Page 18 of Wilde's End
He can make it into a joke all he likes; Rooney’s never understood our need for secrecy, and I’m not about to break it down for him. He came to Wilde’s End with a past, like the rest of us, so I’m doing this as much for him as the others.
Sure, we could give up Old End to these guys and steer clear, but it won’t stop here. It never does. They’ll destroy the town before moving on to the areas around it. There’s only one reason they’d be gutting the houses, and that’s to give them a revamp. And the only reason to dothatis money. Which tells me that they’re planning to modernize and sell.
Then who knows how many people we’ll be dealing with?
We need to cut it off while there are still only three of them.
I follow the road out of Old End until we reach a point about ahalf mile away. Then I pull to the side, cut the engine, and turn to the others.
“They’re normally gone for a few hours, but I’ve never seen them all leave before. We should work fast. Just in case.”
“Too easy.” Rooney climbs out and follows me around to the back of the truck. Booker is just behind us, and while most people underestimate him because of his sweet face and chubby frame, I know he’s one of the strongest men in town. Like he’s proving that point, he hoists a huge rock onto both of his shoulders before carrying them easily to the front of the car, where he sets them on the road.
“Does here work?”
“That’s perfect,” I tell him.
We’re far enough from Old End that walking from here would be annoying, but bringing in supplies would be near impossible. I need these brothers to work out that we’re not playing. Once they leave, I’ll be able to go back to my quiet life again.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
HUDSON
Islam my foot on the brake, bringing the car to a sudden and dramatic stop that throws the three of us into our tightening seat belts.
“Jesus, Hudson,” Hart snaps from behind me, but he stops there, and I assume he’s seen what I’ve already spotted.
The road back into town has been completely blocked off.
I focus on the wall that looks made up of rocks and tree trunks, stretching from the trees on one side of the single-lane road to the other, unable to work out where the fuck it came from. It has to be at least chest height too, which makes the whole thing even more unbelievable.
“Uh … who’s that?” Kennedy asks, and I follow where he’s pointing to the faded red pickup truck parked behind the roadblock. There are two men sitting in the cab, and leaning against the hood is Wilde.
“That motherfucker.” I thump the wheel before throwing thecar in park and shoving out the door. I’m trying to stamp my anger down, because I don’t want this asshole knowing he’s gotten to me, but it’s not an easy thing to do when it feels like my brain is boiling.
“Hudson!” Kennedy calls after me, but I ignore him.
I wait until I’m close enough to the wall to speak with forced nonchalance. “So, this is new.” As calm as I’m trying to be, an edge still creeps into my voice.
Wilde straightens, and it reminds me of how he did it last night. He’s not that much taller than me, but he has this intimidating presence that radiates from his every movement. He’s solid muscle and broad shoulders, with a beard that almost completely hides his face and curls that cover his forehead. His intense stare watches me from between both. “That’s the wilderness for you. Unpredictable. Things change with no warning.”
“Yes.” I gesture to the wall. “And who could have predicted this?”
“Complete anomaly.”
“How the fuck are we supposed to get through?”
Wilde shrugs like he’s unconcerned. “Guess that’s your sign to pack it up, city boy. If you can’t handle this, you can’t handle Wilde’s End.”
I force a smirk that even I can tell is strained. Irritation is rattling at my bones, but I refuse to let him win. “Never said I couldn’t handle it.”
Something behind his forced friendly gaze snaps. “Don’t test me.”
Him dropping the act only gives me more confidence. It’s rare that I’m not the one to break first. “Why not? I’ve always loved a good challenge.” I lean in closer and grip the top of his fucked-up wall. “Looks like fun. Nothing else I’d rather spend my day on.”
“You’ve caught me in a nice mood,” he bites back, sounding distinctlynotnice. “But that won’t last.”
