by Jenny Penn
He didn’t move or shift in his seat until finally a set of headlights turned into Lindsay’s drive, not that he got excited. They came from the wrong direction. Sure enough, Cooper’s truck rolled through the yard.
Not in the mood to fight, Nick remained settled in his seat, completely ignoring his brother as he parked his oversized vehicle and hopped out. Cooper sauntered over carrying a plastic-wrapped plate of food in his lap. He paused in front of Nick, hesitating before passing it over to him.
“Here. I don’t need you starving to death.”
“Thanks.”
Knowing that was as close to an apology as Cooper would come, Nick accepted the plate. Older brothers always had a problem saying they were sorry to younger ones. Nick understood. He and Cooper had three younger brothers. He sure as hell never apologized to any of them.
“It’s mostly peas,” Nick complained as he pulled the plastic back.
“You want something better show up for dinner next time,” Cooper retorted with a complete lack of sympathy. Slumping down onto the step beside Nick, he glanced pointedly around. “So? Lindsay took off, huh?”
“I guess.” Nick glanced over at Cooper. “You didn’t happen to bring a fork, did ya?”
Cooper pulled one out of his shirt pocket and held it out to Nick only to snatch it back at the last second and lick it. Then with a smirk he passed it over without hesitation. Nick took the thing and glared at it. The peas just weren’t worth it. He was about ready to toss the plate aside when Cooper heaved a deep sigh.
“Here, you big baby.” Whipping out another fork from his pocket, Cooper passed it over to Nick without doing anything disgusting to the utensil.
“Thanks.”
“Yeah, well, what are big brothers for?” Cooper muttered out that question with a gruffness that brought a small smile to Nick’s lips.
They sat there in silence while Nick ate the dinner Cooper had brought. His brother had even remembered to bring beer. Retrieving the small cooler from the bed of his truck, Cooper passed Nick a cold can before popping open his own one. Then they settled back into a comfortable silence that Cooper finally broke after two more beers.
“I’m not sorry about making a move on Lindsay.” With his chin tilted up, his gaze never left the sky as he laid it out for Nick. “I plan to be making a lot of them.”
Nick was not surprised but neither did Cooper’s declaration change his own intent. “Well, just so you know, so do I.”
“Then I guess we have a problem.”
“Then I guess we do,” Nick agreed.
Cooper sighed and finally turned his attention toward his brother. “Sally doesn’t want us fighting over the girl.”
“That’s fine. I don’t really feel like fighting.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“Let her make her choice,” Nick offered, perfectly content with giving Lindsay all of the control.
“Fine,” Cooper agreed after a long hesitation. “But she doesn’t get to make the choice for two weeks. We get that long to convince her.”
While that sounded reasonable, it didn’t sound right coming from Cooper. Nick turned from his study of the heavens above to consider his brother as he tried to figure out all the reasons he might want extra time to convince Lindsay to choose him. He couldn’t think of a single one but he could deduce another motive his brother might have.
“Do you want two weeks to convince her, or are you hoping to change my mind?”
“I’m hoping to give you time to see that you’re not right for Lindsay.” Cooper didn’t even bother to deny Nick’s charge but laid it out for him clear and simple. “And we both know you’re not right.”
“We do?” Nick lifted a curious brow at that, certain he should feel insulted, but he didn’t. “And why is that?”
“Because you’re going to leave,” Cooper answered succinctly as he finally turned to meet Nick’s gaze. “I’m mean eventually you got to go back to work and when you—”
“I left the marines,” Nick cut in, knowing his confession shocked his brother. “For good. I’m not going back.”
Cooper blinked as questions began to swirl in his eyes but he held them back and slowly nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay? That’s all you got to say?” Nick snorted up a laugh as he shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Aren’t you going to ask me why? Don’t you want an explanation?”
“Yeah, I do.” Cooper scowled as worry drew his expression tight. “I’m your older brother, Nick, and I worry about you, but I also know you, and demanding answers isn’t going to get me any. It’s just going to give you an excuse to be mad. That’s what you really want, isn’t it? A target for your anger?”
That’s exactly what Nick didn’t want. He wanted to let the anger go. He just didn’t know how. He didn’t even know how to explain himself to Cooper. So Nick said nothing, allowing the silence to thicken around them once again as he fought to find the words needed to explain. When they came they were simple and blunt.
“It was a roadside bomb. A trap.” He felt transported back to that moment when everything had gone to hell. That’s when the fear that now lived within him had been born. He recalled every single detail that followed with agonizing clarity.
“We retreated on foot but…we got separated. I was covering a woman, an informant…and I failed. We were taken hostage and spent a week in a hellhole before I was rescued…the woman didn’t make it out.”
Now he wasn’t fit to serve. Nick left that part off, not wanting to add to the weight he knew he’d just heaped onto his brother’s shoulders. Cooper was taking Nick’s revelations very well. He hadn’t jumped up and started demanding answers. He didn’t cuss, or yell, or say anything as he simply sat there staring up at the stars. For that, Nick was thankful. He didn’t really want to talk about it but he did feel a whole lot better for having shared what he had.
Chapter 10
August 18th
Travis stood watch, scanning the horizon with his infrared goggles looking for anybody the night sky might help disguise, but there was nothing. At least not in front of him, behind him the rest of the deputies scurried about transferring satchels of money from the bunker buried in Howell barn to the waiting trucks.
This was their third run in just as many nights. They should have gotten all the money moved by now, would have had it all moved if it hadn’t been for Cooper and Nick. Every night they showed up like a couple of lovesick puppies to hang around Elton’s cabin and wait for the man’s granddaughter to return. The whole situation disgusted Travis.
No woman would ever lead him around like that. Nobody would. Travis had learned early in life that there were only two types of people. Predators and prey. It amazed him how quickly one became the other. A man had to work to stay on top. That’s just what Travis spent every day doing.
“Sir?” Marvin jarred him out of his thoughts, bringing the deputy’s attention back to his fellow officer. “Nobody is home. I’m going to signal the men to start rolling in their trucks.”
“Go ahead.” Travis scanned the horizon one more time before finally giving up his vigil and heading for the barn. “Tell them to back right up to the door.”
Heading into the barn’s dark, damp interior, Travis paused for a moment to let his eyes adjust. Everything would be easier if they could turn on the lights but out here in the plains light could be seen far away. The last thing wanted or needed was Cooper or Nick catching sight of some glimmer and showing up all eager to woo Lindsay. They’d have to work in the dark, which wasn’t that unusual.
Hell, it wasn’t that dark. Termites and other bugs had long ago eaten holes through the barn’s towering roof, allowing bolts of moonlight to filter through and cast a wide, pale glow over the barn’s earthen floor. That had been all they needed to unload the money when they’d first brought it here. They’d managed to move over twenty million without ever alerting Elton.
Of course, his whiskey habit helped assure that Elt
on hadn’t noticed anything going on. The man used to pass out every night before eight. Travis doubted they’d be so lucky with Lindsay, so they were working hard and fast while she was away. Already they’d managed to remove seven million.
Travis ambled toward the back of the barn as the sound of trucks rolling into the yard echoed through the open doors. He knew none of the deputies would dare to drive their precious vehicles into the old, rotted barn, but it would have made everything that much easier if they had. The entrance to the root cellar that had been dug into a larger tunnel sat way in the back beneath the towering hay loft.
Mildew and mold ate happily away on the old posts and beams. It filled the air with a stink that still smelled better than the old bootleg tunnels. As Travis wrenched open the trapdoor, he kept his head tilted to the side, letting the musky foul stench wash over him but enjoying the experience.
It took a moment to adjust to the disgusting odor enough before he could face the daunting task of lowering himself down the small, wooden ladder into the tight, dirt hall that widened only enough to fit shelves in along one side. Encased in the pitch-black tunnel, Travis had to feel along the edges for the lanterns they’d left behind. Small and battery operated, they wouldn’t cast a glow that could filter far past the trapdoor.
Travis needed what light it could cast because he didn’t even have the moon to help guide him down in the hole. With the dirt shelves piled high with bags of money, he needed the help. One wrong tug and he could end up seriously hurt under an avalanche of cash. While that might sound comical to some, Travis knew how much weight all those five and ten dollar bills added up to.
Unfortunately they’d stolen the money from a drug cartel’s money-running operation that was used to transfer bulk cash south of the border. Drug dealers didn’t have the decency to upgrade their small denominations into more manageable large ones. In fact, one shipment had been mostly fucking coins, which were not only heavy but cumbersome. That was why they were leaving those bags for last.
Maybe they should leave them for Dennis. That thought brought a smile to Travis’s gaze as he clicked on more lanterns. The moment of mirth didn’t last as he considered just what a pain the sheriff had become. Sooner rather than later the man would have to be handled, but right then Travis had a more pressing problem.
He had enough to figure out where they were going to store all this money. For the moment they were just piling it up in closets at home, not a very long term solution. Dennis might be a blowhard, but he had a few things right. Keeping the cash at hand might be convenient but it was also a convenient way to get caught if the Feds came knocking.
Elton’s old bunker had been a perfect solution to the problem, especially after they’d gotten rid of Elton. His land should have gone to auction. They’d fully expected Cooper or one of the other ranchers to buy it for the watering hole, which lay a good two miles to the north. That would have left Elton’s cabin and barn abandoned and given Travis and his men easy access to their money.
The plan could still work. If they eliminated Lindsay Bryne, they probably would come under some extra scrutiny but so what? Nobody would find anything and eventually things would die down. The land would go to auction and Cooper or somebody would buy it and they could move the money back into the barn.
It could all work out but first they had to get around Dennis’s objections. Despite what he wanted everybody to think, Travis knew the sheriff didn’t fear Carl Bryne’s political pull. Travis knew the truth about Dennis, Carl, and the DNA test that had given Lindsay rights to Elton Howell’s land. Revealing those truths would probably destroy all three.
That thought amused Travis.
Chapter 11
August 19th
It took the better part of three days to accomplish all that Lindsay wanted, but when she finally set her eyes on her cabin she had everything she needed to get the lights turned on. If things went as planned then by tonight she’d have electricity.
Lindsay stared up at the massive generator all swaddled up in its crate and smiled. The oversized unit had been lifted up into the truck bed by a forklift but she planned to get it out all on her own. If all the Egyptians needed to build their pyramids were the laws of physics then certainly she could accomplish getting her generator on the ground with the same cleverness.
“Of course it would have helped if the rental company had rented me a forklift.” Lindsay looked down at Jack as he wandered out of the barn to come and rub against her ankles. She was pleased to see the cat hadn’t abandoned her during her absence. “I don’t suppose you happen to know where one is I could borrow.”
Clearly unconcerned about Lindsay’s problems, Jack stretched up, sinking his claws into her jeans, and let out a wail.
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.”
Lindsay sighed and headed for the bags piled all around the generator. Jack trailed behind her, jumping up onto the tailgate the instant she lowered it. He didn’t hesitate to start rooting through the bags.
“All right. All right. We’ll do you first,” Lindsay promised Jack as he found the bag stuffed full of canned food and treats. He started to yowl, a high-pitched meow that brought a smile to Lindsay’s face. It was good to be needed, and nice to have the companionship. While Jack might not be a talkative fellow, he did hang around watching over her even after he’d finished his meal.
Still, he couldn’t actually help. An hour later with her back aching, Lindsay kind of wished he could. Things were taking even longer than her worse estimate. At this rate she’d be reading by the light of the propane lantern for days to come. Lindsay needed help, and she knew just where to find it.
If she asked, Lindsay had no doubt that either Cooper or Nick would agree to lend her a hand. Of course, Cooper would try to take over. He’d probably would show up with a whole crew of guys and leave her sitting on the sidelines while they did all the work. Lindsay wasn’t interest in getting shoved aside. Then again neither was she interested in getting crushed or blown up, two real possibilities if she called Nick over.
That wasn’t the only reason Lindsay hesitated to involve either brother. She’d done some thinking over the past three days and come to the conclusion that it would be best if they just all stayed away from each other. Nick and Cooper didn’t understand the dangers of getting involved with her, but she did.
Lindsay wasn’t naïve enough to believe that Carl Bryne would just let her walk away. There was a reckoning coming, and if Carl thought he could use either Cooper or Nick to get to her, he wouldn’t hesitate to harm them. She didn’t want to live with that on her conscience, not when she bore enough guilt over her own perverse lust.
It was too much to ask her to choose between the raw, heated need Cooper inspired in her and the sultry, carnal ache Nick aroused in her. The shameful truth was that she lusted after both brothers. In the darkness of the night, in the freedom of her dreams, Lindsay fantasized about both of them touching her, kissing her, even loving her.
Just the memory of those fantasies had her flushing hot as her body awoke with a need never far from the surface. Lindsay all but ached to feel the hard strength of their bodies surrounding her, imprisoning her in their warmth while their hands stroked over her and mouths devoured her. Every night they drove her to the same point, to where she begged to be fucked, taken by both of them.
That’s when she’d wake up to find herself painfully alone. That’s the way Lindsay intended to remain—alone. Everybody was safer that way. The sight of a white sedan easing its way down the lane turned her thoughts to just how hard it was to be alone out in the middle of the country.
It certainly seemed like she had a constant flow of visitors every time she came out to the cabin. This time her guest was actually a female. That was a first. The knots didn’t begin to twist in her stomach until the door opened and a blonde who reeked of both wealth and class stepped out. She looked the right age and wore the right clothes to be one of Carl’s women, but when she turned those
crystal-blue eyes on Lindsay she knew just who this woman was related to.
“Well, I can see they weren’t lying about that.”
“Excuse me?” Lindsay blinked, confused by the other woman’s comment and somewhat enthralled by the way she moved across the yard. Despite the burnt debris and the pitted tracks where the fire trucks had dug in, the blonde managed to strut on four-inch heels without missing a single beat. That was just impressive.
“The men, honey.” She made that sound like it should be obvious as she came to a stop a mere foot from Lindsay. “They’re all talking about how cute and adorable you are.”
“I somehow doubt that.” In fact Lindsay didn’t believe it for a second.
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“No,” Lindsay assured her instantly, not interested in getting into a confrontation with this woman. She had a generator to install and not a lot of daylight left. “I was just expressing my surprise that anybody had noticed my cuteness.”
“And there’s that attitude Andrew warned me about.”
“Andrew?”
“Andrew Cooper,” the blonde repeated as she held out her hand. “I’m Sally Carney, Andrew and Nicholas’s aunt on their father’s side.”
“Lindsay,” Lindsay introduced herself, instinctively accepting the other woman’s hand. Sally might have looked like a lady but she had the grip of a man, and a few calluses, too. “Lindsay—”
“Howell,” Sally finished for her, releasing Lindsay’s hand. “Yes. I know. As I mentioned, the men have been talking about you.”
“I see.” She didn’t really. She didn’t even know what to make of Sally’s presence. “I don’t mean to be rude, Mrs. Carney—”
“Call me Sally, honey.”
“—Sally, but I don’t really care what the men have to say about me.”
“Not even Andrew or Nicholas?” Sally lifted a brow as she shot Lindsay a knowing look, all but daring her to deny what they both knew to be true.
