Dodge the Bullet

by Christy Hayes

  A.J. It was odd to hear someone call Dodge anything other than his last name. But wasn’t it odder still that she was sleeping with a man she referred to only by his last name? He wasn’t her teammate, for Christ’s sake, he was her lover. “What does A.J. stand for?”

  Mary Beth smiled and let her eyes skim Sarah again like she’d done when Dodge had introduced them outside the feed store where her husband Shelton worked. “Andrew Jackson.” Sarah heard pride in her voice. Whatever his sister had thought about Dodge when Wendy Hawkins made her big announcement, she sure thought the world of him now. “You two are sweet on each other.”

  It was more a statement than question. Sarah didn’t know if she needed to answer, so she decided to ask a question of her own. “Anybody ever call him Andy?”

  “My mother called him Andy, or more like, ‘my little Andy.’ No matter what he did, or didn’t do, mama would go through the house saying, ‘Who made my little Andy cry?’ or they’d play peek-a-boo and she’d call out, ‘Now where’s my little Andy?’ Mary Beth shook her head at the memory. “She loved having a boy. She was so happy to have him. I wonder if he remembers how much she loved him.”

  “It’s a mother-son thing.” Sarah said. “There’s nothing quite like it. Of course, I don’t have girls, so I guess I’m not the best judge.”

  “No, you’re right. I’ve got both and the boys, well, they’re only ours for a short time. Once a woman gets a hold of them they’re gone. Girls,” she shrugged. “They’re with you forever.”

  The thought of her boys only being with her for a short time caused Sarah’s eyes to close and little pictures of them throughout the years to swirl around her head like photos in the wind. When she opened her eyes again, they were pulling into the parking lot of Shelton’s feed store.

  “We’re here,” Mary Beth announced quietly as Sarah sat up in her seat and rubbed her hands over her face.

  “I guess I dozed off there for awhile.” She yawned. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You needed the sleep.” Mary Beth pulled the truck to a stop and looked over at Sarah. “You awake enough to drive Dodge’s truck back to the ranch?”

  “Don’t you need a ride home?”

  “I can catch a ride with Shelton. It’s quitting time.”

  Sarah started back to the ranch just as the sun began its journey behind the Mountains. She hoped Dodge had taken the time to get some sleep. While she’d slept, her dreams were of the boys, images of them at all ages, obscure thoughts of them as adults. But now, in the quiet of the dying day, her thoughts wandered to the man waiting at home.

  She’d spent the whole day with his sister and was left with more questions than answers. Her image of him kept changing, shifting like sand in a bottle. The young son beloved by his mother, raised by a quiet father and a house full of sisters. They’d all let him down, but were there for him now. She wondered what he was like as a boy and growing up as a teenager. She wondered what his ex-wife was like, and why thinking of him married to someone made her feel curiously nettled.

  And through it all was the need for him, so unmistakably a part of her now. The more he brought her into his life, showed sides of himself she hadn’t seen before, the more she wanted to know. He intrigued her, challenged her and excited her in a way she hadn’t thought possible after Todd. And yet it all felt so new and different.

  They hadn’t spoken all day. Cell coverage through the mountains was spotty at best and Sarah was anxious to learn if there’d been any discoveries made, either at the ranch or through contact with Kimberly. They needed to formulate a plan for the coming night. Her eyes searched the barn and house for Dodge or Miguel. Seeing no one, she preceded to the cabin.

  After a quick shower, she heated up a bowl of canned soup and had reached for the phone when she heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. A quick glance out the side window confirmed it was Dodge. She made her way to the door to meet him. He looked tired. He’d obviously showered and caught maybe a small nap, but his gait was slower than normal and his eyes looked heavy.

  “God, I love that robe.” He flashed a grin she felt all the way to her toes and planted a loud kiss on her lips. “Did the boys get off okay?”

  Sarah closed the door behind him and followed him inside the cabin. “Yes. What’s in the bag?” She moved to the bar where he’d placed a brown paper sack.

  “Night vision goggles,” he answered while rifling through the refrigerator. “What’s that smell?”

  “Night vision goggles?”

  “No, the food smell. I’m starved.”

  Sarah moved into the kitchen, nudged Dodge away from the microwave and placed the steaming bowl on the counter. “Chicken noodle. You can have it, I have more. I’ll even make you a sandwich to go with it if you explain about the goggles.”

  “You sure?”

  “Eat and explain.”

  Dodge sat at the bar, slurping the hot soup while he talked. “A high school buddy’s ex-military. Why he still has these, I don’t know. But I’m glad he did. They should make things a lot easier tonight.”

  Sarah placed thick slices of ham and roast beef on bread she’d spread with mayonnaise. “What’s the plan for tonight?”

  He dropped the spoon heavily in the empty bowl and reached for the plate Sarah handed him. “The plan, right now, is for you to let me have a look at what you’ve got on under that robe.”

  ###

  Sarah laughed. “Well, you’re mood has certainly improved since I left this morning.”

  His mood had improved. He looked longingly at the woman who had a lot to do with his moods. After she’d left with Mary Beth, his head felt full of doubts about introducing her to his sister and opening another door of his life. He wasn’t all together sure how he felt about his family and it seemed to muddy the water a bit to push Sarah into the mix. But there’d been no other choice.

  Once the weirdness of the situation had passed, he felt damn grateful his sister was willing to drop everything and escort Sarah to Denver for the day, especially considering he'd been unwilling to define their relationship. He’d chosen to ignore the bond of family life during the years he was gone. Who else would drop everything when you needed them? Family. It felt good to know that after everything that had happened in the past they were there for him now.

  When he thought about what Sarah had said earlier, that Burwick was too smart to do something to harm her, he knew she was right. And when her safety was no longer on the front burner of his concern, a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. Property, he could defend without emotions getting in the way. Sarah, no way. Now that Kevin and Lyle were safely tucked away across the country, defending the property seemed more like a boy scouts adventure than anything. Wouldn’t it be just desserts to catch Burwick’s henchman red-handed and watch the mighty senator fall?

  “You could say that.” He waived her over from around the bar. He loved to watch her move, watch the gleam in her eye when she realized the power she held over him, watch her enjoy the dance of seduction. She wore every emotion on her face, and right now her face showed desire, plain and simple. Dodge braced his hands on her hips and pulled her between his legs, let his hands wander her backside. “Ummm, nothing under here that I can tell. Only one way to be sure.”

  Dodge let the thin fabric drift down her shoulders. He fisted the thin material and used it to hold her in place while his eyes feasted on the wonder of her body. She was narrow from shoulder to hip to toe. He gazed at the fluttering pulse in her neck, the slow rise of her chest and the slim tapering of her waist. Her skin shimmered in the afternoon light. She was his for the taking. He itched to touch her, taste her, take her, but first he needed to see her and try to figure out why she'd led him to break every rule he’d ever made about getting involved with a woman. When he lifted his eyes to hers he saw her need and a flash of caution in her deep emerald pools. He moved to take her mouth with his own.

  ###

  It was the first time he’d sought he
r out, drawn her toward the heat that bound them together. Sarah felt her stomach quiver as his fingertips brushed her skin, taunting her with his slow deliberate movements. He pulled the robe apart bit by bit. She watched approvingly as his lids dropped to half mast as he stared, felt the tight pull and loose give of her body under his scrutiny. Gone was her apprehension about being exposed to him, her questions about his past and their future. Her mind snapped shut like a vault.

  “A.J.” Sarah whispered his name, let her eyes flicker closed. Her robe fell at her feet and when she expected to feel him move into her she felt nothing but air. She opened her eyes.

  “What did you just say?” They were centimeters apart and yet she felt him step back from her as if he’d moved physically.

  “I said your name.”

  “Hummm.” He straightened, added real distance.

  “The man at the hardware store calls you Dodge. Tommy and Miguel call you Dodge. My sons call you Dodge.”

  “It doesn’t feel right coming from you.”

  She picked up his hand and guided his fingers to her breast. “Touch me, A.J.”

  He stared in stony silence, his mouth set in a stubborn line, but his hands began to knead. She arched into his palm, and let out a shallow moan when he pinched. She moved into him and nipped his bottom lip with her teeth. “Kiss me, A.J.”

  “Sarah…” His voice was tight with aggravation.

  She forced his hand down with both of hers, felt her need lick his fingers as she moved into it. “Make love to me, A.J.”

  “No one but family calls me A.J. Why are you doing this?”

  She shuddered when his hand began a rhythm of its own. “I want to be someone different, someone special.”

  He reached for her hands as they tugged at his zipper, held them together between his, and stared intently into her eyes. “You are different. You are special.”

  She pulled hands free and clasped them around his neck. “Only in private, just between us.” And when he scowled, she said, “I’m not your high school football coach, Andrew Jackson. Let me in, A.J. Please?”

  He sighed. Irritation simmered just beneath the lust. “There’s a price to pay, Sarah. A big one.”

  “Name it.”

  “You. Wherever I want, whenever I want.”

  “How about right here, right now?” She lifted his shirt over his head, felt the tickle of his chest hair against her skin and let out a gasp when he lifted her onto the counter and plunged. He was rough and insistent, her price for getting too close. She knew she'd spooked him. She relished his loss of control and the urgency of their joining. He couldn’t command her with words so he’d punish her with his body. But his punishment was the sweetest torture she'd ever known. She came without warning, a violent twisting pinpoint of pleasure, a monumental ascent and a leisurely slide back to earth. And still he plundered. When she opened her eyes and found him staring at her, his eyes almost black, she understood what she’d cost him. She reached her hands up to stroke his face. He let himself go.

  He pulled up, braced his weight on his elbows and studied her face. “Do you always get what you want?”

  “No.” Far from it. And she couldn’t remember wanting anyone quite this much.

  ###

  The black Towncar sped down the two-lane highway like a bullet, slowing only to pass the occasional tractor that meandered onto the road. With every passing mile, Benji’s agitation grew and he feared Kimberly had noticed. She kept watching him with curious eyes as be blotted his sweat-soaked brow and methodically checked the time on his watch. Evening was fast approaching, swaddling the horizon in the golden fingers of dusk. The sky had opened up the night before, and rainwater choked the usually dry ditches. Even the sage brush acres of barren land held the freshly washed sheen of a shower.

  He’d pinned all his hopes on last night being the end. He was supposed be able to relax today with Saxton off his back and guilt off his conscience. The rain had ruined everything. With a clear forecast the plans were back on for that night. The only thing that had changed was his alibi; he and his staff would be on a late night flight back D.C. He only hoped the cramped interior of the plane didn’t suck the air from his chest like the backseat of his car did now.

  “Senator, is everything ok?” Kimberly asked from beside him, her brow furrowed in concern.

  “Yes, yes, I’m fine. Just organizing my thoughts for the meeting.” He reached for his leather bound notebook with hands that were far from steady.

  ###

  Kimberly turned her head to the window to hide her amusement at the sight of Benji wound tighter than drum. She’d talked to Tommy earlier and told him of their plans for the day and night. They both assumed things would proceed later that evening. Despite her worry, she couldn’t help enjoy watching Benji struggle with the fear that he’d get caught. She hoped deep down in the pit of her stomach that a little part of his nervousness came from guilt, but after nearly eighteen months of daily contact, she couldn't be sure.

  She knew Benji had planned something bad. She’d watched him excuse himself from one meeting after another with his cell phone clutched tightly in his fist. She'd never seen him so jittery. She’d even gone so far as to call her brother Roger to ask him if he’d heard anybody bragging about doing some work for the senator. He hadn’t heard a thing. All she could do was wait like the rest of them and hope to be around to watch Benji implode.

  Her job was over, as far as she was concerned. She couldn’t work for a man who’d endanger a woman and her children for the almighty dollar. If she seemed a little joyful in watching him sweat it out the last few hours before his demise, well, so be it.

  Chapter 21

  Dodge positioned his truck near the back entrance, tucked safely out of sight between some trees and a few carefully placed hay bales. The night vision goggles afforded him a hell of a lot better scope than the night before. Miguel had staked out the front, hiding inside the enclosed tractor between the barn and the caretaker’s house. He had a bird’s eye view of the main gate. Two of Miguel’s cousins were stationed along a stretch of fence Dodge determined the most likely spot for someone to try and slip through undetected. Apparently the two needed money more than sleep. Dodge hoped the showdown happened soon before he lost any more money paying his help to stay up all night.

  He’d insisted Sarah stay behind in the cabin and for once she’d listened, but not without arguing and pouting. He reminded her that the only reason he’d let her stay in town was because she’d convinced him she wasn’t the target. She’d reminded him that he hadn't let her do anything and then tried to talk him out of being in the field alone. He’d held firm.

  The thought of their argument brought a smile to his lips. Fighting with her was almost as much fun as making love to her. Almost. The woman was a firecracker, and a tricky one at that. She’d talked him up one side and down the other, pacing and flailing her arms like a teacher in a lecture hall. She was like a tornado once she got started. With all her energy focused on an issue, no wonder she got what she wanted most of the time. Many people, he suspected, weren’t strong enough to stand up to that kind of intimidation.

  Just past three a.m. when he’d tucked himself next to a tree trunk to relieve his aching bladder, he heard the slow crunch of gravel under tires. He reached for his gun and strapped the goggles to his face. Burrowed deep in the high grass, he caught his first glimpse of a car approaching with its lights off. With gun in hand, he tried to control his quickening breath.

  The car stopped close to the gate. A man in a hooded jacket got out of the car, but kept the engine running. With deliberate movements, he opened the back door of the vehicle, extricated large wire cutters, and made easy work of the chain that held the gate in place. After tossing the cutters in the backseat, he closed the door without a sound. Dodge noted with disgust and an increasing sense of unease that the man's gloves would make it impossible to trace his fingerprints.

  The whole operation reeked of a pr
ofessional job and quickly dispelled Dodge's hope that an ill-prepared local would stumble into their trap. He needed to warn Miguel and the others, but couldn’t risk using the phone. He stayed put and watched the car creep slowly along the road, a sliver of moon to guide the way. When the car was safely around the bend and heading toward the barn, Dodge moved to his truck and reached for the phone.

  “Miguel? There’s a car coming your way from the west pasture. Stay put. I’m coming in from behind about a hundred yards back.” He only hoped Miguel understood as he didn’t have time for questions or to repeat himself.

  Dodge left his truck and took off on foot. He ran from hay bale to hay bale, grateful he’d left some in the field to use as cover. The car moved slowly and kept along a straight path when the road forked off toward the adjoining pasture. He was going for the barn, leaving Miguel in the line of fire. Dodge moved quickly as he knew Miguel wouldn’t budge until Dodge had instructed him.

  Dodge thought about the plan he'd formulated in his head. Once someone came onto the property he could have them arrested for trespassing. But trespassing was a minor charge and he knew whoever Benji had hired had more than simple trespassing in mind. He and Miguel had set out a plan to intercede only if things took a different turn. They wanted to catch the perpetrator at something more than a misdemeanor as it increased the chance for them of implicating Burwick.

  But now that Miguel waited like a sitting duck, he questioned the plan from beginning to end. He clutched his phone, his hand gun tucked into the back of his jeans, and zigzagged his way across the field toward the barns. He made up his mind to call the police as soon as he had an idea of what was going on. At least Sarah was safely stowed away at the cabin.

  The car pulled behind the empty corral and stopped. Dodge heard a squeak of the breaks but noticed the tail lights hadn't illuminated. It only added to his dread. He stopped behind an old tiller and pulled the gun from his waistband. The man got out of the car and opened the trunk where he seemed to assemble something. Dodge reached for his phone to tell Miguel to double back around the barns and wait by the side entrance, but before he could dial he saw the man lift two large gas tanks from the trunk of the car. Shit. Time to call the police.