Nick UnCaged: Sanctuary, Book Four

by Abbie Zanders

  “Anything you care to share?”

  “Not really.”

  Cage wasn’t in the mood to play games. He put Bree’s journal on the table.

  Her eyes widened as she reached for it. “How ...”

  “You left it in the Mustang when you returned it to the garage.”

  “And it ended up in your hands because ...”

  “Sean and Nicki Callaghan are good friends of ours.”

  “Of course they are,” she mumbled. “I suppose you can read shorthand, too.”

  Cage nodded even though, technically, it was Nicki who’d been able to translate Bree’s scribbles into something that made sense.

  “You know it’s all bullshit, right?” Cage asked. “All that stuff Petraski told you?”

  Bree’s eyes flicked toward Sam. “Yes, I figured that out pretty quickly. What I don’t understand is, why.” When no one answered her, she asked, “Does it have anything to do with the family feud between the Winstons and the Freeds over land rights? Or the fact that the police chief and the fire chief are bumbling idiots? Or maybe it’s got something to do with Lenny Petraski hiding contraband just south of here?”

  As they exchanged surprised looks, Heff laughed. “Nicki was right. She is good. She might even be smarter than you, Cage.”

  A lovely red flush colored Bree’s cheeks at the compliment.

  Church cleared his throat. “For reasons we can’t explain, we can’t answer all of your questions, but we’ll answer what we can. Not tonight though. You’re welcome to spend the night, Miss De Rossi, and tomorrow, when we’re all thinking more clearly, you can ask your questions. Fair enough?”

  Bree considered that and then nodded. “Fair enough.”

  Everyone said their good nights, leaving Cage and Bree alone in the dining room. He didn’t know what to say. What he wanted to do was crush her to him again, take her back to his trailer, and spend the rest of the night keeping her safe and sated, then personally driving her to the airport and ensuring she got on the next plane to California before she got into any more trouble. But he had no idea where her head was at, and she wasn’t giving him any decipherable clues.

  Finally, he exhaled and said, “I can show you to one of the guest rooms, if you’d like.”

  Big, dark eyes flashed with disappointment, and he knew he’d said the wrong thing. She nodded.

  He walked her up to one of the completed suites on the third floor, away from the other residents. She looked around but didn’t seem particularly pleased with the accommodations.

  “Is this room okay?”

  “Yes, it’s fine. It’s just ... I thought that maybe ...” She shook her head and looked away. “Never mind.”

  “You sure?”

  She nodded, but it wasn’t fine. He could see it in her eyes.

  “You could stay with me,” he offered quietly, certain she wouldn’t go for it.

  The suite was bigger than his cramped trailer, and it even had a tub she could soak in.

  Her posture relaxed slightly, and she exhaled quietly, as if relieved. “I’d like that, if that’s okay.”

  Okay? He had to resist the urge to belt out a hooyah. “Come on.”

  She slipped her hand into his. Entwining his fingers with hers, he led her back downstairs, through the lobby, and out into the night, hand in hand.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier.”

  “I know,” she said softly. “But you were just trying to protect me, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.” He squeezed her hand.

  “You know, I knew you were a SEAL, but I don’t think it really hit me until tonight. I never even heard you coming. How did you know I was there?”

  “Security cameras.”

  “You were watching Lenny unload all that stuff, weren’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “I don’t suppose you can tell me what that’s all about, can you?”

  “It’s better if you don’t know.”

  “Better?”

  “Safer,” he clarified.

  “So, it’s probably not legal then,” she guessed, pulling the pieces together.

  He neither confirmed nor denied her statement. Church had said they’d answer her questions in the morning, but exactly how much Church intended to share, he didn’t know.

  “Let me just ask you this then: beyond observing, are you involved in whatever he’s doing?”

  That he could answer safely. “No.”

  “You’re just giving him enough rope to hang himself, aren’t you?” she mused.

  It wasn’t really a question, and she didn’t seem to be expecting an answer, so he remained silent.

  They reached his trailer. He unlocked the door and allowed her to enter first. “Can I get you anything?”

  She yawned and walked toward the bedroom. “Maybe a toothbrush, if you have a spare. And one of your shirts.”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Bree

  Nick retrieved both items for her and then retreated into the kitchen-slash-living area to give her some privacy.

  Now that she was in a safe and familiar environment, that earlier adrenaline rush transformed into something else. A damsel-in-distress type she wasn’t, but that well-executed maneuver earlier had definitely revved her engine.

  When she emerged a short while later in nothing but his shirt, she found him in the living area, clearing off the bench seat. Her heart dropped when she realized he was making himself a place to sleep.

  Gone was the confident SEAL who’d taken her into his arms and kissed her like his life depended on it only an hour or so earlier. In his place was the shy IT guy who acted as if he wasn’t quite sure what to do with a woman in his trailer.

  “What are you doing?”

  Heat flashed in his eyes as he took her in, raking his gaze from her head to her toes and back up again before his eyes shuttered. “I thought I’d bunk out here.”

  “You’re angry with me.”

  He exhaled and went back to removing boxes. “No, I’m not angry with you. I just don’t know what to think. More importantly, I don’t know what you think.”

  Well, there was an easy remedy for that. “Then, ask me,” she said. She sat down in the only open chair, folded her hands in her lap, and looked at him expectantly.

  “All right, let’s start with something simple. Now that you know about my family, do you see me differently?”

  A small smile pulled at her lips. “That’s hardly a simple question. The short answer is, yes, I do.” His face fell, and she quickly added, “But that’s not a bad thing.”

  “It isn’t?”

  “No. In fact, it explains a lot. You know what it’s like. Even if I didn’t know you knew, you did. I think that’s why I felt comfortable enough to open up to you about some of my past. Trust me, that’s not stuff I typically share with anyone.”

  She paused and crossed one leg over the other, feeling a frisson of pleasure when his eyes latched on to the movement. “Do I wish you had told me? Yes, but I’m also kind of glad you didn’t. Had I known, I doubt I would have accepted your field-trip challenge, and that would have been a shame. Ignorance can sometimes be bliss, especially if that bliss is only temporary.”

  His lips twisted at the word temporary. “Fair enough. Why didn’t you tell me you’d decided not to fly back to California?”

  “Also not a simple question. I’m usually pretty good at reading people, and the things Lenny told me, well, they just didn’t make sense. At first, I thought it was because I didn’t want to believe him, but the closer I looked, the more I realized he’d deliberately painted a skewed picture of the truth. I wanted to know why he would do that, and the only reason I could come up with was that he was the one with something to hide.”

  Nick gaped at her. “So, you decided to follow him into the woods to find out?”

  Heat rose in her cheeks. “Well, no, that wasn’t actually part of the plan.” Bree told him about going for a drive, ending up in
Sumneyville, seeing Lenny exit from the bar, and then acting on impulse.

  “That was really stupid. You know that, don’t you?”

  Her first instinct was to say something in her defense, but he had been right. It had been stupid, blindly following Lenny into unfamiliar territory, alone.

  “Yes,” she sighed as the truth sank in. She wasn’t, nor would she ever be, a good investigative field journalist.

  “What would have happened if I hadn’t seen you on those cameras, Bree? If Lenny had found you instead of me?”

  There was that SEAL again, peering at her through luminous green eyes, and it was then she knew. He wasn’t just angry that she’d followed Lenny; he’d been really worried. Scared that something could have happened to her.

  Because he cared about her.

  Warmth blossomed deep in her chest and radiated outward. She rose and walked over to where he stood, his hands on his hips, still as a statue.

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “But he didn’t. And you did.”

  For a moment, he did nothing. Then, those strong arms enclosed her. She pressed her head to his chest and closed her eyes, basking in the solid warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart. His hand began to stroke along the curve of her back. It felt so good that she sighed softly and melted into him.

  Then, she began to pet and stroke him, too.

  “Bree ...”

  “Shh. No more talking. Let’s just have this, okay?”

  Thankfully, she didn’t have to tell him twice. His head lowered, his lips meeting hers in a tender kiss that stoked the slow burn building in her core. He deepened the kiss; his hands roamed further south, reaching under the soft cotton fabric to cup her ass. Her bare ass.

  Nick wasn’t the only one who could go commando.

  He let out that rumbling growl she loved so much. She barely had time to appreciate it before he scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, practically tossing her onto the bed.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice husky.

  “Absolutely, positively, unequivocally—”

  Her words were cut off when he knelt on the floor, grabbed her by the ankles, and pulled her backside to the edge. The motion made the cotton T-shirt roll up and expose her, which seemed to be exactly what he’d intended.

  Placing his hands on her knees, he opened her to him, his eyes bright with lust. Starting with kisses to the inside of her thigh, he worked his way toward her center. She draped her legs over his arms, tangled her hands in his hair, threw her head back, and reveled in the feel of his lips and tongue working their magic.

  Before long, she was clenching her thighs around his head and screaming out her orgasm.

  Nick brought her down with gentle licks and soft kisses and then worked his way upward, raising the hem of the shirt as he went. Hands beneath her knees, he lifted and moved her further up onto the bed. Then, he pressed her backward, looming over her with his much larger body. Lost as she’d been in the throes of another incredible orgasm, she hadn’t noticed that he’d removed his own pants at some point.

  The feel of his smooth, hard cock against her skin sent waves of fresh desire over her despite the fact that she was still quivering from her climax. She reached down between them, and she greedily filled her hand, making him groan.

  “Please tell me you have condoms in here,” she pleaded.

  He nipped her skin. “I never make the same mistake twice.”

  His grin was pure triumph as he reached into the bedside stand drawer and extracted an entire box of prophylactics. She watched, amused and delighted, as he tore at the seal with his teeth. That amusement changed to pure heat when he rolled the condom down his length.

  She wanted that inside her more than she’d ever wanted anything.

  Without further ado, she lifted her knees in invitation and reached for his shoulders. Nick positioned himself at her entrance and slowly pushed forward, looking directly into her eyes as he did so. As wonderful as it had felt to have Nick’s fingers and mouth work their magic, it couldn’t compare to the feel of having him inside her, stretching and filling her.

  When he was fully seated, he paused and gave her a minute to adjust. “Okay?” he asked.

  “Perfect.”

  He began to thrust with long, thorough strokes. Pulling back until only the tip remained and then working himself back inside so deep that she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. She dug her nails into his back, urging him for more.

  As their passion built, he moved faster, thrust harder, taking her to a place where nothing existed, except the sounds and feel of him pounding into her. They rode to the crest together, and once she began to squeeze around him in ecstasy, he grunted and pushed his deepest yet.

  If there was anything better than his weight atop her body, the pounding of his heart against her chest, and the feel of him pulsing out his release deep inside her, she’d never experienced it.

  Except for when they did it again.

  The last time Bree had slept that well was the night she slept with Nick. There was something nice about having his warmth at her back and his strong arms draped around her that made her feel safe and protected. She wished it didn’t have to end.

  But like all good things, it had to. He had his life at Sanctuary, and she had hers in California.

  After another round of great morning sex, they walked over to the main building together. Bree was half-expecting Matt Winston’s late-night offer to go unfulfilled, but he was there, waiting for them when they arrived.

  With Nick beside her, Bree asked her questions over a delicious breakfast and truly stellar coffee. Surprisingly, he answered most of them. For those few he chose not to answer, he cited concerns for safety or privacy.

  She believed him. Not only did her instincts suggest he was telling the truth, but everything he’d told her also matched up perfectly with her research.

  After talking with Matt, Bree asked to talk to Sam, Sandy, and Kate, explaining that she wanted their opinions, particularly since they’d seen both sides. They—and Matt—agreed without hesitation.

  She spoke with Sandy first, who explained her friendship with Lenny. She corroborated what he’d said about their growing up together, adding that Lenny had never understood why she wanted to leave Sumneyville for a job in the city. That, according to Sandy, had been the primary reason for the rift in their friendship, but she confirmed that the final straw had been when she started seeing Hugh Bradley.

  “He considered it a betrayal,” Sandy told her, “but it had nothing to do with him. It was about me finding my way and choosing what made me happy.”

  Then, Bree spoke with Kate. There, too, Lenny had revealed only partial truths. “I was very active in the community,” Kate confirmed, “and I still am, though I’m more selective these days with whom I share my time. Chris helped me realize that I couldn’t be responsible for other people’s choices. I had to think about myself sometimes, too. That was a huge adjustment. I had to learn to put myself first, but I’m much happier now. I’m in love with a wonderful man, I’ve got real friends who’ve got my back, and I’m working my dream job.”

  And finally, Sam. Bree’s initial impressions were validated. She was nothing like the oddball introvert Lenny had painted her out to be. She had a quiet strength and down-to-earth way about her that Bree appreciated. Sam laughed when they talked about her so-called crush on Matt Winston.

  “Every girl thought Matt Winston was hot in high school,” Sam told her honestly, “because he was. He was also a genuinely nice guy. But it was never anything more than that.””

  When asked about why Lenny would suggest that she was behind the fires, Sam’s face darkened. “I think, mostly, it’s because they weren’t very good at doing their jobs. It was easier to point fingers at me than figure out what was really going on.”

  “It does seem an unlikely coincidence that you were connected to all the fires.”

  “Yes, it does, doesn�
�t it?”

  “You know who set the fires, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Sam confirmed. “But all I can tell you about that is, it will never happen again. And I’d like to ask you not to pursue it any further.”

  “Why?” Bree asked, surprised. “Don’t you want to clear your name?”

  “It’s not my reputation I’m concerned with,” Sam answered somberly. “And I couldn’t care less what Lenny Petraski or anyone else says about me. I know the truth, as do the people I care about, and that’s all that matters.”

  By the time she was done talking with the women, Bree was certain of two things: the women were truly happy at Sanctuary, and none of them had been brainwashed or coerced into being there.

  Eventually, it was time for Bree to leave. She was getting tired of these good-byes. Each one was harder than the last.

  “Did you find the answers you were looking for?” Nick asked as he walked her out to her rental.

  “Not all of them, but enough.”

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t answer everything.”

  “I understand.” And she did. “You answered more than I’d expected. I do appreciate that.”

  “What will you do with all this newfound knowledge? Will you include it in your article?”

  “I don’t know. It would make an interesting story.”

  Nick nodded, but she could see the flash of disappointment in his eyes.

  “Have a safe trip, okay? Let me know when you get back to San Diego.”

  “I will. Hey, maybe you could come out and visit me sometime. I could return the favor, show you around SoCal.”

  “Sure,” he said. “I’d like that.”

  But in her heart, she knew he’d never come.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Bree

  There was no reason to extend her stay any longer. She had most of the story, and sticking around wasn’t going to add anything of value. She’d spoken to the people at Sanctuary, and she was convinced she’d get no more from them. She also believed they had the best interests of those involved—including her—at heart.