by D'Ann Lindun
So far, none of them had been located. But Jamie had high hopes the more pressure they put on Carver, the more he would reveal.
She walked to the door to see what had Hammer going crazy.
Her heart jumped into her chest at the sight of Austin’s truck. It had been a week since she’d seen him. He had been rushed to the hospital, and when she went to visit, he’d already checked himself out and gone home to Denver. He’d called once to update her on Carver, but hadn’t said anything personal.
Clearly, they were over before they got started.
So, why had he come here now? A tiny bead of hope formed in her heart. Maybe he wanted her after all?
She opened the door and stared at him. God, he looked good. Wearing a gray Henley shirt, form fitting Wranglers and polished boots, he appeared completely healthy. No one would ever guess he had a gunshot wound in his shoulder. In comparison, she felt hammered. Her ankle still hurt and had turned a mixture of yellow and green. Indian summer had returned to the mountains and she wore a pink tank top and denim cut-offs to beat the heat.
He took off his Stetson. “Can I come in?”
Wordlessly, she motioned him inside.
In the kitchen, he leaned against the counter and held his hat with both hands. “How you been, Jamie?”
Lonely. Missing you.
“Good.” She moved to the fridge and retrieved a coke. “You?”
He looked around. “Dani here?”
“She’s spending the night with Mom.” Did he look disappointed? Right, Jamie.
He met her gaze. “I have news I thought you’d like to hear.”
The tiny bead of hope deflated. He was all business. Not romance. And by the tone of his voice, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. She popped the tab and sipped. “Yes?”
“Faced with his choices, Carver started talking.” Austin’s somber eyes told her before he spoke.
“The girls are dead.” Jamie’s eyes welled and she blinked furiously.
“Not the girls, but Rosie and Monique are. We think we can find Tina and Carly. A couple agents are in Mexico now.” He cleared his throat. “Carver gave the location where the bodies are buried. We found them where he said they’d be.”
“Oh, God. Why?”
“Why did he kill them?”
She nodded, her throat too clogged to speak.
“Rosie hated drugs with a passion. She had her issues with booze, but couldn’t abide drugs. Her brother and two cousins overdosed. She knew what Carver was doing, peddling coke at the bar, and she confronted him. He killed her to shut her up. It had nothing to do with the human trafficking.”
Jamie swallowed. “And Monique?”
“Cocaine. She took it to lose her baby weight. When she threatened to out Carver’s dealing, he killed her.”
“He murdered a woman because she was on coke?” None of this made any sense.
“Yeah. He really lost it that night. Carver hates women with a passion and having one interfere in his life really set him off.” Austin set his hat on the counter and ran a hand over his head. “I should have seen it. His porn addiction was a big tip off.”
“He was so clever,” Jamie said. “No one guessed what he was doing.”
“I get paid to see it,” Austin said. “And he just slipped right by me.”
“You can’t blame yourself.”
He sighed. “Maybe.”
She played with the can in her hands. “I don’t understand why Vasquez went after Kyra and her boyfriend.”
“Because Carver had grabbed the girl in the pickup. Her name is Vicki Leonard, by the way. He had handed her off to Vasquez and she fought him just like we thought. When Carver learned she was dead, he had to replace her, or give back some of his coke. He just happened upon Kyra and her boyfriend going camping right where Vasquez already happened to be—on our trail to kill us. Taking Kyra was just a bonus.”
A shudder ripped down her back. “So much evil.”
“It all stems from a man named Dominic Perdotti. He’s an extremely wealthy man, one who fell hard for January when he saw her in New York at some swanky event. They dated, she wanted to break it off and he kidnapped her and took her aboard his yacht. She escaped and eventually came to Confluence to hide. He trailed her here and hired Vasquez to nab her.”
“Why the other girls? Tina and Carly? Monique and Kyra then?”
“Carver kept missing a chance to grab January. In a way, Tina and Carly were an accident. He was flirting with them at the fair, and when they weren’t interested, he decided to teach them a lesson and took them. He panicked and called Vasquez, who sold them to this Perdotti to appease him until they could get their hands on January. Perdotti apparently passed the girls on to another buyer. He then wanted more women for this new enterprise, which is where Kyra and Vicki came into the picture.”
“That is simply horrifying,” Jamie said. “Has Perdotti been arrested?”
“Yeah, but he’s got more money than God, and it’s likely his high-priced attorneys will get him off by the end of the day. Maybe with what Carver gave us we’ll be able to hold him.”
“Damn.” Jamie whistled. “I wonder if January is planning on staying here?”
“She says she is. Says she’s tired of running.”
“Brave lady,” Jamie said. “I imagine she feels pretty guilty for all this.”
“Torn up, but I think she’ll come around.”
“Healing is going to take a long time for this town,” she said. “So many lives lost.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“For work?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
“Continue as sheriff until Big Jim is well again. Then apply at a few bigger departments.” The idea held no appeal. Confluence and with its people was where she belonged.
“I’m on to my next assignment.” He reached for his hat. “I guess that’s it then.”
“I suppose so.” Jamie fought tears. This was it. She’d never see him again. Her heart dipped toward her toes, but she held out her hand. “Thanks for everything, Austin.”
“There’s just one more thing.”
“What?” Her eyes widened as he moved toward her.
“I promised to make love to you in a bed,” he said just before his lips covered hers.
~*~
As Austin placed her in the middle of her bed, Jamie’s mind raced. He hadn’t said he loved her, or that he wanted more than this night. Because she loved him, she would take what he offered. It was more than nothing. A memory to hold onto in the coming days and nights.
He ripped his shirt over his head, kicked off his boots.
She couldn’t get out of her tank top and shorts fast enough.
His mouth went everywhere—lips, breasts, bellybutton and no, he wouldn’t! He did, parting her legs with his shoulders. His mouth moved over her little nub of pleasure, teasing her into a writhing, moaning mess.
Her fingers wrapped around his biceps, digging in as every muscle in her body constricted, her toes curled, and even her hair seemed to snap with electricity. The sensations increased until she felt as if she couldn’t take any more and exploded into a million pieces.
Austin moved over her and whispered in her ear, “Good?”
Shy, she closed her eyes and nodded.
“Look at me, Jamie.”
She turned her head and looked at him. The look in his eyes made her shiver. Desire. Need. Longing.
The same emotions reflected back in her own.
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. “I couldn’t leave without telling you I love you.”
Her heart, already pounding wildly, sped up. “What?”
“You heard me. I love you.”
A sigh of pure bliss slid out of her. “You do?”
“From the moment I laid eyes on you.” He dipped his head and kissed her as he eased inside her.
The motion of his tongue against hers mimicked the motion of his cock inside her. Jamie c
ircled his waist with her arms and wrapped her legs around his ass. With each thrust, he seemed to go a little deeper. The friction of her nipples against his chest hair became almost unbearably pleasurable as her body began to tighten again.
But none of it compared to the way her heart expanded at his words. I love you.
And then there was no time to think as she shattered again.
Two final thrusts and Austin too found release.
For a few minutes, they lay as one, their breathing heavy. He tightened his arms around her. “Am I crushing you?”
“No.” She wanted to stay like this forever. Safe in his arms. Well loved. Sated.
“Liar.” He chuckled and rolled over so she was lying across him, her ear against his pounding heart.
When she would have risen, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Don’t go.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jamie said. You are.
As if he read her mind, he said, “You told me you loved me the other day. I’m not going to lie to you. It scared me.” He tightened his hold. “When Marisol was murdered, I didn’t want to ever love another woman who worked in law enforcement. The risk was too great.”
She took a deep breath. “I love you, but I’m not going to stop being a cop. I can’t.”
“I don’t want you to quit.” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re not Marisol.”
“No I’m not.” Jamie lifted her head and looked into his haunted eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. She had free will.”
He heaved a sigh. “I know that now. Marisol was careless. Took foolish risks. She never told me about the meeting that night. I never would have let her go if I had known.”
Jamie listened without judgment.
“She was headstrong—something you have in common—and she wouldn’t listen, slow down and let me help her. She was so eager to prove herself that she messed up bad.” He sounded strangled.
“You’ve helped me,” Jamie said. “I couldn’t have gotten through this whole thing if you hadn’t been here with me.”
“That’s not true. You did a great job.”
“I’m better with you by my side,” she said.
“You can take care of yourself. You proved that with both Vasquez and Carver.”
Jamie’s heart sank at his words. Here came his goodbye. Her cell phone buzzed, interrupting whatever he planned to say. “I have to get that.” She listened for a minute. “On my way.” She hung up. “That was Mom. Big Jim’s waking up—” Her voice broke.
Austin had already stood and pulled on his jeans. “I’ll drive.”
~*~
Rae exited Big Jim’s hospital room with a tired smile. “Go on in, Jamie. Don’t wear him out. No discussing the case.”
“I won’t, Mom. I promise.”
To her surprise, Austin followed her. Big Jim lay in a narrow bed, his big frame taking up the entire thing. His skin was pale, his head still bandaged. But his eyes were open and he smiled when he saw her. “Jamie.”
“Daddy.” She rushed toward him, slowing to hug him gently. “You’re awake.”
“It’ll take more than a bullet to kill this old dog.” In spite of his strong words, he sounded weak.
“Yep.” She sat at the edge of his bed and took his hand. “We caught him, Daddy.” She glanced at Austin. “All of us. We got Carver and the guy he’s been working with.”
“Good girl.” His hand on hers tightened. “I knew you could do it.”
She didn’t argue with him that the whole team had worked together. “You need to hurry up and get well so you can come back to work.”
He gave his head a small shake and grimaced. “No. Not going back. It’s time to retire.” He grinned weakly. “Rae says so.”
“You’re retiring?” Not possible. He’d been the sheriff in Confluence her whole life.
“Uh-huh.”
“You can’t. You’re the sheriff,” she protested.
“No.” His gazed held steady. “You are now.”
“Daddy—”
“No arguing with a sick man.” He looked past her. “Who is this young fella?”
Austin stepped forward and held out his hand. “Austin Varner. Pleasure, sir. I’m the man who’s been waiting for you to wake up so I could ask you for your daughter’s hand.”
Big Jim shook his hand. “You asked her yet?”
Jamie stared at them both in disbelief. What the hell was going on here?
“No, sir. But I think she might say yes.”
“You better ask her.” Big Jim grinned. “If she says yes, then you have my blessing.”
Austin dropped to one knee and took her hand. “Will you marry me, Jamie? Make a family with me and Dani?”
Her throat clogged. She nodded. “I will.”
He stood and kissed her until Big Jim cleared his throat. “Let an old man get some rest, will you?”
Austin shook Big Jim’s hand again. “Get well soon.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Daddy.” Jamie kissed his forehead. She left his room on shaking legs. If Austin hadn’t been holding her hand, she wasn’t sure she wouldn’t have fallen. Had he really just asked her to marry him in front of her father?
Rae and Dani had apparently gone to the vending machines at the end of the hall as they weren’t in sight.
Jamie leaned against the wall, still stunned. “You mean it? You want to marry me?”
He smiled broadly. “I do.”
“But I live here. You live in Denver…”
“Not anymore.” His mouth came close to hers. “I transferred to the Grand Junction office. It’s still a commute, but doable.”
“Commute?”
“From Confluence. You’re not going to be able to move now that you’re sheriff.”
“Only until the election—”
“You’ll win, never doubt it.” His mouth covered hers.
~The End~
Dangerous Destiny
DANGEROUS DESTINY
Kidnapped by her ex-husband, Isabella Califano must rely on her wits to keep her alive in a dangerous search through the Colorado Rockies for stolen money he stashed there. When an opportunity to escape arises she takes it. Now, alone and scared, she pledges to never fall in love again. Can a U.S. Deputy Marshal riding to the rescue change her mind?
U.S. Deputy Marshal Shane Catlin is sent to bring in armored car robber, Reuben Gonzalez. Already bitter over losing his wife to a convict like Gonzalez the marshal vows to bring the man to justice and protect Isabella. He doesn't expect to be attracted to her strength and determination. Or to fall for her.
DEDICATION
A very special thank you to Twila Hoover Slomka who named this story!
CHAPTER ONE
Isabella Califano froze with a bite of beef and cheese burrito halfway to her mouth. She stared at the back-screen door in horrified disbelief. Her ex-husband stood on the other side. Her convict ex-husband. The same man who five years ago had been sentenced to life behind bars with no possibility of parole.
Oh my God!
Her heart threatened to come out of her chest.
She dropped her forgotten lunch and fled.
Before she made it three steps, he kicked in the screen door, had his arm around her neck with the cold butt of his pistol pointed at her right temple. “Not so fast, Bella-baby.”
“What do you want?” Her voice shook. Not good. He fed on fear.
He chuckled, the sound sending freezing fingers of dread up and down her spine. “That’s a long list, but I’ll start with a change of clothes, enough money to get me to the mountains… and you.”
She fought for him to loosen his hold around her neck as dread cramped her stomach. “Me? For what?”
His hot breath near her ear gave her the chills. “I have all kinds of interesting ideas, but for now, you’re going to assure me safe passage out of here. I’m sort of surprised the feds aren’t here waiting for me.”
“No one’s here but me. Please jus
t go.” She clawed at his beefy arm.
“No can do.” He tightened his hold until she fought to breathe. “Where’s your mama?”
“She lives with Mesa now,” she gasped. “Helping with the kids while she goes to school.”
“What time will Mamacita call to check on you?” Dragging her like a calf to the branding fire, he moved to the wall and flipped the light switch off with his elbow. When she hesitated, he shook her. “I said what time?”
“She called about an hour ago,” Isabella admitted.
“Perfect. I’m going to let you go and you’re going to sit in that chair over there. One wrong move and I’ll shoot you. Got it?” With shocking suddenness, he sent her reeling. Isabella collapsed onto the chair and stared at her ex’s silhouette. Although difficult to see in the dim light, she could tell he’d aged and gained quite a bit of weight around the middle. His once lush coal black hair had thinned in front, making his high forehead even more prominent. His mud brown eyes appeared wild, darting here and there, taking in her spotless, sunny kitchen.
She’d redone the whole house in the five years he’d been locked behind the walls of Caňon City prison. “What are you doing here?”
With the pistol still pointed her direction, he said, “I already told ya what I want.”
“How? Why now?” She shook her head to clear it. “I mean how did you get out?”
“I didn’t walk out the front door, if that’s what you’re asking.” He grinned like a coyote. “Never you mind how I did it. The important part is I’m free and going after what’s mine.”
“The money?” she whispered. Five years ago, he, his cousin and three friends had robbed an armored car, killing two guards in the process. Three friends died at the scene, shot by the guards before they were murdered. Reuben and a man named Gary McCurdy had fled with over a million dollars, supposedly stashing it somewhere in the mountains. Reuben and McCurdy were caught, but no one had ever found the money although many had tried.
He nodded and a ray of light caught the beads of sweat on his forehead. “Yup.”
