by Melody Anne
“Sleep and Brackish, get back to the group and clear them from the beach. I’m getting Joseph,” Eyes said sharply. This single message sent the men into motion.
Green hated the thought of being in this position and not having a long gun. Information was good, but not being able to put lead downrange if needed was making Green sick to his stomach.
“Thirty yards,” Green informed, sharing how far the contact was from the beach.
Sleep and Brackish were jogging to the large group of people. Eyes was running hard toward Joseph and Katherine. People were starting to notice the commotion. The Anderson sons took note of the energy of the special ops men they’d come to know and knew action was needed. Not waiting for direction, Lucas, Mark, and Alex got up, started gathering their family members, and getting farther away from the beach. Those same sons turned to their parents, wanting to make sure they also moved away from the beach.
“Twenty yards,” Green said.
Eyes was now in a full sprint. His hip, injured long ago, was feeling the strain placed on it, but that pain wasn’t going to stop him from getting to those he’d promised to protect.
“Eyes! He’s armed. Confirmed weapon in his hand,” Green called out. The glint of silver and black reflected from the last remaining sunlight.
The sand sucked at Eyes’s feet as he hit the beach. He yelled for Joseph and Katherine to get away.
It was too late.
He saw the man bring up his arm and aim directly toward Joseph and Katherine. Eyes’s legs churned harder, sand spraying beneath him, no feeling coming through his body, just pushing as hard as he could. He refused to feel anything. His brain worked through scenario after scenario of how to end the threat of violence.
Joseph caught Eyes’s movement and noted he was headed toward the water. He turned his head, seeing the silhouette of a man standing in the water only a foot from the beach. What was he holding? Who was this person? Then his brain brought all of the information to instant recognition.
It was the man his wife had dropped all charges against, the man who’d viciously attacked Katherine. Questions started forming in his brain, but he never got a single one out.
The man was pointing his gun at Katherine — he didn’t even seem to see Joseph standing there. His eyes were glossy, bloodshot, and wild. The gun shook in his hand. Hell, his entire body seemed to be shaking. His finger was on the trigger.
Then it happened. The moment Joseph recognized the man was going to shoot. The man gave a huge inhale, opened his eyes wide, slammed them back shut, then pulled the trigger.
Joseph screamed as he tackled his wife, shielding her as they flew up in the air, then landed hard on the cool sand. Their eyes locked, speaking volumes without words.
Joseph pushed back from Katherine, looking at her for injuries from head to toe. He touched her head, shoulders, arms, torso, hips, and legs.
“I’m sorry, Darling. I’m so sorry. But there was a man with a gun. He was going to shoot. I had to block you,” he said as he continued running his hands over her.
“I’m fine, Joseph, I’m fine,” Katherine said.
“I took you down hard,” Joseph said. “I’m so sorry. Let me just make sure his bullet didn’t reach you. Let me make sure I didn’t hurt you,” he said, his adrenaline running five hundred percent.
“I’m okay, Joseph. I’m okay,” she assured him, grasping his hand and cradling it close. “Please, let’s just lie here for a moment. My heart’s thundering,” she told him.
There were shouts echoing all around them, but the two of them might as well have been in their own little bubble. Joseph would die for his wife. There was no doubt about it. If he caused her any pain, he’d still die a little.
“Stay down,” Eyes yelled. “He’s coming closer.”
Joseph whipped his head around in time to see the shooter trying to get off another shot. Then there was a blur in his peripheral vision. The man turned toward the blur, firing off a shot before he was slammed to the ground.
Joseph watched as Eyes took the man down hard in the water. He held him under for a moment before dragging him back up and pulling him onto the beach where he quickly secured him, his hands tied behind his back as Eyes literally sat on him.
Chaos had erupted all around them as the Andersons circled each other, making sure the kids were safe while trying to get to Joseph and Katherine. Joseph felt weak. He turned as Sleep and Brackish made it to Eyes.
“Get 911 on the line. This guy’s seizing. It isn’t from anything I did. He stinks to high heaven, a burnt smell; I think he’s higher than a kite,” Eyes said calmly as he knelt down to assist the man.
“Eyes . . .” Sleep said calmly as he placed his hand on the shoulder of his friend.
“Did you call?” Eyes snapped.
“Eyes . . .” Sleep said again. This time he pulled his brother away from the man, put him into a sitting position, then grabbed Eyes’s leg and inspected it, the same leg that Sleep had shot years earlier. It was bleeding.
A few inches above the knee, blood was streaming out of a small hole. No exit wound was found, meaning the bullet was still in his leg. The warmth started slowly, then fire caught life and radiated up through his entire body. He looked over at the man who’d shot him. Brackish was performing CPR on him.
The shooter began choking, a wail coming from his chest. They weren’t sure if it was from physical pain or from having just returned from where he was going to spend his eternity after this life — a sneak peek into what awaited him because of his life of crime and misery to others.
“I didn’t want to,” he said. “I had no choice.”
“What do you mean you worthless piece of shit?” Eyes snapped. “You accidently shot me?”
The man’s eyes rolled back in his head, and then he wasn’t going to talk to anyone ever again.
“What in the hell just happened?” Green gasped over the comms.
“I don’t know,” Eyes said. It was clear he was losing too much blood, and they needed to get him to the hospital.
“This is a clusterfuck, that’s what happened,” Sleep snarled.
Before they could say more, a woman’s scream broke through the air. The men turned to see it was Katherine yelling. Was there another attacker?
“Green, talk to me,” Eyes demanded, but he was growing weaker.
“I don’t see any other threats,” Green said. He was scanning everywhere. “Dammit! He’s been hit.”
Brackish and Sleep were done wrapping Eyes’s leg before they turned and looked where Joseph’s family surrounded him. Joseph’s head was resting in Katherine’s lap and there was a visible trail of blood dripping from his mouth.
The only sound after that was a helicopter in the distance — way too far away.
“Nooooo . . .” Katherine’s anguished cry rippled through the air . . .
Preview of Crew
Chapter One
Crew Anderson had been going through absolute hell for months.
He was a psychologist, dammit! Crew told himself over and over again to stick to the facts, to not let speculation get to him. He tried giving himself the same advice he gave his patients — he needed to remain rational, in control, and look at the facts . . . only the facts. Yep, he also watched too many old black and white films if he couldn’t think that thought without Jack Webb’s voice from Dragnet filtering through his mind.
Three months ago Crew had received a cryptic note telling him he had a daughter and more information would soon come his way. He’d searched his mind, wondering how that was possible. He wasn’t a saint, that was for sure, but he was a careful man and had been his entire life.
Crew had great respect for women. He also believed in honesty. He’d yet to meet anyone who’d swept him off his feet. He treated women well, took them on nice dates, and when he did bed them, he always made sure they were both protected. So the logical part of his brain told him this was nothing but
a smokescreen. There was no way he could have a daughter.
Protection fails!
That thought had stayed with him with each subsequent note he’d received.
Crew had finally asked Darla Winters to help.
Though Crew was miserable, the thought of Darla brought a bit of warmth to his seemingly frozen heart. She was unlike any woman he’d ever met, full of love, laughter, energy, and optimism.
She was the best friend of his brother Hudson’s fiancé. They’d been friends since grade school and had a bond together as strong as Crew shared with his brothers. He’d been drawn to Darla the moment he met her, and because she was a social worker, he’d finally decided to share his story with her. He’d been keeping it from his family for months.
“Hey, cowboy, what are you doing?”
As if thinking about her had pulled her from thin air, Crew turned to see Darla approaching, her usual smile firmly in place, her walk confident on her long, toned legs encased in a pair of jeans that seemed to have been made just for her.
His gaze traced her luscious body as he admired the fitted, bright pink, buttoned blouse she wore tucked into those pants, giving him a great view of her breasts, a peek at her cleavage, and the sweet curve of her waist.
“Getting a good look? Do you want me to pose for a picture?” Darla asked as she stopped a few feet from him. “Take it from my left side. It’s much better,” she continued. Then she turned slightly, put a hand on her hip, tucked her chin down the slightest bit and looked up at him with blazing green eyes that took his breath away. After a second she laughed as she stopped her pose and closed the distance between them.
He gave her the slightest smile. Damn, she had a way of pulling him from his brooding thoughts.
“Ah, there’s that almost smile I love so much,” Darla said before reaching out and chucking his chin. She leaned against the fence he’d been standing at for the past hour. “I see your new arrivals are here safe and sound. I was hoping to get here earlier, but I had a mother who needed to talk.”
Crew knew Darla would share with him what she could from work, and nothing more. She’d never break confidentiality, just as he wouldn’t. “I hope all is okay,” he told her.
“It’s never okay in my world, but once in a while I see miracles, and I see families truly fight for one another. That’s what gets me to go back again and again,” she said.
They stood side by side as they both gazed out at the field. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” he finally muttered.
“Well, it looks like you’re adopting horses,” she told him.
That morning, four horses had been brought to his home. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d gotten roped into it. A couple of years earlier he’d brought the ranch style home on fifty acres with a barn, indoor arena, and fenced field attached. He’d felt a calling for the property. But he’d never expected to fill it with animals.
But his uncle had called him that morning, saying there was an emergency. A group had been busted for animal abuse and they needed homes for two grown horses and two foals. Crew had said he couldn’t do it, that he knew nothing about horses. But somehow, in a matter of minutes, his uncle had convinced him to accept taking charge of these probably-abused animals and have them dropped off asap.
As soon as he’d finished speaking with his uncle, he’d called Darla. He hadn’t known why he’d called her instead of his brothers, but it seemed to be what he’d been doing for the past few weeks as the two of them tried to solve the case of whether he had a daughter or not.
After his call to Darla, Crew had rushed out to buy supplies, made phone calls to arrange a vet visit, then spent the remaining time making sure the fences were secure and there was nothing in the unused barns that would hurt the animals.
Now he was gazing out at the beautiful green field with fencing that needed some updating and the four horses that huddled together, sending suspicious looks his way.
“I’m just housing the horses,” Crew said after a long pause at Darla’s words.
“Mm hmm,” she said before chuckling.
“I won’t get attached to the horses,” Crew said firmly.
“I don’t know,” Darla said as she gazed with fondness at the animals. “That dark beauty over there keeps looking at you with a challenge in his eyes. I think you might be meant for one another.”
“I’ve never ridden a horse before, nor have I ever had the desire to do so,” Hudson told her.
As they spoke, the young tan foal with white highlights and skinny legs began taking steps toward them. There was no distrust in its eyes, only curiosity.
“Come here, baby girl,” Darla crooned in a voice that made the horse’s ears perk up as it took another step.
The female horse behind the foal neighed, making the young one turn its head, but then it looked back to Darla and took another step.
“That’s it, baby girl. Come here,” she said as she pulled out a bag of cut-up apples and held one out through the fence. The horse picked up its step. “What a pretty girl you are,” Darla cooed.
Crew had been standing there for an hour, watching the horses, and they’d barely glanced at him, other than the large male whose evil eyes told Crew he wanted to kill him. Within seconds Darla was enchanting the animals. He knew how they felt.
“What’s her name?” Darla asked as the foal made it to the fence and gingerly moved her head forward to smell the treat in Darla’s hand. She took the small piece of apple and chewed it while Darla reached through the fence and gently petted her nose.
“They don’t have names,” Crew said. “I don’t plan on naming them. They’re only here temporarily.”
“That won’t do at all,” Darla said. “I think I’m going to call you Pixie,” she said. “You definitely look like a sweet little fairy princess.”
The horse seemed to smile at Darla as she held out another piece of apple and the foal gladly took it and leaned against the fence as it munched on apples and enjoyed the sweet caress of Darla’s fingers. He wouldn’t mind her caressing him with as much attention.
The other young horse that seemed a few months older had noticed what was happening at the fence and trotted over, butting the female out of the way so he could get his own piece of apple. He was black, lanky, and absolutely beautiful with soulful eyes that told Crew he’d seen a bit too much in his young life.
“He’s a little edgier, but I think with a lot of love and attention he’ll be as sweet as a purring kitten on your lap,” Darla said as she gave him another piece of apple and scratched his neck. “Are they siblings?”
“No. I didn’t get a lot of information, but they said they believe this is mom and dad of the one you’re calling Pixie, and this boy here is an orphan.”
“Hmm, we’ll call you Shadow,” Darla said. Shadow seemed to like his name because he gave a whiney at Darla’s words, then nudged her hand for more apple.
“Don’t get attached,” Crew told her. “They really aren’t staying.” He made sure his voice was firm. He had to keep his resolve.
Darla smiled at him. “Your uncle Joseph set this up?” she asked innocently.
“Yes, but he assured me it’s temporary,” Crew said.
Darla laughed, the sound full of joy. “Oh, Crew, I’ve only known your family a short time, but if your uncle got the horses here, they aren’t going anywhere,” she informed him.
Crew felt the color drain from his face. “I don’t know anything about horses. They can’t stay,” he said, feeling near panic. “I have this mystery to solve about a possible daughter. I have a practice to run, and I don’t want pets.”
“We all need animals in our lives. They remind us we aren’t alone and we’re loved. When people let us down, animals are there to pick up the pieces. No matter how much an animal might be abused, they’ll crawl back to you to love them and ask for forgiveness. Are you really going to turn these babies away when they have a secure home?
When you can help them?”
“That’s low,” he said. “I can’t help if I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I’ve been around horses my entire life, so it’s a good thing we’re friends and I’m looking for a new adventure,” she said.
“A new adventure?” he asked. He was confused and it wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed.
“Yep. We have a mystery to solve and I have vacation time. So we’ll take care of these horses and solve the mystery of your daughter. It’s a win-win.”
“How is any of this a win?” he asked, throwing his hands in the air. The horses moved away from him, feeling his agitation. “Sorry,” he mumbled, realizing he was apologizing to animals. This woman changed his reality too often.
“You win no matter what, Crew. Don’t you realize this? If you have a child out there, you will get to know her, love her, and protect her. If you don’t, then you’ll know it’s inside you to be a father. Your protective instincts have already risen. And taking care of these beautiful horses will help you heal. There’s nothing more therapeutic than horses.”
“I thought I was the psychologist,” he told her with a raise of his brows.
“You know you aren’t allowed to doctor yourself. It’s a good thing I’m around to help you out,” she said.
The woman was so full of confidence. It was certainly a turn on.
“They aren’t going away, are they?” he finally asked.
She laughed again, the horses drawn to her pureness. “Nope. I’m glad you’re realizing it. I think you should name that beautiful stallion out there. He’s obviously yours.”
“He’s not mine,” he said. She just raised a brow. “I guess it doesn’t hurt to name him though.”
“That’s a first step,” she said.
“Let me watch him for a couple of days. I don’t know how you came up with names so quickly.”
“Are you getting all sentimental on me?” Darla asked. The older horses hadn’t come up to the fence but they’d moved closer. The babies were still nudging Darla. “I’m all out of food. You’ll have to wait until later,” she told them. They actually seemed to look disappointed.