No Holding Back

by Lori Foster

  “Locations for Mattox?” Finally, some good news! “Why are we still standing here? We should check them out.”

  “Reyes is doing that right now.”

  “He’s one man! He can’t be in three places at once.”

  “No, but my sister can. Remotely, that is. She’s able to tell which buildings are occupied, which ones have activity.”

  Sterling didn’t ask how. So far as she could tell, Madison had scary tech ability that’d be well over her head. “And?”

  “An old house seems more likely than the other two. Mattox hasn’t survived this long by being careless, so odds are he’ll be relocating real fast. If Reyes gets lucky, he might be able to follow him, find out where he holes up.”

  That sounded beyond perilous. “What if he gets caught?”

  “Worried about Reyes now, too?”

  “You aren’t?”

  Taking mercy on her emotions, Cade admitted, “A little. He’ll check back in soon.”

  How long was soon? Pacing, Sterling absently took in the room. Neat, of course. A solid but plain desk, comfortable chair—and the short sofa he’d offered her for napping. “We need to find out how the men got here today. There weren’t any cars in the lot. Did they park somewhere close by?”

  “Actually, they told Reyes they were dropped off so we wouldn’t see a car and be alerted. They were to use my own SUV to bring you in.”

  Her mouth went dry. “You mean us, don’t you? Bring us in?”

  He looked away. “They don’t want me, honey. I’d only be in the way.”

  No. Charging up to him, Sterling went on tiptoe to say, “Don’t you dare act indifferent about someone trying to kill you.”

  For the longest time Cade just stared at her. “You understand the situation. You don’t need me to tell you anything.”

  No and no again! Fear pushed her away from him. She needed distance to think, a way to lessen the awfulness of that possibility.

  Cade caught her before she got far, pulling her into his arms and holding her when she tried to get away. “Why is it you can handle it if someone threatens you, but this is a problem?”

  Her laugh sounded almost hysterical. “You, dead? No, I can’t handle that at all.”

  His expression softened. “Did I look in danger of dying?”

  No, he hadn’t. He’d dealt with those men as easily as he would have children. But they won’t all be that way. “You’re not invincible, you know.”

  She felt his smile against her temple. “I know. But I am highly trained for all situations, so the odds will always be in my favor.”

  Right up until they weren’t. God, she felt sick.

  “We need to stop and think now, okay?” He led her to the couch and sat down with her. “While I have Rob covering for me out front, tell me everything Adela said. We’ll sort it out.”

  Because she wasn’t sure what else to do, Sterling started at the beginning of the call and gave every grisly detail until she finished with what Mattox had said.

  The calm retelling aided her, giving her a new perspective. “They might have wanted to panic me.”

  “If Adela is working with him.”

  She nodded and met his gaze. “I have to know for sure.”

  “We all do, okay? None of us takes chances with the lives of innocent people. That’s first and foremost.”

  Yes, she’d realized that right off. Cade and his family were the good guys—and they were far better organized than she could ever hope to be on her own.

  Calming even more, Sterling asked, “So do you have a plan?”

  “I do, and it involves luring them in. Letting them think they have the upper hand, when in fact we’re the ones in control.”

  “Awesome.” It sounded like they were thinking along the same lines. “It’s like I said, right? Use me as bait, but I’ll be safe because you guys will be on it.”

  His expression went blank. Then a second later he scowled. “Close, but I’ll be the bait instead of you.”

  “What? No.” If he’d thought it through, he’d already know why that wouldn’t work. “They want to capture me, but you they want dead.”

  “They’ll take me alive, hoping it’ll help them get to you.”

  “You can’t know that!”

  He kissed her fast before she lost her cool all over again. “I have to get back out to the bar, but I promise you, Star. We’ll go over every detail, and we’ll all be in agreement before anything is put in motion. Does that work for you?”

  What could she say? It worked for her only because she’d never agree to anything that dumb. But damn it, she had joined their little group, and what if she got outvoted, instead of the other way around?

  Hand to her churning stomach, she gave a grudging nod, but deep in her heart, she had a very big problem.

  She’d already fallen in love with Cade McKenzie—and nothing dicked up clear thought like an overblown emotional attachment. Well, hell.

  * * *

  KNOCKED TO THE FLOOR, her jaw aching, her lip split, Adela scooted to sit against the wall. Thacker entered the room quietly, keeping a wide berth around Mattox, and handed her a cloth filled with ice.

  Busy watching Mattox, she didn’t thank Thacker. He looked nervously at Mattox, then sidled out of the room again, closing the door softly behind him. The cell phone, probably busted, lay on the floor between them.

  Mattox was out of control in a big way. She hadn’t lied about that. The floor shook beneath his stomping stride.

  He’d made two turns around the room, knocking furniture out of his way, before he paused in front of her. “You okay?”

  “Yes.” Quickly, not trusting his feet, she stood but stayed against the wall.

  “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  “It was her fault, not yours.” She tried to smile, but the swelling in her cheek made it difficult, and with him glowering at her... “She infuriates you. I understand.”

  Taking her wrist, Mattox lowered her hand to see her face. Whatever he saw tightened his mouth in disgust. “She’s going to pay. For everything.”

  He said it like a promise, so she replied, “I...I know.”

  “We have to relocate, the sooner the better. Be ready in five minutes.”

  Adela watched him storm out. He had a mercurial temper, but his rages didn’t last long, thank God. She’d probably be dead already if they did.

  When she knew he was far enough away, she picked up the phone. The screen was cracked, but it seemed to work still. Not that she had anyone else to call.

  * * *

  “SORRY, SUGAR. My plans got changed.” Sitting in yet another car, one of ten that Parrish had purchased for different occasions, Reyes stared through the windshield at the front of the old house. Patience might be his weak link. He detested downtime. If he had his druthers, he’d just plow into the house, find Mattox and beat the prick to death.

  Unfortunately, no one wanted him to do that, least of all his father. The plan was to bring down the whole shebang, not just one man, but damn. Stakeouts were boring as shit.

  “Reyes,” she complained. “I already had dinner planned.”

  Seeing movement behind the front window, Reyes narrowed his eyes and said in distraction, “Sorry, Annette. I’d be there if I could.”

  “You could come over when you get done with... whatever you’re doing.”

  “Family stuff.” He lifted the binoculars and looked at those windows more closely. Yup, that was definitely shadows shifting. “I’ll have to eat on the fly.”

  “So we won’t do dinner first.” Her voice went low and throaty. “I’ll still be here all night.”

  “You’re tempting me, doll.” Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford a distraction. “It could be late.”

  “So wake me when you get here.” She added in
a singsong voice, “I’ll be naked.”

  A quick visual flitted through his mind. Annette’s curly blond hair and sexy smiles, big boobs and shapely legs... “Sold.” Yes, he was that easy when it came to sex. “If I can wrap it up before midnight, I’ll be there. But if I’m a no-show, it won’t be lack of interest for that intriguing offer, okay?”

  “I’ll make it worth your while.”

  The front door opened, and Reyes rushed to say, “I do enjoy how you tease. Gotta roll now, but keep the motor revving for me.” He disconnected the call before Annette could say anything else.

  Four people came out of the house. First was Thacker, the slimy worm, and he didn’t even try for subtlety as he searched the area, a gun already in his hand.

  Behind him was Mattox...dragging Adela along with a bruising grip on her wrist.

  Well, hell. The binoculars gave him a very clear view of Adela’s battered face. Someone had socked the lady, and none too gently. Head down, short brown hair tangled and shoulders slumped, she followed meekly to a clichéd black sedan, where Mattox shoved her into the back seat.

  Frowning, Reyes wondered what had changed. Did he need to reevaluate the situation?

  He rubbed his chin, sorting through it all as he’d been taught.

  No, he wouldn’t make up his mind, not yet. Not until he had more to go on.

  With that thought, he tailed the car from a safe distance, checking constantly to ensure he hadn’t picked up a tail himself. That’s what he and Cade would have done. Switched it up. Let someone think they were following along, while they were actually being followed.

  A short time later, he called Cade. Soon as his brother answered, Reyes said, “Best as I can tell, they’re heading back to that cabin in the woods, near Coalville.”

  “Ballsy,” Cade said, “since we’re already aware of that area.”

  “Yeah, but it was a good hideout, and situated where it’s easy to spot anyone coming or going. If it came to that, they could hide in the mountains, or in one of the old coal mines, plus I can’t follow them there. They’d be onto me in no time.”

  “For now you’re safe?”

  “Yeah, just rode past. I’ll circle around a few times, just so they don’t catch on to me. Then I’ll hang out an hour or so to make sure they’re not moving again.”

  “I want you to be extra careful,” Cade said. He explained about the call Sterling had gotten. “Mattox is unhinged, and I have no idea what’s going on with him and Adela.”

  “Yeah, as to that... Someone knocked her around. The scene was total opposite of the other day. Fucker dragged her out of there and she looked cowed.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah, hard to read them, but I retract my earlier conclusions, at least until I can see more—which might be difficult with them hiding away. Doubt there’s any electronic eyes there for Madison to pick up. Hell, might not be Wi-Fi, either.”

  Cade didn’t answer, but Reyes knew the silence meant he was thinking. Cade was like that. Quietly methodical in all he did, whether it was plotting or kicking ass. Impressive stuff. He’d always admired his big brother, but no, he wasn’t much like him.

  Cade could handle a stakeout all day and never lose his edge. Sometimes it was eerie. He didn’t know what the military had done to his brother—but then, Cade had always been somewhat remote. Deep. A loner.

  Sad part was, he dealt with women the same way—or at least he had until Sterling charged in. He grinned, just thinking about it.

  She was one hell of a surprise.

  Not that his brother avoided female company. Hell no. But a relationship? That was the shocker. Anyone who knew Cade could see he’d staked a claim. The amusing part was that Sterling seemed every bit as possessive.

  “Star is worried,” Cade said, interrupting Reyes’s thoughts. “Mostly because she’s not sure of things, either. I trust her impressions on this, so I think it’s more complicated than we first considered.”

  “I agree she’s sharp.” Reyes took an exit to circle back and make another loop. “I just got an idea. If Madison could come up with an eye of some sort, I could sneak in later tonight and hook it up. Maybe at the main entrance to the town. It’s one dusty road, right? Should be easy enough to do, and then we’d at least get a heads-up if Mattox leaves there. If Madison has anything super high-tech, we might even be able to tell if he leaves alone or with Adela.”

  “Good idea, the sooner the better. You want me to get hold of her to ask?”

  “Just so you can relay to me? No, I’m already bored to tears. I’ll make the call.”

  Without comment on his complaint, Cade said, “Then keep me posted. And I mean, posted as in every hour or less. Star isn’t used to worrying, but she’s worried about you.”

  His brows shot up. “No shit?” The grin came slowly. “Now, ain’t that sweet?”

  “Check in,” Cade ordered again, “and let me know what Madison has to say.”

  “You got it.” As he drove past, he did see Thacker just departing, but Reyes was close enough to see he was alone. So he’d dumped Mattox and Adela somewhere inside the town or up in the mountain? Without transportation? Or was Thacker just running an errand?

  He called his sister and explained the situation, adding with concern, “There’s not a lot of light in this section—”

  “I know just the thing,” Madison said, and it sounded like she was on the go.

  “I’m guessing we’ll probably need three of them.”

  “Perfect,” she enthused. “I’ve got it covered.”

  “It needs to be something I can install superfast.”

  “Won’t take me more than a few minutes to get them each going.”

  “What—Whoa.” No way in hell did he want Madison getting physically involved. “You won’t be installing them.”

  “Course I will. You can keep watch. I think you’re forty-five minutes from me, but I’ll leave within five. I’ll call you when I’m close so we can meet up. No reason we can’t sneak in there together.”

  Talking tech always excited Madison, but Reyes wasn’t at all keen on her being in the same vicinity as Mattox. “We’ll meet and you can talk me through how to do it.”

  “Byeeee,” she said, and the call ended.

  “Son of a...” Reyes cut short his discontent, knowing it wouldn’t do him any good. If he could figure out exactly where the three cameras should go, he and Madison could get out of there quickly. Thinking of what they needed to know, and what would be least dangerous for his kid sister, he chose a post next to the railroad tracks—it would catch anyone attempting to arrive or exit that way. The second could go on a telephone pole but would require him standing on his car to get it high enough so it wouldn’t be noticeable. That’d exclude Madison.

  Under the overhang of the shabby church would be the perfect spot for the third camera because it would also catch anyone coming down the mountain on the narrower trail. But did he dare let Madison do that? Could he stop her?

  Probably not.

  He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, though. They’d use extra care, which meant it’d take a little longer, but he’d deal with it, and Annette would just have to deal, too.

  Once he had that worked out in his mind, he drove south to the next exit, found a gas station a mile down on the right and called his sister.

  “I’m on my way,” she assured him. “Where do we meet?”

  He gave her directions, then tried insisting again, “I’ll put up the cameras.”

  “Reyes.” Exasperated, she stretched out his name. “I have to be there anyway to ensure they’re properly connected and that I can access them. The three I have are motion activated, but that could still mean an animal, a bird or even a tree branch moved by the wind would kick them on. I’ll be able to remotely clear recordings, which will be on my server and impenet
rable from outside, so that we don’t have a cluttered feed.”

  Making a winding motion with his finger, Reyes said, “That’s all over my head. I’m talking about actually getting them mounted—”

  “I want them done a certain way. You can ensure no one sees me.”

  “You realize you sound as stubborn as Cade.”

  “Thank you.” With laughter in her tone, she said, “Love you, brother. See you shortly.” Again, she disconnected him.

  Sisters, he grumbled to himself. Yes, he knew he was sexist—most especially when it came to a baby sister he loved. Did he know she was capable? Yup, he did. Was he confident she could do it with or without his help? No doubts.

  But that didn’t mean he wanted his sis in the line of fire. Not if he could help it.

  Couldn’t stop her, though. Madison was sweet, but she didn’t put up with any macho crap. So he slumped in his seat, drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and waited.

  She arrived sooner than he’d expected, which was good, since he’d already been away from the site too long. Typical of Madison, she immediately took charge, but at least she allowed him to drive. They rode to the site together, all the while with her chatting about the cameras and what they could do.

  For the most part, Reyes tuned her out, uninterested in the technical details that fascinated her when he’d rather work out the logistics of getting her safely in and out of the area.

  He just knew Cade was going to have his head, being he was ten times more protective than Reyes.

  Fortunately for him, he was able to park down the tracks away from the small main road, close enough that they could sneak into Coalville on foot, unnoticed. Since she insisted on installing each one, he had to hoist Madison onto his shoulders to get two of the cameras in place, but she was incredibly efficient, as well as silent, in getting that completed. After only a few brief adjustments, she wrapped it up.

  As he lowered her back to the ground, she whispered, “Now I just need to connect them to my device so I can transfer it all back home and voilà—I’ll have eyes here.”