Wyatt's Stand (Colebrook Siblings Trilogy Book 2) (12 page)

Flustered? He frowned. “I’m not flustered.”

“Sure.” Her grin widened. “Are you driving?”

Sure as hell didn’t feel like it at the moment. “Uh, yeah.”

“I’ll be down in two minutes.” Shooting him a mysterious smile that made him want to follow her inside and press that luscious body against the wall so he could feel her as he kissed her breathless, she shut the door in his face.

He’d barely pivoted on his heel when his cell dinged with an incoming text from another number he didn’t recognize.

What are you most afraid of?

His pulse skipped. The asshole was back.

Another ding.
I’m going to take away the thing you love.

All right, who the fuck was this? Frustration pulsed through him as he tightened his grip on the phone.

That red dress is so sexy on her. Your girl is hot. I think I’d like to feel her from the inside out.

Wyatt’s blood chilled. His head snapped up, his gaze automatically scanning the parking lot and surrounding area. Whoever sent the texts had seen them just now.

He didn’t see anyone. This being a parking lot, there were plenty of places for someone to hide.
Dammit
.

He scowled.
Fuck you, asshole
. He dialed Charlie as he stalked toward his truck, keeping an eye on Austen’s door just in case.

“Hey, you,” his sister answered. “How are things?”

“My psycho stalker just upped his game,” he answered. “He was watching me as of a few minutes ago.”

Charlie sucked in a sharp breath. “Did you see him?”

“No, but he saw me and the woman I was just talking with. He mentioned the color of her dress to let me know.” Now he was worried about her.

“What the hell? Who would be playing with you like that?”

“Not a freaking clue. Can you help?”

“Sure, send me screenshots of the texts and the number they came from. I’ll have my guys run the number when they get a chance. Might not be for a few hours.” She paused. “I hate to be a downer, but you know it’s probably another disposable phone, right?”

“Yeah,” he ground out, checking around him again. If he got lucky, the guy had paid for it by credit card and Charlie would be able to trace it. God, it pissed him off that anyone would threaten him, but even more that someone would threaten Austen. He shouldn’t have to watch his back here at home, where he was supposed to be safe again, and neither should she. “Call me if you find out anything, okay?” Austen was just coming down the stairs, looking delectable in that sexy red dress.

“I will. Be careful.”

“Roger that. Bye, Charles.” Tucking his phone away, he slid out to give Austen a smile as he opened her door for her.

The restaurant Wyatt chose was beautiful, in an old heritage house set right on the river. Austen eyed him over the top of her wineglass as he perused his menu. He might not want to call this a date, but it sure as hell felt like one to her. A cozy table for two at the back of the restaurant next to the window, candlelight, wine. Romantic.

He glanced up from his menu, those gorgeous hazel eyes connecting with hers. “See anything you like?”

Oh yeah, several things, only they weren’t on the menu. “Food looks great.”

He set his menu down. “We can go someplace else if you’d rather.” He glanced around once before looking back at her. “I thought you’d like it.”

She knew he was uncomfortable enough going out in public, let alone to a new place. He seemed a little stiff, even for him, and she wondered if it was because it made him uncomfortable for strangers to see his scars. It hadn’t escaped her notice that he’d seated himself with the scarred side of his face toward the window, where no one could see it.

“Would you rather go somewhere else instead?” she asked.

“No, it’s fine. But I should have warned you that by morning rumors will have spread all over town that we were here together.”

She shrugged. “I don’t care what people say. I’m done with worrying about what others think of me and my decisions.”

He looked down at the candle burning between them. “Sorry, I’m not great about being out in public. I hate the stares and the whispers. Makes me feel like a freak of nature.”

She hadn’t thought he’d be that self-conscious—he seemed so confident and alpha all the time, it hadn’t even occurred to her, and now she felt bad for putting him in this position. She glanced around them, spotted a couple people looking at him. “We could order something to go then take a drive and eat in your truck.”

“No, it’s okay.” He was clearly making an effort for her sake and while she appreciated it, she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. “Just glad they don’t bother you.”

“Honestly I don’t even notice them anymore.”

He met her gaze, his eyes assessing, then glanced away.

She toyed with the stem of her wineglass. “How did it happen?” she asked softly.

He stilled, his jaw clenching, and just when she was sure he wouldn’t answer, he spoke. “On patrol in Afghanistan. We got into a tight spot.”

She waited, not saying anything.

“I was leading my squad and we walked into an ambush. When the shooting started, I missed an IED alert.”

“Raider.”

He nodded. “She was trained to alert me to explosives by sitting. I had her leash attached to my belt but with everything going on my attention was divided. By the time I realized what she was trying to tell me, it was too late.”

Part of her felt like she should change the subject, but another part was worried that if she tried, he’d feel like she was trivializing or brushing off what had happened. “But they got you out.”

“Yeah.” He leaned back in his chair. “I was pretty out of it. I lost consciousness on the flight back to Kandahar. My next clear memory is waking up in Germany with my brother, Brody, standing next to my bed.”

“I’m glad he was there for you.”

“They all were. My dad, Easton, and my sister, Charlie, were all waiting for me when I landed in D.C. One of them stayed with me every single day through those first three months.” A smile tugged at his mouth. “No matter how much of a pain in the ass I was or how hard I pushed them away, they always stayed.” His eyes held a faraway look. “I’ll never forget that.”

After a moment his eyes cleared and he focused on her. “That’s partly why I was such an asshole to you the day we met.”

“Oh?”

“I’d just come from a…family situation and I was still pretty upset. I’d barely walked in the door when Piper called to tell me you’d bought the house.”

She winced. “Wow. Sorry.” Though she was curious about what he meant by “family situation”, she decided it was best not to ask.

“I’m not making excuses for the way I acted. Just wanted to explain. You close to your family?”

“Just my mom, although I don’t see her as much as I’d like. My dad left us when I was just a baby and she remarried when I was in my teens. She lives in Mississippi with my stepdad, who’s not my favorite person, but at least he treats her well.” She sipped her wine. “I’m still close with John’s sister and parents. They live up in Philly and I talk to them a few times a week. They hate that I moved away, but I just really needed the space to start fresh.”

He nodded. “I can understand that.”

“What’s the deal with you and Piper, anyway?”

He blinked at her. “What do you mean?”

“I can tell you’re pretty close, and she obviously cares about you a lot. And then the other night Greg said…”

His expression hardened. “Greg is a lying, manipulative bastard, and on top of that he’s a drunk and a cokehead. Don’t listen to a thing he says.”

“So why did he think she’s still hung up on you?”

He shrugged. “He’s looking for excuses so he doesn’t have to face the guy in the mirror and admit why she walked out. Piper and I are old friends, and that’s it. We dated after senior prom for a couple weeks, and we broke up when I left for boot camp. But my family loves her, and as far as we’re concerned, she’s one of us. Anyone messes with her, they mess with all of us.”

Austen smiled, loving the show of protectiveness. “So she’s got three badass former Marine brothers to watch her back.”

“Four, including my dad,” he said with a smile. “But seriously, there’s nothing going on between us.”

Okay, that made her feel a lot better.

“Wyatt.”

They both turned in their seats as Scott wove his way between the tables toward them. A tiny prick of alarm jumped inside her. This place was a ways out of town. Had he followed them here?

“Hey.” Wyatt stood and shook his hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I was driving past and saw your truck out front. You not coming to the range tonight?”

“No, I’ve got plans.” He smiled at her.

Scott’s gaze shifted to her and something in his eyes that she couldn’t put a finger on sent a thread of unease down her spine. Then he nodded at her in polite acknowledgment before he looked back at Wyatt, and the feeling disappeared. “Oh. That’s too bad, the guys and I were looking forward to putting some rounds downrange with you.”

“Next time.”

An awkward beat of silence passed between them, then Scott put on a smile. “Okay. Well, have a good night.” His gaze slid to her for a moment before he walked away.

Austen held off on asking Wyatt about Scott’s story because the server arrived with their meals. They ate and talked some more, getting to know each other better. He liked military thrillers and country music, while she preferred romantic comedies and pop songs. He loved to ride horses and shoot, and she liked to fish and play basketball.

“You like to fish?” Wyatt asked, staring at her in astonishment.

“Love it. I’m pretty good at it too.”

He settled back into his seat. “Huh. Maybe we can go fishing together sometime.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind me coming home with all the big ones.”

He grinned, and it completely transformed the harsh planes of his face. Her heart fluttered, the slow burn of arousal firing her blood.

“Was it hard, being a firefighter?” he asked after the server cleared their plates.

“Sometimes. Any calls involving kids were the hardest. Some of the accidents we responded to really stayed with me. And when you just knew the outcome wasn’t going to be good…yeah, that was tough.”

He nodded, and she knew he understood because he’d been in combat. Not the same thing, but similar in some ways. “You want dessert?”

Oh, man, do I. In the form of a six-foot-plus, gruff and sexy man sitting across from me
. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

He paid the bill and walked her to his truck, opened and shut her door for her before climbing behind the wheel.

“What’s the deal with Scott, anyway?” she finally asked as he drove.

“He suffered a TBI in Afghanistan about eighteen months ago. Why?”

“I dunno. Sometimes he and Eddie—well, more Eddie—make me a little uncomfortable.”

Wyatt shot her a frown, a subtle tension taking root in his posture. “Why, have either of them done or said something to you?”

“No. Just a feeling I get.” She waved a hand. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

“You should have told me. I’ll talk to them both.”

“No, don’t.” That wouldn’t make things better; she just wanted to let him know about her intuition. “I’ll let you know if anything bothers me going forward.”

He eyed her, raised an eyebrow. “Promise? Because I’ll handle it if it does.”

“Promise.”

Wyatt was quiet for a long moment. “They’re decent guys who’ve been through a lot. Both of them lost their battle buddies over there, along with other friends. All the guys on the crew had a tough time after coming home, can’t seem to fit back into society anymore.” He grunted. “I hire them because I know exactly what that feels like.”

She looked over at him, admiring the strong lines of his profile. “You seem to have adjusted really well, all things considered.”

He made a face. “I’m better than I was, but I’ll never be the same. That’s the hardest part, other than the people we lose when we go to war. Knowing you don’t belong anymore when you come back home.”

“Because of survivor’s guilt?”

He nodded once. “Partly. More like you don’t have anything in common with anyone all of a sudden. Like, we’ve been overseas fighting for our lives and losing people and people here are more concerned about what’s going on in reality TV.”

Now it was her turn to make a face. “Yeah, that would be hard. And insulting.”

He grunted in agreement. “I’ll keep my eye on the guys, but seriously, if anything comes up, just tell me and I’ll handle it.”

His tone made it clear he was willing to pull them off the job if she wanted. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “I will. Thanks.”

He cleared this throat, shifted in his seat. “There’s…something else I need to tell you.”

At his grim tone, she looked sharply at him. “What’s that?”

“I’ve been getting these weird texts over the past couple days. I don’t know who’s sending them.”

This didn’t sound promising. “What kind of texts?”

“Threats.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “For real?”

He nodded once, appearing uncomfortable. “My sister is an analyst with the DEA. She’s tracing the numbers the calls have come from, but so far she can’t find anything to ID the person. And then tonight, before we left the motel, I got another one. It mentioned you.”

Cold spread through her gut. “What did it say?”

“It mentioned your red dress. Whoever it was saw us.”

She shook her head as she leaned back against the leather seat. “You should have told me.”

“I…yeah. I should have.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

Pulling in a slow breath, she ordered herself to stay calm. “Anything else?”

He seemed to hesitate a moment before replying, and she knew he was withholding something from her. “He just wanted me to know he saw us together.”

Yeah, and that bothered her. “What does he want?” Assuming it was a he.

“To piss me off, or maybe scare me. Not sure.”