Burned

by Stone, Piper

I could barely stand to listen to the crap Rusty had spewed. My blood pressure increased. I clenched my fists, snarling under my breath. I watched as Juan took notes, typing on his iPad, his face expressionless. The story seemed surreal, something made up for late-night readers. Even I had difficulty buying that her real father would leave her hanging, unwilling to unveil his true identity.

  Could she have known, keeping yet another secret?

  Anything was possible.

  The recording completed, I left the phone on the desk, shifting from foot to foot, antsy to get back to her.

  Juan took his time, easing back in the chair. “What about the evidence Gage mentioned?”

  I was hesitant to give up the jump drive but pulled it from my pocket. “I have no idea what’s on this, but locating it was obviously important given her place was trashed.”

  He took the orange plastic piece from my hand, giving me a nod of respect. “This will come in very handy. Given this case crosses state lines, the FBI has been brought in.”

  I shot Gage a look, confirming that he obviously had an idea this was going to occur. “All right. What now?”

  Exhaling, Juan turned off his iPad then rose to his feet. “You allow us to take it from here. We will need to talk to Ms. Aspen in the next couple of days. I suggest you tell no one about her location, just until all the people involved can be determined. This thing is bigger than anyone knows. Sheriff, I’ll be in touch. We might require your help over in Hamilton for a while.”

  “I’ll do anything I can.” Gage shook his hand. “Just keep me informed.”

  “As much as the FBI will allow.” Juan moved toward the door. “Ms. Aspen is a brave woman. The Landosa family has reported ties to the West coast mafia, their real estate development firm merely a front for other operations. I wish I could say more, but the investigation is ongoing.”

  The words sank in, the meaning hitting me hard. The danger was real.

  When the door closed, I grabbed my phone. “Did you tell anyone that you and I had talked or that you suspected I was harboring a fugitive?”

  “I made you a promise and I kept it until all this came to light,” Gage stated, conviction in his voice.

  We’d known each other far too long to go down the path of distrust.

  “Then who had any idea? I have a feeling she called someone from a phone I left at the cabin prior to the fire. Who would she call? Certainly not the Landosas.”

  “I doubt that.” Gage tapped a few keys on his computer, his eyes darting back and forth across the screen. “There’s very little on Kelly’s personal life.”

  “She mentioned she had a friend who worked with her at the bar. Sherry something,” I half whispered. “Sherry Piccolo.”

  His eyes opened wide, his gaze turning toward me for a full thirty seconds before his fingers started to fly.

  “What is it?” I crowded closer.

  “Hold on. The name is familiar.” Gage’s fingers slapped against the keys with hard strokes. “Shit. Sherry Piccolo is Rusty’s girlfriend.”

  “What? What did you say?” I slammed my hands on his desk, my heart racing. “If Kelly called her then...” I couldn’t even finish the statement.

  “I’ll put out an APB on Ms. Piccolo.”

  “I’m going back to Cole’s house. Call me with what you find.” I didn’t wait for his answer, running out of the station to the truck. Traffic was heavy, the lights all turning red as soon as I approached an intersection. My patience snapped, I careened through light after light, swerving around vehicles until I hit the outskirts of town. Everything was coming together.

  And everything was turning to shit.

  I roared through the valley, going in excess of eighty miles per hour, my blood boiling. When the phone rang only a few minutes later, I was almost frantic. “What?”

  “Sherry walked into the station five minutes ago.” Gage had excitement in his voice.

  “What the fuck?”

  “She turned herself in. I’ve had a few minutes to talk to her, but she mentioned that she had a call from Kelly not long ago, the conversation convincing her to do the right thing.”

  I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but my gut was telling me that she continued to be in harm’s way. “This isn’t over. You know that.”

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I don’t know yet, but Kelly is still in danger.” I certainly had several thoughts on what I expected to happen.

  “I’ll send a patrol car to the house. Just let me handle this!” Gage insisted.

  “No can do. I’m a part of this and I’m going to be the one to get her out.”

  “Why? Why is this so damn important to you?”

  “Because I love her. Okay?” The words spewed easily from my mouth, the truth that could no longer be denied. I would do anything to protect her. Anything.

  She’d rocked my world.

  Gage whistled. “Bring her to the station until we can figure out a plan. My guess is that Cole’s location might have been compromised. I’ll have a chat with Ms. Piccolo and see what I can find out.”

  “Fine.” Tossing the phone, I swung around the last bend, flooring the accelerator as I rolled down Cole’s long driveway. The black Mercedes coupe was ominous enough. The open front door was damning.

  I flew out of the truck, rifle in hand, hearing the loud voices.

  “I’m not coming with you, Josh. That’s final,” Kelly snapped.

  “You are coming with me, Kelly. You have no other choice. There are FBI agents headed here right now, prepared to take you into custody. I know you don’t want that to happen. I’ll protect you.” The male voice was deep. He laughed after saying the words.

  “Protect me? You must think I’m stupid.” Kelly’s voice was laced with fear.

  “That’s enough. Kelly isn’t going anywhere with you.” I held the rifle in both hands as I entered the kitchen.

  Within seconds, Josh grabbed Kelly around the throat, dragging her against his chest as he swiveled to face me. In his hand was a gun, the barrel pointed directly at her head.

  “I suggest, cowboy, that you put down that rifle. I wouldn’t want to hurt this pretty lady and she is coming with me.” Josh grinned, his dark eyes piercing in the rays of sun coming through the window.

  She held up her hands, still able to shake her head slightly as she locked eyes with mine.

  I inched closer, my grip remaining firm. “I wouldn’t take a chance, Landosa. I’m a crack shot, former army ranger, and one pissed-off man. Kelly belongs to me.”

  Josh snorted, backing up a few inches. “That’s not how this is going to work. I’m taking her with me and you’re going to step out of the way.”

  “And you wouldn’t risk killing your cash cow.” My retort was met by a hiss. I took another step closer. Then another. “Put down the gun.”

  “Not a chance,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Then you’re going to die.” As soon as I issued the words, Kelly shifted and I knew instinctively what she was going to do.

  Try to protect both of us.

  Kelly elbowed him, twisting until she was out of his grasp.

  Josh lunged forward, taking aim at my chest. Forced to drop the rifle, I managed to tackle him to the floor. The hard head butt brought stars to my eyes as I grappled for the gun. I slammed his hand against the tile floor, reaching for the weapon with my other hand.

  “No. No!” Kelly screamed.

  The motherfucker wasn’t going to get away with this. I gave his hand another hard slam as I wrapped my other around the barrel.

  A ragged roar pushed past his lips as he exerted enough power to roll us over, pulling the gun between us.

  “Hawk!” Kelly shouted.

  This motherfucker wasn’t going to—

  Bang!

  * * *

  “Can we go? Ms. Aspen has answered all your questions ten times over. She’s the victim in this, in case you don’t remember that.” Jake Adams had a powerfu
l voice, the booming baritone reverberating in the closed room. The attorney had offered to be by her side through the investigation and subsequent trials, indeed turning out to be one of the good guys.

  He also had substantial information on the Hamilton sheriff’s office, gathering his own evidence during the course of two years. His vendetta to take down the system had proven useful to this convoluted mess.

  I sat next to Kelly, keeping her shaking hand in mine. She’d yet to come to terms with the recent events, her once twinkling eyes dull and full of remorse, even guilt.

  The woman had nothing to feel guilty for.

  I’d been the lucky one during the struggle, Josh receiving the brunt of my wrath. At least he wasn’t dead.

  Yet.

  I had no patience for the continued dog and pony show. The Feds had questioned Kelly on four separate occasions, grilling her on every aspect of her time employed by the Landosa family. What she’d learned about their mob ties hadn’t surprised her. I wasn’t certain anything could at this point.

  Seeing Josh in a pool of blood had given her closure, although the nightmares had been horrific. I’d slept very little during the course of the last few days, standing over her as we remained locked inside a hotel room, protected by agents twenty-four/seven. Now that all the players had been rounded up, we were told life could go back to normal. There was even word put on the street that the Landosas had double-crossed certain members of the powerful mafia family. I thought about the irony.

  At least we’d been able to spend time together. Our discussions had been frank, cathartic for both of us but the exhaustion was taking a toll, tension crowding between us.

  The agent sat back, closing the paper file in front of him. “You’re both free to go. We will need certain testimonies at the various trials. We’ll contact your attorney when dates have been selected or if we need anything further.”

  Jake jerked up from the chair, glaring at the agent. “How can you be certain that Ms. Aspen will be safe?”

  “Because she’ll be by my side,” I said quietly, pulling her hand against my heart.

  “I’m going to live my life, gentlemen, now that I finally have one.” Kelly stood, holding her head high. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

  The sun was shining, a light breeze in the air as we walked out of the sheriff’s station.

  “What now?” she asked as she gazed toward the sky. “What am I supposed to do when everything I thought I knew was a lie?”

  I pulled her into my arms, cupping her face. “You take every day as it comes. When you least expect it, everything will take shape. You have the rest of your life ahead of you. No one can or will take that away from you.”

  “Are you certain of that?”

  Snickering, I rubbed my fingers back and forth across her shimmering skin. “Damn certain.”

  “My true hero.”

  I would forever loathe the words. “You know, you can have anything you want now.”

  “Blood money. I don’t care about it.” She palmed my chest, shaking her head.

  “Money doesn’t buy anything but peace of mind, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Hmmm... I never knew you to be a dreamer, cowboy,” she mused, a purring sound in her voice.

  She felt so small in my arms, but she wasn’t a frail woman. Her strength and courage amazed me. “I haven’t had a reason to dream for a long time.”

  Inching closer, she rose onto her tiptoes, allowing her lips to brush across mine. Her whisper was husky, dripping with the sexy vibes that tightened my balls. “I can have anything?”

  “Within reason.”

  She crawled her fingers up my chest and darted out her tongue, dragging the tip around my lips. “What if I want you?”

  “How do you want me?” I ground my cock against her belly, the electricity soaring.

  “Naked and on a platter.”

  I fisted her hair, crushing my mouth over hers. The taste of her was a subtle yet powerful reminder of the intense roar of passion we’d shared since the beginning. Having her in my arms was right, perhaps the only right thing I’d done in my life.

  And I wasn’t fucking up this chance.

  I demanded control of her tongue as I lifted her off the ground, running my hand down her spine until I was able to cradle her bottom. The kiss became manic, crazed in a delicious manner as I drank from her, but only time would quench my ravaging thirst.

  Quivering, she intertwined her fingers in my hair, crushing her breasts against me. The hunger inside was overwhelming, my desire stronger than ever before. I didn’t care where we went, I simply wanted her naked body pressed against mine.

  The roar of several engines surrounded us. I broke the kiss, lifting my eyebrows. What the hell kind of interruption was this?

  Cole stepped out of his truck, Grinder from the other side, grinning as they walked closer. Behind them was the entire Wildland Firefighting team as well as several of the smokejumpers from a few nights before.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I chortled, seeing the mischievous looks on every man’s face.

  “Is that any way to greet your best buddy?” Cole asked, wagging his finger as he approached. “See, I heard the two of you might need a place to stay. You can always bunk with me, but since you can’t keep your hands to yourselves, I think you need some privacy.”

  The others chuckled as they surrounded us.

  “What did you do?” I asked, forcing my tone to sound demanding.

  He pulled out a set of keys. “We put a new lock and deadbolt on Kelly’s little house and installed a security system. We also picked up some trash. Funny how the landlord was very helpful. He even offered four months rent-free. He wanted you two to have time to get back on your feet. Oh, and the captain wanted you to know you’re off the schedule for a few days.”

  Kelly gripped my hand, squeezing as she looked from one man to another. “Seriously? The landlord is an asshole.”

  “Oh, we had no problem convincing him to do the right thing,” Grinder added, folding his massive arms, his stance like a true warrior.

  “We also took the liberty of doing a little redecorating,” Stoker added. “Course we had some help from our women since we suck at interior design.” They all laughed, nodding in affirmation.

  “You all did that for me?” Kelly managed.

  “For both of you,” Cole said as he gripped my shoulder. “The two of you have been through a lot. Time for you to go home.”

  Home.

  They often said that home is where the heart is. I’d never understood the saying until now. I’d locked away all my feelings, terrified of getting hurt emotionally.

  What I had learned during the last two weeks was about finding courage.

  Courage to protect.

  Courage to honor.

  And courage to love.

  As I took the keys, I realized that I was the luckiest man alive and all because of one bratty, opinionated woman who’d steamrolled her way into my life.

  And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Four months later

  Kelly

  Secrets and lies.

  They’d gotten me to this place, but they hadn’t initially been my own secrets, only those belonging to a haunted man who’d loved my mother from afar, a recluse billionaire. My sweet mother, who’d allowed a rich and powerful man to lure her into forgetting her vows for one single night. One night of passion in my father’s absence.

  An entire lifetime of deceit.

  No relationship was perfect. In her mind, the mistake had allowed for her own few precious years of joy since my father had been infertile. I’d read her letter several times during these months, gleaning additional information just by allowing myself to walk in her shoes.

  And by forgiving her.

  She’d called me a gift from God, her precious miracle and I honestly believed that the man I knew as my father had forgiven her as w
ell.

  And they had been happy.

  Happiness.

  I’d even looked up the meaning of the word in the dictionary, certain I was imagining things. Experiencing the amazing, breathtaking, and vibrant emotion for the first time continued to catch me off guard. The reason had nothing to do with money even though Hawk had been right. Peace of mind was freeing in several ways.

  The power and influence of a large bank account, complete with a battery of accountants and attorneys also allowed for choices. And for pushing people into doing the right thing. I knew very little about my birth father, mostly because I wasn’t ready to learn anything about his life. Had he had his reasons for not wanting me in his life? Yes, and perhaps in Gregory Dunham’s mind, he believed what he was doing was best for me. Still, what little I’d been forced to learn left me feeling cold inside.

  There was nothing in the world more important than family.

  Gregory’s attorney has assured me that my father was following my mother’s wishes and that he loved me. Now I would never know the truth.

  I glanced over at the picture Hawk had saved from my house, the new frame and thick glass highlighting the happy faces. I’d realized it was okay to remember the past, both the good and bad. They’d shaped the woman inside, but Hawk had allowed her to be free.

  Buck padded toward me, giving me his usual goofy look. He rarely left my side, my constant companion. Sitting on his haunches, he dropped his tennis ball and woofed once.

  “Not now, buddy. Daddy will be home soon. You know what that means.”

  I stood by the window, watching the driveway. Correction, watching for Hawk’s truck barreling up the driveway. I glanced at the clock, the anticipation building. While I couldn’t wait to see him, I knew what to expect after he walked into the door.

  One hard spanking.

  My pussy clenched just thinking about his massive hand smacking hard against my still reddened ass. I was indeed a brat the majority of the time.

  Buck whined, nuzzled his head against my leg then grabbed the ball and moved off to the bed near the fireplace. Sulking.

  Isn’t that what all men did?

  Hawk was the master of sulking. Brooding. He continued to have the weight of the world on his shoulders, now including keeping me in line.