by Piper Stone
Reese started to answer when her eyes grew wide. “Uh-oh.”
“Don’t say that.” Sawyer followed her gaze, cringing the second he noticed what the reporters were highlighting. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
“What is that?” Boone asked as he moved closer.
“Oh, no. Really?” Landen laughed.
“We have a chef in the house?” Antonio scoffed.
Sawyer could only laugh as the reporter flashed two of his cookbooks across the screen.
“Bestselling author by night. Smokejumper by day. We can only imagine what he’s cooking up in the kitchen. This is Tanya Mumford for Channel 8 News and I must admit, I’m hungry.”
Another round of applause was heard coming from all directions and Sawyer dropped his head. “I will never live this down.”
“So, what’s for dinner, hero?” Riker teased.
“You really wrote cookbooks?” Cooper shook his head.
“What other secret life do you lead, big boy?” Shannon asked.
“I think I’m going to give a special dedication when I sing tonight,” Jessica said brightly. “To the chef and his counterpart.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Sawyer gave her an evil eye.
“Don’t put anything past this lady,” Stoker warned. “She’s a mother. That makes her fearless.”
“When are you going to cook for us?” Laney moved around Garcia, squeezing Reese’s hand.
“At this rate. When hell freezes over,” Sawyer grumbled.
“Thank you for what you did for the children. I can’t tell you what it means to every teacher, their parents and all of us.” Laney kissed Sawyer’s cheek first, then gave a huge bear hug to Antonio.
“Just doing our jobs,” Sawyer said, finally allowing himself to breathe. “Get out of here, all of you and party. Have a good time. I have other things to attend to.” He intertwined his fingers with Reese’s, wanting to hear about her scare. He remained angry, ready to tear into the asshole threatening her.
“I have a set to get to anyway.” Jessica kissed Stoker and grabbed Sawyer’s hand. “You did good and I’m proud of you. All of you.”
“Thanks.” Sawyer glowered at the television. “Would you turn that thing off?”
Shannon chuckled. “All right. Entertainment is over.”
“Hey!” Jessica called, laughing as she walked through the crowd and toward the stage.
“Two tall glasses of your finest bourbon please,” Reese requested and as she turned back toward Sawyer, a shadow fell across her face.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
“Not nothing. What?”
Exhaling, she rubbed her forehead. “Just Christopher is here with his wife. That’s all. Free country. They can go anywhere they please.”
Seeing the level of trepidation on her face, he tried to be nonchalant as he turned and studied the man, making certain he registered the guy’s features. “Tomorrow we talk to the sheriff, just in case.”
“Well, tomorrow I have no doubt I’ll be spending with the FBI, trying to sort out this mess.”
“You’d be amazed what the sheriff knows.” And what he can do.
“Here you go. Now, don’t forget what I said earlier. These two are on the house,” Shannon half purred as she eased the glasses across the bar.
Sawyer held up his fingers in a Boy Scout salute.
“Do I want to know?” Reese asked as she lifted her eyebrows.
“She knows about the upcoming party and refuses to allow it to happen.”
“Not that I’d be going anyway,” she muttered, shaking her head.
Eyeing Stasha as she approached, he grabbed his glass. “Things have a way of working themselves out.”
“Reese,” Stasha half whispered.
Reese cringed before turning around. “Stasha. I want to apologize.”
“I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have jumped on you. When I heard about your defense of Katrina, I just reacted. I hope you can forgive me.”
Exhaling, she nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Can we talk for a few minutes? I mean if that hunky hero, chef of yours will let you out of his sight. What do we call you now, Captain or Chef?” Stash asked as she gave him a mischievous look.
“I’m going to leave this country and never return.” Sawyer laughed. “Go. Do some girl talk. I need a few minutes alone with the guys anyway.”
“Don’t go too far,” Reese commanded.
“Oh, I won’t.” He kept the smile on his face until she was out of sight then turned to study Christopher. While he knew nothing other than what Carter and Reese had told him, his instinct told him that the obsessive man would have zero issue sending Reese threatening notes. Christopher had another thing coming if he thought Sawyer would allow such a thing. He sipped on his drink, watching the way he was toying with his wife and was disgusted. There were special places in Hell for men like this.
“You’re not angry, are you?” Boone asked as he flanked Sawyer’s side.
“Angry?” He thought about the question. “Honored. Floored, but not angry. You know me better than anyone else does.”
“I want us to be close, Sawyer. I know you’re harboring worries from the past, but you can get through them.”
He kept his eye on Christopher for a minute before giving Boone a thoughtful look. “And those demons involve you.”
“What?”
“I’ve had nightmares about not being able to save you.”
Boone groaned. “Ah, shit, man. That’s because I was a fool the other day, ignoring the rules. That’s all.”
“That’s not all. I told you I lost my partner, but there’s another reason. The guy I saved the other day.”
“Yeah, Mike Stanton? Heard he’s an okay guy,” Boone said then took a gulp of his beer.
“He was on the first team I worked with. Another good guy. We lost someone, a girl we were trying to save over a ravine. He’s never forgiven himself. Those two incidents brought back a lot of bad memories. Seeing Mike makes me realize how much I missed my friends.” Sawyer sighed and shook his head. “Might sound crazy.”
“That’s why you don’t let anyone in.”
“Yeah. That’s why.”
Boone remained quiet for a few seconds. “I’m not going anywhere. You’re a great friend and you’re going to be a great captain. As far as being a chef…” He allowed the words to trail off.
“If I ever hear about it again, I will kill you with my bare hands,” Sawyer half growled.
“You wait. I just might.”
An awkward silence settled in.
“Are you taking that job with Spence?” He wasn’t certain he wanted the answer.
“I don’t know yet. Still thinking about it. Stasha can’t sleep. She hasn’t eaten, and I want to be around to protect her. You know?”
Sawyer nodded. “I know but remember that anything can happen at any time. You have to enjoy what you have right now, and I know that you love being a smokejumper.” He glared at Christopher, unable to stop his reaction.
“That’s very true, my friend. Very true. You’re a wise man.” Boone laughed then followed his gaze. “What’s wrong. What are you looking at?”
“Just a guy I need to talk to.”
“Uh-huh,” Boone chortled. “I know that look. When you set your mind to something, look out.”
Sawyer grinned but kept his eyes on Christopher. The prosecutor had received a phone call and was heading to the front door. “I’ll catch you in a few.”
Boone patted him on the shoulder. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Cut that shit out!” He laughed and moved through the crowd, trying to keep his head down. When he walked outside, he was unable to see where Christopher had gone given the light rain and darkness. Then he heard a deep voice and moved closer.
“Yes, I’m well aware of that, Roger. We do have issues with this.” Christopher was pacing,
his tone of voice angry. “Did you not expect the Feds to talk to her? This is a high-profile case, just like I told you and exactly what you signed up for.”
Inching toward the corner of the building, he remained in the shadows.
“Well, the simple truth is, we have the opportunity to do something about it. If she causes any additional trouble, then we have the perfect excuse to alleviate the problem.” Christopher’s voice was increasing in volume. “You know exactly what I mean. And if you don’t have the balls, I do. I’m not allowing this to blow up in our faces. A hell of a lot is at stake. Besides, I’ve set everything up for someone else to take the fall. She’s here as I knew she would be and by now, I’m certain she’s pissing in her tight little jeans. That will make this much easier.”
Seething, Sawyer was ready to confront the asshole, but knew exactly what he needed to do.
Christopher laughed. “Let me take care of everything as usual. But you owe me.”
Darting behind one of the cars, Sawyer waited until Christopher walked back inside. His entire body shaking from anger, he yanked out his phone, making the call. “Sheriff James. Yes, I’ll wait. This is Lincoln Sawyer and tell him it’s a matter of life or death.”
Reese sat with her legs crossed, enjoying the soft music, the lovely glass of wine. She’d purposely selected merlot, a nod to the curt manner in which Christopher had greeted her at Ziggy’s. Of course, the jerk-off had come to a place he knew she might be frequenting. He was nothing if not thorough, having checked out Sawyer to the hilt. She took a gulp of the wine, closing her eyes as she savored the flavor. And Christopher actually thought he could best her.
“There are more comfortable places to sit than on the floor, you know,” Sawyer finally said.
She heard such a difference in his tone of voice, as if the entire news cast, the announcement that she knew he hadn’t been clued into had changed him. “I like the floor. Peaceful. Real.”
“Do you mind if I join you?”
“Mmm… Not at all.” She kept her eyes closed as he sat down, cradling his legs around her. “Captain Lincoln. Has a nice ring.”
“I don’t know if I even like the idea.”
“What’s not to like? You’ll make more money, have more clout and you won’t have to go on dangerous missions any longer.”
Sawyer clasped his legs tightly around her. “You don’t understand. I love the job I do. I am one of those danger craving guys who runs blindly into a fire.”
“Don’t tease. You do very dangerous work. I’ve heard the other girls talk. They hold their breaths every time their men go out,” Reese whispered. Her talk with Stasha had been a relief and while the girl was scared of the possibility that Katrina or her brother would try and settle whatever scores, she was resilient. Or resigned. But Stasha was going to live her life, something she was determined to do as well.
“That’s a part of me and no matter how hard I try and run, I can’t hide from that fact. If I take the position, and notice I say if, then I will work beside the men. That’s my nature and the only way I’ll do it. You need to at least understand that or this, us can’t work. I won’t put you through that.”
She absently rubbed his hand. “I’m tired of being scared. I have been since my last year in college.”
“Meaning?”
Reese knew this was the time to come clean and in truth, she hoped that telling the story would help both of them. “When I was in my last year of law school, I was accepted as an intern for probably the most respected prosecutor in all of Atlanta. The attorney I worked for was brilliant, and he took me under his wing, teaching me everything and allowing me to work on several of his cases. Many were brutal from murders to rapists and even a serial killer.”
“Jesus,” he whispered and eased her hair from her neck.
“I learned so much and he and I became very close.”
“You were lovers.”
“Yes,” she managed. “We knew it wasn’t going to last. He was enthralled with my enthusiasm more than anything, but he allowed me to enjoy aspects of kink and I trusted him. We were working on a case, a man who murdered several young women, college women. He cut them, arranged them and ultimately set fire to the area surrounding the body.”
“Whoa. That sounds like-”
“The Walker Tatum case that I just defended. I know. While only some of the method is similar, it’s enough I should have pulled away from minute one. Then again, I’m not certain my boss would have allowed me to pull away.” She laughed and took a sip of wine. “Hell, maybe Roger found out about the case and wanted to taunt me. I have no idea.” She heard a glitch in his breath sounds. “I don’t have to tell you.”
“Oh, no. Please, tell me.” Sawyer’s voice was husky.
She exhaled and swirled her wine, refusing to allow any emotion. “Thomas, the prosecutor, was certain of a conviction. We knew. What he hadn’t counted on is that the bastard was working with someone else. There was no indication of a partner. Serial killers work alone usually. We went to dinner one night and he invited me back to his place. And…” The memory of the night reared its ugly head.
“Take your time.” He kissed her neck, keeping his lips pressed against her skin. “Breathe.”
After taking several deep breaths, she continued, “The moment we entered his house, I knew something was wrong. By then, it was too late. The bastard murdered Thomas and would have killed me except I managed to scream and drew attention from one of Thomas’ neighbors, who called the police.” She shivered and fought to keep the visions at bay.
“Fuck. What happened to him?”
“Steven Winters wasn’t caught. I only learned his name and certain details about six months later. By then, I’d left Atlanta by way of Baltimore first. When I heard he was still at large, I came here. To this day, I don’t think he’s been caught.”
Sawyer peppered her with kisses before lowering his head. “Do you think this man is threatening you?”
“I don’t know what to think. Farfetched in my mind, but the note I was sent was so damn similar to the ones that the women in Atlanta received. I spent a long time blocking out the incident, but I remember every detail now. It’s possible. That’s all I can say.”
“We are definitely having a conversation with the sheriff tomorrow.”
“You don’t think it’s possible, do you?”
He exhaled and took a sip of his drink before answering. “You mentioned the name Roger?”
“My boss.”
“My honest opinion is that your boss is working with Christopher Sampson. The reason why? I have no clue, but I do believe that your life is in danger.”
Reese scooted away, looking him in the eyes. “What do you mean? Roger is many things, but a killer? He’s not that intelligent.”
“He’s not the one I’m worried about. Did you bring the note?”
“Yes. I also brought everything from the case in Atlanta just to compare.” She darted her eyes back and forth. “Do you really think the sheriff can help?”
“I do. He’s formidable when he wants to be. Besides, you’re safe with me.”
“I am, huh?” she slid the tip of her finger down his open shirt. “Why is that?”
“Well,” he stated, the tone commanding, “I own two guns and know how to use them.”
“All you cowboys have guns.” She shivered from the way he was looking at her.
Sawyer acted like he was contemplating her question. “True.” He eased the glass from her hand, placing both drinks down on the hearth.
“What else will keep me safe?” Unbuttoning his shirt, she eased her palm against his chest, inhaling his cologne. God, the man made her wet. Her nipples were aching, her breasts swollen.
“I happen to know karate.” He tugged at her shirt, yanking it over her head and cupping her breasts, rubbing his thumbs back and forth across her lace covered nipples.
“You do, huh?”
“A few moves anyway.” Pulling at the straps o
n her bra, he eased them down her arms, brushing his fingers up and down until goosebumps appeared on every inch of naked skin.
“Mmm… I’ll keep that in mind. Any other burning secrets?”
“Other than I love you?”
Hearing the adoration as well as devotion in his voice, she whimpered and pushed his shirt off his shoulders. “Show me, Sawyer. Make love to me.”
“I thought you’d never ask.” He removed her bra and dropped his head, taking her nipple into his mouth.
A series of electric jolts coursed through her entire body, curling her toes. She fumbled to remove his shirt then fiddled with his belt. The touch of the leather was a gentle yet powerful reminder of what they shared.
Arching her back, he licked around her nipple before taking the tender flesh between his teeth.
“God!” She gave up and allowed him full control, blinking several times as the bliss rushed into her system. When he pinched the other nipple, she opened her mouth in a silent scream.
Sawyer eased her down to the floor and unfastened her jeans, tugging them down her hips. When she was fully naked, he issued a series of savage and dominating grunts before lowering his head, capturing her mouth.
She flung her arms around his shoulders, allowing them to drape as he slipped his tongue past her lips. The taste of him, bourbon mixed with a crazed desire was so intoxicating that she felt drunk on her own longing, her pussy clenching.
He French kissed her as he straddled her legs, both hands cupping and squeezing her breasts, his thumbs flicking back and forth across her already hardened nipples.
When he broke the kiss, licking her mouth and chin, moving down to her neck, she lifted her arms, languishing in the incredible sensations dancing down her spine.
The kisses continued, combined with licks and nips as he moved down her chest, dragging his tongue around both nipples.
She was cognizant that he’d gathered her legs into his arms, opening her wide, exposing her wet cunt. “Oh…”
A single dark chuckle escaped his lips before he engulfed her pussy, licking all the way up and down, the tip of his tongue moving around and around her clit. Every move was sensuous, soft and gentle, yet his hold was powerful. Dominating.