shoots it yet again, screaming nonsensically. But the moment after his shot rings out, another shot fills the air, and Sharp’s shotgun goes flying. It travels several yards before landing in the dirt and continuing to slide across the clearing.
“Motherfucker!” Sharp yells, shaking his hand as if it has been blown off. It hasn’t, but it probably smarts.
Now I know where Asher is. He’s on the roof of the storage shed. I catch a glimpse of him as he turns and leaps off the far side of the structure. After hearing Sharp admit to murdering our parents, I’m surprised Asher didn’t go ahead and fill the man with holes.
Before any of us get a chance to close in on Sharp, he darts into the shed.
Fuck. It would be easier to capture him out in the open. Now that he’s no longer visible, we can’t be certain if he has other weapons. It’s possible he has supplies we aren’t aware of. The man came prepared for war after all.
Squatting to stay low, I charge toward the shed, but before I can get there, an explosion inside the structure sends me flying backward. I land hard on my ass, shading my eyes with one hand as if I’m staring at the sun.
A massive plume of smoke and fire has blown a hole in the roof, or maybe the entire roof. Chunks of wood rain down around me. Looking left and right, I see my brothers also surrounding the shed, all but Adrian on their asses. He must not have been as close as the rest of us.
I scramble to my feet, but just as I do, more shots ring out. One, two, three, and then ten or twenty more like fireworks. Why?