by Donna Grant
“Done?” he asked.
She nodded slowly, her eyes closing briefly. “All I have to do now is the testing.”
“Mac should be here soon to help out,” Clayton said. “Why not take a little break?”
Caleb asked, “Hungry?”
“I’m so past hungry that the thought of food actually makes me sick,” she said.
Clayton stared toward the front of the auction house. “If Jace ate all the food, I’m going to skin him. Wait here, Audrey. You’ll have something to eat if Jace has to prepare it himself.”
Caleb laughed as Clayton walked off. He watched his brother-in-law for a moment before he swung his head to Audrey. “At the ranch, food isn’t a big deal. My sister always has tons of it. She learned soon after Jace and Cooper began coming over that she could never have enough groceries in the house.”
“Obviously, she’s a good cook.”
“She is, but Jace just likes food. He’ll eat anything. And he never shares. Ever.”
Audrey let loose a laugh that made his balls tighten. It was vibrant and earthy, just like her. His craving for her intensified to a fever pitch, and yet it still didn’t make him run away. No, he remained, soaking up every inch of her beauty.
“He would never get along with Maddy then because she’s always stealing food off other people’s plates.”
“Then I’m definitely going to have to put them together. It’d be worth everything just to watch Jace’s face the first time Maddy took something from his plate.”
“Oh, yes. Please. And I have to be there, as well,” Audrey said with a bright smile.
“You will be.”
There was still a smile on her lips when she sighed. “Thank you for the laugh. I needed that.”
“I’m here for whatever you need.”
“Anything?”
Was it his imagination, or had there been a glimmer of mischief in her dark eyes? His mind immediately went to the carnal aspect of things, and he nearly groaned aloud at the thought of their tangled bodies rolling around on his bed. “Anything.”
“You might regret saying that.”
He shook his head. “Not when it comes to you.”
The line was one he’d said many times before to ease his way into a woman’s life. But this time wasn’t like the others. Audrey wasn’t like the others.
She tore her gaze from his and picked at her fingernails. “Where’s Maddy?”
“I sent her to David’s office so she could rest. I think it’s all catching up with her.”
“I knew it would.”
Caleb leaned against the pole that held up the metal roof of the overhang. It was nice just standing out here with Audrey. Their easy camaraderie made him comfortable. Which was at odds with the desire that burned through his veins at a fever pitch.
“I never thought anyone would go to my clinic and destroy it,” Audrey said and squeezed her eyes closed.
Caleb squatted beside her in the next breath. “It’s not your fault.”
Her lids lifted, and she speared him with her dark brown gaze. “Isn’t it? I got involved in this. I brought my sister into this. And you’re entangled now, as well.”
“We’re here because we want to be. Same as Maddy. And trust me when I say whoever these people are, they’ve messed with the wrong family. We protect what’s ours—as well as our friends. You and your sister are counted among those now.”
Chapter 13
Phil’s eyes went to the burner phone that vibrated when the text came through. He’d been waiting on the message for hours. Yet he was slow to reach for the cell.
He’d thought the job was easy money—and he was all about easy. For thirty years, he’d been on the wrong side of the law. He’d committed a variety of crimes, but he’d never killed anyone.
Even someone like him had a code they lived by. He would happily rough someone up, but he made sure to never involve children.
He was particular about the people he took jobs from, too. Never just anyone off the street. He had to have either worked for them before or been referred by a former client.
Unfortunately, sometimes, there was a client who seemed like a decent person—until Phil took another job with them and discovered just how demented they were. That’s what was happening now.
The phone buzzed again.
Phil leaned up from his seat to reach for it. He glanced into the room to Zeke, whose arm was heavily bandaged thanks to a doctor Phil knew who worked off the books for people like him.
GOOD JOB.
Phil snorted as he read the text. Good job? Really? That’s all? Phil sighed and tossed the phone aside. No sooner had it came to rest than it sounded again.
With anger churning, he snatched the cell back up and looked down.
YOU AREN’T FINISHED YET.
He hovered his fingers over the buttons for a moment. Then he sent his reply of: I’VE DONE ALL THAT I WAS PAID TO.
THEN I WILL PAY YOU MORE.
ANOTHER 10K. He laughed as he sent off the text, thinking it would never be accepted.
DONE.
Phil frowned. The fact that this client was so ready and willing to hand over that kind of cash meant that they had another plan.
He looked up, his gaze not seeing the framed replicas of some of the world’s greatest paintings. Instead, he began to wonder if this job would take him down a road he’d sworn never to tread.
I WON’T KILL.
Minutes went by before the reply came. I’VE NOT ASKED THAT OF YOU.
JUST REITERATING. WHAT DO YOU NEED ME TO DO NOW?
Phil frowned as he read the text that popped up on the screen. He sent off a quick reply and rose to walk into the back room where Ricardo was lifting weights.
Ricardo’s black eyes met his in the wall of mirrors as he lowered the hand weights to the floor. His thick black hair was cropped close to his scalp. “You okay, jefe?”
Phil no longer noticed Ricardo’s heavy Spanish accent. Though he might be short of stature, Ricardo was a natural when it came to committing crimes. He moved as silently as a ghost, and could easily slip away from anyone after him.
“Boss?”
“I’m fine,” Phil answered. “It looks like our current job isn’t quite finished.”
Ricardo smiled as he stood and faced Phil. “That’s good.”
“It’s going to be just the two of us until Zeke is better. The bullet might have only penetrated his shoulder, but its path tore through muscle and lodged in the bone.”
“He’s going to be out for days,” Ricardo said, his eagerness evident in the bright shine of his eyes. “When do we begin?”
Phil glanced at the various workout machines and weights that he had filled the large room with. He made use of them almost daily, keeping his body in shape so he could continue working. The moment he allowed age to catch up with him, the authorities would, as well.
He planned to retire before that happened. Matter of fact, he was beginning to think retirement might come quicker than he’d expected.
Phil blinked and realized that Ricardo was staring. Belatedly, he recalled the question. “We begin now,” Phil stated and turned on his heel.
* * *
Audrey blinked several times to try and give her now dry eyes some relief. After the chaos of the past day, she was surprised that a van full of veterinarian equipment arrived at the auction house without incident.
Audrey glanced at the building where Maddy still rested. She half expected the noise of Mac’s arrival to wake her sister, but Audrey was glad that it hadn’t. Maddy needed the rest.
Audrey turned her attention back to the others. Her gaze immediately went to the black hat that belonged to Caleb. She let her eyes wander down his back, lingering on the tight ass that his jeans molded to before she took in his long legs.
If she hadn’t been enamored with him before, she’d become so the moment he called her and Maddy part of his circle. In the short time she had spent with the East/Harper family,
she’d discovered two things.
They loved each other unconditionally.
And they always looked out for one another.
While Jace and Cooper weren’t blood, they were still part of the family. The two were more like brothers to Caleb and Brice than mere friends, and even Clayton treated them as such.
To know that she and Maddy were now included in that very exclusive circle made Audrey … well, deliriously happy.
Caleb suddenly stopped walking and looked back at her. Their eyes met, and his lips curved into a smile. She smiled back, unable to stop the reaction. He had that kind of effect on her. And she liked it.
“You’re going to eat before you get started,” Caleb said when she caught up with him.
She laughed. “Now you sound like Maddy.”
Caleb frowned. “Do you often skip meals?”
“Not intentionally. I get to working and forget.”
He shook his head, his face contorted with confusion. “Don’t you get hungry?”
“Yeah. I suppose.”
He faced her. “When did you eat last?”
Audrey thought about it a moment and said, “Last night. The sandwich David brought.”
“And before that?”
She had to search her memory before she recalled when it was. “Dinner the night before.”
“That seals it. You’re definitely eating before you get back to work.”
Caleb took her arm and pulled her in another direction. Her stomach growled the moment she smelled the pizza. They entered the stables, and she spotted the table where ten boxes of pizzas were set up, along with a variety of bottled drinks.
Naomi rolled her eyes when she saw them. “Just as I predicted, Jace ate nearly everything I brought. So, as punishment, I made him order these,” she said with a smile and motioned to the pizzas.
Audrey’s mouth watered the moment she opened the first lid. She was suddenly ravenous. She shifted through the boxes until she found her favorite and took a slice. Her eyes closed as the first bite landed on her tongue.
When she opened her lids, Caleb was staring at her oddly. Then he said, “I’ll be back.”
She watched him leave, wondering what she’d missed. Audrey turned back to Naomi, who had a shrewd look on her face. “What?”
“Nothing,” Naomi said with a secretive smile. Then she switched gears and reached for the iPad. “The horses are holding steady right now. I’ve kept them on the saline for hydration as you instructed.”
“Have they tried to eat?”
Naomi wrinkled her nose and shook her head. “I did get the roan to sniff a cube of sugar. I thought the mare might take it, but she didn’t.”
“That’s more than I’ve gotten since arriving yesterday.”
“Has it only been one day?”
Audrey sighed and took another bite.
Naomi held out an ice-cold bottle of Coke.
“Oh, yes,” Audrey said as she accepted it, drinking several gulps before returning to the pizza.
“So,” Naomi said with a grin. “What do you think of Caleb?”
The question caught Audrey off guard. She choked as she swallowed, causing her to cough. The entire time, Naomi watched her carefully.
“Excuse me?” Audrey asked, her voice hoarse from the coughing.
Naomi shrugged. “I saw the way you looked at him. And the way he looked at you.”
“I…” Audrey struggled to find the words.
Naomi waved away her incoherent utterance. “I understand. The Harper boys are hard to resist. I didn’t even try when it came to Brice. I got so swept up in it all. There was no point in trying to find my feet. I just went with it.”
Audrey stared at Naomi, unsure of what to say.
“Maybe you should do the same.”
Audrey’s mouth opened, but no words came out. She wouldn’t even admit to her sister that she found Caleb cute. No, he wasn’t cute. He was handsome. Drop-dead gorgeous.
The kind of good-looking that made women forget there were other men on the planet.
Audrey looked down at the half-eaten piece of pizza. Was she resisting Caleb? She was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. In fact, if there were any hint that he might be into her, she wouldn’t hesitate to show her own interest.
Audrey absently took another bite, but she didn’t taste it. Had Caleb flirted and she hadn’t seen it? It was a distinct possibility. After all, when she was dealing with horses, she tended to forget about everyone and everything.
But surely she would’ve noticed that.
She slumped against the side of an empty stall, aware that she was fooling herself. She wouldn’t have seen or noticed any kind of flirting.
It was one of the reasons she never had relationships. Maddy called her a serial dater. Her father used to say it was because she had such high expectations. Her mother once said that if she didn’t open her heart, she would be reduced to one-night stands.
Audrey had seen nothing wrong with her continual rotation of dates. Until now. Why? How had one handsome cowboy changed that? And she didn’t even know if he was interested in her.
She finished off the pizza and soon reached for another slice. Before she realized it, she’d eaten four. Perhaps Maddy had a point. She should make more of an effort to eat regularly. Maybe then she wouldn’t gorge herself on food when she did have a meal.
Audrey finally emerged from the stables, her belly full and the caffeine from the soda doing wonders to wake her up. She was headed toward Caleb and Brice when she happened to glance toward the building where she had been doing the necropsy.
Smoke billowed from under the door. She took off running as Caleb shouted her name. She could only think about getting to the samples that she had taken from the gelding.
All she heard was the sound of her own rapid breathing as she pumped her arms faster, urging her legs to move quicker. She kept repeating no, no, no, no in her head.
Suddenly, she was looking at the sky as something slammed into her. Her breath rushed from her as she found herself on the ground with something on top of her. A second later, an explosion made the ground tremble.
She had no idea how long she lay there before someone moved the hair out of her face. She looked up into brown eyes she recognized.
“Caleb?”
“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking her over as if he expected to find something. “Audrey? Are you hurt?”
She shook her head and reached up to touch the blood mixed with sweat running down his face. His hat was gone, and he was covered in dust. He stilled at the touch of her fingers on his cheek.
“You’re injured,” she whispered, shaken and dazed to her very core.
Chapter 14
It was everything Caleb could do to sit still as Audrey cleaned his head wound. They’d set up in the sale barn because it was the closest building to the stables. He hadn’t felt anything hit him in the explosion. He’d seen the concern on Audrey’s face and immediately spotted the smoke.
There had been nothing in the building to catch fire. He’d known instantly that someone had been there to wipe away any trace of the horse so that Audrey couldn’t finish her exam.
He’d reached her quickly enough and brought her to the ground. It had been by sheer luck alone that he’d done it right before the building blew.
Brice paced a few yards away, while Clayton stewed. Cooper was scouting the area for tracks and to see how many there were. Naomi stood guard over the remaining ill horses.
“You were damn lucky,” Brice said. He speared Audrey with a dark look. “Both of you.”
Audrey didn’t say anything as she continued cleaning Caleb’s wound. Matter of fact, she hadn’t uttered a word since telling him that he was injured.
The fact that Caleb couldn’t stop thinking about being cushioned by her soft body when he should be more concerned with the obliteration of the dead horse and the evidence was worrying.
She slowly lowered her arms and then met his gaze.
Caleb wanted to pull her against him, to wrap his arms around her and tell her it was going to be all right. It was a gesture he had done countless times with other women, but he wanted it to mean something this time.
His brain froze, and instead of uttering reassuring words, Caleb sat there, seized by shock—and more than a little dismayed by what had just gone through his mind. He didn’t think about wanting more. With anyone.
Ever.
Caleb pulled his gaze from hers before he gave in to the hunger riding him so hard. He’d never felt anything like it before, and he wasn’t sure what it meant. And right now wasn’t the time to find out.
Clayton walked up then. He glanced at Caleb but focused on Audrey. “I should’ve told you, but I took the majority of your samples.”
“That’s great news. Where are they?” Audrey asked, her eyes wide.
“In David’s office with Maddy. And don’t worry,” he continued, “I’ve got Jace keeping an eye on her and the office.”
Audrey blew out a loud sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Clayton shot her a quick grin.
Caleb got to his feet and glanced up at the stadium seating that was bathed in light. How many times had he sat up there watching others bid on his horses?
Now, everywhere he turned, he expected there to be an enemy. It was much as his life had been as a Green Beret.
Caleb swallowed and turned to face the door, only to find Clayton watching him. Caleb had learned long ago that his brother-in-law somehow always knew when something was wrong with him and Brice.
It had been Clayton that Caleb had turned to when the nightmares from his missions threatened to rule his life. Caleb had kept it from Brice since his brother had his own issues at the time.
Clayton’s advice helped, but it was really the quiet acceptance and love from the horses that had helped Caleb shift back into civilian life. Every once in a while, the past came back, but he was always able to stand against those horrible memories.
“If anything had happened to Maddy.…”
Audrey’s words trailed off. Before he realized it, Caleb was on his feet, his arm looping around Audrey’s waist to pull her back against his chest.
