Wild Bliss (Nights in Bliss, Colorado #14)

Chapter Eighteen

“Don’t worry about Wright,” a tinny voice said over the radio Knox had called in on. “The CBI is going to handle everything. They’ll have the suspect back in Colorado Springs before Wright can cause problems. I’ll be happy to send over all the paperwork if they insist. We’re only doing what CBI requested.”

Maybe there was real paperwork and this wasn’t some ploy to get him vulnerable. Maybe he’d fucked up when he’d followed through with the plan to save the man his brother required him to kill. The evidence he’d given Wayne had been good, but it wouldn’t stand up to real forensics.

What if Wayne had his proof double checked? What if he’d done a DNA sample and realized the body he’d brought back hadn’t been Dennis Hill?

Then Wayne would certainly want to have a word. But only after he’d gotten the accounts he’d needed from him. This move was right from Wayne’s playbook.

Wyatt’s heart rate ticked up. “Guys, I didn’t kill Dennis. I need you to check out who the supposed victim is.” Could he trust them? The answer was obviously no, but he also couldn’t not try. “Dennis witnessed my brother killing three members of a rival MC. Wayne ordered me to kill Dennis so he couldn’t ever testify. It was my only way out of the MC. If I killed the witness, I could be free.”

“And you decided his life was worth it so you could get out?” Marshall shot the question back through the cage separating them. He drove down the mountainside with the surety of a man born here.

“I didn’t kill anyone,” Wyatt replied, trying to keep control over his temper. “And I’m trusting you with that knowledge because right now I’m wondering if you aren’t working for my brother.”

Knox turned in his seat. “You asshole. We wouldn’t work for a fucking criminal. We’re the good guys here. Even though no one seems to be able to see it. Bliss isn’t the right place for us. They don’t care about rules. They don’t care about laws.”

“They care about what’s right,” Wyatt argued because he did believe they thought they were the good guys. They thought they were saving a good woman from a bad man. They were wrong, but they believed it which meant there might be room to reason with them. “I know you do, too. You don’t want a bunch of blood on your hands, and that’s what you’re going to get if you turn me over to the CBI without looking into their story.”

“They don’t have a story.” Marshall turned right onto the highway. “They have a warrant.”

“Did you see it? Did you really look at it?” Wyatt asked. “Or did you just trust him?”

“Why wouldn’t I trust a CBI agent?” Knox asked, but there was something in his tone. “Why would a CBI agent lie? And no, I didn’t personally inspect the warrant. I didn’t have to. I do what my superiors tell me to do.”

“Unless they’re Nate Wright.” He had a chance with them. They reached the bottom of the road and Wyatt watched as they passed the bar. It looked so normal. Dusk was rapidly approaching, and the neon sign was on. The parking lot was fairly empty. It was a weeknight so it would be pretty empty. As they drove past the front of the bar, he got a glimpse of motorcycles on the far side of the building. Tucked away close to the trash bins.

Or maybe he hadn’t seen it. Sometimes Gil parked his bike by the bins since taking out the trash was the last thing he did every night.

There had been more than one.

Wyatt forced down his fear. He’d gone by fast. He hadn’t been able to ID any of the bikes. Maybe it had been an optical illusion.

“I have never disobeyed an order from Sheriff Wright,” Knox replied. “Not once, but I knew he would try to… I don’t know. He would try to figure out a way you’re not the bad guy. He doesn’t see things straight when it comes to this town. He believes all the shit people spout.”

“He coddles these citizens.” Marshall made another turn. They were following the river out of town. Two more turns and he would be out of Bliss’s jurisdiction. “He lets them walk all over the rules. He should take this place in hand and things would be better.”

He was sick of listening to them. It was obvious they weren’t going to help him. They would mindlessly do their jobs and think they were good guys for never questioning authority. “Better? In what way? What exactly do you take exception to? The everyone looks after everyone else thing? How kind people are?”

“The naked people,” Knox said with a sigh. “They skirt the law all the time up there. And then there’s Mel. Someone should pick him up and shove his ass in a psych ward.”

“You know Sabrina calls him Dad,” Wyatt pointed out. “Nice way to talk about the woman you like’s father.”

“Yeah, well, she turned out to not be who we thought she was,” Knox admitted. “And this has nothing to do with her. Not really. I thought she was a nice lady, the kind who might want to settle down.”

“She does.” Wyatt didn’t mind twisting the knife in this case. “She wants to settle down with me and Sawyer.”

A nasty chuckle came from Marshall’s throat. “Yeah, and that’s why she’s not who we thought she was. I can’t believe they’re going to let her teach school.”

“You need to stay out of Bliss after this.” Even if he couldn’t be there, Wyatt knew there were plenty of people who would defend Sabrina. Some of them were tiny, but they had some pointy cowboy boots and could kick a shin when they wanted to. And some of them would simply brush these two off like the pests they were. “I assure you the town isn’t going to welcome you back.”

“I already planned to let Sheriff Wright know we won’t be available for extra shifts anymore.” Knox settled but his shoulders were still up around his ears. He wasn’t as sure about the decision as he wanted Wyatt to believe. “We won’t go back there.”

He had one last road he could go down. “No, you won’t because whoever the CBI sent is almost assuredly working for my brother, and he’ll want to ensure he cleans up all the evidence. You’re part of it. You’ll likely meet a nasty accident.”

“More threats?” Marshall asked, staring at him through the rearview mirror.

“More like predicting your future,” Wyatt replied with a long sigh. He sat back as much as he could since his hands were cuffed behind his back. “I know how my brother operates.”

“Probably because it’s how you operate.” Knox seemed to want to say more, but the radio squawked suddenly. Knox picked it up. “This is Miller.”

“Knox, there’s been a change of plans,” the voice said over the radio. “The CBI agent needs to get the suspect to Colorado Springs tonight. They’re meeting you at the old gas station on the edge of Bliss. It’s closed, but it’s a good place to make the transfer.”

“Uh, what about the paperwork?” Knox suddenly didn’t sound as sure.

“Sheriff okay’d it. You know he doesn’t want any of this. Let the CBI deal with it. He doesn’t want beef with Nate Wright. He’s calling him as we speak to try to settle things,” the woman said. “Let me know when the transfer’s been made. Boys, this isn’t your fight. The Bureau wants this guy. It’s best to get him to a facility that can handle him.”

“I don’t have anyone behind me.” This alone should tell them it was a setup. “I left the MC. They won’t save me. Unless you’re worried Sabrina is going to storm the station house.”

“We’re on our way and will call back when the handoff is done,” Knox said and hung up the radio. “I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Think about it.” He was getting desperate. He’d thought he would have time, but they were working around all the paperwork standing between him and his brother. “You know something’s wrong. You have cop instincts. What are they telling you right now? Don’t listen to the whole I have to do what my superiors say. You know damn well there’s a time and a place to rebel. What’s your gut saying?”

“My gut is saying the sooner we turn you over, the quicker we can get on with our lives,” Marshall announced. “Look, it’s right up ahead. What do you think they’re going to do? Shoot us in broad daylight and take you away? I think someone will notice if we don’t make it back.”

They obviously didn’t have vivid imaginations. He could see the CBI agent up ahead. He was parked slightly behind the abandoned building. It would give him some cover. “First of all, it’s not broad daylight. It’s twilight, and it’ll be dark in moments. Second, he’ll almost surely set it up so I’m the one who got hold of one of your guns and killed you as I fled the scene. Then he’ll kill me unless my brother wants a word.”

“You’re paranoid.” Marshall shrugged him off.

“He’s desperate. He knows this is it,” Knox argued as Marshall pulled into the parking lot. The CBI agent motioned for him to pull in further, until the squad car was next to his. And out of sight from the highway. “I’m sorry, Wyatt. You did the crime. You gotta pay for it.”

“Don’t get out,” Wyatt warned. “I am begging you to drive to Creede. Do it there. If we’re in front of the station, he can’t kill you.”

Knox rolled his eyes and opened the car door. “Agent Reese, it’s good to see you again. We’ve got the suspect. He’s been read his rights and is ready for transfer.”

Agent Reese was a tall, thin man. A somewhat familiar man. He wore a suit today, his badge in clear view, but when he came to see Wayne, he was always more casual, always trying to hide his features with sunglasses and a ball cap.

Fuck and fuck. Worst-case scenario.

“He’s on my brother’s payroll.” He had to try. He didn’t like these guys, but he couldn’t watch them die without trying to warn them.

Marshall sighed, a frustrated sound. “Sure he is. Give it up, man. It’s over. You’re not getting out of this.”

Marshall stepped out of the car just in time for Agent Reese to pull a gun and shoot Knox right in the chest. Then he turned and popped two into Marshall’s chest.

Wyatt felt sick.

“Come on, Wyatt.” Another man moved around the squad car. Doug. His brother’s enforcer was here. “You’ve got some explaining to do, son. I’m afraid you’re needed in a meeting of the board.”

So they wouldn’t kill him. Not yet. He would be brought in for what his brother liked to call a trial. Oh, there would be no lawyers or real rules beyond what his brother says goes. There would be no appeals.

The door came open, and Wyatt felt a heavy hand haul him out. “Take the cuffs off him. We’ve got to make it look like he had a gun on him.”

“His prints are on this one.” Agent Reese held up the gun, and Wyatt noted the gloves he wore. “I think you’ll find this is the gun he supposedly used when he murdered Dennis Hill. He gave it to his brother along with a fake body in exchange for his freedom. Guess what, your parole has been revoked, Wyatt. You’ve been a naughty boy.”

It was worse than he’d feared. His brother was here, and he was going to make him pay. He stumbled, trying not to trip over Marshall Lethe’s still body. Both he and Knox had fallen forward. He’d watched as Marshall had put a hand to his chest and gone face first onto the gravel.

“Hey, we need to move,” Doug said. “Wayne wants us back. We’ll make it look like Wyatt took them out and took you captive.”

Agent Reese huffed. “I suppose he’s going to beat the shit out of me.”

“Well, someone is. Gotta make it look good,” Doug vowed as he dragged Wyatt along. “As for you, kid, well, you shouldn’t have fucked with the Horde. I think I’ll put you out for transport. I’m not going to deal with the berserker again.”

Wyatt tried to twist out of his hold but felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

Drugs. Well, it wasn’t like Doug didn’t have access to a wide and varied supply.

The world started to go hazy. The next time he woke up he would be in hell.

* * * *

“What do you mean he didn’t make it?” Sawyer ground the question out. His whole body had threatened to slump at Elisa’s words.

Wyatt couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t. He’d promised Sabrina they would all be okay. He couldn’t let Wyatt be fucking dead.

“I mean Nate was already on the Creede side of Bliss. He made excellent time and Wyatt’s not there, and Marshall and Knox stopped answering their radios a couple of minutes ago.” Elisa’s hand slipped back toward her gun belt as though she wanted to make sure it was still there. “He said the CBI requested they transfer the suspect at an offsite location. He and the Creede sheriff are heading there now.”

“We’ve got big problems.” Henry strode back up, his cell in hand. “I called a contact of mine at the CBI and she says she can’t find a warrant for Wyatt’s arrest. She found a file about Dennis Hill, but it’s a missing persons report, not a homicide case. I gave her the name of the CBI agent the receptionist in Creede gave me, and she says he’s under investigation with the department for possibly mishandling a couple of cases involving…you know who…”

“The Horde.” Sawyer tightened his grip on Sabrina’s hand. “They always have someone working for them.”

Sabrina held on, but it was easy to see she’d switched to calm and collected mode. She wouldn’t cry. Not now. She would save it for later, for when they were alone. For when they knew what the rest of their lives would be like. “Where would they have taken him? Do we think Marshall and Knox are in on it?”

“I would be surprised,” Van said. “I’ve spent some time with them. They’re cool, but they both have big feelings when it comes to rules and laws. They see the world in black and white, if you know what I mean. I would be surprised if they would toss out their whole belief system to get back at one man.”

“One man who took what they wanted,” Sawyer pointed out.

“I don’t think they would risk losing their jobs,” Elisa countered. “I’ve worked with them for months. They live to be cops. They wouldn’t. I’m worried they’ve gotten in the middle of something they don’t understand.”

And it might cost them everything. He had to pray it didn’t cost Wyatt. “We should alert highway patrol. Does the Creede station know what kind of car the CBI agent was driving?”

“I’ve got his name, and Cam is running his plates. We’ll check the traffic and wildlife cams in the area just in case.” Henry sounded smooth and competent. “We’ll know more once Nate gets to the meet spot, but I’m afraid Wyatt will be gone.”

“Not dead.” Sabrina took a long breath. “His brother obviously knows he didn’t kill Dennis Hill. He’ll want that information.”

“You should know I’m having Hill moved. If I found him, they potentially can. Though probably not. I don’t think these guys are working with hackers on the level of ours,” Henry explained. “Still, I can’t risk the Horde finding him and taking out our best resource.”

The Horde wouldn’t merely kill him. They would hide him so no one could ask questions, and then they could control the narrative around Wyatt. He was sure there was some kind of plan in place for the CBI agent to get around the whole authorization issue. Or this was the CBI agent’s way of paying his debt to the Horde and getting out.

So many debts made to a man who hurt so many people. “Do what you need to do, Henry, but hiding Dennis Hill won’t help us find Wyatt. I assume your CBI contact can have someone watching the clubhouse in Colorado Springs?”

“Yes, but I don’t think they’ll risk taking him back there. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive, and there are plenty of cams along the way,” Elisa mused. “They’ll want to question him someplace close by. How far out of town is this meet site?”

“Not far,” Henry replied. “About fifteen minutes north of here. But you can’t go. Let Nate do his job. I wouldn’t want…”

His gaze trailed to Sabrina. Henry wouldn’t want Sabrina to see what could have happened to Wyatt and the deputies. Sawyer didn’t want it either. He glanced around. It was time to make some decisions. “I think it would be best if Elisa takes Sabrina to her place for a while.”

Sabrina’s eyes went wide, and she dropped his hand. “Not on your life.”

“I was thinking more about yours and what Wyatt would do if he was the one standing here. I think he would try to get you somewhere safe.” Sawyer couldn’t stand the thought of fucking up and getting her hurt or killed. But he also hated the thought of choosing for her. Letting some man send her off for her own safety wasn’t exactly who Sabrina was. It wasn’t who he’d fallen in love with. “I owe it to Wyatt, don’t I?”

“You need to figure out what you think is best. Wyatt isn’t here. He’s not the man I’m dealing with, and I don’t want you sitting around wondering what he would do. Yes, he would try to send me away for my own good. It’s the part of him I find least attractive.”

There was a wealth of warning in those words. He needed to answer his woman properly or he would get his ass crated alongside Bella.

What would he do? He would let her choose. “What do you want to do, Teach? I’m worried about being so isolated here. We could move down to the valley and I would feel more comfortable. There are always people moving around the valley. And we would be close to your sister.”

She studied him for a moment and then went on her toes, brushing her lips across his. “That sounds like a reasonable plan. I concur.” She kissed him once more and stared up at him. “Thank you.”

She was a part of the team. She was the best fucking part of the team. He would never sit her on the bench. “None needed. Go and pack a bag. I’ll come in soon and grab Bella’s food and her crate. Henry can give us a ride back down the mountain. I need to call and make sure Lark knows what’s going on.”

He would have her close the bar for the night. And for the immediate future. He wouldn’t give Wayne a shot at his employees, and he was going to spend all his efforts to watch Sabrina and keep her safe. He mentally went through his accounts and felt like he could still pay them. For now.

Sabrina walked into the cabin.

“I think we should wait and escort you down,” Elisa said. “You’ll be safe in her cabin. Which apparently is also your cabin.”

The rental. He’d almost forgotten about it. Her rental cabin was the reason they were here. He was going to have to thank the ghost.

He kind of hoped there wasn’t a ghost.

“My grandfather owned several properties around town and ten cabins around the area,” Sawyer explained. “In addition to the bar. I guess I hadn’t realized how much work it really was until Wyatt took some of it off my shoulders.”

He couldn’t lose Wyatt.

“We’re going to get him back,” Elisa promised. “They won’t kill him. Not until they figure out how to find Dennis Hill.”

“Which they won’t, and then they’ll march back in and start torturing him again.” Henry moved to stand beside Elisa. “I know it sounds bad, but all we can care about now is that he’s alive when we find him. If he’s the man I think he is, he’ll suffer through anything as long as it means getting back home. I should know. I’ve been in this position. I was the one with information someone wanted, and they didn’t care how they got it. Watch Sabrina. They’ll want her. She’s the one who can get him talking.”

“I’m shutting down until we’re safe again.” Every word Henry uttered made Sawyer think he was doing the right thing. He turned to Elisa. “But I’m going to ask you to keep me in the loop. Don’t hide things from us. I want to help. I know these guys.”

Elisa nodded, glancing back where Van and Hale were standing close to Poppy, both men watching the area around them.

She’d obviously trained them well. Elisa ensuring her men knew what to do was one of the reasons they would be safe in the valley. Everyone in the valley looked after each other. He loved his mountain home away from everyone, but it was good to know when he was vulnerable, he could shift down to the valley for a while and still be in a place he called home.

He wasn’t alone. He could depend on these people. If he called Lucy or River or Ty they would come running to help him.

He totally fucking blamed Sabrina because this feeling welling inside of him had to be emotion, and he didn’t have those. Or he didn’t use to. Had it been meeting Sabrina that kicked him into rolling down this hill? Or had Wyatt been the one to start the slow roll to Emotion Town? He huffed because he knew where it had started.

When he hadn’t been able to leave Bella behind. When he’d decided another creature’s needs were slightly more important than his need to stay where he was, to hide in the numbness that had come with losing his grandfather and then his brothers leaving and not coming home. For years after, he’d taken refuge in his reputation, shoving anyone away because all people did was disappoint a man.

And then Bella had stared at him with those big innocent eyes, her tail half wagging like she wanted to think she’d found a good place with him but she couldn’t quite believe it. It might have been the drooping tail wag that sealed his fate because something had opened in him when he’d taken her home.

A door. A door leading him to the future. A tiny crack Wyatt had pushed a little further, and Sabrina had blown the hinges off of.

Sometimes all it took to find your way out of darkness was a single crack of light.

Holy hell, he was never going to admit it to anyone but somehow his inner voice had gone all soft on him.

“We’re going to find him, and I promise it’s not going to take weeks,” Elisa said with a certainty Sawyer didn’t feel. “We’ve got all kinds of protocols in place for such an occasion. Nate’s been worried about Wyatt since the first day he came into town.”

The sheriff, it turned out, wasn’t such an asshole. “He really does worry, doesn’t he? This isn’t some way to investigate him further or anything.”

Henry’s head shook. “It’s not. We care about Wyatt because he’s part of the community, and a pretty decent one from everything I’ve learned about him. And you, Sawyer. I know you’ve got it into your head you’re the outcast of town, but it wasn’t ever true.”

Sawyer could see a lot more about himself now. It was probably the emotional maturity Sabrina had forced upon him. “I was ashamed. I was ashamed of that fucking tat and ashamed that after everything I went through, my brother still turned away from me. It was easier to distance than to face all those people who might see me as a criminal and not a dude trying to save his brother. So I made the decision for everyone. It was easier, I suppose.”

Henry reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “Of course it was, but it wasn’t true. We did not blame you. Your friends let everyone know exactly what was going on. They never abandoned you.”

Even after he’d left them. After he’d rejected their offers of companionship.

“I have good friends.” He was not getting choked up. Not in any way. It was the weather.

“You do, and more of them than you can imagine,” Henry said.

“I’m going to go see if Sabrina needs any help.” Elisa stepped away, giving Sawyer a nod before she turned.

“I think moving spaces is a smart play.” Henry glanced back, ensuring Poppy was still occupied. She was babbling at Bella while Hale and Van had taken up two different places on the porch, opposite ends where they could watch the road on either side. Van looked out to where most traffic came from—the highway. But if one was coming up from the valley there was a road that wound around the mountain and took the car to the other side. Hale watched that road. It was the one they and Henry had come in on.

“I might have to go further,” Sawyer murmured. He didn’t want anyone to hear his concerns and have it get back to Sabrina. “They will come after her. She is the person who can make him talk, and no one bought the lie he’s not into her. I know I’m supposed to let her choose, but she can’t comprehend what they can do to her. In this one case, I have to honor what Wyatt would want. I can’t allow her to sacrifice herself for him. They would do…” He couldn’t say the word, simply let it hang out there like the bomb it was, waiting to go off. “They would make Wyatt watch. It would break his soul.”

“I understand, but I need you to understand Wyatt’s soul isn’t as fragile as you think,” Henry replied. “He was smart enough to figure a way out. He’s survived a lot. He can survive this. And if you and Sabrina need another place to stay, somewhere out of the state, perhaps, well, we have friends who can take you in.”

He kind of hoped they were talking about that big bastard Taggart, who lived in Texas and knew a thing or two about protecting people. Taggart was kind of a sacred role model to Sawyer. He said the shittiest things, and people loved him for it. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I should go and get Bella’s stuff packed up. Let me know if you hear anything.”

“Elisa has her radio,” Van said as Sawyer started up the steps. “Nate will contact her as soon as he knows something. But he would definitely want us to move Sabrina and you to a safer location. You’re too isolated up here if she’s in danger. And good job on not getting your head taken off. For a minute I thought you were going to go all manly and order her to safety. Instead you explained and she agreed. I wish Elisa would take that class.”

“You like her bossy,” Hale said with a shake of his head.

“I do, actually,” Van agreed with a grin and then he sobered. “I’m sorry about Wyatt. He’s a good man. They’ll find him.”

Elisa walked back out. “Did Sabrina come this way? I didn’t see her inside. She pulled out her suitcase, but it’s sitting on the bed.”

Shit. “Henry, Sabrina’s missing. They must have gotten her phone number off Wyatt. He had his cell in his pocket when they took him.” There was only one reason Sabrina wasn’t in the house and Bella wasn’t barking her head off. Bella wouldn’t have allowed anyone close. It had been his mistake to crate her earlier when they were making love to Sabrina. She couldn’t see out the window from her crate. If she had been able to, she would have alerted them to the assholes who’d slashed his tires. Bella was looking up at him as though waiting for something. She wasn’t worried or anxious. “They called her and threatened her and she’s on her way to turn herself in.”

Henry didn’t question him, merely started working the case. “She wouldn’t have come this way, and she’s got to get to a road where they can pick her up. They likely wouldn’t know about the path from the valley, so they’ll have her run down to the highway.”

An awful thought went through Sawyer’s brain.

“Yeah, Nate, I think they might have my sister.” Elisa’s tone was solid, but Sawyer knew she was afraid. They moved around the house until they found the open window. Sabrina had pushed the screen out and jumped. The back door would have squeaked and Bella would have run around trying to figure out who was visiting. Sabrina had been smart and quiet, and he was going to spank her.

Now he stood at the top of the road, and there was no sign of her. He was about to take off when his cell rang. He thought about tossing the thing, but then he noticed the caller’s name on the screen.

Wyatt Kemp.

Sawyer turned, sending Elisa a look he hoped told everyone to be quiet, the bad guys are on the line. He knew she’d understand in two seconds. “Wayne?”

Elisa stopped in her tracks and held a hand out toward Henry, who’d been too far behind to have heard.

A low, nasty chuckle came over the line. “See, I always knew you were smarter than you looked. Are you one of the assholes who helped my brother trick me?”

Henry was on his cell, likely trying to figure out if they could track anything at all about this call. Where were they? He didn’t sound like he was on the road, but then he likely hadn’t gone to capture Sabrina himself.

Sabrina. Fuck. He had to fight to breathe. “Yes, I did. You should tell me where you are so I can turn myself in.”

“Just like that?” Wayne asked, suspicion plain in his voice. “You’re not going to call in those friends of yours?”

Fuck. Wayne thought there was only one way to his place. He thought the road from the bar to his cabin was the only way to get here. He’d likely been watching the road and from what he knew, only the deputies had been up here.

He could use his reputation in this case. “I don’t have friends, Wayne. You know it. I have Wyatt and I have her, and you have both of them. What did you threaten her with?”

He needed to get to wherever Sabrina had gone. Elisa and Henry could figure the rest of it out.

Because he did fucking have friends. He did belong in this weird community. He was the sarcastic bastard who showed up for everyone in the end. Every group needed one. He was it.

“What do you think? I didn’t buy the you and Wyatt thing,” Wayne said over the line. “I know my brother, and he’s into women. So now I have his woman, but I’m thinking taking you in might save me some trouble. We can fix all of this, you know.”

Oh, he knew how Wayne would fix it. Wayne would fix it by killing them all.

“I think that’s an excellent idea. Where do you want me?” Sawyer asked.

“Come down the road with your hands up. If my men see even a hint of a weapon, you’ll be the first one to die,” Wayne said.

And Sawyer heard it. There was music playing in the background. Guns N’ Roses. He’d had to put it in the jukebox for Taggart, and it had the slightest scratchiness to the sound since he had an old-school juke.

They were at Hell on Wheels.

His stomach churned. Lark and Sid were there. Gil would be there. He prayed they were okay.

“I’m on my way.”

“Dump the cell, Sawyer,” Wayne warned. “Wouldn’t want people able to track you.”

Sawyer hung up. They would almost certainly move, but for now Sawyer felt like they had the advantage again. He turned to Elisa and Henry. “They’re at Hell on Wheels.”

Henry nodded. “I’ll let Nate know, and Elisa and I will follow.”

Elisa pulled a gun from her utility belt. “Take this, Henry.”

Henry’s head shook, his hands coming up. “Oh, no. Nell and I have an ironclad agreement. I’m supposed to try to kill in an earth-friendly fashion. I’ll use my hands. I’m good with them.”

He kind of wished Henry would take the gun, but he’d heard stories. “I’m going to join them. If they’re smart enough to watch the cameras, there’s one out in the back. I haven’t fixed it yet. It’s near the bins. You crouch low enough and you can access the back door. It’s almost never locked. Gil smokes too much. Hopefully my staff figured out what was going on and got into the office. It’s like a safe room. I’ll give Elisa the code.”

“Uh, have we forgotten the kiddo?” Van asked. “Maybe I should go in Henry’s place.”

Because the thought of being murdered by MC riders was apparently nicer than being left to take care of Poppy Flanders.

“Let her watch TV,” Henry said, starting for the side of the road. “She never gets to and she’s fascinated. And no sugar. I’m serious, guys. She turns into a monster. Good luck.”

Henry stepped back, and Sawyer would have sworn the man disappeared into the foliage. Elisa followed him but he could still get a hint of her.

He tossed his cell and jogged down the road.

It was time to save his family.