Chapter Fourteen
Wyatt stared down at the report Cameron Briggs had placed in his hands. It was his testimony on what had happened the night before, and he was supposed to ensure it was all accurate and truthful.
It was filled with lies.
Lies he and Sawyer had agreed upon. Lies Sabrina had claimed were necessary.
She didn’t want him any more involved with his brother’s business than he did. She knew he’d given him the account access he’d needed, knew it was from a criminal enterprise, and she’d told him she didn’t think it was a good idea to mention it in this report.
He was dragging Sabrina and Sawyer down.
This isn’t your life anymore, she’d said, staring into his eyes. It’s the past, and you handed it back to him. That’s all.
He’d handed his brother more money so he could cause more pain, sell more drugs, kill more enemies.
He was being a coward.
“I’m going to grab some coffee,” Cam said, standing. The big blond deputy gave him a smile. “Read your statement thoroughly and let me know if we need to make any changes. You want anything from the break room? Nell sent muffins. They’re surprisingly good for vegan.”
He’d eaten a hearty breakfast this morning, but now it turned sour in his gut. He shook his head. “No, but thank you, Deputy.”
“Cam, please,” Cam corrected as he started for the breakroom. “And I’m glad you took care of things. Be careful. The guys from last night have already made bail and processed out. They have some good lawyers. I would hope they would head back to Colorado Springs, but you can never be sure.”
Cam strode away, and Wyatt was left alone in Cam’s cubicle. The only private office in the entire building was Nate Wright’s, and it was adorned with a Gone Fishing sign. It was quiet this morning. Sabrina had given her statement first because she was needed at the school. He’d insisted she do it in the closed office since there was a chance the men in the cells might get another look at her.
Gemma sat at the front desk along with a deputy he recognized as the other half of Sabrina’s earlier date. The Creede boys. Wyatt could remember the shock on Knox’s face when he figured out Sabrina was with him and Sawyer. Sabrina hadn’t blinked an eye but Wyatt had watched the deputy, and he hadn’t been happy.
“So those are your brother’s men?” a deep voice asked.
Speak of the devil. Marshall Lethe wore his khaki uniform with obvious pride. It was perfectly pressed, unlike Cam’s, which Wyatt was pretty sure bore the marks of the man’s young daughter on his back shoulder. There was a small hand-like print where someone had clung to him. After eating something sticky. Syrup, maybe.
Wyatt put the statement down. It didn’t matter. So much of it was lies. It didn’t matter if he reread it for accuracy. “He’s not my brother anymore.”
Marshall was probably an inch or two shorter than Wyatt, but he had way more muscle. The deputy clearly spent time in the gym. He leaned against the cubicle wall, pinning Wyatt with a stare they only taught at the police academy. Or whatever passed for it in these parts. “I overheard the sheriff say you left the Horde last year. I’ve found it’s harder to leave than you would think. If you left, why would he send men to fuck with you?”
This was the part they’d agreed on. A partial truth. “I used to work in one of the legitimate businesses before I left. The dealership. They’re coming up on quarterly taxes, and no one knows how to get into my accounting system. He wanted some codes.”
“Is that what you call it?” Marshall asked, brows rising. “Accounting? Or was it laundering?”
This was what he’d expected. He was getting as bad as Sawyer, but then Sawyer had been right about most things. “I don’t work for my brother, Deputy. You would have to ask him.”
“But you did work for him. As recently as last year,” Marshall mused. “You know the statute of limitation on money laundering is seven years here in Colorado. You still have six before you can feel like you got away with it.”
“Are you planning on arresting me?” Wyatt asked, wanting to get to the real point.
“Just letting you know I’m not na?ve like the rest of this department.” He looked to the side as though trying to ensure Cam couldn’t hear him. “Which is surprising since the sheriff used to deal with people like you all the time.”
“People like me?” He hated the sense of shame that washed over him.
“Criminals.”
“You know I didn’t join the Horde. I was born into it. Not many choices for me, and when I did get into a position where I could decide for myself, I left.” Wyatt stood and signed his name to the statement with the pen left on the desk. He didn’t have to take this man’s vitriol. “Now, if you don’t mind, let Deputy Briggs know I’ll be around if he has any other questions.”
“You’re going to get her killed, you know.” Marshall crossed his arms over his chest. “Sabrina Leal is a nice woman, and you’re dragging her down.”
Was this about him or Sabrina? “She’s a nice woman who decided she didn’t want to see you again.”
“Sometimes even nice women make bad choices,” Marshall allowed. “They buy into the bad-boy persona and don’t understand how much better off they would be with a nice guy.”
Wyatt chuckled, though he wasn’t even close to being amused. “Bad boy? You know I can’t fucking win. My brother calls me a pussy because I don’t want to walk around with a gun all the time, taking out anyone who looks at me the wrong way. You think I’m bad because I was born into a family I had a hard time getting out of. I assure you I didn’t woo Sabrina with my bad-boy ways. I did it with brownies. See, the key is to use coffee instead of water. Gives the box mix a certain depth of flavor. Oh, and she likes our dog. And I’m reading Twilight and discussing my feelings about the whole love triangle with her. I don’t see why Bella has to choose. But do go on about how badass I am.”
“Well, four men nearly died last night.” Cam stood in the hallway, a mug of coffee in one hand and a half-eaten muffin in the other.
In this he wasn’t as manly as he sounded. “It was two. Sabrina took the other two out.”
“What?” Marshall’s eyes had gone wide.
Cam nodded. “That’s right, Marsh. She’s good with a stun gun, and if I heard correctly, a bottle of vodka.”
“Tequila.” She’d bashed one of his attackers with a reposado. It was kind of a tragedy since it had been one of the only expensive liquors Sawyer bought. There had been a perfectly cheap blanco sitting right there, but no, she’d gone for the good stuff.
“Sabrina wouldn’t…” Marshall began.
Wyatt huffed. “Dude, you don’t know her. You’re seeing the sweet schoolteacher who would have given you some status in this town, who you likely thought you could set up a nice life with. She could take care of a cabin for you and have supper on the table every night and never give you a moment’s trouble. There’s a crazy bitch under those cardigans. You couldn’t handle her, and I’ve been told in no uncertain terms I don’t get to make the decision whether she should be with me or not. So I suggest you do your job and ensure my brother’s men don’t come back.”
“Dude, she’s Elisa’s sister.” Cam was looking at his fellow deputy like he was a dumbass. “Did you really think she’d be some easy chick?”
“She’s a schoolteacher. She’s not like El. El is great and all but she’s not like…” Marshall began.
“Not like what?” Gemma stood up from her cubicle, reminding everyone she had excellent hearing. She also had a headset on. “Yeah, they’re talking about you now. I’m waiting to see if Marshall is going to finish his sentence or crap his pants.”
“You called Elisa?” Cam grinned her way. “Damn, I thought you were softening up in your old age.”
Gemma’s eyes rolled. “Never. Hey, I finally have a woman in this department. Chicks before dicks and all. Elisa and I get along like gangbusters. The only argument we’ve ever had was when she set her sister up on a date with the Creede boys. You see, I thought they were a bit too traditional.”
“I was going to share her with Knox,” Marshall pointed out.
“You liked her because she wasn’t scary like me or her sister,” Gemma shot back. “I hear everything, dude. You and Knox talked endlessly about how scary the women are around here and how soft and sweet Sabrina is. You have obviously never been in charge of a large group of eight-year-olds. She’s a badass.” She laughed at whatever was being said in her ear. “Yeah, I think he was going to say you weren’t wife material, too. I mean he’ll make up some bullshit now, but we all know.”
“You could be more of a team player, Gemma.” Marshall’s cheeks were stained with red.
“Oh, I am a total team player,” Gemma replied. “You’re just not on my team.”
“Well, I guess Elisa isn’t the woman I thought she was if she’s going to let her sister fuck around with criminals.” Marshall took a step back as though ceding the argument. “Sabrina’s going to get hurt, but I guess she’s such a badass she doesn’t need our help. Like a lot of women in this town she seems to have forgotten why she needs a man.”
“To clean her stun gun. Make sure it has batteries.” Wyatt was sick of the macho bullshit. He was surprised he’d found it here since Marshall was right. Most of the women in Bliss were badasses who loved their men but didn’t cling to them crying when bad times happened. Nope. They pull out their stun guns and expensive bottles of sipping tequila and go to work. “Also to bring her lunch when she forgets it. Which she did, and it’s Nell’s day to menu plan, so I’m pretty sure it’s like salad she found in the field and maybe some weird bread. I’m getting my baby a burger from Stella’s. And that bad-boy Sawyer? You know, the baddest dude in town? He’s picking up shampoo and feminine products so she’ll be comfortable while she’s staying in our cabin. See, I’ve learned a few things since I left the toxic land I call my childhood. When men talk about taking care of women, they’re talking about defending her from vague threats while the women do all of the other work. Most women would rather have a dude who actively participates in the life they share. But that’s just my criminal opinion.”
Gemma clapped. “Damn straight. I told you he’s a keeper.”
At least he might have made a slightly better impression on her sister.
“The threats aren’t vague, Kemp,” Marshall said with a frown. “They’re real, and as much as you want to play house, your past is going to come back. I’ve studied up on the Horde and I’m surprised they let you go. They don’t tend to let family leave. Makes me wonder what you have on them. Or if you gave them something so big they know you’ll never tell.”
Marshall was way too close to the truth for Wyatt’s comfort.
“How about you leave it alone,” Cam ordered. “Wyatt isn’t accused of anything. He was defending himself and Sabrina.”
“So the report says.” Marshall sighed. “There’s something else going on here. I don’t know why everyone’s burying their head in the sand. No one walks away from a group like that. He’s a danger to this community, and I intend to prove it.”
“By harassing him?” Cam asked. “I think the sheriff might have something to say. Our heads aren’t buried, Marshall. We think everyone deserves a second chance if they work for it. None of us here came from glorious pasts with no trauma or regret. It’s precisely why we’re here. If you want to know how he paid, take a look at his chest sometime. They wouldn’t let him leave with the tattoo they forced on him when he was eighteen so they burned it off his body.”
“Everyone knows?” Wyatt was careful to keep his shirt on.
“Doc came in fuming about it the night he went out to Sawyer’s cabin to treat you,” Cam admitted. “Don’t be pissed at him. He was angry for you, and you wouldn’t press charges.”
“They wouldn’t have stuck. My brother had me make a video agreeing to everything he did to me,” Wyatt explained. “Pressing charges would have kept me in his world.”
“I believe the sheriff said roughly the same.” Cam moved to his desk, dismissing Marshall. “You should know the DA is probably going to want to talk to you about a plea deal.”
“Whatever makes it go away the fastest,” Wyatt agreed. “Honestly, it wasn’t like I got hurt. I just want them to stay away. I want to live my life here. It’s all I want.”
Gemma winced. “Uhm, Elisa wants the death penalty. I don’t think that’s an outcome we can ask for in a Class One misdemeanor case. You know we should talk this out over the beer you owe me because I was right about your matchmaking skills.”
“We’ll handle things from here,” Cam promised, sitting behind his desk. “You should know one of the things we’re going to talk about at the meeting this evening is watching out for you three.”
“Watching out for us?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah. I know it’s supposed to be about school, but we don’t have a town hall coming up any time soon, so we’ll do it there. There’s a part of the town halls where we discuss potential threats. Mostly it’s Mel talking about coming alien invasions or what to do if you cross paths with a Sasquatch during mating season.” Cam shuddered. “He had surprisingly detailed slides. Cassidy is an artist of sorts. But the point is we also talk about human threats. After tonight, everyone will know to watch out for you and Sawyer and Sabrina.”
“I appreciate it. Sawyer thinks he’s an outsider. It might be a surprise to him,” Wyatt said, checking his watch. It was almost lunchtime. He might not be hungry, but Sabrina would be. He could grab her lunch at Stella’s and walk to school before her break started.
“Oh, he’s learning right now,” Cam replied with a grin. “You should know there’s a Meeting of Men occurring.”
Wyatt gasped. It was a legendary thing around these parts. “He’s being brought before the Men’s Council? Why?”
“They want to make sure he doesn’t fuck things up with Sabrina,” Cam replied. “They’re not worried about you.” Cam’s eyes narrowed. “Should they be?”
He suddenly didn’t want to get called before the council. “Nope. I’m good. I guess I’ll hit the Trading Post as well since it seems Sawyer’s got a full schedule all of the sudden.”
“See you tonight,” Cam said, giving him a wave.
Gemma was still arguing with Elisa over the headset as he walked out of the station house, but the whole way he could feel Marshall Lethe’s eyes on him.
The deputy was going to be trouble.
But then he seemed to have a lot of that these days.
* * * *
“Can it be a formal Meeting of Men if there’s a woman here?” Sawyer was looking for any way out. She wasn’t a woman, exactly. She was a sleeping toddler, but there were rules. Right?
He knew all about the Council of Men. His grandfather had helped form it. Of course back then it was mostly his grandad, River’s dad, Mel, Fred Glen, and Brian Bennett meeting out at the Circle G to drink beer and watch football. It was exactly like Stef Talbot to take something simple and turn it into…well, this.
Henry patted the back of the toddler sleeping on his chest. “Don’t mind Poppy. She has no interest in the workings of the male mind. She’s only here because her mom has lunch duty.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Max Harper frowned Henry’s way. “I’m pretty sure he’s teaching his baby spy techniques. Nell’s been extra nosy lately, and I’m pretty sure it’s because Poppy’s bringing back intel from playdates.”
“Sure, she’s getting a ton of intel from her tea parties with the McNamara-O’Malley girls,” Henry snarked. “My baby girl will get into intelligence ops over my dead body.”
Max huffed and pointed Henry’s way as though he’d made his point. “And that’s exactly what you would say if you were a spy.”
“Little Poppy is welcome,” Mel intoned. “She won’t cause any trouble at all, but we do need to talk to you, son.”
If anyone but Mel had called him son, he would have challenged them. But Mel had been the one to take him hunting when his grandfather’s grief had gotten to be too much and he needed to be alone. Mel had taken Sawyer and his brothers camping and fishing. He’d sat up and listened to them talk about Mom.
Mel got all of his respect. Which meant he needed to take this whole thing with some seriousness. “All right. If you’re going to warn me off Sabrina, you should know I already tried. I explained how I am and why it won’t work. I didn’t like try to be charming to fool her. She got a full dose of me, and she’s still here. She’s…tenacious.”
“We’re not here to warn you off her.” Mel sat down, adjusting his ever-present ballcap. Sawyer could only see the smallest piece of foil poking out. Cassidy had gotten good at tucking it in for him. “We’re here to make sure you don’t screw this up.”
Well, he hadn’t expected those words to come out of Mel’s mouth. Did they understand?
“My wife will torch the town if she loses Sabrina,” Rye said with a shake of his head. “I’m not joking. Sending Paige to school has made it so much easier to handle the boys. All of that sweet sanity flies out the window if Sabrina runs back to civilization because some asshole breaks her heart. She views Sabrina as a saint and one she will defend bodily if she has to.”
“I don’t think she would leave town if we broke up.” Sawyer was pretty sure she would stun him and explain the town was hers now and he should be the one to leave.
Max leaned over. “Hey, you should warn Wyatt about small, unnamed children who might be out to kick him in the shins. I fear the day Paige gets big enough to kick a man in the…you know…”
Why was Paige going to take out Wyatt’s shins? Before he had a chance to ask, Talbot was taking his seat next to the mayor, Rafael Kincaid.
“Sawyer, we felt after what happened last night, we should talk. I know what happened was violent, and you might think Sabrina seeing you forced to attack those men might frighten her. You’re probably thinking about taking a step back,” Stef began in an oddly soothing tone.
“That would be a mistake,” Rafe advised.
“Rookie mistake,” Max added.
“Women are more than capable of making their own decisions,” Henry counseled sagely while Poppy drooled on his shirt. “Nell was scared the first time I had to kill a couple of assassins in front of her, but we talked about it and she handled it. Our women are stronger than we think.”
Rye’s eyes rolled. “Dude, you had to sleep on the couch for three whole seasons.”
“Guest room,” Henry corrected. “She needed some time to think, but the point is I didn’t walk away in shame. Sawyer, I know you would never admit it, but I suspect you’re actually quite sensitive.”
“I’m not.” He wasn’t in any way. Well, his dick was sensitive to Sabrina walking in a room, but that was about it.
Henry ignored him entirely. “So you’re probably feeling shame at having to expose a woman like Sabrina to such male brutality. You have to talk to her. You have to let her know this isn’t who you are in your normal life, but the need to protect her brings out your inner beast from time to time.”
Sawyer looked to Wright, who was sitting back. He was in jeans and a T-shirt today, a smirk on his face.
“You didn’t tell them?” These men were under some misconceptions.
Wright shrugged. “I thought it was your story to tell. They’re worried you’ll think Sabrina’s too delicate to handle all the violence she saw last night.”
“I didn’t touch any of those men,” Sawyer admitted. “I was way too busy trying to get Sabrina out of the line of fire. She’s slippery, though. She got away and used a stun gun on two of them. Also, she bashed one of them with the tequila I use to make Jen’s margaritas when she and Stef decide to pretend she’s a hooker or something.”
“Uh, sex worker, thank you,” Stef argued losing his smooth tones and sounding more like the Stef Sawyer knew. “It’s a little role play, and you have to admit your bar is on the seedy side. It doesn’t work at Trio because Zane is impossible. My wife has some specific fantasies, and getting paid is one of them. I’ll replace the tequila.”
“Wait. So Sawyer didn’t beat the shit out of those guys?” Rye asked.
“Nope. Wyatt and Sabrina did all the damage,” Wright explained. “By the time Elisa and I got there, Sabrina was talking Wyatt down. Alexei’s got his hands full with that one. There’s some Hulk in there, if you know what I mean.”
Henry nodded as though taking it in and processing the story. “Women can often keep a cool head in the middle of a crisis, but Sawyer might be the one dealing with the ramifications of seeing the woman he…I’m going to stay away from that word…he is seeing because he has eyes and she’s often in the line of his vision…in danger.”
All right, he kind of liked Henry. But Henry was wrong. “Nah, I was annoyed at first because she’s shitty at following directions and apparently loves to throw herself into potential harm, but then she showed me her boobs and I didn’t care as much anymore. Y’all are acting like the sheriff left and we all sat around and talked. We didn’t. We had a ton of sex on the pool table, and then we went back to the cabin and fucked some more. I think we all feel better today.” He winced because he’d forgotten about Mel. “Sorry. I know she’s like your daughter now.”
Mel stared at him. “Did she enjoy herself?”
“Like five or six times,” Sawyer said with a nod.
“Then good for you.” Mel sat back. “As the father figure in her life, I have to ask if you are seeing her only because you have eyes and she’s around a lot.”
Damn. He was happier talking about the pool table. This was a weird metaphor. How to explain without saying too much or using the word he was avoiding even thinking about? “I…I often look around for her so I can see her. Because I have eyes.”
“It’s a metaphor,” Max whispered to his twin. “I think he’s talking about having a heart, but he’s Sawyer so he doesn’t want us to think he’s got one of those. So when he says he’s looking for her with his eyes, he’s really looking for her with his heart.”
Rye’s eyes rolled.
Max was an idiot.
“I’m just saying I don’t run away when she gets close.” Let that be the end.
“Like you did last Christmas?” Rafe asked.
“Look, last Christmas I took one look at her and thought she was sweet and fragile and I knew I couldn’t handle her. Or she couldn’t handle me,” Sawyer began.
“You were right the first time,” Henry said. “You were the one who couldn’t handle her.”
Sawyer would ignore the interruptions. He needed to get out of here. No. He was done lying to himself. He needed to make these men understand. Because if he was going to be with Sabrina, he couldn’t be the troll under the bridge anymore. She was a social person. She would want to have friends and go to parties and be part of the town and he would… Could he send Wyatt to all those things?
There were serious advantages to having a partner.
Of course if he wasn’t careful, he might not have a partner because his partner was going to be an idiot.
He needed to think this thing through. He couldn’t talk about it with Sabrina because he didn’t want her to worry.
It sucked to be alone.
Except he kind of wasn’t.
His grandfather had been a part of this town.
His grandfather had been broken when Sawyer’s mom died.
Would he have taken back all of the love so he never had to feel the grief?
Shit. Was this the question he’d been sitting with for fifteen years?
He was asking the wrong question. Everyone had to make the decision for themselves as to what they were willing to risk. Would he take back going after his brother? Even knowing his brother would end up being a selfish ass who never spoke to him again? Would he go back and tell Wes to fuck himself and leave him with the Horde?
He wouldn’t have met Wyatt, wouldn’t have been waiting to give Wyatt a safe place to land.
Would he have held back on loving his mom if he’d known she would die so suddenly?
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“I have abandonment issues.” It made him vaguely ill to say the words.
Everyone froze, all eyes on him like he’d grown a second head.
“Is this what those sci-fi guys mean when they say they felt a disturbance in the force?” Max asked.
Like Max Harper knew anything about Star Wars. He wondered if Sabrina liked Star Wars. She looked more like a Trekkie. He could handle a Trekkie. She also looked like a woman who would like Disney movies.
But that was what Wyatt was there for.
It was odd how the world didn’t seem as dark as it had mere moments before.
“She didn’t abandon you, son,” Mel said quietly, putting an arm on Sawyer’s shoulder. “She died. Your brothers… I don’t think they handled things well, but they grieved, too. We can’t know what’s truly in someone’s heart, but I’ve found most people do things for selfish reasons and not malicious ones. Thoughtless, but not with cruel intent.”
Wes had found a new home, a new world. Jimmy had been gone since he graduated from high school, joining the Army and only coming home for their grandfather’s funeral. He’d left and built a new family for himself.
What if he could do the same? He turned to Mel. “I’m worried Wyatt’s going to do something dumb.”
“This is more words than I’ve ever heard Sawyer say at one time,” Max said with a shake of his head.
He sent Max his middle finger. “You are not helpful, Harper. And I think I might need some. I don’t want Wyatt to leave. He’s happy here, and if he leaves, Sabrina is still going to want someone to watch home and garden shit with her and she’s going to want to talk about the books she’s reading and…I don’t think I’ll be good at that part. I think we need Wyatt.”
“Because you see Wyatt, too. Because you have eyes and he’s in your line of sight,” Henry said with a beatific smile.
“I do not love Wyatt.” Except maybe he did. Maybe this weird loosening in his chest when his friend was around was something like love. “Okay, let’s just say I’m happy to have him around. And I might…might…that word Sabrina. I mean she’s around a lot, and you get real used to someone, and I think they call it that word.”
“Love.” Rafe had a grin on his face like all of this was some unexpected entertainment. “You’re falling in love with Sabrina.”
“You know she’s only been around you for a week or so.” Max pointed out the fallacy in his reasoning. “I don’t think you’ve had time for her to be a habit yet.”
Henry shifted as Poppy’s head came up and she yawned. “Max, he’s working on it.”
“Well, I had to tell Rach I loved her real fast or she was going to kill me with a bunch of flowers.” Max frowned. “I don’t see why Sawyer gets to work around it. It’s not fair.”
He wasn’t listening to Max. But he might listen to the others. “Sheriff, have you looked into the situation with the Horde?”
“You’re asking if I’ve made a study of a potential threat to this town and its citizens?” the sheriff asked. “Pretty much the day after Wyatt got here. Zane and I reached out to some people we know who are still in that world. Wyatt is a solid guy. He would never have been involved if he’d been given a choice. I like the kid.”
And if the sheriff liked someone, he would protect them.
Hell, Nate Wright would protect him even if he didn’t like him.
“He’s in trouble, and I think there are things he’s not telling me.”
“About how he managed to get out?” Wright asked.
Well, no one ever said the sheriff was a dummy. Except Callie a couple of times. And Zane, but they were partners so it was expected. He could totally call Wyatt a dummy and get away with it. Because they were partners. “Yeah. I can’t see Wayne letting him go with nothing more than taking a blowtorch to his chest.”
“What?” Max asked. “They torched his chest? Why would they burn him? Damn, that’s cold.”
“It was hot, and it’s because you can’t wear the tat if you aren’t in the club.” Sawyer held up his left arm showing the black block there. “I got off easy, but I assure you Wayne would require more than mere pain from his brother.”
“Like what?” Henry asked as Poppy settled back onto his lap. She was awake now and looked around the room as though assessing the situation.
Max might be right about Poppy Flanders. “I don’t know.”
“He does,” Wright corrected. “But he doesn’t want to say it. Wayne likely would have made Wyatt do something that would make him vulnerable if he ever talked. He would keep evidence of the crime in case he needed to use it to bring Wyatt back into line. Sawyer, I’m here to help. I’m not looking to arrest Wyatt. He was his brother’s accountant, right?”
Sawyer nodded. “Yeah, it’s why last night happened. Apparently the new guy isn’t as good. I know I didn’t go over this in the statement.”
Wright held up a hand. “I asked about the physical fight. Anything else is outside of the scope of this investigation. And whatever you say here is in confidence. I need to know what we’re up against and how you intend to keep Wyatt safe since we both know he’s going to try to martyr himself if the going gets bad.”
The sheriff had studied Wyatt well. “It’s possible handing over the information stops the threat for now.”
“But not forever,” Rye added. “I’ve dealt with some members of the Horde in my time, too. Something will happen and suspicions will start up, and they’ll look Wyatt’s way. How friendly did you look with Wyatt last night, Nate? They would have been watching.”
The sheriff winced. “Well, I am friendly with him. I like the kid, but I get your point. If it gets back to the Horde he’s hanging with law enforcement, they might get the idea he’s talking. I didn’t even think about it. I took one look at Wyatt and wanted to make him comfortable because he’d obviously had a break, and it was easy to see why. I know the feeling.”
“I think this was about more than accounts,” Sawyer admitted. “I think this was always going to happen. Look, Wyatt’s been cagey with me and I understand why. He thinks if he talks, he opens anyone who knows to his brother’s wrath. I think if it was only me, he might, but not Sabrina. It doesn’t matter how cool she was last night, how competent. He won’t ever expose her. It’s why we told his brother last night we’re lovers.”
Max burst into laughter and then noticed no one else was joining him.
Poppy frowned his way. “Uncle Max is rude.”
“Hey, I wasn’t being homophobic. It’s cool if dudes want to do other dudes,” Max said quickly. “But you have to admit they would look weird together.”
“So body shaming,” Henry added.
He did not need this shit. Any minute Nell would show up with a bullhorn. “I don’t care. I don’t think it’s going to work. Wayne is going to talk to those guys and he’ll start to think about it, and in the end even if Sabrina is nothing more than a friend, she’s an easier target than me. And he knows Wyatt wouldn’t be able to sacrifice her to save himself,” Sawyer explained.
“So we make her a harder target,” the mayor said, sitting up.
“We’re going to take care of Sabrina,” Mel promised. “And you and Wyatt.”
Yep, his chest hurt. He was having a heart attack.
Or feelings, as in more than one. It was weird to have more than one. He wasn’t sure he liked it.
But damn he liked not being alone. It was something he could get used to.