Detour (The Getaway Series Book 5)

by Jay Crownover

  The principal nodded aggressively and looked somewhat relieved… until Lane barked, “Oh, I’m not waiting until something else happens. You don’t get to haul my kid in during a situation like this without letting me know what’s going on.”

  Feeling like my job was mostly done, and knowing that Lane was just getting started on ripping the school official a new one, I tried to slip out the door unnoticed.

  No such luck.

  The mayor grasped my forearm and hauled me around as soon as I reached the doorway. The short man glared up at me, face still flushed and fury evident in his gaze.

  “I thought you would have my back in there. What exactly was that, Sheriff?”

  I snorted and shook loose from his hold. “That was me mitigating the damage your son caused. Do you not know how lucky you are they aren’t making this a federal case? Your son’s future would be destroyed if he was convicted of a federal crime. You may want to take care of your own house first, Mayor.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed to thin slits as his mouth pressed into a tight, hard line. “I’d be very careful where you are treading, Rodie. Why are you defending a boy like that? It’s almost like you have sympathy for those people. And if you do,” he shook his head slightly, “I can’t say you’re the best fit for the position of sheriff any longer.”

  Those people.

  I gritted my teeth, put my hand on the center of the man’s chest, and pushed him out of my space.

  “Thankfully, it’s up to the people of Sheridan to decide that.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell the man I was one of those people, but I kept it in. “I’ll take my chances that the job I’ve done over the last few years speaks for itself.”

  I left the room before I did something that I would regret. I nearly ran over Wyatt, who was waiting silently in the hallway as I made my exit.

  He wobbled slightly from the collision and I had to put a hand on his arm to keep him upright. I was impressed by the flex of muscle under his shirt. He might look slightly breakable at the moment, but he still felt solid under my fingertips.

  He shook off my hand and looked up at me with icy eyes. “Do you really think telling them to be nice and considerate of people’s differences is going to make any difference? All you’re doing is putting a spotlight on Cam and letting the instigator get away with his crime.” He narrowed his eyes. “That kid has never had anyone advocate for him. You’re going to be one more authority figure, one more adult, who has let him down.”

  I swore under my breath and returned the blond man’s glare. “You and I both know the likelihood of federal charges being brought against him is slim to none. You have to know that any judge in this county who sees the mayor’s kid in his courtroom is going to go easy on him. This is a small town. Things here don’t work the way they do in DC, pretty boy. Now, everyone knows if they mess with Cam, there will be repercussions. Even the mayor’s son can be expelled, but he has to learn about being sensitive to others. It’s the best solution out of a handful of shitty options.”

  Wyatt made a noise and tilted his head back so he could glare up in my direction. “It’s an option that lets you stay totally in the middle of the street. Just like when you arrested Sutton, even though you knew he did not hurt his child’s mother. You always do what’s expected, what minimizes any blowback in your direction. The mayor is an asshole, but he may be right that you’re not the best person for the job of keeping the people—some who mean the world to me—safe.”

  He went to step back, but was unsteady and reached out for something to hold onto. Unfortunately for him, I was the closest thing for him to grab. His hand fisted in my shirt, pulling us chest to chest. My breath audibly caught and I watched Wyatt’s eyes pop wide. The blue of his gaze was endless and as deep as the ocean. It was so cheesy and cliché, but I honestly could drown in those eyes.

  I reached out and put a hand on Wyatt’s hip, holding him until he was once again steady on his feet. His eyebrows shot upward and his fist tightened in the material of my shirt. I felt my pulse kick up and my breath hitch slightly. Wyatt frowned, but I saw the bright pink flush work its way up the long line of his neck.

  We broke apart when the door behind us swung open. Cam came running out, immediately going to Wyatt, telling him how cool he’d been and how grateful he was that he’d come to his defense. The kid barely spared me a glance, but I didn’t miss the way Lane scowled at me or the way the mayor took in how close I was standing to the tall blond man in front of me.

  I liked my life in Sheridan. Things were typically predictable and easy. I never regretted coming back home when I had nowhere else to go. It was a life I fought for and worked my ass off to keep afloat. Any idiot could see things were about to get complicated, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that. After all, it was my job to clean up messes, not make ones of my own.

  But, even with unease brewing in the background, I knew I couldn’t let whatever it was that woke up inside of me around Wyatt go back to sleep.

  Because while I enjoyed my simple, easy life… I rarely felt alive the way I did when I was around him. It’d been a long time since anyone made me want to do more than go through the motions.

  Wyatt

  “You know, we’d love to have you stay up at the actual house with us, Wyatt. You don’t have to make that walk across the property every time you join us for dinner.” Leo Warner flashed me a bright smile as she passed over a plate of barbecue ribs. The smell made my mouth water, but her words had me fighting back a flinch. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of hiding just how hard it was for me to get around.

  Apparently, I wasn’t that good of an actor. There was no disguising the way the effort to make it to the main house made me sweat and my healing muscles shake.

  Leo was the newly minted matriarch of the Warner clan. She married Cyrus not too long ago. She’d come to Wyoming for a girls’ getaway, which had gone horribly wrong. She’d ended up smack dab in the middle of the undercover assignment I was working on. There had been lots of blood and bullets in her and Cy’s love story, meaning the former big city executive had more than earned her place next to the rugged ranch owner. Nowadays, Leo was the one who looked more like a lifelong Wyomingite in her boots, braids topped by a cowboy hat, and plaid shirts. Cy never really embraced western attire, and instead looked like he picked most of his outfits from the nearest motorcycle rally. Which was why Lane was the face of the business. The youngest Warner was everyone’s idea of what a tall, sexy, capable cowboy should be. The picture of Lane on the website and the tourist brochures, with his dark hair, bright blue eyes, and guitar in hand, did more to draw women to the remote ranch than anything else. And he was completely okay being the eye candy poster boy for the Warner ranch if it meant he could continue doing what he loved.

  After spooning some potato salad and baked beans on my plate, I met the redhead’s probing gaze from across the massive wooden dining table.

  “It’s fine. The exercise is good for me. I was seeing a physical therapist in DC pretty regularly before I left. I guess slacking off has taken its toll.” I was much stiffer and experiencing more pain than before I left. But, considering I was spending my days spinning my wheels and mourning what used to be, I had no one to blame for the backslide other than myself. I patted my very flat stomach and wiggled my eyebrows at Brynn Warner, who was seated next to me. “And I’ve finally managed to get back to my fighting weight. I haven’t eaten this well…” I trailed off after a moment, realizing I’d never actually eaten this well. When we were kids, we practically starved on the regular. In the army, you ate when you got a chance, and it was never anything gourmet. In DC, I dined out often, sometimes on a date, but usually, I ate alone. Since coming to the Warner’s ranch, I’d had three square meals a day, and I typically ate dinner with the entire clan at least twice a week. It was the first time in my life I’d experienced regular family dinners. “I’ve never eaten this well. You’re an amazing chef and I can’t tell you all how
much I appreciate what you’ve done for me.”

  Cy snorted and lifted one of his salt and pepper eyebrows in my direction. There were not a lot of men in the world who intimidated me. I knew I could hold my own in pretty much any situation, and I had been in my fair share of life-threatening situations where I came out the victor. There was simply something about Cy, some kind of aura, that silently warned he was not a man you wanted to test. He was, however, a man you wanted on your side, and I was eternally grateful he’d taken Webb under his wing and became his mentor. All the ways in which Webb had changed for the better were directly related to Cyrus Warner seeing the value and potential in my brother. He was the only other person who’d taken the time to look besides me… and of course, Tennyson McKenna. My brother’s pretty blonde girlfriend was watching the exchange silently, seeing more than I wanted her to, I was sure. She had a knack for reading people, and I was sure my general unease and frustration with my body was evident to her.

  There was no keeping secrets at this table. They were all too perceptive and cared too much about me.

  “Not doing it for you, Wyatt. We’re doing it for us. We’ve all been worried sick about you, knowing you were hurt and handling everything on your own. That’s not how we do things in this family.” Cy’s silver eyes cut deep into me, saying more than his words did.

  I cleared my throat and let out a small smile. It’d been a long time since I’d felt like part of a family. It’d always been me and Webb against the world, but even so, I’d had to leave him behind when I enlisted, so as usual, I ended up on my own. It was slightly overwhelming to have the Warners embrace me as one of their own.

  “I didn’t mean to make anyone worry. I just had a lot to deal with when I decided to leave my job. I’ve always dealt with unpredictability in my career. I didn’t realize how difficult it was going to be when all of that uncertainty went away, and each day looked like the one before it. I may have sulked a little longer than was healthy.” Not to mention I had my mother’s death and all the chaos created by Webb’s truly evil twin to deal with while I was practically bedridden. In my mind, I’d earned the months-long pity party I threw for myself.

  “There’s a really good physical therapist in Sheridan.” Ten piped up from her place next to Webb. She pointed the end of her fork in my direction. “I can get her info next time I’m in town.” The statuesque woman looked like she should’ve been a supermodel, but in actuality, she was a former FBI agent and one of the best trackers on the planet. It seemed like there wasn’t anyone she couldn’t find, so it was no surprise Rodie put her in charge of the entire county’s search and rescue team when she went to work for him. She kept busy, and I was jealous. I would’ve loved to have a job custom-made for me fall in my lap any day now, something to give me a purpose since I was just floundering.

  I nodded to show I was agreeable to taking the information. Turning my head, I looked over at Cam who was seated next to me. His brightly dyed head was bent down, and his gaze was locked on his phone. It was so very teenager, and the normalcy of it made me smile. Cam should be focused on his phone and his friends while ignoring the adults at family dinner. It was the most basic of interactions, but one he’d been denied. Cam’s parents were devoutly religious, so much so, they couldn’t see the special, wonderful child they’d been blessed with beyond his sexual orientation. Cam’s father honestly believed he could ‘pray the gay away.’ And when that hadn’t worked, he beat his son and terrorized him, all in the name of his beliefs. Eventually, Cam left. He was barely a teenager and had no clue how the big bad world worked. Immediately, the streets ate the poor kid up and spat him out. That he was here now, surrounded by people who loved and appreciated him, and acting like all the horrors of his past hadn’t left indelible scars, was pretty miraculous.

  I nudged him with my elbow, forcing him to look up at me. The gleam in his dark eyes, and the tell-tale pink in his cheeks indicated he was probably talking to Ethan instead of eating his dinner.

  “How have things been at school?” I worried about him, but Lane insisted things were going fine after the fight and intervention.

  Cam lifted a shoulder and let it fall. He pushed some of his orange hair out of his face and gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s okay. Lane scared the crap out of the principal, and all the teachers seem like they’re being extra watchful.” He smirked at me. “Dalton had no clue that I knew how to fight. He figured since I like boys, I’d be an easy target. He had no idea I used to fight for my life on a regular basis. Most of his crew leave me alone now.” He cocked his head a little and gave me a questioning look. “Plus, Sheriff Collins has come by the school a few times to check on me. He’s a pretty scary dude. Anyone who wanted to give me shit thought twice about it since he’s keeping an eye on me.”

  Brynn made a noise and told Cam, “Don’t swear at the dinner table.”

  It was such a mom thing to say. It came naturally to her, and it made me smile. Cam immediately apologized and did his best to look sheepish.

  Deciding to rescue the kid, I asked, “Rodie’s been checking up on the school?” It didn’t really fit with my image of the taciturn sheriff.

  “Rodie’s not a bad guy.” Cy’s deep voice cut into our quiet conversation. “When he was young, he had a hard time fitting in here. When he came back, he’d changed, and ever since he became sheriff, I think he’s caught between the expectations of the town and doing what he knows is best for everyone.”

  Lane snorted. “Well, let’s not sing those praises too loudly, shall we? Did you forget he arrested Sutton for murder?”

  That was a sore spot the family still hadn’t gotten over.

  Ten sighed and now pointed her fork at the dark-haired Warner. “The evidence pointed to Sutton. We all know he couldn’t have done it, wouldn’t have done it, but there was evidence, and Rodie had to do his job.” She dropped the fork on her plate and shrugged. “If I’d been in his shoes, I probably would’ve arrested Sutton, too.” Her green eyes cut in my direction. “What about you, Wyatt? If the evidence is compelling, would you make an arrest even if you personally knew the suspect and doubted their involvement?”

  I paused before I answered. That was a tricky question, and I wasn’t sure if my personal history would keep me unbiased if I were in the same situation. Webb didn’t exactly have a perfectly clean criminal record, but I knew my little brother’s hard limits. He was capable of some bad stuff, but he wasn’t the kind of man who could commit murder. So, I wasn’t sure if I could blindly follow procedure if I were in the same position as Rodie had been.

  “Doesn’t matter. Rodie changed the way folks in town looked at Sutton, so he left.” Lane dropped his fork on his plate with a clatter and glared at Ten. “The sheriff’s a dick.”

  “Hey!” Brynn kicked the dark-haired cowboy under the table as she jerked her head in Cam’s direction. “Behave.”

  “Sutton didn’t leave because of Rodie.” Cy’s deep voice was unwaveringly calm and even. “He left because he didn’t want to be reminded of his daughter’s kidnapping and the fact that a madman nearly killed the woman he loved right in front of him every time he stepped out the front door.”

  The middle Warner brother was working on an equine therapy ranch out in Northern California. He’d taken his daughter and Leo’s best friend, Emrys, with him. The couple were now parents to two adorable children and seemed to be thriving on the West Coast. Clearly the youngest Warner had yet to come to terms with the change in the family dynamic.

  “I don’t know the sheriff very well. But he does seem committed to his job, and I don’t think he would’ve moved on your brother if he didn’t have some really, really compelling evidence. I think he was caught between a rock and a hard place. I’m honestly impressed he actually pulled Sutton in. You guys are scary one on one, going up against all of you,” I shook my head and smiled. “He’s gotta have brass balls.”

  I snapped my mouth shut and ordered my mind away from Rodie’s balls, visualizin
g Rodie’s balls, and wanting to do really amazing things to Rodie’s balls. That was seriously dangerous territory, and not at all appropriate for dinner.

  Seeing the need for a change in subject, Leo jumped to the rescue, looking between me and Webb with bright, inquisitive eyes. “How long are you planning on staying, Wyatt? Webb said you sold your condo in DC, and I assume you have no interest in going back to Louisiana. Do you think you’re going to settle down here in Wyoming?” Her smile was sincere when she said, “We’d all love to have you close by.”

  I shrugged my good shoulder. I was going for nonchalant, but wasn’t sure I pulled it off. “I don’t have any set plans. Once I get back to my old self, I have to figure out what I’m going to do for a living. I can’t be an indefinite guest here.” I refused to overstay my welcome.

  My brother snorted and turned his head so he could glare at me from down the table. “You don’t need to work. I told you, you can have every cent that bastard left to us. Go live a life of leisure. Travel the world. Find a good man and settle down. Adopt a hundred babies who need a good home. There are plenty of options for you, Wyatt. You just refuse to consider any of them.”

  When we’d gone hunting for Webb’s twin, we’d inadvertently run across our father. The man wanted nothing to do with us, but he had set up trust funds in our names to pay for college and other miscellaneous needs. Our mother never told us about the money, so it sat and accrued interest for years. Between Webb’s and his twin’s amount, along with my own, it was a significant chunk of money. A life-changing amount. Only neither Webb nor I wanted to touch it.