Page 51 of Tracked By Sasquatch

Squatch didn’t spare a glance to the window that overlooked the porch. He didn’t need to, he knew his brother would’ve noticed his movements and taken it for what it was, Squatch was on alert and Nitro would be ready.

“Ida?” His laugh increased. “She doesn’t need you coming in to save her. She’s r⁠—”

He was interrupted by a frail-sounding voice.

“Devin? Oh, honey, is that you?” A light flared in the open room across the hall from them. It looked to be a dining room that had been transformed into a sick room. The right half of the bed was barely visible from his vantage point behind the recliner.

Fuck, he inwardly cursed. The woman was not in the room she’d been in according to Devin when she gave him the layout of the house.

He should’ve noticed her before, should’ve gotten eyes on her before waking the sleeping asshole, but he’d surprised them by being in the living room. Squatch was kicking himself now. He prided himself on being observant and when it mattered most, when Devin was with him, he let something so obvious slip.

His unease from earlier just ramped up. Squatch didn’t like surprises. Surprises in his world meant bloodshed. All he could hope for now, was that it wasn’t Devin’s.

Devin spun immediately and went to the old woman who wasn’t as old as he’d assumed. Clasping her hand and apologizing for leaving her.

“What’s going on? Who is that man with my son?”

The woman’s words did nothing to soothe the growing concern in his chest, in fact, it had the opposite effect. He hated it, fear wasn’t something he felt, ever. Not since becoming Enforcer anyway. Even when he got shot, stabbed, was outnumbered, he never feared. He just got into the zone and handled business, but with Devin in direct danger, fear was now a part of his emotional range. Fear made for bad decisions, mistakes. It was a useless emotion, especially in the current situation. So, he tamped it down as best he could.

He would have the rest of his days to second-guess himself, now was not the time.

Devin was doting on the woman when the seemingly frail woman produced a knife from somewhere on the side of the bed he couldn’t view from his vantage point, and it was jammed to the side of Devin’s head. Right below her ear, a place he kissed and sucked on just hours earlier.

Thom started laughing again.

“Shut up, Thom. You’re not helping the situation,” the woman scolded her son.

Devin’s voice damn near broke him. It wasn’t just fear, but betrayal that laced her words.

“Ida, I don’t… we’re here to help you. Take you some place nice.”

“Some place nice? You mean some place where they control what I eat and drink. When I take a shit? No thanks. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the one who needs saving.” The woman’s face took on a cruel twist. Squatch wished like hell he had a clear shot because he knew whatever was about to come out of her mouth would hurt Devin.

“Speaking of saving, how’s Jana doing? Still a drunken harlot?”

Squatch tapped the gun against his thigh once and nodded ever so subtly toward the hospital bed where the woman sat inclined. If Nitro was by the window he would see and understand.

“Shut up, you fucking cunt or I’ll slit his throa⁠—”

The slight shake of Devin’s head stalled Squatch’s words and his hand. A fury replaced his very soul. That move had cost her, a small trickle of blood slipped down the creamy skin of her neck.

“You know my mother?” Devin spoke softly with confusion.

Squatch could do nothing but watch and wait for a clean shot.

“Know her? How do you think I ended up like this?”

Devin’s olive eyes couldn’t hide anything. The shock, hurt, and confusion were written clearly in their depths.

Before Devin could ask, which she clearly wanted to, Ida cackled. “Oh, dear, she’s always loved her drink more than anything. Especially you.” Devin didn’t speak still, but the realization was settling in for Squatch. Fuck, Devin ended up here because of her mother, he just knew it.

Ida was opening her mouth to continue speaking, and Squatch’s heart shattered for the woman he loved. She was not walking out of here the same as she’d walked in.

Before they left the hotel, she’d had an almost serene look on her face as she’d basically told him she’d made peace with the things her mother had done and the price she’d pay for them.

If he could’ve aerated the woman’s brains before she could say what Squatch was certain was coming, he would’ve. Anything to shut her up and spare Devin, but he didn’t have a clean shot. Nitro would come through the front door as soon as he felt he could safely do so, Squatch knew his brother wouldn’t jeopardize Devin. So, he had no choice but to let Ida break another piece of his woman with another betrayal from her mother.

He made a silent vow to spend however long it took to mend what others had torn.