16. Wyatt
SIXTEEN
WYATT
They didn’t, in fact, have him.
“I’m so sorry,” the doctor had said in the hospital, and I’d squeezed my fists so hard I’d made my palms bleed.
The whole island was in shock for days after. Whole tributes were put up in town and online about the kind elderly man that had always been there for his community.
By the end of the week, the whole island fell into deep mourning.
The day of his funeral, a mere three days later—it turned out Rogers had made arrangements, wanting to be buried next to his Luna who’d passed a couple years ago—the whole island, or what seemed like it, turned up at the church and the cemetery to pay their last respects.
I felt their stares with every step, every move, every involuntary twitch. Their judgment.
The people of the island might not have known what had happened or why, but they knew I’d been there. They knew I’d tried to save him and failed. They weren’t stupid. They could put two and two together. Wherever I went, trouble followed. Destruction. And on this occasion, death.
But I had to be there. I had to be there for Gregory.
It wouldn’t make up for what I’d caused, but I had to apologize somehow.
That man had helped me and my men on more than one occasion, he’d offered shelter to everyone at one point or another, asking for very little in return.
An errand here, a repair there. He was always happy to be of help to a poor, unfortunate soul.
“You have to say something,” Autumn nudged me from beside me.
She, Donovan, and Elliot had moved into Duke’s sanctuary. The only other place that could fit them, even though Elliot had insisted on coming with me.
I shook my head in response.
I didn’t know what to say, and I feared if I went anywhere near the podium or a microphone, I’d say things that would get me into more trouble than I was already.
“Go,” I told her, and she stepped up.
She cleared her throat, leaned into the mic, and looked at the closed coffin next to her.
“I didn’t know him long. I believe most of you knew him all your lives, but the little I did know him, he was nothing but an angel on earth.
I’m devastated to lose him as a confidante, as a guide…
as a friend, but I bet you he’s so happy to be reunited with his beautiful wife.
She was all he could talk about. His Luna.
I think the part of him I’ll always remember was his words.
He’d offer fatherly advice to anyone willing to listen.
He didn’t judge. He didn’t offend. I believe he changed anyone who met him with his kindness and his huge heart. ”
She tried to stay composed, to speak with confidence and joy, but she had to stop to wipe her tears more than a couple of times.
Mine burned my eyes as they formed and fell down my cheeks, but it was my chest that ached with every word. Every picture she so beautifully painted of Mr. Rogers.
A hand reached for my shoulder. I turned behind me only to find Ari’s penetrating gaze staring back at me with a sorrowful smile. He squeezed my shoulder then let go of me, but the absence of his hand made me ache more than before.
“I know he wouldn’t want us to be sad. He’d want us to be happy. And I am. Because an angel finally got his wings, and he can look over us, look over all his children, and keep an eye out for us.”
My nostrils flared, and I sniffed before snot made me an utter mess.
“So let’s not be sad, friends…” she said. Her face had turned red, and she could barely keep her eyes open from all the tears.
Donovan stepped up behind her and held her with both hands, and she leaned into him a little but looked out at the pews.
“We’ve got the best man as our guardian angel now.”
And with that, she turned to Donovan and broke down. There wasn’t a dry eye in our row, which was as far as I was willing to look. All my guys had their heads dipped low and more than a few were wiping their eyes.
The only one missing was Joey who was sitting watch outside the school, though I believed that was only half the reason.
Rogers had been the only other person to believe in him when no one else would.
Hell, even I hadn’t believed he was entirely innocent when he first stepped foot on the island.
But Mr. Rogers had never doubted him. I couldn’t imagine what a mess he’d be if he were here.
After Autumn, a couple others gave their eulogies, and then Parker, Slade, Azrael, Teddy, Donovan, and I carried the coffin to the cemetery. The weight on my shoulder was heavier than any weight I’d ever felt.
It only turned heavier when a young Black man approached us at the end, after people had dispersed, and smiled sadly at everyone. In his hands, he held Prince, Rogers’ old mophead of a dog, who also seemed to be in mourning.
“Thank you for everything,” he said. “I’m Kale. Kale Sinclair. Gregory’s great-nephew.”
I took a step back without meaning to as everyone else offered their condolences.
“Thank you. If I’m honest, I didn’t know him well enough. Not since I was a kid, but I remember him exactly as you described him. It seems he was very well loved,” he said, this time his smile reaching his eyes.
Yet that only made my chest tighter. More fragile. I couldn’t take this anymore. I’d caused this. This was all my fault. I needed…I needed to fix everything.
I excused myself and walked out of the cemetery, got into my car and drove like a maniac, getting angrier and angrier by the second.
I came to an abrupt stop in front of the town hall and marched inside.
“Where is Wilson?” I shouted at the first person I saw but didn’t stop.
I knew where the mayoral office was, and that was where I headed. People chased after me. A woman jumped out from behind her desk and told me the mayor was busy and I needed to book an appointment. I heard another employee call security. I ignored them all.
I opened the double doors to Wilson’s office and looked him dead in the eyes.
There was another man there. Someone from the council, though who specifically I didn’t know. Everything—everyone—else was a blur.
“We need to talk. Now!” I shouted.
The other man jumped. The group of people behind me tried to pull me back and only let go of me when security finally got there.
They started to drag me away, but I glared at the one man responsible for what had just happened. For the man we’d had to bury.
“Go,” he told the man sitting opposite him. “Let him in.”
The security guards eased their hold on me, and I could tell from my peripheral they looked at each other in confusion.
The man left the room. The guards looked at Wilson for directions, and he gave them one.
“Search him.”
I was patted down within an inch of my life. Phone removed. Smartwatch. Even a pair of earbuds Autumn had gotten me for my birthday that I still hated using. Any kind of technology was removed from me before I was left all alone with him.
“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he asked, pointing to the seat on the other side of his large desk.
“Oh, trust me. There’s no pleasure.” I didn’t sit, but I approached him. “You need to stop. When will it be enough?”
Wilson took off his specs, which at this point I was sure were there just for show—so he looked like an intellectual instead of the common criminal he was—and stared at me with a smug expression.
“When will what be enough, Mr. Goodman? I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
“Cut the crap,” I snapped. “I’m not one of your lackeys or your voters. You’re talking to me.”
He chuckled. “Funny. I thought you said you’d voted for me.”
“The least of my sins when it comes to you,” I said.
“Now, now, Wyatt. You believe it’s a sin to vote for me?”
“I’m not here for chitchat. I’m here to tell you to stop. To ask you. Rogers had nothing to do with this. You didn’t need to punish him.”
He sat back in his chair and looked out the window to his side before glaring at me. “There are consequences for getting in my way. It was about time you learned what they were.”
“You fuck—”
“I’d watch your words very carefully, if I were you, Wyatt. Need I remind you who I am and what I’ve done?”
“Need I remind you how many of your men we’ve taken down?”
He nodded with a smirk. “It’s true. You have been a hindrance, but no more than I allowed. In fact, you’ve done me a favor or two. Unwittingly, of course.”
I lost my composure for a second and then straightened up again.
“What are you talking about?”
He brushed his hand as if chasing flies and shrugged. “A couple of cells that had gone too cocky and who didn’t abide by my rules. Better you get rid of them than me. I’m far messier.” He spelled out the last word, and it made my skin crawl.
I knew exactly what kind of mess he left behind. Now the whole island knew, even if they didn’t know who was behind it. Even if they thought I was responsible.
“I just need you to stop. These people have families. Children. I’m begging you to stop. I’m the one you want. No one else. Don’t make everyone else pay for my crimes.”
He pouted his lips and seemed to consider my words for a few moments before he spoke again.
“That’s half the fun.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut in.
“Fine. I’ll stop torturing your friends, if you stop getting in my way. Drop your holy hero act and go back to your life. Rebuild your silly bar, raise your adopted son, stomp around the island like the brute you are, and leave me alone. If you do, no one else has to get hurt.”
I studied his face for a while before I spoke.
“Are you man enough to keep your word?”
He joined his fingers in front of his face, considering my question. “Are you smart enough to keep yours?”
I choked back a roar and offered him my hand instead.
“You’ve got yourself a deal,” I told him, and a huge smile decorated his face.
I could feel it in the back of my neck when I walked out. I could feel my hairs stand to attention. I didn’t know if he would keep his word, but I knew now more than ever I had to find a way to bring him down. Once and for all.