The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

earlier than 1885, and then we’re five miles from its future location.”

“If JC is there, we can leave right away.”

“Only if Ensley is with him,” Remy whispered.

Austin opened one eye. “What the hell are you two doing here?” Then he opened the other eye and glanced around, rubbing the back of his neck. “What the hell am I doing here?”

Tavis stood in front of Austin, arms folded. “You can blame me for the headache.”

“Why’d you knock me out?”

“We didn’t think you’d come willingly, and we didn’t have time to argue,” Tavis said.

“How long have I been out? It was close to midnight when I started the movie I was watching. Now it’s”—he glanced up—“late afternoon.” He got to his feet, leaning on the tree for balance. “So where the fuck are we, anyway? And where’s the car?”

“Ain’t no car, man,” Remy said. “We’re riding horses. How do you feel?”

“Like shit. Let’s get the hell out of here. I’m missing a workout.”

“Sorry. But we came here to find James Cullen, and we can’t leave until we do,” Tavis said. “And the sooner we get riding, the sooner that’ll happen. So let’s go.”

“Call McBain. He can track JC’s phone and tell you exactly where he is. I should know. The asshole’s done it to me. That’s why I stopped carrying one.”

“JC doan have a phone, and neither do we,” Remy said. “And we’re in a hurry. You’re not the only one who wants to get back.”

“If you’re in such a goddamn hurry, you shouldn’t have brought me.”

“Bringing you went with the deal,” Remy said.

“What? Did JL hold you at gunpoint? Take my kid, or I’ll shoot you?”

“No, it was Pops, you asshole,” Remy said, stepping into Austin’s personal space. “If you ask me, he misjudged you and the situation. You can’t handle this.”

Austin’s head whacked the lowest branch on the tree, and he swatted it out of the way. “If I can survive the hell I’ve been through, I can survive anything. Even this. Whatever the fuck this is.” Austin’s eyes and his whole demeanor conveyed a stark, heartbreaking reality. He was only a shell of the man he’d been before the accident.

Tavis regretted not siding with JL at the meeting. Austin didn’t need to be here. His heavy scruff and the unkempt hair curling at his collar made him look even more dangerous than he probably was, but at this point, Tavis wouldn’t put anything past Austin. He could strike out at any moment, and anyone within reach when it happened would get their ass kicked.

Austin was in pain. That was obvious. But it was more profound than physical pain. He hated life right now and probably hated himself for getting on that motorcycle, and for the past year, it was the painkillers that got him from one moment to the next.

Bringing him here was a shitty idea. Tavis would rather be in Afghanistan right now.

But he wasn’t. He was here with a drug addict—or drug-dependent, or, as the scientific community like to call it, someone with substance use disorder. Whatever term he used, it all said the same thing. Austin was abusing painkillers.

Tavis’s eyes never stopped moving as he searched the surrounding land for possible danger, but the only real threat within miles was the man standing in front of him.

Austin walked toward the horses. “Which one is mine?”

“The tallest,” Tavis said.

Austin grabbed the reins, put his foot in the stirrup, and hissed when he pulled himself up into the saddle.

Fuck this. I’m taking him home.

“What’s Pops got to do with this?” Austin asked, reining his horse around so he could glare at Remy.

“Nothin’. Forget it.”

“Asshole. Spill it.”

Remy was so pissed at Austin he growled at him. “We had a fucking meeting to plan the rescue, and Pops wanted us to bring you along. Nobody thought it was a good idea, but he convinced Elliott, and now we’re stuck with you until we find JC. Got it, you shithead? Do you have any idea how worried your family is? No, you doan. You doan give a fuck. Well, from now on, we doan, either.”

Remy mounted his horse and moved away from Austin.

“I haven’t talked to Pops in weeks. What the hell does he know about what’s good for me?”

Tavis mounted up. “I don’t care who else you talk shit about, but don’t you dare disrespect or criticize Pops O’Grady. They don’t come any finer than him. He’s fair, honest, and dependable, and for some dumbass reason, he loves you.”

“If he loved me, he’d never agree to let you kidnap me.”

“If you ever talked to him, you’d know how he felt, and the same goes for your parents and aunts and uncles. So cut the crybaby shit. It’s already worn thin. We’re the only hope you got of going home again. So shut the fuck up!”

“Where are my painkillers?” Austin demanded as if he hadn’t heard what Tavis said.

“We didn’t bring them,” Remy said.

“What the hell am I supposed to do when I don’t have any in my system?”

“They shoot horses, doan they? I guess that’s what we’ll do to you,” Remy said.

For the first time, Tavis sensed they’d pushed Austin too far. He and Remy needed to back off for now and see how Austin handled the trip.

“We’re just a few miles from Elkhorn Ranch. If Roosevelt is there, we might find JC. Let’s ride.”

“I still don’t understand why we’re on horseback. Isn’t it easier to get around in a Jeep?”

“It’s 1885, you fucking moron,” Remy said. “There ain’t no Jeeps.”

Austin did a double-take. “What? You kidnapped me and brought me through the time warp without my consent? You can’t do that.”

“Who says?”

Anger flashed across Austin’s face. “What would have happened if we’d gotten separated?”

“You’re a smart guy,” Remy said. “You’d have figured it out, just like Kit, Charlotte, Kenzie, Amber, Amy, Sophia, and Penny.”

But Tavis didn’t believe it. Maybe the old Austin would have succeeded, but not this version. He’d have a meltdown, and Erik would have to intervene.