“Not today, kid. He’s looking for a reaction. Searching for something to hang you up on so he gets his own damn way. Don’t give it to him. If you don’t want to go into protective custody, you don’t have to. We’ll keep an eye on you, just like we planned all along.” Rodie narrowed his eyes in Gage’s direction. “I get that you think we’re nothing but a bunch of hicks and hillbillies, but believe it or not, my entire staff is highly trained and invested in keeping Webb in one piece.”
“This is a federal investigation.” Gage tried to puff his chest up, but the gesture came off as infantile and ridiculous when he was so clearly outmuscled and outmanned by the other two men in the room.
“It’s a federal investigation you screwed up.” I kept my tone even as I addressed the man who was not going to stash me and Webb away in some dark hole while he tried to save face. I was well past stepping out of anyone's way to make their path easier. “We’re aware of the risks involved by staying in Sheridan and using Webb to lure the twin out.”
Rodie rubbed a hand over his chin and pointed a finger at Gage. “Do you have a name for this guy? Can we stop calling him ‘the twin’ or is that against FBI protocol for some reason?” The sarcasm in his tone was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
Gage rose to his feet, realizing he was the only one still sitting. “He has several aliases, but his given name is Weston Jacobs.”
Webb looked over his shoulder in my direction, his blond brows dancing upward. It was a strange coincidence the lost brother also ended up with a name starting with a W.
“Where did he end up after Bernard ditched him?” My heart twisted around itself at the sadness in Webb’s question. The man he’d never met and who had tried to trap him behind bars was still his brother, and part of his heart hurt for him.
Gage gave a slight shrug. “We’re not entirely sure. He was in the system until he was five or so, then he mostly disappeared. There are a few misdemeanor charges under the Jacobs name throughout his early twenties, then nothing. It’s like he went out of his way to drop off the radar. A good move if you’re planning on robbing banks.”
I sighed and rubbed my hand over my forehead. “We think he’s going after the trust funds Bernard set up for the boys when they were little. Robbing banks must have lost some of its appeal.”
Rodie frowned and cocked his head in my direction. “Why try and blackmail Bernard and go after the trust funds if he’s got a stash from the previous robberies? Where did the money go?”
“That’s a good question.” Gage’s interjection was met with angry glares all around.
“Shoulda asked it sooner, Special Agent.” Rodie muttered the words as someone pounded loudly on the outside of the door.
He stepped aside and opened the door to one of Gage’s minions. The agent in the suit cast a worried glance around the obviously tense room, gaze flicking between Webb and Gage nervously. “Sir, there’s been a development. We need to talk to you.”
Gage straightened the tie he’d almost completely loosened and easily slipped back into the role of cocky Agent in Charge. “Did you locate the suspect?”
The new arrival shook his head. “No.”
Gage frowned. “The mother?”
Again the fed’s head shook from side to side. “No, Sir.”
Gage tossed his hands up in the air like a petulant child, and I watched as both Rodie and Webb exchanged amused grins. The gesture made me cringe. I was starting to question my sanity. How had I ever been attracted to someone so ridiculous? I couldn’t believe I used to find him suave and sophisticated. It showed just how much of the world I still needed to get out and experience.
“What kind of development warrants you interrupting my meeting, Agent Gould?” Gage was posturing, trying to reclaim his status as head asshole. But it was apparent to anyone with eyes that he was the low man in the pecking order out of the three men in the room.
“Uh . . .” the clearly anxious agent again looked from Webb and then back to Gage. “It involves Agent Bryant, Sir.”
Instantly, Webb went still for a split second before going on high alert. His head whipped around, and before either Rodie or I could move to block him, he had the other FBI agent against the wall, hands fisted in his boring navy-blue blazer as he demanded, “What about my brother?”
I quickly slipped to his side and worked to pry his hands off the wild-eyed man. I felt the muscles in his arms trembling, and I watched as a muscle ticked furiously in his cheek.
“Webb. Let him go.” He didn’t want to. I could see it in his eyes when he turned his head to look at me, but eventually, his fists uncurled, and he took a step back. He was still breathing heavily, and his eyes were blazing with blue fire, so I purposely put myself between him and the agent. “What’s wrong with Wyatt? The Bryant brothers are very close, so whatever information you’re here to pass along to Agent Gordon, Webb will want to hear, as well. You guys owe him at least that much after screwing up this case so badly from the get-go.” A little well-placed guilt went a long way in getting me what I wanted.
Eventually, Gage heaved a sigh and uttered a reluctant, “Go ahead, Gould. Just tell me what happened.”
The other agent gulped so loudly it echoed through the room. He deliberately slid along the wall so he could put some space between himself and a silently seething Webb.
“We just got word from the unit director at the DEA. Agent Bryant was supposed to start building his cover for a new assignment today.”
Gage tapped the toe of his shoe impatiently. “And?”
The other agent fidgeted nervously with his phone and shifted, so he was looking at Webb instead of his boss. “His cover was blown. Someone at the agency let his location slip to Bryant’s former partner. Bryant’s old partner called in with an emergency status, stating Bryant’s brother had reached out and needed to verify his location ASAP. He realized something was off and alerted us to the situation right away. Unfortunately, before we could contact him, Agent Bryant was shot multiple times by the informant he was supposed to meet. He’s in critical condition in a hospital down in San Antonio right now.”
The entire room went dead silent. All eyes turned to Webb waiting for the inevitable explosion. I could hear his breathing turn labored and harsh. I could feel the way his big body was almost vibrating next to mine.
Of course, it was exactly then when Gage finally decided to do his job and ask the right questions. “How would Jacobs know to contact Bryant’s former partner? I highly doubt a former agent would put your brother at risk by giving classified information to anyone, even you.”
I grabbed Webb as he suddenly sagged against me. I wrapped my arms around his chest to keep him upright and felt the way his heart was pounding furiously under my palms.
“My mother. She’s the only one who could’ve told Jacobs about Grady. We have a deal. Wyatt always lets Grady know where his assignment is taking place and if either of us has an emergency, Grady is the go-between.” That was strictly against department protocol, but after Wyatt disappeared in the Wyoming woods on his last deep cover assignment, it didn’t surprise me they’d come up with a backdoor system to let each other know they were safe. It was also the failsafe so Webb didn’t go off half-cocked trying to track down his brother when he was forced to drop off the radar. If Grady said Wyatt was okay, then Webb believed him. As for telling Jolene anything about Wyatt’s comings and goings, Webb couldn’t let go of the idea his mother might one day care about her son’s well-being. He’d given her Grady’s info to use just in case, and now he was regretting the misplaced faith he had in the woman who ruined him with every fiber of his being.
His eyes fluttered closed, and I felt his heart break apart under my hands. I swore to myself I was going to do whatever it took to hold the pieces together for him.
Webb
“You can’t go to San Antonio. I know everything inside of you is screaming at you to get to Wyatt’s side, but you can’t go, Webb.”
Ten�
�s voice was calm, her eyes sympathetic. I still wanted to dart around her and run for the door.
She’d taken me back to the hotel while I was still in a daze hearing my brother was injured and clinging to life so far away from me. When he enlisted, my worst fear was that he would get killed in a place I couldn’t access. My fear lessened slightly when he joined the DEA, but it was still there. That fear was what had spurred me into action when Wyatt went missing in Wyoming during the case that brought me into Ten’s life. Now my worst fear had come to light, and I was having a hard time listening to anything besides the shriek of panic in my head.
“He means everything to me.” Normally I’d be embarrassed that my voice cracked, but there was no place to hide from the raw emotion eating me alive on the inside.
“And you mean the world to me. I can’t watch you run, be led blindly around by your nose. This guy has it in for you, Webb. Sure, injuring Wyatt helps him get a step closer to the money, but it also serves the greater purpose of making you suffer. He’s targeting your weakest points.” Her tone indicated she was frustrated and tired of the conversation. We were headed down a one-way road, and we both knew we were about to crash into a dead end. The impact was going to hurt like a son of a bitch.
I was pacing back and forth in front of the bed, hands pulling at my hair as I tried to control my breathing. Every instinct I had was telling me to run. Not only so I could get to my brother’s side, but so I could also remove the danger I’d brought directly into Ten’s life. Agent Gordon's warning was blaring in my mind behind the fear for my brother. As long I kept Ten close, she was a target. I’d done that to her, and even if she knew the risks and was trained to handle the threat, it made me feel like shit. I was pretty sure I was irrevocably in love with her. But could I really claim that if I was putting her life in danger by selfishly keeping her close because she was the only unwavering ally I had?
“If he dies and I’m not there,” I shook my head uselessly. “That isn’t something I’ll ever come back from, Ten. Wyatt gave up everything for me, sacrificed his entire life. I should be able to put mine on the line when he needs me most.” And wasn’t that what it all really came down to in the end? Wyatt had always been there for me, no matter what. I needed to be able to say the same.
Suddenly, Ten was standing directly in front of me, causing my jerky pacing to stop. Her hands grabbed either side of my face and held me in place until I met her gaze. “Wyatt isn’t going to die. He’s not going down without a fight. He deserves to see the man who did this to him punished, and he deserves the chance to finally close the door on Jolene.”
My mother. She was another open wound I was steadily bleeding out from. One which was poisoned and had festered for a long time. I’d done my best to protect the rest of the world from Jolene, but she’d done her very best to take everything that mattered to me away. If Wyatt died because of her . . . I hated the dark places my mind went to at the end of that sentence. I hated Jolene, but I’d never wished harm upon her, aside from wanting her to suffer in the same ways she’d hurt Wyatt and me. At the moment, I was certain if my brother didn’t make it through this, then neither would she. And those tormented, twisted thoughts had me feeling like the worst brother and son who had ever walked the Earth.
“I hope to God Jacobs did something horrible to her to make her give up Grady’s name.” The words felt like they were ripped from my chest. The only reason I’d given Jolene a way to contact Wyatt when he was deep undercover was because I was worried about something happening to me, and my brother not knowing about it while he was working. Jolene wasn’t a great choice as an emergency contact, but she was the only option I had before coming to Wyoming. I should’ve changed it to one of the Warner’s as soon as I moved to the ranch, but hindsight was always 20/20. Wyatt was going to kick my ass when he woke up and found out Jolene was the one who sold him out. He was going to wake up, I refused to believe otherwise.
Helplessness and hopelessness, I couldn’t shake either feeling away.
I was stupid to think Jolene would ever use any information she had on either of us in the way it was intended. I was ultimately the reason Wyatt was lying in a hospital right now, full of holes, and I knew there was no way I could face myself if the same thing happened to the woman standing in front of me.
As gently as I could, I pulled Ten’s hands away from my face. I took a step backward and watched her sharp gaze follow my every move like a hawk. We hadn’t been together all that long, but she was smart, and she always seemed to know me better than most of the people who filtered in and out of my life. Yes, I needed to be with my brother, but I was also scared. Everything was falling down around me, and she had to know I couldn’t stand by and watch her be crushed under the weight of the rubble.
Ten crossed her arms over her chest and tapped the toe of her cowboy boot impatiently on the floor. Her blonde eyebrows pulled together in an angry V over her eyes, and her mouth flattened into a hard line.
I pushed out a breath and dragged a hand over my face. “You can’t guarantee Wyatt will pull through. No one can. It’s my fault he was ever at risk in the first place. I never should’ve trusted Jolene with something as important as a way to contact him when he was going undercover. I know where I need to be.” As far away from Ten as I could get, before my twin brother tried to take her out and strip me of every person I had allowed myself to love.
Ten shook her head, and her whole body stiffened. “You want to be there. You need to be here so we can stop Jacobs from hurting more people. You know he’s expecting you to run to Wyatt’s side. He knows you’re going to be distracted and focused on your brother, not your safety. He’s setting you up again, and you’re going to let him? I get that you’re caught between a serious rock and a hard place, but you need to use your head right now, not your heart. You need to stay here, Webb.” She sighed. “We came back to Wyoming to have the home-field advantage. You’re throwing it all away and asking me to watch you purposely waltz into the fire, unprotected and alone.”
The words, “I need you to stay here with me,” had gone unsaid, but I could hear it loud and clear. It was like my heart was being pulled apart. Half of it was in Ten’s hands, the other half was in San Antonio with my brother.
“I told myself I could stay for you. I wanted to be the guy who never let you down, Ten.” I let my head drop. “He’s my only family.” He wasn’t the only person on the planet I loved anymore, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I had to be there for Wyatt, even though I could see Ten pleading with me to be here by her side to finish things with my twin. “I’m sorry.”
She shook her head again and let her arms fall to her side. “I wouldn’t ask you to stay if I didn’t think it was for the best. The FBI wants you in protective custody. They’ve launched a full-on manhunt for your twin. This is serious. The danger is very real. I know your head is all over the place right now, but if you run, if you go, it isn’t something you can undo. Wyatt would not want you reacting instead of thinking things through. Plus, I will always remember you walking out the door when I begged you not to. I will never forget that you didn’t trust me enough to keep us both safe. You’re not giving me a chance to prove to you I could be part of your family, and you’re not behaving like you want to be part of mine.”
Her words sliced through me like a blade, adding to the injuries my heart was already suffering. I was nothing like her asshole ex. I knew she was fully capable. I was the one who was going to come up lacking, no matter how hard I tried to be enough.
“I believe you can keep yourself safe. I’m not so sure safety and security are things I’m meant for. Maybe this is all supposed to come full circle. I did some really ugly things in the past, and facing off with Jacobs is literally coming face-to-face with all the worst parts of myself. I could’ve ended up just like him, Ten. I was really close.” So close the line is pretty blurry. “I’ve worked harder to be here with you than I’ve ever worked at anything in my life. You have to
know walking away will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”
I heard her breath hitch, and her long, bronze eyelashes fluttered as she rapidly blinked her eyes. The glittering green turned bright and luminescent as moisture glazed the surface and slowly started to roll down her cheeks. She lifted an angry hand and swiped at the tears like they had betrayed her, which I guess they had. I was stepping on all her soft spots. I was squeezing her huge heart in my hands after I promised her over and over again I would take care of it.
“You can come with me.” If Wyatt didn’t pull through, I was going to have no one to lean on. If my brother died, I was going to spiral out of control and come untethered from the few things in this life that kept me grounded. “I want you to come with me.” The last words were barely a whisper. We both knew she wasn’t going anywhere. She put everything on the line when she asked me to stay. I dropped everything we’d been building when I told her I had to go.
Ten blinked her eyes. It was her turn to take a step back. “I know you want me to go with you, and if the situation were different, I would. But I can’t. I’m not going to run off with you, not knowing when we would be back. I’m not standing idly by while the man I might love makes rash, emotional choices. Been there and done that. We know how that all worked out.”
It didn’t. We were facing what would be the end of us. We both knew it. I had to go, she felt like I should stay. We were never going to agree and she was to scared to lose someone else, she couldn’t see she was the one making hasty, emotions choices which could destroy us.
“We should stick together. That was the plan all along.” Ten’s breath caught again, and she swiped a hand across her eyes in a furious gesture. I was going to be another man in her life who made her stand on her own. I was proving no better at taking care of her heart than Cyrus or the jerk FBI agent had been. She deserved better than all of us.
She said she might love me, which meant she did. And I was going to be stupid enough to walk away from the only thing I’d really wanted in a long-ass time? “I can promise to come back for you.” I tried to sound confident, but even I could hear the lie in my voice. If Wyatt died, if my brother was taken from me, I had no clue what I was going to do or where I would end up. I did know I wouldn’t be the kind of man Ten could love anymore. There would be absolutely nothing good left inside of me when grief was finished hollowing me out, and she deserved more than an empty shell of a man.
Runaround (Getaway Series Book 4) Page 19
