by Jenna Jacob
Loving the way she still nibbled on her bottom lip while pondering, I squeezed her hand. “Tell her the truth. The cat’s out of the bag anyway, angel.”
“What do you mean?”
Being as gentle and reassuring as I could, I explained how we were all going to be staying at the ranch. As expected, Caris piled all the blame on her shoulders. But after I told her how the band would have more time to work on our new album, some of the tension left her body.
After hitting a fast-food drive-thru, we headed toward the ranch. I pulled my cell phone—which somehow survived my landing on it—from my pocket and passed it to Caris.
“Call Trudy. Ask if she’ll go pick up your luggage and hold it for you.”
“Don’t worry, Caris,” Mia piped up. “The three of us shipped our luggage to the ranch this morning. When it’s delivered tomorrow, I’ll whip out my laptop and we’ll order a you a whole new wardrobe.”
“Um, sweetheart?” Ozzy grinned. “I’m sure the others brought their computers with them. You won’t have to wait until tomorrow.”
Mia rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Then we can start ordering tonight if you want.”
“Thank you, but there’s no rush. It can wait until tomorrow.”
“Works for me. It’s been a long day.”
Too long. I was exhausted and ready to crawl into a nice, comfy bed…with Caris.
Dream on, fucker, a negative voice in my head scoffed.
Caris held my phone in her hand, staring at the screen for several long minutes. Long enough for Mia to curl in against Ozzy’s chest and close her eyes. Long enough for Cole and Brad to lean their heads back and catch a short nap, as well.
Even I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open now that I had a full belly. Of course, the pain pills Caris insisted I swallow after we ate probably had a lot to do with it, as well. They’d erased the wicked throbbing of my shoulder.
As she punched in Trudy’s number on my phone, I let my heavy lids slide shut and listened as she relayed the entire clusterfuck that had ensued since Mia knocked on her front door.
I barely remembered Trudy, other than she owned the café. My years in Diamond City, there was never money for luxuries like eating out. But prior to that, I remember many times there wasn’t any food at all. My mind started wandering down the dark and dangerous path of my childhood. Instead of letting those horrific memories swallow me up, I focused on the sound of Caris’s sexy voice.
“Yes, I really am. He’s sitting next to me, sleeping.” I could hear the laughter in her tone. “Yes, they’re both with us in the limo, sleeping, too.” She paused for a minute and chuckled. “I’m sure they’d be happy to sign a CD for you. Thank you, for covering my ass, for being such an amazing friend, and for keeping my deep, dark secrets. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
A few minutes later, Caris ended the call, exhaled a tiny sigh of relief, and leaned her head on my uninjured shoulder. Without opening my eyes or moving too quickly, I slid my arm around her shoulder and drew her in close against me.
She felt so fucking good.
Better than pain meds.
Better than the screaming roar of the fans.
Better than life itself.
I dozed off again, waking to the ping of gravel bouncing off the limo’s undercarriage. We were almost at the ranch. As relief wended through me, I felt Caris tense.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“I’m nervous.”
“About?”
“Facing everyone.”
“Because?” I was well aware of what was bothering her, but I was determined to walk Caris through each step of her unwarranted guilt.
She lifted those soulful brown eyes up at me and scrunched her brow as if I was the dumbest man on the planet. Like a match to kindling, the fire to take her over my knee singed my veins.
“You’ve got a hole in your shoulder. Your tour’s been cancelled yet again. And everyone at the lodge just had their entire lives uprooted, all because of me.”
“You’re wrong, angel. Their lives have been uprooted because of Ozzy, Burk, Ross, Darren, and me.”
“And me,” Mia piped up with a defiant lift of her chin. “They broke into Zattman’s house because of me, Caris. Because of me, you, and all the other women that son of a bitch raped, tortured, and killed. He’s a monster that had to be stopped.”
A wide grin spread over my lips. I was about to begin preaching the exact same sermon to Caris. But it was better that Mia had taken the pulpit. Maybe now Caris would finally understand that Zattman was the only one to blame for this shit show.
“Ozzy and I talked for days about getting my photos back. First, we talked to Reed Landes about the legal avenues we could pursue. But the risk of exposing myself without any guarantee a judge would issue a search warrant made us expand our options. We discussed everything from blackmail to hiring a hit man but finally settled on stealing the photos back.”
I felt the tension bleed from Caris’s body.
“We knew going in Zattman might figure out who’d stolen the photos,” Ozzy explained. “But saving Mia’s career was worth the risk.”
“Worth it to all of us,” I added. “Finding you there was a…frightening and thrilling surprise.”
“You don’t get to own this, Caris. You were an innocent victim, like the rest of us,” Mia stated succinctly. “Syd getting shot, the tour being cancelled, and everyone uprooting their lives is all on me.”
“You’re wrong, Mia,” I drawled. “It’s on all of us who planned and plotted against him. And we’d do it all again to save you from him trashing your reputation.”
“We’re family,” Ozzy murmured.
“Fuck yeah, we are.” I grinned, then sobered and delved deep into Caris’s eyes. “And so are you now. Understood?”
She nodded and immediately tensed again as the limo pulled to a stop. Cole and Brad sat up straight, both on high alert.
“What’s happening, Elliot?” Brad called to the driver.
“Checkpoint, maybe? I’m not sure. All I know is I’m trying not to piss myself over the two big fuckers blocking the driveway, pointing guns at me.
Cole ducked his head and hurried to the front of the limo.
“For fuck’s sake,” the big man bit out. “It’s Tony and Al. Tell me those two Boy Scouts don’t actually think Zattman’s going to drive up in a damn limo.”
“Step out of the vehicle nice and slow,” called one of the men outside.
“I got this,” Brad grumbled as he opened the back door.
“Hands up,” the man outside called again.
“How about you put your hands up, Dexter. It’s us, you moron…Brad and Cole.”
“About damn time you guys showed up,” another man groused. “Boss is down at the house.”
“I know. I just texted him, telling him we’re here.”
Wearing a perturbed scowl, Cole stepped out from the vehicle and waved. “You’re doing a great job, guys. Keep up the good work.”
“Kiss my ass, rookie,” one of the men responded.
Laughing loud and hard, Cole and Brad climbed back into the limo and shut the door.
Chapter 12
Caris
“I take it you all don’t like those men very much.” I eyed them curiously
“Oh, no.” Cole shook his head and wiped a tear from his eye. “Tony and Al are great. In fact, if I was back in Afghanistan, I’d want both of them, Ruben, and McCoy on my team. We just like busting each other’s balls every chance we get.”
“It’s a guy thing.” Syd chuckled.
“We need to have a penis to understand,” Mia scoffed.
“I see.” I grinned. “But then they probably wouldn’t like us as much.”
Mia leaned forward and gave me a high five, then sent Syd a warning glare. “You’d better not fuck up and lose her.”
“You mean I’d better not fuck up and lose her again.” Syd pulled me closer. “Trust me.
I don’t plan on it.”
Pulses of hope exploded through me, but I quickly reined it back in. I couldn’t afford to get too close or too comfortable with Syd again. That didn’t necessarily mean I couldn’t submerge my heart in concrete and enjoy some much-neglected orgasmic ecstasy with him. Maybe I could talk him into making good on his threat to spank me. Anything would be better than my boring old fingers. Of course, it would only be a short-lived reprieve. Being tossed in a blender of danger didn’t change a damn thing. Once the threat had passed, Syd would be back on the road, performing for the masses, and I’d return home to fill coffee cups and deal with Shane’s annoying antics.
“You all right?” Syd asked as the limo pulled to a stop.
“Yeah,” I replied automatically before dipping my head and looking out the window. “Oh, wow. When you said lodge, I never expected… Wow. This is spectacular. It’s so beautiful, and…it’s so huge.”
“That’s what Mia says every night,” Ozzy chortled.
“Oh, I do, baby. Every night,” Mia mocked.
“Get your ass out of the car before I puke on your huge…ego.” Syd grinned.
Gathering my courage, I waited as everyone piled out of the limo. Syd stepped out and extended his good hand. Cursing my trembling fingers, I placed them in his palm and eased onto the paved drive. Cole and Brad were already in a deep conversation with a couple of mammoth suit-wearing men, while Mia and Ozzy were being surrounded by a huge group of men and women. Overwhelmed, I inched in closer to Syd. He slung his arm around my waist and held me tight as the group enveloped us, too. Everyone was talking at once, lobbing questions to Syd about his shoulder, the hospital, and details of the shooting. Through the cacophony, I heard Mia mention my name but wasn’t sure if she was talking to or about me.
Nerves singing, I felt so out of place I wanted to escape inside the safety of the limo and lock the doors.
“Save your welcomes and questions till later,” instructed a tall man with auburn hair and a thick Scottish accent standing on a massive front porch. The tall, willowy blonde beside him sent me a warm, welcoming smile before the man called out again, this time in a censuring tone, “Are you trying to give that fucknut more targets? Back inside. Now.”
Suddenly, a little boy with dark hair jumped off the porch and raced toward us, waving a small cowboy hat in his hand.
“Buncle Syd… Buncle Syd, I got new hat. We ride horsey now?”
Syd knelt down and greeted the excited tike, still charging like a bull.
“Whoa. Careful, cowboy. I got a hurt shoulder, see?” Syd pointed to the shoulder-pad of thick bandage beneath his blood-stained shirt.
“You got owie?”
“Yeah, a big one.” Cringing, he lifted the boy up in his good arm and stood. “I’ll take you riding, but not tonight. It’s late and the horsey is already asleep.”
Watching him with the boy had my heart melting and aching at once. I ached for the babies Syd and I once planned to raise and melted because I’d always suspected Syd would make an amazing father.
“Like you should be,” teasingly scolded a petite woman with fiery red hair and light blue eyes. Plucking the boy from Syd’s arms, she settled him on her hip as her expression sobered with concern. “Are you in much pain?”
“Not bad. I’ve got pain pills. I’ll be fine.”
She nodded, then stuck her hand out to me. “Hi, Caris. I’m Darren’s fiancée, Tori Combs. This is our son, Dustin.”
“Inside, people,” the man on the porch bellowed.
“Nice to meet you. Your son is beautiful.” I smiled as we fell in step behind the others filing into the lodge.
“He’s a handful and exhausted since he didn’t get a nap today. Thankfully, the baby bed we rented arrived.” Tori smiled down at her son as we climbed the stairs of the porch. “After a nice long bubble bath, some clean jammies, and a couple of stories, he should zonk right out.”
“Bubble baff? Oh, boy,” Dustin squealed with excitement.
As we stepped through the front door, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Not only was the lodge stunning from the outside, it was equally magnificent inside. The décor was rustic yet modern and lent a relaxed, homey vibe.
“Everyone in the family room. Now that we’re all here, we need to have a little meeting,” the auburn-haired man announced.
“You stay for the meeting. I’ll take him.” An older woman, with blonde hair cut in a carefree bob lifted Dustin from Tori’s arms. “Your daddy and I will give him a bath and get him tucked into bed. Walter and Susan can fill us in later on what Quinn has to say.”
Quinn was the man with the accent, giving all the orders. Of course, it made perfect sense now. I didn’t know who Walter and Susan were, but I assumed the older man beside the woman who’d plucked up Dustin must be Tori’s father.
Syd wasn’t kidding when he said everyone was converging on the lodge to stay safe.
“Thank you, Gail.” Tori smiled, kissed her son, then took a seat beside Darren on the couch.
“Let’s sit over there.” Syd nodded toward an oversized beige sectional.
I tried not to fidget as we sat down and waited for Quinn, who was studying something on his cell phone. With a grim frown, he handed the device to the blonde woman who’d been standing beside him on the porch. Unlike Quinn, the woman’s placid expression didn’t waver as she scanned the device.
Quinn strolled to a stop in front of a colossal stone fireplace, cleared his throat, then turned his sage-green eyes on me.
“Caris, welcome to the family, dear. My name is Quinn MacKinnon. I’m the agent and promoter for Licks of Leather. The beautiful creature on my left”—he swept his hand toward the pretty blonde smiling up at him as if he’d hung the moon and stars—“is my lovely wife, and partner in crime, Ava. You already know Syd, Ozzy, and Mia, a.k.a. Phoenix, but I’d like to go around the room and let everyone introduce themselves before we start the meeting.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “It’s an honor to be here and under your protection.”
Quinn raised a brow and slid a curious, slightly intrigued glance at Syd, who simply flashed the man a cocky grin. I had no clue what that was all about but made a mental note to ask later.
My head was spinning as I tried to remember everyone’s names. It must have shown, because halfway through the introductions, Mia flashed me a grin. “There’s a bunch of us, I know. Don’t worry, if you can’t remember someone’s name, just ask. We don’t get offended easily.”
“That’s no lie. After being around Syd so long, nothing offends us.” Burk laughed.
“You’re welcome.” Syd chuckled beside me.
When the introductions were over, I discovered that Walter and Susan were Darren’s parents, and the older couple putting Dustin to bed were his aunt Gail and her “boyfriend” Edward, Tori’s father.
“Thank you, everyone,” Quinn began. “And once again, welcome, Caris. All right. We have a full house, as in there are no empty beds left now. Thank you, Duke and Mick, for sharing one of the rooms with two queen beds. The other three rooms that sleep doubles have been assigned to McCoy and his men. Speaking of which, he and his men are taking shifts to provide us twenty-four-seven security. If you see someone walking around the grounds in the middle of the night, hopefully it’s only McCoy, Ruben, Tony, Al, Cole, or Brad.”
“Any new information about fuck face?” Ross asked.
“Yes, and while it’s not an issue right now, everyone please watch your language when Dustin is within earshot.” Quinn cracked Darren a knowing smile. “What four-letter words his father teaches him is none of our business.”
“Being a dad is easy.” Darren grinned. “Cleaning up my vocabulary is a red-hot bitch.”
“You mean a red-hot girl dog, right?” Tori teased.
Quinn waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. “To answer your question, Ross, yes. As some of you know, our lawyer, Reed Landes, and LA District Attorney Janet Howard have b
een working together as the situation with Zattman unfolds. Face-recognition software has confirmed that he boarded a flight from LA to Springfield, Missouri, two hours after bonding out of jail. We know he rented a car, and the vehicle the police discovered on the side of the road near Caris’s house matches the VIN number of Zattman’s rental.”
“How do you know he rented it and not someone else?” Ozzy asked.
“Don’t ask.” Quinn frowned.
“I have a question,” Walter said, lifting a finger in the air. “I don’t think it’s any secret that…how should I put this…”
“Just spit it out, Dad,” Darren encouraged.
“Okay, that maybe some unlawful activity took place to get us to this point. Not that I’m judging. The monster definitely needs to be locked up or preferably put down, but what assurance is there that Zattman won’t try to turn the tables and press charges against Darren and the other boys?”
Quinn nodded. “The LA district attorney cannot and will not step outside the scope of the law; however, it’s my understanding their office has been investigating accusations about Zattman for years. They simply lacked tangible proof to file charges. The anonymous, and I stress the word anonymous, delivery of photos their office received has provided that proof. Zattman can scream setup all he wants, but there isn’t a shred of evidence, aside from the lone witness sitting in this room, that the boys were even near the bastard’s house that night.”
All eyes turned my way. I knew what they were thinking… Will she turn on us and stab us in the back? Butterflies dipped and swooped in my stomach. My mouth felt as dry as the Mohave Desert.
Dredging up all the courage I could muster, I feigned wide-eyed innocence. “I didn’t see a thing that night. When I finally broke through those ropes, I kicked in the door and ran for my life.”
The whole room erupted in laughter and cheers. Syd hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head. “That a girl.”
“Settle down, settle down,” Quinn said, still chuckling. “Unfortunately, the son of a bitch has vanished into thin air. But we hope to get a ping on his location soon. He can’t walk back to LA or—”
