Chapter 7
Time and distance hadn’t done anything to soothe his mood.
It had taken him less than ten minutes to track the shooter through the wooded area beyond The Five Crowns. He’d had more trouble tracking wounded deer than the moron who’d shot at them last night.
A moron whose days were numbered as far as Caleb was concerned. They’d been lucky. If he hadn’t gotten to her in time, if she’d left the bar on her own, he’d be facing a very different situation.
His mind returned to the scratches and bruises that marred Samantha’s skin. Her beautiful, soft skin that peaked and quivered under his touch. Memories of her cries had his dick thickening behind the zipper of his jeans. She’d been so responsive, so uninhibited. She was a woman who knew what she wanted and was secure enough with herself to take it. She’d made him come so hard he’d actually seen stars.
The minute she’d walked into the room this afternoon, all he could think about was getting her naked. Sinking into her moist heat and losing himself in her.
Had his brother not been there, that’s exactly what he’d have done. And just what the fuck was going on between Samantha and Alec anyway? He hadn’t considered the nature of their relationship before, but now … now it turned his stomach to think there was a possibility he and his brother were fucking the same woman.
Was Alec touching her right now? Did he have those succulent nipples between his lips?
Caleb balled up his fists and fought back the rage that threatened. He’d never truly wanted to kick the crap out of his own brother before. Oh sure, he’d slapped him around, sparred with him at the gym. Normal sibling stuff.
The thought of Alec touching Samantha made Caleb feel decidedly un-sibling like.
“Since I assume you didn’t leave those tracks, I’m guessing our shooter isn’t a professional.”
Caleb spun around, adrenaline surging through his veins, preparing him for a fight.
“Jesus Christ, Sterling,” he complained. “Make some fucking noise when you walk, would you? Whistle. Ruffle some leaves. Snap a twig.”
His brother-in-law grinned back at him. “Kinda defeats the purpose of being sneaky, wouldn’t you think?”
Caleb snorted. “Amanda should put a bell around your neck.”
Joe clapped him on the shoulder. “Occupational hazard.”
“You own a bar,” Caleb said dryly and shared a glance with Joe, a silent gesture that spoke of things best left unsaid.
“Old habits die hard, my friend.” Dressed in his usual black T-shirt, jeans, and roughed up boots, most people wouldn’t suspect Joe of being one of the greatest sharpshooters the US military had ever known—not that they’d ever claim the former sniper.
Joe had been a ghost. Moving in and out without so much as a trace. He’d never missed a target. Never failed a mission.
These days, Joe spent his time between the tiny bar he owned with his brother, Jake; the ranch he shared with Amanda; and the shooting range at Martin Tactical, where he, on occasion, provided instruction.
“What happened here?”
Grateful to have a distraction, Caleb focused on the business at hand.
“Alec called and asked if I could give Samantha a ride home. I arrived to pick her up around four o’clock this morning. I entered the bar and found her playing cards with some of the regular guys. The owner, Rosanna, was behind the bar, as usual. I stopped to chat with her for a few minutes, mainly to give Samantha time to react to my presence.”
Caleb couldn’t help but smile, remembering her indignation when he hauled her out of there. The woman had fire in her blood. That wild Irish temper was quick to heat, quick to burn.
“I removed her from the throng with little incident. We argued in the parking lot, just outside the entrance. Maybe three or four minutes after we came outside, shots were fired. First shot grazed my arm and we took cover. Several more rounds were fired before we were able to get to the truck and hightail it out.”
“Sam okay?”
Caleb thought of Samantha and Alec once again. “She’s fine,” he grumbled.
“What about you?”
“What’re you? My mother?”
Joe cocked a brow but remained silent.
“It’s just a scratch.” Caleb tugged on his sleeve to show the angry red welt that marred his arm. “See? Barely broke the skin. Samantha’s a little banged up, but thankfully nothing serious.”
Even the bottle she’d fallen on hadn’t done that much damage. Just bled a lot. No need to worry Joe, who would, in turn, worry Amanda.
“What do we know?”
Joe knelt to investigate the ground at the base of the tree where they stood. The ground showed obvious signs someone had been there recently, and with the bullet casings Caleb had found, there was no doubt they were in the right place.
“Unfortunately, not much. Shooter was here.” Caleb pointed to the ground where they stood. “Weather was warm and mild last night.”
“Wind?”
Caleb shook his head. “Not so much as a breeze.”
“Hmm.” Joe looked toward the parking lot. “Seventy-five meters, no wind. Automatic weapon, based on the casings you’ve got there. Hell, Mandy could’ve made those shots. As well as more than half the population of Austin. Could’ve been anybody.”
“That’s what I figured. There aren’t any tire markings. Whoever it was walked in from the parking lot and walked out the same way.”
Joe jerked his head in the direction of the lot, and Caleb fell in beside him. “You remember the vehicles?”
“A handful of motorcycles that’ll match to the patrons of the bar.” Caleb stood at the edge of the gravel, looking over the lot and imagining it from last night. “Couple of late-model pickups, no cars to speak of. I’ll get the info over to Brandon and have him look into it. I don’t expect it’ll be much.”
“Mandy and Alec are working a lead that Matteo’s in Austin for some charity gig. Timing seems more than a coincidence, wouldn’t you think? With any luck, we’ll have him by the end of the weekend.”
The sooner the better.
Joe kept walking, his gaze scanning the lot. He wouldn’t miss a thing. It was one of the reasons he’d called Joe to meet him here. Other than being newly married to his sister, Caleb had history with this man. Most of it covered in violence and blood.
Joe had been there, had seen Caleb at his worst. Caleb had sliced open Joe’s side as he’d pulled him out of that Columbian jungle a lifetime ago. Joe had dragged him to safety and gone back to take out the target that had gotten Caleb’s team killed.
Caleb had hated him for it. Hated the fact he’d been separated from his men while they’d lain dead or dying. He still didn’t know what Joe had been doing in the jungle that day, but that was standard protocol for men like them. Information came on a need to know basis and they were trained not to ask questions.
As angry as he’d been, Caleb had the utmost respect for the man he now called brother. Over the last few months, they’d reached an accord, of sorts, and had struck a friendship.
It helped that Joe made his sister happier than Caleb had ever seen her.
“You didn’t tell me you were bringing Jake and Cooper.” Caleb nodded toward the two men standing next to Joe’s truck. “Who’s opening the bar?”
Joe shrugged as if he didn’t care whether or not the bar stayed closed. “Jake wanted to come and I wasn’t about to tell him no. He was pissed when he heard what happened.”
Caleb squinted his eyes; the sun beat down and reflected off the gravel of the lot. “The feeling is mutual.”
It was impossible not to recognize the younger version of Joe, even with the ball cap pulled down over Jake’s forehead. While Jake had the same dark coloring and blue eyes, he wasn’t quite as tall as Joe. But, they both had a way of charming Amanda whenever she got her britches in a twist.
As much as Caleb had hated it in the beginning, these men loved Amanda, as a wife and a sister,
and that made them family.
Cooper stepped forward as they approached and extended his hand. “Heard you had some trouble last night?”
Caleb cast Joe a look before grasping Cooper’s hand. “A little out of your jurisdiction, don’t you think, Sheriff?”
“I’m here in a strictly unofficial capacity.”
Cooper Jackson was Sheriff of Burnet County, where Amanda and Joe now called home. Cooper and Joe had grown up together. For that alone, Caleb had accepted Cooper’s friendship. But, it was Coop’s help last year when Amanda had been attacked that had earned Caleb’s respect and gratitude.
“As long as you don’t get in my way, I’m happy to have you here.” Caleb softened his remark with a grin. “I called my buddy, Charlie Dermot, at the Austin PD. He and his team should be here any minute. There’s enough evidence out there to keep forensics busy and the APD looking for the guy.”
His meaning was clear. Caleb wasn’t interested in the shooter. He had bigger fish to fry.
“What is it with you military boys? You think law enforcement can’t do as good a job as you?” Cooper mused. “One of these days you’ll realize we’re on the same side.”
“As long as that side is mine, we’re good.”
“How’s Sam?” Jake interrupted and stepped forward to clasp hands with Caleb.
Caleb pulled Jake in for a shoulder bump before releasing him. “She’s fine. Tough. Damned tough.” He had no business puffing his chest out with pride, but he couldn’t stop himself. She’d held up like a champ. What reduced most women to tears just pissed Samantha off. He’d discovered he liked that about her.
A lot.
“She give you a hard time last night?”
“You worried about me, Jake? Aw, ain’t that sweet,” Caleb drawled.
Jake shuffled his boots in the dirt, trying to hide his smile. “I expected you to show up sporting bruises in interesting places.”
Caleb shoved Jake’s shoulder. “Who says I’m not? I’m sure as hell not dropping my jeans to prove one way or the other, though.”
Jake laughed. “Thank God for that. I don’t need the image of your junk swinging in the breeze burned into my skull.” His expression turned to one of concern. “Sam … she’s cool though, right?”
He was struck at the love and concern everyone showed for Samantha. It was good to know she had so many champions. “As a cucumber, buddy. She’s good. Promise.”
Satisfied, Jake winked and got them back on track. “So, what’ve we got?”
Caleb gave them the rundown.
“We need more to go on. What little Sam has offered isn’t enough at this point.”
Joe nodded in agreement to Cooper’s statement. “We need Samantha to give us more information.”
Unfortunately, Caleb agreed. A sense of dread settled over him as he imagined the conversation to come. She’d refused to give them anything regarding Carlotta Matteo. Her need for silence put her life in danger and Caleb wouldn’t stand for it any longer.
“She’ll tell me what I need to know,” Caleb informed the group.
Joe studied him. “You seem pretty sure of yourself. Why would she talk to you now, when the two of you barely tolerate each other?”
Caleb imagined a naked Samantha, straddling his hips as he’d fingered her to orgasm. They’d done more than barely tolerate each other last night. Was she barely tolerating Alec right now?
Son of a bitch! He needed to get his head out of his ass if he had any chance of getting her out of this mess. He had to stay focused.
“We have a deal.” A deal that meant he’d have to let her go when this was all over. “She’ll talk to me.”
“Then get on it, man.” Joe tapped his wrist. “Time’s a wastin’.”
“I gotta go inside and talk to Rosanna first. I haven’t had time to talk to her yet and she deserves to know what happened here last night. At the very least, she can tell me who all was here when the shit hit the fan.”
Cooper spoke up. “I’ll take care of that. You focus on getting Sam to open up.”
Caleb shook his head, dismissing the idea. “Rosanna can be a little prickly with people she doesn’t know. We’re friends, it should come from me.”
“Go. I think I can handle one woman.”
Cooper was right about one thing. Caleb was anxious to get back to Samantha, although not for the reasons they believed. As for Rosanna, he’d almost pay to see her mop the floor with Cooper’s ego. That alone was worth sending Cooper inside.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
* * *
Scented waves of garlic and spice drifted in the air as Caleb stepped off the elevator. His stomach growled as he faced the plain, unassuming door to his condo.
The smell reminded him of his childhood, and the meals his mother used to prepare.
Sophia Martin had been a kind, compassionate woman who’d loved her family with a fierceness Caleb had admired. And man, did she love to cook. Not a day went by he didn’t miss his mom’s bright green eyes and warm smiles. Amanda was so much like her that, at times, it made Caleb’s heart hurt.
Shaking off unwelcome memories, Caleb punched the code and put his key in the door.
“Welcome home, honey.” Alec joked, not looking up from his laptop screen.
“Funny. How’d it go?” He tossed his keys on the counter and went to the fridge for a beer. Pots littered his stove, the sink was piled with dirty dishes, and Samantha was nowhere in sight.
Alec’s grin crinkled the corners of his eyes. “It went great. I promise we didn’t mess up your sheets. Much.”
“That’s good to know,” Caleb spat. His suspicion about Alec’s relationship with Samantha was eating a hole in his gut. “Did you find anything?”
Alec finally looked at him. “Offer me a beer and maybe I’ll tell you.”
“Your arm broke? Get your own beer.” Caleb grumbled, but retrieved another bottle anyway since it gave him something to do. “And, since when do I have to offer anything? From the looks of it, you’ve already helped yourself to what was in my fridge.”
“True, but I didn’t want to get up. You just saved me the trip.”
“God forbid, you have to walk four feet to the fridge.”
“You’re closer.”
Caleb couldn’t help but crack a smile. Alec was such a kid sometimes that it was difficult to take him seriously. Hard to believe he was a tech genius. “Tell me something good.”
Alec clicked away at his keyboard. “There’s a big fundraiser this week. Very exclusive guest list. Old and new money. From what I’ve been able to gather, our boy will be there.”
“What kind of fundraiser?”
“To benefit local artists. It seems Vincent has a thing for art.”
“Where’s it being held?”
“The Botanical Gardens.” Alec sat back and took a swig of his beer. “It’s not ideal. There are plenty of places to hide.”
“Lots of people. Media coverage. It’s the kind of place a dipshit like Matteo wouldn’t want to make a scene. Sounds like neutral territory to me.” It was time he and Vincent had a little chat. Caleb wasn’t a patient man and Vincent had pushed him well past his limit. The petty break-ins over the last year were one thing. Last night was a game changer.
Caleb couldn’t keep the smile from his face. The thought of having Vincent within arm’s reach satisfied the darkest regions of his soul. “Can you get us in?”
“Already done. You, Samantha, Amanda, and Joe are all on the guest list.”
Caleb was impressed. He hadn’t thought ahead enough to think about taking Joe with him for backup. Not that he had any intention of needing it. In his gut, he knew his time with Vincent was coming. The fundraiser would be just the appetizer. Caleb would do the right thing and give him a chance to back the fuck off. One chance.
It was more than the bastard had given them last night.
“How’d you pull that off?”
“Are you kidding?” A
lec looked offended. “Besides my mad skills, society folks are frothing at the mouth to have the elusive daughter of media mogul Thomas Quinn show up at one of their events. Her attendance will keep their jaws bending for weeks.”
Caleb frowned. He’d forgotten about Samantha’s dad. She never talked about him and, as far as Caleb knew, didn’t see him either. “Is her dad going to be there?”
Alec shook his head. “That would be a deal breaker. Samantha wouldn’t willingly go anywhere she knew her father would be.”
Again faced with Alec’s knowledge of Samantha’s life, Caleb nodded and drained his beer. It bothered him that he didn’t know why she avoided her dad, and he wasn’t about to ask Alec for the information.
He wanted Samantha to confide in him, he’d realized. He already knew what made her scream, now he wanted to learn what made her tick.
Cursing, he turned away so Alec wouldn’t see the erection filling out his jeans and busied himself at the stove.
Last night had changed everything. His head still reeled from the three-sixty his brain had done when it came to Samantha. He hadn’t stopped to think it through. He’d acted on instinct and now could potentially be sharing the woman with his brother. At least that was the impression Alec wanted him to have, but a part of him couldn’t believe it.
It looked like Caleb and Samantha were in for a heart-to-heart. Which, for them, would probably result in another knock-down-drag-out fight. Because not only was she going to set the record straight about her relationship with Alec, she was going to come clean on what exactly she’d done for Carlotta Matteo.
Caleb lifted the lid off a pot and drew in a breath. “You cook this?”
Alec laughed. “Not hardly.”
“Samantha?” He couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice. He’d never pictured Samantha as the kind of woman who knew her way around the kitchen.
“What? You think I can’t do anything but annoy the hell out of you?” The playful lilt of her voice got his attention. “I’ll have you know, I’m skilled in a lot of things. Cooking is just one of them.”
Shadow of Sin (The Martin Family) Page 8
