by K. J. Dahlen
Lyle searched the area and raised his weapon. “Who the fuck is out there?” he screamed. “Show yourself.”
Georgia loaded another bolt but didn’t bother answering.
Caine raised his own crossbow and took careful aim but didn’t let loose his bolt.
Georgia glanced away from Lyle and snarled, “He’s mine.”
Caine nodded but didn’t drop his bow. He wouldn’t shoot unless Georgia was finished but he wanted to be prepared.
Lyle searched the area again. Licking his lips he called out again, “My men are coming fool, they will hunt you down and tear you apart if you don’t come out here and face me like a man.”
“You’re all alone now fool,” Caine called out in the silence. “You’re men aren’t coming to your rescue, not this time.”
“You lie!” Lyle screamed. “My men are coming to get you.”
“Your men are dying even as we speak,” Caine shouted out. “Just as you will in a few more minutes.”
“You gonna shoot me in the back?” Lyle yelled. “Seems like that’s the coward’s way to kill a man.”
“And you would know about that, wouldn’t you?’ Caine called back. “How many men have you shot in the back?”
“I face them!” Lyle cried out. “Every fucking man I killed, I stood face to face with them. I ain’t no damn coward.”
“No you just shoot them in cold blood,” Caine reminded him. “You like to shoot unarmed men.”
“Joey had a weapon,” Lyle called out. “It ain’t my fault he didn’t grab it.”
“You never gave him a chance though, did you?” Georgia shouted. “You just shot him, like you just shot my father. Is that how you shot Mike Bowmen? Did he even have a chance to reach for his gun or did you just kill him where he stood?”
Lyle tipped his head back and laughed out loud. “Mike should have been better prepared. He let me ride right up to him. He just stood there, almost like he expected me to do something and let me shoot him, just like your old man did.”
When she didn’t respond, he taunted her even more. He pulled away from the bolt, screaming as he pulled the bolt through his leg and stepped back. Looking down at the blood on his leg, he swore. “You bitch, you shot me.” Shaking his head, he growled. “I can’t believe you actually shot me.” He lifted his head and stared at the darkness around him. “Where are you, you slut? Come out here and face me. I want to look you in the eyes when I kill you.”
When Georgia didn’t come out he yelled, “What are you a coward? No I know, you’re afraid of me. That’s it isn’t it? You are afraid of what I’m gonna do to you. You’re more like your old man than I thought. Or should I say like your mother. Yeah, I remember her very well. She begged for mercy. Told Greg she just wanted to go home to her kid. Then she made the mistake that cost her everything. She cried. Greg never could stand a woman that cried. It flipped him out and he got a little rough.” He stared into the darkness. “Are you gonna beg for your life with tears too?” He shrugged. “Me, I don’t mind tears but you probably won’t have a chance to shed any.”
Georgia snarled and swung over the edge of the tree stand. Numbly traveling down the trunk of the tree, she marched forward into the open. When she stepped into the light, she brought her crossbow up to her waist. “Don’t worry about me shedding tears Lyle, you simply aren’t worth any.”
Lyle glanced at the weapon in her hands then threw his head back and laughed. “Only a dumb ass would bring a crossbow to a showdown.” He motioned toward the weapon in her hand. “Do you even know how to use that thing?”
Georgia shrugged. “Don’t I just point and shoot it?”
Lyle just stared at her for a moment, then he slowly raised his own weapon and pointed it at her. His eyes grew cold. “Tell me something.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you kill my brother?”
Georgia smiled. “Yeah, I killed Greg. I shot him in the balls to pay him back for what he did to my mother, then I shot him in the head to stop his cowardly screams. Man, could he scream. He sounded like a little girl when he grabbed his bloody balls.”
Lyle’s lips curled in a sneer. “I’m gonna kill you slowly and enjoy each and every minute you scream.”
Georgia shrugged. “I’m not gonna play your sick games Lyle. I will tell you one thing though before you die. You failed.”
“What did I fail at little girl?” Lyle snorted.
“The rest of your men are dead by now,” she informed him. “There’s no one coming to your rescue. I’m gonna kill you and there is no one left who gives a damn, not about you, not about the Grim Reapers.” She lifted the crossbow and took aim. “Oh and the Bleu Vipers are dead too. You really need to get some new friends.” Then before he could blink, she pulled the trigger. There was a soft whisk and the bolt pierced his neck.
Lyle couldn’t even scream as the bolt speared his throat and ripped through his spinal cord at the base of his head. His body fell face down in the dirt.
Georgia watched with no emotion in her eyes.
Then she felt Caine’s arms come around her shoulders as he turned her away from the scene of so much violence. Georgia’s mind was a complete blank at the moment. Until she turned her head and saw her father on the ground. She tore away from Caine and went over to where he was lying. Dropping to her knees, she reached for his hand. Bringing it to her lips, she kissed the back of his hand. “I’m so sorry Daddy,” she whispered as tears rolled down her face. “I didn’t get here in time to save you.”
Caine reached down and assisted her to her feet. Wrapping his arms around her shoulder, he urged her away. “Honey, I think he understands. He’s with your mother now.”
Georgia smiled faintly. “Yeah, they’re back together like they should be. He loved her more than he loved life without her.”
“Are you okay with that?”
Georgia nodded. “When Mom died, my Dad went a little crazy. They loved each other like nobody’s business.” She shrugged. “I knew they loved me too, but they lived for each other.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “Now they are together again, and nothing can ever separate them.”
Caine paused when he heard Mountain call out his name.
Men poured out of the shadows, coming from all sides.
When she saw Jason, Micah and Rio she went over to Jason and hugged him. “I’m so sorry Jason.”
“What are you talking about?” Jason pulled back to stare at her.
“Lyle murdered Joey.”
Jason’s hands tightened on her shoulder, as he comprehended what she said. Lyle Boyd killed his little brother. He was crushed to know he wouldn’t see Joey again on one hand but he felt as if he could finally breathe on the other hand.
Mountain looked over his own men and asked, “Were any of our men hurt?”
Gage and Calico shook their heads. “We had the element of surprise on our side. They didn’t even see us coming.”
“They weren’t the brightest of men.” Gage sneered. “Apparently, they thought they had this town under their control. The dumb asses. The men at the bar were all too drunk to put up much of a fight. Most of them are still alive just tied up until the police get here tomorrow.”
Calico nodded. “Yeah, they didn’t really put up that much of a fight.” Looking over at his father, he grinned. “Dad was pretty liberal with his drinks.”
Gordie shrugged. “Well, it ain’t my fault they can’t hold their liquor.”
Mountain looked around for the men who stormed the diner. Hawk had taken that chore.
Hawk gave him a thumbs up. Hawk was somewhat torn up but for the most part, he looked okay.
Mountain raised a brow at him.
Hawk stepped a few steps closer to report, “The diner is secure. There was some resistance but nothing we couldn’t handle. There was an older broad there that helped. Man, does she swing a mean fry pan.” He shook his head and laughed. “That’s one female I wouldn’t want to make mad.”
The streets suddenly became crowed as the town’s folks poured out of the school. Mike and Lonnie had broken the locks and released the prisoners.
Bill Wyman and several others joined them. “Is this finally over?” Bill asked.
“Yeah, it’s over,” Mountain assured them.
“What happened to Lyle and the other Reapers?” Jack Mork, one of the business leaders asked.
“A few of them are dead but most are tied up until the police come after them,” Gage replied. “The Reapers left the whole town quite a mess but for the most part, your town in safe.”
Bill nodded. He turned to Georgia. “I’m sorry about your father Georgia. Lyle just shot him.”
Georgia nodded. “I know. Lyle shot Joey Patterson too.”
Bill and a few of the others shook their heads. “Joey Patterson was a traitor. I’m sorry but he gave you up to Lyle. He gave up the whole damn town. He told Lyle that you were the one who shot Greg. It was ridiculous of course, but he lied to gain his own glory.” Bill glanced over at Jason and shook his head. “I’m sorry Jason but your brother was nothing but trouble.’
“I know Mayor, but nobody deserved to be murdered like that.” Jason shook his head. He didn’t correct the Mayor’s statement about Georgia, that secret would die with Joey and Lyle.
“We can sort it all out tomorrow,” Mountain suggested. “It’s late and I’m sure we all could use some sleep.”
“Yes, well I’ll go over to Cameron in the morning and notify the proper authorities,” Bill replied. Looking around, he announced to everyone nearby, “We can take the Reapers over to the jail and house them until the authorities can get here then I suggest you all go back to your homes and stay there until the police clean up everything. It might take a day or two but we’ll let you all know when it’s safe to resume your daily activities.”
Slowly, the citizens of Jarrett made their way to their own homes. Bill had a few of the townspeople assist in getting the Reapers over to the jail then left a few minutes after that chore was done to go home and soon, only Georgia and the men were left.
Georgia ran her fingers through her hair just as Calico, Reaper and Gordie Marshak walked up. “I have room for four or five at my house for anyone who would like to get some sleep.”
“I can handle nine or ten at the house and three or four more at the apartment above the bar,” Gordie added.
Mountain nodded. “We still have to patrol the streets in case we didn’t get everyone. We can take four hour shifts until it’s safe to leave again.”
Gage shrugged. “Surprisingly, we don’t have that many causalities to deal with. Most of the Reapers were drunk or near enough. There were only five that took the hard way out, then of course Lyle, Joey and Georgia’s dad. We didn’t lose anyone on our side.”
Mountain nodded. “There are the two bodies at the dock and one Georgia left in the woods too. Don’t forget those.”
“Don’t forget the Sheriff either,” Georgia reminded them.
Caine’s arm wrapped around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “They won’t baby.”
Dewey stepped up to Mountain. “We should inform Pappy about what went down tonight. We should also find out about the Vipers.”
Mountain nodded. “We can call him when we get to Georgia’s house.” He sighed. “We also have to do something with the bodies. I don’t want to leave them out on the streets or in Gordie’s bar.”
“When we call Pappy we can have him contact the police in Cameron and they can pick up the bodies,” Gage suggested.
Mountain agreed. Then he began scratching his bearded face. “I’m tired and more than a little sick at what went down tonight. You guys decide who does what and I’ll see you guys in four hours.”
Georgia wrapped her arms around his and wrapped her other arm around Caine. “Come on big guy, let’s go get some sleep.”
Big Mike, Lonnie and Gage followed her home.
Chapter Twelve
An hour later, all five men and Georgia had showered. Caine and Georgia had gone to her room and were laying on her bed. Caine held her in his arms and waited for the tears to come.
Georgia laid there with her head on his chest. She knew she should feel something but she didn’t. There was no sadness or grief in her heart for her father. She knew he was in a better place, a place he wanted to go since her mother died. She also didn’t feel remorse for killing Lyle. Lyle deserved what happened to him, as did the rest of Lyle’s men. That included Joey, although she did feel for Jason. He didn’t deserve to feel the loss of his brother.
“Are you okay?” Caine finally asked her.
Georgia nodded. “Yeah, I am.”
“Now that the threat is over what are you going to do?”
Georgia shrugged. “I don’t know right now.” She paused then peeked up at him. “What are you going to do?”
Caine shrugged. “I’m not sure at the moment.”
“Are you planning on sticking around Jarrett or moving on to another place?” Georgia held her breath for his answer. She hoped he would ask her to stay with him but she didn’t know what he wanted.
Caine tightened his arms around her. “I’d like to stay but there so much going on over in Sabine Pass that I’d like to be a part of too. Maybe my talents would be better used over there.”
Georgia felt disappointed. Then she decided in for a penny, in for a pound. If she was only going to have one more night with him, she was going to have him one more time. This would give her memories to last a long time. He was the only man she ever met she felt a connection to, the only man she wanted to share her body with. She remembered something her mother told her a long time ago. Her mother told her there would come a time when she met the right man, she would know deep down in her heart and that would be the man she should love.
Georgia felt that connection with Caine. She had almost from the beginning. That was why she asked him to stay with her before. Now she wanted to see if the connection was still there. She leaned over and kissed his chest. She felt his arms wrap tightly around her. Moving to straddle his hips, she leaned down and touched her lips to his. Caine’s hands came up to cradle her head while he kissed her deeper.
Georgia’s breath caught in her chest as she groaned. Caine grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt and yanked it over her head. His lips closed around her hard nipples and he alternated while sucking them into his mouth. Georgia moaned and ground her core against the bulge in his boxers.
Caine could feel her heat through the two layers of material that separated them. His right hand slipped down her belly to beyond and cupped her wet, hot spot.
When his fingers pushed aside the lace panties and found her nether lips, she hissed as he stroked her. When his fingers plunged inside her, she groaned and began moving her hips. “I want you,” she whispered in his ear as she sucked on his neck. “I want you inside me so badly.”
Caine tore the little strips of lace away and dragged his boxers down, then he found her center and shoved himself deep inside her. He growled as he felt her sheathing his cock. She was wet, hot and oh so tight. Moving his hips, he thrust deep inside her again and again.
Releasing the back of her head, Georgia sat up and twisted her hips to allow him even deeper. With each stroke, she her body seemed to wind tighter and tighter. She tipped her head back and just let herself go as wave after wave of tingling delight rushed over her.
She groaned as her body responded to his attentions. His fingers dug deep into her hips and he thrust harder and faster. Lifting herself up slightly, she slammed down and ground her core down on his cock. Moaning, she couldn’t help herself. Suddenly, her orgasm ripped through her and she screamed.
Caine slapped his hand over her mouth and thrust one more time as he felt his cock explode deep inside her. Groaning, he felt pulse after pulse of hot cum jetting out to fill her. Curling his arms around her, he held her close to him while he waited for his heartrate to calm down. Never before had he felt like thi
s after sex.
When she shifted to his side, he couldn’t let her go. He turned and molded himself around her. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes as her scent hit him. She smelled of ripe strawberries and sunshine…Caine loved that scent.
He glanced down at her face and could see the exhaustion in her eyes. Exhaustion and sadness. Pressing his lips on her temple he urged, “Sleep now, sweetheart.”
Georgia’s hands crept up and locked on his arms. “Please hold me.”
Caine chuckled silently. “I won’t let you go. I’ve got you baby,” he whispered in her ear. Settling next to her, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The sun was high in the sky when she opened her eyes. Caine was still wrapped around her and she smiled slightly. She didn’t want to let him go. It was crazy how much he meant to her so quickly. She’d only known him a few days but she knew her heart would break if he ever left her. He’d become more important to her than breathing.
Turning her head, she noted the position of the sun. From what she could tell, it was still early morning but she knew she needed to get up and get moving. Before she could move away, she felt Caine’s arms tighten around her again.
“Is it time to get up?” he murmured in her ear.
Georgia sighed. “Yeah, I guess.”
“You don’t sound so sure about that.” He chuckled. “Maybe we should stay right here until you are.”
Georgia snuggled down safe within his arms. “I could stay here forever.”
“I certainly wouldn’t evict you.”
Georgia steadied her heart. “You wouldn’t?” she asked him breathlessly.
“Nope,” he assured her.
“I think I’d like that,” she admitted softly.
“Good then it’s settled,” he whispered. “I get to keep you.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Rise and shine, we’re gonna get company,” Mountain called out.
They both heard his footsteps walking away from the door. Caine sighed and threw back the covers. The air was cooler than the warmth under the covers. Georgia shivered and rolled off the bed. Going over to her dresser, she pulled out clean clothes and got dressed quickly. When she turned around, she saw Caine was already dressed in the same clothes he wore yesterday.
