by J. C. Wilder
Before coming to Ohio she’d ended up in foster care several times. As an adult she understood there were many good, loving homes for children in need but as a child she’d thought it was torture. Waking up in a strange house surrounded by people she didn’t know, certain Paula would forget about her. It was one of the reasons they’d moved around so much, to avoid any kind social services.
The Department of Children’s Services was swamped with too many cases and not enough social workers. That had worked in her favor because they didn’t have time to chase her around. Sissy had spent enough time in and out of foster care to know that she’d do just about anything to avoid going back in the system.
It hadn’t taken long to realize that she was in way over her head. Money went out as fast as she could bring it in. Paula neglected to pay the back property taxes as well as the inheritance taxes when she took ownership of their place. At seventeen, Sissy was looking at more than fifty thousand dollars of debt and that didn’t include the day-to-day living expenses.
It was then that she met Irene Watson, an exotic dancer from Cleveland. She’d been in the laundromat and had overheard Irene talking about how much she’d earned in that weekend. Sissy had been astounded. The dancer worked only twenty-four hours a week and she made more in one weekend than Sissy did working sixty-some hours.
Irene helped her obtain a falsified driver’s license that added four years to her age so she’d swallowed what little pride she had left and went to the club. At the time, her rationalization was that if the guys at home were going to make lewd suggestions and try to grope her, she might as well get paid for it. Besides, changing sheets in an economy hotel barely kept her fed.
One of the club owners, Esteban Arroyo-Ramirez, took one look at her and hired her on the spot. From day one she hated the job, but she soon came to loathe her boss. He considered himself a ladies’ man and with his smarmy smile and wads of cash he had a new woman every night. She’d only been there a few weeks when he made his first pass at her, and she’d turned him down.
Needless to say, he was not pleased.
That’s when she met Jorge. As Esteban’s cousin and one of the managers of the club, he’d taken her under his wing and kept an eye on her. Each time she went on stage she felt humiliated and demoralized, but she danced anyway. The money was good and she worked a third of the hours she used to. Not only were the bills getting paid, but her grades were up and she got more than four hours of sleep a night.
A sob locked in her throat.
If it weren’t for Jorge, she didn’t know what would’ve happened to her that last week. Her memories were vague, and he’d helped her fill in the blanks. She’d shown up for work but when she didn’t appear on stage at her slotted time, he had come looking for her. Hours later he’d found her in the apartment over the club, unconscious. Someone had given her enough sedatives to knock her out.
He’d wasted no time in getting her out of there and brought her home then stayed with her for the rest of the night, not leaving until the worst of the effects from the drug had worn off. That afternoon her last paycheck was hand-delivered, and he’d thrown in more than enough zeroes to pay off all her bills including the taxes.
To this day she still wasn’t sure exactly what happened or who’d drugged her. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Esteban was somehow involved. No matter how many times she asked Jorge he said he never found out anything more. She didn’t believe him.
She’d never told anyone about her short-lived career on the stage. Those dark months were her private shame. It had taken years to pay back the money Jorge fronted her. Each month she’d mailed him a check until every penny had been accounted for.
Feeling depressed and utterly drained, she shifted into a more comfortable position. A decade stood between then and now but no matter how hard she tried, the memories had yet to fade.
The man in her bedroom saved her life that night, she felt sure of it. For so long she’d felt suffocated under the weight of owing him something in return.
Tonight, that debt was paid in full.
Chapter Nine
A goat named Casper?
Jace stared at the latest addition to the Crimson Sun menagerie. While Casper probably wasn’t the first goat to reside on the ranch, she was the first in his memory. He wasn’t sure if Gem chose the name because its coat was whitish-gray or if its chances of survival were slim to none.
She looked so tiny, lying in her bed of clean hay in one of the specially fitted medical stalls. Evidence of her ordeal was impossible to overlook. Her ribs stuck out like the rungs on a ladder and the poor creature was so weak they’d had to carry her into the stable.
Donovan Whittier, Kara’s older brother, found the creature early this morning. The owners had abandoned her in a falling-down wreck of a barn with no food and limited water. She’d worn a collar that was far too tight and it had become partially embedded in her hide. Doc Raymond, the big animal vet, had already been by to administer antibiotics and a mild painkiller. The best thing they could do now was to let Casper rest and feed her at regular intervals. Only time would tell if she’d make it.
Bowser, a stray Labrador Irish Setter mix, was cuddled close to the sleeping goat. Gemma told him it was love at first sight. He smiled. Casper’s head was cradled on the dog’s shoulder and both were asleep. Bowser seemed to have a second sense when it came to sick animals, and she spent a lot of time hanging out in the medical stalls when someone was in residence.
His stomach growled, reminding him it had been quite a while since he’d last eaten. Grabbing his shirt from the stall door, he headed up to the house for a bite to eat. It was after nine, and the wake was scheduled to begin in a few hours so he had time to take a quick nap and get cleaned up.
Sissy had definitely outdone herself. Between her and the girls they’d taken charge of the myriad of little details that would’ve buried him alive. The house was spotless, the coffeemaker was primed, tables were set up, and the trays of food were ready to go. He wondered what he could snitch for breakfast—
The back door flew open and Gem came out with Ryan hard on her heels. “Gemma, we do not rescue goats,” he said.
“Now we do.” She spun around so fast Ry almost ran over her. “What do you want me to do, Ry? Kick her out? Let her die?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why does everything have to be a melodrama with you? We don’t have the time or resources—”
“I didn’t ask you to help, Ry,” she snapped. “She needed help, and I was here to answer the phone.”
Watching those two argue was too good to miss. Ry towered over their little sister by a foot and outweighed her by over a hundred pounds. Both of them had their fists braced on their hips and stood toe to toe, neither willing to back down first. Gemma might not be very big, but she had a huge personality and a sharp bite when provoked.
“Sad, isn’t it?” Cowboy appeared at his side.
“What is?”
“Watching Ryan fight a losing battle.” His grin was rueful. “A grown man who still hasn’t learned that arguing with a Diver female is an exercise in futility.”
“The more he argues the harder she’ll dig in.” Jace chuckled. “By next year we’ll have a herd of goats running around the place.”
“Uh oh, she’s doing the poking thing.”
Jace couldn’t hear what Gem was saying, but she was punctuating her words by stabbing Ry in the stomach with a finger. Her blue eyes were narrowed, and her sharp little chin was thrust forward.
“And she’s leading with the chin. Oh, it’s all over now.”
“That it is.” Cowboy nodded toward the stables. “Walk with me, bro.”
Jace turned back the way he came. “What’s up?”
His brother’s smile faded. “I’m glad you’re home even if I’m sick about the reason. I just wish…”
He nudged his twin with his shoulder. “Me too.”
I should’ve been here…
The doctor said the stroke blew out Pop’s brain stem, and he was dead instantly. Even if he’d been home it wouldn’t have changed anything but that didn’t curtail the guilt and regret ate at him. Guilt for not being there when his father needed him, and regret for the time he’d squandered and would never have again.
Hindsight was a bitch.
“So tell me, bro, what’s the deal with you and Sissy?”
Jace stifled a groan. Sissy was the last subject he wanted to broach with his brother. With all that was going on he wasn’t sure he had the words to answer the question. Despite the turmoil, just having her here was helping to keep him from losing his mind.
“What’s the deal with you and Pip?” he asked.
“We’re not talking about Pip—”
“We are now.”
Cowboy shrugged. “It’s complicated.”
Jace snorted and his brother gave him a dirty look. “Not an easy question to answer, is it? Just know that if you break her heart I’m going to kick your ass.”
“Ditto. Now, about Sissy. I know you had sex with her—”
It wasn’t just sex…
Jace headed into the tack room and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Hell yeah they were having sex, every chance they got, but it wasn’t the end-all-be-all of their relationship. She was giving him a second chance and, if he were being honest with himself, he was scared out of his mind that he would screw it up.
“Who are you? Dr. Phil?”
Cowboy ignored his sarcasm. “Are you serious about her?”
“Yeah,” he grunted. “I am.”
“Bro, that’s great.” Grinning, Cowboy slapped him on the shoulder. “The whole family loves her and Pip will be thrilled—”
Male laughter interrupted them. It was coming from inside the stables.
“Man, I’m telling you, the blonde waitress from the Grille is one hot piece of ass.”
It was Rob, the newest Sun employee. Jace knew two things about the kid: he was a braggart, and he was good with the horses. Jace felt his brother watching him.
“I didn’t know you were seeing her.” Chance Rafferty’s southern drawl was unmistakable. He’d been working here for a couple of years, and he seemed like decent enough guy.
“Three nights ago, not that we went out.” The heh-heh-heh sound in his voice put Jace’s hackles up. “Never left her place,” Rob was saying. “Now, that bitch can fuck like a rabbit. Hell, I didn’t have to do anything but lay back and let her do all the work. She was bobbing up down on my—”
“You’re a dog, man,” Chance sounded bored.
“Me? Sissy’s screwed half the guys in town.” Rob was laughing. “She’s always looking for something to hump.”
Anger churned in Jace’s gut and the urge to hit something, like Rob’s smug face, came to mind. Vaguely, he felt Cowboy touch his arm, but Jace shook him off.
“Rob,” he barked.
The man jumped and a guilty look crossed his face before it was replaced with a cocky smile. “Morning, Jason. What can I do—”
“Do you enjoy working here?” Jace stalked toward him. His hands fisted, and he had to force them to relax.
“Yeah.” Rob wasn’t smiling now.
“Yes, sir,” Jace bit out.
“Yes, sir,” he parroted.
“Ms. Kolchek is a valued family friend so the next time I hear you say her name it had better be respectful,” he growled. “Is that understood?”
Resentment flashed in the other man’s eyes. “Yes, sir.”
“The stock tanks need to be filled. When you’re done, come to the office and I’ll have another job for you.”
Jace knew the man was pissed. Filling the stock tanks was a grunt job better left to one of the volunteers. It involved filling the old pump wagon with water then hand-pumping it into each tank. While it wasn’t a difficult job, it was physically taxing and required several long hours in the broiling sun.
“Yes, sir.” His tone was sullen.
Before Jace could do something he’d regret, like rearrange the kid’s face, he exited the stable. His gut churned and for a moment, he thought his head would explode. Her reputation was wild and, like his, grossly exaggerated at times. Almost since the day she’d arrived in town the gossips were spreading tales about her exploits. Some of them he knew about first hand, like the time she accidently blew up the chemistry lab in ninth grade. It was a simple accident but to hear the stories they’d made her sound like a cross between Lara Croft and Bin Laden.
He didn’t have any right to be annoyed if she did have a thing with Rob. It wasn’t like her reputation was a surprise to him. It just never occurred to him that she’d continue seeing other men while they were—
Were what?
After their first night together he’d taken off and left her alone. They didn’t have an understanding; hell, before yesterday he’d never talked about how he felt about her. He cursed under his breath. Less than twenty-four hours into his second chance and he was already in danger of blowing it.
As he walked into the kitchen, Jace’s cell phone beeped. Before he could pull it from his pocket, Ryan’s went off as well. Seconds later, he heard another one from outside then Cowboy came in behind him. When Jace saw the message, his stomach sank.
Report to 220—mandatory briefing—10:15am.
Sissy was getting out of the shower when she realized someone was pounding on her front door. After grabbing her cotton robe, she pulled it on as she hurried down the hall. Jorge was gone and if it weren’t for a wad of cash on the coffee table and a load of freshly washed towels in the washer, she would’ve thought her stint as Florence Nightingale had only been a dream.
Peering through the mini blinds, she frowned when she saw three dark blue sedans and a Haven police cruiser in her drive. Officer Johnny stood next to the cruiser while four men in dark suits were at her front door. Her eyes went wide then she heard the back door rattle.
It had to be Jorge. What other reason would they be here? Sissy’s heart was in her throat when she reached the door. She’d just unlocked it when it exploded inward and the men in suits ran into the room. The second one headed right for her, forcing her to back up until she was crowded against the wall.
“Are you Sissy Kolchek?” he demanded.
“Y-yes.”
“I have a search warrant for this residence.” He flashed a piece of paper in her face then took her arm. His grip was harsh. “You are to come with me down to the Haven police department for questioning.”
“What is this about?” Bewildered, she stared at the people who’d forced their way into her home.
The suit ignored her. Instead, he hauled her toward the door.
“I need to get dressed.” She clutched the edges of her robe together.
“No, ma’am, you’re to come as you are.” His grip only tightened, and he wrenched her arm higher, throwing her off balance.
“I will not.” She dug in her heels. “I’m damn near naked.”
“Ma’am, I will charge you with resisting arrest if you do not comply with my command.” Again he yanked her forward, her bare feet sliding on the rug. After stubbing her toe, Sissy’s eyes watered.
“You’re hurtin’ me—”
“Agent Sanders, you don’t need to manhandle her.”
Johnny’s familiar voice made her knees go weak.
“My instructions are—” the suit began.
“I know what they are,” Johnny interrupted. “She’s not under arrest.” He laid his hand on her shoulder and, if anything, the suit’s grip only tightened.
“Are ya tryin’ to break my arm?”
Both men stared hard at one another leaving her feeling like a juicy bone between two German Shepherds. When the suit released her, Sissy rubbed her red skin.
“I’ll need to stay with her while she dresses.” His cold gaze focused on her. “You’re to touch nothing other than your clothing, do you understand?”
“Yeah, I do speak E
nglish,” she snapped.
Johnny took her elbow and gently urged her back into the trailer. The place was crowded now, with suits tearing everything apart. Ducking her head, she hurried to the bedroom. When Johnny stepped into the room Sissy took great pleasure in slamming the door in the suit’s face. Spinning around, she looked up at her friend.
“What is this about?”
He looked uncomfortable. “All I know is a search warrant was issued, and you’re to come in for questioning.”
She leaned against the wall. “Do I need a lawyer?”
He shrugged. “I can’t advise you on that.”
Numbly, she nodded. It didn’t take long to gather her clothes and without asking, Johnny turned around. Quickly, she pulled on her clothing.
“Who are those guys in the suits?” She grabbed a pair of sandals from the bottom of her closet. “Cops?”
“They’re F.B.I., Sis.”
Stunned, she watched two more suits as they searched her patio. One carelessly knocked over one of her plants and the pot shattered against the brick. What had she gotten herself into?
Chapter Ten
This couldn’t be good.
Jace sat in the large conference room at police headquarters watching people file into the room. Haven Police Chief Joseph Sherman was in the lead followed by Lieutenant Walker, the man in charge of the Ramirez investigation. Ryan came in next then two of the Feds, Rick Riker and another man he didn’t recognize. The similarity between the two men in suits was striking.
“Do they clone these guys or what?” Cowboy hissed.
“Looks like it.” He glanced at the lieutenant. Walker looked pissed, and he was glaring at the Feds. Something was definitely up.
“Gentlemen, please take a seat.” Chief Sherman turned toward Jace and his brothers. “Men, you’ll never know how sorry I am to have to call you in while you’re on family leave.” He gave the Feds an irritated look. “We have a potentially serious situation on our hands, and I felt it was important to deal with this immediately.
