9. Wyatt
NINE
WYATT
His brown eyes shone in the sunlight as his gaze bore seemingly into my soul.
A shiver ran down my spine at the attention, and I tried to keep my composure, tried to keep the mask I'd perfectly cultivated for forty-odd years so that it didn't give away how he made me feel, how my heart skipped an extra beat under his watch, or how my cock pulsed in my pants.
And then he smiled, making my resolve even harder to maintain.
What was it about this man that could break down decades-old walls I'd built around myself? Because it certainly felt like my shield was breaking down in real time the more time I spent in his presence.
"Are you okay?" he asked and stepped closer.
Then he took another step, and all of a sudden, he was mere inches from me. He reached for my hands at the same time as his lips brushed mine, and I tensed up but was too weak to stop the oncoming overwhelm of my senses.
Ring, ring.
Huh?
I pulled away and looked around us, at all the people staring at us and this intimate moment between us.
Ring, ring.
They frowned. The people watching. Their brows furrowed deeper and deeper until there was nothing else written on their face but anger.
Why were they all so mad? What were we doing that was so wrong? What was I doing to deserve all this wrath?
Ring, ring.
I opened my eyes, and it took several attempts before they could adjust to the darkness. Only then did I manage to look at my ceiling and the light flickering from the lamp on my bedside.
Ring, ring.
I turned toward my phone and rubbed my eyes as I slid my thumb across the screen to answer it.
"You think you won?" a deep raspy voice said on the other end, and I shot upright.
"Who is this?” I growled.
“Just delivering a message from my boss.”
"Wilson! Or does he prefer Salieri?"
The man laughed. "I don't know who or what you're talking about," he said, and I bit my tongue.
Of course he wasn’t going to admit who his boss was on the phone, was he? Plausible deniability and all that shit. Didn’t expect any less from the guy who’d built a whole criminal empire under everyone’s nose.
"My boss wants you to know you might have cleared your name, but that doesn't mean this is over."
I huffed. "I didn't think it was. I will bring him down. He can be sure of that. And so can you."
Gosh. Why was I taunting the guy? Hadn't I already made everything ten times worse by going after Salieri? Did I need to tell him that nothing he did could scare me?
No. Because it wasn't the truth. I was scared. Scared shitless. But not for me. For everyone else I'd dragged into my mess.
"We'd love to see you try," the man said, and I removed the covers off me.
I was actually sweating, but I couldn't tell if it was from the call or because Autumn forgot to turn off the heating.
"Tell him his reign of terror won't last," I told him.
Another laugh. Boy, this guy was getting on my nerves. Though what did I expect? Who else would be working for an arrogant piece of shit than other pieces of shit.
"Maybe. Maybe not. He just thought you should know who has the upper hand. It’s still him. Oh, and one more thing. If you want to survive to defeat him, I'd suggest you get out of there before it's too late."
I narrowed my eyes and glared at the wall, trying to interpret his message. Was I still sleeping or was he talking in riddles? And why was the light flickering?
Oh shit.
There was no light on in the room. That was why it had taken forever for my eyes to adjust. So what the hell was flickering?
As soon as I put my bare feet on the floor, I felt it. My eyes shot wide open, and I dropped the call.
"Get up!" I shouted, trying to put my shoes on. "Get up! Get up! Fire!"
I slammed the door open and banged my fists on Autumn's and Elliot's doors.
"Get up. We're on fire. Get up!"
I looked at the main staircase. The fire flickered as it climbed up. No. We'd need to use the fire exit.
"Come on, people! Get up! Fire. Fire!" I practically yanked their doors open, but thankfully Elliot, Autumn, and Donovan—who was spending the night again, as if that was any surprise—were already putting shoes and coats on, and we ran to the staircase in the back of the hallway that led to the back of the building.
Just as we descended the stairs, the fire spread from the bottom floor to the top, and we ran as far away from the building as possible, yet the heat coming off it was scorching.
"Fire, please," Autumn shouted on her phone, and it wasn't long before firetrucks zipped through the deadly quiet night of Mayberry Holm to get here.
But what use was it? The Outpost was already gone. There was nothing salvageable by the time they arrived. Nothing but cinder and dreams all up in flames just like our lives. It would take months to rebuild, if ever.
"That bastard," Elliot spat and hugged his coat tighter around him.
Autumn put her arm around him, shaking her head.
"He won't stop until we're destroyed," Donovan said.
"No. He won't stop until I'm destroyed," I said.
He was trying to take me down. Not by killing me, but by taking everything away from me until I had nothing left. He wanted to take away every ounce of my limited power so I had none. He'd taken my dignity and respect on this island by pinning Garret's murder on me. And now he'd taken my home.
Our home.
This was as much Autumn's and Elliot's home as it was mine. And it was all gone. In minutes.
"Oh shoot. What about the cellar?" Autumn's eyes flared open, but I put her at ease. The gun vault was secure behind a steel door that Maddox had helped me install. Though how we would gain access to it after this catastrophe was anyone's guess.
Maybe he knew. Maybe he knew I had a whole artillery in my basement to fight him with, and he wanted to take out our defense.
Before I knew it, cars started arriving at the beach, and my teammates gathered around us. Parker, Joey, Teddy, Slade, hell even Dare, had rushed to our side to witness the destruction of our business and home.
"What are you going to do? Where are you going to go now?" Teddy asked.
"There's space in Luna's Lodge," Donovan said. "I'm sure Mr. Rogers won't mind the company until you all get back on your feet."
"Maybe we should make our way there. I'm starting to get cold," Autumn said, and Donovan put his arms around her protectively.
"You guys go. I'll catch up with you. They probably need to speak to me," I said.
"No. I'll stay," Elliot said, and I turned to Autumn for support, who dragged him away and left with Donovan in his car.
"He's deranged," Parker said.
"He's trying to kill you," Slade said.
"If he was, he wouldn't have called me to warn me. No. He's sweeping the rug out from under my feet. He wants me to know he's the dealer and I'm under the gun."
"He called you?" Slade asked.
“One of his men.” Before I could say more, two more cars pulled up at the scene. A police car with Dakota in the front seat and Warren’s car with my brother and Ari next to him.
Great. Because I needed the handsome distraction.
"What's going on? What happened?" Warren jumped out and ran toward me.
Ari stood a couple feet behind him, casting glances at me and the burning building but not saying much.
Maybe it was for the best. He was distracting enough without his beautiful accent and kind words. Especially when I needed to keep my composure.
Flashes of my earlier dream flickered before my eyes, and as I watched the fire cast a warm glow on the side of his face, the feelings that had overwhelmed me in my sleep took over in reality, and I had to bite the inside of my cheeks before I made an even bigger mess of things.
"Are you guys okay?" Dakota asked, approaching us. "Was anyone hurt?"
I shook my head, and Warren turned to him.
"Seriously, Mitchell? Seriously? You ask if they're okay? First they plant a dead body and now they set the bar on fire. Of course they're not okay. Who would be in their position? You need to do something about these bastards."
"What bastards?" Dakota asked, his gaze darkening.
"No one!" I said, glaring at my brother. "Warren doesn't know what he's talking about."
He grimaced but didn't say anything further.
"You guys know I can help you, right? I'm here to help," Dakota said, but none of us spoke.
What was there to say, anyway? Either he worked for Salieri and telling him anything only put us in further danger, or he didn't and he could do nothing with our baseless accusations.
Somehow this evil man had succeeded in cutting us off from everything and everyone that could help. Not that I would have ever trusted an outsider with any of the intel we'd gathered on Salieri, but we didn't have the option.
"Do you want to take a statement?" I asked him, and he turned to glance at the fire then at my feet.
I did the same, and it was then I realized I had put on two different shoes.
"No. That can wait. Your safety comes first. Where are the others? Are they okay?"
"They've gone to Luna's already," Parker said, and I felt Warren's hand on my back as he guided me toward the car.
Ari stalked behind us, and I was grateful I didn't have to look him in the eyes in my current state but also embarrassed that he had to witness me at my lowest.
I didn't know why I cared, but I did. I knew there was no universe in which he'd ever be interested in me and no universe in which I'd ever act on my attraction to him. We were from different worlds, different generations, different walks.
The car door shutting on my side snapped me back to reality.
Why the fuck was I concerned about a man when I didn't even have a pot to piss in?
What is wrong with me?
I must’ve been losing it. There was no other explanation. Everything that had happened had finally made me crack, and I was spiraling out of control. There was no other explanation.
The ride to Luna's Lodge was quiet, and I even managed to resist the urge to stare at the handsome man, focusing on my myriad other problems, but when we got to the bed-and-breakfast, another problem was added to my list.
"No more rooms," Autumn said. "Not for at least another week, I think. Even Elliot will be sleeping on the couch in the living room for a couple nights until a room is cleared."
"Great," I muttered under my breath.
It figured. When it rained it poured.
How had I gone from businessman to homeless overnight?
I knew how. Salieri, of course.
"He can stay with us," Warren said. "Right, Ari?"
I only glanced at the man for a second, but his warm, kind smile managed to warm up my cold and defeated body after the night I'd just had. I didn't say anything. I feared if I did, I'd betray how he made me feel and how weak I was against my own urges.
"I'm sure Ari wouldn't mind snuggling with me for a while.
" Warren elbowed his friend, and he raised an eyebrow, all business, at Warren for a second before his affectionate smile made a re-appearance.
"Yes! Finally! Took me a while, but I got you in my bed after all," Warren said, and I took stock of the situation.
Was he joking or being serious?
Was there something going on between my brother and Ari? Because if so, that was one way for him to come out of the closet and, secondly, yet one more reason why I couldn't let myself get carried away with this attractive, exotic man who had crash-landed into my life.