Ethan (Alluring Indulgence) (20 page)

That
was until Sawyer broke free, sidestepping Jimmy. The man moved like a fucking
cat. Before Beau knew what the hell had happened, Sawyer had ripped Ricky right
out of his chair, sort of in the same manner Beau had picked him up off the
ground the other day when his mouth had gotten the better of him.

“I’m
not going to say this again, you better find your manners, kid. Go home to mommy
and daddy and ask for a fucking lesson because if I hear anything even remotely
close to that out of your mouth again, I’m going to rearrange your ugly fucking
face.”

Beau
took a step closer, as did the rest of the group. When Jimmy moved, Travis took
a single step forward, successfully inserting himself between Jimmy and Sawyer.

“Come
on, man,” Zane said, gripping Sawyer’s arm. “It ain’t worth it.” Zane’s eyes
moved across the group before he followed up with, “And no matter how hard you
try, you can’t fix stupid.”

“True,
but I can help adjust their way of thinking,” Sawyer growled.

Beau
was anxious to get in the middle of it, to carry Ricky’s sorry ass outside and
leave Jimmy to Sawyer or Travis, but he knew better than to draw attention to
Ethan.

Considering
Ethan was the one who brought the tow truck to Dillinger’s, Beau knew Ricky
would immediately start spouting more nonsense. And that would be hitting too
close to home. So much so, Beau was certain Ethan would back off even more than
he had before.

At
this point, the last thing Beau cared to deal with was Ethan running from him.
If this was what they were going to be up against, Beau was prepared to fight
for what he wanted. He damn sure wasn’t going to sit back and let Ethan get
bullied this way.

Another
guy at the table pushed to his feet, but before he could move, Gage came from
nowhere and had him pinned between the wall and his towering frame.

The
rest of the brothers and Jared closed in.

“Sorry,
man,” Ricky muttered to Sawyer, sounding not sorry at all.

But,
apparently it worked because Sawyer dropped him, releasing his t-shirt and
offering a not-so-gentle shove that sent him stumbling backward into the chair.

Travis
didn’t move, his angry gaze locked with Jimmy’s. “Be careful, Reardon.”

Sawyer
backed away from the table slowly so as not to be caught unaware, but no one
seemed to move from where they were riveted to the floor in the middle of the
bar.

“I
plan to be. And the next time I teach that little faggot a lesson, I’ll make
him suffer everything he’s made my family suffer.”

Beau
heard the threat, but had no idea what Jimmy was talking about, but when he
glanced over at Ethan, he noticed the same embanked fury on his handsome face
as Sawyer had. He didn’t have a moment to try and figure out how it all linked
together before all hell broke loose.

Sawyer
took a step closer, and before anyone could stop him, he cold-cocked Jimmy. The
guy stumbled, but before he could hit the floor, Sawyer grabbed him again. An uncivilized
roar erupted from Ethan’s older brother, one that shook the thin walls of the
bar before he began wailing on Jimmy’s lax form.

Beau
moved in when Zane did, keeping the others at the table back while Travis and
Gage reached for Sawyer, finally managing to pull him off of Jimmy. Beau
watched as the two brawny men used all of their strength to hold Sawyer back,
barely able to maintain a grip on him.

“You
son of a bitch! Keep in mind, I know what you did. You even fucking think about
threatening him again, and I’ll rip you apart. Understand me?”

Sawyer
tried to lunge out of Travis’ hold, but failed. The twins moved suddenly,
coming to stand between them. While Braydon kept his eyes on Jimmy, Brendon
turned to face Sawyer.

“Come
on, it’s time to head out,” Brendon said, grabbing Sawyer’s shoulder and
pulling him out of Travis’ grasp and closer to the door.

Beau
moved in alongside Jared, Ethan and Zane, the three of them now forming a line
that separated Brendon and Travis who were escorting Sawyer outside. Zoey,
Kylie, Jessie, and V followed Kaleb toward the door, but all four of the women
looked fit to be tied. If Beau had to guess, they weren’t as angry at their men
as they were at the situation. It was just a damn good thing they’d stayed out
of it. Lord knew what kind of hell would’ve rained down if something had
happened to one of them. A mated Walker was a beast better left unprovoked.

When
Jimmy dropped down into his seat, the rest of the guys at his table followed
suit. Only then did some of the tension dissipate.

Braydon
turned to the bartender, his voice loud and clear. “Yo, Mack, when you close up
tonight, you might want to take the trash out. It’s beginning to fucking stink
in here.”

No
one responded to Braydon’s bitter remark, but Beau noticed the weary look in
Mack’s rugged, worn features.

Beau
had to wonder how often this happened. It wasn’t a secret that Travis and Gage
were married to each other and to Kylie, which in itself had brought about some
rumors within town, but Beau knew no one had the balls to stand up to Travis
Walker, so it was clear who the target had been.

The
group dispersed slowly, everyone moving over to the bar to settle their tabs,
including Ethan who had remained silent the whole time. Beau wanted to ask him
if he was all right, but he knew better than to approach him. For months they’d
been doing this little song and dance, eye contact that spoke volumes, but no
words were ever said unless the other brothers were the ones doing the talking.
Ethan had perfected the art of keeping himself distanced.

Beau
pulled his wallet from his back pocket when Mack approached.

“I
got yours, man,” Ethan told Beau, surprising the fuck out of him. “Mack, I’ll
settle both tabs.”

Beau
knew he looked like an idiot, his mouth probably hanging open, but the simple
fact that Ethan had said something to him in public had caught him totally off
guard.

“Thanks.”
It was the most he could offer. He couldn’t find any other words.

Ethan
didn’t say anything more, but the hint of a sexy grin tipped the very edges of
his lips. What the hell had come over him?

Not
that Beau really needed to know the answer to that question. Not yet anyway.

In
fifteen minutes though, that was certainly going to change.

♂

“Care
to explain what the fuck that was all about?” Travis yelled when they stepped
out of Moonshiners and into the chilly night air.

Sawyer
reined in his temper before turning to face his brother. Barely. At least
Brendon had the good sense to turn around and go back inside.

“No,
I fucking don’t,” Sawyer bit out, yanking his arm out of Travis’ vicelike grip
as he headed for his car. He didn’t want to fucking talk, he wanted to pound
the shit out of Jimmy Reardon. He wanted to repay the bastard for what he’d
done to Ethan all those years ago.

Shit,
as soon as he heard Jimmy’s voice, the memories of that horrible night when
Ethan called, and Sawyer had found him looking like death warmed over had
blindsided him. If anyone ever questioned whether that infamous red haze was
real, well Sawyer could now attest to its existence. His vision was still hazy
as the rage continued to simmer inside of him.

Did
he overreact? Probably. Did he draw unnecessary attention? Maybe. Did he
fucking care? Not one goddamn bit. Sawyer would do it all again in a heartbeat.

The
appropriate response would’ve been to let the statement roll off his back the
way Ethan had managed to do. Unfortunately, he wasn’t built that way. Then
again, had it been anyone else, Sawyer knew good and damn well that Ethan
would’ve gone the distance to protect the victim of that hateful bullshit.

It
was how they were raised.

But,
when it came to the differences between him and Ethan, Sawyer would admit that
his younger brother possessed significantly more self-restraint. He envied Ethan
and his ability to keep his head up with all of the bullshit that went on
around him on a daily basis. The fact that Ethan remained in Coyote Ridge
proved just how much his family meant to him. Sawyer wouldn’t have blamed Ethan
if he had disappeared long ago, gone in search of a place that was much more
accepting of him than this fucked up little town.

Then
again, Sawyer wasn’t sure he’d know what to do if Ethan wasn’t there. Ethan
might be a loner, but he was still his brother and knowing where he was and
that he was all right was one of the most important things to Sawyer.

And
tonight, Sawyer had been strangled by the hatred he felt for Jimmy Reardon. He
wanted to pay him back for the hell he put Ethan through when he’d beaten him
and left him for dead down by the lake. The only saving grace was that Ethan
had managed to call him. When Sawyer had arrived with Greyson in tow, he’d been
terrified that he was too late.

What
they found was a beaten and bloodied Ethan, his face so messed up he was barely
recognizable. Greyson, being a paramedic, had wanted to get Ethan to the
hospital, but Ethan had refused. Thankfully, aside from a few cracked ribs, a
mild concussion and a broken nose, they’d had to only worry about the bruises
that had finally faded over time.

Well,
that was all they had to worry about in the
physical sense
. Ethan was
damaged much more than that on an emotional level.

Still,
to this day, Sawyer wasn’t sure how he’d managed to keep from killing Jimmy.
He’d never talked to a soul about what happened. Well, aside from his father.
He’d been beside himself with fear that night and calling Curtis had been his
only option. But aside from that conversation, he’d never mentioned the
incident to anyone, not even Travis.

Of
course, his dad informed his mother, which was only fair. She had been beside
herself with grief and sorrow over what had been done to Ethan. And with her
anonymous help, Sawyer had managed to nurse Ethan back to health. He was pretty
sure Ethan still didn’t know that their parents had found out. And he certainly
wasn’t going to be the one to tell him.

Sawyer
had kept the events of that night all bottled up inside, and since that day,
he’d kept his eyes on his brother. Ethan was tough, could handle himself now
that he knew what to expect, but Sawyer hated the fact that he had to be on the
lookout for dickheads like Jimmy everywhere he turned.

Sawyer
paced back and forth in front of Travis, his mind going ninety miles a minute
as he tried to calm himself down.

“You
good now?” Travis asked.

No,
he wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

Sawyer
looked up to see Travis leaning casually against one of the wood posts that
supported the small covered area in front of Moonshiners.

“Go
home,” Gage instructed Sawyer when he joined them a second later.

What
the fuck did the guy think he was going to do? He fumbled with his key fob in
his pocket, making his way over to his car. Trying to unlock his car, Sawyer
could hardly hit the button on the remote because his hands were still shaking.

“That’s
where I’m headed,” Sawyer assured him.

“Don’t
make me come bail you out of jail,” Travis threatened.

Sawyer
hoped it didn’t come to that, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep
everything inside. He hated the bullshit that people spouted. He fucking hated
that he lived in a town where so many people were closed-minded assholes who
didn’t have the decency to keep their opinions to themselves.

He
fucking hated it.

“Hey.”

The
sound of Ethan’s voice broke through the red haze that was quickly creeping
back in. Sawyer turned to face him. “Hey.”

It
took a moment to realize that Travis and Gage were now gone, but Ethan wasn’t
the only person standing close by. He glanced over and noticed Beau Bennett,
his hands in his pockets as he stared back at him.

“Thanks,”
Ethan said quietly, his arms crossed over his chest.

“For
what? Making an ass of myself? Letting that fucker get to me?”

Ethan
grinned, it was barely visible, but Sawyer saw it. “No, for giving a shit.”

“We
all give a shit,” Sawyer assured him. “If they knew, they’d have done the same
thing.”

“I
know. That’s what I worry about.”

Sawyer
nodded, understanding. He glanced over at Beau and then back at Ethan. Was that
the reason Reardon had mouthed off? Was there something going on with these two
that Sawyer hadn’t noticed?

As
though Ethan knew what he was thinking, his younger brother glanced over at
Beau and then back to Sawyer.

“It’s
all good,” Ethan said softly. “Don’t let them get to you.”

“Easy
for you to say,” Sawyer said snidely, noticing the anger that pierced Ethan’s
face. “Shit. Sorry.”

A
moment of silence lingered between them before Ethan finally turned and walked
away, Beau not far behind. Both men went to their separate vehicles, but Sawyer
knew that when he passed Ethan’s house in a bit, they’d both be parked out
front.

For
some reason, that eased some of the tension in his chest. Sawyer liked Beau,
although… Beau was gay? He’d had no idea. And how the hell had he missed that?

“Beau,”
Sawyer called out as the big man passed by the front of his car. When Beau
turned back, Sawyer met his gaze, “Keep an eye on him for me, would ya?”

“Absolutely.”

Sawyer
nodded his appreciation and then climbed into his car. When he reached for the
steering wheel, pain shot through his hand. He glanced down and noticed the
knuckles on his right hand were bleeding. Yep, it’d been a while since he’d
thrown a punch, but damn it had felt good. Shit, if it hadn’t been for Travis
and Gage, he’d have managed to release years’ worth of frustration on Jimmy’s
fucked up face.

Strange.
A part of him wished for the opportunity to present itself again. But a
stronger part prayed that it didn’t. Sawyer knew without a doubt if Jimmy did
anything to hurt Ethan again, the loser would prefer the wrath of God over what
Sawyer would do to him.