by Jenny Penn
“Well, that’s good, because I don’t actually feel like sharing, even though I heard you were single again. What happened?”
“Usual shit.” Collin didn’t feel like talking about that either. “What about you? I don’t remember you ever being possessive of a woman.”
“Lot’s changed, man.” Nick sighed, sounding weary and almost sad. “Actually Tara is why I called you. I need some help.”
“Get in line,” Collin grumbled, conceding defeat and pulling back into the library’s parking lot. It didn’t matter if he found her anyway. Kathy had enough of a lead to have already done her damage. Eventually she had to come back here, and then he could do his damage...or at least threaten to do some.
“Why? What you got going on?” Nick asked.
“Nothing.” Nothing Collin felt like talking about. Parking next to Kathy’s reserved spot, he settled back in his seat to glare down the driveway and wait. “Just having a moment with my own dick twister.”
“Really? Am I interrupting?” Nick sounded alarmed by the possibility.
“Not that kind of a moment.” Unfortunately.
“Collin?”
“Yeah, I’m listening. You need help.” Collin scowled as he considered just why Nick might have called him. “But if you know I’m out of a wife, then you probably heard that I’m out of a job, too. So, I’m not sure what I can do for you.”
“I heard you’re working for Amos Calhan,” Nick stated bluntly enough to grab Collin’s full attention. “It’s his help I really need.”
“Amos’s help doesn’t come cheap,” Collin warned him after a moment. “And I’m not talking cash here. Amos already talked to me about trying to lure you onto the payroll.”
“If that’s what it takes, so be it,” Nick answered without any hesitation. The only thing more shocking than his quick response was the sharp cut of his words. “I’ll give the old bastard anything he wants as long as Tara is safe.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just tell Amos to call me,” Nick answered. “And we’ll be even for the incident with the pink pixie.”
“Not just even, forgotten. I don’t want to hear another word about pink hair or psycho hookers.”
“Deal,” Nick retorted instantly.
“Good. Now I got to go.”
Collin didn’t wait to hear Nick say good-bye, but hung up without a thought. His whole attention remained focused on the beaten-up compact that came screaming down the street to fly around the mouth of the parking lot’s driveway. It slammed into Kathy’s parking spot, and before the engine had even cut out, Kathy threw open her door.
She moved quickly. Collin would give her that, but he moved quicker. Catching Kathy before she managed to take two steps toward the library door, he brought her to an abrupt halt with a grip on her arm. Though the woman knew he had every right to be pissed with her, she still managed to act startled. Her eyes bulged, her cheeks flushed with guilty heat, and she even lifted a hand to her chest as she gave a shocked gasp.
“Collin!” In an instant her overdramatized reaction gave way to a stern mask of disapproval. “You really shouldn’t sneak up on people like that!”
“And you really shouldn’t waste my time with these silly little games.” Despite the fact that he had every reason to growl at her, Collin had to fight down a smile as he forced his words to take on a hard, threatening edge. “Where were you?”
“I’m not playing any games,” Kathy retorted with the same indignant haughtiness she used to jerk her arm free. “And I already told you where I was before I even went—eating lunch with the girls.”
“Do I have to say it?”
“That is not one,” Kathy snapped back. “I was eating lunch at the salon with my best friend, Rosy. If you really want to prove how tough you are, why don’t you go down there and ask her?”
“And that’s two.” Actually, Collin planned on more like eight. Punishing her might not work, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun. He knew Kathy would agree on that sentiment. It had taken him less than a night to figure out that the only thing Kathy enjoyed more than collecting punishments was taking them.
“You certainly are grumpy,” Kathy complained. “I guess you don’t handle hunger well, huh?”
Kathy’s glare warmed with that question, her gaze taking on a wicked glint that matched the teasing curl of her lips. Suddenly Collin found himself retreating as she began to rub all those plush, lush curves up against his chest. He stumbled two steps back before bumping into the front of her hood. Collin found himself trapped between the un-giving metal and Kathy’s all-too-giving softness, a fact she took immediate advantage of. Going to her tiptoes, she nuzzled his neck, setting fire to his flesh with her heated whisper.
“But don’t worry, sweet meat,” Kathy consoled him as she slipped a hand between the press of their bodies to boldly cup his cock. Giving his erection a thrilling squeeze, her tightened over his erection while she scraped her teeth up the side of his neck, ending in a suckling kiss that promised the same kind of carnal delights her next assurance did. “I’m planning on an early dinner.”
Before Collin could draw a breath, much less respond to that blatant taunt, Kathy whipped around and sauntered off, leaving him panting and hard in her dust. A very primitive part of him roared at Collin to chase after her, to take her down and prove once again just who was in charge of this relationship.
He wouldn’t let his dick ruin this, though, because Collin was pretty damn sure that’s what Kathy wanted—him acting like a raging, hormonal barbarian and forgetting all about her direct disobedience. That wouldn’t be happening, but Collin would give her the afternoon to think she won. Later, when he had Jack to back him up, then they’d talk about her lunchtime misdeeds.
Besides, there still existed a very small chance that she hadn’t harassed Marion. That bit of hope appeared and died all within the same minute as Jack’s number suddenly lit up Collin’s phone. Knowing he couldn’t escape the inevitable, Collin answered and accepted his own ass-chewing.
* * * *
Kathy had her plan perfectly laid out. It started with a candlelit dinner with Jack and Collin. She knew, of course, the setting wouldn’t stop them from harassing her about her trip to see Marion. Obviously, she’d have to end up telling them the truth about what had been said. Without knowing her motives, neither man would be able to understand the subtext of her and Marion’s conversation.
Of course, Kathy intended to make them work for their answers. That would inevitably lead to step two of her plan—hours and hours of sweaty, raw, animalistic fucking. That should tire out the boys and justify her decision to take a long, hot soak in the tub. In reality, she’d use the old trap door in the bathroom to slip into the crawlspace below, cut across the backyard, and disappear into the woods.
Hopefully everything would work out so she didn’t end up too late to confront Marion when she broke into the library. While Kathy knew that Collin and Jack would eventually figure out that she’d given them the slip and would probably be all sorts of pissed over that fact, she had to do this on her own.
Mostly because she knew they wouldn’t. They’d consider the whole thing too risky. Like most lawmen, they’d want a well-thought-out and meticulous plan that would take months and months to see through. Well, Amanda didn’t have months. She deserved to be out baby shopping now. Besides, Kathy hated waiting. She wanted to know if she were right or wrong and wanted to know it now.
Of course there was a saying about the best-laid plans. She could feel hers starting to unravel the moment she shoved in her back door and confronted the man waiting at her kitchen table with a pitcher of tea and two glasses ready. He was a stranger to her, but apparently not to Collin.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Collin turned on the old man before Kathy could offer up her own questions.
“I’m here to help,” the pit-bull-looking man barked back. “What the hell do you think I’m doing here?”
�
�Making things even more complicated than they are,” Collin retorted, shoving her further into the kitchen. He slammed the door before brushing past Kathy to snap the blinds in the window over the sink closed, ignoring the cranky man sitting at her table as he snapped back at Collin.
“That isn’t the way to talk to the man who signs your paychecks.”
Collin snorted over the threat implied in those words as he moved toward the living room. He glanced around the rest of the house before returning to glower over the stranger.
“You aren’t signing them yet, old man,” Collin reminded him before offering Kathy a curt introduction. “Kathy, Amos Calhan. Amos, Kathy Coben. So what are you doing here?”
Kathy had to give Collin points for bravery. She certainly wouldn’t have antagonized the man. He looked like he bit. From his short, husky build to the way his round, bald head gleamed in the light, the man looked like a pit-bull waiting to strike. Not that Collin appeared half as impressed as her or the least bit concerned when the man growled at him.
“Trying to help,” the man spat, stiffening up with clear indignation. “And I’d appreciate not getting bitched at for it.”
“Causing trouble is what you’re going to accomplish, and Kathy doesn’t need any more trouble,” Collin snapped. “Now please tell me nobody saw you come in here.”
“Relax, boy. I’m not stupid,” Amos grumbled. “Everybody saw me, and it doesn’t matter that they did.” The tanned man raked Kathy with a gaze that was both assessing and amused. “I came to talk to this girl, which I’m allowed to do because this is a free world and I’m a free man.”
“Yeah? Well, you’re not allowed to break into my house.” Kathy turned her chin up. If Collin wasn’t intimidated, she wouldn’t let herself be. Besides, she knew how it worked with men like Amos. They only respected strength. If she showed any weakness the man would undoubtedly try to run right over her. “And you know I happen to be personal friends with the sheriff.”
“Is that a fact?” Amos lifted one bushy brow, offering her a smile along with it. The lift in his lips did nothing to soften his harsh look. “Is that why you broke into Eddie Dyne’s house and didn’t get arrested? Because you got the inside track?”
“No.” Kathy returned Amos’s condescending tone along with his smile. “The authorities think I’m guilty of a whole lot worse, and you don’t arrest a murderer for pick-pocketing. Now back to Collin’s question, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m here to help. That’s what I do.” The man rose up to extend a beefy hand toward a chair, as if he had any right to invite Kathy to sit down in her own home.
The arrogance of that gesture had her bristling. Remaining pointedly fixed in her spot, Kathy tipped her chin up and challenged the underlying assumption in his answer. “And why do you think I need help? Just because I’m a suspect in a multi-divisional federal investigation? I hate to break this to you, but that’s a badge of honor for my family.”
“That may be, little lady, but I imagine it’s a real worrisome thought to those who care about you.” Amos’s gaze shifted as his arm fell back to his side. “Isn’t that right, Collin?”
“Well, it ain’t a comfort, that’s for fucking sure.” Collin shot back, surprising Kathy with the depth of emotion in his tone. “But you might as well save your breath, Amos. She doesn’t listen to anybody.”
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re still sore because this pretty little thing got the better of you this afternoon?” Amos smirked, casting Kathy an approving look. “Got to tell you it amused the rest of the team that you couldn’t find a woman at a beauty salon. That’s kind of like a…‘duh,’ isn’t it?”
Collin stilled at that taunt and Kathy rushed to divert the fight she could sense building between the two men. “You been spying on me?”
“Hell, honey, we’ve just been following the parade,” Amos retorted. “You know how many people you got watching you? Trust me, the Feds? Not the problem.”
“The cartels?” Collin jerked forward with that question, stepping up to block Amos’s view of Kathy. “How many?”
“Enough that your girl isn’t safe here anymore.”
“Damnit!”
“I’m not his girl.” Kathy stepped up beside Collin, refusing to be protected like some piece of fragile china. It was a gesture that went unnoticed by Amos, who watched Collin with a twinkle in his eyes. Collin, certainly, didn’t appear to even notice she had spoken.
“Pack a bag, we’re leaving.” Collin’s order didn’t shock Kathy in the slightest, and she had a feeling this would begin an argument they’d be having for quite a while. “You can call your coworker from the road and tell her you’re sick or whatever. We need to get you out of town. Amos, do you—”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Kathy dug her heels in. “I’m not leaving my home just because this old fart has you all riled up.”
“This isn’t a fucking game, Kathy.” Collin turned to loom over her in a blatant attempt to intimidate her. “Pack. A. Bag.”
“No.” Kathy drew the denial out, making her position as clear as possible. “I can’t win this battle by running away from it.”
“No truer words could be spoken.” Amos banged his fist on the table as he nodded his head, drawing both their attention back to him. “I tell you what, Hitchens, I like this girl.”
“Shut up, Amos,” Collin snapped, turning back on Kathy as he latched onto her. He pulled her in close enough to feel the heat of his breath against her cheeks. “And you are packing.”
“Damnit, Collin.” Kathy jerked against his hold, trying to wiggle backward as she spat at him. “Don’t make me have to have Tony arrest you.”
“And don’t make me have to hog-tie you and cart you out of this town,” Collin shot back, refusing to release her.
“Children, enough!”
Amos injected himself not only into their argument, but also into the middle of their physical struggle. Placing a hand on Collin’s chest, he forced the younger man back far enough to break his hold on Kathy. Amos held Collin there as he glanced between him and Kathy.
“I think I have the solution to all of our problems,” Amos stated. “But first, we sit and talk like civilized people.”
“There is no discussion needed.” Collin jerked back from Amos’s touch. “I’m not leaving Kathy here to be killed or kidnapped.”
“And of the two of us, who do you think is the boss of me?” Kathy asked, not expecting an answer but hoping the question alone would penetrate Collin’s thick skull. She wished in vain, though.
“Me,” Collin answered without hesitation. “Unless, of course, you finally see reason.”
“Meaning agreeing with you,” Kathy translated. “That’ll be a cold day in—”
“Collin, why don’t you take a walk?” Amos suggested, holding Kathy back now when she would have stepped up to directly challenge Collin. “I’d like to have a few words with this little lady.”
“I’m not a little lady.” Kathy shook off the beefy hand Amos had settled on her arm. “And I’m not exactly interested in talking right now.”
“Collin?” Amos ignored her to prod the man seething not ten feet away.
“Fine,” Collin finally snapped. “Try it your way. You got a half hour. Then Jack will be here and you’ll both be outnumbered.”
With that warning, he stormed through the kitchen and slammed out the back door, leaving Kathy alone with Amos. They stared at each other for what felt to her like an uncomfortable moment. She couldn’t tell what Amos thought. His smug little smile had returned along with the glint in his eyes.
“Come. Sit.” Amos moved back around the table, taking his seat as he gestured to the one across from him. “Let’s talk.”
Chapter 26
“I’m still not sure what we have to say to each other, given I don’t even know who you are.” Even as she offered up that complaint, Kathy pulled out the chair and settled into it.
/> “That’s simple enough to fix. I run the security company that the Reese brothers hired to protect Amanda.” Amos reached for the pitcher, pouring a glass of tea for Kathy as if they were in his house and she was the guest.
“Fine job you’re doing, too.” Kathy accepted the glass, but didn’t take a sip as she settled deeper into her seat. “She can’t even leave the house.”
“My job is to keep her alive, not happy.”
“And what about betraying her?” Kathy didn’t see any reason not to be blunt. Given the situation, it felt almost called for. “That part of your job description?”
She got the old man with that one. He stiffened straight up, meeting her gaze with the kind of bottomless stare the Alpha dog used to confront a competitor. Kathy wouldn’t blink, though. Her daddy had taught her better than to cave to such tactics.
“Where I come from, accusations like that aren’t made unless you’re willing to back them up,” Amos warned her.
“You do know that I know that Jack is a DEA agent, right?” Kathy forced her lips up into a tight smile. “Because I know Amanda doesn’t know that fact.”
“Those men of hers, they hired me to keep her safe and alive. How that’s done, what I have to do to fulfill my obligation—none of them want the details,” Amos explained what sounded like a very convoluted justification to Kathy. It didn’t shock her, though, the conclusion he came to. “They asked to be ignorant. So you see, there isn’t any betrayal.”
“If I told Amanda that you’d let a federal agent go undercover on her security team, you would be fired.”
“And the fact that you haven’t tells me you can appreciate my stance.” Amos smiled, making his face crease with lines that gave away his age. “It also tells me that you are a practical woman.”
“Really?” Kathy snorted at that, not impressed by the man’s flattery. “Well maybe you can share that bit of information with Collin because I don’t think he’d agree.”
