Page 80 of Love in the Wild

Thea pleaded from behind Brett, “Linc–”

Her life was clearly in danger, but she was asking Brett’s friend to protect Emerson. The guy, Linc, had already moved in front of Emerson. Bruce’s shoulders drew in, and his face bloomed a deep shade of red.

Emerson pushed around Linc, who stuck out his arm, trying to keep her behind him. “What are you talking about? I’m your daughter. I’m a Howard.”

Bruce let out a sinister laugh. “Not enough of one.”

“Let Thea and Emerson go,” Brett said. “They didn’t do any of this.”

Bruce let out a high-pitched whistle and turned to Gage with a sinister grin. “I have backup, and you’re out of time.”

Gage pointed his gun at Bruce, but his blood ran cold.

I’ll call him. The words Gage had overheard Tommy say while listening in on their conversation earlier. They hadn’t called Brett. They’d called for backup.

Making a grand entrance, Gage’s younger brother, Max, stepped into the doorway wielding a shotgun as if it were a child’s toy. His sadistic smile had Gage’s stomach rolling in his middle.

He hadn’t seen Max in years, and from the familiar wildness in his eyes, his mental state was as volatile as ever.

Max leveled the shotgun at Gage. “Hey, bro.”

Gage locked his attention on his younger brother. Max’s moods flipped like a light switch, and he could easily take out the whole room with one squeeze of the trigger. “What are you doing here?”

Max grinned. His teeth were more rotted and twisted than the last time Gage saw him. “Good behavior.”

Gage pointed his gun at Max, ready to act on a moment’s notice. Max wouldn’t give much of a heads-up before launching into a killing spree.

Max pouted. “You’d kill your own brother?”

“No,” Gage answered surely, “I’m not like you.”

“Where is Tommy?” Bruce asked.

Linc kept his focus on Max. “He’s outside. He’ll need a Band-aid when you get a chance.”

Max turned to Linc as if he’d just discovered a new toy. He slowly swung the barrel of the shotgun around the room, looking all too excited at the prospect of a new victim.

Brett dove for Max’s back and wrapped an arm around his neck. Bruce attacked Brett, punching and swinging furiously. Max fought back with wild and desperate punches.

Max dropped the shotgun, and Gage lunged for it. A whisper of sirens drifted over the shouts in the room as he handed the shotgun to Emerson.

Linc joined the fight, wrapping Bruce’s stout body from behind enough to body slam the older man to the ground.

Brett wrestled Max to the ground, pinning him as best he could with arms flailing. “Gage, put the gun down before the police get in here.”

Unwilling to let go of his lifeline just yet, Gage listened past the clamor in the room. The sirens had stopped, and a loud bang boomed in the air from somewhere outside.

Gage put the gun on the floor at his feet, and Emerson did the same. He fought past Max’s flailing arms to help Brett pin him down.

Seconds later, a herd of SWAT officers dressed in black appeared in the broken doorway with guns raised. “Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!”

One officer held a weapon pointed at Brett and Gage as they struggled to hold Max down. “Now!”

Gage let go and backed away slowly. Brett pulled back, resting onto his knees, and Max immediately lunged for one of the SWAT officers with his hands, reaching for the guy’s throat.

The officer fired, sending Max flying back to the ground. Thea and Emerson screamed, adding a level of fear to the already tense room.

Two officers quickly pinned Max as they shouted orders to the others.

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