Dirty Sexy Saint (Dirty Sexy #1)(48)
Clay knew that Mason wasn’t joking, but the way Mr. Law Enforcement crossed his arms over his chest and glared at their hotheaded brother told them that killing Wyatt wasn’t an option. Levi was a by-the-book cop all the way.
Mason sneered at Levi. “You’re such a f*cking killjoy.”
Levi shrugged. “I’m just trying to keep a pretty boy like you out of prison and from becoming some guy’s bitch.”
Mason huffed out a breath and went to the bar. “I need a goddamn drink.”
Knowing the three of them had a lot to talk about, Clay sat down at one of the tables, and Levi took the seat next to him, his gaze concerned.
“You okay?” Levi asked.
Clay couldn’t believe that just a few weeks ago, he and Levi had had a heated conversation about Wyatt, and now he was back in their lives. How ironic was that?
“I’ll be fine.” It was the best assurance he could give his brother right now, until they figured out a legal way out of this mess.
They waited for Mason to return, and when he did, he had a full bottle of premium bourbon tucked under one arm and was carrying two shot glasses and a drink for Levi in his hands. He set the shot glasses on the table, followed by the liquor, then handed Levi the other glass filled nearly to the brim.
“I thought you could use something stronger than your normal pansy-ass spritzer,” Mason said in a mocking tone. “Orange juice, straight up.”
“Always a comedian, aren’t you?” Levi drawled and downed half the glass in one long gulp while Mason poured the Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve into the two shot glasses.
Clay tossed back the bourbon the same time that Mason did, then got down to business. “There’s more I need to tell you two.” Both brothers immediately gave him their undivided attention. “Wyatt gave me three days to come up with the cash, and he seemed desperate, so I’m assuming that he’s in some kind of trouble.”
“Yeah, well, he can rot in hell for all I care,” Mason said, already consuming his second shot.
When Clay didn’t respond right away, Mason frowned at him. “You’re not thinking about giving him the money, are you?” he asked incredulously.
“It’s not my first option, but he threatened Samantha,” Clay told them, his stomach knotting all over again at the other man’s intimidation tactics. “Said if he didn’t get the cash by the end of the week, he’d get fifty grand from Samantha on the black market.”
“Jesus,” Mason breathed in disgust. “The f*cker is now into human trafficking?”
“That’s what he implied, and we all know what Wyatt is capable of,” Clay replied.
His brothers nodded their agreement, and Levi continued to listen to the conversation in that introspective way of his. Clay had no doubts Levi’s sharp mind was working to figure out a legitimate solution to their problem, and he hoped to hell that he came up with one soon.
“Bottom line, I can’t keep Samantha locked in my apartment forever to protect her. And if I don’t give Wyatt what he wants, and anything happened to Samantha because of me, it would kill me.” Just the thought of anyone hurting her made a sharp-as-a-knife pain stab through Clay’s heart.
“Nothing is going to happen to her.” Levi finally spoke up.
Clay had always been the caretaker in the family, the protector, and for the first time ever, he found himself looking to Levi for advice, hoping and praying that his youngest sibling would truly be able to find a way to put an end to this insanity.
“What do you have in mind?” Clay prompted.
“Let me run his name through the system and see what comes up,” Levi suggested. “I’m sure he has a rap sheet a mile long, which doesn’t do us any good, but there might be an outstanding warrant for his arrest. When he shows up again, we can take him into custody and charge him for blackmail and extortion, too.”
“So he can get another slap on the wrist and be out on the streets in a few weeks?” Mason scoffed.
Understanding flickered in Levi’s gaze. “I know it’s not ideal, but give me a day to see what I can come up with, and we’ll go from there.”
“I like my idea of feeding him to the sharks much better,” Mason muttered irritably.
Clay agreed that Levi’s scenario wasn’t the permanent solution that he’d been hoping for. Sooner or later, Wyatt would get out of jail and come after Clay. Or worse, Samantha.
He glanced at Levi. “I don’t care what happens to me, but while this is all going down, I need to know that Samantha is safe at all times.”
“Consider it done,” Levi said with a nod. “I’ll get a security detail on her ASAP.
“Thank you.” Other than making sure that he did everything in his power to protect Samantha, there was nothing else Clay could do. And he hated feeling so helpless when he preferred being a man of action. The gnawing worry for Samantha was something new, too. Something, he realized, he’d gone out of his way to avoid ever feeling. But Samantha had barreled into his life, filling his dark, monotonous days with color and light. She gave him something to look forward to each day. Hope, he realized, was something new to him, too.
But, as he’d always known, she didn’t belong in his life for long. She deserved so much more, so much better than he could ever give. And hadn’t Wyatt’s sudden appearance and threats proven that in spades?