Two sets of high voltage lights on utility poles lit up the front yard like daylight. Every man on the ranch stood ready, in full battle gear and armed to the teeth. One of them balanced a rocket launcher on his shoulder. It was like something from a bad movie.
A noise behind her made her whip around. Three figures emerged from Joe’s room. Dillon wagged his tail. One of them must be Joe. She recognized the other two as Walker and Rayna. They each carried a sniper rifle and positioned themselves at opposite ends of the balcony, hunkering down out of sight.
Joe pulled her into the shadows inside her room, called Dillon, and closed the door.
“It’s David? Why didn’t you wake me?” Her fingers shook as she pushed her hair out of her eyes.
“Calm down. That’s why I’m here.”
“The chopper will land any second. I should be down there with everyone else.”
“Why? So he’ll know you jumped out of bed and arranged your schedule so you could be there to meet him? That’s not the way to play this. The only impression I want him to leave here with is I’m ready for him. I thought maybe you and I could make an entrance, after he’s waited a few minutes. I bet he’s not used to waiting—is he?”
“No. He’ll be mad as hell.”
“Good. Now, take a deep breath and go throw on some clothes. Don’t forget your gun. I want you to make a good impression.”
Grabbing jeans and a sweatshirt, she dressed in the bathroom and ran a brush through her hair. She retrieved her handgun and a pair of shoes before rejoining Joe by the balcony doors.
“The chopper landed a couple of minutes ago. We’ll wait another five before we go down. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.” It was a lie, and he was sure to guess that from her shaky voice.
He took her holstered gun from her hand, threaded the belt around her waist, and pulled it tight.
“I’ll be right beside you. Dillon will be there, too, and he’s probably less forgiving than I am. Rayna and Walker are up here with sniper rifles. There are two dozen guys in the yard, armed and ready. This will be fun.”
“I think I might throw up.”
He chuckled, and she gave him a venomous look.
“Remember the night we met?” he asked. “You were scared, with good reason. You didn’t know what was happening, or who to trust. Remember when you thought the guy with the knife had the drop on me?”
“I picked up his gun… and shot him.”
“Where’d that come from?”
“I don’t know. Everything happened so fast. It had to be done, so I did it.”
“Exactly.” An easy smile lit Joe’s face. “You can do this too. It’ll all be over in ten minutes, fifteen tops. Are you ready—Party Girl?”
Cara took a deep breath, willed her stomach to stay down, and nodded. Joe guided her from the room as Dillon trailed behind them.
The military-style helicopter had landed less than a hundred and fifty feet from the house. The rotors still turned slowly. Two armed men were on the ground, and four more stood inside the open cargo bay. They were seriously outnumbered and looked like they’d prefer being anywhere but there. David stood stiffly just inside the circle of illumination cast by Joe’s lights. He stepped forward as soon as they left the porch.
She was astonished at how difficult it was to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, but she had to. Keeping pace with Joe was essential. The only strength she had at the moment flowed from him. Still, she faltered when she looked up. David glared at her. Joe’s hand, resting lightly on her back, urged her forward.
Joe’s men were spread out on both sides of them, each armed with an AK47. Steve manned the ground-to-air missile launcher she’d seen from upstairs. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. War had been declared, and the troops were putting themselves in danger to protect her. How would she live with herself if someone got hurt?
They stopped about fifty feet from the chopper and watched David approach.
“That’s far enough,” Joe called when David was still ten feet away.
David’s contemptuous gaze traveled slowly over Joe, and then the line of armed men before it came to rest on Cara.
David was a big man, football player size, although he’d never played the game. His hair was trimmed short and he always wore a business suit with a white shirt, open at the neck. He used his voice, his dress, and his imposing height to intimidate. His eyes were dark and calculating, but many times she’d seen them go from calm to crazy in a heartbeat.
Right now he was enraged. Evidently, he’d thought he’d swoop in here and retrieve her without resistance.
“Cara, are you ready to go?” His fury was carefully masked.
“What could possibly make you think I’d go with you?” The strength in her voice surprised her and earned a nod from Joe.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, but it’s nothing we can’t fix if you’ll just come home with me.” He moved closer as he spoke.
Joe took a step forward. “She said she’s not going with you, Dennelli.”
David studied him for a moment. “Reynolds, isn’t it?”
Joe didn’t answer.
“Rumor has it the highest bidder buys your loyalty. What’ll it take? I can beat any offer you’ve ever had. Plus, you’ll get to walk away from this alive.” David smiled mockingly.
“I don’t have any use for your money, or for you, but if you think you want to take me on, that might make for interesting sport.” Joe stood with his thumbs hooked in his pockets. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
Fury burned in David’s eyes, and Cara could almost feel the effort it took for him to control himself.
“She’s my wife. This is between me and her.”
“Actually, she’s not your wife anymore and even if the divorce wasn’t final, I think you’ve lost any privileges you might have had.”
“At least talk to me, Cara. Let me apologize.” His gaze came back to her.
“It’s a little late for an apology, especially one you don’t really mean.” Cara took a step toward him, and Joe put a warning hand on her arm.
David noticed the gesture. “I see how it is.” He sneered, shifting his gaze back to Joe. “You’re sleeping with my wife.” He bared his teeth in a menacing smile. “I’ll have to punish her for that.”
Joe tensed. “You’ll never touch her again, Dennelli.”
“Sure I will. As soon as she comes home. Right, Cara?”
“I despise you. I actually used to think I could figure out a way to make you happy… but it wasn’t me, was it? You just enjoyed inflicting pain. Well, I’m not afraid of you anymore, and if you come around here again, I just might kill you myself.”
David swore and lunged for her. Joe jumped in front of her instantly, shoving her out of the way. He was stronger and pushed David back easily. She didn’t realize she’d pulled her gun until Joe looked at her with a question in his eyes.
“You have every right, but that’s more my style,” Joe said. “You sure you want to do that?”
David watched her, contempt in his eyes. “I’m leaving, but make no mistake. You’ll come home, one way or another.”
The smart thing would be to put a bullet in him and be done, but Cara couldn’t kill him in cold blood. She lowered her gun, and Joe turned back to David.
“Those little laser dots on your chest”—he pointed at David’s shirt—“mean you’re a dead man if you don’t get your ass out of here in the very near future.”
David looked at his shirt then back up and, for an instant, fear darkened his eyes. “Reynolds, you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.” He glared at Cara as he backed away toward the helicopter.
“Don’t come back, Dennelli. This is your only warning. Next time you won’t be walking out of here.”
David turned and stalked away. Cara guessed it was only his pride that kept him from running. When he was finally in the chopper and it took off, she laughed with relief, bordering
on hysteria. The chopper got smaller and smaller, and the noise of the rotors faded away. Joe gave the order to stand down. Walker exited the house with one arm wrapped around Rayna’s shoulders, their rifles slung across their backs. The two of them laughed and talked until Rayna spotted Cara.
Walker grabbed Cara around the waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning around before he set her back on her feet.
“Now that was a good time, boss!” Walker slapped Joe on the back. Then he grabbed her hand. “Come down after breakfast, Cara. We’ll go to work.”
“No,” Joe said. “She’s taking the day off.”
“You said it yourself. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Joe’s tone hardened. “Tomorrow will be soon enough. She can come down in the morning. Right now, I need her here.”
Cara discerned the warning in his softly spoken words.
Walker must have heard it too. “Okay, Joe, don’t blow a gasket.” He winked at her. “Tomorrow morning then.”
Tyler joined the small group, also giving her a hug. Rayna looked like she wanted to say something but finally turned and walked away.
“Chopper landed at a private field on the east side of the lake,” Tyler said.
Joe frowned. “Get eyes and ears over there. I want to know every move this guy makes.”
Tyler nodded and jogged toward the house.
“You don’t think he’s leaving?” Dread tightened its grip on Cara’s stomach.
“I’m just being careful. If we know where he is and what he’s doing, he can’t surprise us. Trust me, okay?” Joe smiled, completely relaxed, as though her ex-husband hadn’t just blown in here and threatened everyone. Did he have any idea how dangerous David was?
For the first time, she thought to give Joe the benefit of the doubt. David didn’t know how lethal Joe could be either.
Cara was in way over her head. What did she know about Joe? Only one thing for certain: Joe had been Charlie’s friend, and if Charlie trusted him, that was good enough for her.
“Okay.” She smiled.
Surprise widened his eyes momentarily. “Okay? Just like that?”
“Hush before I change my mind.”
“There we go. That’s more like it.”
Chapter Sixteen
* * *
Tuesday, 4:43 am
JOE’S CELL PHONE rang while they stood in the yard.
Cara took the opportunity to escape to her room. She swallowed two aspirin for the headache coming on and lay down on the bed. She’d barely closed her eyes when a knock sounded on the door. When she swung it open, Rayna stood there.
The young girl couldn’t look her in the eye, her usual self-confidence nowhere in sight. Cara held the door open. “Come in.”
Rayna stepped over the threshold and stayed there, fidgeting.
“Sit down.”
“I’ve been a jerk. I’m sorry, Cara. I needed somebody to blame for Charlie. There’s no excuse…” Words spilled out in a rush until she looked at the floor helplessly.
Cara’s heart ached for the girl and the pain in her eyes. There was no way she could be angry. “I understand. You loved him. I can only imagine how hard it’s been for you.”
“I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. You lost him too. I think he loved you. He talked about you all the time. The worst thing he ever had to do was lie to you.” Tears rimmed her eyes.
“I’m sorry I didn’t know Charlie the way you and Joe did. He was very special to me, but I honestly don’t know what would have happened if I’d found out he was lying. Maybe, under the circumstances, I could have forgiven him. I’ll never get the chance to find out, and that’s my fault. If I’d paid more attention to what was going on at the plant, none of this would have happened.”
“No, you’re wrong—just like I was. It wasn’t your fault.”
Cara went to Rayna and hugged her.
Rayna choked back a sob as they clung together for a moment. “Will you forgive me for the way I acted?”
“I’d like it if we could be friends.”
Rayna smiled through her tears. “I’d like that, and I think Charlie would too.”
They talked for an hour before Cara’s drooping eyelids and periodic yawns had Rayna on her feet, apologizing for keeping her up. As soon as she left, Cara settled back on the bed for a ten-minute power nap.
THE SUN THROUGH her balcony windows was brilliant when she finally opened her eyes. Dillon licked her hand, and Joe sat quietly in a chair beside the bed. His uninvited presence immediately angered her.
“You want me to stay, but you refuse to respect my privacy while I’m here. Can you understand why I might have a problem with this arrangement?”
His eyes darkened. “I was worried about you.” He searched her face. “You took off before I could make sure you were all right. Then Rayna headed up here, and I wanted to give you two some time. When I got here, you were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you. So, are you okay?”
“I’ll live.” She sighed deeply. His concern seemed genuine and took the fire out of her anger. She regretted snapping at him. After all, he’d just confronted David for her. She owed him a few breaks.
“Why didn’t you deny it?” Joe asked.
“Deny what?”
“That you and I were sleeping together.”
“Why? Did it embarrass you?”
He snorted. “It bothered Dennelli.”
“That’s why I didn’t deny it.”
A grin appeared on Joe’s face, smoothing some of the worry lines and making him appear younger. “Do you want to get out of here for a while? Go have some fun?”
A chill went through her. “Is that wise with David here?”
“Let me worry about Dennelli. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was safe.”
She wanted to say yes. It had been so long since she’d really had fun. A warning niggled in the back of her mind. The less time spent enjoying herself with Joe the better. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll stick around here. Maybe we could do it another time?” She hated herself for the disappointment that slid across his face.
“Sure.” He rose from his chair. “I better get back to work then. Why don’t you take the day off anyway?” He smiled and abruptly left through the balcony, his cell phone already pressed to his ear.
Cara shook her head. That was strange. His departure was so sudden. Did she finally manage to say something to drive him away? It was just as well.
Five minutes later, Tyler and Rayna banged on her door.
“I have a favor to ask,” Rayna said, as soon as Cara let them in.
“What is it?”
“The county fair opened today in Bozeman. We asked Joe to fly us, but he won’t leave you while your ex-husband’s in the area. Ty and I thought… maybe if you came with us…” She shrugged and smiled.
Cara studied them suspiciously. “Did Joe put you up to this?”
“It’ll be fun. Please?”
“I thought as much.” How dare he use Rayna? He knew Cara wouldn’t be able to resist the look on the girl’s face, and Tyler was no help, grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh, all right.”
“Thank you. You’ll see—it’ll be fun.” When Rayna opened the door to leave, Joe stood nonchalantly in the hallway.
“Get in here.” Cara frowned. She turned on him as soon as the door closed behind him. “You manipulated me and Rayna. Is there anything you won’t do to get what you want?” She tried to sound serious, but seeing Rayna so happy made it difficult to be angry.
“There are a few things.” Amusement shone from his eyes.
“That’s good to know.” She sighed and gave up trying to make him repent. Obviously, he was happy with the way things worked out. “What time are we leaving?”
“Rayna and Ty are chomping at the bit to get to the hangar. So, you better get ready, Party Girl.”
Tuesday, 1:12 pm
IT
WAS A nice day for a flight, but she was still glad when they finally stepped out of the plane onto solid ground. Joe called a cab and it was early afternoon when they stood at the entrance to the fairgrounds.
“I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat,” he said.
“We can’t eat before the rides,” Tyler said, and Rayna nodded her agreement.
“All right. We’ll split up. Keep your cell phones turned on and meet back here by six. Don’t be late and stay out of trouble. I’ve got enough to do without bailing you out of jail. Cara, do you want to get something to eat, or would you rather go with these guys?”
“Food. I’m starving.”
“Thank you. Someone with some sense.”
Tyler and Rayna hurried away.
Cara turned to Joe. “Are they… more than just friends?”
“Yeah, but they think I don’t know. Fair food or real food?”
“Fair food, of course.”
Joe groaned. “I had such hopes for you.”
They purchased their tickets, entered the fairgrounds, and finally located the food court.
“Now, the hard part,” Joe said. “What looks good?”
She saw his point. Each vendor sold something different, from corn dogs, to pulled pork, to burritos. A person could be all day making a decision.
“I’ll start with a corn dog and curly fries.”
He grimaced. “Okay. Get me a corn dog too.” He handed her some cash. “Do you want a beer?”
“That sounds good.”
“This is important.” He laid a hand on her arm until she looked at him. “Stay where I can see you from the beer garden.” He waited for her nod. After he walked away, she went to stand in line.
“Don’t you hate these lines?” The question came from behind her.
“They’re not bad,” she replied.
“You must be from the big city?”
Cara glanced over her shoulder at the man who’d engaged her in conversation. He was about forty-five, with a stocky build and a face that folded naturally into a smile. She smiled back but hesitated to answer his question. “Are you from around here?”
All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel Page 13