Forever Thrown: Forever Bluegrass #16

by Kathleen Brooks

  “You used a spoon to kill him,” Willa muttered.

  “I’m pretty sure Landon helped with the skillet,” Porter said as if it was no big deal. “Nice hit, Landon.”

  “Little league,” Landon said with a shrug. “I can’t wait to tell Uncle Miles you stabbed someone with a spoon. He’s going to be so proud. He’s going to torture your father with this for years.”

  The front door to the restaurant was flung open as her security ran in with guns pointing at Porter and Landon.

  “No!” Willa finally managed to shout. “They saved me.”

  “Where were you guys?” Porter asked, standing up and rounding on the security detail in a cold fury.

  “A cop came by and said we had to move,” Reggie said, looking a little piqued when he saw the dead body.

  “Is that a spoon in his neck?” Deshaun asked, sounding puzzled from where he was bent down examining the body.

  “It was the only weapon I had,” Porter said with a shrug.

  “Bruh, a spoon isn’t a weapon,” Deshaun said, standing up.

  “You’d never survive a Davies family dinner if you believed that. Plus, the dead body says otherwise,” Porter told him with a shake of his head.

  “Our Uncle Miles was former Delta Force or something badass,” Landon said, stepping into the conversation. “He swears spoons are a very versatile weapon. Porter, Ryan will be here soon.”

  “We have to report this. This is so not good,” Reggie muttered, pulling out his cell phone.

  “Stop,” Porter ordered and Willa’s head snapped up, tearing her gaze away from the dead man. Memories of her mother’s death flooded her. This wasn’t like that, but it triggered her memories of the last dead body she’d seen. Every thought in her head was a riotous mess. Flashes of old images mixing with new and a state of disbelief and acceptance of what she was seeing made for a very muddled mind.

  “Ryan Parker is the head of the local FBI office. This is not to be called in. Landon, take everyone into the kitchen. Get Willa something to drink for her shock while I lock up. We can’t have people wandering into a crime scene,” Porter ordered and everyone snapped to attention.

  Willa felt Landon pulling at her arm, trying to get her out of the chair. He gave her a little tug, but she couldn’t stop looking at the dead man. Finally someone just grabbed the chair and pulled it with her in it into the kitchen.

  “Why isn’t he freaking out? Why aren’t you freaking out? Reggie is freaking out. Barry isn’t. Deshaun looks confused.” Willa was out of it. She just blurted whatever was coming to mind.

  “Here. Drink this. It’s some special tea from our hometown,” Porter shoved a straw into her mouth. “Take a nice big long drink.”

  Willa complied as Landon used one hand to gently rub the base of her neck in a soothing motion. The tasty liquid went down easily and a minute later she began to relax. “Landon, why aren’t you and Porter freaking out?”

  “Come to a Davies family dinner and you’ll understand,” Landon said before shoving the straw back in her mouth.

  “You kill people at dinner?” Willa asked before she took another long drink.

  “Not usually, but some of the spouses feel a bit tortured. Here, have more,” Landon said as he refilled her glass with the special tea.

  10

  Porter dialed the phone and Naylor answered on the second ring. “Have you learned anything yet?” Naylor asked as Porter locked the front door.

  “Yeah. I learned my Uncle Miles was right and you can kill someone with a spoon. Although the cast iron skillet to the head probably helped.”

  The line was quiet for a second and then Naylor spoke slowly. “I think you need to explain.”

  Porter spoke quickly and quietly as he laid it out for Naylor. “I can get a CIA team there in a couple of hours.”

  “My cousin Ryan will be here in ten minutes.”

  “I said no family,” Naylor said, sounding pissed.

  “Yeah, too late for that since my dad knew you were in my house and was a little ticked off you didn’t think he’d know. I think he wants a word with you.”

  Naylor cursed under his breath. You did not want to piss off Cy Davies.

  “Fine, but only tell Ryan what he needs to know. No one else can know about this operation, especially Willa Aldridge. We have to determine if she’s a threat or not.”

  “I’m telling you, Naylor,” Porter said, agitated that Naylor wasn’t listening to him or accepting what he was saying. “This woman was about to let me be killed in order to protect this key. She is clearly the victim here and needs protection.”

  “We’ll see. Until my people examine the body and find out who he is, you say nothing to anyone about our involvement. Got it?” Naylor asked it like a question, but it was really an order—an order Porter wasn’t happy about. Willa Aldridge had no part in selling that key. Someone was clearly willing to kill to get it, though, and right now it was up to him to keep her safe.

  “Got it.”

  “The date angle was genius. Sleep with her if you have to. Do whatever it takes to stay close to her to make sure she’s not selling out our government.”

  “You know, Naylor, my father was right. You’re an asshole.”

  Porter hung up the phone and let out a frustrated sigh. He headed toward the kitchen when he heard giggles.

  “Shh,” he heard Willa say rather loudly. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

  Porter opened the door to see Willa still sitting in her chair from the table with her back toward him. Landon was trying not to smile while her bodyguards were doing everything they could not to laugh. Landon saw Porter and a mischievous smile spread across his face.

  “Don’t tell who what?” Landon asked Willa.

  There was a pause and then the sound of a straw trying to suck up an empty glass. “Don’t tell Porter that I like him. Shh, it’s a secret.” Willa’s voice sounded very different than it had during dinner and her diction was wobbling between studiously clear and slightly slurred.

  “I won’t say a word,” Landon said, pulling out his phone. Porter knew he was placing a bet and gave him the finger when Landon looked back up.

  “He’s a real man. He doesn’t pretend to be something he’s not. I also bet he doesn’t have a sock in his pants. And he’s so respectful. He takes good care of his horse too. That says a lot about a man. He’s nice and he listens, but did you see him stab that spoon into that man’s neck? Only someone really strong could do that. It was totally gross, but hot too,” Willa said on a sigh. “Can I have some more of the special tea? It’s yummy. Porter’s yummy. He’s so sexy. I could lick him. Like all over. I bet he even has that sexy V thing you only see on guys in movies. I’d totally lick that. But shh!” Willa said swaying in her chair. “Don’t tell him, okay?”

  “Okay,” came the chorus of male voices as they all stared over her head at Porter.

  He was struggling now. Knowing she liked him and the licking . . . it was a real struggle not to toss her over his shoulder and go all caveman.

  A soft knock at the door had Porter turning from the kitchen to find his cousin Ryan Parker standing with his hands on his hips and a bulge from a gun clearly under his shirt.

  “You drove fast,” Porter said as he held the front door open for Ryan.

  “I used the siren when Landon said it was an emergency.” Ryan looked across the room and paused. “What killed him?”

  “Either a spoon or a skillet.”

  “Damn,” Ryan said as he pinched the bridge of his nose as if in pain. “I don’t know whether to scream or be proud.” He paused and then groaned. “Annoyed. I’m annoyed because every family dinner from now on, Uncle Miles will make spoon weapon references. He’ll never let it die. That may be a bad choice of words.”

  “And, I need a favor,” Porter tried to look sheepishly at Ryan, but it didn’t work and he ended up smiling when Ryan rolled his eyes.

  “Yeah, yeah, CIA, yeah, yeah, off the books,” R
yan said exasperated.

  “Everyone knows, don’t they?” Porter asked, not in the least surprised.

  “Grandma Marcy told everyone her grandson was taking after his father and becoming a spy. She asked not to see you naked in a movie like your father.”

  “I’d like to see him naked. Oh. It’s a good thing I didn’t say that out loud. That would be embarrassing.” Porter and Ryan both turned to look up to find Willa leaning against Landon with a glass of Rose Sisters’ iced tea in her hand. The three elderly Rose sisters had given Landon permission to serve their special boozy drink at his restaurant with the promise that it was named after them on the menu.

  “Ryan Parker, meet Willa Aldridge. Willa, this is my cousin Ryan,” Porter said, moving to put his arm around her waist. Landon was one of his best friends, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see Willa in his arms.

  “Hello. It’s nice to meet you,” Willa said, the epitome of a professional woman. Then her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered Ryan. “I bet he has a V too, but I don’t want to lick it like I do Porter’s. Hands down the sexiest family I’ve ever met,” she said, looking from Porter to Ryan to Landon. “Yup.” She took a deep breath, “Yum.”

  Landon looked away to get himself under control. Ryan’s mouth dropped open and he was about to say something when Porter shook his head.

  “But, they’re going to look at the man spooned to death.” Willa giggled as she unknowingly continued with her running mental commentary. “And they’re going to hate me. Then I’ll never find out what Porter looks like naked and that makes my vagina really sad.”

  Landon smothered a snort. Ryan covered a laugh with a cough. Porter took some calming deep breaths and flicked Ryan off after he pulled up the betting app.

  “Willa,” Ryan said after placing his bet, “do you know this man?”

  Willa nodded her head and, with a visible effort, pulled herself together enough to answer. “He came to my practice arena back home and threatened my father and me to turn over a business secret. That’s why I have the bodyguards.” She gave a nod to the bodyguards standing behind her, but the motion caused her whole body to sway. “Then he found me at the barn while I was getting Apollo settled in. Porter accidentally kicked him when he fell into my lap and I thought I would have time to figure out what to do, but then he showed up here and he put a gun to Porter’s head.”

  “Were you going to give him the business secret?” Ryan asked.

  Porter felt a tremor go through Willa’s body as she remembered the incident. “No,” she choked out as tears began to run down her face again. “I’m sorry. I was going to let your cousin die to protect many others. I’m sure you hate me now.” She gave a loud sniffle.

  “I don’t hate you, Willa,” Porter said gently to reassure her. “In fact, I respect you a lot more because of it. You were very brave and very strong not to fold under the pressure.”

  Willa looked up at Porter and his heart flipped in his chest. Her eyes shone with tears. He saw the moistened path they had taken when they rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes were red, her face blotchy, and he’d never felt so strongly for a woman in his life. That one moment changed everything for him.

  The men in his family always said they fell hard and fast and that he’d know it when he felt it. Well, the feeling almost knocked him back. He wavered on his feet as he cupped her face in his hands. “I’m proud of you, Willa. You were very brave.”

  “That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I wish nobody else was here so I could jump him. I bet Porter would be strong enough for up-against-the-wall sex. I’ve never had that before but I bet it would be amazing. I’m totally going to pull out my vibrator and think of that tonight.” Willa took a deep breath and smiled up at him brightly. “Thank you. I thought you might hate me for putting you in danger. I wish I could tell you everything, but I can’t.”

  Porter’s mind was still back at the up-against-the-wall sex. Ryan cleared his throat. “We understand about secrets, Miss Aldridge.”

  Yeah, one very big secret. Porter was only here to find out if the woman who wanted to have sex with him up against the wall was committing treason. Although that wasn’t one hundred percent anymore. He was here to protect her now. Plus, he was invested in her. He wanted Willa far more than as part of a case. For more than getting Naylor off his back. For more than sex, even though everything she said in her tipsy stream of consciousness had him thinking about that quite a bit. Now he needed to figure out how he was going to make this all work out, because when the case was over he didn’t want to say goodbye to Willa Aldridge.

  “Porter, why don’t you take Willa home,” Ryan said, all teasing from his voice gone. “Miss Aldridge, I’d feel better if Porter stayed with you overnight. Is that alright with you?”

  Willa nodded her head and bit her lower lip as she finally kept her running mental commentary to herself.

  “Landon, can you three get Willa into Porter’s car? He’ll be right there,” Ryan said as Porter handed him his keys.

  Landon had to half carry the stumbling Willa, and even as Ryan began to talk, Porter’s eyes were only on her.

  “He put a gun to your head?” Ryan asked, all business.

  “Yeah, and flicked the safety off. He was going to kill me. I had no choice.” Porter didn’t take it lightly that he’d just killed a man. No matter the competitions the Davies family had together, actually killing someone was completely different. Not that he regretted it. He’d kill whoever put Willa in danger.

  “I’m sorry. You did a good job. No wonder the CIA wanted you. Who’s my contact there?”

  “Agent Naylor. He’s sending some agents to clean this up. I want to know who this man is before they take him away,” Porter said with his hands on his hips. He watched as Landon helped Willa into the truck and all he wanted to do was protect her. “Naylor still thinks Willa is a traitor.”

  “After tonight? No way. That woman is as innocent as they come.” Ryan sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Look, you’re like a little brother to me. Be careful, Porter. Not only is she in a dangerous situation, but also be careful with your heart. I can tell you like her, but she’s Willa Aldridge. She’s not going to have the quiet life you want.”

  “I know,” he said with a sigh. “Although I don’t think she wants that type of lifestyle. She’s here with the elite of society, but I get the feeling she’s not really a part of them.”

  “You’ve been around enough of those types to know if Willa’s one of them or not. I hope she’s not. I hope what I see between you can survive the secrets you both have.” Ryan slapped his shoulder as a sign of support. “I’ll clean this up with the CIA. Call me if you need anything. The whole family has your back, especially after this.”

  “Thanks, Ryan.” Porter kept his eyes on Willa as he left the restaurant.

  Landon moved away from the truck and met him on the sidewalk. “I like her for you. I like you for her. Take care of each other. Tonight was . . . hard.”

  “Thanks for having my back,” Porter told his cousin and gave him a hug and thumped his back.

  “Anytime. I’m sure we’ll all see you tomorrow. After tonight you’re not going to keep anyone away.”

  “I ran from the Davies and Keeneston overbearingness long enough. I guess I’ve matured because I’m kind of excited to have them meet Willa,” Porter admitted.

  Landon smiled and pulled up the betting app. “Let me just place a second bet a lot sooner than my first. You’re a total goner and I couldn’t be happier for you. See you tomorrow.”

  Yeah, tomorrow. When he had to participate in the reining event. Now to get Willa home and in bed. Then he could think about tomorrow and exactly how he was going to explain his presence in Willa’s life with all that was said and done.

  11

  They walked back to the barn as Tilly explained about jumping and when their events would start. Callum and his minions did a double take when they walked in together a
nd that made Willa smile with amusement.

  “Here’s Apollo,” Willa said with pride as the groom moved away to give them privacy.

  “He’s magnificent,” Parker said quietly as he slowly introduced himself to the horse. Yup, Willa was right. These Davies men were something else. Parker began asking her questions and they were deep in a discussion about horses when Callum rudely interrupted them.

  “Chickened out on such a big stage, huh, Porter?” Callum asked with a smirk. “Is that why you’re back early?”

  “This must be the asshole my brother told me about,” Parker said to Willa, completely at ease with insulting the powerful Callum Harding.

  Callum sputtered. Cyril taunted him to fight and Callum began to posture as if he were really going to throw a punch. “You need to learn how to speak to your betters.”

  Parker laughed. It was so surprising Callum and Cyril froze as Tilly came over to hold Willa’s hand. They might be two strong women in the real world, but here, with that horrible group of people who had tormented them growing up, they were still those shy teenage girls. It was something they were both working on.

  “Betters? What century do you live in?” Parker laughed as he turned to Willa and Tilly. “These guys are a riot.”

  The second Parker looked away Callum swung a haymaker.

  Willa and Tilly didn’t have time to scream a warning. Parker deflected the punch and at the same time landed one in Callum’s gut. He doubled over, trying to catch his breath as Willa gasped in shock.

  Parker reached into his back pocket and pulled out a brown leather wallet. He crouched down so Callum could see him and flipped it open. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Parker Davies and you have just assaulted a federal agent.”

  Cyril cursed and Marguerite and Valentina suddenly got real interested in something back in Callum’s area of the barn.

  “So, this is how it’s going to work. You’re going to leave Willa and Tilly alone or I’ll file charges. Got it?” Parker asked with a steely tone so deadly serious it made Willa shiver.