Chapter 10
Owen sat at the computer and mapped his brothers' locations. He sighed when he realized he’d have to do something about Mason’s two sons. It’s one thing to kidnap your brothers, but an entirely different situation when it comes to two kids who have never met their uncle.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Elias told him for the hundredth time. “Cade, Dillon and Mason have military experience. Wyatt will put up a fight. He’s never gotten over what happened.”
Grunting, Owen glanced up from the map. “None of us have healed from it. It’s time we at least come together. I asked Gunny and his son-in-law to research our brothers. He’s sending over the information on each of them.”
“Did you tell him what you planned to do?”
“I’m not stupid,” Owen said, frowning. “Gunny’s always treated our family with compassion. I’m not about to let him go to jail for becoming an accomplice.”
“What about me?” Elias exclaimed. “You didn’t ask me how I felt about it.”
“You can tell them I forced you,” Owen dismissed him. “After all, we’re known for our tempers.”
“Great. If I don’t go to prison, one of my brothers will end up killing me in a kidnapping attempt,” he grumbled.
“Buck up,” he said, reading the email Gunny sent him. “Cade’s the farthest one. Mason and Dillon live about three hours from one another.”
“How will we get them here?” Elias asked, placing two sandwiches and a bag of chips before him.
“We’ll start with Cade and work our way around to the others,” Owen said, marking on the map.
“What about Wyatt?” Elias asked anxiously.
“I don’t know, Elias. Why don’t you tell me? You’ve never mentioned you visited him.”
Elias put his food on the plate and sat down. “Wyatt’s fragile. He blames himself the most. He drinks a lot. I’ve tried to get him admitted to rehab. I buy him groceries every week and have them delivered, or I think he’d starve.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You’re always the responsible one and take the heavy load. The night you left destroyed all of us. I refuse to let you blame yourself for Wyatt,” Elias said guiltily.
“We can’t do this if we don’t trust each other,” Owen said quietly. “Something tells me there’s more.”
Elias took a sip of water and ran his finger over the rim of the glass.
“Mason’s struggling. Losing his wife destroyed him.
I hired a man to contact him and tell him his wife had taken out an insurance plan.
It’s kept the lights on and food in their bellies, but he’s not himself.
He rarely plays with the boys and runs the house like a military camp.
A woman cares for the kids, and I’m not even sure why since he’s home all the time. ”
“Doesn’t he work?” Owen asked, biting into his sandwich.
“No. Most of the time, he sits at his wife’s grave and talks to her,” Elias admitted, opening his bag of chips.
“How long since she died?”
“Nathan and Noah are three. Nora died a year ago. From what I found, Nora took Noah with her to the store. On the way home, a drunk driver hit her. It killed her instantly. Noah sustained injuries but survived. Mason can’t seem to forgive himself.”
“How long have you known about this and Wyatt?”
Elias picked at his sandwich before peering at Owen with teary eyes.
“Since I visited you in the hospital in Germany after your head wound. You spoke to me at night, as if you still lived with us on the mountain. You woke up one night and found me at your bedside and told me to leave you alone. You became agitated, and they sedated you. It’s the last time I saw you. ”
Shaking his head, Owen recalled Elias sitting in the corner by his bed. Half drugged out of his mind from an infected leg wound, Owen imagined Elias taunting him. He yelled for the ghost of his brother to stop tormenting him. Little did he realize Elias came to him in his time of need.
Gripping Elias’ arm, he murmured, “I thought you were a ghost who came to torment me. I’m sorry, brother.”
Elias used his arm to swipe away the tears. Dad told him the truth. Elias did hide his feelings. Rising, Owen embraced his brother and comforted the only one of the six brave enough to take any action to get this family back together.
Owen vowed on the spot, Elias no longer carried this burden alone. He’d find a way to bring his wounded kin back home.
“We’ll bring them back. We’ll be a family again,” he reassured his brother.
Elias nodded and picked up their plates, cleaned the kitchen, and went to his room.
Guessing he needed time alone, Owen let him go.
He made a list and a plan before he folded the map.
It took him a while to find a van big enough to hold all of them and two car seats.
Then, he made plane reservations for Arizona.
Cade retreated there when he wasn’t walking in his damn underwear on a runway.
Owen rubbed his head, getting the image of it out of his mind.
The second-oldest brother, Cade, always loved going on adventures with him and Mason. Sometimes Dillon tagged along.
Chuckling, Owen imagined Cade’s face when they showed up to kidnap him. They used to get into some rough tumbles, but they always watched each other’s backs when needed. Taking out his phone, he texted Elias.
Pack your bag. We’re flying out at 2 in the afternoon. We’re picking up Cade first.
A minute later, Elias replied.
I’ll be ready.
Owen made a list of what he needed for his kidnapping scheme.
Turning off the kitchen light, he headed up the stairs.
As Owen passed his parents’ room, he stopped and turned on the light.
Mom’s homemade quilt still decorated the bed, and his Dad’s suit lay on top of it.
Thinking it might be wrinkled, he went to hang it in the closet until they made the preparations.
He picked up the photo of his family, and he chuckled as he saw Conner’s pasted head above Mason’s.
His eyes scanned the photo, curious to see Leslie’s son.
Owen nearly dropped the frame as he saw another pair of grey eyes staring back at him, exactly like his.
Sitting on the bed, he stared at the image and traced it with his finger.
He seemed to have lost more than his brothers the day he walked away.
Owen destroyed his chance at having a family of his own. He failed Leslie and possibly his son.