by Sophie Oak
Damn it. Zane cursed, too, but stuffed his cock back in his jeans. He helped Callie zip up her skirt. Nate nodded at Zane and sat back in his chair, pulling Callie into his lap. He needed her. He didn’t want his deputy to see that he had a monster erection.
Rye Harper had the right idea. He’d been the one to put up that sign that announced he was fishing. Nate needed a new one. Don’t Commit Any Crimes – I’m Fucking My Secretary.
Zane unlocked the door and it swung open, revealing a red-faced Logan with a piece of paper in his hand. Logan looked from Callie and Nate over to Zane and back again. His mouth came open and then closed. “Okay, well, I just wanted to tell you that some crazy-looking chick just walked in and handed me this note.” He held the folded piece of paper out toward Nate. Callie struggled to get off his lap, but he held her close. It was time for Callie to understand he had no intention of hiding the fact that they were lovers.
“Give it to Zane,” Nate instructed. If he took his hands off Callie, he’d lose her. He fully intended to get back to his fun the minute he got rid of his deputy.
Logan handed the paper to Zane, who immediately opened it and started to read.
Nate cuddled Callie close. She sighed and shook her head, as though trying to get him to understand how disappointed she was in his professionalism. He ignored her. He’d explained that he had no professionalism when it came to her. She would just have to learn to live with it. “Thank you, Logan. Why don’t you go and write the tourists some tickets? We could use a new microwave.”
Callie slapped at him softly as Logan walked out. “He will be on the phone to his moms, his girlfriend, and everyone else he knows in just about…now. Do you know how the gossip mill works in a small town?”
Nate didn’t care. Let ‘em talk. “You don’t think staying at our place last night escaped the town’s attention? Baby, I assure you they noticed you were in Zane’s T-shirt and clinging to one of us most of the time.”
He pulled her close. This was what he’d wanted since that first day when he walked in and realized how close he would be working with her. He cuddled her close and was satisfied when she softened against him, her head lying against his shoulder. He kissed her cheek and was about to tell Zane to lock that door again when he saw the look on his partner’s face. Zane had gone white, his jaw tight. A slight tick in the muscle of his left cheek let Nate know his friend was deeply disturbed. After the events of the morning, Nate had a feeling he knew who the note had come from.
Well, at least he didn’t have an erection anymore.
Nate sat up. Callie was watching Zane now, too. “What is it?” Nate asked.
“Bullshit, that’s all.” Zane folded the note again, and Nate could tell he was trying for a nonchalant look. “So, we checking into a motel, or what? I don’t think we should stay at Callie’s. I wouldn’t want someone chucking a fire bomb into her house.”
“Let me see the note.” Nate leaned forward. Callie hopped off his lap and went to sit in the chair beside Zane.
“Who was the note from?” Callie’s voice cajoled, her hand rubbing a circle over Zane’s denim clad thigh.
Zane tossed the note on Nate’s desk. “He’s someone Nate and I knew a long time back.”
Nate unfolded the note. “Shit. How the fuck does this bastard run things from his prison cell?” The note was from Ellis, though not in his handwriting. The “crazy-looking chick” must be one of the women from the gang.
“He probably dictated it to his lawyer.” Zane’s face was perfectly smooth. To an outsider, it would look like he didn’t care, but Nate could see the wheels working in Zane’s head. “You know some of those lawyers are as bad as the assholes they represent.”
The note was simple.
Give up Zane or else.
It didn’t have a place to drop him off or give a time limit. Just a simple threat. That was Ellis’s way. He would never tell you what he was going to do. He would rather his victim wondered. Nate’s eyes found Callie. She tried to get him to hold her hand, but he merely squeezed it and let it go again, shifting to get out of reach. Nate knew in that moment that Zane was going to leave.
“We need to think about moving Callie to someplace safe.” He didn’t want to get into it with Zane while Callie was around. It would just worry her if they came to blows, and they just might.
Zane sat forward. He seemed perfectly happy to talk about something other than that note. “Absolutely. Maybe you should take her away for a little while. You know, the two of you could go on vacation, maybe to the beach.”
Callie sat back, her mouth open in shock. “I’m not leaving. This is my home. Why would I leave?”
Zane’s face hardened. “Because it isn’t safe for you, Callie. I don’t know if you noticed, but someone’s tried to kill you twice in the last twenty-four hours.”
“And I’m perfectly fine, thank you.” She stood up and crossed her arms defensively over her chest. “I’m going to make some coffee and check the phones. I still have a job to do, you know.”
The minute Callie was out of sight, Nate leaned forward. “Whatever you’re thinking about doing, don’t.”
Zane’s mouth was a flat, stubborn line. “You know it’s for the best. I’ll just sit in that fucking bar until they come for me. I won’t go in alone this time. I’ll pack some serious heat.”
He would go down in a blaze of glory. Nate got the message. Only he’d made a promise to himself that Zane wouldn’t go down period. “Just sit tight. I’ve got this handled.”
“Like you handled it last time?”
The words cut through Nate like a knife to his heart. He felt himself pale as though he’d gone bloodless, and his eyes weren’t looking at Zane anymore, at least not the one in front of him. He saw Zane as he was that afternoon, laid out on a table, his skin smoking, blood leaking out onto the floor. When he’d uncuffed his partner, the big bull had managed to get up and beat the living shit out of a couple of his tormentors. It was only when he tripped from blood loss that he went down. He’d fell and hit his head on a mounting block and slipped into a coma. Nate hadn’t been able to catch him in time.
“Did you hear me?” Zane’s rough voice brought him back to reality. “I won’t let her get hurt.”
Blood rushed back into Nate’s body, pumping through his muscles with an angry vengeance. Damn it, how much did he have to do to make up for his mistake? Should he have rushed in to save Zane, guns blazing, when they were terribly outnumbered? He’d made the right call that day, and he was making the right one now. “You think I intend to throw her to the wolves to save your ass?” Resentment bubbled up. He’d put his career on hold to take care of Zane, and had the bastard once said thank you? Now he wanted to accuse him of putting Callie in danger? “Let me tell you something, Zane, I will let them carve you up if it means sparing her a moment’s pain, do you understand?”
Zane growled, baring his teeth. “Yeah, I got it, buddy. At least we’re in agreement on something. So, I’ll go and take care of this, once and for all. You get the girl and ride off into the sunset, Sheriff.”
Nate’s fists came down on his desk, making the thing shudder. “Why do you insist on killing yourself? You know what? I am tired to death of forcing you to live. You want to give Ellis the satisfaction of taking you apart, then go the fuck ahead. Who am I to stop you?”
Zane stood, shoving the chair back against the wall. He took up a lot of space in the small office. If only he had a big brain to go along with his bulk. Nate stood, too, facing down his oldest friend in the world.
“What are you waiting for, asshole?” Nate spat the question out. “The door is that way. I’ll take care of Callie, don’t you worry about it. I’ll take her out of this two-bit town and show her a real life. We won’t remember you at all.”
He didn’t mean a word of it. Even as the words spilled from his mouth, he knew that he would miss Zane. He would miss his friend. Why was he such a stubborn ass?
Zane hesitated. Hi
s face fell, but in the space of one breath to the next, he became hard as stone. “You don’t know her at all. She’s just a freaking trophy to you, rich boy. You can’t take her away from here. This is her home.”
“Her home is with me and where I decide to make it.” Even if Zane stayed, that held true. Nate was the only one of the three of them with a lick of ambition. Callie was a sweet little thing, and Zane spent all of his time reading books and watching baseball. It was up to him. He would pull them along and make a brighter future for all of them. Zane and Callie had grown up without. They had no idea of what real money could do for them. Callie lived in a run-down, two-bedroom cabin. Zane had grown up in a shitty apartment in a nasty section of town. When he found a proper job, Nate would make sure she had the best house they could afford where any kids they had would have every advantage money could buy. He would use his old connections to make her comfortable in society. She would adjust.
Zane shook his head. “Man, she’s not some high-society girl, and she never will be. She will never be some country-club woman. The girl likes to spend most of her time naked. How is that going to fit in at one of your charity balls? Face it, rich boy, your money’s gone. You’re down here in the mud with the rest of us, and you’re going to stay here.”
Nate’s blood was boiling, bubbling just under his calm surface. Zane knew just where to thrust that knife in. All of Nate’s life he’d been groomed to take over his family’s business. He’d rebelled when he joined the DEA, but the ambition that was bred into him never went away. Now that the family business and money were all gone due to bad investments, a crooked accountant, and the condition of the economy, it was up to Nate to get his position back. It didn’t matter that Callie had grown up here. Everyone had to leave the nest eventually.
It was a home with no future. He couldn’t move up here. He couldn’t get back what he’d lost in Bliss, Colorado. The most he could hope for here was another term as sheriff. No matter how nice the people were, Bliss was a dead-end town. “You won’t have to worry about us, man. You’ll have done your duty and sacrificed yourself. You’ve been trying to commit suicide for years. Well, I won’t stop you anymore.”
He would. Nate would lock his ass up if he had to, but he wanted to play this out to the end.
Zane was the very picture of half-contained rage. His muscles bunched and corded, his eyes flared. “I didn’t have to commit suicide, asshole. I just had to follow you. You think I wanted to join the fucking DEA? I went to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed.”
The words rolled out of Nate’s mouth before he could think to take them back. “Well, you could have saved yourself the trouble. I wasn’t the one who fucked up and blew my cover.”
When the punch came, it caught him across the face, and Nate’s head snapped back with an audible crack. His eyes closed against the blinding pain of every nerve in his face firing off. He reached his hand up to wipe the blood away. Zane stared at him as though he wanted to apologize but couldn’t force the words out of his stubborn mouth. It didn’t matter. Nate wouldn’t have accepted an apology. Nate launched himself across the desk with no thought other than beating some sense into his oldest friend in the world.
The lamp on his desk fell to the floor with a crash. Zane shouted something, but Nate’s focus had narrowed. He pulled back his arm and brought it down with every bit of force he could muster.
Zane fell back with a groan as Nate’s fist met with his face. Zane was bigger, but Nate had always compensated by being more vicious. He didn’t pull his punches, and he didn’t pause to breathe. Zane was his punching bag, and he took all of his pent-up anger out on his big body. He got in a swift upper-cut to Zane’s chin. He landed a fist on Zane’s eye and noticed there was blood on his hands. His? Zane’s? Didn’t matter. Zane finally managed to kick him off. Nate had the breath knocked out of him as Zane’s knee got him in the stomach. His ribs ached, and his back hit the desk. He lay there for a moment, taking in the extent of his injuries. Then Zane grunted, and Nate knew they weren’t done yet. Before Zane could get the drop on him, he brought up the heel of his boot and kicked him squarely in the nuts. Zane went down with a whimper, falling back into the chair he’d previously occupied.
“You motherfucker.” Zane moaned, cupping himself.
Nate wiped the blood off his nose. He was pretty sure it wasn’t broken. “Yeah, well, I’m not letting you sacrifice your ass to the Barbarians. We’ll find a safe place to hole up and figure out what they want with you.”
“Damn it, they want my head, Nate,” Zane shot back. He shifted in the chair. “If they don’t get mine, they’ll take yours or Callie’s.” He let his head fall back, and his eyes closed. Zane seemed infinitely weary. “I’m tired of all of it. It isn’t worth it, man.”
“You are so selfish. You always have been.” Nate managed to push his body up to a sitting position. He hissed slightly as he twisted. Damn, Zane knew just where to kick a guy. He’d feel that impact for days. “Have you thought at all about how this affects Callie? The last time we left her, she was alone for six years. She’s not some girl you pick up in a bar and leave behind the next morning. She deserves better than that.”
Zane wiped blood from a cut under his right eye. “I never promised her anything.”
“You promised you would take care of her.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Nate’s fists clenched. He was just about ready to start the fight again. The first beating hadn’t gotten through Zane’s thick skull. “You can’t take care of her if you’re dead. Who’s to say that they won’t come after me next? Should I just go lie down and die, too?”
Zane kicked out. His boot caught the edge of the desk, making it shake. “You think I want to die?” His hands shook, but he stopped and took a breath. He sat like that for a moment. “Fuck you, Nate. Maybe what I want is to be free of you. Maybe I want to start living my life without having to measure up to your standards. I am leaving, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
The door slammed open, and Nate’s head swung around. He noticed Zane was looking, too, his face as white as a sheet.
“Callie, baby,” Zane started, but the words fell away.
There were tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked between the two of them. “You two through beating on each other?”
Nate noticed she was holding something in her hand. It dangled at the side, a nest of brightly colored vines flowing through her fingers.
Zane’s face went mulish again. “We’re done. Now, I gotta go. I have something to take care of.”
He pushed himself out of his chair, but Callie didn’t move. Zane stared at his boots.
“Callie, it’s just something we do from time to time,” Nate tried to explain. It was true. At least once a year, he and Zane had it out. It was a guy thing. Callie paid him absolutely no attention.
“Tell me something, Zane,” she began. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly. “Was I going to get another note? At least last time no one knew about it. I didn’t have to deal with the town pitying poor Callie who can’t keep a man to save her life. If you wanted to leave, if it didn’t mean anything, why did you tell one of my oldest friends that I was your woman?”
Zane shrugged. He didn’t look up. Callie might not know it, but it was a sure sign that whatever came out of Zane’s mouth next was a complete lie. “I’m a good-time guy, darlin’. I like to fuck a pretty lady, and last night you were hot as hell. This morning, I want to move on. I don’t mean to hurt you, babe. I’m not the kind of man who settles down.”
“He’s being a self-sacrificing idiot, Callie.” Nate scrambled off the desk and forced his way in between them. He reached for Callie’s free hand. Despite the righteous ache in his bones, he felt the need to defend Zane, even against himself. “Don’t believe a word he says.”
Nate was surprised to discover his heart pounding. He knew why he was trying to save the big idiot’s life, but he was also trying t
o save the relationship—between the three of them. It was important.
“You stay out of this. It’s between me and Callie.” Zane stared past him at Callie.
Callie turned to Nate. “I’m not stupid, Sheriff. I know he’s lying, but in a way, he’s not. I can’t mean that much to him if he’s willing to walk away without a fight.”
Zane shrugged and gave her a grin that had Nate wincing. There was a wealth of arrogance on Zane’s face. It was his “I’m an asshole” expression. “What can I say? I’m that kind of guy. I’d rather not fight, babe. It’s easier to walk.”
She held up the little nest of wires in her hand. “I’m glad you like to walk. This is a good portion of your motorcycle’s electrical system. I trashed it. I grew up with three brothers. They might not have been blood, but they taught me things all the same. I also punched holes in your tires and took a club to the headlight. You might have heard that if you hadn’t been beating on each other. You want to walk out on me, Zane? You will walk.”
Zane took the wiring from her hands. “Goddamn it, Cal. How could you do that? It won’t work. I’ll just get it fixed, and I’ll be out of here by sunset.”
“Where?” She held her cell up, mocking him. It was pink with little fake diamonds all over it. It was ridiculously feminine, like Callie, and just like its owner, it could do far more damage than one could imagine. “I already called all the mechanics in town who might be able to do the work. They won’t have a place for you for weeks. They’re already calling their buddies in Del Norte and Creede. You’ll have to get that bike to Alamosa if you want it fixed, and no one will tow it for you. Good luck pushing it a hundred miles down the highway.”
She turned. Zane’s hand shot out, hauling her back. Nate stood back. Zane wouldn’t hurt her physically, but Nate was ready to beat the crap out of him if he pressed her further emotionally.
Zane had dropped the playboy act. His anguish bled through his eyes. “It won’t work, Callie. Damn it, can’t you see I’m doing this because I love you?”