Chapter 25 #2
“Dukes dead too,” Rebel says as the heavy weight is lifted off me. He reaches for me, standing me up and anxiously checking every inch of me. Heedless of the blood and dirt, he wraps both arms around my shaking body.
“Told you I could make that shot,” Storm says matter-of-fact.
“Your brothers are lunatics,” West says somewhere behind me.
“You better never break your wife’s heart,” Rogue tells Rebel. “I don’t want to lose a brother.”
“I need to see.” I won’t feel safe until I do. Won’t be able to rest until I’ve evidenced it with my own eyes.
Violet screams.
Everyone freezes.
She staggers to her feet and lurches toward Duke. Sobbing, she bends over him and presses her hands to his chest while counting beats.
CPR isn’t going to help him now. The wound in his chest is too severe.
“No. No. He can’t die.” Her hands are covered in his blood. Tears run down her cheeks unchecked. “You killed him.”
She’s traumatized. She must be.
“Do you think it’s some kind of Stockholm syndrome?” Owen quietly asks what we’re probably all wondering. She’s been abused by them. Who knows what else they did to her to keep her loyal.
“What do you want to do about him?” Jett asks Storm, drawing my attention to where they stand over Dawson. His blood is everywhere. His eyelids flutter over his out of focus gaze.
Violet’s focus shifts. She runs to Dawson. Covering her mouth with her bloody hand she sobs before lifting her gaze to my brothers standing over them. “Help him. You have to save him.”
“We don’t have to do any such thing,” Storm says. “He’s as bad as his brother.”
“No. He’s not.” I turn to Owen. He wanted to believe in his brother. But his actions spoke louder. “He helped us get out. He took a bullet for me.”
Two bullets.
“Get him up and in the truck,” Owen orders.
“We’re going to need to pack those wounds. Especially the one in his side. Or he won’t make it.” West crouches at his side and puts two fingers to the side of his throat. “We want to hurry.”
“Let me guess. You learned that in Hawthorne heir school too,” Rebel taunts West. Things have changed between them for the better.
“I learned to survive,” West says.
“You can use this,” Burke hands him his shirt.
“Do you think you can keep him alive without a doctor or hospital?”
“I won’t know until I have a better look.
We’ll need to make sure there’s no bullets still inside him.
Stitch him up. He’s going to need a blood transfusion too I expect.
” West tears Burke’s shirt into two pieces then uses them to staunch the blood flowing from Dawson’s side.
He hands the other piece to Violet. “Cover the wound in his shoulder. That’s it. Apply pressure. More.”
Dawson moans painfully.
“We’re going to need a whole list of things,” West says. “Blood. Gauze. Thread and needle. Sterilizer.”
“Got most of it at the ranch,” Owen says.
“Got his blood type too,” Burke elbows Storm. “Though the bag might complain.”
“I resent that,” Storm says.
Let’s get moving then,” West says. “Help me get him in the truck bed.”
“Up we go, Vi.” Owen picks up the florist and carries her to his truck as Burke and West get ready to move Dawson as carefully as possible.
“I need to ride with him.” She fights against Owen, refusing to get in the car. “I have to help Dawson.”
Burke and West carry Dawson around the back of the truck and carefully lift him into the bed. Burke climbs up onto the bed with him.
“Apply pressure,” West orders him as he gets in the truck bed too.
Violet finally manages to squirm out of Owen’s grip. She bolts around to the truck bed and climbs up next to Dawson.
“What about the others?” Their bodies litter the ground.
They’re never going to get up again. Never going to hurt anyone else. It’s so final.
I wanted them to get what they deserved. I wanted them gone. I rub my hands over the goosebumps on my arms. My brothers killed them. All of them. Except one. Now, I have to worry about what comes next. “What about Kyle? He’s going to come after you.”
They did it for me. And for Violet. They saved us. These men weren’t planning on letting me live. I’m sure of that. But the way my brothers rode in and put them down. Like an old western movie…
“Get in the car,” Owen says. “Let’s go.”
How can I not? Three men are dead. I wanted this. I don’t want my brothers to end up in jail.
“I don’t want you to think about it.” Rebel scoops me off my wobbly legs and carries me to the truck.
Rogue opens the back door before climbing in the front. Rebel places me on the seat and gets in next to me. He wraps both arms around me despite the blood and dirt on me. He holds me so tight, like he’s trying to hold me together.
No doubt he can tell I’m fragile. At some point I am going to fall apart.
Storm gets in on my other side.
The truck rocks as Burke jumps down. “Get going.”
Owen nods and turns the truck for the gate and puts his foot down.
My teeth chatter as I lean between the seats. “What are we going to do, Owen? Why’d we leave Jett and Burke behind?”
“They’re going to load the bodies into Dawson’s truck and dispose of them,” he says. As though it’s the logical conclusion.
“The pit?” I never really thought about it as anything other than a dangerous place to go until Dizzy got excited about it.
Now, all that mud that almost claimed my husband’s life could be the answer.
“Is that a good idea? What about the police? What if they think that’s a good place to bury bodies.
What if Burke and Jett don’t make it that far? ”
“Kyle is the law around here.” Owen drives us onto the main road. “If he shows up before their done, they’ll deal with him too.”
“If he doesn’t?” Rebel asks as his warmth soaks into me.
I can’t find it in me to be anything other than relieved.
“If he doesn’t, he gets to live another day. But only one,” Owen says. “Whatever shady shit those four have been up to… Kyle doesn’t have the backup anymore. He’ll probably vanish.”
“There was a locked room full of branding equipment in the basement. Beds. Whatever they were up to… it’s gotten way worse since I’ve been gone. Way worse. How many women have they ran through that basement that no one else knows about?”
“All the more reason. If he knows what is good for him, he’ll disappear before we make him. Either way he’s about to be replaced as sheriff.”
“People are going to talk.” I yawn and barely manage to cover it with my hand. “Small towns love dirt.”
“They do,” Owen says. “But they’ll clam up before they ever share secrets with an outsider.”
“You’re putting a lot of trust in people who loved Duke,” I say. “They’re going to notice he’s missing. You can’t be sure they won’t point the finger at us.”
“I might have to take the position as mayor then.” He grins.
Owen might be crazy. Or he’s making light of the situation, so I don’t worry. Not that it will stop me.
“You can’t just become mayor.” I try to imagine my oldest brother as the mayor. The image does not come readily.
“Why not? That’s what Duke did.” He pauses and his voice grows thick and gruff, “You could come visit more if I did.”
There’s no point in arguing with him when he’s stubborn like this.
I watch the trees rush past in the dark. Rebel’s heart thumping strong under my ear lulls me. A sense of peace rushes through me. Is this what revenge feels like?
Most of my ghosts are finally harmless. If we can bury Devil’s Bend’s good boys without arousing too much suspicion they might stay that way.
I could come visit more often.
I’d like that.