Chapter 15

fifteen

Seth watched as Nikki bounced up to the two massive guys chatting. Ryan was holding back because his usually well-trained dog was beside herself. She wanted to get to Autumn. Rami and Kap were taking down the other two guards.

“Oh. My. Gawd!”

Despite the situation, he couldn’t fight the smile that curved his lips. Nikki was definitely good at playing an airhead.

“Where did you come from?” the one with a scar down his face asked, even while checking out her chest.

She pointed behind her. “I was out for a hike and then got sidetracked hiding from one of those big pigs.”

“Boars,” he said.

“I beg your pardon. Did you just call me boring?”

Nikki went hunting for boar with her brothers and father all the time.

“No. Boars. We call them boars.”

“Oh,” she sighed. “Thank God. I would hate to be boring.”

Then she smiled at them. It wasn’t her usual smile. This was calculated, but Seth knew the two men wouldn’t pick up on it. They were paying too much attention to her chest.

“What the fuck does she think she’s doing?” Rami muttered.

“Her job, asshole.” That was Kap. Of course, Nikki was hearing all of this, but it never showed on her face.

“You’re trespassing.”

Her eyes widened, and she held her hand to her chest.

“I’m so very sorry. Could you help me find my way back to the trail? I would be so grateful.”

He watched as both guards fell under her spell. This seemed too easy, but he would not complain.

All he cared about was getting to Autumn in time.

Autumn watched as the man she held responsible for all her worries turned to face her. Jesus, the intervening years had not been good to Joseph Watters. His once full head of hair was thinning and grey and greasy af. His once attractive face was now lined and not in that pleasing way older men looked. There were no laugh lines that told you of a good life, not like Sam. Her biological father had laugh lines that crinkled at the corners of his eyes. Years of anger and drug abuse had taken their toll on Joseph. Evil aged a person.

He was still slim but had gained a lot of weight around the middle. Those beady little eyes…those were the same. They studied her dispassionately. Oh, he was trying to look like a doting father, but she knew better. She saw the intent in his gaze.

“Summer.”

“As I told your errand boy, wrong season.”

He drew in a deep breath, the one that told her he was about to spout off about how she was hurting him. She definitely wasn’t in the mood. Her ribs were killing her. She also just realized that her lip was split.

“If you don’t mind, I need to have a seat.”

Without waiting for him to give her permission, she settled on the couch. It was made of the softest of leather. There was no way this came off a factory floor. This was custom-made.

“So, let me guess…this is some True Believer’s house.”

A stony stare was his only response. That hit a nerve. Inwardly, Autumn did a little dance. It was petty to gain so much enjoyment out of poking at his ego, but she didn’t care.

“I’m going to say yes.” She looked over at Peter. “Someone in your family?”

“My uncle.”

When she turned back to look at Joseph, he stared at her angrily. Weirdo. It was like he was trying to make her body explode into a million pieces by just staring at her. If he genuinely believed she was his child, it made him a monster. Who would look at their child like that? If she had a child, she would have nothing but love for him or her.

Wait. When did she start thinking of children? And why did she keep thinking about a little boy with Seth’s eyes? Oh, damn, this was not the time to start contemplating children, especially with a man she had lied to. It was a lie of omission, but it was still a lie. And she would make a horrible mother.

Joseph must have misread her expression because he smiled. He thought Autumn was scared of him. She would have laughed in his face if the situation wasn’t so serious.

“I see that you’re afraid. You should be considering what you did to me. What you did to all of my followers.”

She pushed the panic about children and Seth aside. If she survived this, she would definitely have to deal with it. But right now, her focus should be on the insane former cult leader.

“I was just about to turn sixteen. I didn’t get them killed. You did.”

She kept her voice as calm as possible. Getting upset and yelling at Joseph would escalate things too fast. She also knew remaining sedate and hiding her feelings would set off Joseph. He loved to mentally torture people.

“Your escape is what caused all my problems.”

She snorted and looked at Peter. “He’s wrong.”

Peter was looking at her like she had lost her mind. That’s fine. Maybe she had. Instead of calling her team members, she left clues in case she didn’t return. Granted, she hoped they were on their way, but if not, they would be able to track her last movements. It was reckless and stupid.

She turned back to Joseph once more.

“They had no right to invade our peaceful community,” he said.

“Peaceful? You were marrying preteen girls off to lecherous old men for money. You were a pimp.”

She didn’t understand all of it then, but thanks to her years in law enforcement, she knew exactly what was going on now. When she recounted everything to Seth this morning, it had been the tip of the disgusting iceberg of Joseph Watters, aka Donald Reynolds, and about a half dozen other names.

Joseph’s beady little eyes narrowed. But he said nothing. Instead, poor, pitiful Peter decided to defend him.

“How dare you?”

Without looking over at him, she shook her head. “Don’t play in the big sandbox. You would be out of your depth.” She turned back to Joseph. “Do you want to tell him, or should I?”

More stoney stares. Jeez, this man hadn’t changed. She had, though. She’d grown stronger, and thanks to Sam and Ian, she had learned what strong men were like. They didn’t threaten or try to intimidate. They supported those around them, even women. So, the most significant change in her was that she was no longer afraid of this loser.

Her ribs were starting to throb in this position, and she was finding it more challenging to draw in a deep breath. She got up to walk around, hoping to quell some pain.

She sauntered over to the massive painting on the wall. She knew little about art but recognized a Roy Tabora original when she saw it. Definitely not Joseph’s house. He would never be able to afford a print reproduction from Tabora, let alone an original like this. He would see no use in it either. He liked nice things, but only things that made him feel better, and the wonder of waves crashing against the rocks with moonlight shining down would do nothing for him.

“See, as a DEA agent, I could dig up everything they had on dear, old…Joseph here. He’d been under investigation for years, and the Feds were close to arresting him.” She glanced back at the two men. “But you knew that, right, Joseph?”

“You should call him father.”

A flash of movement caught her eye. The front door was to her right, with long windows bookending the large Koa wood door. She took her time turning to face the men once more. Another flash, and then she saw Nikki give her a thumbs up. She knew he had close circuit security, or maybe he didn’t. If he did, no one was apparently paying attention to it. Typical Joseph. He never paid people, so he would have volunteers handle all aspects of his security.

“Well?” Peter asked, drawing her attention away from the door. “And just so you know, Father has security everywhere. You would never make it out that door.”

She cocked her head as she studied the younger man. How Peter actually thought Joseph was his father was a mystery. Granted, she didn’t always think kids looked just like their parents, but they had nothing in common. Peter was at least six inches shorter than Joseph, who had always been unusually tall. He might have lost an inch, but he was still over six-four. His Scandinavian ancestors were stamped all over his stupid face.

Peter was about her height, with features that suggested Mediterranean heritage.

“I would never call him father.”

Silence filled the room. She settled her gaze on Joseph. “You actually let these idiots think you fathered them all? Even Frick and Frack, who brought me in?”

“They are all my children regardless of blood.”

She pursed her lips. “But Peter, he’s yours.”

He glanced at the younger man and smiled. Ick, it was his smarmy smile. She always thought Joseph presumed that was his loving smile. Of course, he did. He was a sociopath. It was probably pretty close to the way any serial killer looked at their prey.

“Yes. Peter is mine.”

Was he lying? Did he really think he fathered children? From what they could determine, he had been shooting blanks for years. Maybe he had no idea.

“Well, there’s at least one child for you to claim, although I doubt he’s yours.”

Joseph’s head whipped around, his evil gaze narrowing on her. “You lie.”

“Why would you lie like that?” Peter demanded, taking a step toward her.

She shrugged. The movement caused her a little more pain. “I’m just saying that since he’s not my biological father, he might not be yours.”

Seth paused in position in the hallway just out of sight. Jesus, she wasn’t pulling any punches, but he couldn’t blame her. She had been hunting for this asshole for over a decade.

“Fuck,” Ryan muttered over the comms. He was still outside, waiting for the signal to come in. Usually, he would take Maya back to the vehicle, but they were several miles away and they might need them in case Joseph decided to run. “Joseph isn’t going to like that.”

He was right, but Seth understood what Autumn was doing. Stringing him along like this would give them time. He knew without a doubt that she had seen Nikki’s thumbs up. He just hoped she didn’t push either man too far.

“You lie,” the younger man with them said.

“Nope. See, when I got out of the cult—that’s what Joyous Wave was, by the way—I was rescued by an old friend of my mother’s. And he helped me find out who my real biological father is. But I digress. Let’s talk about how you got my mother killed, shall we? You had been under investigation for years. Illegal guns, drugs, all of it. You had your minions even trafficking girls. I might have been the catalyst, but it was a matter of time. So you faked your death and went on the run, leaving everyone to die.”

“You are my daughter!”

Anger threaded the man’s voice. Seth needed to get a look at the situation, so he peeked around the corner.

“You have to be.” The young man turned to face Autumn. “He’s on your birth certificate.”

“Is he?” she asked, not taking her attention from Joseph.

Seth watched the young man’s gaze ping-ponged between them before settling on Autumn. Seth was in an excellent position to see the man’s expression. He did not like the anger. That worried him, but the jealousy he witnessed flash on the younger man’s face told Seth that he was just as lethal as Joseph.

“He showed me.”

She threw back her head and laughed, but there was no humor in it. It was brittle, almost broken, and his heart hurt for her. He knew this was difficult, more than anyone else would know.

“Peter, I’m sorry to tell you this, but Joseph lies. All. The. Time. He isn’t my father. I didn’t have an official birth certificate until I escaped. Anything he showed you is a fake.” She turned to face Joseph. “Do all these idiots think you fathered them?”

Seth had an idea of where she was going with this, which wasn’t a good idea. Strike that. It could drive a wedge between Joseph and Peter, but he didn’t like that it made her a bigger target for both men. He knew jealousy could make a person strike out at the person they envied.

“I have many children.”

Not an answer.

“We’re about two clicks out,” Del’s voice came across the comms. “Warning, her brother is with us.”

If they could, it would be best to get this done before they arrived. It was hard enough for him because he just realized the woman held his heart in her hands. If something happened to her, he wasn’t sure what it would do to him.

Seth pushed those thoughts aside because he wouldn’t be any better than her brother in this situation if he didn’t.

“Come on. Do you really think you could father that many children?” He didn’t respond. Instead, he walked away from her…from Peter. She sighed. “What do you want with me? I did ruin your crime operation, so is this about retribution? Gonna kill me?”

His breath backed up in his lungs. He knew Autumn was taunting him, but it didn’t make it any easier to hear the woman he loved say that.

“Father would never kill you. He loves you.”

She snorted. “He loves that I have millions and thinks he gets it if I’m dead.”

“No! He said you would sign it over to him.” The desperation in the younger man’s voice was almost painful but also worrisome. Breaking his beliefs could have him lashing out.

“Then he lied. Didn’t you, Joseph?”

“Father doesn’t lie.”

She turned toward Peter. “He does, but since you are a True Believer , you will never believe me, will you? No worries because I can’t sign the money over to him.”

“You will,” Joseph said, turning to face her. It was then that he saw the gun in the man’s hand.

Fuck, he had been paying too much attention to the interaction between Peter and Autumn. Not wanting to say anything, he pulled out his phone and texted Ryan.

“Joseph has a handgun, everyone,” Ryan said over the comms.

“Father, this isn’t what you said would happen.”

Peter was going to need some therapy after this, for sure.

Another laugh. “Oh, this is precious.” She sighed and turned fully to face Joseph. “See, I can’t give you the money because I don’t control it.”

“You do. You took complete control of your money last year.”

“Yep, and I put it in a trust myself. See, I knew you weren’t dead. You’re just a two-bit hustler, and I knew at some point you would just come find me to get the money. So, to get money out of my trust, I have to have another person sign on to release it. Without that, I can’t get the money.”

“You’re lying.”

“Fine, let me sign the papers. Then you can kill me and see that you don’t get my money.”

“I can petition it in court.”

The glee he saw on her face worried him. He tried to get her attention, but her focus was entirely on the former cult leader.

“Go ahead. Then you’ll find the DNA results that name my father. I filed those with my lawyer. And just so you know, I have good lawyers. Rich people do.”

“We’re closing in,” Del’s voice came across the comms again.

Stunned silence filled the room once more. Autumn had definitely thrown both men for a loop.

Joseph raised his arm, aiming at Autumn. “You were always a pain in the ass, Summer Joy.”

“As I said, wrong season, asshole.”

He couldn’t see the intent in Joseph’s face, but he had heard it in the other man’s voice.

“Move in,” he ordered as he rushed Autumn. Getting her down and on the ground would be faster than struggling with Joseph for the gun. He was sure someone else on his team would handle that.

He jumped toward her just as Joseph took his shot. He felt the burn of a bullet in his shoulder before they fell to the ground. She let out a grunt as she took the brunt of the fall.

There was a struggle behind them, and he knew his team was taking Joseph to the ground. Team Alpha came rushing into the house the next minute, along with Ryan and Maya.

“You’re under arrest, asshole,” Kap said.

Autumn blinked and looked up at him. He was still lying on top of her.

“I think you bruised my back.”

He smiled, then he started laughing. Relief filled him, leaving him a little lightheaded. Of course, he saved her, and she complained about how he did it. But it told him she was okay if she was complaining.

He leaned down, not caring about who was there, and kissed her. He had to let her know, without words for now, how much he loved her. She said something against his lips and held herself stiff for just a moment or two before she melted. When he pulled back, she stared at him.

“I guess we have to talk about my money.”

“I knew. First, we need to get things cleared up.”

“Get off my sister,” Ian said. Autumn smiled but said nothing. Seth rolled to his feet and then helped her up. His shoulder was throbbing, but he was sure the bullet had just grazed him. It was then that both of them heard the sounds next to them.

Rami was over by Peter, going through a bag and looking for things.

“Hold on, Peter. We’re going to get you out of here. We had medical transport on standby.”

Autumn hurried over and kneeled on the opposite side from Rami. Peter’s shirt was dark, but it was easy to see the blood that soaked through it. Fuck, the bullet must have grazed him but then hit Peter.

“Autumn,” Peter gurgled. She took his hand and held it tight.

“Hold on. Rami will make sure you get through this.”

Seth wasn’t sure that was the case because of the amount of blood the man was losing, but he let it go for now. There was no reason to say different.

“Make way,” a booming voice said. He turned and saw the EMTs make their way through the room.

She stepped back, closer to Seth, and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms. She would never admit it, but he knew this had been hard on her emotionally.

Joseph was openly weeping like a little boy, but Autumn ignored him. Instead, she was taking complaints from her brother as they wheeled Peter out of the room.

“What do you think you were doing?” He growled the question.

“My job.”

“That,” Ian said, pointing toward where Joseph stood, his hands zip-tied behind him, still crying, “is not your job.”

“Do you need my help?” he asked.

She looked at him, surprised, but then a slow smile curved her lips. She was kind of a mess. She had a split lip—which had probably hurt when he kissed her, and she had a bruise on her jaw. But she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

“I got this, but thank you.” Then her gaze zeroed in on his shoulder. “What the fuck, SEAL? You’re shot?”

He opened his mouth to tell her he was fine, but Rami was on him.

“Take your gear off, Seth.”

He wanted to argue, but Del gave Seth a look that told him the commander would order him to do it if he didn’t.

Rami said something in Spanish under his breath before he pulled out some gauze and cleanser. It stung, but he didn’t say anything. He just kept looking at Autumn, whose face had gone white, and her lips were a strange hue. It was odd because while he knew she cared about him, she had to have seen it was only a graze. He opened his mouth to reassure her, but the words died as he watched her eyes roll back in her head before she crumbled to the floor.