by Lori Foster
“If I do, I have another bottle.”
So calm, so matter-of-fact.
Get it together, Sterling ordered herself. Cade was smart enough to know if he couldn’t handle the situation. She should take comfort in his confidence, not get annoyed by it.
Scenery passed in a blur, much like her thoughts. Madison texted once to say that she’d confirmed two men in the truck, and one in the front seat of the car chauffeuring Mattox.
Sterling read the message to Cade and sent back his simple acknowledgment, but her mind scrambled on the math. Four men hired, three accompanying Mattox, and Mattox himself... That was eight men.
Against the three of them.
And they still didn’t know if Adela was along for the ride, complicit in everything, or cowering, possibly injured, back in an isolated cabin.
Not long after that, they turned down a narrow road off the highway and picked up Reyes. He’d parked his truck behind some trees and strode out with the same insouciance as Cade.
She was ready to chew her nails, and they acted like it was nothing.
Cade got out and walked around to meet his brother at the back of the SUV.
Twisting in her seat, Sterling watched as Reyes suited up, starting with a back holster that held two handguns. Unlike Cade, Reyes adjusted his bulletproof vest right over his T-shirt.
Too antsy to sit still, Sterling got out to join them.
Reyes glanced up with a smile. “Hey, girl. How’s it hanging?”
“Hey.”
Far too perceptive, Reyes did a double take, but wisely chose not to comment on the visible tension in her frame.
Instead, he picked up the semiauto precision rifle. “It’s going to rain.”
Cade shrugged. “Every afternoon, this time of year. You won’t melt.”
“I’d rather not calculate wind, though.”
When Sterling frowned, Cade explained, “Reyes will cover us from farther away.”
That was news to her. “He won’t be with us?”
“I’ll ensure no one sneaks up behind you.”
Well...that was reassuring. “You’re a crack shot, huh?”
Tugging on a lock of her hair, Reyes said, “Even with wind and rain.” He closed the back of the car. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”
So that Cade could ride shotgun, Sterling took the back seat. Heavy clouds moved in and around the sun, one minute making it gloomy, the next leaving the day bright. She knew they were right. Rain was inevitable, and it fit her mood.
If they all got through this day unscathed, she’d reevaluate how she lived her life. Cade mattered. His family mattered.
And by God, that meant she mattered, too.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THEY CAME INTO the farm from the side, skirting around scraggly woods, making their way over a neglected field. Given that dried stalks remained scattered about, she guessed someone had once grown corn.
Age and neglect had ravaged the farmhouse, the windows all broken, the roof half gone. Farther back, and to the right, an old weathered barn remained standing.
If not for the box truck and black sedan parked behind it, Sterling would have thought they had the wrong place. But no, the evidence was there. Had they come in through the front, they wouldn’t have seen either vehicle parked in back.
Both men were quietly focused as they took in a big gnarled tree near a fence line, a massive boulder and an old trestle bridge over a creek.
“There,” Reyes decided, nodding at the bridge. “I’ll have a better line of sight from there.”
Cade nodded. “I’ll circle around and come in on that side of the barn. I’ll be able to see what I’m up against and you’ll be able to cover me.”
“Should I pick a few off right away?”
“That would just announce us and might not be necessary anyway. Wait and see how it goes.”
Sterling frowned at them as they went over plans. There were eight men out there, waiting, anxious to kill Cade and probably Reyes, too.
Anxious to get hold of her.
In no way did she feel equipped for this—but how could she say that when they were so freakishly calm?
Reyes lowered the binoculars. “I only counted five inside the barn. Think they’re planning to stash the women there?”
“How secure could it be? Wouldn’t take much to have the whole structure falling down around them.”
“What if it’s a trap?” When both men turned to her, Sterling curled her fingers until she felt her nails digging into her palms. “What if one of them has a sniper rifle of his own? He could pick us off as we close in.”
“Not likely,” Reyes said. “I’m not sure these buffoons can manage that much planning. The punks at the gym definitely don’t have any talents beyond finding their way into trouble.”
“Mattox is not a punk,” she insisted. “He’s a bloodthirsty, heartless bastard who would take pleasure in killing all of us.”
Slowly, Reyes lowered the binoculars. Seconds passed before he spoke, and again he chose to overlook her trepidation. “A few of them have gone to the back of the truck. They don’t appear to be aware of us.”
“Mattox?” Sterling leaned forward, staring hard, but without binoculars of her own, she couldn’t make out any people. “Did you see him?”
“Neither of them look thick enough. Besides, I can’t imagine Mattox doing the grunt work.”
“We’ve stripped him of his resources.” Cade took another look. “He’s here. I sense it.”
Sterling whispered, “Me, too.” Somehow she knew Mattox was there...and she knew everything about this was wrong.
Cade glanced back at her in sharpened awareness. Dissecting her. Analyzing her. Coming to conclusions.
How could eyes so cool be so scorching?
In defensive belligerence, she asked, “What?”
“Now isn’t the time to hold back. If you have suspicions—”
“It feels wrong,” she blurted. “All of it. In my gut, I know we’re being set up.” Sitting back, she waited for their derision. She waited for their doubt.
The brothers shared a look.
Reyes surprised her by saying, “Gut feelings have kept me alive more than once.”
Cade nodded. “So this might not be the cakewalk I anticipated.”
Now that she had their attention, Sterling started to relax.
Until Cade caught her hand. “I don’t want to piss you off, babe, but I have a favor to ask.”
Reyes hummed a little, drummed his fingertips on the steering wheel and went back to surveying the barn.
With a terrible foreboding, Sterling lifted her chin.
“I think you’re right. I think it’s a setup of some sort—but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
Tension burrowed into her every muscle. “You’ve gotten through things like this before?”
“Many times.”
Clearly he wasn’t retrenching—and she wasn’t willing to hold him up. “Okay, so let’s go. The waiting is worse than the doing.”
Cade didn’t budge. His hold on her hand tightened. “Since it likely is a trap, we need someone at the wheel, ready to go, in case we have to bounce in a hurry.”
Of course she knew where this was going. “You mean me?”
“You’re good. I’d never say otherwise.” His low voice seemed to brush over her skin like a reassuring caress. “Put to the test, I know you’d handle any situation. No doubts at all, I swear. But the truth is—”
“You and Reyes are better at this.” A blatant truth.
“We’re bigger. Stronger.” His thumb rubbed over her clenched knuckles. “And yes, better trained for this.”
It galled, knowing that Cade was giving her an out.
He must have known that, too, because he tacked on, “It’s either you or Rey
es—”
Reyes snorted but continued studying the barn. “Still only see five. No women.”
Sterling knew she should have been gracious, should have accepted the excuse with gratitude, but instead she said, “I’m agreeing under duress.”
His shoulders relaxed, telling her that her decision had mattered to him.
Before Cade, the concept of the future had no real meaning. Now she wanted to see what happened between them. She wanted to know what tomorrow, the next month, an entire year would bring. “You need to understand, Cade. I’m going to be very worried for you. Very.” It horrified her that her voice wavered with emotion. “Damn it, you’ve stolen my edge!”
“I’ll go get in position.” Taking the rifle from the floor near Cade’s feet, Reyes left the SUV, then kept low as he cut across the field. He’d have to wade out into the creek to climb the trestle, but she didn’t have a doubt he could do it.
With terrible timing, Sterling realized she liked Reyes now. Heck, in such a short time, the entire McKenzie family had become dear to her.
When Cade got out and circled around, she stepped out to meet him, oblivious to the light rain that immediately dampened her clothes and hair. Without missing a beat, he pressed her to the side of the SUV. His rough hand cradled her cheek. “The timing is fucked, but I need you to know something.”
“Wha—”
“I love you.”
Her heart shot into her throat and stuck there, feeling as big as a grapefruit. Unfair! Now he decided to make it all crystal clear, with her rowdy emotions flying out of control?
At her stunned silence, his mouth quirked. “I love you, Star.”
It took a second, but she found herself smiling, as well. “Cade—”
“There’s no way in hell I won’t come back to you.” He punctuated that with the briefest of kisses to her slightly parted lips but then wasted no more time talking. “Get behind the wheel, keep the doors locked and stay alert.”
He took it one step further, practically putting her in the seat himself, locking the door and quietly closing it.
He hadn’t given her a chance to tell him how she felt, and now she desperately wanted to. Did he not trust what she’d say? Was he uncertain of her?
A laughable idea. She was a complete nobody, without special talent, no family, nothing to recommend her, and he was...
He was everything to her.
Cade loves me. She hugged his confession to her heart, and in that moment, she believed it would be all right.
Had he known her misgivings? Course he had. Cade missed nothing. He’d deliberately saved her by saying they needed a driver. That hadn’t been discussed in their prior plans, so she knew he’d come up with it on the fly.
Somehow, he truly knew her, well enough to understand her even when she had trouble understanding herself. Without the excuse he’d given her, she would have gone along. And she likely would have been up to the task.
She knew it. Cade knew it, too. And that’s what mattered.
He’d been considerate...because he loved her.
More focused because of that, she stared ahead, already losing sight of Cade, still unable to spot Reyes. She picked up Cade’s discarded binoculars. If it became necessary, she’d lend a hand.
Otherwise, she’d be right here—waiting.
* * *
SPOTTING REYES ON the bridge, positioned behind a beam, Cade stole low through the high weeds and cornstalks until he was on the other side of the barn, then crept forward. Once he got close enough, he could hear men talking. Not Mattox, not yet, but he sensed the bastard was near.
“Think they’ll show?” someone asked. “Should have been here by now, right?”
“Have a look around. Take someone with you.”
Cade flattened his back to the rough, weather-bleached boards and waited. The men murmured low, mostly complaints about the rain. Then one said, “You check around back. I’ll go this way.”
Perfect. He could take them on two at a time, but individually would be quieter, ensuring he didn’t alert the others.
The first started around the corner. Slouched, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other hand holding a revolver at his side, he spotted Cade a second too late.
Snagging the much smaller man into a tight choke hold that both kept him silent and immobilized him, Cade torqued up the pressure until the man’s skinny legs gave out and he slumped. Lowering him to the ground, Cade quickly wrapped his mouth with duct tape, then secured his hands and feet with nylon cuffs.
He stuck the guy’s weapon into his waistband and in less than thirty seconds was at the back of the barn—where he caught the startled surprise of the second guy as he stepped into view. Hair in a ponytail and missing two front teeth made the sight pretty comical.
When the thug opened his mouth to scream, Cade slammed his fist into his face, putting him down, dazed, but not yet out.
Easy enough. Straddling him, Cade gripped his throat tight. “Make a sound, and you’re dead.”
Blinking fast in panic, the idiot went still. Cade released him but only to land another hard punch, and this time it put him to sleep. He trussed up that guy much like the first.
Reyes had spotted five, so he had three to go.
A twig snapped, and Cade looked back to see two more men standing there, and if their wild-eyed expressions meant anything, they were scared spitless. They each held guns but hadn’t yet aimed them.
Even more reckless, they were within reach.
Slowly, Cade smiled—then spun, leg out, taking them off their feet. They crashed into each other.
Either Mattox was getting really desperate by using wannabe street toughs with no training, or he didn’t care if they all died.
Not that Cade committed random murder, but still, he took them apart pretty easily, even while preparing for another threat to show. He bound their hands and feet, and when he heard the shot, he knew it was Reyes.
On the other side of the barn, someone howled in pain. The last man? Or maybe Mattox.
Back on his feet, Cade peered into the barn, saw it was empty and felt fury expand. Where the fuck was Mattox?
He had a few prisoners who might be able to tell him.
Turning back, he met the gaze of one of the punks.
Face bloodied and eyes wild, he watched as Cade strode toward him.
Trying to scuttle back, the panicked guy asked, “Who the fuck are you?”
Cade kicked him in the ribs. With his hands bound, he couldn’t block the strike at all. “Where’s Mattox?”
“Goddammit!” he yelled, trying to curl in on himself. “Fucking asshole!”
The outpouring of profanity didn’t faze Cade. He aimed his Glock. “You have two seconds. One, t—”
“He’s in the farmhouse!”
“Shut up, Mort,” the other man growled. “Mattox’ll cut your fuckin’ throat.”
“And this one will shoot me, man! Either way, I’m dead.”
In the house... “Why?”
“Don’t want his biz told, that’s why.”
Idiot. Ignoring Mort, Cade stepped on the other one’s nuts, hard enough to make him scream. “Why is he in the house?” With the house barely standing, the barn would have been a better choice.
Urgency beat in Cade’s brain. He needed to see Star, needed to touch her. Needed to know—
Mort stammered, “Some sort of setup, dude. We don’t get details. Now let up ’fore you kill him.”
Blinding rage coalesced. Star. It all became a blur at that point. He quickly gagged Mort and the other idiot. Then in a flat-out run, he headed for the house.
* * *
THE GUNSHOT SCARED STERLING, making it impossible for her to stay in the car. Heart rapping, she got out with the binoculars and stared, but everything must have been happening on the o
ther side of the barn.
Had Reyes fired, or had one of Mattox’s men?
Caught in indecision, she chewed her lip—and suddenly Adela slammed up to the fender of the SUV. Swinging around to face her, the gun already in her hand, Sterling gaped in shock.
Adela’s mouth was swollen, crusted over with dried blood, and one of her eyes was blackened. A purpling bruise spread out on her jaw. “What in the world—”
“Francis...” Now half draped over the hood of the car, her legs unable to hold her, Adela groped her way around. “Please. Help me.”
Empathy took over, sharpened by rage, and Sterling snapped to attention. “What happened?” After holstering the gun, she hurried over to put an arm around Adela. “Mattox did this to you?”
“Yes.” Slumping against her, Adela held on for dear life. Her clothes were torn, a dirty T-shirt ripped from the hem halfway up her midriff. Jeans ragged and dirty. Hair tangled.
Struggling with the deadweight, Sterling tried to steer her to the side of the SUV so she could open the door and get her inside. “Easy. Take a few breaths.” She reached for the handle...
Adela laughed as she pushed her back, taking her off guard. She had Sterling’s gun in her hand.
Things clicked into place easy enough. “Huh. So I was right. You’re part of the setup.”
“Don’t lie!” Adela raged. “You had no idea.”
Curling her lip, Sterling said, “I suspected you all along.”
Stymied, Adela’s mouth firmed, her eyes narrowed and she looked ready for murder.
Sterling immediately considered how to react, what she’d do, when she’d do it. It’d be dicey, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Then Adela surprised her by smiling. “Did you know I arranged it all? Ah, I see that you didn’t.”
All? No, she wouldn’t buy that. “Mattox doesn’t take orders from a woman.”
“Of course not. He’s all man. He’s all mine.” As if gloating, Adela said, “I suggested how to get you, and he liked the idea. It’s worked before.”
Worked before? What the ever-loving hell.
“I don’t want to kill you out here. Mattox would be disappointed, so turn around and walk.”
