Chapter 22
Owen ran to the other side of the van as Mason slid into the driver’s seat. As soon as the van stopped, the men ran up the trail to their childhood home. It felt like days when they made it in less than two hours.
Coming in from behind the house, Owen took a left as Dillon went right.
Elias watched the back door. No vehicles sat in the driveway, and the house appeared empty.
Owen breached the front door, clearing the rooms as he went.
Whistling, he called for his brothers. Elias and Dillon entered and stared at the tossed house.
Someone broke in and searched for something.
“I cleared the house. Mason, there’s a playpen in Wyatt’s closet upstairs. The boys can use it for a bed. I saw some of our old toys in the closet upstairs.” Owen said as Mason entered the front door with the twins. “See if you can pick this up while we’re gone.”
Dillon ran to the bathroom, grabbed some medications and alcohol, and threw them into his pack, which he left by the back door. Owen grabbed a couple of sheets from the closet, and Elias threw a few bottles of water into his bag.
Owen locked the doors as the three of them started up the trail to his family. His heart thudded in his chest as they took turns clearing the bends in the path and scanning the area as they made their way up.
They made it halfway up when Owen cleared the next corner to find a gun in his face while he held his on the intruder. He took a deep breath and lowered his weapon.
“Cade, you scared the shit out of me,” he said, relaxing his stance. “When in the hell did you get here?”
“Dillon texted and said you needed help. I see you brought the clodhopper again. I heard him from the moment you started the trail,” Cade said while he kept his eyes on the rocks.
“When I arrived, I saw two men snooping around. I decided to follow them. They’re very interested in the trails for some reason. They left about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Why didn’t you stop them?” Owen asked. “We need to know what they’re after.”
“Stow it, Cade. I’m not the one prancing around in tight underwear to make my dick appear bigger.” Elias snapped.
“You wish,” Cade said, dismissing him. “I put a tracker on their vehicles when I arrived. At least we can see where they’re going. What has you running up the mountain and nearly getting yourself shot?”
“Tucker called. Someone broke into Leslie’s place. They fled to Dad’s, only to find two vehicles. Leslie took them to the secret cave. She’s sick,” Owen explained, going up the trail. “We have to get to them.”
Cade’s brows furrowed in concern. “Who’s all with you?”
“Wyatt, Mason, and his kids stayed at the house,” Owen said, leading the group.
“And you brought Elias instead of Mason? He can’t even walk quietly, much less shoot,” Cade said as he walked beside him.
“I worked with what I had. If I’d known you decided to join the party, I might’ve done something differently,” Owen explained. “You didn’t see anything else?”
“No. I followed the men and checked the trails. I wanted to see what kept their interest,” Cade said, as they made it to the final bend. Owen cleared it, and they rushed to the entrance of the cave.
Tucker and Conner sat by Leslie. Tucker removed a rag, and Conner replaced it with another.
When they saw the men, Tucker started in surprise, and Conner ran to Owen and hugged him at the waist. He opened his arms to Tucker, letting them know they were safe.
Dillon knelt at Leslie’s side, examining her.
“Did she wake?” he asked Tucker.
“For a few minutes,” Tucker reported as he watched Owen drop beside her head. “I gave her the acetaminophen, and she told us to go to the back of the cave. I hope she’s not mad when she wakes up because we did what you told us to do. We never left her.”
“You did a good job, son. We never leave anyone behind,” Owen glanced up at Tucker.
Dillon pulled out Leslie’s arm, examining it. “Did she say what she cut it on, Tucker?”
“The man attacked her. She hit him with a lamp and a vase. I heard the crashes and ran down with a bat. I hit the man in the shoulder, and Mom rushed for her gun. He ran out of the house. When she took us to her bedroom, I saw her bleeding. Conner took her hand as we walked up the mountain, and he felt it. I think she bled a lot. She didn’t want us to worry.
” Tears filled his eyes as he glanced down at his mom.
“She’ll be fine. I want you to go with Uncle Elias and Uncle Cade. Uncle Dillon and I will bring your mom down,” Owen instructed. “We need a cool bath ready when we arrive. Can you get it ready for me?”
“Yeah,” Tucker said, taking Conner’s hand.
Cade waited for the boys, and then he and Elias escorted them down.
Once they disappeared, Owen asked, “How’s she doing?”
“It’s an infection. Leslie didn’t cut this on a vase,” Dillon took out her arm and showed him the jagged cut. “It resembles a hunting knife. Whoever entered the home intended her harm.”
“Let’s get her down, and I’ll take her to the hospital,” Owen told him.
“No. They’re searching for her. We have nothing but small towns for miles. We can’t risk them waiting for her to show,” Dillon reasoned.
“I’m not letting her die from an infection,” Owen exclaimed. “We haven’t talked about Tucker or what happened all those years ago.”
“Don’t get your panties in a wad,” Dillon said gruffly. “I have a friend in town. She can get us what we need unless she clobbers me over the head. I can have her come check out Leslie on the down low. It might cost me a few hundred for the supplies.”
“Get whatever you need, and I’ll cover it,” Owen promised.
“We’ll get her down and into the bath. I don’t know what happened with you two, but you’re the only one who’s seen her naked except for the night we caught you two skinny dipping,” Dillon said, chuckling. “She’s not gonna be happy. I’ll try to get a blood draw on her and IV antibiotics.”
“When did you become a medical professional?” Owen asked, surprised.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, brother. And I suspect the same goes for you. Let’s use the sheets and carry her down. We need her off the sleeping bag. She’s soaked in her own sweat.”
“Dillon, how did she get sick this fast? Even with a knife, she might’ve bled more, but an infection?” he asked.
“She has lines around the wound, fever, and chills. It all points to an infection. If the blade is dirty, it can cause an infection. Plus, she went into a ditch, where it’s damp, and then entered the cave and started a fire.
It gets chilly in here, and I imagine she spent the time guarding the boys by the fact her gun’s in her waistband. ”
They made a makeshift cot and tied the ends together. Lifting Leslie, they gently placed her on it. She groaned in protest and opened her eyes briefly. They flared slightly when she saw Owen, and then she closed them again.
“How bad on a scale from one to ten?” Owen asked gravely.
Frowning, Dillon gazed at him. “I’m only guessing. I’d say an eight.”
“Shit,” Owen cursed as they picked her up and started the trek down. Whoever did this to Leslie will pay.
It took forever to get Leslie down to their childhood home. Elias held the door open while they brought her inside and up the stairs to the primary bedroom.
Mason ushered the boys from the room as Owen knelt on the floor. Throwing Dillon his truck keys, he said, “It’s in the barn.”
Dillon raced from the room, and Elias stood there watching. “What can I do?”
“Keep the boys busy. Clean up downstairs. Start getting this entire mountain rigged with cameras. I don’t care if we’re here for a day or two weeks, I’m not putting this family in danger,” Owen muttered as he checked the water and grabbed some towels.
“It’ll cost a pretty penny,” Elias warned. “I can have the stuff delivered tomorrow.”
“Then do it.” Taking out his wallet, he tossed it to Elias. “My bank card’s in there. If you can hack the Pentagon, you’ll figure out my bank easily enough. Get it done,” Owen ordered. “Shut the bedroom door as you leave. Tell the boys their mom’s resting.”
When Elias left, Owen unbuttoned Leslie’s top and removed her shoes, socks, and pants, leaving her underthings on for modesty.
He didn’t have the right to gaze at her under these conditions.
He noticed the faint, tiny lines of stretch marks from where she carried Tucker.
Gently lifting her, he removed her shirt and then set her in the cold water.
Leslie’s eyes flew open as she weakly struggled against him.
“It’s me, Leslie,” he said calmly. “You have a fever. Dillon suspects an infection. I have to get your temp down.”
“You’re determined to kill me,” she chattered. “First, you shattered my heart into a million pieces, then you left me alone with your baby, and now you’re freezing me to death.”
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “At the time, I acted on impulse after a horrible tragedy. When I realized my mistake, I didn’t know how to fix it.”
“Ha,” she said, struggling against him. “Try losing your future mother-in-law, your fiancé walks out on you and discover you’re pregnant in a small town and unwed.
Then my mom went to the doctor for a breast exam, and she died before Tucker arrived.
She never got to see him,” she slurred with tears in her eyes. “You left me, Owen.”
“I know,” he whispered. “We’ll talk about everything when you’re feeling better. Dillon went to get help.”
“You’ll never know the pain you caused,” she said, trembling.
“I watched as they loaded your brothers in separate cars. Cade and Dillon stood by watching them take their brothers away, feeling helpless. Wyatt cried like a baby. Elias didn’t say a word as they loaded him into the car.
As it drove away, he glanced back, hit the windows, and screamed. ”
“Stop, Leslie,” he softly admonished, unable to imagine what they went through while he worked himself hard in basic training until he fell asleep the moment he hit his cot.
Owen dropped the towels on the floor, lifted her from the water, and sat her down. He wrapped her in towels and removed the underclothing.
“Stay here. I’ll turn down the bed,” he said, running into the next room and peeling the covers back. He returned and dried her off. “Can you make it to the bed?” he asked.
Leslie rose and weaved unsteadily. Owen placed an arm about her waist and guided her to the bed. He liked holding her in his arms, but by the expression on her face, she didn’t seem appreciative of his attention.
Her teeth chattered as he removed the towel from around her body and covered her.
“Can you drink some water?” he asked.
“I’m thirsty,” she replied, sighing into the blanket.
Opening the bedroom door, he yelled for someone to bring him a glass of water, then returned to the bathroom to clean up the towels and the soaked floor.
Conner walked in, glancing fearfully at the bed, holding a glass of water.
Owen took the glass as Tucker entered and helped Leslie sit up while keeping her covered. She greedily drank, and he pulled the glass away, not wanting her to drink too fast.
“Will she get better?” Conner asked.
“Yes, baby,” she said, holding out her wrapped arm to him. He gently climbed onto the bed and lay against her.
“We’re scared, Mom. We didn’t want you to die,” Tucker said, with tears in his eyes.
“Come here,” she said, patting the bed. “I’m running a fever. It’s no different than having strep throat. I’ll rest a bit and feel better in no time.”
“Really?” Conner asked. “My mom didn’t want me. If something happens to you, I won’t have anyone.”
Leslie smiled sadly and closed her eyes, unable to stay awake.
Gently sitting beside Conner, he smoothed the boy's hair and peered into Tucker’s eyes.
“I’m proud of both of you,” Owen said. “You did a great job taking care of her. She’ll probably be tired over the next couple of days, and then she’ll be as good as new because you stayed with her.”
Conner gulped. “Will I have to leave Leslie and Tucker and go with one of you? We went to the grocery store after Dad died, and one of the ladies said she felt sorry for me.”
“Did she say why?” Owen asked, rubbing Conner’s back at seeing him visibly upset.
“Because she said, ‘Who wants a bastard kid? Even his own brothers never visited him in all this time, I’d end up in an orphanage like them,” he sobbed.
“No, you won’t,” Tucker said. “My mom will never make you leave us. We’re brothers. We come from a long line of Wolfes. Nothing can tear us apart.”
Owen picked Conner up and placed him on his lap, tilting his chin to meet his gaze. “Listen to me. We didn’t know about you.”
“Mom told us. She said you went on special missions, and it’s why she didn’t reach you,” Tucker told him.
Owen glanced at Leslie. She protected his image when he didn’t deserve it.
“Yes, I did. But I moved and never came back to visit. I promise you we’ll make this right. I don’t know what will happen, but you’ll never be alone,” he promised. “We’re a family. I guess we forgot after spending so much time away.”
“What about the man who attacked her?” Tucker asked.
“We’ll find him and make him pay,” Owen vowed. “It’s almost lunch time. Why don’t you ask Uncle Cade to rustle us up some sandwiches while we wait for the doctor?”
The two boys got up and left the room. Owen stared at the woman who invaded his dreams. In all this time, she painted a rosy picture of him to the boys, and he imagined she did the same to spare Conner’s feelings.
He saw the evident love she carried for both of them and how devastated they both appeared, feeling uncertain about their future.