Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138588 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 693(@200wpm)___ 554(@250wpm)___ 462(@300wpm)
Okay, Henry was scary as shit when he wanted to be. He was glad he wasn’t Van because he probably would give that kid a ham sandwich.
But something Henry had said finally sank in. “What do you mean save Sabrina? Sabrina’s already safe. Sawyer would have made sure of it. Why would someone need to save Sabrina?”
Henry sighed. “Because when she went in to gather her things, apparently she got a call or a text from your brother and it scared her enough she took off without asking Sawyer’s opinion. The good news? Your brother has no idea Elisa and I were even there, so we’ve got the element of surprise on our side.”
Panic threatened to overtake him. The only fucking reason he’d been calm at all had been the fact that he knew Sabrina and Sawyer were safe. If Sabrina was here… “Tell me he stayed behind. Tell me he’s waiting for Nate.”
Henry stepped over the mop bucket. “Of course he didn’t. Wayne asked him to turn himself in and he did. He’s out there watching over Sabrina and waiting for us to make a move.”
A move? A move could cost Sabrina her life. It could cost her everything, and it would be all Wyatt’s fault.
“Hey, calm down.” Henry’s tone was low and soothing, sounding more like the man who normally wore Birkenstocks and sold his zucchini bread at the weekend market in town. “They are fine right now, and we’re going to ensure they stay fine. Sabrina came because she couldn’t stand the thought of being the reason you died. Sawyer came because he loves you both, though he’ll never say it. So let him believe he came down and offered to sacrifice himself because he thought it was rude he would get left out of the torture. The point is, they need you calm and rational.”
How the fuck was he supposed to…
Breathe.
It was the first thing Alexei Markov had taught him.
Breath is essential. It’s a safe space for us to go to when the world overwhelms us. Breathing recenters our focus. Allows us to calm the central nervous system.
Four seconds in. Hold for six. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Exhale for eight.
And again.
“Good. Keep it up,” Henry whispered. “But I’m going to need you on the floor like you’re still passed out. Someone’s coming. We’re out of time. Please stay calm, Wyatt.”
He didn’t want to. He wanted to let the psychotic asshole who lived inside him out so he didn’t have to deal with this. The psycho didn’t care about anything but his own survival.
Except the psycho loved Sabrina, too. The psycho was fighting because she needed him.
He dropped to his knees. Breathing. One. Two. Three. Four. Hold. The part of himself that fought and fought had been essential when he’d been alone. When he was the only one fighting, the piece of himself that wanted so badly to survive came out to protect him. He wasn’t some enemy to fight. He was part of Wyatt, and the piece of himself had figured out he wasn’t alone anymore and he had to be the best partner he could be.
Exhale for eight.
He heard the door open, and the light got flipped on. When the door opened the music blasted through the small space, and he could hear the raucous party. His brother thought he could get away with all of this because no one would come for him. Because in his brother’s mind he was useless and weak, and so were all the people in the town down below the mountain. They wouldn’t care what went on up here because Wayne never once gave a shit about his neighbors. He was treating Bliss like it was a Horde world and everyone lived in it.
Wyatt had learned the citizens of Bliss made their own rules.
Another breath and he let his whole body go limp. He was vulnerable but it was okay because he trusted Henry Flanders and his apparently deadly hands. Shit. He was putting his and Sabrina’s and Sawyer’s lives into the hands of a man who spent most of his time with a baby strapped to his chest. And sometimes he wore socks with the Birkenstocks. Breathe.
“Hey, Bru, it’s time to bring the…”
He heard a snap and then a big body fell to the floor beside him. Wyatt flipped over in time to miss his brother’s now dead enforcer falling on him. But that asshole hadn’t come alone. Wyatt got a great view of Murphy standing in front of Henry Flanders.
“You’re not Brutus,” Murphy said, a sneer on his face. He pointed a gun Henry’s way. “Who the fuck are you?”
Henry didn’t reply, merely knocked the gun to the side and brought the heel of his palm up, striking Murphy’s nose. Another crunch sounded through the space and then Murphy too slid to the floor, his eyes glazing over.