Page 113 of Wild Bliss

So his brother intended to spend some quality time with him,likely in one of the Horde’s many safe houses. He would be too smart to takehim to the club house. Sabrina and Sawyer would look for him starting there.

“They took my cuffs off.” He wasn’t sure why he pointed outsomething Henry could easily see himself.

“Yes, they likely left them behind at the scene of thecrime,” Henry said grimly as he moved to the door of the large closet. It wasat the back of the building across from the office where he prayed everyone hadgone and locked themselves in. The door was secure, and when they felt like itwas safe, they could find the hidden ladder leading to the roof.

Sawyer’s grandfather had told Sawyer he liked sitting on theroof and watching the stars, but Wyatt thought the old guy also liked to have away out.

He hoped Lark and Sid and Gil had taken it.

It was supposed to be a slow night, a night where they couldlikely close shop early.

He’d fucked it up for everyone.

“I guess the deputies are dead.” Despite the fact theyhadn’t liked him or listened to him, he felt guilt at the thought of theirmurders. They’d tried to do the right thing. They just hadn’t understood howhis brother’s world worked and that right meant shit here.

Henry eased open the door, stealing a peek outside. “Noidea. Nate hadn’t gotten to the scene before my cell dropped out. I thinkthey’ve got a jammer somewhere. It’s not a great one. Not much range, but it’lldo the job in here.”

He wasn’t worried about his cell. “They shot the deputies,so I don’t hold much hope. Why are you here, Henry?”

“Because I was the closest one, and I couldn’t let Elisa goin without backup. Van offered but he’s not much of a… How do I politely saythe dude would get killed? Because he would. I’m honestly a little worriedabout Elisa, but at least she’s got training. I told her not to fire unless sheabsolutely has to. I’d rather get all the hostages out before the gunfirestarts.”

“No gunfire,” Wyatt said, struggling to his feet. “Henry,you have to let me distract my brother. While he’s paying attention to me, youcan get the staff out.”

Henry stepped back into the shadows, his eyes on the tinyslit where the door wasn’t quite closed. “I’m not worried about the staff. Andyou know the term is torture. Not attention. But I believe you, Wyatt. Ibelieve you would do whatever it takes to save a couple of people you haven’tknown for very long. I’m an excellent judge of character, and I’ve always knownyou’re a good guy.”

He wasn’t so sure, but Henry was right about one thing. Hewasn’t leaving the staff to pay for his mistakes. Sawyer had them trained. Theywould have gotten to the office and locked themselves in. And that meant Elisawas going to…what? Knock? “The staff would go to the office and put it inlockdown. Elisa can’t get in.”

“She’s already in,” Henry replied. “Sawyer gave her the codebefore we came down the mountain to save you and Sabrina. Elisa’s going to waituntil she can get them up on the roof and maybe out of here. Van should havecalled Nate by now and warned him about where we are. It won’t take long forNate to figure out they’ve got jammers and hostages. I’d like to hand over asmany to Nate as I can before this thing goes down. I overheard this assholeconfirming someone from the MC will be here with a suitably large vehicle theycan transport you across the state in. It better be big. Not that we’re goingto allow them to take you.”

There was something about what Henry said that caughtWyatt’s attention, but then a spike of pain went through his brain. “Is thatwhat we’re waiting for? A driver? And how about you do a guy a solid and yougive me your gun and then get the hell out of here. You’re a dad. This isdangerous.”

“So is fatherhood, and I don’t have a gun, son.” He held hishands up. “I promised my wife if I had to kill anyone else, I would use myhands. A knife is acceptable if I can’t do the deed in the neatest waypossible. But if she asks, you remember me talking to him and asking him if hewants to reconsider his life choices. I offered him help, right?”

Nell was a woman of mysterious ways. In this he wouldabsolutely back up Henry. “I don’t think he would have been swayed… He wasn’tswayed by your logical and kind arguments as to why he should give up his lifeof crime. But a gun really would help.”

A rowdy shout went through the bar, and he wondered if theentire Horde was here. It slightly shook the floors. They were happy aboutsomething. Most likely his upcoming torture.

“Sorry,” Henry offered. “But I promise we’re going to getyou out of this. Nate won’t let them get away. Unlike your brother, Nate knowsall the roads. There won’t be anywhere to go. Gosh. I should have texted Vanabout the babysitting rules. I worry she’s going to get hungry and Van willgive her a ham sandwich, and then she’s almost certainly going to break hermother’s heart and become a rabid carnivore. What was I thinking?”

Henry was questioning his parenting choices, but Wyatt wouldrather know why he’d come into a den of vipers without so much as a gun. Andhe’d managed to take out the man who’d earned the nickname Brutus. Bru was anasty piece of work. “Are you sure he’s dead? And how exactly do you kill a manquietly with your bare hands? I would think a fight like that would attractattention even though they’ve got the music too loud.”

In Wyatt’s experience, fighting was a loud thing. It wassomething that took time and spent blood, and he didn’t see a drop of Brutus’son the floor or on Henry.

Henry turned to him, a serious expression on his face. “Iknow you think I’m a mild-mannered dad, but I haven’t always been. The CIAoperative is still in here, though he’s happily controlled through love andsex. John Bishop gets to come out to play when things go wrong. You assume heeven knew I was here before I got my hands on his head, twisted in the exactright way, and internally decapitated him. He didn’t have a chance to scream orfight or even pray to whatever god he worships. He threatened my town, and Itook him out. I do not need a gun, Wyatt, and you don’t have to worry about me.I assure you I’ve seen and dealt more death than you can imagine.”

Okay, Henry was scary as shit when he wanted to be. He wasglad he wasn’t Van because he probably would give that kid a ham sandwich.

But something Henry had said finally sank in. “What do youmean save Sabrina? Sabrina’s already safe. Sawyer would have made sure of it.Why would someone need to save Sabrina?”

Henry sighed. “Because when she went in to gather herthings, apparently she got a call or a text from your brother and it scared herenough she took off without asking Sawyer’s opinion. The good news? Yourbrother has no idea Elisa and I were even there, so we’ve got the element ofsurprise on our side.”

Panic threatened to overtake him. The only fucking reasonhe’d been calm at all had been the fact that he knew Sabrina and Sawyer weresafe. If Sabrina was here… “Tell me he stayed behind. Tell me he’s waiting forNate.”

Henry stepped over the mop bucket. “Of course he didn’t.Wayne asked him to turn himself in and he did. He’s out there watching overSabrina and waiting for us to make a move.”

A move? A move could cost Sabrina her life. It could costher everything, and it would be all Wyatt’s fault.

“Hey, calm down.” Henry’s tone was low and soothing,sounding more like the man who normally wore Birkenstocks and sold his zucchinibread at the weekend market in town. “They are fine right now, and we’re goingto ensure they stay fine. Sabrina came because she couldn’t stand the thoughtof being the reason you died. Sawyer came because he loves you both, thoughhe’ll never say it. So let him believe he came down and offered to sacrificehimself because he thought it was rude he would get left out of the torture.The point is, they need you calm and rational.”

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