She was tall and slender. Her skin was tanned from the sun and makeup-free, but she was a natural beauty who probably didn’t need much. Her long brown hair had silver strands mixed in, giving the hair an ethereal sheen, and even the emerging wrinkles around the corner of her eyes and mouth couldn’t detract from her looks.
“Rourke is really something else,” said Cali with a serene smile.
“If you have a pen and paper, I can write down where the car is on the highway so the tow truck can find it. One of my buddies owns a shop in town and I’ll write down his number so you won’t get screwed over on the cost.”
“Good.” The rental had insurance but, judging from what she knew about insurance and business practices, she wouldn’t be surprised if she got stuck with some of the cost. Though, if she got two million extra dollars, that would sure as hell lessen the blow of the car repair expense.
“Let me just go grab some.” Mary turned around, her long nightgown twisting around her as she left.
Rourke leaned in closer once they were alone. “I expect you’ll be gone as soon as your car is fixed.”
She could tell by his tone that it wasn’t a question but an order. Damn, she was tired of getting ordered around by the Devereaux brothers. “And if I don’t, are you going to carry me out? Think Mary would let you get away with that?”
He moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of anything else. “This is my town, Cali. If I want you gone, you will be gone. Understand?”
She glared into his brown eyes, not even close to backing down. The lights reflected in his irises, and for the first time she noticed the golden flecks. “It’s been a long day, Rourke. I guess we’re both just going to have to wait to see how I feel tomorrow.”
“Am I interrupting something?” said Mary from behind Rourke.
He gave Cali one last warning look before he backed away and shot a harmless smile to Mary. “Not at all.” He took the paper and pen from her before he leaned over the small table along the wall in the entryway and wrote some instructions and phone numbers.
“I hope this isn’t too much of an intrusion,” said Cali.
Mary shook her head. “It’s the middle of the week, so we have plenty of empty rooms. Besides, my husband, Stewart, is out on the road for the next few days and I wouldn’t mind some more company. No intrusion at all. I have some extra toothbrushes and small toothpastes here for my more forgetful guests. Not the best brands, but new and in the packaging.”
“That’s perfect.”
Rourke finished writing and handed the paper to Cali. Once again she really wished she could tell him she didn’t need his stupid help, but it would be nice to send the car to a shop she could trust.
She snatched the paper out of his hand, careful not to touch him. Maybe tomorrow she could muster up some more charm to use on him. She’d felt as though she’d made a bit of progress with him in his truck, but as soon as they were out of the close confines, the spell had been broken and he was right back to his grouchy self.
So maybe the trick was to get him alone in close confines. That was where she’d first connected with him at Farrell’s party. That was where she’d made progress in the truck. Maybe that was how she could convince him to at least meet with Luke.
“Thank you.” She put on her most graceful smile. She glanced down at the paper and noticed he didn’t put his own phone number on it. No problem. She was willing to bet that Mary had his cell.
“I hope your trip out of town is much less eventful.” He turned to Mary and bent down to give her a big hug. “You’re the best, Mary. Can always trust you to take in the strays.”
Cali wondered how offended she should be by that, but Mary’s giant smile at his words pushed away any of Cali’s annoyance.
Rourke shot Mary one last smile before he headed out the front door and left Mary and Cali alone.
Mary let out a wistful sigh as the door shut. “That boy would be in so much trouble if I were a few decades younger.”
Cali let out a snort. “From that hug he gave you, I’d say he’s in trouble now.”
Mary gave a hearty laugh. “Oh, I wish. My husband probably doesn’t, though.”
Cali looked down for a sign of a wedding ring she’d missed, but Mary waved her ring-less finger. “We were way too broke when we got hitched to get any fancy jewelry. Besides, it was the sixties. Rings were far too establishment back then.”
“Damn the man,” said Cali with a smile and Mary burst out laughing. At least the whole day wasn’t a waste since she was meeting such a great character.
“I’m really sorry about the car trouble. Lucky Rourke was there to find you. The houses are so few and far between out here.”
Suddenly an idea struck her. A way she could force Rourke to deal with her. “Well, I have a confession. Rourke and I aren’t complete strangers.”
CHAPTER SIX
Rourke pulled his truck into an open space on Main Street. He had a few different stops to make, but everything on his list was within walking distance from the middle of Main Street. He started at the hardware store and nodded to Ms. Gunderson as he passed, and she responded to his smile with a scowl.
What the hell had he done to her? He racked his brain for something he’d done to piss her off, but nothing came to mind. Though, with Ms. Gunderson, it didn’t take much to get on her bad side. Maybe she thought he was going too fast down Main Street. He’d gone the limit of twenty-five miles per hour, but if she had her way, it would be five.
He shook his head as he entered the hardware store. If she was going to have some stick up her ass about him, there was nothing he could do about it. He made his way to the loose nuts and bolts along the back wall and dug out the one he’d brought from the house. He held it up to a few different bolts until he found ones that were the same size and grabbed five identical ones. After writing down the part number on the outside of the plastic bag, he headed to the front of the store.
There was no line at the register. The only cash register in the store was operated by Krissy, the eighteen-year-old daughter of the owner. “Morning, Krissy.” He set down the bolts and pulled a package of jerky off the rack in front of him.
Krissy’s bright blue eyes, surrounded by about half a pound of black eyeliner, shot daggers at him as she banged on the keys to the register and scanned the jerky. “That will be twenty bucks.” She set a hand on her waist as she waited for him to pay.
“Umm... It’s five bolts and jerky. Shouldn’t it be closer to five?”
“For you, it’s twenty. Don’t you want to take your screws and leave?”
That was quite a switch from the girl who’d tried to get into his pants just a week earlier. She’d first made a move on him two years ago, but he’d convincingly told her that he couldn’t be with someone when it was illegal. Which worked great until she turned of age. Ever since then, it had been like an obstacle course to avoid her in the small town. But apparently something had gotten him on her bad side. But he wasn’t above bribery to appease an angry woman. He fished a twenty out of his wallet and set it on the counter. “Happy now?”
She pulled the money toward her and set it in the register. “Thanks, asshole,” she said with a serene smile.
That would be a no, she wasn’t happy. He reached over for a plastic bag for his purchases and then left the store. Obviously he wasn’t wanted. But Krissy had been crushing on him for years. He had a feeling the next time he saw her, she’d be batting her eyelashes at him again.
Next stop was Alan’s Auto, where he’d told Cali to take her car. He wanted to double-check to make sure she hadn’t caused the damage to her own tires. He’d tried so hard to push the blonde troublemaker from his mind, but she kept on popping up at the most inopportune times.
Mainly when he was in the shower that morning. He remembered the feel of her tossed over his shoulder. Her firm ass beneath his hands. The feel of other parts of her beneath the silky smoothness of the dress she’d worn on Friday. He’d only had his ima
gination to tell him what she’d look like beneath the clothes. She seemed like the type to have a matching bra and panties and, because it was his own damn fantasy, he threw her in a black garter belt and heels too. Her long blonde hair had been loose around her shoulders, reaching just above where the black lace of the bra stopped. Her full lips formed a fuck-me pout while her eyes stared at him in that same way she’d looked at him on Friday.
As if she wanted him.
Once that image was firmly in his mind, it hadn’t taken long for him to explode in his hands. So even though she’d assured him she had no reason to sabotage her own car, he wasn’t taking chances with this one.
He walked right into the open garage area of Alan’s shop. He’d known Alan long enough that he was welcome. With only three mechanics at the shop, Rourke had even filled in a time or two when some of the guys couldn’t make it in.
He immediately saw Cali’s white sedan in the fourth stall and was happy that at least she wasn’t dragging her feet on getting the repair done. He approached the car and frowned when he saw that two of the wheels were completely off. Hopefully that meant Alan was putting new tires on at that very moment.
“Didn’t expect to see you here today,” said Alan from behind him. The mechanic wiped his hands down with a rag as he approached. Alan had thick reddish-brown hair and a beard that had been getting bigger and bigger through the summer. He wore a messy pair of coveralls that kept his clothes mostly safe from the dirt and grease from the shop and, after a moment, gave up on the rag and just wiped his hands on his pants.
“Just checking on our tourist. I was wondering how the hell someone gets two flats.”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Alan bent down next to one of the empty wheel beds. “Take a look at this.” He pointed to a hole in the metal behind where the tire would be.
Rourke squinted as he examined the perfectly circle hole. “Did a rock fly through there or something?”
“Or something. Now take a look at the wheel on the other flat.” Alan stood and crossed the shop to where the now tireless wheels were on the ground. He pulled up one of the heavy wheels and rolled it until he found what he was looking for and pointed to a spot on the metal. “Here.”
Alan pointed to a deep gouge in the thick metal. It wasn’t a perfect circle, but it was more than just a factory imperfection.
“What do you think caused it?”
“Two circular objects flung with enough force to destroy a tire and even break through the body of the car?”
Shit. “You don’t think—”
“All I know is what I see. Now, these flats weren’t caused by manufacturer malfunction. And I’ve never seen debris on the road do something like this.”
“It’s not like she’s been here long enough to piss anyone off.” Rourke racked his mind for any reason someone would try to shoot out her tires. Well, she’d pissed him off but he wanted her gone.
“Maybe it was some redneck trying to have fun terrorizing the locals,” said Alan.
“Think Cali didn’t realize what happened?”
“I have a feeling she knew exactly what was going on.”
Rourke frowned. As far as he knew, Cali and Alan had only spoken on the phone. “What makes you think that?”
Alan crossed over to the car and opened the back door, where an open bag of luggage sat on the backseat. “I think that if she thought this was an accident, she would’ve taken the time to grab her stuff.”
He’d left her at Mary’s without so much as a phone charger and she’d never once asked to go back to her car. Damn it. Why wouldn’t she tell him? He could’ve gone out and looked for whoever it was. Maybe caught fresh tracks. Every minute gone was one minute more the bastard had to cover up his tracks.
“Unless you know of anyone who wants to make your life harder,” said Alan.
“Why would you think that?”
“This girl was visiting you right before it happened? Would be an easy way to get you pissed. And it is probably less risky to everyone involved to take shots at her instead of you.”
So Cali was telling people that she’d been to see him? Figured. Rourke ran a hand through his hair as he cursed. Whoever this was had an excellent knowledge of weapons, and hitting a moving tire going fifty miles an hour was something only an expert marksman could do. Not exactly someone he wanted to go up against. “Fuck.” He would have to meet up with Cali to ask her what the hell happened, which was the exact opposite of his plan to get her as far away from him as possible. “How much longer will the rest of the repair take?”
“Well, right now we’re at a bit of a standstill with the rental insurance company, but Cali insisted she would cover anything that the rental place didn’t. Do you want to take her stuff to her?”
No. No, he didn’t want to do her any favors. “Can’t you send a guy to drop it off?”
“I figure it would be good for the two of you to talk after everything that happened.”
Rourke went completely still. “What do you mean, everything that happened?”
Alan took a small step back and looked down at the garage floor. “Well, you know Mary likes to talk. Apparently Cali told her a few things last night and by now the whole town knows.”
“The whole town knows what?” Rourke had gone through every length imaginable to keep his family history from this town. This was his home, where he could be who he wanted, and he’d be damned if some city yes-woman was going to come here and fuck that up for him.
“They know what happened between you two. You know...how you screwed her and left her the next morning without a word? Hey, I understand that some chicks can be a handful, but the women of this town aren’t exactly your biggest fans at the moment.”
“That I screwed her and left her?” he shouted.
Alan took a step back. “From what I heard, she came out here to see if there was a chance of anything and then when she had car trouble, you wouldn’t even let her stay with you.”
Rage bubbled up inside Rourke. “Give me her fucking bag,” he bit out. “I need to go pay Cali a visit.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Cali sat back on the rocking chair and looked out over the calm bay behind Mary’s bed-and-breakfast. The whole scene was so peaceful, she was starting to see the appeal of this small town life: fresh air, no blaring horns, the stars were actually visible at night. No wonder Mary seemed so happy. Who couldn’t be happy living in such a peaceful place?
But her peace was cut short by the blaring of her phone ringing next to her. Damn. She’d almost wished that the battery would’ve died by now, but the brand new smartphone had one of those extra battery packs that seemed to last forever. Normally it was something she loved, but ever since last Friday, the phone had been more of a hindrance than a help.
She glanced at the screen and let out a sigh of relief that it was Luke calling—not Easson, like the five other calls that morning. She debated just ignoring the call, but decided at the last minute to answer. Considering a wanted murderer was calling her, it was probably best to keep informed from a guy screwing an FBI agent.
“Cali here.” She pulled the phone to her ear.
“Cali,” said Luke. “I was worried you wouldn’t pick up.”
Figured he’d know what she was thinking, even from hundreds of miles away. “I thought about it. But I wanted to know how the search for Easson was going. He’s been calling and I’m not exactly looking forward to any type of reunion between us where he’s not in an orange jumpsuit and behind bars.”
“Hard to say. Evelyn is still on restrictions until her ribs heal and they won’t tell me anything. But I’ve made a few phone calls yesterday and applied some pressure on some higher-ups in the agency. Hopefully we’ll have something soon.”
Cali stared out at the calm ocean. She liked to think that Luke’s money and influence could get him anything, but then she’d be reminded that not even the king could have everything.
“Maybe you should come
back,” said Luke. “If he’s calling you, that can be used to track him.”
“I doubt it. It’s a new phone number every few hours. Every time I block one, another pops up.” Not to mention that leaving would take her out of the running for her two million dollar goal. The only reason the FBI had gotten a lock on Easson in the first place was because he was screwing her to get close to Luke. Did she really have to give up more than her body for this asshole?
“I can send someone to keep an eye on you. Maybe it would be best if you weren’t alone up there.”
Cali thought back to the loud bangs as her tires popped. Who would be able to protect her from stuff like that? “I’ll keep that in mind, but I think some muscle-bound guy showing up would ruin my chances with Rourke.”
Something in her tone must’ve given her away. “Not having much luck?”
“I just got here yesterday,” she said. “The good news is that he didn’t slam the door in my face.” The reality had been so much more extreme, but Luke didn’t need to know that. “He was hesitant to talk, but I think he’ll change his mind later today.” By now, the rumors she’d filled Mary’s head with last night should’ve spread like wildfire.
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” warned Luke.
“Well, you know I get what I want. Give me time and you’ll get your brother back. I just have to wait until he sees reason. Which would be much easier if you told me what really happened between you two.”
“That’s personal, Cali.”
“This whole thing is personal, Luke. If you really want your brother back, don’t make me do this with my hands tied behind my back.”
There was a pause on the other end and Cali held her breath as she waited for what Luke would say. And then he finally gave her what she wanted. “It was a girl.”
That was the most anti-climactic revelation ever. “A girl? All this over relationship troubles?”
“It’s complicated, but the whole thing got dirty and it was right before our parents died. Things got fucked up real fast.”
Taming The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 7) Page 5
