Owen smiled, recalling how he and his brothers used to banter the exact same way. He glanced at Leslie, and his happiness dimmed.
She gripped the door, planning on leaving him standing on the porch.
“Wait,” he said, blocking her way. “We have to discuss this. I want to spend time with my son.”
Leslie gazed down the hall where the boys disappeared.
“I won’t keep you from spending time with him. He doesn’t know you’re related, and I prefer to keep it this way for now. If you plan on bringing back the others, I don’t need a repeat of the past.”
“We’ll go by your rules for now,” he conceded. “As soon as I return, we’ll have dinner and work everything out.”
“There’s nothing more to discuss. As soon as you finish with the funeral, I’m sure you’ll disappear again. After some time, I’ll tell Tucker he once met his dad, but he got called away. Conner’s young, and as soon as the shiny toy disappears, he’ll forget about you. He’ll learn like the rest of us, you’re not the hero you led us to believe.”
Leslie proceeded into the house and slammed the door shut. For good measure, she snapped the lock in place, adding insult to the injury.
Returning to his truck, Owen slammed the doorshut and yanked it into gear. He understood the pain he saw in her eyes, but he lost nine years of his son’s life. Why didn’t anyone tell him? How did Elias not know if he tracked down the rest of them?
Driving up the mountain, he rolled down the window, letting the fresh air take out the stinging in his chest. He rehashed the first meeting with his own flesh and blood. Owen refused to let the young boy down. He’d find a way to make up the lost years and stay present for the future. It seemed his old life in Wyoming no longer existed, and a new life on Wolfe Mountain started to take shape.
CHAPTER 12
Elias fiddledwith his computer and placed a pair of earphones around his neck as soon as they took their seats on the plane. Clicking his seatbelt in place, he turned to Owen.
“Will you tell me what happened, or do you plan to brood the entire way to Arizona?” Elias asked as he put his phone on airplane mode.
“Did you know?” Owen asked quietly.
Elias hesitated for a moment before peering at Owen. “Yes.”
“Damn it, why didn’t you say something?” he said, keeping his voice low.
“Dad asked me not to tell you. Leslie found herself alone, grieving her mom, and then Dad went to prison. It gave him the will to change, knowing she carried another Wolfe. Secretly, I think he hoped for a little girl since Mom never got one. When Iconfronted him about it, he refused to discuss it, saying it was Leslie’s choice. I’m sorry I didn’t prepare you, but she’s taken good care of him. They get a little low on money, and I figured out a way for the bank to make a mistake, and they have groceries for the week.”
Owen stared hard at his brother. “From now on, you stop this shit. I don’t want you messing with banks or anything else, which might land you in jail,” he growled. “I’ll ensure she gets child support.”
Elias hit his knee and laughed as if it were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Can I be there when you tell her? She’s gonna flip out on you, and I want to tape it.”
Owen punched him in the ribs. “Shut up. Whose side are you on, anyway?”
Elias grimaced and gave him a crooked grin. “My money’s on Leslie. You left her again to brood about all this. When you return, she’s gonna chew you up and spit you out.”
Sighing, Owen leaned his head back against the seat, recalling why he hated flying commercial. “I don’t doubt it. Remind me about this before we get to Cade’s. He deserves another punch for making me fly in this tin can to get his ass,” he muttered as the steward approached, asking if they wanted anything to drink.
“What’s the plan?” Elias asked. “He’s an Army Ranger. I doubt he’ll come quietly.”
“I don’t plan on asking,” Owen confessed.
Elias’ eyes grew big. “You know it’s not like when we grew up together. He can unleash a can of whoop ass on you.”
“I’m a Navy SEAL. You don’t think I can take him down?” Owen challenged.
“We already have one funeral to plan. We don’t need another,” Elias mumbled before putting on his headphones. When they reached a safe altitude, Elias turned on his computer. Owen rubbed his eyes when he saw the screen. Maps, numbers, and graphs appeared, and Elias clicked away at the keys.
He took out the blueprint of Cade’s house, marking all the spots where his brother most likely added security and cameras. Scanning the area, he searched for the most vulnerable position. From what he read online, Cade liked the fast life and didn’t return until the wee hours of the morning. This gave him and Elias enough time to break in and set their trap.
The flight went by in no time at all. Everyone deplaned, and Elias whispered in Owen’s ear. “For the record, I don’t think this seems like a good idea.”
Neither did Owen, but his brothers left him little choice.
