Against Me (Cedar Tree Book 3)

by Freya Barker

  "It was weird. At first they seemed dead set on getting me off the road, I assumed to get me out of the car, and I was actually surprised when they started shooting. Back window was first, that's when I noticed there were two guys in the truck. Dark tinted windows, silver Dodge Ram, I didn't get the license plate - I tried but couldn't keep my focus on it long enough and it looked like they had it dirtied up or something. Never got a look at the driver, although I can safely say both guys were short from the way they fit the cab of a big truck like that. Think Arlene would be taller, easy. Maybe 5'9"? Shooter was Hispanic looking, thirties or early forties, wearing a leather jacket from what I could see and more significantly, he had a bandage on his left hand." That little bit of information had all the guys look at me and at each other.

  "You thinking the guy from the diner Beth mentioned?" Gus asks.

  "It was my first thought," I tell him. "Anyway, the last shot grazed me and I momentarily lost control of the wheel and the controls, next thing I know I ended up on this side of the road almost in the ditch and the truck was gone. All I can figure is that turnoff we had just passed a few hundred yards back but Caleb had said to keep heading to Cedar Tree, so I ignored it. I don't think it leads anywhere."

  "Actually," Joe suggests, "it's County Road 21 and leads to a back road into the Cortez airport. Not only that, but there is a Budget rental office on that side too."

  Just then the sounds of the approaching ambulance can be heard and another patrol car is just coming into view.

  "Now are you two going to be ok here while we go check out that route?" Gus wants to know, while Joe walks over to the sheriff's unit to fill them in.

  "Go." Caleb says, his eyes never leaving me. Even when an EMT comes over to check me out, I can feel the heat of his eyes on my skin.

  "Ma'am, we're gonna have to take you in to the hospital, I'm gonna get you on a backboard and then on the gurney."

  Before I even have a chance to protest being strapped down to a backboard, Caleb has me out of the SUV and in his arms, moving toward the open ambulance not even entertaining a discussion. Once the EMT catches on that I come with an entourage he makes quick work of securing me on my side on the gurney and has Caleb sitting close to my head. Last time I was in an ambulance he was with me too, I guess, but I had no clue that time. Looking at him now I can see how much it costs him.

  None other than Naomi waits at the emergency entrance of Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez. It shouldn't surprise me since she works as an ER physician there, but apparently I surprise her.

  "What the hell? You crash that sweet little Rav already?" She mutters on as she rides me to the first treatment room on the right, Caleb close behind us.

  When one of the nurses tries to tell him to wait outside, he says nothing but simply looks at her and doesn't move an inch from the spot he has taken up against the wall beside the door. My sentry.

  First thing Naomi does is look a bit closer at the gouge on my scalp. "That's a bullet graze," she holds my chin and turns my head back to give me a stern look. "Why is someone shooting at you?"

  "Not quite sure what to tell you," I chuckle a little, "the boys are out there trying to figure it out."

  "Boys?"

  "Yeah, Neil, Gus and Joe. I'm sure they'll pop in here eventually," I say, noticing the slight tightening of Naomi's mouth at the mention of Joe's name.

  It takes a few stitches and a bit of glue to fix the graze on my head, but digging the glass out of my back takes a lot longer and is much more unpleasant. Some larger pieces left significant holes that need thorough cleaning and stitching and some smaller ones have embedded so deep, Naomi has to use a scalpel to dig them out. Just lovely. I feel like a slab of raw meat.

  While she is working on me, the ER nurse is going over a checklist with me.

  "Any chance you could be pregnant?"

  I freeze and my eyes slowly find Caleb's before saying, "Yes, it's possible."

  I can feel Naomi's hands still on my back and in that moment everything seems temporarily suspended, but then Caleb winks and for some reason that tickles my funny bone and I burst out laughing.

  From behind me I hear Naomi's voice say, "Girl, you have got to be the weirdest chick," as her hands start moving on my back again.

  I just laugh, until I discover I'm crying and Caleb is right there. Of course he is. A big hand holding the back of my head while my face is buried in his midsection, the other stroking my shoulder and arm. A click of the door indicates we've been left alone, I think.

  "We'll move tomorrow," Caleb says as he puts a bowl of Chili on my lap.

  No sooner had Gus walked into the ER with my chair, or Naomi had shown up with my discharge papers and wound care instructions that Caleb snatched from her hand. To my question where Joe and Neil were, Gus answered vaguely something about following through on a few leads, but he wasn't particularly forthcoming. I had a sense it was more about the surroundings than the company, so I let it go... for now.

  Arriving at the guesthouse it was almost five in the afternoon and Emma is ready with a big pot of Chili to feed the troops. Gus must've called her from the road and filled her in, because she hauls me in for a bone crushing hug that makes the stitches on my back pull something fierce, but there is no way in hell I'll let her know. This woman who stands so awkwardly bent over my chair, just to give me her seemingly unending supply of care, never ceases to amaze me. She pushes back and wipes a few strands away from the bandage on my head, tears pooling in her eyes.

  "Holy crap, Katie. I would've totally lost it, and you totally handled yourself. Look at you; all banged up and still as strong and beautiful as ever. You floor me, girl."

  Wait, what? If only she knew what a simpering mess I've just been all over Caleb. I open my mouth to burst her bubble, when Gus slips his arm around her waist and pulls her away.

  "These guys probably figured they'd pick on the weakest link when they tried to tackle Katie," he chuckles, "little did they know they chose one of the grittiest fighters. Come on, Peach. Let's let them get settled in next door."

  Emma isn't letting us go without a pan of her Chili and some freshly baked cornbread.

  "Okay, but why the rush?" I want to know. Hell, I'm eager to get to the barn, but I’d thought Caleb might want to stick closer to Cedar Tree for a while after today's events.

  "The barn is off the beaten track on the other side of town, and it is still a construction site which will distract from the fact someone is already living there. Besides, I have Neil talking to Clint right now to move the installation of the alarm system ahead to first thing in the morning. Since most of it was hardwired in when they worked on the downstairs, it's only a matter of hooking everything up."

  "Okay," I say again, because it sounds reasonable, "but I just want you to know if that dog shows up, I'm keeping him."

  "The big rangy mutt? I'll get you a nice puppy when this case is settled."

  "Nope. I want him," I'm half teasing, knowing Caleb has his doubts about the stray, but I had already promised myself that if the dog is really looking for me―if he wants me, he can have me. Gladly. I know only too well what it feels like not to belong. Caleb is changing that for me, and I'll change it for the dog. If he'll let me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I just left Katie in bed asleep. She was exhausted and couldn't keep her eyes open, but as much as I'd like to crawl under the covers and take in her smell, hold her warm body to me, I need to get a handle on how the guys made out this afternoon. So I carefully close the door on the guesthouse and head over to the office door where I can see lights on.

  Gus lifts his head when I walk in, but Neil's stays focused on the screen of the computer he is furiously working on.

  "She out for the count?"

  "Yeah. Exhausted, but she'll be pissed missing any updates, so I will fill her in on anything you tell me. Just so you know." I look Gus straight in the eye, needing him to realize that I will not be keeping any secrets from Katie come
morning. He acknowledges with a curt nod.

  "We don't have much, but we're getting there. Followed the turn off all the way to the airport, which is no more than a strip, a few hangars and a tower. A silver truck was coming out from behind a hanger just as we were driving on to the field, and Joe managed to cut him off. Some poor teenage kid was behind the wheel, told us he worked for Budget and was told by his boss to go pick up one of their trucks at the airport, so his buddy just dropped him off. Keys had been left on top of the sun visor. That's all he knew. The grill had some scrapes, but they were smart in picking that truck, 'cause it was minimal compared to the damage it did to Katie's SUV. Joe called in some back up to take in the truck for processing. Neil spotted a guy working on an old plane in a hangar, and he had seen two men of a similar general description get into a small Cessna, which had been sitting on the tarmac all morning with a pilot at the ready. He had noticed because that seemed odd. When he saw them leave he figured they were businessmen. Apparently, chartered planes tend to be delegated to this end of the airfield. Neil and I headed over to Budget and Joe went to talk to the tower to find out more."

  "Let me guess. All matching descriptions but fake names and payments in cash." I observe.

  "Pretty much," Gus admits, "but the mechanic did mention an odd logo on the tail of the Cessna that could be significant and he had memorized its registration numbers. It's what Neil is working on now. Trying to figure out who the plane belongs to."

  "And the truck?"

  "Was rented a week ago. Rental place got a call requesting a pick up at the airport and the need for a large truck. Same kid we found with the truck had gone to pick them up, drove them to the Budget office and they paid cash, although they did leave a credit card number. Neil ran that and it's a stolen identity. Guy's been dead three years now."

  None of this should surprise me and still I'm frustrated. Fucking slippery assholes. I'd much prefer there was some legal way to pin something on them, but knowing we're probably dealing with a cross-border issue only complicates that.

  "Got something!" Neil's head pops up from behind his current choice of computers. "Alto is a tiny charter company out of Monterrey, Mexico. The logo the guy described sounded like a griffon and although the tags on the plane were US, they didn't belong on that particular plane. The griffon is not a familiar logo for any local charter companies so I checked south of the border. We'll have to do a visual confirmation with him, but this looks like it could be it." He looks up with a big grin on his face, "Especially since the owner of the company is listed as Ernesto Duarte."

  "Shoot it through to Joe and the Feds right away," Gus says, "I have a feeling this may become a multi-departmental case soon, if it isn't already without our knowledge."

  "Malachi," I change direction, "do we have anything? Did Manny come up with any leads?"

  Gus shakes his head. "A vague description from a farmer working nearby on the day of the fire. One man running into the fields from the direction of your parent's house. No good physical other than that he wasn't too tall, was average build and not too old. Guy wasn't a great deal of help, but one thing he said keeps coming back to me; he was grabbing one arm with the other."

  The guy with the bandage immediately springs to the front of my mind and my eyes snap to Gus who simply looks at me.

  "I see you coming to the same conclusion. Guy who set fire to their house could well be the same guy who showed up here, shooting at our Katie."

  Instantly my blood boils, I shoot up out of my chair and bite out, "My Katie."

  The surprise is evident on Gus and Neil's faces, but I don't back down. Slowly realization dawns on Gus and he raises his hands. "Absolutely and without a doubt she is yours."

  Neil's head swings back and forth between us in confusion until he finally rolls his eyes and focuses back on his computer screens.

  The raw feelings of possessiveness and sudden jealousy surprise me and I can't help wonder if my friendship with Gus will withstand the changes.

  "Go get some rest, Caleb," he says with a hint of sadness in his eyes, "tomorrow is moving day."

  After a quick shower I slide in behind Katie, who hasn't moved a muscle since I put her to bed. Pulling her body carefully to mine she lets out a little sigh from between her pouted lips and one of her hands searches around blindly until it finds mine, and she pulls it up and rests it clenched in hers between her breasts. That's how I fall asleep, wrapped around her soft, warm body with my nose buried in her neck, breathing in her unique citrus scent.

  Sometime in the early morning hours I wake up to find myself on my back with Katie draped over me and my hands holding on to her juicy ass. How or when that happened during the night I have no idea, but having her front plastered to my chest sure has peaked the interest of certain parts of my anatomy. The only offensive thing is the nightshirt she is wearing which I can't wait to get off her. I start sliding my hand over the soft globe of her butt to the curve of her spine and under her shirt. She moans softly as I trace my fingers lightly over the skin of her back, taking the hem of her shirt higher. I stop my track suddenly when I encounter the first of the bandages I now remember dot the upper half of her back, and Katie emits a soft grunt of protest.

  "Don't stop," her sleepy voice cracks as she mumbles against my chest. "Please."

  "You're hurt, Yázhí," I whisper in her hair, "we can wait."

  With my dick throbbing from the close contact with the source of all my erotic fantasies for the past few years, on top of my morning wood, I gingerly slide myself from under her body. On my way to the bathroom I give her half exposed butt-cheek a nibble, leaving her grumbling in the sheets. After relieving myself and pulling on some track pants I head to the kitchen for some much needed coffee.

  It may be early yet with the sun just starting to rise, but we have to pack. I'm determined to get us settled into the barn by sundown and yesterday was a total loss in terms of prep so we need an early start. I'm just sipping on my first cup when Katie rolls in, her short hair sticking every which way and a scowl on her face, pointedly ignoring me while she makes a beeline for the coffeepot.

  "Come kiss me, little one," I coax only resulting in a loud snort.

  Minx.

  "Katie. Need a kiss, babe."

  "Well crud. That's just too damn bad, Caleb. You got me all worked up in bed just to leave me hot and bothered, so I don't particularly feel in a giving mood right now."

  I have to bite my cheek not to chuckle at her sour mood. I've observed Katie long enough to have seen just about every side of her, but this pouty mood is new, and fucking cute. The moment she puts the coffee pot down I grab the back of her chair and swing her around, caging her in with my hands on her armrests.

  "Kiss," I demand, but when she rolls her eyes at me I pick her up under her arms and lift her on the counter, moving between her legs. One hand on her butt, sliding her toward me and the other on the back of her head so she can't turn away.

  "Kiss," I repeat.

  "Manhandling me is not gonna make me feel more amorous, Caleb. You had your chance."

  Stubborn woman. If we weren't on a time constraint I'd continue playing with her, but with a full day ahead I need my fix, so I take it. I lick her tightly closed lips with the tip of my tongue, but it isn't until I lightly pinch her butt that she opens her mouth in protest and I can slip in. The moment I taste her, the world settles around me and it's the damnedest thing. I would do anything for this woman, anything to make her life complete, because she already has done so for me.

  Small hands that were propped against my shoulders to ward me off, slowly relax and slide up and around my neck, winding their way into my hair and Katie's tongue begins a languid and erotic tangle with mine.

  "Can't anybody find a bed here? Jesus. What's in the water here in Cedar Tree? Maybe I should move here to get some action, everyone else seems to."

  I am instantly aware of my half-naked ass sitting on the kitchen counter as Neil barges into the guesth
ouse. Caleb just chuckles. He would, ass.

  "Troops have arrived. Go get some clothes on, babe." He orders as he lifts me back in my chair. Bossy much?

  Christ, I'm in a mood today. Don't know whether it is the after effects of yesterday's events or whether I'm really that ticked off at being worked up and then left cold. I just feel out of sorts. I really don't feel like hanging around with the guys in my shirt and barely there panties, so I go and get dressed. Not because Caleb said to, but because I want to.

  Cleaned up and in my now familiar get up of comfy yoga pants and for today a man's flannel shirt, I head into the kitchen only to find Gus has joined.

  "Morning, Gus," I smile at him, but other than a rather curt "Katie", I'm not getting much. What the fuck is up with that? Tension seems a bit thick, especially between him and Caleb. When I catch Neil's eyes, he just rolls his. Guess I'm not the only one noticing.

  "Ok, tell me the plan," I ask, as I finally take a sip of coffee from the mug Caleb just hands me.

  "Neil and Gus are going over now to meet up with Clint to finish installation of security. In the meantime you and I pack up our belongings here and head over to Emma who is apparently waiting with breakfast for us. These guys have already been fed."

  "Cripes, you guys are early."

  "No rest for the wicked," Neil quips," and besides, you guys are all like bunnies anyway, everywhere I turn. Doesn't matter what time of day or night; someone's going at it. I'm starting to feel seriously deprived. And what the heck is with the kitchen counter?" The baffled look on his face is hilarious and instantly has the rest of us laughing hard, immediately breaking the tension that lingered in the room.

  "If you have to ask, you're not ready to go there yet, grasshopper," Gus chuckles, slapping him on the back, "let's get going and let these folks get ready before my Emma gets impatient. She feels the need to feed."