“Gerald, we’re looking for Clint.” The sheriff apparently knew not to wait for pleasantries.
“Ain’t here.” The gruff old man glanced up at Adam. “You’re one of them Guardian people.”
Adam nodded.
“Clint get in trouble with your side of the ranch? He knows better than to go there.” The man’s curiosity relieved Adam slightly. The father didn’t know.
“No, Clint attacked Keelee Marshall. Beat her and choked her.”
The old cowboy jerked his head up and set his jaw. “Bullshit! If that girl got attacked, it wasn’t Clint. Try one of those Guardian types. They’re a vicious lot.”
The sheriff shook his head. “Nope. It was Clint. Ms. Marshall gave a statement and we have a witness that puts him at the location at the time of the attack.”
“Well, he ain’t here. Haven’t seen him in almost two days. Didn’t come home after chores yesterday morning. The lazy good-for-nothing had to step up and actually work for once in his miserable life.”
Sheriff Anderson squared up on the cowboy. “I’m going to search the house and the outbuildings to make sure he’s not hiding here. Got to fill all the squares, do what the citizens pay me to do.”
“I ain’t hiding him. Go ahead and take your look.” He stepped out of the way but pinned Adam with a stare. “Why are you here?”
“We consider the Marshall family one of ours. Your son screwed up when he raised a hand to someone under Guardian’s protection.”
A shrug of lean shoulders was the only response Adam got out of the ranch hand. The sheriff walked out of the small farm house and shook his head.
Gerald Koehler lifted his hand towards the outbuildings. “Close any door you open and stay out of the corral. That damn bull will kill you rather than look at you. Not that I’d give a shit, but I’d probably have to put the bull down.”
Adam and the sheriff headed towards the barn, but a whistle from Jason pulled them toward the vehicles.
“He’s not here.” Jason’s scratchy bass voice left no room for argument or doubt. Adam nodded and headed towards his truck. The sheriff, on the other hand, didn’t move.
“How do you know that?”
Jason leveled a glare at the sheriff. “We’re going back to the ranch.”
The sheriff shook his head. “I got no reason to be traipsing back that way. How do you know he’s not here?”
Adam watched a sneer spread across Jason’s face. Damn, it had been awhile since he had seen that walking wall of muscle irritated, but he was now. Seemed that, without knowing it, the sheriff was pushing Jason’s boundaries.
“Fine, you go search. Have a great time. Hope you find Koehler.” Jason pivoted on the ball of his foot and headed towards the passenger side of the truck.
Adam got into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition. He pulled away from the house and glanced at to Jason.
“So who’s our passenger?” Adam flicked a glance in the rearview mirror and watched the small ranch spread slowly disappear.
Jason twisted in the seat. “Christian Koehler. Chris, this is Adam. He works with me. He’s a doctor. When we get far enough away I’m going to take over driving, and he’s going to take care of your injuries.” The big man’s voice was quiet and soothing. He reached down and placed a large hand on the form stretched across the seat. Jason pulled away when the injured man flinched. At the bottom of the hill, Doc pulled the vehicle to the side and got into the back seat as Jason pulled onto the road. Adam pulled the coat off the young man and sucked a lungful of air as he did an assessment. “Hey, Christian. I’m Adam. I need you to tell me what happened and when it happened.”
The man had been beaten. Adam knew the answer to when. The coloration of the bruises and healing of the cuts suggested it was not more than two days ago. His lip was split and had he gotten to a doctor sooner there wouldn’t be a scar. Now? There wasn’t much Adam could do to repair the damage without leaving evidence of the violence.
The man didn’t open his eyes. It was almost as if the effort were too much for him. “I fell,” he whispered.
Adam shook his head as he finished examining the arm that Christian cradled.
“These injuries are not indicative of a fall.” Adam spoke more to himself than Jason, but by the tightening of that big back, Adam knew the man heard.
A soft groan came from the young man’s lips as Adam palpated the area around his orbital socket. A tear slipped from the boy’s eye. Christian shook his head carefully but didn’t respond.
Jason spoke from the front, “Christian, someone did this to you. I don’t give a shit why or who. I made you a promise and I’m keeping my word. I’ll protect you from them. You won’t have to go back. I promise.”
Another tear slipped down. Trying to get him talking again, Adam changed the direction of the conversation. “How old are you?”
“Nineteen. Almost twenty.”
“You live at the ranch with your family?”
“I do now. I was at school on a partial scholarship. Dad was paying for my room and board.”
“Was? Why did he stop?”
“He has his reasons.” A tear trailed down the boy’s face.
“What happened, Christian?” Adam stopped his exam and waited.
“Dad pulled my money for school. I don’t have money to leave. It’s too late to apply for grants or loans for next semester. I had to come home. But he doesn’t want me here. It’s easier for Clint and Gregg when I’m gone.”
The boy’s answer only begged more questions. Adam shook his head and pulled the jacket back up over the young man’s shoulders. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
“When I’m not home, they don’t have to fight.”
“Fight? Who are they fighting?” Doc really had no idea what the young man was trying to say.
Christian sighed. The man looked absolutely defeated when he spoke. “He hates me. He makes me fight them. I’m taller and bigger than both my brothers. I don’t like to fight, but I can take them. I had to learn how to defend myself.” The man’s sobbed snort preceded, “He says fighting will turn me into a man or kill me. He doesn’t care which.”
Adam exchanged glances with Jason in the mirror. “We got you now. We’ll get you out of here and maybe get you set up back in school.”
The young man finally cast a glance toward Adam. The kid was scared. Adam could see the lack of trust and outright fear in Christian’s eyes. Adam could feel the tension in the way the injured man held his body.
“Why? Why are you helping me?”
Adam put a hand on Christian’s shoulder and pushed out a lungful of air. Why indeed? Helping this young man would be a no-brainer for every last man on Alpha Team, and he knew for a fact Jason had his own reasons for coming to the kid’s aid. Adam met Christian’s searching look and told him the truth. “Sometimes people are put in your path for a reason. Both Jason and I were given a chance by a man who could have passed us by. He didn’t. He gave us opportunities that neither of us would have had if he hadn’t extended a hand. We both respect the hell out of him. Paying his gestures forward is a no-brainer.”
Jason nodded and turned onto the ranch access road. “Do you want to go to the ranch house or the clinic, Doc?”
Adam glanced at the man lying beside him. “Clinic. I need x-rays of his zygomatic and radius.” Adam winked and translated for Christian, “Cheekbone and forearm. We’ll set you up in the house after I take some pictures and clean you up.” Jason nodded and drove to the training facility.
Adam and Jason helped the young man out of the truck and into the small hospital.
“Would you take off your shirt and hat?”
Using deliberate care the young man disrobed without much assistance. A long thick cascade of sandy brown hair fell around his shoulders. His body was ripped with muscle. Adam chuckled. This man wasn’t good looking—he was fucking gorgeous. Even a straight
man like Adam couldn’t miss that fact.
Chief and Dixon wandered into the building after he’d finished getting film on Christian’s injuries.
“Well, the radius sustained a straight break. The cheek will be okay, soft tissue damage only.”
Adam nodded towards Chief and motioned towards the cast cabinet. “Need about ten rolls of that fiberglass casting and two rolls of cotton.” Chief did a double take at Doc’s new patient and grabbed the supplies Adam indicated.
Dixon leaned against the wall silently. Adam motioned toward Christian. “This is Christian Koehler. Clint’s youngest brother. He’s staying here.”
Dixon shook his head. “Damn. You’re going to have one hell of a shiner.”
Christian dropped his eyes to the floor. “Yeah.”
Dixon sucked his teeth and pushed away from the wall. “Sucks, man. Guess you’re stuck with us for a while, then?”
Jason nodded from the position he’d taken up across the room.
“We got us a poker game going tonight. You’re welcome if you feel up to playing.”
Christian lifted his eyes toward Dixon for only a second before he dropped them again. He shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m pretty tired. It was too damn cold in the barn to sleep last night.”
With a jerk, Adam’s head came up from his work of wrapping Christian’s arm. “What?” He searched the young man’s face.
He saw it happen. Christian comprehended his blunder. “N-nothing.” The whispered response sounded more like an apology.
Every man in the room stood at attention. Before Adam could speak, Jason snarled from the other side of the room. “Did your father make you stay in the barn?”
The boy flinched and a single tear trailed down his cheek. He shook his head. “It’s my fault.”
Adam pulled his latex glove off and cupped the young man’s uninjured cheek in his hand. “Nobody deserves to be treated the way you have been treated, Christian. Now let’s finish this cast, give you something for the pain, and get you some food and a warm bed. Alright?”
“Thank you,” Christian whispered as he dropped his eyes. Adam glanced at Jason. The big man seethed with anger. Aggression rolled off him in waves. The cords of his neck popped out as his fists clenched and flexed. Chief crossed to the big man and spoke quietly. The conversation was too low to hear, not that Adam needed to hear it. He knew the King family history well enough to know why Jason was hitting the stratosphere. Chief continued to talk in that low, reassuring tone. Finally, Jason nodded once, executed an about face and left the facility.
Christian glanced after him. “He’s mad.”
Adam nodded. “But not at you, my friend. I’m certain of that. He’s a good man.”
Dixon walked to the table and draped Christian’s jacket on his shoulders after Adam put the cast in a sling. “Come on, Doc, give me his meds and I’ll get Christian settled. When you relieve Drake, send him to our end of the hall.” Dixon glanced at Christian. “You’ll have to excuse my brother when you meet him. He is a royal pain in the ass. I’m making apologies in advance. The man just doesn’t know when to shut up. Has himself this thesaurus and loves to pretend he is more educated than he is. Damn, one time he…”
Adam chuckled and tuned Dixon out. Christian would learn to do the same thing or go insane. Once Dixon or Drake determined they liked you, they never shut up. He gave Christian a bottle with two pain pills in it. Without a better handle on the young man’s mental state, he didn’t want to tempt fate or aid depression. After Dixon had led Christian to the main house, Adam picked up the phone and placed a call to an old friend and colleague.
“Dr. Wheeler.”
The best damn shrink in the Midwest was about to get another patient. Hell, Guardian had Dr. Wheeler on retainer. “Hey, it’s Adam, I need a favor.”
Adam’s psychiatrist chuckled. “Hey, okay, what’s up?” The shrink’s easygoing attitude both irritated the hell out of Adam and impressed him.
“Got a young man here. He’s not a Guardian asset, so I’ll be footing the bill, but I think he needs help. Been treated like shit by his family.”
“Huh. Any particular reason for the abuse?” Adam heard the shrink’s interest click from mildly curious to full on.
“Yeah. But that’s not my story to tell.”
“Alright. I can get a four-wheel-drive and come by tomorrow. Getting a little stir crazy being stuck inside anyway. Damn blizzards. They don’t have shit like this down in Alabama.”
“Yeah, they just have hurricanes.”
“Well, that’s true. Be there around lunchtime. I deserve one of Miss Betty’s lunches for making the drive over.”
Adam chuckled. “Deal. I’ll even ask her to make you some of her Christmas cookies. Dude, they’re awesome.”
“Oh, there you go! Bribe the shrink with sweets. It works every time.”
Chapter Seventeen
A delicious combination of warmth and hardness surrounded her. His scent wrapped around her, bringing Keelee out of the sleepy haze in which she lingered. She smiled and purred against Adam’s chest. Her fingers trailed up his defined stomach and wound through his shirt, finding the hair on his chest.
“Baby, please tell me you’re awake, because if you’re doing that in your sleep, I’m in trouble.” The warm rumble of Adam’s voice earned him a soft laugh.
“I think I could get used to waking up in your arms.” Keelee snuggled closer to him and felt his very obvious interest. She ground against his hard-on, only to wince at her muscles’ loud announcement they had woken up too. Her body did not approve of her recent movement, or any movement for that matter.
Adam laid his hand across the small of her back. The warmth and pressure against her sore muscles brought a long sigh as she relaxed into his caress.
“How bad do you hurt?”
“I don’t.”
“That’s a load of crap.” Adam’s growl pulled a smile from her.
“Well, I don’t… if I don’t move. Or breathe.”
“Come on babe, a nice hot shower will loosen those tight muscles. We need to get you up and moving around.”
Keelee groaned and tried to burrow closer. “Is it over? Did you find Clint?”
She felt his body tense. “No. He wasn’t at his father’s ranch. The sheriff put an APB out on him. Guardian has coded him. If he comes up on the grid, we’ll know it.”
“The grid? What’s that?”
“The economic world today is driven by electronic registry. Everything a person does, from accessing a checking account, driving through a monitored intersection to ordering a pizza online can be used to locate, track and even determine the future movements of a person. Guardian’s surveillance of the worldwide grid is more elaborate than even the NSA’s.”
“So you’ll be able to find him?” Keelee couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice. The memory of Clint’s rage as he beat her sent a shiver of fear through her. Adam pulled her closer and kissed her temple. The soft, warm caress evaporated the momentary jitters that thoughts of Clint provoked.
“If he shows, yeah we’ll get him. But we believe he left right after he used his brother Christian for a punching bag.”
Keelee jerked her head up at Adam’s comment. “Is Christian okay? What’s he doing here? He’s supposed to be at school. He’s never come back for the holidays before.”
Adam held her chin and lowered for a slow kiss, stilling all the questions she wanted answered. The feel of his tongue floating across her lips, asking for admittance, melted any thoughts she had into a puddle of mish-mashed fragments of words she couldn’t be bothered to string together.
Her tongue danced with his, meeting his soft, lazy strokes. He nipped at her lips before he pulled away.
“Christian’s going to be fine. Jason has taken an interest in the kid. I’m not going to waste my breath on that bastard Clint and neither should you. Come on, we’re taking a shower now.”
Keelee couldn’t help the smile that
spread across her face. “We? I like we.” She took his hand and slowly stood, stretching her sore muscles. She stopped mid-stretch when she noticed him staring. She glanced down to where his eyes were riveted. Her white T-shirt was pulled tight against her breasts, revealing her excited nipples standing out starkly against the thin white cotton. He moved toward her and cupped her breasts, while his thumbs rubbed against her hard peaks. Keelee shuddered at the sensation that raced straight to her center. She strained against him trying to get some type of pressure against her clit. Immediate excitement and need had her clenching her sore muscles attempting to find relief.
Adam’s knowing smile, before he gave her a chaste kiss, frustrated her, and she could tell he knew it. “Come on, babe. Shower. I promise when we are done, all your aches will be alleviated.
Keelee followed him into her ensuite bathroom. He headed straight for the shower, pulling his shirt off as he walked. From his rippling muscles to the tight vee of his waist, he was perfection. His jeans molded to his ass and thighs as he leaned into the massive glass-encased shower stall to turn on the water. Steam lifted almost immediately, and so did her lust.
As Adam turned, she leaned against the sink and crossed her legs at her ankles. The rise of a masculine eyebrow brokered the question. Keelee smiled and pointed towards his jeans. “Lose the denim, cowboy.”
Adam cocked his head and smiled. He scratched his chest in a lazy fashion before he dropped his hand slowly across his abs. His movement contracted the muscles in his arms and torso, making them dance. Keelee’s eyes bounced from one sensual image to another trying to take in the entirety of the man standing in front of her. The top button of his jeans slipped from its anchor and he slowly lowered his zipper. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and wet her lips. Damn, this man is perfection. Every romance novel she’d ever read needed him as the cover model. He closed the space between them, his jeans open, revealing a trail of slightly darker blond hair. The bulge of his manhood strained against the fabric, making a three dimensional rendering of his cock. Her suddenly dry mouth forced another swipe of her tongue past her lips.
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