Page 93 of A Taste of Whiskey
Ezra closed the distance between them, seething through gritted teeth, “Where’s my son?”
“Why are you acting like a crazy person?” Tina asked, glassy-eyed. “I put him to bed downstairs.”
“You’re a fucking mess, and this shit is done. You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
“Ezra!” Sasha ran toward another set of stairs at the other end of the living room, where more Dark Knights, including Pep, were heading. Into the phone, she said, “We’re coming, Gus. We’ll be right there.”
The staircase led to another wing of bedrooms and dens. They threw open each door, interrupting a naked couple in one who cursed them out. Ezra twisted another doorknob, and it was locked. Blinded by fury, he kicked it in. “Gus?”
Gus peered out from the closet, tears spilling down his cheeks. “Dad!” He ran into Ezra’s arms.
Ezra held him tight, struggling against his own tears. “I’ve got you, buddy. You’re safe.”
Sasha rubbed Gus’s back, tears raining down her cheeks.
“We’ve got him. He’s safe. Let’s get him home.”
Cowboy and Doc walked ahead of the three of them, and Tiny and Pep took up the rear as Ezra carried Gus out of the house and put him in the truck. He put him in his booster seat and took his little face between his hands, his heart breaking for the trauma his boy suffered. “I love you, Gus. You’ll never go through anything like that again.”
“I did emergency right?” Gus asked.
“Yes, buddy. You did it perfectly.” He hugged him and kissed his forehead before buckling him in.
“I’m going to sit with Gus.” Sasha climbed in beside Gus in the back seat and reached for Gus’s hand.
As Ezra closed the door, Doc said, “I’ll check him out at your place if you’d like.”
Touched that Doc was there and willing to help after everything that had happened between them, he said, “Thanks, man. That would be great.” He looked at his father standing back with the other guys and nodded in acknowledgment of his being there. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why his father wasn’t running over to give his grandson a hug.
“The cops are on their way,” Tiny said. “I’ll leave a few men here to deal with them, and the boys and I are going to follow you back in case your ex sends anyone looking for trouble tonight.”
Ezra’s head was spinning with anger, relief, and guilt. “Thank you.”
HYDE AND TAZ hung back to guard the entrance of the ranch, though Ezra wasn’t worried about Tina retaliating, and the rest of the guys followed Ezra home. Wynnie was waiting for them when they got to his place. The worry in her eyes was as palpable as it was in Ezra’s heart. “Thanks for being here.”
“I needed to see that he was okay with my own eyes.” Wynnie brushed her hand over Gus’s back. “We love you, sweet boy.”
“Love you, Wynnie,” Gus said sleepily from Ezra’s arms.
“Doc’s going to check you out, buddy, okay?” Ezra said, and Gus nodded. On the drive there, Gus told them his mother had put him to bed and he’d woken up scared and had gone looking for her. But there were so many people, he’d gone back to the bedroom and had called Ezra. Ezra was fairly certain nobody had gone near him, but it wouldn’t hurt to have him checked out.
As they headed inside with Doc, Gus said, “Sugar.”
“I’m right here, Gusto.” Sasha followed them inside.
Doc gave Gus a once-over. “He’s in good shape.”
At least physically he was. Ezra knew the trauma of the night and what was yet to come were going to take an emotional toll, but he was ready for it. “Thanks for checking him out.”
After Doc left, Sasha kissed Gus good night and whispered, “I love you, Gusto. You’re safe with Daddy.” She looked at Ezra. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me.”
Ezra lay with Gus, listening to the even cadence of his breathing as he fell asleep, thinking about all that had happened. When he’d seen Sasha’s family and the other Dark Knights swarming the house, searching for his son, it all hit home. His family, the brotherhood, the Whiskeys. They were everything to him, and he was lying to every one of them. He couldn’t play this game anymore, telling himself he wasn’t hurting anyone, when he knew damn well it was a lie.
This farce needed to stop before anything worse happened.
He flicked on the holiday lights he and Sasha had hung around Gus’s window and prayed for the best as he climbed out of his son’s bed and headed into the living room.
Sasha pushed to her feet from the couch. “Is he okay?”
