Page 107 of Brooke's Bliss
It was like he was watching a nature documentary.Henry wasthe lion stalking the gazelle who should have been way more careful.Bay felthis breath hitch as Henry easily moved in behind the man before he could reachthe part of the yard where the guards would see him.One swift move and theman’s body crumpled to the ground.
“You see, Henry likes to do this thing where he internallydecapitates a son of a bitch.It’s quiet and neat and why I no longer have anydesire to see a chiropractor.”Max jumped down with far more grace than he’dgotten on.“I was going to try to send you back to get Nate, but I thinkHenry’s got this.We should go and check on the people in the barn.Figure outexactly where everyone is.”
Max had an enormous amount of faith in Henry.
Max reached inside his truck and came back with a shotgun.
In the distance, Henry already had the dead man’s pistol andwas moving around the house, away from the porch.He moved toward the backwhere there were windows and a way to get into the basement.From there hecould carefully move through the rest of the building.
He looked like he knew what he was doing.
Bay needed to see them, needed to know they were stillalive.
“I’m going to turn myself in,” Bay announced.“Me walkinginto that house will distract everyone from where you’re going.And if mybrother’s alive, it might buy me some time.”
“If you’re right about what they want,” Max handed him asmall pistol.“Put it in your boot.They’re less likely to find it there.I’llcheck on the people in the barn and see if I can get them out.You stay safeand trust Henry.He knows what he’s doing.If I can get them back here andBrooke is with me…”
“Get her into town and bring the sheriff,” Bay replied,carefully putting the pistol in his boot.His heart was in his throat, but asort of calm came over him.This was the thing to do.He had to give hisbrother and Brooke every chance to live.
And if it came down to one of them or Brooke, he knew whatthey would both do.She was their love, the woman who completed them in a waythey wouldn’t be had they never met her.They might have found some form ofhappiness, but they wouldn’t have been whole.They would lay down their livesto ensure her safety.
Max brought out a big set of wire cutters.He had it in histool kit in the back of his truck since Harper Stables also had to deal withfencing.He walked to the side.“I’m not going to risk alerting them by bustingthrough the gate.We’ll have better luck sneaking up like this.”
He would have to fix that fence later, but he followed Max,ready to save his family.
* * * *
Shane was fairly certain he was going to die.And hewasn’t even sure why.
It was clear now that this had little to do with him sinceKale Kingman was pissed as hell that he wasn’t Bay.
“Well, they look a lot alike,” Ned said, watching the bosswith a wary frown.“How was I supposed to know?”
The girl he’d met at The Trading Post a few weeks ago rolledher eyes.“Well, you were supposed to let me be the one to call the boss.Also,I think I heard McNamara call him Shane, so that should have been a sign thathe wasn’t the asshole we were looking for.”
Billy sighed.“Okay, I’m going to admit I might not haveheard that.I was busy dealing with the fact that we had an almost empty place.I didn’t think we would get a better shot since the boss was waiting.”Heturned to face Kale Kingman.“You go back to Wyoming tomorrow.I thought youwould want to be in on this.”
The young woman sneered Billy’s way.“You just didn’t wantto get stuck here working for those perverted assholes.They’re all over thistown.Threesomes.It’s disgusting.These people are having kids and exposingthem to all their filthy habits.”
“Says the woman who’s sleeping with the married man,” one ofthe others said under his breath.
She simply shrugged.“I’m only sleeping with one man.Thewomen around here are disgusting.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks.I want to deal with thesituation, and the sooner the better.I know the original plan was to find thatsafe, but it wasn’t in there, and I don’t know that I have months for Ned andBilly to spend looking for it when McNamara and Glen aren’t watching them.Herparents are causing a ruckus,” Kingman admitted.“If Bay talks about what hesaw or if someone else gets an eye on that piece of art he made, there aregoing to be questions.I’ve got a documentary filmmaker doing research andmaking inquiries.Dirty whore lied about not having anyone.And I did want tobe here to ensure this is over, but it’s not because this isn’t Bailey Kent.”
“Don’t you think his brother knows where that drawing is?”He recognized his old foreman’s voice, though Dennis hadn’t stepped into theroom.
Shane had three guns on him, so he didn’t turn to make surehe was right.It didn’t matter.
“Yeah, the way I remember it those two couldn’t take a shitwithout each other.”That was Andy.
They absolutely could and did one hundred percent of thetime.“I don’t know where my brother is.”
“You should keep your mouth shut unless you want to tell mewhat I want to hear,” Kingman snarled.
“I don’t know what you want to hear.”His gut was twisted ashe sat at the kitchen table.
Where was Brooke?He had to pray Henry heard the firstgunshot and either locked down the barn or had gotten them all out.Had therebeen enough time?
