One month later
Three o’clock in the morning and Fletch sat watching his brother’s chest rise and fall. Elias was asleep on the rollaway bed the nurse had brought in, but Fletch couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, the nightmares would come, and he’d be back in that desert, turning the sand red with his blood.
The doctors had cleared Kyle to travel now that his most recent surgery was well on the way to healing. Elias was down for the weekend, having returned to work in Marshall after being informed that Fletch’s brother’s hospital stay would be over a month long with numerous surgeries scheduled. They’d rebuilt Kyle’s legs with metal rods, plates, and screws without a guarantee he’d ever walk again.
Fletch didn’t begrudge his lover for leaving. Elias was the sheriff. He had responsibilities, and Kyle was safe. They still hadn’t been able to track down his father, but the bastard was running out of places to hide. Officers had all ports of entry and exit closed. The highways were patrolled by the local police, and the FBI were involved in the manhunt. Being so close to the Canadian border, he couldn’t rule out Charles could’ve made it to British Columbia before they realized he was missing. They’d checked his passport to no avail, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a fake. The RCMP was working in unison with the FBI on that possibility.
The longer it took to find him, the more stress he could feel coming from his brother. The evil man who’d sired them had been responsible for a lot of the physical and emotional abuse Kyle had suffered as they tried to get the location of the safe out of him. The man and woman found in the living room were local thugs hired to keep him hidden.
Charles hadn’t informed the cartel there’d been a security breach, knowing he and Elizabeth would be held accountable since it was their son who’d gotten the goods on everyone. They’d planned to get the information out of Kyle and make it, and him, disappear before the powers that be found out. No harm, no foul. Except they hadn’t counted on Fletch and his team, or his brother’s determination to do what was right.
Kyle’s assistant, the man who’d reported him missing, had been found in a dumpster over on Emerson and Thirty-fourth street. The prime suspect in the murder was Detective Roserio, the original officer assigned to the case.
It was refreshing to see Police Chief Roady acting like a dog with a bone. A vicious dog at that. If there was one thing the man couldn’t stand, it was dirty police officers and judges. According to the chief, they’d broken their oath to protect the weak and innocent and deserved whatever they got. Fletch definitely liked the guy.
Unfortunately, Kyle had taken full responsibility for his assistant’s death. He believed his friend would still be alive if it weren’t for his mistake.
That mistake was trusting his parents to do the right thing when Kyle had given them a chance. If he hadn’t done that, he would have never gone missing, and his assistant would still be alive. The news had caused a setback in his healing as Kyle’s depression worsened.
Fletch didn’t know what to do as his brother dove deeper into guilt. No matter what he said, Kyle wouldn’t listen, and Fletch was beginning to worry.
“If you keep staring at me, I’m going to get a complex or some shit.” Kyle’s sleep-roughened voice brought Fletch out of his thoughts.
“We wouldn’t want that,” Fletch joked, hoping to bring a smile to his brother’s face. When he did in fact smile, Fletch felt ten feet tall.
“What time is it?”
“A little past three.”
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” Kyle asked, looking over at the spare bed. “Your man is here. You should be with him.”
“I’ll try when I get tired.”
“Bullshit. Why aren’t you sleeping?” Kyle called him out.
“I have plenty of demons waiting for dreamland,” Fletch admitted. “They’ll get their piece of flesh eventually.”
“Your nightmares have come back?” Kyle asked, looking concerned.
“Do they ever really go away?” Or did they lie in wait?
“I guess not. You should talk to someone about them,” Kyle, of all people, said.
“Sure, as soon as you do.”
“I’m not ready for that, bro,” Kyle said as he shook his head. “I can’t relive it now.”
Fletch could understand that. “Promise me when you are ready, you’ll go. Therapists can truly make a difference. I’ve seen it with teammates.”
“Maybe you should listen to your own advice. As for me, I can’t even think about that right now.”
“Understood. Let’s leave that be for now. How are you feeling?” Fletch asked, hoping for any improvement.
Kyle took a moment to analyze his body. “Not so bad. Now that the infection is gone, I’m beginning to feel much better.”
“Good. We’ll be heading back to Marshall soon. The doctors have said you’re able to travel.” Fletch couldn’t wait to break his brother out of the hospital and take him home to relax and heal. Julia had been preparing Kyle’s new bedroom at the lake house.
Kyle’s eyes darkened. “Do you think that’s a good idea? They could come looking for me, and Charles is still out there. I could be putting your friends in danger this time.”
“Don’t worry about us.” He grinned. “Ah, we know how to defend ourselves.” Kyle shook his head. “All I want you to do is concentrate on healing.”
Kyle nodded as he looked away. “I was an idiot,” he groaned. “I should’ve known better.”
It was a quick change in subject but Fletch could roll with it. “No. You aren’t an idiot. You’re a good person and couldn’t imagine any of this happening.”
“In my mind, I couldn’t help but think they were being forced to participate because of Dad’s gambling addiction. Instead, they were as dirty as the others. They didn’t give a shit about me or those women being trafficked across the country.”
“They’re sociopaths. They’re only concerned about themselves and are willing to destroy anyone for their personal gain. Hell, he even turned on his partner in crime, our mother, and left her for the police to find. Nothing you could’ve done would’ve changed that.”
“What’s going to happen to the women? Will they be sent back to Mexico?” By the tone of Kyle’s voice, he wasn’t keen on that idea.
“Spence is working on that. We have a couple of ideas, but we haven’t received confirmation yet. I’ll let you know as soon as we get word.”
Kyle smiled and said, “Is there anything your team can’t do?”
“I’ll let you know when I come across something,” Fletch teased.
His brother chuckled, and his eyes began closing. Kyle needed a lot of rest to heal, but he was fighting it.
“Go back to sleep, man. It’s early. It’ll be hours before sunrise.”
“Only if you go lie down with Elias and do the same.”
He loved his brother. So much. “Okay, okay.” He raised his hands in defeat before standing.
Fletch leaned down and kissed his younger brother on the top of his head. Kyle’s eyes were already closed as he walked the few steps over to the rollaway bed. He slipped off his boots, pulled back the covers, and slid in beside his man, who immediately wrapped his arms around Fletch and pulled him close.
“Good night, big brother.”
“Good night, Kyle.”
***
Elias looked at the clock on the wall for at least the tenth time. Where the hell were they? Fletch, Kyle, and the team were due back over thirty minutes ago. He, Julia, and Roman waited on the porch for their return home, and his excitement was palpable. He hadn’t seen Fletch in a week and a half. He needed his man in his arms to feel whole.
During that time, he’d made sure to get the word out that the community were to contact him if anyone saw a stranger in the area. They couldn’t be too careful. Along that same line, Frank Edwards was still on the loose, and his disappearance was driving Elias nuts. It’d been months since the incident at Clancy’s bar, and there was still no sign of him. They’d searched barns, warehouses, vacant homes, forests, and the lakes across the county, and still nothing. Someone had to be hiding him, but they didn’t know who since they’d cleared his family and friends. Elias wouldn’t stop looking until Edwards was found.
Turning his mind back to his man’s arrival, he had to hand it to Julia, who’d made up Kyle’s room. She’d put him on the ground floor, making it easier for him to get around in his wheelchair and walker. Elias had built a ramp up to the porch so he could enter the lake house through the garden doors. They were wider than the kitchen door and would be easier to manage. In the bathroom, he’d installed handrails near the toilet and had put in a new roll-in shower.
Elias and Julia had tried to prepare as much as they could before Kyle arrived. Once they saw how he navigated in the house, they could change and add things as necessary. Elias hoped Kyle could find some peace here on Fire Lake. Fletch had reported his brother’s depression had worsened, and he was past being concerned.
“What is taking them so long?” Julia asked while looking at her watch. “Their welcome home dinner is going to dry out in the oven if they don’t get here soon.”
“I’m sure it would still be tasty,” Roman said, and Elias had to agree. Whenever Julia treated them to her home cooking, there was nothing left behind.
“Thank you, Roman. My mom was an excellent cook.”
“Well, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” Elias said. Her fried chicken was second to none. He couldn’t help but smile when he noticed Julia’s cheeks flush from their compliments.
He remembered smiling wide when he’d locked up Jake, Julia’s former boss, for all the illegal shit he’d done. He’d been after the asshole for over a year. Whenever Elias thought he’d had him, Jake’s wealthy family bailed him out. Not the last time, though. Maybe they’d grown tired of his shit, or it could have been the police summary when it came to sentencing recommendations.
After finding out he’d tried to force Julia to prostitute herself so he could get in with the owner and buy Brick’s property, Elias had been out for blood. This time when Jake’s family came sniffing around, he was sure to mention that the news outlets were only an email away. He was done playing nice, and they had their family name to protect.
In the distance, he could hear vehicles heading in their direction. Sure enough, Fletch’s and Brick’s trucks slowed as they neared the long driveway before pulling in. Julia was jumping with excitement as they went to meet everyone.
Fletch’s smiling face greeted him as he went to the driver’s side door and pulled his man into his arms the moment he stepped outside. The feel of Fletch’s arms holding him tight was exactly what he needed, and by the way Fletch had buried his face into Elias’s neck, obviously, he needed comfort as well.
“I’m so happy to be home,” Fletch said before raising his lips to Elias’s for a kiss. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Elias said as soon as their lips parted. “How’s Kyle today?”
They turned to look at the other side of the vehicle as Shaw lifted Kyle out of the passenger seat before carrying him to the lake house. Elias had noted Shaw was never far away from Kyle, no matter where they were.
“He’s exhausted. The trip took a lot out of him.”
“Thanks to Julia, his bedroom is ready. She has mad shopping skills, and an eye for comfort. From now on, it’s all about rest.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard. Maybe his mood might lift,” Fletch said. “Let’s go get him settled.”
They followed the rest of the team into the house and Fletch froze when he saw the new ramp. “Did you do that?”
“Yeah. I thought it could be useful when your brother wants to come outside under his own steam.”
“Thanks,” Fletch said before gifting him with the smile Elias had been missing. “It’s perfect, just like you.”
Elias couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m so far away from perfect it isn’t funny.”
“Well, you’re perfect to me.”
“That’s all that matters.” And it truly was.
Once they stepped into the house, Fletch went to Kyle’s bedroom to help his brother. The other team members were busy taking their bags to their rooms while Brick reviewed the pile of mail sitting on his desk.
It would take more than a couple of days for everyone to settle in after being away for two months. It was great seeing the old place coming alive again as the rooms filled.
Great-Aunt Sophia, the original owner and Brick’s relative, would be proud to have this group here. Before her death, Elias had become friends with Sophia and she’d left an indelible mark on him, as had been the case for many folks in the area. Her spirit and empathy touched more people than she knew.
“Elias, will you give me a hand getting dinner on the table?” Roman asked as he and Julia zigzagged around the kitchen.
“On my way,” he said, and in this moment, all was good and right in the world.