by Jill Sanders
“No, I’m fine. I’m just running to the store. You know...” She bit her bottom lip as she watched Caleb walk out of the door with a large black bag thrown over his shoulders. He’d changed his clothes from Jake’s small T-shirt and was wearing a dark gray T-shirt and a pair of worn faded jeans.
He looked more dangerous than he had the night before, trying to get into her apartment. He tossed the bag into the back of her car and got back behind the wheel.
“Helloooo.” Her sister’s voice sounded loud in her ear. She’d completely forgotten she was still on the phone with Wendy.
“Sorry.” She shook her head clear of what watching Caleb did to her.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She could hear worry in her sister’s voice.
“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She was relieved when Wendy hung up a few seconds later.
“Everything okay?” he asked as he started the car.
“Yeah, just my sister.”
“You two sound close,” he said as he backed out.
“Not really.” She shook her head. “Wendy is eight years older.” She sighed remembering all the years she felt nothing but resentment towards her big sister. “Honestly, it wasn’t until the hurricane last year that things changed.”
He glanced over at her, his eyebrows up in question.
“She was hurt.” A spike of fear that still lingered every time she remembered the day jumped inside her again.
“What happened?”
“She was hit with flying debris and lost her eyesight for a while.”
“You must have been scared.”
She nodded. “Since then, things have changed between us.” He waited, and she could tell he wanted more information.
“I always wanted a brother or sister,” he said, surprising her. She watched his fingers grip the steering wheel more tightly. “A normal family.” He sighed, and she could feel the pain he was hiding, had hidden inside all his life.
“You know; Wendy was my only mother figure. Actually, since our father wasn’t around very much, she played both roles.”
He frowned as he looked at her. “What happened to your mother?”
She’d gotten over the fear of telling everyone where her mother had been during her childhood years ago. “Jail,” she blurted out as she shrugged her shoulders, wanting to change the conversation. “Wendy’s mother died before I was born. Shortly after having me, my mother was locked up and”—she sighed and looked out her window— “she never came back.”
She was shocked to feel his hand reach for hers. His fingers were much bigger than hers, rougher too. Just his light touch sent awareness rushing through her.
“I’m sorry.” His eyes locked with hers for a split second.
“Still, I had Wendy.” She smiled, swallowing the pain of the loss.
He nodded and dropped her hand as he turned the car into her apartment building’s parking lot.
“What now?” she asked after he turned off her car and handed her the keys.
“Now, I leave town.” He turned slightly towards her. “Keep that journal safe.”
She shook her head. “I still don’t understand.”
He sighed. “When I make my next move, you will.”
“You still haven’t told me what it all means.”
He leaned back in the seat and glanced around the small parking lot.
“Come in,” she blurted out. For some reason, she found it hard to curb her tongue when she was around him. She made a mental note to try harder to control those sporadic urges to bark things out. “I mean, so we can talk further...” She felt her face heat, so she turned away and started opening her door.
“Willow.” His hand on her arm stopped her movement. “I can’t stick around. The longer I’m here, the more you and your sister are in danger.”
She swallowed hard and then nodded slightly. “Let me check your bandage and give you something hot to eat, and then... we can talk.” She waited until he finally took a deep breath and nodded.
Chapter Five
What was he doing? He should be on the next bus out of town, heading far away from the cozy town. Instead, he was sitting on Willow’s uncomfortable sofa, watching her move around her small kitchen making grilled chicken sandwiches.
Just watching how she moved distracted him, once more. He’d been on the beach, watching her with the group of other workers all dressed alike as they put up the small enclosures to protect the sea turtles.
Caleb had been following Willow for days. Actually, not really following, since all he had to do was sit on the white sugar sand and pretend to stare out at the vast teal-blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. He’d sat on the beach each day for almost an entire week, totally exposed to his enemies, just so he could watch her.
He’d been attracted to her instantly, and he’d never been one to deny his feelings towards women before. This time, however, it was different. He knew he could never act on his desire for her.
He kept telling himself that he’d wait until he’d seen Billy, so he didn’t have to approach her. Then he’d give Billy the journal and move on. But every time he heard her laugh or watched her smile, something shifted inside him. Something told him to continue watching her instead of looking for her old man.
Actually, he’d found her sister, Wendy, first. She’d been easier to find than he’d imagined.
When he’d first come into town, he’d found her sisters’ addresses in the phone book under W. Blake. He’d assumed it had to be William, her father.
He’d watched the sisters meet at the Boardwalk Bar and Grill where Wendy worked, then something had forced him to follow Willow home instead of sticking with the older sister. Maybe it was because Wendy always had a guy hanging a few feet away from her and he didn’t want to run into problems. Besides, there was always a group of people around the blonde bartender.
Willow, on the other hand, was more of a loner. Like him. So he’d decided to watch her for a few days. Then he’d followed her as she worked and noticed how good she looked barefoot, her brightly colored toenails sinking into the sand as she dug into the soft earth. Some days, as she worked, her hair had been tied back from her face, other’s she’d left it down, flowing in the soft breeze, making him wish more than anything that he could run his fingers through it.
His eyes moved to the soft locks now. She’d left her hair down and it lay in soft waves to the middle of her back. His eyes moved lower. She had one of the sexiest bodies he could remember seeing.
In the past five years, he’d worked so many odd jobs, he couldn’t count them all. One of his favorites had been playing bouncer at nightclubs. Women came and went in small sexy outfits and always hung on him or begged him to let them into the high-profile clubs in Miami. Of course, he’d always oblige, if they made it worth his while.
Now, he was wondering what he’d have to do to get Willow to hang on his arm like that.
“Here.” Her voice broke into his daydreams. “It’s ready.” She sat at the table and watched as he made his way to the chair.
“I could have helped. A few years back, I worked in a dive flipping burgers.”
“I enjoy cooking. Even the simplest meals. Now, dishes on the other hand are an entirely different matter.” She smiled across the table at him.
“Had a job doing those, too.” He remembered getting fired less than a week later because he hated it.
“Sounds like you’ve moved around a lot.” He could hear the hint of excitement in her voice.
His eyes moved to hers. She was smiling at him; her blue eyes were sparkling with humor.
“I had to,” he said, biting into the hot sandwich, not really tasting the food. Too much history flooded his mind as he thought about all the places—too many—he’d tried to fit into.
It seemed like all he’d been doing his whole life was trying to find one place to feel like he belonged. To date, he hadn’t found that place. He wondered if he’d spend his entire life looking.
“To hide from the gang?” she asked, nibbling on her own food. His eyes zeroed in on the movement. Her lips were something he’d found himself staring at since the first time he’d seen her up close. The combination of her blue eyes with her pink lips made him struggle to keep his desire in check.
He blinked and focused on answering her instead of thinking about how soft those lips of hers would feel under his. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down again. The pain in his side and hip reminded him of that every time he took a breath.
“At first, after I left the gang, it was because I didn’t know where I belonged.” He remembered the many nights he’d slept in dives or on the streets, trying to figure out who he wanted to be. “I started out by going back to Vegas, but...” He shook his head and set his half-eaten sandwich back down. “I quickly realized that town had nothing more for me.”
“Where did you go next?” she asked after finishing half her sandwich.
“California.” He cringed inwardly at the memories. Of all the places he’d traveled, he’d felt the most like an outcast there. There were too many rich people, too many junkies... Too many damn people, period. “I got stuck in this hole of a place. I was working at a gas station near the corner of Hollywood and Vine. Then, one night, I woke up and decided to head east.”
“No reason?” she asked, leaning closer.
He shrugged. “None that I could think of, other than a feeling I had to go.”
“How did you end up in Miami?”
His eyes moved to hers and he knew this next part would get even more complicated. He must have been looking at her funny, because she tilted her head and crossed her arms over her chest in a stubborn move, showing him she wasn’t going to back out of her line of questioning.
“Caleb, what aren’t you telling me?”
He sighed and stood up, hiding the wince at the streak of pain that shot down his leg. He walked back towards the sliding glass doors. He peeked out the heavy curtains into the darkness. The parking lot was empty of movement.
He’d been watching out for Al or Tony all day as they drove around, making sure they hadn’t been followed on the short trip to the alley and to the motel he’d been catching a few hours of sleep each night at.
He could just make out the dark beach on the other side of a cluster of trees and wished he could spend the rest of his days watching Willow protect the wildlife.
“Hey.” Her voice was right behind him. When her arm reached up and rested on his shoulder, he closed his eyes at the soft touch.
“I went to Miami because I was contacted by your father.”
Willow’s knees went weak. Caleb’s hands took her shoulders, then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close until his chest hit hers.
“Easy,” he whispered next to her ear.
Her eyes refocused on his face. “I...” She shook her head, not understanding.
How could her father have contacted Caleb? Why would he have even if he was still alive?
“No,” she said to herself, not realizing she’d spoken out loud. “Wendy said... We spread his ashes at the beach.” She remembered that day, crying so hard her sister had to carry her home.
She felt Caleb nod. “I knew instantly that it wasn’t your father.” He pulled back until she looked up into his eyes once more. “I was working and going to school in Atlanta.” He chuckled and she could see a hint of anger behind his eyes. “I got a message to come to Miami as fast as possible” He dropped his arms from her and took a step back. Instantly she missed his warmth. “Then Agent Minster contacted me instead.”
She felt her heart skip. “Agent...”
His eyes moved back to her. “You should sit down.” He motioned towards the sofa. She followed him and sat down.
“That day, when your father left the gang, and I followed him...” He took a deep breath. “We left together and drove over a hundred miles to meet Agent Minster. From the US Marshall Services.”
She waited. Nothing he was saying made sense. Her mind raced to the night her father had returned home for the last time. The night he’d been late and had come home long after they’d been asleep.
She nodded slightly, letting him know she was ready to hear more.
He sat next to her, close. His arm was brushing hers and he’d twisted around so his shoulders faced hers, which caused their knees to be up against one others.
His eyes were glued to her hands. “Turns out your dad had decided long ago to turn state’s evidence against the gang because of what they’d start doing a few years back. He’d spent years collecting everything he had.” He closed his eyes, resting his head on the back of the sofa.
She watched his Adam’s apple as he swallowed and enjoyed the cords of muscles in his neck. He leaned up and looked back into her eyes. “Your father and I testified against Ralphie, Corbin, Richard, and six other gang members thirteen years ago. Most of them are still serving life, but several, like Al and Tony, were released in the last year.”
“My father...” She reached up and touched the side of her head. “What?” She couldn’t voice her questions, and was thankful when he continued to tell her the story.
“Turns out that the Lone Outlaws were one of the top organized crime groups in the States back then. They were one of the primary drug suppliers in the Southeastern states. They had a successful drug run from Mexico into the States, one of the only ones back then that hadn’t been shut down or turned over to the cartel. The FBI, Marshall’s office, and several local law agencies had spent years trying to infiltrate the group. To stay under the radar, they had been supplying funds for several local political campaigns and law enforcement officers.” His eyes closed briefly. “So, naturally, their influence had grown pretty high up over the years. They thought they were untouchable...”
“How does my father fit in all this?”
Caleb reached over and brushed a strand of her hair away from her cheek. When his hand remained near her, she fought the urge to push her face into it.
“He told me it was the day you were born. He couldn’t be there, for you or your mother. He’d been sent on a task to help Corbin, the second in command, clean up the mess after he’d beaten his pregnant girlfriend up. They paid law officials and city employees off. Made sure the entire situation got swept under the rug, all with drug and blackmail money. Billy told me that the young girl had lost the baby the same day you were born.” He shook his head and then reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek. She hadn’t realized she’d been crying and, to be honest, didn’t even know why.
Maybe it was the fact that her father, whom she’d sworn would be the only man she’d ever love, had been involved in such a gang. Maybe it was because her father had chosen to spend his time with men who would do such a thing instead of with Wendy and her.
Maybe her sister had been right all those years. Maybe they were better off without him around.
Chapter Six
He didn’t know what had changed in her, but all of a sudden, her eyes grew sad and distant. He’d seen the tears and each one that fell broke his heart even more. But now, her eyes were deeper blue than he’d seen before. Her bottom lip crumpled as her eyes closed.
“Hey.” His voice was soft as he pulled her closer to him. “What’s this all about?”
Her head rested on his shoulder as he ran his fingers through her dark locks.
“I never believed,” she said into his shirt. “I always thought...”
He heard a sniffle and wished more than anything that he could make her smile again.
“Wendy always said...” She mumbled something against his shoulder, but he couldn’t make it out, so he leaned back, putting his hands on either side of her face, waiting until she looked up at him before he asked her to repeat her words.
“Wendy always told me that we were better off without him in our lives. That he was a deadbeat dad and he didn’t deserve us.”
He felt a kick to the chest. From the sounds of it, Billy hadn�
��t been much of a father to his two daughters. But to Caleb, he’d been everything.
He’d been the man who had taught him right from wrong. Good from evil. Without Billy, Caleb would have ended up just like Al or Tony. Or worse, he would have been dead years ago.
How was he supposed to soothe her pain when he had nothing but gratitude towards the man that rescued him?
“Willa,” he said, brushing a few strands that had stuck to her tears. “I didn’t think...”
Before he could finish, she pushed up and brushed her lips against his. His mind shut off the second he felt the softness against him.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him closer. He could feel her soft chest against his and needed to feel more of her. She pushed down until he fell backwards onto the sofa softly, with her covering him.
“Caleb.” Her soft breath fell over his chin as she moaned his name. Just his name on her lips had him forgetting time and place. The sweet sound vibrated something deep inside him. Something beyond basic. Almost animalistic. His desire spiked faster and harder than he’d ever experienced before. Before he knew what he was doing, he’d moved until she was below him, her legs wrapped around his hips as he pushed his desire against her core while his lips covered hers. Harder and faster, his kisses were stronger and filled with more want than he’d ever experienced.
Her fingers had locked in his short hair, pulling, holding him closer to her as her legs tightened around his hips.
His fingers shook as he unbuttoned her shirt, one small button at a time. His eyes soaked in the view of every exposed inch. When she lay below him, her shirt opened wide, his eyes roamed over her tan skin. She wore a silver bra, which cupped her perfect breasts, showcasing them only for him.
He ran a fingertip slowly down her neck, over her skin, as he watched her chest rise and fall with every breath.
When he looked, her blue eyes were watching him. Then she tilted her lips up and he noticed a sweet dimple at the corner of her mouth. Leaning down, he ran his mouth over the spot, wanting to capture the dip, explore it, memorize it forever.