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Sawyer grunted and stopped the car hard enough to make us all rock forward. “Don’t wait for me. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
The weight in my chest pressed against me like one of those men was digging his heel into my chest. I drew in a deep breath, but it didn’t help.
The apprehension wasn’t mine. It was Sawyer’s.
It hit me like a ton of bricks. These men were waiting for him so they could help him carry out the torture of the rogues.
No wonder he didn’t want me here. This day was going from one bad thing to another. It couldn’t possibly get worse. I hoped.
Lincoln got out of the car and opened my door. He didn’t give me a chance to get out before he grasped my arm and hauled me out, barely giving me enough time to unbuckle. “Come on.”
I let him drag me down the drive toward the back of the house, but I chanced one last look at Sawyer over my shoulder.
The men were slapping him on the back and pulling him toward one of the outbuildings on the far side.
He looked up and caught my eye for a moment. His brows dropped into a frown, and he shook his head and turned, moving in the direction of the building.
My stomach plummeted and knotted.
Lincoln pulled me harder toward the woods. “Come on. We can run it out. Most of the pack will be wanting to watch the interrogation. We’ll have the woods to ourselves.”
“They watch?” My words came out in a choked whisper.
Lincoln gave me a sympathetic look. “Yeah. Some of them really enjoy it. It’s best if we are as far away from here as we can be. It can get pretty gruesome.”
“And Sawyer… He’s going to…” I couldn’t finish. Emotion clogged my throat.
Lincoln didn’t stop walking. If anything, we were moving faster now. “Sawyer does what he has to. It’s important that he stays in our father’s favor. He, unfortunately, has a part to play. If our dad ever suspected him of defiance, I don’t know what he’d do.”
I froze. “He’d kill him.”
My body went leaden. I almost fell over, but Lincoln caught me.
He swept me up into his arms and carried me bridal style through the woods. “He needs an alpha to pass the pack to whenever he decides to retire. He won’t kill Sawyer. The chances of him siring another alpha are unlikely, and he wouldn’t leave the pack to anyone but family.”
“What about Mikey?”
Lincoln snorted. “Mikey doesn’t have what it takes. My dad knows it.”
“He’s ruthless.” Mikey was just like the alpha, coldhearted and dangerous.
“Yeah. He is. But he doesn’t think through things. My dad is merciless, but he is already ten steps ahead. How else do you think he was able to get so powerful in such a short period of time? He may have snapped, but everything he does has a purpose.”
I touched Lincoln’s shoulder. “Sawyer told me what happened to you and your mom and sister.”
Lincoln looked away and exhaled loudly through his nose. “You must think I’m weak for having a panic attack. It’s definitely not normal.”
I laid my head against his shoulder. “Normal is overrated.”
Lincoln chuckled. It made his chest rumble. I smiled, wishing we could have more moments like this.
“Thanks. I think,” he said.
I peeked up at him through hooded lashes. “You and Sawyer complement each other well. You both have exactly what the other doesn’t. You are exactly how you are supposed to be.” I huffed and looked away. “And Sawyer is stubborn just the way he needs to be.”
Lincoln buried his face in my hair. How he could see to keep carrying me, I didn’t know. The path was well-worn. Maybe he knew it by heart. He’d seemed to know exactly what Sawyer had been talking about.
He kissed my temple. “You know he just pushed us away to protect us, right?”
