Page 194 of Five Mountain Daddies

“I don’t know. Go back to work, go on with mylife.”

I nod and let her hand drop. I was just thinking the samething.

But that means I’d go back to the city, go back to my old job and old life and leave her here alone. She won’t be in danger anymore, but that’s not the only thing I’m concernedabout.

The truth is, I don’t want to leave Mason anymore. Really, I don’t want to leave her. I feel like whatever’s happening between us is just starting, and I need to find out where it’sgoing.

I can feel something inside of me starting to click into place. I didn’t know I was missing something, but now that I’m with Cora, it’s so obvious. I’ve been spending my life sleeping around, fucking whatever attractive woman is in front of me that night, but I was just going through the motions. It was the same thing, night after night, and although the girls were all different, the feelings were the same. It was just lust, empty and simple andworthless.

This last week though, I’ve learned a lot about myself. I think I’ve grown more than I could have guessed, and a lot of that’s all thanks to Cora. She’s been slowly showing me how to be a better man, a little bit at atime.

She’s strong, beautiful, smart, and I’d be stupid to walk away fromthat.

So I want to catch Jaxson and Kristi, but I also don’t, because I don’t want this toend.

“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go getready.”

She grins at me. “I was bornready.”

I roll my eyes. “You’d make such a gooddetective.”

We wait for Mitch to come back out before we leave, the address tucked into my pocket, a promise from Mitch to hold off for at least a day before they raid the place. I’m nervous, and I know I’m going about this all wrong, but we have to see itthrough.

24

Cora

We sit in Wyatt’s car for a few minutes, just idling and staring at the long dirt road. We haven’t said much in a little while, and I can feel my nerves building. Wyatt doesn’t look nervous at all, and keeps drumming on the steering wheel to the beat of whatever song’s playing on theradio.

Finally, I can’t stand it anymore. “What are we waitingfor?”

“Nothing,” he admits. “I just wanted to make sure you were ready to dothis.”

“I’m ready,” Isay.

“Are you sure?” He looks at me, head cocked. “This might getdangerous.”

“I know that. But I’ve come thisfar.”

He sighs and leans toward me. “I don’t want to risk you. But I won’t say you can’tcome.”

“I’m ready,” I repeat, and that seems to satisfy him. He kills the engine, reaches across me, opens the glovebox, and pulls out a gun. He checks to make sure it’s loaded before we climb out and he slips the gun into hiswaistband.

I don’t say anything as we start walking. We step off the dirt road and cut through the woods, trying to step lightly over fallen leaves and twigs. I stay close to Wyatt. I’m scared as hell, and his gun isn’t making me feel any better, but I won’t run away fromthis.

We move through the woods, and up ahead, I can just start to spot a small house. As we get closer, I realize that it’s basically just a trailer that’s been bolted into the ground, which can’t be a good idea. The thing’s falling apart, the roof is covered in moss, and the walls are all a dirty off-white muddycolor.

But there’s a light on inside. Wyatt stops and crouches, dragging me down next to him. “This is it,” he says. “Last chance to turnback.”

“Let’s go,” Isay.

He nods. “Okay. Follow mylead.”

We start moving across the open space, over toward the trailer. We get to the side and pause, listening. There’s a TV on inside and voices talking low. We move up to the front and Wyatt pulls the gun from his jeans, holding it ready in front ofhim.

Slowly, agonizingly, he opens the screen door. It doesn’t make a sound. I hold it open for him as he goes around and suddenly kicks open the front door in a burst ofaction.

I follow him inside. The trailer itself is a goddamn mess. There’s trash all over the place, and it smells like moldy bread. I have to step over a little pile of needles as I move up thesteps.

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