Chapter 15 #2
Elias ran off to do his bidding as Owen walked inside.
The stench of alcohol filled his nostrils, making them burn.
With a snort of disgust, he waded through pizza boxes, fast food wrappers, and dirty clothes.
Peering at his passed-out brother, Owen assessed him.
Wyatt’s overgrown beard reached his chest. His hair appeared greasy and unwashed, wadded into a ball on top of his head.
The scent of his body reeked of piss, sweat, and vomit.
Owen refused to allow Wyatt to ride with them in this condition.
Making up his mind, he leaned down and picked him up, tossing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
He estimated Wyatt weighed less than 150 pounds as he kicked wrappers out of his way and out the door.
Walking toward the backyard, Owen spied the creek and promptly dumped his baby brother in the icy cold stream.
Wyatt woke with a jerk and then a scream of rage as the water shocked him back to life. Roaring like a bear, Wyatt stood up, swayed, and stumbled his way out to the grass. He collapsed on the ground on his knees while he heaved and coughed.
“Hello, brother,” Owen said angrily.
Wyatt slowly raised his head, and his eyes narrowed as he glared at Owen.
“What do you want?” he sneered, slowly standing. His body shook with cold and his skin appeared paler than it did inside.
“I came to fetch you. Your father died, and we’re burying him,” Owen said sternly. “Since you hung up on me, I didn’t have time to give you the details. Go inside and put on some fresh clothes. They’d better not smell like piss and vomit.”
“Fuck you, Owen,” Wyatt hissed. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
“We can handle this two ways. You can go peacefully, or I’ll hold you and strip you down to your underwear, your pick,” Owen said firmly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Wyatt roared as he launched himself at Owen. He braced for the hit and sent Wyatt rolling to the ground.
Elias, hearing the commotion, came running to his brother’s rescue.
Owen sat atop his scrawny kid brother, blocking the mosquito bite hits Wyatt hurled his way. “Did you get his clothes?”
“He only has two clean shirts and a pair of jeans, a handful of underwear, and two pairs of socks,” Elias reported.
“Get off me,” Wyatt screamed as he struck out. “I’ll kill you, Elias. I told you to leave me alone.”
“Did you find his boots?” Owen asked calmly.
“I threw them in the pile when I heard the ruckus,” Elias said. “I told you he won’t go willingly.”
Owen grinned as he slammed his fist into his brother’s jaw. Wyatt blinked in surprise and froze before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“Find a half-decent, clean blanket and toss me a pair of underwear. We have to pick up Mason’s kids. I don’t want Wyatt to scare them with his junk hanging out,” Owen said as he climbed off his brother and tugged at the sodden clothes. “Cripes, he stinks.”
“We’re taking him in his underwear?” Elias asked, shocked.
“He’s less likely to try to run. As usual, he’s belly aching.
We don’t have time to argue with him,” Owen said, rolling Wyatt on his stomach as he pulled the wet shirt from his body.
Scars decorated his kid brother’s back, and cigarette burns ran down his arms. Flinching, Owen rolled him to his back to check out his chest. The scarring continued along his chest, making Owen curse.
He jerked the jeans off his unconscious brother and closed his eyes as he saw the numerous scars along his legs.
What did he subject his brothers to because he wanted to run away from his own guilt?
He never told them how the nurse escorted him back to see their mom.
Her pale, lifeless body lay against the stark white sheets.
Her wavy brown hair, still tied loosely on top of her head.
Owen brushed back her bangs and kissed her forehead as he whispered, “Goodbye, Mom. I’m sorry.
” He fell into the chair beside her as the nurses and doctors attempted to control his drunk father.
His body went numb, and he lay his head against her hand and cried like a baby.
“Owen,” Elias called, jerking him from the memory. “Here,” he said, handing him Wyatt’s underwear. A big gaping hole covered the back.
“Doesn’t he have a better pair?” Owen asked, disgusted.
“Listen, it smells like crap in there, and it’s the only pair in the drawer,” Elias explained heatedly. “What the hell happened to his legs?”
“I don’t know. We’ll find out later. Help me put these on him, get him dried off, and get him into the van. I have zip ties in my bag,” Owen ordered.
“You’re kidding, right? We’re really kidnapping him?” Elias asked, surprised.
“What the hell did you think I meant when I said, they’re coming one way or another?” Owen spat as he yanked the underwear up and motioned for Elias to help Wyatt to his feet.
“You know it’s illegal,” Elias reminded him as he grabbed his brother’s side, hauling him up and yanking the side of the underwear over his hips. “Great, now I’ll see his damn junk in my sleep.”
“Stop belly aching and open the door to the van. We’ll put him in the back. Get inside and help pull him into the last seat,” Owen instructed.
“Shit,” Elias muttered as Owen hauled Wyatt over his shoulder and approached the van.
They tugged and pulled until they got Wyatt into the seat.
Elias dried him off and covered him with the blanket, while Owen grabbed a small wastebasket and some grocery bags.
Having second thoughts, he yanked open the fridge, took out a few bottles of water, and scanned the counter, locating a roll of paper towels.
When he returned, Elias sat in the back with Wyatt.
Tossing the items his way, Owen opened up his bag and took out a zip tie. He climbed inside and tied his brother’s wrist to the seat arm.
“He’s gonna be pissed when he wakes up,” Elias warned him.
“You’d better be more worried about how pissed I am. When he wakes up, he’s telling us who put those marks on him,” Owen said, his voice sounding deadly. He locked up the house and got into the truck. “What’s Mason’s address?”
“I already punched it in, hit start,” Elias said as he gazed worriedly at Wyatt.
Owen loaded the navigation and headed toward Mason’s.
He didn’t know what to expect, but from what he learned, the Wolfe brothers needed each other whether they knew it or not.
As much as he hated to admit it, his dad asked him to put his fractured family back together.
If Owen failed, his brothers and son paid the price.
His thoughts drifted to Leslie, and he worried if she already sacrificed enough for both of them.
Did she have it in her to give him another chance?