here. We can discuss it now.”
He sucked in a breath, clearly irritated, but then leaned in close. “I’m surprised you’re still here. Are you waitin’ around for Max to find your replacement? Have you prepared Hank, or are you just plannin’ on leavin’?”
I stared at him like he’d just spoken Russian. Then horror washed over me. He knew about the Hardshaw Group. But I also realized I’d made a huge mistake in insisting we talk about it here.
I looked him dead in the eye. “Who said I was going anywhere?”
“Surely you’re not plannin’ on stayin’,” he said with a look of disbelief.
I propped a hand on my hip. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Carly,” he said in a hushed voice, but there was plenty of anger behind it. “What the hell do you think you’re doin’?”
“Why are you suddenly so eager to see me go?”
His eyes flew wide. “Are you serious?” He leaned in close, his face inches from mine, so close I could smell the combination of engine grease and the hand soap he used in the garage. “Your life is in danger, Carly, but if you’re too stupid to care about yourself, then at least think about the safety of the people around you.”
Was he talking about Hank?
My anger rose up, hot and fierce. “You have no right,” I whisper-shouted, balling my hands at my sides. “You mind your own damned business, Wyatt Drummond.”
I rued the day I’d spilled my guts to him. Sure, he’d figured out a good portion of my story due to my poor acting abilities when we’d heard a radio broadcast of my father discussing my disappearance, but I could have denied it. I could have played dumb. Instead, he’d gotten me to trust him and convinced me to tell him every last detail.
“Are you workin’ with your father?” I asked in a deadly calm voice.
Surprise washed over his face. Then all emotion evaporated. “You don’t know what you’re dealin’ with Carly.”
“Oh,” I said, staring up at him, realizing his nonanswer was probably all I was going to get. “You fucking hypocrite,” I whispered angrily, fighting the urge to shout. “As you are well aware, I know exactly what I’m dealing with, and even if I decided to grab my purse and leave town right this very minute, your father threatened Hank’s life if I do. Or do you really not care?” He didn’t answer, and my fury grew. “If you don’t want to help me protect Hank, then so be it, but don’t expect me to give a single shit about what you think or say.”
I started to walk away before I did something any more stupid than what I’d already done, like insist on having this conversation in public, but in my defense, I hadn’t imagined he’d be so careless.
He reached out and roughly grabbed my arm, his fingers digging deep into my flesh as I tried to pull away. He leaned into my face, fury in his eyes. “You need to go, Carly. The sooner the better.”
“What the hell’s goin’ on here?” Max barked from across the room, not wasting any time closing the distance between us. While Wyatt was his brother, I knew Max placed my safety over his familial loyalty.
“Nothin’,” Wyatt said, lifting his gaze to his brother but still holding on to my arm.
I jerked free from his grip.
“Don’t you ever touch me again,” I spat, still trying to keep quiet, but it was too late for that. We’d garnered the attention of the entire bar, including Ruth, who stood in the doorway to the back.
“You can just get on out of here, Wyatt Drummond,” she announced, pointing to the front door.
His glance shifted from me to Ruth, and he said in a no-nonsense tone, “I’m puttin’ shelves in for Max.”
“Not right now you’re not,” Max said, his voice hard. “You need to leave. Right now.”
Wyatt stared at him in disbelief. “You’ve got to be shittin’ me!” His gaze landed on me, his eyes hard. “You know I’m right. You’re just too damn stubborn to admit it.”
Fear and panic mingled in my head. I couldn’t believe he was being so careless. Was he purposely trying to get me killed? He wasn’t that callous, so I suspected he was making me uncomfortable on purpose, in an attempt to drive me out of Drum.
“I’m not gonna tell you twice, Wyatt,” Max said, his hand on the knife he kept strapped to his outer thigh in case a customer got too rowdy.
In a