by Aliyah Burke
“Seemed faster this way,” he said releasing her.
She stepped over the other injured man to settle between them both and glanced at the handsome Irishman. “Thanks. Keep an eye on Vic for me, please. Make sure she stays safe.”
Cian’s wink didn’t exactly settle her nerves, not when it had been accompanied by the sexy smirk. “My pleasure.”
She pounded on the window with her good arm. “Let’s go.” Deliberately moving her gaze away from Judd without so much as a word, she focused on Vic. “Keep yourself safe.”
“I’ll be right behind you,” she said blowing her a kiss. “Don’t forget, Gian is waiting for you back at the ranch.”
In her periphery, Laciee witnessed the jerk that laced Judd’s body at Vic’s statement. God, I love you, Vic. “Thanks.” The truck turned and she situated herself. There were dogs lying there panting as well. Whatever happened hadn’t been small scale. She remained in the back for the next two hours as they sped along as fast as their conditions allowed for.
The ambulance waited as promised, and she didn’t move when they took both men from the back. In fact, she didn’t move after that either. Her back screamed in pain, and she wasn’t positive she could go anywhere.
Gian was there, and Rosa as well. Tears blurred in Laciee’s gaze as he reached to the top of the bedrail and hopped into the back with her.
“Beautiful, you’ve done too much, haven’t you?” he asked in Italian. “You didn’t think about what it would do to you to go out there.”
“No.”
“Can you stand?” He crouched beside her, slipping his arm around her back. “I’ll help.”
With a minimal bout of pain, she got to her feet. Gian jumped back out and turned to reach for her. “I’m carrying you,” he said, continuing on in Italian.
Laciee didn’t argue with him, well aware he was pissed if he wasn’t using English. She hobbled to the end of the lowered tailgate and allowed Gian to draw her into his arms and carry her. Beside them, Rosa kept pace, chattering in Spanish. Laciee merely closed her eyes.
A short time later, she was lying on the bed in the spare room that Vic was using. Gian sat at her side and Rosa flitted around, making sure Laciee drank her tea and took some pain meds.
“I’m okay,” she said, trying to assure not just the two of them, but also herself. They both shared some words in Spanish and she scowled at them, pissed her pain and foggy head were making it difficult for her to translate. “What are you saying about me?”
“You should have learned the language if you wanted to demand such things,” he taunted, handing her more water, along with two more pills. “Take those as well.”
She frowned at him, then looked to the pills. Muscle relaxers. Popping them, she drank, then handed over the glass, too tired and sore to argue that they didn’t have to wait upon her.
“Vic said you had some news to tell me,” she uttered, relaxing back and willing the pain to subside.
He reached out a hand and slipped it down the side of her face. His touch, while comforting, wasn’t the one she wished on her. Shoving thoughts of Judd to the back of her mind, she focused on Gian and the words falling from his mouth.
* * * *
Judd swore as he wiped his hand along his brow. He ached like never before. The slaughtered cattle had been destroyed, and the minor wounds on his men were being finished up by Vic. He patted Kilburn on his muscled neck and headed to where she stood, toe to toe with Cian.
“What do you know of riding?” his half-brother asked.
“Don’t assume you know everything about me, Irish, just because you’re looking at a woman from New York City. I can ride. I grew up riding.” She drew a hair band from her pocket and tied back the thick black waves. “I ride English, but I can ride.”
“I have no doubt you can ride, but can you outride me?”
Judd cleared his throat, interrupting where this conversation was headed. Both of them turned to look at him. Vic’s gaze sparkled with impishness as she stepped closer to Judd.
“You got any injuries I need to tend?” She canted her head to the side. “I can’t have Laciee’s stubborn man getting sick from anything festering.”
He wasn’t sure about the Laciee’s man bit. “Stubborn?”
“Please, like we both don’t know you’ve been avoiding her because you can’t keep your hands off her. Not that I blame you, she’s hot but she could do for a bit of words from you so she is aware you don’t hate her.” She walked off to where the men were talking and took the water from Joel who passed it to her without comment.
Cian moved to stand at his side. Judd crossed his arms and watched her interact with his men.
“How are you?” Cian’s question broke the silence between them.
“Glad it’s over. How about you?”
“Pissed the bastard got the drop on my Aeveen. I’m gonna miss that damn dog.”
Judd nodded, not needing to mention he’d seen the tears the man had spilled as he buried his hunter. “If you think everything is under control here, I’m ready to end this.”
“We have all we need. I’ll take Vic back with me.”
Judd cut his gaze sideways, taking in the look of desire on his sibling’s face. “Cian,” he warned.
“I know. Best friend of your woman. Still a woman, and unattached.”
“Christ, you’d hump a tree in the woods.”
Cian grinned. “How do you think I managed to make it all these past few nights out there?”
Judd shook his head. “Not going there.” He clapped Cian on the shoulder and strode over to meet the men. “Let’s go home.”
They all shared looks with him before swinging up into their saddles. Over Kilburn’s head, Judd spied Cian talking to Vic, seconds before he lifted her onto the back of his horse. Judd swung onto his gelding and as one, they all began heading back to the main part of the Flying T. Chatter floated around him and he thought back to what Vic had said.
Sure, he’d been avoiding Laciee when she was awake because then there would be questions. Ones he wasn’t ready to address. When she slept, he could hold her close and pretend there wasn’t anything else going on around them. At night, it had been hell to spend the time with her body curved into him and unable to do anything about it.
The one man they caught was on the back of another of his ranch hand’s horses with him. Judd wanted to keep an eye on the troublemaker but he knew if the man was with him, he would kill the S.O.B. Safer all the way around for it to be done this way. After this though, there were bound to be some changes in Branchwater. Changes made him think back to the woman who’d turned his life upside down the moment she’d fallen off the table and into his embrace.
The dogs padded along among the horses as they rode, tired as well, and missing the leader of their pack. Sonny and Cher were quieter than usual.
The sun had begun to lower in the sky when Judd reached the barns. As stable hands ran out to take weary horses for a good rubdown and feed, his gaze moved to the silver Mercedes in his yard.
What now?
With a final pat for his horse, he and Cian, along with Vic, strode across the yard to the house. He entered first and knew Vic came after him.
“Rosa, whose car is that?”
“That belongs to Mr. Raines.”
“Shit.” He looked around the living room. “Where are they?”
“Back porch. She wouldn’t let him inside. It’s okay though, Gian is with her.”
Words which didn’t make him feel any better. Ignoring the fact he could use a shower and wanted to put on some clean clothes, Judd pushed through the living room and stepped out onto the back porch. Laciee sat on a large cushioned chair, her cast covered by words he couldn’t understand. Against the wall behind her stood Gian, his arms crossed as he lingered near. Before her, standing and pacing back and forth was none other than Mr. Raines.
Laciee lifted her head and pinned her light gaze on him. He could read the exhausti
on in her gaze and stepped toward her. “Mr. Raines,” he said, breaking the silence.
“Mr. Travers, I thought you were out on the range.”
“I was,” he said, sitting on the chair next to Laciee and staring at the man she’d let slip was her father. He didn’t see any of her in him. “What do you need, Mr. Raines?”
The man clenched his jaw, and Judd knew he didn’t like being questioned.
“I’m trying to speak with Ms. Dupree here.”
“Who calls their daughter Ms. Dupree? Why don’t you call her Laciee? Aside from the fact you’ve been a deadbeat who doesn’t deserve to have her as his child.”
Laciee leaned into the hand he planted upon her shoulder. “He was just leaving.”
“No, I want to tell you how sorry I am this happened to you.” Mr. Raines tugged on the sleeve of his suit.
Laciee stood and Judd did so as well, right alongside her. He wasn’t about to let her face this alone. “We have nothing to talk to one another about. I spent years trying to get to know you and you wanted nothing to do with me. I don’t need you now, no matter if I was in an accident or anything. Go peddle your false sympathy elsewhere. You may have contributed to my birth, but you are not my father.”
Laciee moved away and headed inside, not even bothering to look back. He noted how Gian trailed after her. Like a damned whipped pup. Judd focused on the businessman on his property. “Leave her alone,” Judd warned.
“She’s my daughter,” he bloviated.
“She’s a woman who wants nothing to do with you, which makes you not welcome on my ranch.”
“You need to stay out of this, Travers. I know what’s been going on around here.”
His grin bordered feral. “As do I. I was on my way to take care of that when I saw your car. You have five minutes to get the fuck off my property, Mr. Raines. And you aren’t welcome back until Laciee tells me otherwise.” He gestured to his half-brother who’d stepped out. “Make sure he finds his way off my property.”
“Consider it done, brother.”
Judd headed inside and found Vic beside Laciee. They had their heads together, and Laciee’s expression was the one he recalled from the hotel while Vic’s was furious. Her friend definitely didn’t hide her feelings. The room exploded in a flurry of Italian and Judd walked to Laciee.
He moved Vic to the side and captured Laciee’s chin in his hand. Sure, he had a man he needed to get to the cops and one other to have put behind bars. “Come on,” he rasped, not giving her a chance to argue with him.
Judd led her to the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him with a decisive move. She stood in the middle of his large room, still bearing the bruises of her accident, holding her cast close to her side.
“Talk,” he ordered.
“About what?” She lifted her head and pinned him with a glare.
She’s angry at me? “Why are you mad at me?” He ripped his dirty shirt over his head and launched it toward the bathroom where he’d stuff it in the hamper on his way to shower.
Her pupils dilated and her nose flared. “Because you’ve been avoiding me.”
“I have a ranch to run, and I can’t sit around here waiting for you to come out of your pain med haze just to talk.” He undid the button on his pants as he toed off his boots. “Not to mention you have your Fed boyfriend out there. I’m sure he’s more than capable of doting on you.”
A flash of pain flickered before the anger replaced it. “Is that what you think?”
“Why not? He’s here.”
“And you’re not.”
He shoved his jeans down his legs and stepped free. “No, I’m not.”
She walked toward him and paused. Smack. Her hand ricocheted off his jaw. “You could have just called me a slut to my face instead of hiding it in your thoughts and thinking worse of me by the day.” She left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
He shook with the combination of his own anger and fear. Cursing, he went to shower, then dressed in some clean clothing. After that had been accomplished, he swiped his phone and headed out to the main part of his house where his brother stood.
“Where is she?”
“Gone out with Vic and her brother.”
He growled low in his throat. “Let’s get this finished.”
“I placed the call, and the state police will meet us there.”
He nodded and reached for his truck keys. The man who’d been killing his cattle lay trussed up in the bed of the truck. Judd gave him a cursory glance to ensure he wouldn’t be going anywhere. “Let’s go arrest us a Sheriff,” he said to Cian as they climbed in the cab.
Chapter Sixteen
“Staring at your fingers is an odd way to spend your afternoon.” Vic’s words punctured the bubble of solitude Laciee had around her.
“Lost in thought is all.” She looked up and smiled as her friend walked across the apartment to collapse at her side on the futon.
Vic rested her head on Laciee’s shoulder. “You’re not happy here.”
“Not true. I love New York.”
“Except it’s missing one very large, important thing. A man from Texas who goes by the name of Judd Travers.”
Pain lanced Laciee’s heart at the mention of his name. “He pretty much called me a slut. I’ve spent my childhood fighting the stigma of my mother’s claim to fame in that town. I don’t need it from the man I fell in love with.”
“About damn time you admit you love him.” Vic spun so her head rested on Laciee’s thigh. “Ma says we’re due for dinner in two hours. Let me go shower and I’ll come back to finish this conversation.”
“You mean you’re all lying on me dirty with sick people germs on you?”
Vic wriggled closer. “Hell yes. Why do you think I came to your apartment first? Let the germs fall off and keep me all clean for my place.”
“Bitch,” she sassed lightly. Her heart wasn’t totally into going to the Carracci household for dinner but since she’d returned to New York, they’d been smothering her more than usual the last week since she’d been home. She loved them and didn’t have the heart to refuse.
“I’ll be back.” Vic rolled to her feet and strolled to the door.
“I’m sure I’ll be here.”
The moment Vic vanished through the door out into the hallway, Laciee curled up with the pillow beside her and sank farther down on the cushions. Everything had been in a whirlwind since that night the man who contributed to half of her DNA makeup showed up at Judd’s ranch. After all those years of believing I needed to have him in my life to make it complete, it was surprisingly easy to tell him to leave.
Judd had been much more forceful than she’d been. But she’d never been overly outgoing, having learned that had a tendency to bring more attention to oneself and when you spent your days trying to blend in, it was easiest to roll with the punches.
Judd. Her gut clenched once more at the thought of him. Why are you sitting here moping, Laciee? You’re the one who left him.
And she had. After his comment, she’d just gone and left, too tired and defeated to do anything else. The information Gian had given her, combined with Judd’s comment, had toppled her over the edge and sent her down this road she still lingered on.
“Ready?” Vic questioned.
Pushing to a seated position, she gave her best friend a wan smile. “I suppose so.” She stretched her neck as she got to her feet. “Let’s go.”
Vic canted her head to the side. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Her humorless chuckle embodied how she lived her day-to-day, empty and hollow. “Nope. Let’s get going.”
They caught a cab and rode to the Carracci home with Vic filling up the time talking about work and the person they’d paired her with until Laciee could get back to work.
“Sounds like you and Deek are getting along,” she commented offhand, while she stared out along the skyline of the city she’d run to all those years ago to become a no one.
She chuckled lightly as she thought of the last time Vic and Susan were in the same room with one another. Drinks were tossed, punches thrown. An all around good time.
Laciee’s pocket vibrated with the alert she was receiving a call. Digging for it, she stared at the screen when she withdrew the item from her coat pocket. KARIS.
“You may as well answer it. You know she’s not going to let up,” Vic said, leaning close to read the screen.
“I know.” She swiped her thumb along and accepted the call. “Yes, Karis?”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” The accusation stung.
“Not true. I’ve been recovering. Just sleeping and settling back in to life in the city.”
“Don’t you fucking lie to me, Laciee Dupree. I know you’ve been avoiding me. No way you’re sleeping every single time I’ve called. It’s been all hours of the day. I wake up and sneak out of my bed, leaving my husband, to call you so I don’t wake him.”
“Then don’t call, Karis. I didn’t ask you to do that.”
Vic slanted her a look of concern while Karis’ sharp breath reminded Laciee how bitchy she was being. At the moment, she didn’t give a damn. She wasn’t about to let Karis guilt her into doing something else. Especially by saying she left her husband in bed just to try and get her on the phone.
“Crawl back into bed with your husband and forget about me. Seems that’s what your family does anyway.”
Vic narrowed her gaze and Laciee turned her head away, staring back out the window.
“I never once treated you less, Laciee, that’s not fair.” Pain wove around Karis’ words.
“Yes, you did, Karis. You didn’t argue when I had to enter through the back of the house. Hell, you didn’t even stand up to your mother when she refused to let me be your maid of honor. I’m important when you want something, but otherwise, I’m relegated to the back of the bus, so to speak. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. Be happy, Karis.”