Chapter 19
Owen rubbed his eyes as they drove through the small town where Dillon lived.
His brother stayed mainly off the grid, and Elias pinpointed his current location.
The boys fell asleep, and he enjoyed the peace before the little demons woke and created chaos.
With their tummies full, they fell asleep shortly after. He hoped
Glancing at Mason, he struggled to comprehend what happened to him. Yeah, his wife’s death ripped his life apart, but he loved kids. Yet his two children acted like monsters. Nathan screamed when he didn’t get his way. Noah cried in his sleep, and Mason made no move to comfort his son.
“Hey,” Wyatt called from the back. “Stop the van. I have to piss.”
“What did I tell you? We have kids in the van,” he reprimanded. “We’re almost to Dillon’s place, hold it.”
“You stopped when the kid needed to pee,” his brother pointed out.
“It’s nephew to you,” Owen corrected, and “if you wake them up, I’ll put you in the middle of them. In fact, it’s probably not a bad idea considering you act like them.”
“Leave him alone,” Elias yawned and stretched. “I have to pee, too.”
Shaking his head, he pulled over and stopped. He got out of the van and slowly opened the door, hoping not to wake the boys.
“I’m warning you, Wyatt. If you try any antics, I’ll let Elias tell you all about the intricate inner workings of the internet,” he threatened.
“My eyeballs are floating, get me out of here,” Wyatt replied irritably.
“Go potty,” Noah said, gazing at Owen.
He shot his brother an angry glare as he unbuckled the car seat.
“Good job telling me, little man,” Owen praised him. “Can you hold Wyatt’s hand and go potty with him?”
“I’m not taking him with me, wake up, Mason,” Wyatt said, making his way to the door.
“I need to speak with Elias. Take your nephew to the bathroom and return to the van. You have two minutes.”
“When can I have clothes? I’m not comfortable wearing underwear this entire time,” he grumbled.
“You can have them after we talk to Dillon,” Owen said, thinking Wyatt reminded him of the petulant four-year-old who made his mother cook something different for him every day. Thinking back, his mom babied her last child, enabling him.
Elias waited until Wyatt and Noah left before asking, “What’s up?”
“What do you know about Dillon? The farther back we drive, the more I see the makings of a prepper. I have two, no three kids in the van. I can’t take them into an unsafe area.”
Shrugging, Elias replied. “It beats me. I have tried to get into his file. It’s all blacked out and barely exists. I’ve broken into the Pentagon and the Marines and can’t find hardly anything.”
Owen hung his head and scratched his jaw. It seemed Dillon got himself involved in black ops. Wishing Cade accompanied him, he waited for Wyatt and Noah to return.
The hackles rose on his neck, warning him of danger. Owen felt this before and learned to trust his instincts. Walking to where Wyatt took Noah, he found the little boy sitting on a tree stump, rubbing his eyes as he cried and glanced around.
“Hey, buddy. Where’s Uncle Wyatt?” he asked as he drew closer.
Noah pointed straight ahead and rubbed his eyes. Owen glanced in the direction he pointed as he scooped his nephew up in his arms and took him back to the van.
“Where’s Wyatt?” Elias asked. Mason rose as Owen placed Noah in the van.
“I don’t know. I found Noah sitting on a tree stump. When I find him, I’m beating him to a pulp,” Owen growled. “You’ve slept most of the way and pretended for the last half of it,” he said, turning to Mason. “Take care of your kids. Elias, come with me.”
“In the woods?” Elias asked. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. It’s dark in there.”
“Wyatt left Noah by himself, and he barely cried. See if you can be braver than a three-year-old.”
“Why didn’t Wyatt come back with you?” he asked as he climbed out of the van.
“I have a feeling Dillon has something to do with it,” Owen guessed, not in the mood to play his brother’s game.
“All right, Dillon. We know you’re here. Leaving a kid alone in the woods isn’t funny. He’s your nephew,” Owen shouted into the wilderness.
“There’s no one here,” Elias said. “Knowing Wyatt, he took off again.”
“Dillon’s here. I can feel it,” Owen said quietly. “He’s watching us this very minute.”
Mason eased out of the van. “Dillon?”
Silence met them.
“What do we do now? If you tell me we’re traipsing through those woods with only mini flashlights and a stick, you can forget it,” Elias insisted.
“When did he become such a crybaby?” Mason asked, making Owen choke back his laughter.
“Dillon, we don’t have time to play games. We need to talk,” Owen shouted again.
A muffled sound came from the area where he found Noah. Owen shot off into the woods to find Wyatt hanging upside down, his mouth taped, with a note saying, “Leave now.”
“Damn it, Dillon. We don’t have time for this,” he called, climbing the tree and pulling an angry Wyatt toward him. “Come out and stop playing hide-and-seek.”
Ripping the tape over Wyatt’s mouth, he helped him sit on a branch to untie the rope from his ankles.
“He’s an asshole,” Wyatt cursed. “He hung me upside down and told me to tell you he’s not interested in anything you’re saying.
Leave him here. I didn’t ask to come. You’ve made me ride in my underwear half the night, and the kid pissed all over my foot.
Then, he taped my mouth and strung me up in a tree.
My ankles hurt, and he resembles a sasquatch. ”
“Shut up or I’ll put the damn tape over your mouth again,” Owen growled.
“Don’t make me come get you,” he said, turning to the trees.
“I have two three-year-old boys in my van, Mason, Elias, and this one. If you think I drove all the way here with these nutjobs only to turn around, you’re mistaken.
I will camp out in your damn woods and play kid music at all hours. Trust me, you can’t unhear it.”
“He won’t answer you,” Wyatt told him. “He’s not the Dillon we used to know. He’s…mean and scary.”
“I can be too,” Owen said. “I came to talk, and either he listens, or I’m headed back to find the Teeny Bopper Channel.”
“Can you walk back to the van, or did he hurt your ankles? It doesn’t matter. Suck it up, buttercup. Return to Mason and Elias. I’ll be right there.”
“What if he grabs me again? I swear I never even heard him approach,” Wyatt said, anxiously scanning the trees.
“I’m not in the mood, Wyatt. Get back to the vehicle,” Owen ordered testily.
Wyatt’s face screwed up into the same pout he used to give their mother before Owen made him do something. Shaking his head, he waited until his brother disappeared from his view.
“It must’ve done a number on you to stay away from people.
Black ops can be a bitch. Your brothers need you right now.
Mason lost his wife. He has two little boys, and he’s checked out.
Noah suffers from seizures. When I showed up, Mason lost his job and can’t afford his son’s medication.
Wyatt’s drinking. He smelled as bad as Dad on his worst day.
I pulled him from a full pile of garbage to the creek and dumped him in it.
We borrowed clothes from Mason because he didn’t have any clean ones.
Cade refused to come. Then, it only leaves you.
I’m sorry if I walked away from you without explanation.
I hurt, too. Did you know I have a son? Leslie gave birth to our child, and I’ve missed out on almost nine years of my son’s life because of it.
How can I make it up to both of them? Even if it means one last time, I need us all together. Do it for your brothers and for Mom.”
The silence felt deafening, but he waited, knowing Dillon always thought things out thoroughly.
A few minutes later, Dillon stepped out of the trees, covered in a ghillie suit.
“Cade and I stood by your side, and you left us. Dad doesn’t deserve a service with all of us there. You acted as the third parent,” Dillon said, angrily.
“I did,” Owen accepted his responsibility.
“I’m not asking for Dad. Wolfe Mountain has stayed in our family for generations.
The attorney won’t read the will until we’re all there.
You may not care about the money, but Mason needs it.
Wyatt won’t turn into Dad on my watch. Elias’ foster mom has brainwashed him.
He bitches if he breaks a nail. I can’t do this alone.
You can stay on the mountain in one of the cabins from the resort.
They’re in disrepair, but I imagine we can fix one up easily enough.
Come hear the reading of the will, and if you want to return, I won’t stop you.
Although I might ask you to help with Cade.
He’s not budging. We’ll drop the boys off and then kidnap him together. ”
Dillon threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Some things never change. You know, it’s illegal to kidnap people? I’m willing to risk it after seeing the bastard swaying his hips to some cringe music and flashing a smile like he’s Mr. America.”
Owen relaxed. “How soon can you be ready to leave? Both of Mason’s kids will be up within the hour, and it’ll be hell on wheels returning to the mountain.”
“I’m already packed. Cade called to warn me you planned to come,” Dillon admitted.
“If you knew, why did you string Wyatt up in the tree?” Owen asked, watching Dillon shed his suit, roll it up, and place it in a bag. He disappeared into the woods and came out dressed in camo, his face wiped clean of all the makeup.
“Because Mom always babied the little shit. He’s got the shakes.
You need to handle them before they get worse.
We can dry him out on the mountain. I wanted a little payback for all the times I got into trouble because of his whiny ass.
There’s a little diner about two miles back.
We can feed the kids there and then be on our way. ”
“Do you have any alcohol? It’s not like I can find one this early in the morning. The sun’s not even up,” Owen said, watching Dillon sling a backpack over his shoulder.
“I have something to help him,” Dillon assured him. “I’m not doing this for you. Mason looks like shit. I didn’t see the kid until I grabbed Wyatt. I kept an eye on him the entire time. Did I scare him?”
“He’s upset. He doesn’t know his uncles. It’s something we need to remedy,” he said, turning and heading for the van. Hearing his brother behind him, he didn’t bother glancing back. From now on, he refused to walk away. He planned to handle everything head-on, including Leslie.