Wyatt: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 5) Read online

  Luca nodded. “With the exception of Sage and her brother, he hasn’t come after our families yet. Let’s hope he doesn’t start now.”

  The man would want the Portland drugs back sooner rather than later. Wyatt just wasn’t sure how he planned to obtain them.

  Holstering their weapons, they both began heading back to the house. “Let’s also hope Eagle hasn’t practiced his shots lately.”

  Wyatt laughed. It was a nervous sound. “You think he’ll kill me?”

  “Probably depends on what your intentions are with his sister.”

  His intentions were to spend every spare moment he had with the woman. To be with her for as long as she’d have him and hope like hell it was forever.

  “I’m in it for the long haul.”

  Luca clamped a hand on his shoulder. “I know you are. That look you get when you talk about her reminds me of myself when I think about Evie. You’ve fallen for Quinn. So maybe Eagle will spare you.”

  Or maybe he’d murder Wyatt with his bare hands. Who knew?

  Just as they stepped out of the woods, Wyatt’s phone rang from his pocket.

  His brows drew together when he noticed it was Oliver. He was watching Quinn—and the only reason Wyatt could think the guy would be calling was if something was wrong.

  “Ax, what is it?”

  Shuttering breaths sounded down the line before any words were spoken.

  “Wyatt, it’s me.”

  He stilled at the sound of Quinn’s voice. She didn’t sound right. “Are you okay?”

  “Can you come get me? I’m at The Duck Motel. I have Mason’s car, and I’m with Oliver and the police, but…I need you. Darren was here.”

  Wyatt forced calm into his body.

  Luca had insisted on driving Wyatt to the motel. His friend then planned to drive Mason’s car home.

  It was smart, because Wyatt was so mad he could barely think straight.

  Darren had put his hands on Quinn. Hurt her. Wyatt was itching to track the man down and hurt him. But he needed to check on Quinn first. Once he saw her in person, heard exactly what had happened from her mouth, then he could act.

  Though she’d said the police were there, so Darren had probably been arrested. Which was good. Less chance for Wyatt to go after him and snap the man’s neck.

  “She’s safe, Jobs. Focus on that.”

  “How did he get close enough to touch her? Ax was supposed to be watching her, dammit! We put precautions in place. She should have been safe.”

  What the hell had happened?

  “We’ll find out. You and I both know he must have a damn good reason why he wasn’t there to protect her.”

  After what felt like far too long, Luca stopped the car in front of the motel. Wyatt was out before he’d pulled the brake. He scanned the area, immediately stopping on Quinn.

  She was sitting on the back of an ambulance while Oliver stood by her side. She held an icepack to the right side of her face. Angry red marks covered her neck and one eye was starting to turn black.

  The rage inside him increased.

  Without pausing, Wyatt walked straight up to her, ignoring Oliver. If he paid his friend any attention, he might hurt the man.

  Bending down, he looked Quinn in the eye. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but there was nothing that looked “okay” about her. She looked scared. Tired. Hurt. As far from her normal self as possible.

  Wyatt wanted to kick his own ass for not being there to protect her.

  He gently slid his fingers around her wrist and pulled her hand down. The moment he saw her cheek, his body stiffened. More purple bruising marred her face and the skin was broken. Wyatt didn’t need to be told what happened. The asshole had shoved her face into the pavement. Punched her in the eye. And by the look of her neck, he’d choked her.

  Wyatt took a moment to fight down his rage. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

  For a moment, she appeared confused. “This isn’t your fault, Wyatt. You can’t always be there to protect me. If you hadn’t asked Oliver to watch me, I’d probably be dead.”

  Wyatt finally looked up at his friend. The man looked like guilt was weighing on him. He nodded once to confirm what she’d said.

  So, something else had happened here. Something he couldn’t talk about around police and medical staff.

  Keeping one hand on Quinn, Wyatt looked at the officer standing by the ambulance. “Can I take her home?”

  When the young man confirmed she was okay to leave, Wyatt lifted Quinn.

  “Can I have your keys, sunshine?”

  Quinn didn’t ask him why. Just reached into her pocket and handed them over.

  Passing them to Luca, Wyatt headed to his car. On his way, he caught sight of Oliver walking toward Mason’s car with Luca. Probably discussing the sequence of events.

  Wyatt planned to get a rundown from Oliver, but first he needed to get Quinn home.

  Once they were in the car, he placed one hand on the wheel and one on her. He needed to be touching her. To remind himself that she was here, beside him. Safe.

  Neither of them spoke for the ten-minute drive. Every time he glanced her way, she was watching the road.

  His grip tightened on her hand.

  After they’d arrived back at the apartment building, he walked around the car and lifted her out of the passenger seat.

  “Wyatt, I can walk.”

  “I know. I want to carry you.” It would probably be a while before he felt comfortable not carrying her everywhere.

  He expected a fight. He didn’t get one.

  Once they were standing inside Quinn’s apartment, he lowered her to the floor and did a quick sweep of the rooms.

  Nothing. Good. He didn’t need any more surprises tonight.

  It wasn’t until Quinn had changed into comfortable clothes and was tucked under a blanket beside him on the couch that Wyatt’s heart really stopped racing.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  He watched as her chest rose and fell a couple of times before she spoke. “The Duck Motel was my last delivery. The name on the delivery was ‘Stephen,’ so it never even occurred to me that it was Darren. Oliver was right behind me as I walked across the lot. I was just about to knock on the door when he stopped me. Told me to go back to the car because there was someone in the woods. Someone like you. Like him. They were moving fast.”

  Wyatt bit back a curse.

  “Oliver obviously thought the man in the woods was the only threat. I’m not sure if he found him. He never said.”

  When Quinn paused, Wyatt pressed another kiss to her head. “What happened next?”

  “I got into my car, but before I could lock the doors, Darren appeared in the passenger seat. He grabbed me so I couldn’t get out. Told me the gas leak was his doing. That he needed to kill me because I was researching the story. That it was his life or mine.”

  Quinn breathed out a shaky breath while a muscle ticked in Wyatt’s jaw.

  “I managed to get out of the car. He chased me, grabbed me…I was able to get away though, and that’s when the police showed up.”

  Wyatt was sure that was the very condensed version of the story.

  “I didn’t get any information on Arma, sorry.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Please don’t say sorry. You fought the asshole. You survived. You did exactly what you were supposed to do, Quinn. Your life is the priority.”

  It was up to Wyatt and his team now to find out exactly why Darren was sent to kill Quinn. Why Arma didn’t just do the job themselves. The fact that they hadn’t didn’t make an ounce of sense.

  She turned her head into his chest. “Thank you.”

  “For what?” As far as Wyatt was concerned, he’d done nothing. And it was tearing him apart.

  “For coming when I called. For wrapping your arms around me when I needed your touch. For listening.”

  Those weren’t things she had to thank him for. “I’m here for whatever you n
eed, whenever you need. Anytime, Quinn.”

  She snuggled further into him. “I like you.”

  A small smile touched his lips. He more than liked her. He loved the woman. But now wasn’t the time to tell her that. He wanted to say those words when she hadn’t just been through hell.

  “I like you, too.”

  They sat like that for a while, Wyatt holding her. Not wanting to let go. It wasn’t until her breaths evened out, indicating she was asleep, that he finally stood and carried her to bed.

  Placing her under the sheets, he watched her chest rise and fall, unbelievably grateful that the woman he loved had been strong enough to protect herself today.

  Chapter 22

  Quinn had no idea where that banging was coming from, but she needed it to stop. She’d gotten a couple of hours’ sleep, if that. Most of the night had been spent tossing and turning.

  She needed to play catch-up. And that banging was doing nothing for her.

  After listening to a solid thirty seconds of it, she let out a groan and rolled onto her back.

  It wasn’t going to stop.

  Reaching across the bed, she felt for Wyatt. The only thing her hand touched was cold sheets.

  Great. She had no choice. She had to get up.

  The banging sounded again.

  “Okay, okay, I’m coming.”

  But very unwillingly.

  Climbing out of bed, Quinn grabbed a dressing gown on the way to the door. When she passed the dresser, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. Her feet stopped.

  Holy Hannah, she looked like hell.

  Angry bruises covered her neck. It was so distinct she could just about see where Darren had placed each of his fingers. As her gaze slid up to her face, she grimaced. More bruising on her eyes, but also down her cheek combined with grazes and cuts. The cheek Darren had slammed into the ground.

  Quinn shut her eyes for a moment. She attempted to push down the fear and panic that were trying to crawl their way up her throat.

  You’re okay, Quinn. You fought him off. He’s can’t get you now.

  Just because the brain knew information to be true, didn’t mean the mind accepted it.

  Straightening her shoulders, she moved to the door and looked through the peephole. Her breath caught.

  Mason.

  Throwing open the door, she leapt into her brother’s arms.

  Like usual, he caught her easily. His waiting arms ready for her. There had never been a time in her life when her brother hadn’t caught her.

  A silent moment passed where Quinn just wanted to hold, and be held by, the man who had always been there for her.

  Even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a year, he felt familiar. She almost had to remind herself that they’d both been through a lot in that time. Both of them were different.

  It was kind of like she’d blinked, and they’d both lived ten lives in one.

  “I missed you, Q.”

  Tightening her arms, she dug her head into his shoulder. “I missed you more, big brother.”

  Giant bucket loads of missing had happened.

  When he finally pulled away, his gaze shot straight to the injuries covering her face and neck. A dark rage she’d rarely seen on her brother came over his face.

  “If that asshole was here, I’d kill him for doing that to you.”

  Quinn knew he meant what he said. Just as she was sure Wyatt had meant it when he’d said something very similar.

  Stepping back, she let Mason in and shut the door behind him.

  “He’s with the police,” she said, dropping onto the couch. “He can’t hurt me.”

  Something passed over his face as he took a seat beside her. The expression was so fleeting, most wouldn’t have picked up on it. “What is it?”

  He ran a hand through his hair. Almost like he was deciding whether to tell her or not.

  Heck no. “Don’t even think about it.”

  Mason frowned. “What?”

  “Not telling me whatever it is you’re thinking about. If it involves me, I’d like to know.”

  “Quinn, yesterday—”

  “Was a lot. I know. I know exactly what happened. I was there. I’m not damaged beyond repair. I can handle whatever it is. Tell me.”

  His jaw clenched. “Darren’s dead.”

  Her mouth opened at his words. Whatever she’d thought the information was going to be, it wasn’t that.

  Immediately, her mind went to Tanya. God, her friend just lost her husband. Even if the guy was an asshole, he was still hers.

  “When?”

  “The police went to his cell this morning and found him dead.”

  “Dead how?”

  Her brother closed his eyes. “Q—”

  “How, Mason?”

  “Strangulation. With the bed sheets.”

  She studied the rigid planes of her brother’s face. “Let me guess. It’s being labeled as a suicide when really it isn’t.”

  “There were no police around and the video surveillance cut out when it happened.”

  “Cut out” meaning, whoever killed him made sure no one saw it happen.

  “Why would they kill him?”

  “Most likely because he got arrested,” Mason said, not hesitating in the slightest now. “The people connected to him, the people who told him to keep you quiet, don’t want a trail leading back to them.”

  It was her fault. Tanya had lost her husband because of Quinn. Because Quinn kept looking into the story. Because she let Darren know she wasn’t going to let it go.

  Mason leaned forward. “Don’t. I can tell what you’re thinking. It’s not your fault. You didn’t let the case drop because you knew something bigger was going on. You wanted to save more innocent people from dying. Darren didn’t care about that. He cared about saving himself. And then the moment he did something to get himself arrested, he signed his own death certificate.”

  Everything Mason said was true. But it didn’t change the fact that Tanya was innocent in the whole thing, and yet she’d lost the man she loved. Regardless of how Quinn felt about Darren, Tanya loved him.

  “What about the guy Oliver went after? The guy behind the motel.”

  Mason’s lips pressed together before he spoke. “He never caught the guy. Darren told you he didn’t know about him, so it’s possible he was there to kill your ex-boss. Or, he might just have been tailing him to ensure he achieved what he was supposed to.”

  Which was killing her. God, it was all so awful. It may have been the very guy Oliver chased who killed Darren.

  Mason reached out and placed his hand on her leg. “I’m sorry this has touched you.”

  And by “this,” he meant Project Arma. Suddenly, she was reminded of the fact that Project Arma was exactly what she wanted to talk to her brother about.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He didn’t seem surprised by her question. If anything, he was probably expecting it. “Because knowing anything about the project is dangerous. The last thing I wanted to do was put your life in danger.”

  “If my life was in danger, you would want to know.”

  “Damn straight I would. But that’s different.”

  She shook her head. “It isn’t. I might not have the muscle or the combat training that you have, but I want to know what’s going on in your life. Good or bad. Safe or downright dangerous. There are other ways I can help, even if it’s just being there for you.” She placed her hand on top of Mason’s. “You’re the only family I have left. I love you. Next time something astronomical happens in your life—actually, scratch that, the next time something on any scale happens in your life, tell me. Even if I’m at a super self-absorbed point in my life and I act like I have no time for you…I’m going to make sure that, from now on, family is priority.”

  Which is something she should have done a long time ago.

  One side of his mouth lifted. “I won’t ever put your life in danger if I can hel
p it. But I’ll try to tell you more. And the same goes for you.” He tapped her leg. “The next time you find yourself fired on suspicious grounds, and stuck in the middle of a dangerous investigation, you tell me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The ‘stuck in the middle of a dangerous investigation’ part has happened more times than I can count.”

  Hell, just about every story she’d written had put her in some sort of danger.

  Mason growled.

  “You might be happy to know that I don’t plan to write anymore. Or at least, not for now. I might change my mind down the track.”

  Mason pulled back. The look of shock on his face almost made her laugh. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “I know. Twenty-five-year-old Quinn would be shocked. In fact, if you’d told me a year ago I’d be living in a small town, baking cakes and dating a local, I’d think you were crazy.”

  A certified lunatic.

  “I’m going to leave the topic of you baking for the moment—although I do have serious concerns for anyone eating something made by you—and let’s focus on that ‘dating a local’ part.”

  Quinn tilted her head to the side. “I know you know, Mason.” His expression didn’t change. Not one bit. “That’s why Wyatt wasn’t here when I woke up, isn’t it? He was out there, explaining it to you. Probably in the hall so he could stay close.”

  “I know what he told me.” Yep. She was right. “I want to hear it from you. Then I’ll decide if I need to break the man’s nose.”

  Yeah, right. There was no way Mason would stop at breaking Wyatt’s nose if she told him the guy wasn’t treating her like he should.

  Luckily, Wyatt was one big package of perfect.

  “I really like him.” Actually, she was pretty sure she loved him, but she wanted Wyatt to be the first to hear it. “He’s funny, smart, has a great ass.”

  She added the last bit for her brother’s benefit.

  Mason shrugged. “He does have a great ass.”

  Quinn threw her head back and laughed. God, she’d missed him.

  “Honestly, Mase, he’s become the center of my world. It sounds corny, but I feel like he’s the guy I’ve been waiting for.”

  Mason’s eyes scanned Quinn’s face. No doubt looking for any signs of deceit. He wouldn’t find it. Soon, a slow smile stretched across his lips. “You’re happy. I love that. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. And if you like him, then I’m damn glad you found each other. He’s a good man. I couldn’t think of anyone better suited to you.”