Page 120 of Wild Bliss

“Wyatt, cover her,” he yelled as he kicked back in thechair, pulling his hands apart and hitting the guy straight behind him. Itcaused him to stumble to the side which turned out to be a good thing since henarrowly avoided the bullet flying by him. He felt a slight burning sensationbut no blinding pain.

Wayne was done playing. Sawyer heard another bottle slamagainst the far wall and someone screamed. The lights went out. Henry and Elisahad apparently been making plans. The darkness gave him some cover, though hecould hear the bullets starting to fly.

Two walls were clearly on fire now, and Sawyer rolled to hisright, getting under the table he’d sat at with Sabrina. He needed to figureout where Wyatt had her. He would do whatever it took to get Sabrina out. Bluelights suddenly made a ghostly appearance through the smoke.

Nate. Nate was here, and now all they had to do was get thefuck out with their lives and this would be over.

“You should probably try to get out the back,” Sawyer yelledat Wayne over the chaos. The front door had already been thrown open as severalof the bikers and the women they’d brought with them started to run. Sureenough, a couple took off for the back.

The bullets were flying all around them.

Sabrina was out there. She could get hit. Damn, now that hewas here, fear took over. Not for himself. He was terrified he could lose heror Wyatt.

Then Sawyer felt the chill of metal at the back of his head.

“You get up real slow now,” Wayne warned. “Otherwise I mightaccidently blow your fucking head off. I need a hostage if I’m going to get outof here, and the little lady has left the building.”

A wild sense of relief swept through him. Sabrina was safe.He wasn’t, but it didn’t matter. The people he loved were safe, and that waseverything. The rest, well, he would trust Nate and Elisa and Henry to get himout of the current shitty situation he found himself in. The heat was startingto pulse through the bar like a dragon breathing fire. Smoke rolled in,threatening to choke him.

He got to his feet, hands held up.

“Damn, I don’t know how you’re still moving, but you startto make for the exit and know if I see anyone coming, I’ll kill ’em if youdon’t get them to back down,” Wayne explained, his voice shaky.

He wasn’t sure why he shouldn’t be moving, but it wassuddenly harder than it had been a moment before. His chest ached but he didn’ttouch it since he had his hands in the air trying to show Wayne he wasn’t athreat.

“Move it, asshole,” Wayne said. “You should know when I getout of this, I’m going to find your bitch and I’m going to show her what a realman is like. I’m going to…”

A loudthunkended whatever Wayne had been planningto say, and Sawyer spun around, his head getting light. Wayne slumped to thefloor and there was Sabrina. His Teach was standing there with the fireextinguisher in her hands.

Wyatt ran in. “Sabrina. Damn it, I told you…” He looked atSawyer. “Oh, no. Sawyer…”

They were okay, so now he could deal with the bullet he’dtaken straight to his chest. Yep. It had been adrenaline that kept him upright,and now he slumped down, vision beginning to recede.

Wyatt caught him and he heard shouting, saw Sabrina’sdesperate eyes. She looked really pretty in the firelight.

It was a good way to die.

* * * *

Sabrina stood as Wyatt entered with two cups of coffee inhis hands. The waiting room of the small hospital in Del Norte was packed withBliss citizens. Henry’s wife, Nell, had joined them, bringing muffins and someincense she claimed would calm them all down, but the hospital had said no.Which earned them a slot on Nell’s protest schedule.

Elisa and Van and Hale were sitting close. Elisa had acouple of scrapes but had already been cleared by the EMT who’d come to the barwith Nate. He’d ridden in with the Creede department at his back, and they’dmanaged to take down everyone that Henry and Elisa hadn’t.

Including Wyatt’s brother, who was now in custody and likelydealing with a hell of a headache.

“Here you go,” Wyatt said, passing her one of the cups.

“Any word?” She knew she’d asked the question a hundredtimes, but she couldn’t quite stop herself.

“On Sawyer, no.” Wyatt slumped down beside her. “On thosedipshits who started this clusterfuck, yes. I met Sawyer’s friend Ty down inthe cafeteria. He was on call when they found Marshall and Knox. Who luckilyhad both worn vests because they were worried I would kill them if I had achance. So they’re alive. Nate fired them, though. Said he wouldn’t be able totrust them again.”

She knew she wouldn’t. “I’m still glad they’re alive. Theycan testify against the CBI agent. He lived, I suppose.”

She didn’t care if he died.

“They only wounded him,” Henry said. He sat across fromthem, Poppy laid out on her father’s chest sleeping away. “From what I heard,he was extremely surprised when he called in your escape and the sheriff fromCreede arrested his ass.” He winced. “Sorry, baby. They arrested him.”

Nell sighed and leaned against him. “I don’t think she’slistening.” She gave him a smile and her hand went to her belly. “But this onemight be.”

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