Like Arrows (Cedar Tree #6)

by Freya Barker

  "Mrs. Lowe? I'm Malachi Whitetail, Kim's boyfriend." I watch as her eyes open wide at my use of that defining term. I would've introduced myself as her “man,” but have a feeling her mother doesn't get the concept of that term so I keep it simple. "Like Kim said, her place is not accessible at this time, so she's staying with me for the time being."

  "I don't know who you are, but I'd like to speak to my daughter." The bitch sounds seriously pissed. Good, ‘cause so am I.

  "I don't think so. No man worth his salt would allow for his girl to get spoken to the way you just did, and I don't care if you gave birth to her, that's not the way a mother treats her daughter."

  Kim's eyes almost roll out of her head as she motions furiously for me to hand her back the phone. Fat chance.

  "Well, I'll be... You have no right to talk to me like that. I see my daughter hasn't learned a thing, she continues to make the wrong choices. I—" When I see tears forming in Kim's eyes I've had enough.

  "Mrs. Lowe, let me stop you right there. If you would like to see your daughter, I'm sure we can figure out a way to make that happen, but let me assure you, she will be surrounded by friends, none of whom will take kindly to her being talked down to. And yes, Kim has a large number of very good friends. I suggest you discuss with your other daughter if coming to Cortez is something you can fit into your schedule and let us know. We'll set up a time and place to meet then." Without waiting for a response I hang up on the woman.

  I look over to find Kim with both her hands over her mouth in apparent shock. "I can't believe you just did that," she whispers. "She thrives on confrontation. Lives for it."

  "She can bring it on. I wasn't gonna sit back and allow her to tear into you like that, Nizhóní. Best she gets used to that right away." I tell her, cupping her face in my hands and wiping the tears streaking down her cheeks with my thumbs.

  "You don't understand. I would've been fine never seeing her again. These past years I worked so hard to stop looking for approval when it comes to my mother. I can handle the rare phone call but face to face? I don't know if I'll hold up." She pulls my hands away from her face and pushes up from the chair, but I don't let her get far.

  "Babe, I'm sorry if I upset you, but your mother still has power over you. You struggle with the garbage she's filled your head with every day. I see it. And she'll continue to push your buttons until you stop allowing her to treat you that way. I figure with me and your friends behind you, there's not a chance in hell she can continue to convince you you're not good enough. We'd all be evidence to the contrary."

  She stops at the door, but still has her back to me. I get up and move in behind her, slip my arms around her waist and rest my chin on her head. "Circumstances suck, baby, but this is a chance for you to get rid of that persistent voice inside your head. The one that tells you, you aren't worthy when the rest of the world sees easily how amazing you are."

  She drops her head forward and moves out of my hold and inside. Looks like I fucked that up. I'm calling myself all kinds of stupid. Serves me right for thinking I can give someone else advice on how to handle parents. My own had been fucked up beyond salvation, and the way I 'handled' it almost cost me my brother and my life. It ultimately cost my mother's.

  "I'm taking a shower, are you coming?" Kim's voice filters down the stairs and interrupts my thoughts. I'll be damned.

  It takes me only seconds to get up there, two stairs at once, just in time to see her very naked, very juicy ass disappear behind the shower curtain. My clothes are off in a blink and when I step into the shower with her, she lowers the arms she had crossed over her chest and finally shows me all of her. Her chin high, the slightest hint of shyness still lingering in her eyes but completely exposed. Beautiful. I lift my hand, spread my fingers, and starting at her hairline I let my touch memorize her brow, her nose, mouth and chin, and down. With only the soft contact of my eyes and fingertips, her body responds beautifully under my hand. Her eyes shiny, mouth slightly open, a light blush on her chest and those perfectly dark pink nipples standing at attention, show me the effect I have on her. No words needed. There is no hiding what she does to me. My heart is pounding in my chest and my cock is so hard, one touch will be enough to make me lose all control. I'm learning her as my fingers glide softly over the gentle swell of her belly and she lets me. She makes no attempt to suck it in or even as much as flinches at my touch. I'm so fucking proud of her. With my free hand I grab hers and put her hand over my face. Immediately clueing in, she slides her hand down, letting her fingers caress as she learns my body.

  Wordlessly we stand in the hot spray and with no other connection than through our eyes and the lightest of touches, we bare ourselves.

  I almost lose control when the palm of her small hand strokes along my throbbing cock. I completely lose it when she sinks down on her knees and tentatively licks the head, her little pink tongue darting out and tasting. She manages to slide me inside the wet heat of her mouth once before I step back, and with my hands under her arms pull her up and push her against the tiles. My mouth slams down on hers as my body rubs against her wet, slick skin. Fuck, this feels phenomenal. She's wet, warm and slippery all over and when my fingers slide down between her legs, I find her ready.

  "Wait..." she says breathlessly before turning herself around, bending over and presenting me her ass. Fuck me. Magnificent. She is magnificent. I can't pass up the opportunity to do a little tasting of my own and sink down behind her. Grabbing hands full of the soft flesh of her ass and spreading her cheeks, I plunge my tongue in her pussy, absorbing her scent and flavor all at once. With a few strong laps of my tongue, I can feel her quivering under my touch and when I close my mouth on her clit and suck, her knees buckle and she cries out her release. "Mal!"

  "Can't wait. I have to be inside you," I growl as I stand up, hold her firm by the hips and drive myself inside her to the hilt. "Fuck, beautiful. So good, so sweet. I've never known this before," I mutter, as I reach deeper inside her with every thrust of my hips. No longer in control of anything, I buck a few times before I come in long jerks. "Fuck!"

  -

  "I'm on the pill, you know," Kim's soft voice brushes over my chest.

  We ended up back in bed, her body is draped over mine and my hand is stroking her backside. All movement freezes when I register what she's saying. Fuck me. That sure as hell has never happened to me before. Not ever have I had unprotected sex. When I feel Kim's body start to roll away, I pull her back into my arms, realizing she may have misinterpreted my sudden stillness. My hand resumes touching and finds its way back to the ass I've grown very fond of.

  "I'm sorry, Nizhóní. It's not like me to lose control like that. Pretty sure I never have like that before—never went without a condom." I watch as she lifts her head and rests her chin on my chest, looking at me with regret in her eyes.

  "Just as much my responsibility, Mal. Last thing I want to do is saddle you with an unwanted pregnancy," she says so sincerely, it makes me smile.

  "I was thinking along the lines of your health more than anything. And for the record, who said anything about unwanted? Timing is off, but the thought of you pregnant wouldn't necessarily be a hardship." I chuckle when surprise at my words makes her eyes almost bulge out of her head.

  "Are you for real?"

  "Last time I checked." I laugh. "My preference would be to have both of us fully involved and aware when we get to that point, but there wouldn't be a pregnancy that involves you and me, that could ever be considered unwelcome, baby."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Kim

  "Do you need anything while I'm out?" Mal asks.

  I look away from the window to find him standing by the door, his hand on the knob.

  "Boo is almost out of dog food."

  "I'll pick some up. We'll be back in a couple of hours."

  The days are getting long and tedious with only my Kindle to keep me company. Not that I mind reading, not at all, but I'd rather be doing it
by choice than because there isn't anything else to do. I'm bored out of my mind, and although Mal keeps me occupied at least a few times a day, I can only do so much cleaning and I hate having to ask someone to come with me whenever I want to walk my dog. Idle hands are the devil's workshop, as my mother would say. Her phone call this weekend has occupied me to where I'm starting to think Mal may have made a good point. I'll never get her voice out of my head unless I face up to her. Show her that her words don't affect me the way they used to. She hasn't called back again, and I wonder if she even will. I might go another few years without getting another call, because I won't be the one calling her. Part of me hopes she will call back, though. I want to actively take control but I can't when the ball is in her court. That's part of what's been eating at me until Mal announced this morning that were heading over to Gus and Emma's because he had to head into town with Gus, and Emma wanted to see me. I was just excited to have a plan—any plan—one that involved getting out of the house.

  "Penny for your thoughts," Emma jokes as she hands me a fresh mug of coffee. We're sitting at the counter in her awesome kitchen which has a view of the guesthouse and the landscape beyond. It's another beautiful spring day and I'm itching to go out on the mesa.

  "They're hardly worth a penny." I smile at her, deciding I really enjoy her company. Emma probably has close to ten years on me but I've rarely met anyone who I've felt totally at ease with right away like I do with her. She has that quality. "I was just thinking about the possibility of my mother and God forbid, my sister, descending on us sometime in the near future."

  "Why? I mean, why now? You mentioned it had been years."

  "It has. Not a clue other than what she said when she called on Sunday, out of the blue. My sister apparently is meeting a client in Durango and Mom is coming along for the ride. She thought I was still living in Durango and was planning to pop in. She couldn't even remember the pictures I sent her years ago when I bought my house in Cortez." I shrug my shoulders, noticing that my mother's lack of real interest in my life already has lessened in impact. "Mal talked to her," I confess, watching Emma's eyes light up.

  "Really? Oh, I'm gonna love this. What did he say?" Emma's virtually bouncing in her seat with glee.

  "He could hear her doing her usual thing with me and he got pissed off, so he took the phone out of my hand and proceeded to lay it out for her." I can't help but smile at the memory.

  "No shit? I've gotta say, I already hate your mother, but I absolutely love the way Mal is coming out of his shell. He's been a quiet one, ever since he turned his life around. I've worried about him, but you've brought out this side of him we all knew was there, but was carefully hidden."

  "I've heard mention of him turning his life around, but he hasn't really opened up much about it. I want to know, but am afraid to pry. Words can be damaging if not chosen the right way. I know that all too well. I said something to him the other day that was supposed to reflect on me but he didn't hear it the same way." I smile at the memory of what followed, though. The make-up sex after clearing the air had been amazing.

  Emma's chuckle pulls me from my thoughts. "By the look on your face, I'm guessing he didn't stay mad long. You know, we grow up learning that women are the complicated gender, when really it's the men. They have this whole tough outer layer that they hold up on display, but it's only there to hide the same fears, insecurities and struggles inside. Don't get me wrong—they have a very different way of looking at the world at times and seem to be able to compartmentalize things better, but when it comes down to it they are as emotionally fragile as we are. At least we tend to let it hang out for the world to see. Nothing complicated about that. Most men never really make themselves that vulnerable."

  I think about that while I quietly sip my coffee. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of experience with the opposite sex, and what I do have is probably not reflective of men as a whole. But what Emma says strikes home. I look at the guys I've met thus far in Cedar Tree, Mal specifically, and I can often sense a bubbling cauldron of emotion underneath that unflappable exterior. Unnerving at times.

  "I think you're right."

  "I know I'm right," Emma doesn't hesitate in pointing out. "Gus was sitting on some pretty heavy things for the longest time, and I swear he probably would never have told me if I hadn't pried a little. Trust me, if anyone can get Mal to open up, it's you." With that Emma gets up to get the coffee pot. "Refill?"

  My cell starts ringing in my purse as I'm holding up my cup for more coffee. I quickly set it on the table so I can answer the damn thing before the ringtone drives me nuts. Much like my mother, who I know is the one calling. You're So Vain is interrupted when I swipe my finger across the screen and watch Emma stifle a laugh.

  "Mom."

  "Is that horrible man with you?" I knew she'd open with that. I know her better than I care to.

  "That man's name is Malachi and he is far from horrible, Mother."

  Emma is now full out chuckling with her hand over her mouth and I widen my eyes at her.

  "What kind of name is that anyway? Please tell me this isn't some bible thumping farmer. I don't think I could handle that."

  I can't hold back, the giggles bubble up from my chest hearing Mal described as a bible thumping anything. Silence on the other end tells me I've pissed her off. Oh well. Moving on.

  "Were you calling to let us know you're gonna stop by?"

  "Yes. Britta says Cortez is a little over an hour from Durango. She expects we can be there after her meeting, sometime mid afternoon. I'll need your address."

  My test is scheduled for the morning, in Cortez, but I'd hate to have to hang around town waiting for them. "I'm staying with friends, remember?" I say, making a snap decision. "I'm actually staying in Cedar Tree. It's a small little town not fifteen minutes outside of Cortez. Real easy to find."

  My mother is surprisingly mild and I start to give her directions to Beth's house when Emma puts her hand on my arm.

  "Diner..." she mouths with a wicked little glint in her eyes. "Let them come to the diner."

  "You know what, Mother? I have a better idea. If you follow County Road G like I said, don't turn off at the first stop. Keep going half a mile up the road and you'll see a diner on the left side. 'Arlene's Diner.' They have excellent specials on Thursdays. I'll see you there at five? We'll have an early dinner, so you can get back on the road while it's still light," I ramble on to avoid the reaction I'm sure is coming.

  "A diner? Good lord, you've turned into a real country bumpkin. Please tell me you haven't doubled in size since the last time I saw you?"

  And there it is.

  I jump in. "Yes, Arlene's Diner. I'll see you there at five." And before she has a chance to say anything else, I hang up.

  "Holy shit—she's a piece of work," Emma says, having heard every word. Hard not to, my mother's last words were delivered at full volume in her customary high-pitched shriek. "I already understood it, but now I really get it." She shakes her head and looks at me sadly. "She doesn't know how lucky she is to have you as a daughter, although I can't figure how you ended up so wonderful. I'm sure it wasn't her loving influence."

  Both of us have a good chuckle at that, but on the inside, Emma calling me wonderful settles me with warmth. Just like all the other bits and pieces of self worth I've picked up here and there since meeting these people.

  "Why did you suggest the diner?" I want to know.

  "Not a chance in hell she's gonna miss the kind of friends you've made for yourself, because they'll be all over her the minute she starts spouting her venom. We'll all be there for you," she says with a squeeze of my hand and I swallow the lump in my throat.

  And right there is another piece.

  Mal

  "Got a call from a Detective James this morning."

  We're meeting in Drew's office, and Damian doesn't hesitate to take the lead.

  "Late last night a body was found in a parking lot just outside of Austin next to
an unregistered vehicle, with his only identification a receipt for a coffee from Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix. The general description fits Winters, but until the coroner has a chance to do the autopsy sometime this week, he can't give us a firm identification. Luckily the APB on Winters caught his eye and he put two and two together. Coroner will have to confirm, but it was pretty obvious the cause of death is a gunshot wound to the head. Large caliber, from the looks of what's left of his head and confirmed by a rifle round found earlier this morning. Someone picked him off. There was no cellphone, no luggage, nothing. Both the man and the car were stripped clean, except for that coffee receipt tucked in the coin pocket of his jeans."

  "Any ID on the shell?" Drew asks.

  "Hope to get that confirmed later today, but whoever pulled the trigger was a crack shot. The cartridge was found around three hundred yards away, on the other side of the road beside a one-story building. I'm thinking he was on the roof, lying in wait. He must've lost it off the side of the building or otherwise he dropped it on the way to his vehicle. Can't imagine someone who takes enough care to strip his victim and car clean would be so careless as to knowingly leave any trace."

  That rings true to me. I don't have the military or police training the other guys in the room have, but three hundred yards in the dark sounded like someone with some serious training was at the trigger.

  "Could be a link with something I picked up on," Neil offers. "I dug up a membership to an outdoor gun range just north of Austin. Jacob Hartnett has held a membership for over fifteen years. Ever since he demobilized."

  "Can you access his military records, Damian?" Gus asks. "My gut says our boy was part of an army sniper team. He's taking out loose ends. Something's got him spooked."