Page 19 of Whiskey Run Heroes

He’s not disagreeing, just making sure he’s got the facts. I can’t fault him for that. “That’s right.”

He walks toward the door. “You got it.”

I want to go in and see her one more time before I leave, but I don’t. I’ll never get over seeing her in my bed. I’m hoping that it won’t take much to convince her that this is where she belongs from here on out. I have this one thing I need to take care of, and I plan on making it happen.

I follow John into the house and lock the door. Once he’s settled on the couch, I walk out the garage to my SUV, setting the alarm behind me.

The drive to the warehouse is quick, but all I can think about is Brook the whole way there.

Everyone is still here. I guess this case is a little out of the ordinary. We’ve never had to bring suspects here. Plus this is important to all of us.

“They’re in the back lot at the trailer,” Bear tells me, falling into step beside me.

I look at Dylan. “Did you get everything I need?”

He nods and hands me a file. “Enough to put all three away for at least fifty years.”

I flip through it quickly and hand it back to him. “Good. Call Sheriff Cooper. Keep him out here until I call for you.”

I start walking again, my fists already forming. I’ve sworn to do things by the book. We get away with a lot of stuff, but we always try to be on the up and up. This is the first time I want to throw all my rules away and decapitate someone. I get to the door when I realize that Bear is beside me. “I got this,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “No offense, boss, but I’m pretty sure this is personal for you.”

I scoff. “It’s personal for all of us, Bear. Are you telling me it isn’t?”

The corner of his lip raises, and it’s probably the closest I’ve ever seen him to a smile. “It is, but it’s different for you. You looklike you might kill someone if you go in there.” He gestures to the door in front of us.

He’s not wrong. I can already feel the rage inside me wanting to come out. “So what are you going to do? Stop me?”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m going to let you go in there, get some revenge for what they did to Brooklyn, and then I’m going to stop you... so you can go back home to Brooklyn tonight.”

I put my hand on the door and close my eyes. Bear’s right. I know he is. “Fine.”

Bear nods and follows me in. I take in the three men sitting stoically on folding chairs. They don’t look worried, not even afraid really. They don’t realize what they’ve done or who they’ve messed with. I’m going to show them, then make them regret the day they ever met Brooklyn and me. They’ll never think of her again, not without feeling the pain that I’m about to inflict on them.

Then I’m going home to my woman.

11

BROOK

“He left?” I ask for the tenth time, shaking my head.

John nods from his corner of the couch. “Yep, we got the guys, Brooky. They’re at the warehouse.”

I pop up. “Well, let’s go.”

He shakes his head. “No can do. I have orders from Walker. No one in, no one out.”

I point to the floor. “You mean here?”

He just nods. I swear it’s like herding cats to get information from him. I’m beginning to wonder if all the ink he has on his skin is going to his brain. “So he said I can’t leave here.”

He nods again.

I sit back on the couch. I woke up to a note on the nightstand that saidHad to go, will be back soon. Stay in bed. That was it.

When I found John, also known as Knuckles, out here in the living room, I put on my jeans from last night. I wasn’t ready to take off Walker’s shirt, so after putting on a bra, I knotted his shirt at my waist. Now here we are.

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