Wylde (25 page)

Josh nodded.

“Why did you leave the house, come here?” Noah wanted to yell at Josh for doing it when he’d ordered him never to come out here on his own, but the same instinct that had guided him to Josh was whispering that maybe Josh had had no choice.

“I got in through the broken window in the back,” Josh explained. “Dad, I know you don’t want to hear this, but I had to come. I felt like I had a connection to him. Because… I feel a little lost too, coming down here, you with a new boyfriend.”

Noah moved the flashlight off Josh’s face when his son flinched from the light. He had an idea what he meant, though he still wasn’t sure what had lured Josh from his safe bed at the house. But he was going to find out!

A prickle spiked against the back of his neck, and he swung around, his eyes widening at what he saw.

He
knelt just outside the open door of the green house, his blue eyes familiar from Noah’s dream, long black hair pulled away from his face with a strip of leather. He was bare-chested, weathered brown, wearing patched jeans and homemade moccasins. Across his muscular chest was a scabbard for a large knife.

“A
ND
you were worried about
me
taking it on, whatever has been

haunting this mountain, weren’t you?” Kell muttered angrily to himself as he got out of his truck, seeing Noah’s Tundra parked just ahead. And yet, as he yanked out his shotgun, making sure it was ready to rock, Kell experienced again that leaden feeling of inevitability, as if everything had led to this moment.

But by damn, he wasn’t going to find any more bodies. This ended now. He would make his family safe and get to the bottom of this mystery! And then he’d give Noah hell for scaring the shit out of him.

Love him? Jesus H. Christ! Wait till Noah got a load of the love Kell was feeling right now!
“W
HO
is that?” Noah stared back at the boy, who returned his gaze,

cocking his head and tracking Noah’s every movement. Noah felt like he was in the presence of a wild animal and not a young man. His throat was dry, his heart thumping hard. The knife scared him. This boy might have killed Morley Orris.

And yet, as he held that lake-blue gaze… there was also a faint wisp of wonder.

“Josh,” he breathed, breaking contact long enough to look at his son, who stood frozen, staring at the wild young man in the doorway. “Walk to me.”

“Dad, I’m sorry I screwed up,” Josh admitted. “I just wanted to help him.”

Noah found it hard to look away from those feral blue eyes. Could this young man even talk? How had he come to be out here? “I know you want to help, Josh.”

Josh obeyed Noah’s earlier command, reaching out to touch his Dad’s rigid shoulder, ducking closer as if for safety. Crap. Noah sincerely hoped he’d be able to offer that. He couldn’t help remembering that Morley Orris had died in this very clearing.

Noah’s hand clenched on his son’s shoulder. “I’m going to walk you to the very back of the greenhouse, behind all the tables,
slowly.
When you get free of the greenhouse, hide and wait for Kell,” Noah whispered.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Josh said flatly, stubborn expression moving over his face. “And Wylde needs help too, Dad. It’s why he came to us.”

“Wylde?” Noah blinked. “Is that his name?”

 

“I heard a couple of people in town call him that,” Josh said. “It seems to suit him and he’s not exactly talking.”

“No, he’s not. Josh, please do as I ask!” Noah felt sweat run down the middle of his back, coat his upper lip and forehead. He had to make sure his kid was safe. It was coming full circle, because Josh’s safety was why they’d moved to this town in the first place.

“I followed him through the woods but lost him when I found the green house. But I think he wants to talk to me, to us. I think he’s afraid.”

Noah listened but still pulled Josh closer, placing an arm around the boy protectively as he inched toward the back end of the greenhouse. “Josh, Kell will be here soon. He’ll make us safe,” Noah said, hoping very fucking much that would happen. But he could almost feel Kell, sense him coming, feel his determination… and how pissed off his lover would be at Noah taking off.

Josh only shook his head. “Right now it’s up to you and me.”

From the door, Noah saw the shadowy figure of the young man blur, and then he was airborne, leaping onto the closest metal table, crouching, closer to him and Josh, confronting them. His hand gripped the knife scabbard.

“For God’s sake,
don’t move!
” Noah rasped, freezing, feeling like prey fixed in the gaze of a predator.
“I’
VE
been doing some reading,” Josh continued gravely, as if he

and Noah were back home at their house with their elaborate security system and not in a space belonging to a dead man, trapped by a young wild man.

Noah maneuvered Josh carefully into place behind him. They’d reached the back of the greenhouse, and the broken window was there, cool night air making Noah’s shirt chill where it stuck to his skin.

Behind him, ceramic pots clattered. The boy was tearing apart the remainder of the dying little crop from the dead pot dealer, making sounds of frustration. Fine with Noah, since it meant he and Josh could make their escape.

“I think he wants to talk to us but he’s forgotten how. He’s very sad,” Josh said.
“You may be right, but your new friend is a little unpredictable.”

“If I’m right does that mean I get those driving lessons early?” Josh joked weakly.
The window. Noah had to get his kid through the window. He nudged Josh closer.

“Sssssstttt,” the wild boy was whispering. He was huddled on the table, rocking now. “Sssteeee.”

 

“He’s trying to talk to us,” Josh said. “Dad, we need to help him!”

Don’t think. Get Josh through the damn window.
Noah hefted his son up, moving him onto the sill. “I’ll be fine. Once you are outside, try to hide somewhere and don’t move. Kell will be here any minute.”

“And leave you with Wylde?”
“I’ll do my best to avoid that knife, don’t worry,” Noah promised. He figured if he stayed away from the young man, he wouldn’t feel threatened.

“I want someone to help him. Will Kell help him? I think Wylde’s been alone a long time,” Josh said, edging outside. When his son fell to the other side, to safety, Wylde let out a high, undulating sound, and Noah stilled, watching him.

The young man leaped even closer, startling Noah, scattering dying marijuana plants, wide blue eyes fixed on him as Noah mashed himself against the trembling broken glass wall in a probably futile-as-hell gesture. If Wylde wanted to hurt him, he could.

“Steeev-an,” Wylde whispered, lifting up one scarred palm. “Steven.”

 

Noah froze, listening now. Like Josh said, the young man did not seem to want to hurt him. He wanted to communicate.

“Steven? That’s your name?” Noah repeated. “Oh, God, son, how long have you been out here?”
Steven’s lips moved, as if he was trying to understand Noah’s words by mouthing them. His eyes filled with tears. “Long….”

Suddenly the broken green house door swung open on its hinges. Kell!

Not Kell, but Adam! Muscled, confident, gun raised. He paused, and his eyes widened as he took in the young man, whose head whipped around in his direction. Wylde put his hand instinctively on his knife scabbard.

“
Holy fuck!
” Adam pointed his gun. Fired.

 

Noah heard a coughing sound. Blood sprayed glass, and Wylde gave a hoarse cry, grabbing his shoulder.

 

“
Don’t hurt him!
” Noah yelled.

 

A
BALLET
of death, Noah thought. Freakish choreography, blood running down broken shards of glass, the tight face of the wild man, silent agony burning in the blue eyes.

Noah had never seen anyone move so fast: One moment Wylde was crouched, hurting. The next he leaped through the air, knife raised—

Suddenly Josh was there, behind Adam, Noah’s worst nightmare.
Oh, God!
Josh shoved Adam—

“
No!”
Noah screamed, thrusting the knocked-over steel table aside in an insane bit of choreography of his own. Josh. Josh and Adam. Josh and Wylde.

Wylde struck him in passing, intent on Adam.

 

Josh yelled, wide, terrified gray eyes so like his own holding Noah’s in horror. “No, not Dad.
Don’t hurt!”

For a second, Wylde’s gaze riveted on Josh while Adam was frantically feeding a clip into his gun with shaking fingers. Then the young man made a soft sound and leaped through the broken window, disappearing into the night.

At the same time, Noah flung himself on Adam, struggling for his weapon, determined the other man wouldn’t shoot any more bullets with his child in the greenhouse.

“You ungrateful little fuck. I’m saving you,” Adam snarled. Noah struck Adam with his elbow. “Saving me, my ass!” “That’s my job!”
Kell!

Kell’s boot crushed Adam’s gun hand to the littered floor. The man glared up at the Chief with hate and bruises shining on his pale, sweating face.

“What took you so long?” Noah rasped, taking in his big man, the shotgun he carried, every inch the protective warrior as he stood in the destroyed greenhouse. Oh, yes, definitely his Alpha male.

Suddenly Noah felt safe, even if he wondered how he and Josh would make a life here after everything that had happened since they’d come to Sullivan’s Mountain. But that was something for him and Kell to resolve. Maybe he’d take up his boyfriend’s offer and move in with Kell. He’d never entertained the idea before, dismissing it automatically since he liked his independence, but now it seemed so simple. Who cared where they lived as long as they were together and safe?

Kell kicked away Adam’s weapon and then gestured with his firearm. “Up against the wall.” His narrowed eyes said,
Give me a reason, asshole.

“Now just a fucking minute!” Adam huffed. “Do you even have jurisdiction here, Chief? And I have done nothing wrong, other than hunting that wild boy—everyone in town will be happy he’s not a danger anymore.”

“Do it.” Kell kept his eyes on Adam, his gun ready, but something in his pose demanded Noah come to him.

Noah reached for Adam’s weapon first and emptied it. He saw a sizzle of primitive satisfaction at his small act of prowess in Kell’s eyes. It did seem to turn on his big macho man when Noah showed his strength. Kell wasn’t afraid of it; he enjoyed it, encouraged it.

Noah was fortunate he’d met the impossible man.

“You all right?” Kell demanded. He swallowed visibly, and Noah could see how scared he’d been. Likely they would soon have a mother of an argument, but hopefully the occasion would never come up again for Noah to take off without letting his… partner know. But now he had to make one thing clear.

“Fine now you’re here. And Kell, it wasn’t because you aren’t family that I left without talking to you first. It was….” He shook his head, not sure how to put into words the dream, the strange certainty he’d followed that had led him to Josh. “Peculiar, what happened tonight.”

Kell glanced around the room. Noah had the impression a large helping of his awareness was still on Adam, ready to take him on if he so much as twitched. Well, on that score they were in agreement; Adam had put Josh at risk. “I’d say ‘peculiar’ is one word for it.” Kell’s face tightened. “Shit! Where’s Josh?”

J
OSH
hesitated on the rim of the canyon wall. The sun was rising, dawn coming at last. In the dim growing light, he made out what looked like a dark blotch on the rounded granite. When he crouched to touch it, it wet his fingers.
Blood.

Wylde had certainly come this way. And something told him if he followed, he’d finally be able to help the young man, bring him home. He just hoped his Dad wouldn’t totally freak. Man, he’d never be allowed to borrow the Tundra at this rate, which totally sucked!

He knew from eavesdropping a couple of times when deputy Alec Danvers had talked to Kell that there was some kind of shelter in the canyon below. Maybe where Wylde had lived for a long time, on his own?

He took a deep breath.
Do this, and it could be over
, his instincts whispered. Pebbles skittered under his running shoes as he climbed down into darkness.

“W
HAT
are you going to do?” Adam jeered. “Go after that kid?
You’re going to fucking die, Chief. He’s the same killer you’ve been looking for and he’s going to fucking rip you open and I can’t wait!”

Kell’s jaw was rock hard as he clicked the handcuffs closed, fixing Adam to a steel pipe attached to the generator.
Then he got in Adam’s face, wishing that he could get into it with him fully again, but right now he had better things to do. It couldn’t be too soon until local deputies arrived and could take custody of the asshole. “Maybe not. Maybe while I’m in the woods, he’ll come back and visit you first.”
Adam’s eyes widened in horror. “Fuck you! Get back here, you fucking bastard!”

Kell shook his head at Noah, who was checking his own shotgun, his face still, fixed and pale. “You should wait here for Alec.”

“No,” Noah said flatly. “Don’t tell me I’ll slow you down. Don’t tell me it’s dangerous. Or, as Adam said, fuck you!”