by Jen Talty
Sawyer folded his arms across his chest. He shouldn’t open his mouth. He didn’t know Kevin, but his instincts told him that this man had an agenda and it wasn’t just to set his niece up to have an enjoyable few days off. “I don’t believe one word of this.”
“Excuse me?” Kevin cocked his head.
“I might be young, but I’m not a fool and something else is going on here. If you want me to play babysitter, then tell me why, because it’s not to help her keep her eye on the prize, nor is it because you want to give me a second chance because I can tell by the way you look at me, you don’t like me and you don’t trust me, and the feeling is mutual.”
“I don’t know you,” Kevin said with a cocky grin. “But I am starting to like you, that’s for damn sure.” He turned, bent over, and peered into the window before turning back. “You and I are similar.”
“I doubt that,” Sawyer mumbled.
“No. We are. The difference is I did things out of fear and anger because I was misunderstood. I continued to fuck up because of self-pity. I don’t think you suffer from that same problem.” He laughed. “When I was a young boy, it became obvious I was different and my father thought he could beat my gayness out of me.”
“What?”
“He believed that if I was man enough to take his beatings, I’d stop liking boys. I let him believe it worked my first few years in high school. But when I fully came out, he and Hayden’s father told me I was dead to them so when my brother died and he left me custody of his precious little girl, I thought what a cruel joke. Only, it was an old will he forgot to change and for a short time, I put Hayden in foster care.”
“Jesus,” Sawyer whispered. This was more information than he wanted. This was why he didn’t get to know people. The more you understood, the more entangled you became, the harder it was to leave.
And when that happened, bad things became the norm.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes and for most of my adult life I’ve blamed my father. My brother. My mother. Hell, there have been times I’ve blamed Hayden. When she nearly died two years ago, I swore I’d do right by her, but I fucked up in the worst way.”
“How so?”
“You have to promise me you won’t tell her I told you.”
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Sawyer said. “I don’t know if I even want to know any of this.” His mind filled with memories of his mother, both good and bad. Every loving and painful moment of his childhood raced across his mind.
And then there were the last eight years of his existence.
It wasn’t much of anything but one honky-tonk after the other.
He stood up on stage with his guitar and sang songs that spoke to whatever emotions swirled around people’s hearts and souls. He connected to the world through his music, and when he left the stage.
He left the world.
And he liked it that way.
Standing with Kevin, talking about what happened to Kevin and Hayden and their history, only reminded Sawyer that connections were always severed and that meant more pain.
He enjoyed the numbness of when the lights went down and the show was over.
“You were the one who just called me out on the bullshit. You can’t have it both ways.” Kevin shrugged. “I was happy to play the overbearing uncle who wanted a chaperone for her niece while he had to work, but you weren’t hearing it.”
“I don’t like games,” Sawyer said.
“Then let’s stop playing them.” Kevin curled his fingers around Sawyer’s biceps and tugged him across the yard toward the far corner by the cemetery. “I’ve been a shitty guardian to my niece. I know. And she knows it. But we’re working toward making that better. I can’t ever make up for some of the things I’ve done, but I made her one promise I plan on keeping and that’s once I pay off this debt, I will walk out of her life and she will never have to deal with me again.”
“What debt and to who?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for Hayden to know I told you, so I’d appreciate it if you swore to me this is between us. Her fall today was a direct result of knowing the person I owe money to is here.”
Sawyer nodded, though he was never very good at keeping his word, so if he broke it with Kevin, he wasn’t going to worry about it too much. However, he didn’t like knowing Hayden could have gotten hurt because of unnecessary worry. So, for that reason, he’d keep his word.
For now.
“The hospital bills became so overwhelming I couldn’t keep up. I lost my job and I was about to lose my apartment. I was drinking more than usual and I had started gambling again.”
“That will get you every time.” Gambling had nearly destroyed Sawyer three years ago. It was a darkness he never wanted to be drawn to again.
Kevin nodded. “So many things I did, I told myself were driven by trying to make it so Hayden didn’t have to worry, so when MacKenzie Reynolds walked in with a solution, I took it.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. MacKenzie is nothing but a bloodsucking vampire that feeds off people when they are in their loneliest moment.”
Kevin jerked his head back. “How the hell do you MacKenzie?”
“It doesn’t matter. She’s a horrible person who will destroy you and everyone you love.”
“She’s here and she’s why Hayden fell, and if MacKenzie knows you, I’m not sure having you protect Hayden will be the right move, so tell me how you know her.”
Sawyer rolled his neck and glanced to the sky. A dark cloud rolled across the moon, dimming the white beams glowing across the earth.
“Hayden’s going to be out in a second, so please don’t make me repeat my question,” Kevin said.
“Actually, you can use me to your advantage when it comes to MacKenzie.”
“You’re going to have to explain that one.”
“She’s my grandmother.”
7
It had been eight years since Sawyer laid eyes on his father’s mother.
Sawyer thought his father was bad news, but his grandmother was a different brand of trouble.
His father was the kind of evil that couldn’t be fixed or reasoned with. His father had no excuses for his actions because his father was a broken man. His father in some ways had been a victim and a product of a hellish environment created from the kind of power that fostered greed and bred criminals who had no remorse. No boundaries.
MacKenzie cared about one thing and one thing only.
And that was holding on to her power and that meant providing a legacy and since Sawyer had literally killed the next in line, MacKenzie had lost some credibility. If she couldn’t control her own family, who could she control.
So she got rid of them. That was the deal and Sawyer was happy to walk away from that world.
Of course, MacKenzie always held strings, but Sawyer wasn’t having it. He wanted a clean slate. The law had given him a second chance and he wasn’t going to blow it.
But he wasn’t going to let his fucking grandmother ruin anyone else’s life.
“How is MacKenzie your grandmother?” Kevin asked as he strolled to the other side of the yard, snagging another beer. He held up a second one. “There was nothing about her in all the news articles about you. The names aren’t even right.”
“Here’s a short history lesson.” Sawyer met Kevin halfway and pointed toward the house. “I think our time is very limited.”
Kevin nodded.
“My grandmother had a small pot growing business. As she moved up the ranks in the crime world, she changed her name, but just when dealing with drug dealers. She thought it would help keep her family life and her crime life from colliding. After my grandpa died, she just didn’t care anymore. I think she did it to protect him.”
“When was that?”
“About five years before I killed my old man.”
“I’ve only known MacKenzie for the last year and a half, so I don’t know anything about her family. Fill in the
blanks about your dad and where he was in her organization,” Kevin said.
“He wasn’t. My dad was a bit of disappointment in that sense when it came to my grandmother. So, when my dad beat the crap out of my mom, killing her, and then I in turn killed him, my grandmother thought I was going to be her next in line. She thought she’d be able to groom me.”
“Did she say that to you?”
“The arresting officer was one of her men and she was the first person I saw after I was taken into custody.”
“Fuck. That’s crazy,” Kevin said, twisting off the beer cap and taking a long swig. “What happened?”
“Long story short, she tried to muscle me into being her muscle. I told her no way, that I’d rather die. She told me if I didn’t do what she wanted, I’d spend the rest of my life in prison for killing her son. I said okay. For the next three months, my life hung in the balance while she tried to manipulate me, but she soon realized that I didn’t care if I went to jail. I wasn’t doing what she wanted and wasn’t afraid of her.”
“Wow. You’re one tough son of a bitch.”
“Not really.” Sawyer wiped his face. “When you went to her for help, you had everything to lose all wrapped up nice and neat in a broken cowgirl. MacKenzie loves to play on shit like that, and then she keeps needling you and getting in your face until she owns every aspect of your life.”
“She didn’t do that with you.”
“The thing with me is I had nothing to lose so she had no leverage over me except jail and I wasn’t afraid of that. I was actually more afraid of being out here in the real world because I felt like what I had done had awakened some kind of hereditary beast inside of me.”
“I know that feeling all too well,” Kevin said. “But what did you mean by using you to our advantage?”
“She wants me in her life. I haven’t seen my grandmother in a long time, but I get letters from her every once in a while and she knows I’m here. She knows my address and I—”
“Motherfucker. We better take this inside.”
Sawyer’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t thought about the fact that his grandmother might be lurking in the shadows. “No. If she’s watching, that would make her wonder. Especially since she knows I want nothing to do with her name. She’s tried for years to provoke me. To get me to join her and her merry men in crime, but I won’t ever do it.”
“Okay, but how do you suggest we work it?”
“You offer me on a silver platter. You tell her that you know things about my gambling debts—”
“You have a gambling problem?” Kevin asked with an arched brow.
“As long as I stay away from a poker table, it’s not a problem.” Sawyer had gone to a real dark place for that year in his life. He’d been tempted by his grandmother’s lifestyle and he’d wondered if that’s all he’d been born to do, only the second he pulled his head out of his ass, he realized he was better than that and if he kept his chin up and his nose out of trouble, he’d survive. “But if she thought I was in debt, and that’s how you and I were connected, and you could help push me back into her fold, we can refocus her attention on me and off Hayden.”
“I’d really hate to do that to you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t,” Kevin said. “But Hayden would.”
“She’ll never know.” Sawyer raised his hand. “I’ll take Hayden out a couple of times this week, but you and I will also need to get involved in some high stakes poker games.”
“You just said you had—”
“They will be staged. I’ll get Crew—”
“He’s a cop, for fuck’s sake,” Kevin interrupted Sawyer.
“And that’s the one big caveat I have. Not only do we get you out from under my grandmother’s thumb, but we take her down.”
Hayden stretched out on the roof and blinked. “The sky is beautiful tonight.”
“Not as pretty as you.”
She tucked her hair behind her ears. It hurt to raise her hand. Hell, it hurt to breathe. “You’re sweet.”
“I have my moments.”
“What were you and my uncle discussing so intently earlier?” Hayden had watched like a nervous Nellie as Sawyer and her uncle paced in the backyard. She had no idea what they discussed, but she suspected it had to do with the fall, and maybe even MacKenzie.
But she couldn’t be sure and all her uncle had to say was not to worry about it and they’d speak tomorrow after work.
He’d even gone as far as to tell her to have a really nice day with Sawyer as if he wanted her to date the man. Talk about weird. And all it did was make her even more nervous.
“A few things,” Sawyer said. “Before I get into it, you should know Kevin and I don’t see eye to eye on a few things, but the bottom line is you’re going to find out because MacKenzie will make sure of it.”
Hayden bolted to a sitting position and slid two feet toward the edge.
Sawyer grabbed her by the hips. “Whoa there,” he said, pulling her between his legs. “Maybe we should go inside for this conversation.”
“That depends. How do you know about MacKenzie?” Hayden’s heart beat so fast she thought it might break a rib. The first time she’d met the woman had been the day she’d come home from the hospital and it had been one of the most terrifying experiences of her life.
Nearly dying from being stomped on from her horse had been scary enough, but having MacKenzie, who appeared to be a sweet, caring woman who only wanted Hayden to get better turn out to be a notorious gangster, had been a rude awakening. Little did Hayden know that MacKenzie had lent her uncle money so she could own and manipulate him to work for her and now all her uncle wanted was out.
Well, no one got out from under MacKenzie Reynolds.
No one.
And Hayden and Kevin knew it. The idea had been to give her enough money so that Hayden would be able to walk away from the picture and Kevin would deal with MacKenzie on his own. That was the price that Kevin had to pay for all his sins.
Hayden would have to live with that.
“I need you to tell me exactly what my uncle told you, because I’m sure he lied,” Hayden said.
“I don’t think Kevin will be lying to me, ever.” Sawyer wrapped his arms around her body and held tight. “MacKenzie is my grandmother.”
“Fucking wonderful.” She gritted her teeth. She should have known that MacKenzie would do something like this to make sure she and her uncle would toe the line.
Well, Hayden had news for that bitch.
She reached forward and then nailed Sawyer with her elbow in his gut. She twisted and rolled to the side, kicking him with her heel.
He groaned, rolling down the roof. Quickly, he grabbed the gutters as his body flung over the side of the house.
Bending down, she leaned over the edge. “Bring your legs in when you land and roll. Do that and you won’t break anything.” She scurried up the roof and climbed in the window.
“Hayden. Jesus. You can’t leave me hanging out here like this.”
“Oh. I think I just did.” She slammed the window shut and made a beeline for the stairs but stopped short.
She was alone, in his apartment, while he was hanging from the side of the roof. Shit. She pulled out her cell and called her uncle.
It rang once before her uncle picked up without saying hello.
“Why are you calling me? I’m in the next room.”
“I’m up in Sawyer’s apartment and I want to search it. He’s currently hanging from the roof for dear life. You might want to go help him before he breaks a leg.”
“Shit. What the hell happened?” her uncle mumbled. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
The phone clicked off.
She stood in the middle of the small family room with her hands on her hips and did a three-sixty. Talk about scant decorations that looked like they came from a kid’s garage sale. His couch sagged in the middle, was torn, and had two th
row covers that looked as if there were used more to cover up all the rips and tears and not meant for warmth.
In front of the sofa was a worn-out coffee table that looked like a cat used it for a scratch pad. On either end were matching end tables with built-in lamps. Across the room was a small television propped up on a couple of milk crates.
The kitchen was equally pathetic with a metal folding table and a couple of chairs.
Quickly, she stepped into the bedroom and let out a gasp. All the man had was a full-size futon on the floor, a single chest of drawers, and once again, a small television propped up on a couple of a crates. Next to his makeshift bed was a short nightstand with a laptop and a single picture. She sat on the edge of the mattress and lifted the image.
Her fingers shook as she traced a path over a young woman with a very cute toddler on her lap.
She assumed that adorable little boy was Sawyer.
“You could have really hurt me.” Sawyer’s voice bounced off the walls.
Startled, she jumped, dropping the picture. “I was going to come back out and help you, but I sent my uncle instead.”
He bent over and picked up the frame. “I’m lucky I was able to hold on long enough for him to bring out a ladder.”
“It wasn’t that big of a drop.” She pointed to the photograph in his hands. “Is that your mom?”
He nodded. “She died when I was sixteen.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
Taking his laptop, he flipped it open and joined her on the futon. “She took her last breaths in my arms after my father beat the life out of her. I promised her I wouldn’t let him get away with it.”
Hayden’s eyes burned. “Where is your father now?”
“He’s dead too.” He tapped on the keyboard. “I wasn’t going to tell you this and your uncle agreed I shouldn’t. But since you nearly tossed me off the roof, we both agreed telling you the whole truth might be best if I want to live to see tomorrow.”
