Branding & Saving Lily Box Set: Books 1 & 2 (Jacob and Lily's Duet)

by Gracin Sawyer

  Now I had to make a decision, one that I wasn’t happy about. I turned Lady to face the others. “Alright, we’ll head to Flank and meet up with Garcia.”

  “Are you going to kill Garcia?” Lily asked, softly.

  “No. Not today.” We started heading west toward Garcia. Flank wasn’t really a place, it was just a watering hole we used when moving cattle, but he should be there about midnight, so we had to get moving.

  Lily’s head hung as Lady’s gait lulled her to sleep. She shivered and I wrapped my arm around her tighter. The sun had gone down about two hours ago and the fall night air crept up faster on the mountainside than in the valley.

  I put the reins in my other hand and reached behind me to pull out the small blanket tied to my saddle, wrapping it around her shoulders. She leaned back, resting her head against my shoulder.

  She was so fragile in my arms. How I’d come to love her in such a short time still amazed me, but I wasn’t going to question fate.

  Scanning the darkness, I searched for anything unusual. Occasionally, a coyote yipped and a rabbit would scurry away from us, but nothing I didn’t expect. With Knox still out there, I needed to stay vigilant. I couldn’t let myself become careless. Lily depended on me to protect her.

  Lady tensed and sidestepped, alerting me to potential danger. She and I had ridden together long enough we could read each other. Something out there spooked her. Or someone.

  I stopped her and held my hand up for the others. After ten years, we were a well-oiled machine, knowing how each other would move and react. Without a doubt, I knew Bear would be behind me, Doc flanking him, and Jax would hang back, guarding the rear of our group. Diesel would normally take off to investigate ahead, letting us know what we were heading into, but he wasn’t here.

  Flapjack crept up to Lady. “I can slip ahead and scout.”

  Lily stirred and looked around, but said nothing. I wasn’t sure if it was instinct or fear that held her tongue, but until I knew what was out there, I was glad.

  I pondered Flapjack’s request, debating if I should be the one to scout or not. We were close enough to the watering hole, it could just be Garcia, but I wasn’t willing to take the chance. Especially with Knox’s threat to harm Lily still crumpled on a paper in my jacket pocket.

  “Jacob, it hasn’t been that long since we worked a hunt together. I can do more than cook and you know it.”

  Hell, I did know. For years he was a part of our tight posse. “Alright.”

  He wasted no time turning away, fading into the darkness. I strained to see him, but I couldn’t even make out his outline under the moonlight. Damn, he really was good at this.

  “Will Carter be okay?” Lily whispered.

  It was strange hearing his given name. Still keeping an eye out, I leaned in to speak softly in her ear. “Yeah, don’t worry, honey. We’ve done this before.”

  “How many times?”

  “I’ve lost count.” I couldn’t even try to give her an answer. The only difference was this time it was on my own property and the girl I was saving was mine.

  Lady pawed at the ground and inhaled quickly only to blow out a puff of breath, letting me know she was getting anxious to move, either toward danger or away from it. I reached over Lily and rubbed Lady’s neck. “Shhh, girl. Almost.” I knew she wouldn’t budge until I told her to. A man couldn’t ask for a better horse.

  A slight movement flittered in my peripheral. I snapped my attention to search the dark ground. Flapjack was nearly next to me before I saw him. “It’s just Garcia and his men.”

  That was a relief. “Did you tell them we were coming?”

  He chuckled. “Hell nah, they didn’t even see me.”

  I smiled, knowing how close Flapjack could get to someone without being seen. “Well, let’s go let him know we’re here.”

  Together we all rode toward Garcia.

  A small fire flickered and Garcia and his men looked out of place sitting around it with their black suits. I was actually surprised any of them could start a fire.

  A small trickle of water babbled as it fed the pool of water. The moon reflected on its still surface.

  “Who’s there?” Garcia stood from his perch atop a cut log, drawing his gun.

  “Just me. Put your gun away before you hurt someone.” I drew Lady up short, waiting for him to lower his Glock. No way was I going to get Lily closer with a live weapon being waved around.

  “Cardosa, what the hell?”

  I dismounted and reached up to help Lily down. Garcia watched me with his daughter and grimaced.

  Keeping my hand at the small of her back, needing to touch her, I led her to the fire so she could stay warm. I pulled out the note from Knox and held it out for Garcia. “We found this. I think you should read it.”

  Garcia took the crumpled paper and smoothed it out to read, only to return it to its former state before tossing it in the fire. “That son of a bitch! He has the nerve to not only threaten my daughter, but me?”

  The next thing I had to do killed me, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I had a whole afternoon to try to come up with a different plan, but nothing where I thought Lily would be safe enough. “Garcia, I need you to keep Lily.”

  “What!” Lily whirled around, her eyes wide but not in fear. The wild rage burned in her beautiful blue irises.

  Garcia sneered. “I knew you couldn’t protect her.”

  I spun to face him, grabbing his shirt and pulling my Glock up under his chin, digging into his flesh before he could gasp for air. “Don’t you ever fucking underestimate me. This is me protecting her. Don’t forget, you’re alive right now because I’m allowing you to live.”

  The click of guns echoed around me, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew his men wouldn’t have the draw on mine, and the sound I heard was Bear and Doc covering my back.

  Garcia glared over his crooked nose. “Fuck you.”

  Lenny, one of Garcia’s men, moved to grab me, but the barrel of Doc’s gun found his temple before he could touch me. Doc grinned. “You’re pretty stupid.”

  “You made your point, Cardosa. What the fuck do you want from me?”

  I let him go and holstered my gun. “You will take Lily back with you while I hunt Knox down. We can’t take her with us.”

  Lily touched my arm, the blanket falling from her shoulders. “Jacob, just let him go after Knox. I don’t want to leave you. I can’t go with him.”

  Looking down into her eyes, I searched for understanding. Couldn’t she see this killed me? I wanted to be the one with her. I didn’t want to send her with Garcia for protection. There just wasn’t another way to keep her safe and make sure Knox dies. “Honey, this is what I do. Your father’s men are no match to mine. As soon as Knox is dead, you can come home. I promise. I’ll be there to get you before you even know I’m gone.” I pushed a tuft of hair back behind her ear. “And nothing will happen to you.” I glared at Garcia, every threat possible flashed through my eyes. “Isn’t that right.”

  Garcia glowered. “Don’t fucking patronize me. She’s my daughter. Nothing will happen to her.”

  I thrust a finger to his chest. “That’s right, or I will hunt you next.”

  Chapter 25

  Lily

  I couldn’t believe Jacob was going to leave me with Garcia. Maybe I could get him to change his mind before we got back to the house. He had promised that I wouldn’t have to go with him, but now he was determined that this was the only way for him to go after Knox. I was scared that without me something would happen to Jacob. Or what if Garcia did something to keep Jacob from returning to me.

  We rode harder than earlier and my legs and stomach ached badly. I wasn’t used to riding a horse and my body hated me for it. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk when we finally get to dismount.

  The house loomed ahead. I hated seeing it because that meant I would be cast off to Garcia soon.

  Jacob slowed, letting the others go on ahead. Except for Garcia
who held back with us. Jacob nodded toward the house. “They’ll sweep the area before I bring Lily in.”

  “I think we should stay here. Why can’t he just stay at the ranch with me?” Maybe I could get him to let me at least stay here. If I were at least in his house, I would feel closer to him.

  “No, I don’t want you anywhere close to here without me knowing where Knox is. It will be better if you go with Garcia. His place is heavily guarded.” Jacob’s arm tightened around me and he leaned in close to whisper. “I don’t want to be away from you any longer than I need, trust me when I say I will be hurrying back to you.”

  I nodded but said nothing. There wasn’t anything I could say that would change his mind.

  He reined the horse to a stop and jumped down before reaching up to help me.

  “We’ll get her packed so you can get her out of here.” Jacob led me to the house and I wanted to cry.

  I followed him blindly as tears blurred my vision. My legs could barely get me up the stairs, but I didn’t care. I’d take the pain of riding that damn horse all over again if it meant I could stay with Jacob. I’d stab myself all over again if it would change anything.

  I went to my room while Jacob left to grab a bag for my things. He lifted it up for me to see before setting it on the bed and unzipped it. “You can use mine. I won’t need it this time. I won’t be gone long enough.” He tried to give me a smile but faltered. “I don’t like this any more than you, Lily, but I promised to keep you safe.”

  Reaching out, I touched his shoulder. “I know. I hate it and wish I could talk you out of it, but I think I understand. Besides, Knox probably won’t think I went back with Garcia.”

  He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to him, lowering his forehead down to mine. “I don’t know how my heart fell for you so quickly, but damn it, I love you. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you. I need you to go with Garcia so I know you’re safe while I’m gone.”

  Being that close to him was intoxicating. I clutched his shirt tightly and held on to him for all that moment was worth. “I’ll go.”

  He held me closer, his heat radiating through my layers of clothes. “I love you. But when I get back, if you realize this was some infatuation with me, that you really don’t want me, I’ll understand. I’ll hate it, but I’ll leave you alone and let you live your life. As long as you’re happy and safe, that’s all I want.”

  My heart dropped to my stomach and rolled over. How could he even say that? “Jacob, no, you have to come back. I love you. I know it’s too soon and probably under the wrong circumstances how we met, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about you. Please don’t leave me.”

  I looked up just as his lips crashed down on mine, claiming my soul. He wasn’t just kissing me, he was declaring his love, letting every single cell in my body know I was his. He was demanding and pleading, pressing himself against me. His lips urged mine to open, letting his tongue slip past to dance with mine. Faster, his lips seemed to crave more, pressing harder, crushing down on me.

  His hand wound its way through my hair, holding the back of my head while he held me close with the other.

  I held on, fearing I would fall with my already unstable legs that no longer wanted to support me. His touch left me weak and dizzy.

  All too soon, he pulled back, his eyes closed. His heavy breathing was rapid and matched pace with mine.

  “I’m expecting a kiss like that when you return,” I whispered with a slight rasp, still unable to use my full voice. He had a way of stealing things like my voice. Not that I would complain. And not that I didn’t give it freely.

  “I’m gonna do a whole lot more than kiss you when I return,” he said, his voice deeper too. The way his voice turned rough when we kissed made the fire in me burn harder.

  I blushed and playfully pushed off him. “I’m going to hold you to that, Mr. Cardosa.”

  I turned toward the dresser, needing to find some space between us before I ripped off his clothes. Pulling out undergarments, I packed them in the bag while Jacob took clothes from the closet, placing them in the bag as well. We worked silently until everything was packed.

  He picked up the bag and slung the strap over his shoulder. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner I kill Knox, the sooner I can get you back here. There isn’t a room in this house I don’t want to utilize.”

  I giggled. I could only imagine the ways he wanted to utilize them.

  Downstairs, Garcia and two of his men waited for us. “We’re loaded and ready to go.”

  Carter stood by the door, fidgeting, clenching and unclenching his fist. He stepped forward and stopped Jacob, leaning in to speak quietly. “Boss, maybe I should go with them. Help watch over Lily?”

  Jacob placed a hand on Carter’s shoulder. “I appreciate you wanting to protect her, but we need you.”

  Carter looked at me and nodded. There was no way he would argue with Jacob, that was one of the first things I learned about the men under Jacob.

  I was so fond of Carter and the friendship we had started. It was humbling to know he wanted to go with me. “Carter, I’ll be okay. When I get back, we can cook that rabbit. Don’t think I’ve forgotten. You’re not off the hook.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think you know what you’re in for.”

  Jacob led me outside to the black vehicles. Doc was there beside the back door like a guard. He opened the door for me, but I hesitated. I’d gone from imprisoned to near death, to here in less than a month, my uncertainty begged me to evaluate every move I made. But I was here. And I was alive.

  In a heartbeat, I understood more about living than I had my entire life and I wasn’t about to give up. Jacob’s hand at the small of my back reaffirmed my newly found confidence. I turned to him and stretched up on my toes, kissing him before ducking into the backseat.

  Garcia slid in beside me. The door shut with Jacob’s gaze never wavering from me outside the tinted windows. He couldn’t see me anymore, but his eyes never strayed from mine until the car pulled away.

  “Lily,” Garcia said, tugging at his black suit jacket. It was covered in dirt from last night’s ride on horseback. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve missed you so much. And your mother,” he choked, but recovered quickly. “Your mother meant the world to me. I promise we’ll avenge her death.”

  I snapped my head to stare at him. “Avenge her? You had us kidnapped and hidden for five years. You shouldn’t have to avenge her because if it wasn’t for you, she’d still be here.”

  Garcia’s face turned hard and he glowered. “Don’t you think I hated what I did? It was what I thought was best. I lost both of you five years ago. Hell yes, she should be here with us right now, but she’s not. All I have left of her is you, and damn straight I’m gonna do everything in my power to keep you safe. And nothing will stop me from avenging her death.” He turned to glare out the window.

  I didn’t care if he was mad at me or the situation. “Let me ask you one thing.”

  His glare softened as he turned back to me. “Anything.”

  “Was that deal you made with Angel worth it?” I’d hate to find out that the deal that went south wasn’t worth sacrificing family for.

  He cast his gaze to the side. “If you had asked me then, I would have said yes. But after paying the consequences, I can assure you, no deal was worth losing you or your mother.” Garcia reached out for my hand and I didn’t pull away. “I am truly sorry.” A bitter snicker replaced the small tear in the corner of his eye. “In the end, I ended right back up in the same spot, but without my wife. When Angel finds out you’re alive, he will come for you.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. I’m sure Jacob can help.”

  Garcia chuckled. “I’m just not sure what could help anymore. I’m a broken old man.”

  I could understand. If Jacob never came back for me, I’d spend forever broken too. I studied the man on the seat next to me, wondering how much
of him I had gotten.

  My mousy brown hair was definitely his, and his nose was almost a perfect match to mine, but more than that, I think his rancorous attitude was genetic. Where my mother was only strong when it came to protecting me, she had been weakened by the years of abuse, and this man let the years harden his heart making him stronger. I felt that, and while I had a moment of weakness when I tried to kill myself, it actually empowered me. I felt like I had a say over what happened to me.

  I stared out the window. Suddenly, I knew where I wanted to go. “Garcia, how far is Lovers Creek from here?”

  A slight grin lifted his eyes. “How do you know about that place?”

  “Mom used to tell me about it. She said it was her favorite place and I’d like to see it sometime.”

  “That was our place. She named it Lovers Creek but it’s just a small piece of Lamoille Creek we used to sneak off to.” He sat up straighter and smiled. “I’m pretty sure that’s where you were conceived.”

  I grimaced. “I didn’t need to know that.”

  He chuckled. “Cardosa’s ranch is a bit farther north. But, when we get home, I’ll have to take you. We don’t live very far from there.”

  I hated how he said we. I wasn’t moving back in with him. His house was not mine anymore. Jacob would be coming back for me.

  The road wound through a canyon past a lake then twisted left and right as we climbed a summit. It was hard to focus on something long enough to not get dizzy. The tall trees had long ago faded into sagebrush and dirt. But there was a rugged beauty about it.

  Garcia’s men rode in the trucks in front and behind us, guarding us even on the road. It was strange remembering what kind of world I was born into, but I was beginning to think it wasn’t as normal as it seemed when I was a child. No one we passed seemed to have an escort of armed men protecting them.

  I leaned my head against the glass and stared out, wondering how Jacob was doing. With me gone, I wondered if he’d realize he didn’t love me and leave me with Garcia. There was no reason for a man like him to love some broken woman like me. It made no sense. My heart pinged at the thought, cracking as though the idea of Jacob never coming back would literally cause it to shatter.