20. Weston
Weston
Pain is the first thing that registers when I surface from sleep. Next is the feel of slender fingers buried in my hair and Reese’s soft breathing as she sleeps propped up on the wall behind her.
I remain where I am, soaking in the feeling of being close to her, because I know all too well how fleeting moments of peace are in the midst of war. Which is exactly what we’re wrapped up in right now.
It may not be an army we’re facing, but Brenda is as volatile as any trafficker or dictator we’ve come up against. Maybe even worse because she is manipulative enough that she managed to hide the truth from all of us for six years.
The door opens, so I open my eyes and glare back at the woman I was just thinking about as she steps into the room, a sly smile on her face. She raises one finger, the nail sharp and black, and gestures for me to come forward.
With a deep breath, I bite down on the inside of my cheek to hide my pain as I sit up, moving slowly so that I don’t wake Reese.
After checking that she’s still sleeping, I use the wall to push to my feet.
One of my eyes is nearly swollen shut, giving me minimal vision as I walk toward Brenda, but I’ve operated with less.
I’ve dislocated shoulders, broken ribs, and still managed to do my job. This will be no different. I call on my training, bury the pain, and move forward.
When I step out into the hallway, she cracks the door and crosses her arms. I take note of the two armed guards with her, one behind me, one behind her. Both with weapons already drawn and at the ready.
I grin. “What’s wrong, Brenda? Don’t trust me?”
She barks out a laugh. “Cowboy, I’ve seen you take down entire squads in a matter of seconds. So, no. I may hold all the cards here, but that’s only because I choose not to underestimate you to feed my own ego.”
“Let Reese go, and I won’t fight. I’ll do whatever you need me to do for however long you need me to do it. You know I’m good for my word.”
“Oh, honey. She doesn’t walk until the job is done because I don’t trust your word. The second my leverage is gone, you’ll level this place even if it means you die inside, too.”
She’s right. One hundred percent.
“I’ll be keeping her on a tight chain until I’m ready to put you down. Then, I’ll let her go.”
Put you down. Those three words tell me one thing: I’m not walking away from this. Not this time. For any rational man, that would likely bring a dose of fear. But for me? All it does is seal my resolve that I will get Reese out of this. No matter the cost.
Even though it hurts, I cross my arms. “You really need a new playbook. First, Tessa to manipulate Zane, and now Reese to manipulate me. Your creativity is suffering, Brenda. Truly, I’m disappointed.”
She grins. “Why change something that works? Even knowing what I did with Tessa and Zane, you still didn’t see me coming when Reese showed up.”
“Well, to be fair, I assumed you’d be rotting away in a black site.”
“Like Malcolm?” Her expression darkens. “Yeah, he died three weeks in. Did you know that? I had a front row seat to it when they pushed him too far and he finally snapped.”
There’s pain in her dark gaze. It’s the first crack of real emotion I’ve ever seen.
“You and Malcolm deserved prison for what you did.”
“Prison? You and I both know prison doesn’t exist for people like us. Three meals a day and a cot? That’s vacation compared to what we got. It was days between meals for us.”
“Then you shouldn’t have committed treason.”
She grinds her teeth together. “You see treason; I see patriotism.”
How twisted must her mind be to believe that what she did is patriotism in any form? All she wanted was the power and the money that came with it. She was willing to murder innocent people to get it.
“Well, it’s good to see not much has changed. What is the mission this time? Are you going to try to force me to turn puppies into fur coats?”
“A Cruella reference? That’s a cheap shot, even for you.” When I don’t respond, she continues. “I have three targets you’re going to eliminate for me. Once they’re out of the picture, I’ll let you watch me set your girlfriend free before I put you down for good.”
“My team?”
She rolls her eyes. “I will let them live their boring little lives without interference from me.”
“How do I know you’re good for it?”
“Because once this is over, I will have no need for them. One final job and I disappear into the wind, ready to sip margaritas on a beach for the rest of my life. Mess this up, though, and I’ll kill every single person who matters to you.
Starting with Reese and ending with that little ranch hand who you have following you around. ”
Kyle. How long has she been watching me? How long has she been planning this? And why were we not notified the moment she escaped?
“I will do whatever you need me to do so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.”
“Good dog,” she whispers. “Now, get back into your cage until I’m ready for you.”
Pride screams for me to stay.
To rebel.
To fight.
But the image of Reese sleeping soundly behind me.
Of Kyle grinning as he works with the horses.
Of Zane and Tessa.
Katelyn and Garrison.
Sawyer and Anastasia.
Ryker.
No matter how this plays out, I have to do what’s asked of me so I can protect them. My life for theirs? It’s such a small sacrifice to make.
So, I swallow that pride down and move back into the room so they can shut and lock the door. Then I brace both hands on the doorjamb and lower my head as the feeling of complete and utter helplessness settles in around me.
There’s always been an exit for us. A plan ‘Z’ when everything else went sideways. But this time? It’s just me. And Brenda is holding every single card because she knows us far too well.
I swallow hard, the weight of it all crushing down on top of me.
And then the image of a white-steepled church in the dark hits me, and I know that there’s only one thing I can do in hopes that it actually means what everyone says it does.
God. I take a deep breath. I don’t put much stock in faith anymore, but right now, I don’t know what to do.
I know that I can’t do this alone, and there’s no one else here.
So if You’re there. If You care. Please help me.
Please protect Reese and the rest of my team.
They all believe in You, even if I struggle to see much of anything good anymore.
They’re there, and they need You. I need You.
Please. I don’t know Bible verses, but please bring us through this.
I want to try. I really do. I’ll go to church, and I will do whatever You call me to do. Please.
A tear slips down my cheek, disappearing into my beard as I keep my head bowed and try to find the strength to breathe. I haven’t prayed since Reese left town.
I just assumed if God was up there, He had no interest in listening to me.
But now, what else can I do?
We need a miracle, and if He does exist and He is up there, then He is who we need.
So, I keep my head bowed, begging a God I haven’t spoken to in years for mercy.
“Weston?”
Swallowing hard, I straighten and do my best to wipe the fear from my face as I turn toward Reese.
She’s staring at me from where she’s sitting, her hair a tangled mess, my blood smeared all over her dress.
There’s some on her cheek, a little on the side of her neck. But she’s never looked more beautiful.
I cross over toward her and slide down the wall to sit beside her. “Hey.”
“How do you feel? We should check your injuries.” She wipes her eyes.
“Sure, but can we just sit for a bit?”
She narrows her gaze on me. “Yeah, okay.”
I stare at her, memorizing every line of her face so it’ll be the last thing I see when Brenda pulls that trigger. Even with as much anger as I’ve carried, there was always a part of me that dared to hope there was still a chance.
No matter how many years passed, it was what I clung to.
Which is why I never bothered to date. I knew, from the moment I met her, that Reese Faye was the only woman I ever wanted. No one else holds a candle to her in my eyes. And even though I’ve loved her from afar, it’s been the one good thing I’ve ever done.
“I’m scared, Weston. I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified.” Her voice wavers, so I reach down and take her hand, threading my fingers through hers. It’s funny; even after all this time, it feels so familiar.
“You’re going to be fine, Reese. You’ll get out of here, get married, have all those kids you always wanted.” I turn toward her again. “You’ll see.”
Tears slip down her cheeks, and her bottom lip quivers. “What about you?”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I tell her softly.
“I’ve worried about you since I was thirteen,” she replies.
I smile, but it dies quickly. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. It’s my biggest regret, Reese. That I let you go through losing”—I stop abruptly, the pain still so fresh— “our baby alone.”
She leans forward and rests her forehead against mine. “Now I know you don’t think there’s any hope.”
I laugh softly. “I meant what I said, Reese. There’s hope for you.”
“I don’t want to survive if it means I lose you,” she whispers, tilting her face so she can look up at me.
I reach out and cup her cheek, the pad of my thumb brushing against her soft skin. My gaze drops to her lips. It’s wrong to even be considering kissing her, given that I’m a dead man walking. But the desire to taste her lips even one more time—
The door opens. I reluctantly release her as half a dozen armed men come into the room right before Brenda, Ash, and Max step in. Max holds two black hoods in his hands, a sadistic smile on his face.
“Well, come on, now. You know the drill. Hands in front of you, feet together, Cowboy.” Brenda snaps her fingers.
I glance over at Reese again. “It’ll be okay.”
God, please let it be okay. Please let her be okay.
Silent tears are already falling down her face as I put my wrists and feet together but keep my gaze trained on her.
Max kneels in front of me and zip ties my ankles loosely so I can still walk, then tightly binds my wrists. After checking the hold, he slips the black hood over my head. Reese disappears from view, and with that, my heart rate jumps as panic takes hold.
God, please.
Reese whimpers, and I hear the clicking sounds of a zip tie binding her.
God, please, I repeat as I’m pulled to my feet and shoved forward. All I see is darkness, but for the first time in as long as I can remember, there’s a shred of light slipping through.
A hope that I haven’t dared have in a long, long time.