Page 19 of Love in the Wild

Emerson: That Patton is still with Thea. If you don’t tell Dad, I will.

Emerson woke up and chose violence most mornings, and reining her in was taking too much time. Most days, Gage flipped back and forth between letting her dig her own grave and talking her off the ledge.

Today, he wished he could tape her mouth shut until Thea got out of Blackwater.

Gage: Don’t say a word.

He started the truck as another message came in.

Bruce: Be at the shop in fifteen.

Gage tossed his phone in the passenger seat and gripped the steering wheel. He set his jaw and focused on breathing through the frustration building in his chest.

Bruce might act like he ran the show, but the men they dealt with only did business with the Howards because of their ties to Gage. Bruce was just the one who got the messages. Half the men who purchased Howard moonshine trusted Gage and knew Bruce didn’t have two brain cells to rub together.

Gage texted Mr. Benson that he wouldn’t be working this afternoon and set a path for the garage. If Bruce didn’t drop the ball all the time, Gage could actually hold down a full-time job or at least manage the two side-jobs he had. His life was a series of putting out Bruce’s fires.

Doing Bruce’s bidding was a necessary evil. Gage would play his uncle’s game until he could find a way out without putting a target on his or Thea’s backs.

He had to get Thea out of here again.

Gage grabbed his phone from the seat beside him and pressed the number he’d saved for Brett. It was listed under a series of numbers and letters that didn’t mean anything.

Brett answered on the second ring. “Hello.”

“What’s the update?”

“She’s fine. Discharged this morning.”

That was news Gage could have used sooner. He’d been slightly appeased to let Brett stay with Thea as long as he knew she was under a doctor’s care and there were witnesses around. “Where is she now?”

“She’s safe. I’ll keep her protected until she’s able to go back home.”

Home. Thea’s home was in Alabama now. Halfway across the country. He liked it better knowing there were hundreds of miles between his sister and the rest of their family.

“Where is she?” Gage asked again.

“Safe. I promise. I’d never let anyone hurt her.”

Gage twisted his grip on the wheel, wishing it was Brett’s neck. “This wasn’t part of the deal.”

“Thea doesn’t want you to know where she is. She says it’s better if you have no idea. You’re too close to them.”

“For good reason,” Gage added. “I’m trying to help her too.”

“She knows that. I think.”

“I’m her brother.”

“Trust me, her safety is just as important to me. Put your teeth away, big dog.”

It sucked being at the mercy of someone else. Relying on a Patton was about the worst thing Gage could imagine.

“Who else knows where she is?” Gage asked.

“Just me and one other friend.”

“Who is it?”

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