McAllister Justice Series Box Set

by Reily Garrett

  “I backed away until out of sight then ran like hell. The prick was the bastard who attacked me in the elevator at Horizon Solar.”

  “Oh, hell. That’s it. Luc, take her home. I don’t know if he worked alone, and I don’t want the rest of the class endangered by her presence. I’ll collect the gear later.”

  “No. If you’re going back out there, so am I.” Katt stood her ground when Matt crowded closer to tower over her.

  “You are leaving. Now.” Matt turned her toward Luc and nudged her forward.

  “There is no police protocol that would send you out there alone, without backup, when there is immediate danger. If you’re going back, then so am I. I’ll stay more alert.”

  “C’mon, Matt. She does have a point. Not only that, but I can’t drag her ass all the way home. She’s like this spitfire octopus combination I couldn’t hope to contain.” Luc pivoted and surveyed the gathering then waved the counselors closer. “Wyler, we’ve got some explaining to do.”

  “Sounds like it. I don’t want my group in danger.” The lead counselor heaved a sigh, as if preparing to hear a repeat of a common story.

  “After tangling with a bear, the prick who’s after Katt won’t be in any shape to cause trouble. Now is our best chance to get some answers and end this crap.” Matt shifted his weight, indecision written in the lips mashed between his teeth.

  “Then it won’t be a problem if Luc and I help. Safety in numbers. Remember the buddy system?”

  “At least someone listens in class. Thank you, Katt.” Wyler’s smirk died a quick death. “It’s a shame you didn’t adhere to that safety measure when you went for a walk at the ass crack of dawn.”

  Luc grinned at his older brother. “Her misstep in protocol aside, she does have a point, Matt. We’re both armed. What could go wrong?”

  Matt huffed out a long sigh. “Jesus. All right. It’s time the class packed up and got out of here. Sorry for the inconvenience, Wyler.”

  “It’s all right. I owed you one, anyway. The class can finish up at the barrack.”

  “Are you carrying, Wyler?” Luc asked.

  “I’ve got a Ruger in my pack, though Jonelle’s a better shot.”

  “Can you take our gear back?” Matt’s gaze scanned the perimeter.

  “Yeah. We’ll get it. Call me later so I know you all are safe.”

  “Thanks, it’ll probably be late.” Matt pivoted and headed back in the direction of her latest near-death experience.

  Relief and confusion provoked more questions Matt wouldn’t answer. Doubt chipped away at her confidence until she agreed with Luc’s assessment. Matt didn’t know how to handle a relationship.

  By the time they found the site of confrontation, the bears and the gunman had vanished. Bloodstained foliage on the side of the path along with broken limbs indicated where something had been injured.

  “I don’t see drag marks, which means he left under his own steam.” Katt stepped around the scene, careful not to contaminate whatever evidence they could collect.

  “Either that, or he had a partner who was more interested in helping him than tracking you. Stay alert and let’s see how far we can track him.”

  “I wish Damien were here.” She wouldn’t mind the dog’s presence, both in scenting a trail and as an early warning system should they approach an ambush.

  Late-afternoon shadows congealed into larger masses to thwart their view by the time they reached the barrack. The stress of almost becoming a raw meal kept her thoughts in a chaotic state that denied differentiation. Frustration limited her running commentary. “Looks like it’s not over.”

  “This isn’t finished until we get answers from today’s prick and Denny,” Matt said.

  “I can do a digital sketch once I get hold of Jack.”

  “Where is Jack?” Luc looked to Katt for clarification.

  “At my place.” Matt grimaced then blew out a sigh.

  “We’ll deal with that later. For now, we have other issues.” Luc was the one to offer tactile comfort, his hand smoothing across her shoulders.

  “What are the odds of bears stumbling across us like that? It strikes me as peculiar that the mama didn’t herd her babies away.” Katt looked first at Luc, then his oldest brother.

  “Pretty unusual considering how shy they are around humans; though cubs are curious. Why do you ask?”

  “Not sure. I’ve never had an encounter with bears before, and these, well; they kind of freaked me out when up close and personal.”

  “Maybe your gunman smelled like a good breakfast.” Matt nudged her toward his truck.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Katt dropped her backpack inside the kitchen door and snapped on the lights, bone weary and ready to soak in a steaming bath. Not even Matt’s futuristic shower perked her interest. “Thanks for stopping at Megan’s tonight.” With Gila draped around her shoulders and chittering in her ear, the happy reunion eased the ache of facing reality.

  “Damien. Knock it off.” Matt’s command stopped the shepherd’s pawing at Katt’s boots.

  “Dog, I don’t know what your problem is, but if you’ll just let me finish getting these things off, I won’t care what you do with them. And while I’m on a roll, tell your daddy he should put a bench beside the door so people don’t have to sit on the floor to take off their shoes.”

  “I think our companions are as glad to be home as we are.” Using his thumbprint to reset the alarm, he asked, “Want some water?”

  “I’d love a glass of wine and a tub full of hot water.”

  A twist of his lips and arched brow later, he replied, “How about some carrot sticks with peanut butter and milk? It’s a healthy snack, adds calories, et cetera.”

  “Listen, it’s been two weeks since I’ve had a decent bed, meal, or bath. I stink, I’m starving, and I’ve survived a face-to-face with a pissed off bear. Carrots may help my vision, but a bit of wine will double it.”

  “You sound like my brothers.”

  “What the hell is wrong with Damien?” Again, the shepherd scratched at her boots, his thin whine morphing into a low snarl.

  Matt picked up the battered and worn footwear. A curious sniff resulted in holding the offending leather at arm’s length. “Oh, hell, now I recognize the scent. It’s been awhile since I’ve smelled it and the odor has faded. Where did you store your boots last night, Nugget?”

  “Just outside the tent, in a bag. Like always. Why?”

  “These have been tainted with castoreum.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Secretions from anal sacs. Hunters use it to lure predators. Looks like somebody wanted something to make a meal out of you.” Opening the garage door, he set them on the top step. “We’ll deal with these tomorrow.”

  “Why would he do that when he wanted to track me down for information? That makes no sense.”

  “Maybe he wasn’t the one who applied the lure. Did you get any strange vibes from anyone in your group?”

  “Um, no. I wasn’t really concentrating on them.”

  “You said Denny didn’t strike you as the outdoorsy type. However, since he’s connected in one fashion or another to three different murders, there’s plenty of motivation to eliminate the one living person who can connect the dots. The blanket contained his DNA, as did his jacket, but you’re the one who saw him take it off after it was bloody. You’re the one who has his story recorded on tape.”

  “My notes are stored on my computer. I don’t usually print them out until the case is finished. I do, however, back up to the cloud.”

  “Whether Denny, the thugs after him, or some third party has accessed them, we don’t know. At least you have copies. What we do know is that you are a target.” Matt held his hands up to stave off her denial. “Whoever’s looking for Denny doesn’t care who gets in the way. If we can figure out why they want him, then we can trace it back to who.”

  “This is giving me a headache. I’m gonna go soak the knots out.”
>
  In defiance of the unspoken no-tease policy, she pulled her t-shirt over her head and strode toward the stairs, leaving him gawking.

  “Stop right there.”

  “See something you like?”

  “I see something I don’t like.”

  “Huh? Didn’t see that coming. What now?”

  “When we cleaned up your scratches earlier, you didn’t say your back was injured. How in the hell did that happen?”

  Over her shoulder, she could see his mind at work, wondering if she’d been sexually assaulted. “I fell.”

  Dark shadows overtook his expression in his stalk forward. With infinite care, he brushed his fingers along her spine.

  She shuddered.

  “These need attention. No bath, but you can get a shower. When you’re finished, come out and I’ll tend to them.” He’d clamped down on his emotions, allowing obvious but impersonal concern to surface.

  “There’s some on the back of my thighs, too.” Stripping down to cotton lingerie might not have been her smartest move, as it reconstituted his prior lust when his façade slipped. Tossing her jeans on the floor, she waited.

  Tension tightened his shoulders and fisted his hands at his sides. “Go. Get your shower.” With that, he turned and headed back into the kitchen.

  To press her luck with a sassy sway of hips didn’t seem prudent. She’d already experienced the result of his loss of control. It had left her crushed and heartsick. Nothing could fill the crater remaining from his withdraw.

  Warm water cascading down her back created equal amounts pain and pleasure. The end result totaled relaxed muscles and cleaner abrasions when she stepped out of the shower.

  The fact Matt had never left the area after his brother arrived elicited mixed emotions. He wanted her on a physical level and couldn’t contain his lust. Rigid self-control kept him in a continual state of frustration that would remain intact unless she pushed him to the point of no return.

  In doing so, she’d either gain her heart’s desire or lose one of her best friends forever. In regards to her relationship with the rest of the family she’d adopted, she decided not to thrust Matt into an explosive situation. At least, not yet.

  If he hadn’t found her today, she might have continued to run in the wrong direction and risked becoming a tasty treat for some other predator.

  Matt mentally geared up for battle in consideration of what he prepared to face. If he could hold out for another hour, his family would descend and act as buffer between Katt and his unmitigated lust. He tried to imagine her as a decrepit old woman, sagging and aching, but the vision wouldn’t come. He had no defense.

  If she descended the stairs in a thong and lacy bra, something he had no doubts she’d do to test his resolve, he’d be better off shooting himself. Damien whined when Matt dropped the antibiotic ointment on the counter. “It’s all right, boy. It’s just our guest turning off the shower.”

  To keep the mental images at bay, he scooped up the little horror she called friend. As expected, Gila bit him. A welcome diversion.

  The loud thumping in his ears equaled no more than his own heartbeat. The perspiration dotting his face a testament to the coming battle.

  She stood at the top of the stairs, statue still, taking in the scene of him playing with Gila. She’d dried her hair, the natural curls ending at her waist with the pink stripe covering one breast. To make matters worse, she wore boy shorts and a cropped tank top, her version of pajamas.

  “Hey. You ready?”

  You have no idea. Scarceness of calculation in her gaze didn’t negate the shrewd workings of her mind. She lacked the practiced skills of a seductress yet proved all the more enticing for it.

  “Sure. Come on down and let’s take a closer look at your back.”

  “I’ll lay on the couch to make it easier. There’s only one spot that’s really sore. I couldn’t see it but figure it’s from when I fell. I landed on a broken limb.”

  His death grip on the counter intensified as he listened to her soft footfalls pad across the room. The whoosh of air as she laid down signaled his procrastination at an end.

  As a starved man sitting in front of a forbidden meal, he let his gaze drift to the great room. She squirmed once and turned her head aside to rest it on her folded arms. The long fall of dark curls spilled over the edge the same way he’d imagined it on his bed.

  He took a deep breath. Her cotton underwear and snug top would torment him, but not the same way satin would have. With gauze pads, ointment, and a small trash bag in hand, he ambled over, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a quiet rush.

  Though she’d slid over to give him room to sit, he knelt beside the couch instead, inspecting each cut, scrape, and bruise with a gentle brush of his fingertips. “These don’t look too bad. They’re superficial and probably painful, but nothing warrants stitches.” A slight grazing touch circled the larger bruise along her spine. “Is this the one that hurts?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her skin was softer than anything he’d ever touched. After each application of ointment, he gave her a minute to take a relaxing breath, rubbing her shoulders to help ease her pain.

  “The gang’s gonna be here in another half hour. We’re going to rehash this situation and come up with a plan.”

  “Good. I didn’t thank Luc for babysitting. Listen, about what happened at the course...”

  “Don’t mention it. Please.” He wasn’t strong enough. “Anybody would’ve gotten turned around after facing a gun and angry bear.” He knew it wasn’t what she’d referred to, but couldn’t withstand her innocent regret resurrecting his baser instincts when faced with all the tantalizing flesh. He was holding on by the skin of his teeth.

  Just because he couldn’t enjoy her body the way he wanted, didn’t stop him from filing the video in the far corner of his mind, one his dreams would replay on a nightly basis.

  When finished, he massaged her shoulders, squeezing his legs together when she moaned. The growl deep in his chest remained trapped.

  “Feel better?”

  “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

  Her self-perception entailed a peasant woman standing against any and all antagonists. In reality, she’d molded herself into an enigma who personified equal parts steel will and enchantress. When she pushed up to all fours, he realigned his prior definition of sexy with the slight arch of her spine, the curve of her ass, and the well-toned physique.

  He stumbled in his haste to return the first-aid supplies. “Why don’t you get dressed while I fix us something to eat? What would you like?”

  Parted lips, flushed skin, and a direct stare spoke volumes with her murmured, “The same thing as you.” With that, she padded up the steps.

  The plastic bottle of antiseptic bounced on the floor.

  He’d noticed her increased breathing and tensed muscles under his touch yet underestimated the depth of her desire. That she hadn’t pushed him created as much disappointment as it did relief. He had no idea where he stood with her. She’d thought he’d abandoned her. I did. His conscience kept him close in case the need arose, unable to tolerate further separation.

  The doorbell rang before his houseguest descended the steps. Semi-relief arrived on furry legs and scowling siblings. A certain amount of unspoken rebuke was expected. By now, the entire family would’ve discussed in full detail, his inappropriate advances with an inexperienced young lady.

  Lexi strode in first, poking him in the ribs in passing, followed by Ethan, and then the rest of his siblings along with their better halves. Each looked around in question before Luc finally asked in a flat, near-threatening tone, “Where is she?”

  “She’ll be down in a minute. Have a seat in the kitchen while I finish fixing sandwiches.”

  Condemnation gathered in each gaze despite none of his outspoken siblings voicing their displeasure.

  “All right. Out with it. You might as well say it as stare daggers at me.” His glare fell on Luc, who wouldn
’t have hesitated to relay the particulars of the illicit moment.

  “Dude, she deserves better.” Caden was the first to speak up.

  Matt closed his eyes as his chin dropped to his chest. “I know that. I do. I just don’t know how to fix this.”

  “I do. I talked to Kalinski and explained her predicament of becoming a target. He jumped at the chance to cover her—said he’s asked her out a half dozen times, but she always shoots him down.” Caden looked to his brothers for their opinion. Each nodded their approval.

  “He’s a good kid,” Luc added.

  “That pimple-faced twit? No way is he up to the task.”

  “He’s up for detective next month. Just finished night school and was at the top of his academy class,” Billy supplied, also nodding his agreement.

  “Littleton in Vice asked me about her... wanted an introduction.” Ethan looked to Caden. “He seems okay to me, but you know him better. What do you think?”

  “Good match, I’d say. He’s wised up and stopped bragging about his sexual exploits,” Caden replied. “I think he’s both mature and man enough to handle her.”

  “If either one of those little shits lays one finger on her, I’ll break their fucking hands. I’m surprised either knows which end of a gun to point outward.”

  “I think it’s the end with the hole in it.” Lexi snickered and gave Ethan a high five.

  Guffaws around the table declared his mistake. “Damn you all. There’s nobody sniffing at her skirts.”

  “Oh, Matt. You really are blind. I can think of five guys right off the top of my head who would love a chance to help her out, and I don’t mean in just a sexual way. You’ve been throwing so many men in her line of sight, it was bound to happen.” Billy sighed when his girlfriend patted his hand in a take it easy on him gesture. “I’m just saying. It’s gonna happen, either from a fresh start or rebound situation. She’s still in danger and needs protection.”

  “Yeah, from me.” With his appetite down the drain, Matt dumped his sandwich in the trash.