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Wyatt let out a breath. “Fuck.” If the motorcycle club got to Newman first, he was a dead man walking. “I didn’t want this.”
“I know you didn’t.” Ben’s voice was gentle. “But if it makes you feel any better, I managed to hack into Beth’s phone. I know why she ran, Wyatt. Newman somehow got access to Navy records about your last mission. He sent her photos and doctored reports that appeared to blame you for the death of your teammates. He also threatened to release them to the media if she didn’t leave.”
Wyatt was shocked to the point he couldn’t speak for a few moments. “How?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out. That asshole wasn’t lying when he said he had friends in high places. Whoever leaked and changed the reports will pay.”
“Thank you.”
“Any time, brother. I’ll wait to hear from you about the money. Now go get your woman. Let me know you guys are okay once you surface in a few days.”
Wyatt could almost see the smirk on his friend’s face. “Will do. I owe you one.”
“Just be happy. That’s thanks enough. Maybe I’ll come visit you one day.”
“We’d love to have you.”
He ended the call and checked on Freya, who was still snoozing happily in the back seat. Just as he was considering whether to go knock on Beth’s door or wait until she came out, she made the decision for him, stepping out of her room. She wheeled her suitcase to her car and placed it in the trunk, but instead of getting into the car and leaving, she turned and walked out of the parking lot.
When she returned about fifteen minutes later, she had coffee in one hand and a small bag of something in the other. Getting into her car, she sat for a good ten minutes as she drank her coffee and ate what he guessed were donuts.
She eventually placed her key in the engine and he waited for the car to start, but then she dropped her hand and looked down at something.
A few seconds later, his phone began to ring.
ChapterTwenty-Seven
Beth sniffled as she tried to stem the flow of tears sliding down her face. She sat on a beach in Norfolk, Virginia, watching the naval ships in the ocean in front of her. After fleeing Silverbell Shore in the early hours of the morning, she’d headed east to the ocean, and then planned to go north to New England. She’d been to Maine one summer as a child, and that seemed as good a place as any to settle. It was also about as far away as she could get from Miles Newman…and Wyatt Kincaid.
Two men who played such different roles in her life. She never wanted to see the former again, but it broke her heart to think of Wyatt. She was so in love with him she couldn’t see straight, and walking out on him—and Freya, whom she loved as her own—had no doubt been the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. But Beth had lain awake for hours after she and Wyatt made love the night before, and when she’d gotten the shocking texts from Miles, she’d known she had to run.
She had no idea how, but Miles had managed to gain access to the files of Wyatt’s last mission for the Navy. He’d texted her photos of the dead, mangled bodies of his teammates, of censored reports that seemed to indicate Wyatt somehow was to blame for their deaths. She’d been horrified. She knew that was bullshit and he’d tried desperately to save them, but the doctored reports looked convincing. How he’d done it, she had no idea.
Miles had told her if she didn’t leave Silverbell Shore—and Wyatt—immediately, then he’d release the files to some crooked journalist who wrote for a sleazy tabloid. She knew they’d run with the story and there’d be an investigation. Wyatt’s honor would be questioned and put up for public scrutiny. It would make all his nightmares resurface. All the peace he’d fought hard to win would be shattered. And it wasn’t just Wyatt that would be affected; the families of his teammates would also be thrust into the public eye.
She couldn’t do that to him. To them. They’d all had to struggle to adjust to life without their loved ones, and she wouldn’t let Wyatt relive it all again. She loved him too much for that.
She’d spent hours lying in bed next to him, trying to think of ways she could stay and stop Miles from making good on his threat, but there’d been nothing.
Beth knew Miles. Knew he’d do it if she didn’t acquiesce to his request and leave Wyatt. Seeing a gun in his hand the previous night had truly shocked her; she’d never thought him capable of such violence, but now she’d thought about it, he’d looked different. He’d been unhinged, and she had no doubt he’d never leave her alone.
What if their next encounter resulted in Wyatt being hurt? Even worse? She knew he could defend himself better than most men; he’d been trained by the Navy to do so. But she’d meant what she’d said. Wyatt couldn’t fend off a bullet any better than another man, and if Miles shot him, or sent someone else after him, she’d never forgive herself.
If Wyatt died because of her, she wouldn’t want to live, either.
So it had been best to leave. She was sorry she’d woken him. She’d planned to send him a text explaining everything, as cowardly as that might have appeared, because talking to him in person had crushed her. Every fiber of her being had wanted to fling herself into his arms and have him carry her back to bed, get her naked again, and make her promise to stay while impaling her on his cock.
She wouldn’t have been able to resist him, and that was the problem. Then she’d have spent the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Wondering when Miles would strike next. Or if he would at all, and psychologically, that would have been damaging. Not knowing, having him continue to gaslight her until she truly went insane.
So she’d left, but she was miserable. The beach she currently sat upon was beautiful, and she watched the waves as they rolled toward her, the cold, salty ocean water nipping at her bare toes. She planned to stay in Norfolk for the night, then head north.
She wiped the tears off her cheeks and stood, shaking sand off her butt and picking up her shoes until she reached the path. Donning them once more, she chanced turning on her phone so she could look up cheap motels in the area.
Her heart began to race as she waited to see how many missed calls and texts she had. Once the phone was powered up, she saw she had two missed calls from Wyatt and a couple from a blocked number, but no texts. Shit. Had that been Miles? She still had no idea how he’d managed to track down her number.
She only used it long enough to locate a place for the night, then powered it down again. Once she’d checked in, paying cash for the room, she drove her car into the parking lot and parked near the room she’d been allocated. Hoisting her suitcase and tote inside, she left most of her belongings in the locked room and headed down the main street in search of food.
Beth hadn’t eaten much since she’d left Wyatt. She’d managed to choke down a coffee and a protein bar for breakfast, but she’d skipped lunch. Starving herself wouldn’t make things any better, though, so when she happened upon an old-school diner, complete with a black-and-white checkerboard floor and red booths, she went inside.
