Bound By Shadows (The McAllister Justice Series Book 2)

by Reily Garrett

  She nodded. “I’m ready.”

  Climbing out proved a more difficult endeavor with a steeper angle and little to use for hand or footholds. Twice he sensed her slip yet scramble faster to keep up.

  Near the top, he took a minute to survey the surrounding area for any movement, anything out of place before they broke cover.

  Once she caught her breath, they’d run the short distance to the woods, then a few minutes of trails until reaching the road and Ethan. Cool air skimmed his forehead while the moon’s luminescence revealed what he sought.

  Their path would take them back to the road adjoining his driveway. With all that Kaylee had been through, he prayed she’d hold up long enough to clear their current predicament. The few seconds taken for her to rest allowed him to again scan for movement, danger. To his right, Damien whined his confusion. Whether from the threat already faced or a new one couldn’t be determined.

  Meager light painted targets on their backs while he scouted their path. Thirty yards to the woods seemed infinite. When Kaylee signaled her readiness, he pointed to their destination. “See the two tallest oaks ahead? That’s where we’re going. Once inside the woods—follow me and keep low. If Damien starts a racket, you drop to the ground and stay there.”

  Again, she nodded.

  In the distance, headlights from two vehicles slewing around the last curve to the house bolstered his confidence. Crowding trees made a strobe of their lights. Matt and Billy. Lucas will update them. Ethan should be at the end of the lane.

  Setting his gun aside, he cupped his hands and imitated the song of a whip-poor-will. After several repetitions, an answering song behind them signaled Lucas was safe.

  Ethan would be combing the edge of the woods by the road, and like himself, unaware of who or how many might be waiting. Again, he cupped his hands and imitated a birdsong. Seconds later and from the road’s direction, another answer.

  “That’s Ethan. He knows we’re here and he’s in the woods.”

  “How do you know it’s Ethan?” Kaylee’s doubt rode her furrowed brow.

  “Four calls, four brothers. ’Sides, he can’t carry a tune any better than he can fix a car.”

  Sirens in the distance signaled the approach of emergency vehicles, which meant his shooters would probably cut and run. Still, he wouldn’t take the chance they’d wait close by for Kaylee’s return until emergency personnel flooded the area. Ethan would have parked on the road not far from his lane, a better gamble.

  A thunderous noise from behind signaled the roof of his home crashing down. A crueler twist of fate would have yielded himself and Kaylee’s charred remains buried there.

  With his gun in one hand and Kaylee’s shaking fingers in the other, they raced for the woods. Each step equaled a lifetime of dread where some unknown bastard permanently ripped Kaylee from his grasp.

  Sudden movement in the shadows ahead outlined a large male form stepping clear of low lying brush. Caden’s worldview narrowed to focus on the man squaring off with his feet shoulder width apart, thin shafts of moon glow glinting off a gun barrel. It seemed fate wasn’t finished jerking them around.

  Halfway there and caught in the open, he skidded to a stop. Kaylee stumbled to a halt then froze. Damien’s barking began as a throaty growl then morphed into a menacing threat.

  “Damien, stay.” Caden’s command was obeyed, grudgingly.

  Fifteen yards to the relative safety of the woods. Fifteen. Fucking. Yards.

  Instinct aimed his barrel at the intruder’s chest. Beside him, Kaylee’s thin whine was barely audible.

  Dressed in black, the barrel-chested asshole wearing a mask and gloves, chuckled. “I’d hate to shoot a dog, but I will have my due. Now drop your weapon.” If bravado and contempt held human form, the thug would be its shell. His harsh laughter ended with a tsk, tsk.

  “Damien, quiet.” Caden could end the prick, but not prevent him from killing Kaylee in that split second it took to pull the trigger. Panic swelled when Kaylee’s grip relaxed, and she tugged her hand free. Instinctively, he grasped her arm, knowing her intentions when she took a deep breath.

  She twisted free, leaving Caden to grasp thin air.

  “Kaylee, no.” He didn’t need to see the tears trailing her cheeks to comprehend their presence.

  “I won’t see you or Damien hurt because of me.” She widened the distance between them. Turning to the gunman, she added, “I don’t recognize your voice.”

  “No matter. You’ll soon learn to recognize all of me.” White teeth contrasted the surrounding black mask, the killer’s grin bearing nothing but malice. “I’ve waited a long time for this. You’ve cost me the entire setup here. Relocating is gonna be expensive. Lucky I’ll have a pretty little puss to keep my dick warm.” Sneering at Caden, he added. “I heard you’d be trouble but didn’t realize how much. I can’t find two of my buddies, though I heard your brother shout that one’s dead.”

  Damien’s initial ruckus might bring backup if heard over the fire’s commotion. But not in time. Caden would rather die than know Kaylee suffered Ciera’s fate. “So, you’ve done your homework.” Caden sidestepped toward Kaylee only to have her move toward the killer and block his shot. She’s trying to protect me.

  “C’mon bitch. I’ve got a car stashed, and we have a ways to travel. I was beginning to think I wouldn’t get you alive, but this is a bonus for work well done.”

  When she stood within arm’s reach, he fisted his hand in her hair and jerked her forward. Turning her around, he leered down and gave Caden a show of what lay in her future. Several tugs loosened the hook-and-loop straps securing her bulletproof vest. A harsh yank and he tossed it to the ground.

  Skimming a hand over her shirt, he gave a deep hum of pleasure. Kaylee’s knees buckling resulted in her captor tightening his hold. She cried out as the ham-sized fist squeezed her breast. It must’ve cost the last of her reserves not to struggle.

  Leaning down, he spoke in her ear loud enough for Caden to hear the details of his plan. Her gaze dropped to the ground in defeat while starlight highlighted the tears on her face.

  In reversed circumstances, Caden would shoot the dog to prevent tracking. Once inside the obscurity of the woods, chances were fair they wouldn’t be found.

  As if thought brought action, the killer’s gun swung toward Damien.

  Simultaneous events occurred. Kaylee twisted her hips to the side and slammed her fist into the scum’s groin. Contact brought an instant buckling and loosened grip around her chest along with his pain-filled howl. Her enraged shriek coincided with her twisting down and to the left.

  Caden fired. The first shot bit into the bastard’s shoulder, the second struck him in the face. His body flew backward, dead before hitting the ground.

  Kaylee stumbled forward and dry-heaved.

  The negligible interval between one heartbeat and the next in getting to her side was eternal. Had their timing been off or any of a hundred other factors occurred, he could have lost her forever.

  He did his best to hold loose strands of hair back while supporting her shoulders until short gasping breaths slowed and sobs quieted. She turned into his embrace.

  “You okay? We can’t stay here in the open like this. There may be more pricks lurking about.” Precious seconds passed while he held her, smoothing his hands over her trembling frame before she quieted.

  “I’m good to go.”

  Her body shook so hard she’d never walk the distance to the car, and he couldn’t carry her through the narrow briar-filled paths quietly. With more first responders filling the yard around his home, his best option was to return. “In the gully and back to the house. We’ve got reinforcements.” As he spoke, another fire truck and squad car cut the night with their stroboscopic red and blue lights. His driveway and front yard would be full.

  There’d be no salvaging the house, yet his priorities remained intact while he protected the most important treasure of his home. Kaylee. Helping her descen
d the moderate chasm rendered a loosening of the vice gripping his chest. At least they had cover.

  His next bird sound imitated the quark of a night heron. Only those combing the edge of the woods might hear him. “They’ll know it’s us coming.” His brothers were careful, but announcing his return meant they’d warn other officers of his approach.

  Helping her retrace their steps, he kept the pace slow, despite the urgent need to check on his siblings. Regardless of her inner strength, every woman had her limit. Kaylee had surpassed hers. Dirt-smudged tears and shoulder-drooping weariness revealed the heaviness in her heart branching out to encompass her aura.

  “I’m sorry, Caden. I have no words—” She stopped and scanned the blaze ahead. Only the upper portion of the burning inferno manifested above the gully’s ridge. Bright plumes of smoke and leaping jagged flames shot skyward in a choreographed sequence befitting a pyromaniac’s wet dream. The hard slope of earth blocked the full-shock value while the aftereffects, flame, smoke, and soaring embers remained visible from their viewpoint.

  Her body shook as he stopped and turned to face her. “Hey, we’re not going there. Ever. Got it? You’re safe. I’m safe. Damien’s safe.” He hadn’t heard from Lucas and prayed his brother was unscathed.

  “But you’ve lost everything.”

  “No. I have everything in my hands. As we speak.” Slowly, he framed her face with his palms and bent to kiss her forehead, then her closed eyes, before nibbling at her lips, slow and thorough. Her tears mingled with the sweet taste of Kaylee, soft and warm against him.

  The feel of her arms circling his waist and holding him tight was all he needed in that split second of time. The strength derived therein would bolster their depleted reserves. He should have been better prepared, maybe taken her out of state. He knew how to hide a witness. Stubborn pride had almost cost them both their lives.

  Even with other possible gunmen unaccounted for, Caden had no choice but to tuck his gun in his waistband to carry her back. He doubted any surviving thugs would hang around with so many cops present, hence taking the time to pick his path along the treacherous bottom presented small risk. Ahead, thick clouds of orange smoke surged into the sky as a reminder of what he almost lost. Once he reached a point of climbing the slope, Kaylee tapped his shoulder.

  “I’m okay now. I can scramble up the side.” Squirming to get down, she straightened her shirt and wiped her face with a dirty sleeve. Adorably smudged was a sexy look.

  The full ramifications of their situation struck like a lightning bolt once he stood on the ridge. All his memories, pictures, every precious item that had remained boxed—gone.

  The remoteness of his location increased the fire department’s response time and assured the total destruction of his possessions. With so much glass, all blown out in the fire’s early stages, flames both inside and out received plenty of oxygen for fuel. Containment was the goal, protecting the surrounding environment.

  Even so, they’d done what they had to do to survive. The rest—he could replace, rebuild, or cherish in his memories.

  Ahead, several silhouettes stood in bold relief beside one of the fire trucks. Recognizable despite his limp, Lucas broke off his conversation with a fireman and headed toward them. “Where the hell have you been? I figured you’d cross paths with Ethan, Matt, or Billy. They’re searching for more of your obnoxious guests.” A wad of cloth banded his thigh.

  “You all right?”

  “Yeah, fine. Just a scratch.” Lucas made a vague hand gesture indicating his leg.

  “We ran across the Asian. He’s dead. There’s at least one more on the loose. I think he was wounded and headed for the woods.” Caden tried to extract any details from his chaotic thoughts that might aid in identification.

  “No, Billy and Matt rounded him up. Uniforms are escorting him to the hospital. I’m guessing you didn’t think to grab your phone?” Lucas stepped closer to Kaylee, visually inspecting her for signs of injury. “You okay, hon?”

  “Must’ve lost it when I jumped. And she’s fine.” Caden wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders.

  “Thank God. It’s finally over. We’re free.” Her small sob was the beginning of the storm of tears she’d held back.

  Waving Lucas away, Caden turned her flush against his chest and held her tight. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re safe. I’ve got ya.” Tears dampened his shirt, yet her warmth filled his soul.

  Time ceased to matter. He held everything within his grasp. The comfort of her embrace evoked images of something he’d never wanted, a wife and kids, with all the trials and tribulations involved. She’d gone through tremendous heartache and had yet to gain her feet. Convincing her not to pull up stakes again in search of safer ground might be difficult.

  Minutes later, Matt strode toward them, his gaze locking on and assessing. Ethan and Billy flanked him. Damien whined as he padded over and sat at Matt’s feet.

  “Everybody in one piece?” The first tentative rays of sunlight streamed over Matt’s shoulder as he reached to brush Kaylee’s arm.

  Determination and pride turned her gaze to meet him. “We’re good.”

  “She’s fine. Just shaken and a little banged up.” Caden stroked Kaylee’s hair.

  “Amazing, considering she probably had to protect your sorry ass. That’s gotta get tiring.” Lucas smiled at his brother before adding. “If he ever gets to be too much work, sweetheart, you just give me a ring.”

  “Coming from the man voted most likely to succumb during an orgy, I think she should pass.” After losing everything he owned, Caden was surprised he could joke.

  “I wasn’t sure you all would remember the bird calls.”

  “Sounded like a bunch of tomcats fighting to me.” Billy snickered when Ethan gave him a shove.

  “I wasn’t sure whether you were trying to tell me all clear or you were under attack by zombies.” Lucas’ lips twitched as he spoke.

  Flames engulfed the atmosphere, having crept down the north corner of jumbled debris in the completion of its deadly mission. The walls had long since caved. Black smoke capped and contrasted the yellow and orange inferno reaching for the heavens before expanding and dissipating in the morning breeze.

  Had he grown into a different man owning a more common house closer to civilization, perhaps firemen could have vented the roof to reduce back draft and flash over and salvaged at least part of what had burned. Yet that wasn’t who he’d grown to be and still wanted to become. Moving here had been the right decision. In his mind’s eye, he looked forward to rebuilding, with certain modifications.

  The first time Caden had walked the property, he’d known it was the perfect setting. The house, beautiful, open and spacious, ticked off each of his must-haves. After his entanglement with death and facing his own mortality, confusion and doubt prevented him from settling in emotionally. Kaylee’s explosion into his life had changed his worldview.

  Her mere presence cultivated a distinct and improved version of what he’d considered a rough draft of himself. He knew what he wanted, and whom and why and for how long. They were peanut butter and jelly, beer and a campfire, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday all rolled into one. Every part of each one fit a specific niche for the other.

  Convincing her to stay by his side might be an issue in light of the loss she’d suffered, the notion keeping him wary. Would she erect a thicker armor than before? Time was one thing he held in spades, patience was another. They had a lot to sort.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Seriously?” Kaylee took in Caden’s somber demeanor before continuing. “You want our first purchase to be a camera? We need clothes, groceries, bedding, among other things.” Heat engulfed her face and choked her voice on the last word.

  His brothers’ chuckles heightened her embarrassment as they stood in a semicircle on the restaurant’s sidewalk.

  “He’d be fine with cedar chips and a wool blanket out in the woods.” Lucas caught Caden’s wad of paper tossed at
his head.

  Odd looks from the older couple entering the restaurant turned her face into Caden’s chest. Lexi punched Lucas in the arm while Caden’s sharp look toned the laughter down to muffled snickers. The words priorities and combining all three brought guffaws.

  “My brothers are freaking philistines.” Caden palmed Kaylee’s face, narrowing her vision to the sincerity and compassion in his gaze.

  “Hey, they love you.” The callouses brushing her cheek set off a chain reaction worthy of a nuclear reactor.

  The previous day had blurred into endless accountings and written statements before scrubbing her skin to lose the fresh-roasted scent. After the day’s harrowing events and exhaustion, she’d snuggled next to Caden on the couch at Lucas’ house. It wasn’t until early in the evening when she woke to Caden’s brother cooking dinner she realized she hadn’t eaten. Sleep had been the priority.

  They’d talked late into the night, then woke to coffee percolating as the sun chased shadows across the floor. The soothing aroma offset smoke’s pungent odor inundating her hair. It’d be a miracle if her sinuses ever filled with anything else.

  Warm breath fanning across her cheeks brought her back to morning sunshine and the sweeping comfort of family.

  “Sweetheart. We can send Lucas for bedding, Ethan and Lexi for groceries, and Matt for kitchen stuff. We are going to buy you a new camera, then go for clothes. That way, we can all meet at the cabin for dinner while they help us get settled. You’ll love the setting. Abagail is there now doing a little cleaning.”

  “I’ve totally demolished your life, uprooting you...”

  Resting his forehead against her brow, his murmured words were meant for her alone. “No, Kaylee. You’ve given me back something I never thought to recover. Staying at the cabin will give us time to plan how to rebuild. Besides, my parents used to take us all to the lake for getaways. It’s familiar, and it’ll be perfect. Those cabins are where we all got our love of the great outdoors.”

  “I’m grateful for your family’s help.” During the planning over breakfast, discussing options, and sorting priorities, no one mentioned her returning to the rental house.