Beau (In the Company of Snipers Book 18)

by Irish Winters

  Filled with an unexplainable need to return to her apartment, McKenna walked through the mudroom and into the garage. Sheesh, even that was a place of pure practicality. Wooden bins lined the wall nearest the door. Garbage bins. Several recycling bins. Stacks of newspapers and flattened cardboard. This family took everything they did seriously.

  A kitten mewed from somewhere. That couldn’t be good. McKenna ventured into the dark garage. One of Kyrie’s babies must’ve gotten lost. Following the pitiful mewls, she dropped to her knees between a rugged GMC pickup and the sleek, black Infinity Maverick had whisked her into that first day.

  “Here kitty, kitty,” McKenna coaxed. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder when she bent to peer under the truck. Something moved in the shadows. Extending her fingers, she blinked, wishing she’d turned on the garage lights so she could see better.

  But when the kitten mewed again, a cold shiver of dread skated down her back. Someone else was in the garage. She could feel it. McKenna tipped back on her haunches, her spine stiff and her head cocked as she strained to listen for the sound she’d thought she’d heard. ‘I’m not afraid,’ she told herself even as her fingertips nervously stroked the handiwork Montego had left on her throat.

  A single kitten crawled out from the shadows on its belly, an orange ball of fluff between four shaky legs. But so tiny. Too young to be away from its mother. Scooping it up from the cold concrete floor, McKenna clutched it under her chin. The poor thing’s eyes weren’t yet opened. How had it gotten in here by itself? As quickly as that thought materialized, another arrived on its heels. Someone’s watching me.

  Shaken at how foolish she’d been yet again to be out here alone, McKenna dared not breathe unless she gave herself away. Once again, no one knew where she was. ‘I’m as bad as Beau. Not smart enough to know when I’m well off. I’ve got to get out of here!’

  The garage light snapped on overhead. “Bobby?” an older man called out from the mudroom door. “You in here, darn ya?”

  McKenna jumped to her feet. Instead of one of Alex Stewart’s athletic agents, she found herself staring over the roof of the vehicle at an older gentleman in Carhartt bib overalls. “Who are you?” she asked, instantly embarrassed at the way she screeched at him.

  “Who in tarnation are you?” he shot back at her. “And whatcha doin’ out here in the dark?’

  “I found a kitten,” she answered nonsensically, even as she edged toward the safe doorway this fellow was blocking. Surely, he was a friend of the Carsons since he was inside their home. Right?

  “You ain’t seen a bobtailed minx with two clipped ears out here, have ya?”

  McKenna shook her head. “N-no, just th-this.” Cupping the tiny furry body in both shaking hands, she held it out for him to see.

  His bushy, gray brows furrowed. “Darn that mama cat. Wanna bet she’s still in here?”

  “Oh…oh… kay,” McKenna breathed, her heart still climbing up her throat.

  China peered around the guy’s shoulders. “You found her, Z?”

  “China!” McKenna called out, so damned thankful this wasn’t the ambush she’d thought it was. “I’m here!” Thank God you’re there!

  “What are you doing in the garage?” China angled past the man she’d called Z. How weird a name was that?

  Trembling, McKenna breathed a shuddering breath of total relief as China took hold of her bicep. “I… I heard something…” she muttered, covering up her plan to leave the security of Maverick’s home with a tiny white lie as she vowed never to be so dumb again. “Look. I found a kitten.”

  China cocked a quizzical look over her shoulder at Z. “Looks like Kyrie’s got a new baby to feed. Darn. That Bobby’s never going to be a good mama.”

  Flustered but relieved, McKenna all but ran back into the security of China’s home. If only her heart would stop pounding. By then, the kitten purred like a tiny train engine under her chin. China followed, as back through the mudroom they went. Back into the kitchen. McKenna took the first chair she came to before her knees gave out.

  “Are you okay?” Z asked as he ran a hand over his thinning hair. “You darned near scared the life outta me when you popped up like you did.”

  “I heard this baby crying, and I... and I...” Words failed as what she’d lived through at Bitch Two’s hand resurfaced with a bitter vengeance. I made a mistake. Another mistake.

  “Coffee,” China blurted as she hurried to the coffeemaker and poured three cups. “The best thing for worry and panic is a good cup of coffee,” she said as she returned with the steaming beverages on a simple wooden tray. “Cream or sugar?”

  McKenna’s head bobbed as she accepted one cup and the kitten settled in to stay. “Both. Where’s Beau?” she asked, hating that she sounded so pitifully weak again. Damn it, post-traumatic stress was kicking her butt.

  “I imagine he’s out looking for that woman,” Z replied as he took the chair at her elbow and grabbed another cup. “Don’tcha think, Miss China?”

  China’s head bobbed even as she growled. “Who knows? Last I heard there’s more than one woman out there. Can I get you some cookies, McKenna? I don’t think Maverick ate all the chocolate chip ones yet.”

  “Wh-what?” McKenna asked as she clutched the hot mug tightly in her one free hand to keep her fingers from trembling. “Are you saying Beau’s gone? Where’s Lee and Ky? What? Are we alone?”

  China outright glared as if she thought those were ridiculous questions. “Hell, no, McKenna. We’re not alone. Yes, the guys had to leave, but X, Z, and Shelby are here. So am I, Kyrie, and Suzette.”

  Like that was supposed to make her feel better?

  “But who’ll protect mmmmmm… us? Why’d Beau leave? Wh-what’s going on?” Hysteria pushed its way forward with every stuttered word. “What about my dad?”

  China pulled out a chair and angled it sideways, so her knees bumped against McKenna’s chair. “Honey, your dad is why the guys all left. Alex needs them to locate him, then to nail these bitches who think they’re above the law. And trust me, I took care of myself and my ranch long before Maverick ever showed up in my life. You see that rifle over there?”

  McKenna glanced at the firearm in the corner behind the door to the mudroom. Scuffed and by no means new, it looked so small. By then her head was shaking and she wanted to run for cover. “So? Whose is it?”

  China’s brows furrowed in amusement. “It’s mine, and I know how to use it, too. Don’t think for one minute that only men can take care of themselves.”

  “Yer dang right,” Z agreed, his head bobbing and his eyes bright with pride. “Ain’t no varmint, not even the biggest two-legged kind, stands a chance once miss China draws a bead on it. No worries. You’re safe, Miss McKenna. China and me’ll take care of ya.”

  “And X,” China added. “He’s around here somewhere.”

  “And me,” Shelby declared from the front room doorway, Suzette’s tiny hand in hers, and a rifle in the other. “Today’d be a good day to ride horses, don’t you think, China? We could all use some fresh air.”

  “N-now?” McKenna asked, even as Suzette clapped her hands and giggled, “Oh goodie! Spot! I wanna ride Spot.”

  Shelby smiled at her daughter. “Spot’s a miniature donkey, sweetheart. His legs are too short. He might not be able to keep up with the other kids. And yes, now McKenna. We need a break.”

  China raked her fingers through her thick dark tresses, tossing a handful over her shoulder. “Trust me, Suzy Q. Spot’ll keep up just fine. How about you, McKenna? Feel like getting out of the house for a picnic?”

  Not really… But finally able to breathe without hyperventilating, McKenna nodded because China and Shelby seemed sure of themselves. “Okay, but…” She stalled, not sure China was the right person to ask. “Who are X and Z? Are those their real names?”

  The tiny worry creases between China’s brows faded. “I’m sorry, I should’ve introduced you. X is Xavier A
lbright and Z is Zeke Knudsen, my hired hands. They like X and Z for short. Where is X anyway?” she asked Z.

  Now that McKenna had her wits about her once more, she studied the gentleman China had treated more like family than staff. Z for Zeke—she did that to help remember—sat comfortably at the table, like having coffee with and being served by his boss was no big deal. The poor guy had to be pushing seventy. His poor fingers wrapped around that coffee mug were knotted with arthritic bumps, but his eyes were clear and alert.

  “Aw, he’s been working on another rock, you know how he is. Says it’s for a special friend, and it’s got to be jes right.” Z chuckled. “Sure be nice if jes once he spelled it right.”

  “Spell what right?” McKenna asked as she blew softly over her coffee.

  “Xavier’s our resident artist,” China explained. “He’s quite a metal sculptor, and his artwork has earned him a name around here, but if he really likes you, he gives you a Friend Rock. I’ve got one, Maverick has two, maybe more by now, and—”

  “He gave me and Gabe each one, too,” Shelby said. “X is so sweet, he always spells it the same. F.R.E.N.D. There’s no greater honor than getting one of his gifts.”

  “Kitty!” Kyrie exclaimed as she scampered into the kitchen around Shelby. “You found Bobby’s missing kitten! Where was she?”

  “She’s out in the garage. Bobby’s a sweet, but lousy, mama,” China explained. “This is her third litter, and she’s nervous, so she moves her kittens every day—”

  “Every once in a while, she loses one of her babies,” Kyrie said.

  “And she ends up deserting the others,” Shelby ended, shaking her head. “Not all mothers are good mothers.”

  Wasn’t that the truth?

  “Poor kitty needs a good mommy,” Suzette murmured, her lips pinched in a sad pout that tore at McKenna’s heart.

  She looked down at the sleeping baby on her lap. “Can I keep this little one?”

  Kyrie’s brows lifted like two darker versions of the golden arches. “Really?”

  McKenna nodded. There was just something about cradling this tiny innocent that called to her. This perfect little creature needed someone to take care of it. “I’d love to.”

  “And?” China hinted, her deep indigo eyes sparkling.

  Damn, she was perceptive. “And would you please teach me how to shoot a gun? I mean, a weapon?” McKenna breathed, blushing at Beau’s definition of his gun. “I’m so tired of being a defenseless, silly woman.”

  “Yes, yes, and yes. The kitten is yours. I’d love to teach you all I know, but you are not defenseless. And yes, Beau is the dumbest shit on the planet for not seeing the amazing woman you are.”

  McKenna nearly laughed out loud.

  Shelby grunted from the doorway. “Sometimes good men don’t know they’re good,” she said quietly. Her head canted to the kitten. “Sometimes they get lost. Like that little guy.”

  Or thrown away. Beaten. And who knew what else Beau had survived.

  “You’ve got to trust Alex and his men, McKenna,” Shelby continued, her pretty violet eyes pensive and remote. “Even the grouchy, hostile ones. I learned the hard way. These guys really know what they’re doing.”

  “But so do we,” China added. “Now let’s saddle up, ladies. I’ll pack a quick picnic—”

  “And I’ll guard the ranch while you’re gone, Miss China,” Z added solemnly. “Me and X and Mr. Hart and Mr. Torrey. Don’t you ladies worry none. Ain’t no one gittin’ past all the security gizmos Mr. Maverick done jazzed this place up with anyway. Y’all know that.”

  “Will you babysit my kitten?” McKenna asked, not sure if she should leave her baby behind.

  Kyrie scooped the tiny fluff ball up into her arms and cradled it like the sleeping baby it was. “I’ve got a special nursery for the tiny ones. I’ll feed it before we leave, then teach you how to take care of it when we get back. It’s so little it’ll need a baby bottle for a couple days. Okay?”

  “Sounds good. But will we have phones with us? In case my dad calls?”

  “You bet,” Shelby replied. “I’ve got mine and—”

  “Kyrie and I will have ours,” China said. “Come on, McKenna. It’ll be good for you. Let’s ride.”

  Blowing out a deep sigh, McKenna nodded as she let go of the angst she’d stored up since Officer Crenshaw left. A day spent riding in the sun might be just what the doctor ordered.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  “You what?” Beau hissed, his pistol back on target, ready to blow this woman back to Hell where she belonged. “That’s why you asked McKenna about Kelsey and Lexie? You were going to kill that sweet little girl? For what? One of your voodoo rituals?”

  Daisy did her dramatic eye roll thing again. Stupid, stupid move. In less than the time it took her to bat those false lashes, she found herself face down with Izza’s knee between her shoulder blades and a pistol snug in the back of her thick skull. “You bitch! You ever kill a baby?”

  “Not yet,” Daisy huffed as Izza ground her face into the dirt—precisely what Beau wanted to do.

  Alex, who now held Minnie’s cuffed hands high enough behind her she had to stand on her toes and lean forward to avoid the pressure in her shoulders, said evenly, “I ought to introduce you two to my wife.”

  “Really?” Daisy asked, the whites of her eyeballs showing again as she struggled to meet Alex’s icy blue eyes. “You’d do that for me? Will that little girl be with her?”

  Damn, these two didn’t get it.

  “You bet,” Alex replied calmly. “Anytime you’re ready. I’m sure Kelsey’d love to meet you. She wasted the last bitch who threatened her family. Gut shot her. Still interested?”

  So not what Beau expected. “Kelsey? She did what?”

  Minnie stamped her foot at Daisy, still prone on the ground. “Will you shut up?”

  Alex spiked a brow. “What the hell did Sanders do to deserve you two?”

  Like the unbalanced woman she was, Minnie shot him a vicious glare over her shoulder. “He put our sister in an institution. Can you believe that? He locked Aurora up like a criminal, when all she wanted was to take care of her little girl. He killed her, and he never visited her, not once the whole time she was there. She just wanted to take care of her baby, but—”

  “She abused McKenna,” Beau hissed, “for years!”

  “She did not!” Daisy spat indignantly, pulling against Izza’s firm hold on her cuffed wrists. “You’re a liar. Just like Sanders! Aurora never hurt that precious child.”

  “Like you? Like what you did with those wires around her neck was, what? Playtime?”

  The bitch had the nerve to giggle. “That was different. I needed a blood sacrifice. I had to make do with what I had since” —she stretched her neck at her sister— “someone couldn’t find me a ba-by!”

  There was no sense asking more questions. These two were certifiable, and Sheriff Prince had just rolled on scene with two cruisers on his tail. He could have them.

  “I thought you said you’d located one?” Howie asked Alex as his men led the Lynch sisters away.

  Alex nodded. “Her evil twin showed up in the meantime. You mind if I file my report later? I’m still on a job.”

  “You bet. Anyone I know?”

  “Catalina Montego, the woman who abducted my man” —Alex jerked his chin at Beau— “and left that mess inside Ringers home. Have you heard anything on their whereabouts yet?”

  “About that.” Chief Prince grumbled. “Turns out they surfaced at a couples-only retreat in Nashville, Tennessee. The rules prohibited any electronic devices, so they’ve been incommunicado since they left. Didn’t know we were looking for them and hadn’t seen the news.”

  “Thank God,” Alex said. “Kelsey’s been worried. What about the DNA evidence in their freezer?”

  Chief Prince’s countenance darkened. “That’s another thing altogether. It belongs to three missing
Marines, all who disappeared from Quantico, one from the same bar you mentioned in your last report.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. “Aaron Pope?”

  Chief Prince shook his head. “No, but there’s no way he’s still alive, Alex. That evidence came in three distinct layers. It was like frozen leftover soups, each layer a different male subject.”

  Beau swallowed the bile creeping up his throat. “Leftovers? She’s… eating them?”

  “I have no idea, son,” Chief Prince replied grimly. “Just telling you what we know at this point. Please keep it to yourself.”

  “The Montegos were known for their extreme sadism,” Alex said. “I wouldn’t put cannibalism past them.”

  Beau nodded, suddenly lightheaded at what he remembered when he’d come to in Ringer’s dining room. The bloody meat grinder on the counter. The fact that he’d been spread out and restrained like a fatted calf on a workbench that could’ve easily been converted into a dining table. The bloody stump from his severed finger. What was that, an appetizer?

  He knew better. His finger had been a warning to Alex. What was it Montego said in that note? ‘I know where you live and work, Alex Stewart. Give me what I want, and you can have the rest of him.’ Did ‘the rest of him’ mean she’d planned to send chunks and pieces of Beau Jennings to Alex until...

  Holy Jesus. He could’ve been reduced to just another gooey layer in those containers.

  Before he fell down, Beau backtracked to the steps and sat with a hard thump, breathing hard and struggling to control his roiling gut. Not only was he queasy, but it dawned on him that the man he’d argued with every step of the way, until this very minute, was the same person who’d sprang into action to protect him and McKenna. Not once had Alex hesitated to respond to Beau’s call for assistance. He’d showed up. Every. Damned. Time.

  Lifting his chin from his chest, Beau looked at his employer with new eyes.

  Alex glared back at him. “Let me guess. You walked here? Son-of-a-bitch, are you trying to make sure you lose that finger?”