Her Mountain Brothers

by Crowne, K. C.

  “I’ll be fine. The bullet just grazed my arm. We’ll keep it clean and wrapped up. No hospital needed,” he said. “I’m more concerned that we lost our evidence.”

  “Evidence?” Hazel asked.

  “Yeah, the bag of money,” he said.

  “Where did you get this bag of money, Wyatt?” I asked, feeling relief as we reached the paved road of town. It was the middle of the night, and our small town was quiet and dark, but we weren’t nearly as alone. And no one had followed us; they’d stayed at our house, which was both good and bad. Good that they hadn’t followed, but bad that we wouldn’t be able to go back there. We’d have to find somewhere else to stay until we sorted everything out.

  “I found it in the cave we used to hide out in as kids,” he said.

  Hazel scowled. “I told you we needed to get down to the cave sooner.”

  “What? You two knew about the cave?” Wyatt asked, groaning in pain.

  “It’s a long story, Wyatt. We’ll tell you later,” Hazel said, her voice soft and soothing. “For now, we need to figure out our next steps, and you need to rest.”

  “Rest, my ass,” Wyatt bit out “I’m fine.”

  Hazel was right though; we needed to figure out our next steps, especially where we could go. The mob had their money, so perhaps they were done with us. That would be a nice thought, but I somehow doubted we were home free just yet. After all, they still didn’t have Boone and we were their only links to him.

  “I bet they’re using us as bait,” Hazel said, reading my mind. “Hoping we’ll lure Boone to them, or Boone will come to us.”

  “Exactly my thought too,” I said. At that moment, my phone went off. Pulling it from my pocket, I said, “Speak of the devil.”

  Without hesitation, and since I was driving, I handed the phone to Hazel.

  “It’s another code, but without the book, it’s going to take me a second. It’s all numbers this time,” she said.

  I left her to it. I had something else on my mind, finding somewhere to stop for the night. Wyatt needed to rest, and we needed to figure out what the fuck to do next. Since there was no going back home, I’d have to find a hotel, but where? I didn’t want to stay too close to town just in case they were sticking around to keep tabs on us in hopes of luring Boone out into the open.

  I drove through our small town, past it and onward. I kept going west, hoping I’d find somewhere to stop eventually. Somewhere random, where we could rest without worry and come up with a plan of action for what we were going to do next.

  Hazel

  Ryder was staring out the window of the hotel, the curtains mostly drawn shut. He’d parked the truck on the back side, out of view from the road. He hadn’t said much since we’d settled in, choosing to keep an eye out instead.

  Wyatt was on the bed, and after a quick stop at a 24-hour pharmacy, his shoulder was clean and wrapped up. I’d given him a shitload of Tylenol for pain— the best we could do. From the look on his face, the Tylenol was working about as good as you might expect. It wasn’t exactly intended for gunshot wounds, but it would have to do.

  I sat beside him on the bed, staring at Ryder’s phone, trying to decipher the latest message from Boone. My brother wasn’t responding to anything; we just had to settle for what we had from him, and the longer I stared at it, the more confused I became.

  “Here, let me have it. Might take my mind off the pain,” Wyatt said.

  I handed over the phone, laying back on the bed beside him. His face was twisted into a mask of pain until he caught me staring at him. He put on his best fake smile.

  “Do you still believe whatever shit Lila fed you about us?” he asked me.

  “Really? You’re going to bring that up now?”

  “Seems like we have nothing better to do,” he said. “Sleep doesn’t seem like an option.”

  I sighed, resting my head against the hard ass pillows. My body was tired, but my mind wouldn’t stop turning, making sleep an impossible dream.

  “You’re right,” I said, thinking about what Lila had told me. She was the original source of all our problems. “And you know, I normally wouldn’t believe her, but she had proof.”

  “Proof? What kind of proof?” Ryder barked, not even turning to look at us.

  “Text messages from you two,” he said. “Right after we— well, right after things almost happened between us.”

  I wasn’t sure if either brother knew about the other’s experience with me. I was so confused back then, liking both of them. I’d just assumed that the first one I got with would be the one I’d choose, but I couldn’t make a decision. It had been too hard.

  “And what exactly did those messages say?” Wyatt asked.

  “Well, the one from you asked her to hang out, and when she said no, you got all— I don’t know— you got all weird.”

  “Weird, how?”

  It had been so long ago, but I remembered the words by heart. They were etched into my brain and my heart. “You told her that she was the most beautiful girl in school, and that you’d do anything to have just one night with her.”

  Ryder scoffed while Wyatt just stared at me, looking as confused as ever.

  “Seriously?” Ryder asked, finally turning to face us. “Does that sound like either of us, Hazel?”

  “No, but the messages came from you,” I said.

  “Did they?” Wyatt asked. “Because you know I never liked Lila. She’s pretty, I guess, but her personality is rancid. I’ve never been into the prissy cheerleader types, and you know that.”

  “Yeah, but you’re guys, and I just figured you’d say anything to get some pussy,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. I was beginning to feel sheepish, which meant maybe I didn’t believe all of Lila’s tales after all.

  “And you don’t think she could have doctored the messages?” Wyatt asked. “I mean, she had that little computer geek, what’s his name—”

  “Thomas Dillinger or something like that,” Ryder finished.

  I remembered Thomas alright. He was a geeky guy, the type people like Lila wouldn’t normally associate with, but he was absolutely in love with my stepsister. It was almost creepy, if you asked me. Even more so that she’d allowed it. She seemed to like the attention Thomas gave her, even if she treated him like dirt most of the time.

  “Yeah, he went on to MIT or some shit,” Wyatt said. “Computer science genius. You don’t think maybe he could have doctored the messages?”

  “I never really thought of it, I mean we were only in high school, but I guess it’s possible,” I said. “Maybe once we get out of here, we’ll give him a call. See if he remembers any of us.”

  “I think he’s got much bigger fish to fry personally,” Ryder said, rolling his eyes. He went back to the window. “What did she say about me?”

  “Well, your message to her was just angry,” I answered. “You pretty much told her you’d have your way with her, whether she liked it or not.”

  I watched as Ryder’s fists balled up at his sides. I could only see his face in the reflection of the window, but it was enough to see the truth in his eyes.

  “And you believed I’d say something like that? That I’d basically threaten to rape her?” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Well, it looked pretty cut and dry, and that night at the party, she came to me, in tears, her clothes ripped. And you came out of the room too, right afterward…” I trailed off.

  Ryder spun around to face me again, nothing but absolute rage on his face. He slammed his fists down on the table nearby so hard I thought it might break in two. “You thought I tried to rape your stepsister?”

  “No, I didn’t think—”

  Lila had said he didn’t go all the way, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I had believed her, against my own best friends. I believed my stepsister, who was known for her lies and attention-seeking behavior, when deep down, I knew neither man would ever hurt a woman.

  Tears stung my eyes as I r
ealized my stupidity. “I’m sorry, Ryder. I didn’t think.”

  “I would never lay my hands on a woman if they didn’t want me to,” he said, his jaw clenched tightly. “How many times were we alone, Hazel, huh? How many times could I have taken advantage of you? Like when you were drunk and I took care of you, made sure no one else messed with you. And you still think I’d be able to do that to someone else?”

  I opened my mouth to explain myself, but truthfully, there was nothing I could say.

  “Do you want to know why Lila’s clothes were ripped?” Ryder said. “Maybe it’s time you knew the truth.”

  “Ryder, now isn’t the time.” Wyatt tried to sit up.

  “No, now is a perfect time,” Ryder spat. “Because it’s about time all the secrets came out. The reason she was in the bedroom in the first place was because she was hooking up with Boone.”

  “Boone and Lila?” I scoffed. “No fucking way.”

  “He didn’t want you to know, thought you’d be disgusted because she’s your stepsister,” Ryder said. “But that’s why he kept insisting on her hanging out with us, why he pushed for you to invite her more.”

  My mouth dropped. He was right. Boone was always mentioning how Lila and I should hang out more, how we needed to include her.

  “And the reason she was sleeping with your brother? It wasn’t because she cared about him. No, it’s because he provided her with coke,” Ryder said.

  “No. No fucking way,” I said, angry at Ryder’s accusation.

  “You don’t really know your twin as well as you think, Hazel. Boone’s always been in some kind of trouble, and I’ve protected his ass time and time again. And this is the thanks I get?”

  Ryder motioned around the shitty hotel room. His voice had started to rise, but Wyatt managed to sit upright, then pushed himself to his feet. He walked over to his brother, throwing his good arm around his shoulder. The two talked in hushed voices while I tried to process everything they’d told me.

  Lila had lied about everything. I’d ruined our friendship over her lies.

  My brother and my stepsister had hooked up, at least once.

  And my brother sold drugs in high school.

  Now he was involved with the Mafia.

  Everything I thought about my life and the people in it had been a lie, a complete and utter lie.

  My phone rang. “What time is it?” I muttered, scrambling for the phone.

  It was just after six in the morning, and Christina was calling. She normally didn’t wake up so early in the morning, so I felt a bit nervous. The guys looked at me as my phone continued to ring.

  “You going to answer that?” Wyatt asked, cocking an eyebrow.

  “Yes, of course,” I said, hitting the button to answer. Before I could say anything, Christina started talking.

  “First of all, I’m okay, and so is your cat,” Christina said. Never a good sign to start a call that way. “But there’s been a break-in at our place.”

  “What?” I asked, every hair standing on end. “Who was it?”

  “I don’t know yet,” Christina replied, her voice shaky. “The cops didn’t catch the guys. I don’t think they expected anyone to be home, so I got lucky there.”

  I looked over at the guys, who were focused on me. I quickly explained, “My apartment in L.A. got broken into.” The three of us knew exactly who was behind it, but I didn’t want Christina to know too much. The less she knew, the better. Getting back on the phone with her, I said, “Whatever you do, don’t go back there, please.”

  “I’m not,” she said. “I’m headed to my parents now. I can’t take Bill with me, but he’s being boarded at the 24-hour vet down the street from us.”

  “Thanks, Christina. I’m sorry you have to deal with all of this alone,” I said softly. My head was hurting again from the stress of everything going on.

  “There’s some good news at least,” Christina said.

  “What’s that?” It was hard to imagine a bright spot in all of this mess, but leave it to Christina to manage to find it.

  “I only got bit four times when loading him into the crate. I think he’s starting to like me,” she joked.

  I chuckled. Yes, leave it to Christina to find the silver lining. Before I could say anything else, she asked me the question I was dreading the most.

  “You don’t think this has anything to do with Boone, do you?”

  I knew it had everything to do with Boone, but how much should she know? I had a split second to decide. “Maybe, Christina. Which is why I think it’s best if you stay out of the area for a bit. Just in case.”

  “Jesus Hazel, what has he gotten himself into?”

  “We’re still trying to figure it all out, but as soon as we do, I promise I’ll let you know. For now, maybe go home to your parents’ place for a bit until this all blows over,” I suggested.

  She sighed heavily on the other end before answering. “Will do,” she said. “I have no desire to go back there alone. Thank God the neighbors heard the window breaking and called the cops, or—”

  She trailed off, but we both knew the outcome had the cops not arrived in time. It was an outcome I didn’t want to think about. Christina was an innocent in all this, and when I finally found Boone, I was going to kick his ass for dragging her into his mess too.

  “Hey, I better go,” Christina said. “My bus is here.”

  “We’ll talk later, okay?” In that moment, all I wanted was to hug my best friend, to tell her how much she meant to me. I wasn’t an overly affectionate person normally, but after what I’d been through, I decided I might change. “And Christina?”

  “Yes?” she asked. I heard people talking in the background as she boarded the bus.

  “Be careful, alright? I love you. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I said.

  “You too,” she said, her voice soft and filled with surprise. “Love you, Hazel. Be careful.”

  When I hung up, it felt like my entire world crumbled underneath me. Christina could have been hurt or worse. On top of everything else, it was too much. I screamed and hurled my phone down on the bed. Anger and fear rushed through my body. I was afraid, not for myself, but for those I loved. For my brother. For Wyatt and Ryder. And for Christina. Hell, I was even worried about Bill. He was an asshole of a cat sometimes, but he was my asshole.

  Both men rushed to me, one on either side. I found myself sandwiched between them, crying my eyes out.

  “Is she alright?” Wyatt inquired softly.

  “Yeah, her and Bill made it out just fine,” I said, wiping my nose on my sleeve.

  “Bill?” Wyatt questioned, raising his eyebrows.

  “My cat,” I said with a small chuckle, amused by the confusion on his face. “Billy the Kid because he’s so mean.”

  “Ahh,” Wyatt said, doing his best to suppress his grin, but I could still see it. Ryder was also grinning at this confession.

  “Why am I not surprised you have a cat named after Billy the Kid?” Ryder asked.

  I didn’t have an answer to that, but it made me laugh harder than I had all evening. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I was losing my mind due to stress and exhaustion, or perhaps it really was that funny.

  “Any news from Boone?” I asked, once the tears stopped falling.

  The guys were still sitting beside me, crowding me on the bed. I felt safer with them there because I knew at least they were alive and well.

  “Not really, but I think I figured out the message,” Wyatt said. “They’re not a code this time, they’re coordinates.”

  “Coordinates?” I raised my brows. “To what?”

  Wyatt pulled out his phone and handed it to me, with a map pulled up and a marker placed right in the middle of Los Angeles.

  “Looks like we’re going to L.A., huh?”

  Neither of the guys answered. They didn’t have to. The answer was obvious.

  * * *

  “What do you even like about this city?” Wyatt a
sked as we drove down Sunset Boulevard.

  Ryder hadn’t said much to me since the night before. Once I’d stopped crying, he went back to being upset with me. Not that I blamed him, but there wasn’t anything I could say that would make it better. I just had to give him time and hope that he eventually accepted my apology.

  I looked out the window at Hollywood, one of the biggest tourist destinations in the United States. People flocked to Hollywood for the glitz and glamor, but truthfully, it was little more than crime, homeless people, and filth. Almost everyone I brought to Hollywood was disappointed that it wasn’t what they expected.

  The City of Angels wasn’t exactly what I expected either. When I’d made the decision to move out there to attend USC, I was just another bright-eyed, naive girl with a dream of making it big. I didn’t really intend to be an actress, I wanted to work behind the scenes - to direct and produce. But after college, I couldn’t really find any jobs that paid in those fields, so I did what I had to. For some women in Hollywood, that meant porn, but for me, I put my athletic prowess and gymnastic skills to work, getting hired for my first job based on luck more than anything else.

  But I’d never stopped and asked myself if I was happy before, or if I’d even liked living in L.A. I just did it.

  “Honestly? Not much,” I replied after a few moments. “Besides the Mexican food, that is.”

  “We have Mexican food in Colorado,” Wyatt said.

  “Not like they do out here. Find yourself a little hole in the wall joint, one that looks like they wouldn’t pass a health inspection, and I promise you’re in for a real treat.”

  Wyatt shook his head, cringing as he adjusted his arm. I hated seeing him in so much pain, but he was doing his best to remain in good spirits.

  “We’re almost there,” Ryder said, his voice low. He stared straight ahead, his hands tight on the steering wheel.

  While I got a couple hours of sleep, and Wyatt might have slept for an hour or so, I wasn’t sure Ryder ever stopped looking out the window. I took one bed, Wyatt took the other, and when I woke up, Ryder was sitting in the chair with a cup of shitty hotel coffee, still making sure we hadn’t been followed.