Another Second Chance

by Avery Gale

  “Don’t give up something you’re good at, brother. Just tell him straight up. If we lock Colbie down, she’ll pull a Tobi, and that’ll make her twice as hard to protect. Go ahead, tell him, I wouldn’t want to steal your thunder.” Everybody thought Kent was the more affable of the two men, but Liam had seen them trade that title back and forth so often, he wasn’t convinced it belonged to either of them.

  “Somebody’s going to shoot your mouthy ass someday, just on principle.” Kyle’s words lacked any real conviction, and Kent’s unrepentant grin had most of the team members chuckling as they returned to their own conversations. “As my brother already so ineloquently said, I’m worried we’ve already restricted her as much as we dare. She’s already been injured while staying on-site. If we try to keep her inside, she’s apt to say screw it and take off.”

  She had the financial resources to run. Liam knew she’d been living hand-to-mouth because she hadn’t wanted to touch the money from her trust fund, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a couple hundred thousand in her pocket by tomorrow night. The last time he’d checked, the account had mushroomed to the point a half-mil gone would barely be noticed.

  “The good news is one of the two men who were asking about Colbie that day at Gus’ was picked up last night at LaGuardia before he could board a red-eye flight to London.” Kyle didn’t seem convinced that was going to help much, and Liam agreed.

  He agreed to discuss it with Bode while the ladies were busy at the spa. Rubbing his forehead, he couldn’t believe he had to be out of bed for an early morning training session in a couple of hours. I’m getting too old for this shit.

  Chapter Eighteen

  COLBIE STARED AT her reflection in the mirror before looking up at the woman who’d spent hours adding extensions to her hair. When tears filled her eyes, the young hairdresser’s eyes went glassy, as well, as she bit her lip.

  “You don’t like it? I’m sorry, we can cut it again.” Good job, Colbie. Hurt the poor girl’s feelings with your stuck on stupid response.

  “No. I love it. It’s just… well, I haven’t seen that woman in a long time. I was surprised and relieved. To be honest, I was terrified I’d lost her forever.” Colbie saw the girl sag with relief as Tobi and Gracie burst into the room.

  “Holy shit, TJ.” The little miracle worker went rigid again, and Colbie laughed.

  “Tobi, I scared her by not saying anything and now you’re doing the same by not elaborating.”

  “Oh, damn. Sorry. You are one amazing hairdresser. We’re keeping you.” Turning to the hallway, she shouted to no one in particular, “Don’t anybody let my husbands scare TJ off. She’s a Mensa level hair whisperer, and we’re keeping her.” TJ’s face turned crimson, but her ear to ear smile was filled with pride.

  “This calls for a celebration. Margaritas and snacks by the pool ladies, let’s go. I’m starving. Having the hair on my pink bits yanked out by its roots is exhausting.” Gracie shuddered as they headed for the door.

  Colbie turned around and gave TJ a hug of thanks before running to catch up with her friends. The blonde extensions were straighter than her natural hair, but it didn’t matter. For the first time in a year she felt like herself. Gracie was right. It was time for a little liquid celebration, and she loved margaritas.

  Twenty minutes later, they sat by the sparkling pool enjoying the way the late afternoon sunshine made the water look like it was decorated with floating diamonds. It seemed odd for it to be so warm this late in the year, but Colbie wasn’t complaining, she loved being outside breathing the fresh air. Colbie had already downed her first margarita and was halfway through her second when the conversation turned to Colbie’s plan to work in the Prairie Winds garage. Tobi explained their hope to expand their business, but the two women confessed they hadn’t hit on an idea they liked yet.

  “Maybe you should add garage service for the submissives at the club? The Doms would know their subs weren’t being taken advantage of, and they could spend time shopping at the forum shops or at the spa while they waited.”

  Tobi dropped the chip she was holding, and Gracie pushed her gargantuan sunglasses up on top of her head. Both women stared at her, jaws dropped almost to their chests; Colbie started to fidget under their scrutiny.

  “What? It’s not that bad of an idea.”

  “No, it’s not bad at all, Colbie. It’s fucking brilliant.” Gracie winced at Tobi’s curse, but nodded in agreement at the same time.

  “It really is an amazing idea. I keep running it through my head and can’t find any negatives. Having a female mechanic would be a huge draw; most women hate taking their car in because male mechanics don’t take us seriously.”

  “No kidding. I haven’t found one yet who knows what a whatchamacallit is. How is that even possible? How has any man gotten to be an adult without hearing his mother, grandmother, sister, girlfriend, or the even the neighbor lady use that term? Baffling.” Tobi’s observation was amusing, but it was also dead on. Colbie had seen the way some of the mechanics at Gus’ rolled their eyes about the ladies’ descriptions of their car problems. Their condescending attitudes were never appreciated by their female patrons.

  “Colbie, would you be interested in this… as a partner, if we can work out the details?” Gracie’s question surprised her, but she was suddenly thrilled with the idea. As the two women chattered a mile a minute about business plans and marketing strategies, Colbie stared into the distance, lost in thought. Movement on top of what the men had referred to as “the tower” caught her eye.

  Tobi must have followed her line of sight, because she laughed. “Oh, holy hotcakes, Jen’s practicing her ninja sniper skills. Kyle said Kip Morgan’s wife, Caila, was flying in today to coach her. You really have to see the irony in that. Caila’s a vet and an avid hunter.” When Colbie and Gracie stared at her in confusion, Tobi shook her head. “I got those same dumbfounded looks from my husbands. I swear, Lilly is the only one who gets my humor anymore.”

  “And that scares the rest of us to death.” Gracie’s droll tone made Colbie snicker. “Speaking of Lilly, where is she? I thought she was joining us today?”

  “Dean and Del were going across the river to work on the corner posts for the security fence, and she wanted to go along. She’s got a new shotgun and is convinced there will be rattlesnakes to use for target practice.” Tobi had barely finished speaking when two thunderous booms filled the air.

  For a few seconds, Colbie wasn’t sure where the sound had come from because it seemed to echo all around them. Tobi screamed and dove under the glass table pulling Gracie and Colbie with her. The reverberations from what sounded like a canon had barely subsided when they heard two cracks that sounded like firecrackers. Looking to the river, Colbie saw rock fragments from the cliff on the other side of the river flying through the air before falling toward the river. They were too far to hear the rocks splashing into the water, but a dull thud coming from that direction made Colbie shiver.

  Suddenly, the irony of hiding under a glass table seemed like the funniest thing in the world. Colbie had enough to drink she couldn’t hold back her hysterical laughter. Reaching up over the edge of the table and grabbing her drink, Colbie lifted the soon to be empty glass to her friends. “Here’s to finishing this before the Queen’s Regiment gets here. No way in Hampton they’ll let me step to bick ub my brink.”

  “Oh dear. Tobi, did you mix the drinks?” Gracie’s concern would have seemed a lot more legitimate without the cheesy grin, but then who was Tobi to complain when she was laughing like a loon, too?

  “Yes, indeed. And they’re mighty tasty, too, if I do say so myself. She’s right, it would be a shame to see them go to waste.” She’d grabbed the two glasses above her head. Both women drained their glasses as shouts came from the other side of the fence.

  “We’re gonna catch hell about hiding under a glass table. See through. Shattering glass. Cutting hazard. And probably a dozen other things I haven’t thought a
bout.” Tobi slid her glass over by Colbie, but it was too late.

  Kyle pulled Tobi from under the table at the same time Micah lifted Gracie to her feet. Bode and Liam both helped Colbie up.

  “Pet, I saw that. And what the fuck are you doing hiding under a glass table. You’re completely visible and have you considered how badly you could be hurt by glass raining down on you?”

  All three women exchanged knowing looks and burst into laughter.

  *

  PARKER HAD IMMEDIATELY responded to Kyle’s request for back up. When he’d heard the danger Colbie was in, he’d sent officers to watch the front of the Prairie Winds compound and called the local Parks and Wildlife office to ask for their help patrolling the river running the length of the back of the property.

  Lead officer Bud Cartwright was also a member of the club, so he’d been the obvious choice to patrol the waterfront. The second officer looked so young, Parker wondered how he’d ever passed the background check. After briefing both men, they made their way down river, and the younger man surprised him when he said he’d met Colbie.

  “Damn, that gal is one hell of a mechanic. You need your hunting rifle fixed or fine-tuned? I’m your guy. But figure out what’s clicking in the motor of my truck? I’m lost. The guys at Gus’ always give me shit about not knowing anything about motors, but not Colbie. She was so polite and solved the problem in less than a day. Now, my girlfriend takes her car to Gus’, too. Of course, she calls in advance to make sure Colbie has an opening, and the word’s spreading through Darla’s friends, too.”

  Parker smiled at Officer Tad Wesley’s enthusiasm and watched as the other man moved to the forward deck of the boat, pole in hand to watch for shallow rocks. Large boulders sometimes fell from the rock cliff bordering the opposite side of the river from the Wests’ property, causing a hazard to boats if their drivers didn’t stay alert. Parker stepped forward from the aft deck to the pilot house to talk to Gus when all hell broke loose.

  Kyle had warned him that his mom had a new shotgun and was helping her husbands high above the river, so the two booming shotgun blasts weren’t a complete surprise. But the screaming man who launched himself over the top of the cliff would have been almost comedic if he hadn’t landed on the deck with a sickening thud.

  Tad jumped under the boat’s canopy, his eyes so wide they looked like dark frisbees. He looked at Bud who’s half-grin was typical of his laid-back nature. Bud nodded in the direction of the fallen man as he deadpanned.

  “I heard Miss Lilly got a new shotgun.” His chuckle was contagious, and Parker found himself shaking his head.

  “Holy crap, Lilly West? I’ve heard about her. Damn, this is gonna be a tale and a half. But who was shooting the high-power from that tower?” High-power? Tower? From the forward deck, Tad would have had a clearer view, and he’d obviously heard something Parker hadn’t. Christ, I’ll never get finished with the mountain of paperwork headed my way.

  An hour later, Parker rubbed his forehead in frustration. Kyle had convinced him to move the investigation to the conference room at the club, so they could better protect Colbie—the fewer people who connected her to the day’s events, the better.

  Lilly West sat regally across from him, every inch the poised beauty queen she’d once been. She looked between her husbands and shrugged.

  “I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Everybody gets in a snit when I shoot people, but I didn’t shoot that man… he jumped. I didn’t even see his gun until he pointed it at me. I really should have let the snake bite him, it would have served him right.”

  “That snake is now in ten million pieces, love. He won’t be biting anyone. And the next time some fucker points a gun at you, don’t you be hesitating to shoot him. My brother and I will take care of anybody bitching about it.” Del West gave his wife a quick kiss before turning his attention to Parker. “You about finished up with us, Parker? Your deputies retrieved the guns that fellow had, but they didn’t seem interested in collecting any of the snake bits.”

  “I tried to tell them it was evidence, but they didn’t listen to me.” Dean West’s grin was pure orneriness. Parker suddenly had a vision of Kyle in a few years. Parker was probably going to have to beg his deputies to not quit after they’d spent time with the Wests up on top the cliff. Their blasé attitude about a hired hitman jumping off a cliff to his death would most likely shock those who didn’t know them.

  Fighting back his own amusement at the mental picture he’d drawn of the last moments of the jumper’s life, Parker shook his head. The poor bastard must have thought Lilly was going to shoot him when she’d walked up on where he lay, taking aim at Colbie. The damned guns they’d found in the grass were long-range; from Parker’s viewpoint, the guy meant business, this time. It would have been damned entertaining to have seen the look on his face when the shooter noticed the rattler inches from his crotch. According to Lilly, he’d scrambled over the edge just as she’d blown the snake to hell.

  “When am I going to get my new gun back? Parker, don’t you dare tell me it’s being held as evidence when shooting rattlesnakes isn’t against the law.”

  Parker sighed. “Kyle locked it in the safe and…”

  “That was just mean, Parker. I really would have expected better of you.” The glare she’d given him would melt steel. He barely held back his cringe at the reprimand. Turning to Del, she smiled sweetly as she patted his cheek, “Darling, you’ll make Kyle give me my gun back, won’t you? You know how he gets. I just don’t understand why those boys think they can boss around their mama.” Jesus, I’m going to get a cavity if I don’t get her out of here.

  Chapter Nineteen

  JEN PROPPED HER booted feet up on the chair next to her and looked at Caila Morgan. “I can’t believe I missed him.” Her shot had only been a fraction of a second late, but she might as well have not taken it at all because she’d missed her target by a couple of feet thanks to his backwards swan dive off the cliff. She’d heard the booming shots from Lilly’s gun just before the man they’d been watching sailed backward into the air. They hadn’t been able to see Lilly walking up on the sniper nestled in the grass until it was too late. Hell, they’d only sighted him a few seconds before Lilly’s first shot.

  “Well, it’s not like we were expecting him to jump off the damned cliff. Cut yourself some slack. It takes practice to hit a moving target.” Caila was slumped down on the sofa, downing her third ginger ale.

  “You winged him.”

  “Yeah, but I’ve been hunting since I was old enough to carry my own gun. Besides, in the end it didn’t matter. Dumb bastard killed himself when he landed face down on that boat.” Jen shuddered at Caila’s matter-of-fact description. She’d only seen the damage through the scope on her rifle, but that had been enough.

  “Cripes, don’t remind me. That was gruesome.” The truth was, Jen was rethinking the sniper section of her resume. She wasn’t cut out for the knowledge she’d ended someone’s life when they hadn’t been a direct threat to her. Shooting targets was one thing, shooting another person was an entirely different matter.

  “Taking bets on how long it takes Kip to get here?” Caila grinned. “The Morgan brothers were finally starting to call me Caila again. Now I’m going to be right back to Calamity, you just watch and see. And this one wasn’t my fault… not even a little.”

  “But you’re a magnet for calamities, my little Mistress of Mayhem.” Jen grinned at Kip Morgan who’d been standing behind his wife for several minutes. Caila squealed and turned to launch herself into his arms. “They did call me, but I was already on my way. As soon as we heard you and Jen were teaming up, and there were weapons involved, Sage had me on the first plane they could get ready for takeoff.”

  Caila was smothering Kip with kisses. Jen giggled when she saw his gaze land on the cans of ginger ale on the table beside his petite bundle of mischief. Damn, she liked Caila and had hoped to spend some more time with her, but she knew as soon as the Mo
rgan men figured out what Jen already suspected, they were going to drop a net over her.

  Kip leveled a look at Jen, raising a brow in question. She simply grinned and shrugged. Not ratting out a sister. Sorry buddy, that big bad Dom look doesn’t scare me, I’ve got two at home.

  “Jen, you’re free to go. Preliminary ballistics indicate the bullet in the victim’s shoulder didn’t come from your gun.” Parker stood with his arms crossed over his massive chest, glaring at her from across the room.

  “I could have saved you the trouble of the test. I knew I missed, but thanks for announcing it to the masses, Parker.” They might be in the club, but only because his damned office wasn’t secure enough for any investigation related to Colbie, so she didn’t give two shits about protocol. He might be a Dom, but he’d been an ass since she and Caila had been unceremoniously dumped in Kyle’s office hours ago. Hell, one of his deputies had even escorted Caila on each of her two dozen trips to the bathroom.

  “Be careful, kitten. All that hissing will be seen as a challenge.” Sage’s voice started her, but she should have known he wouldn’t be far away. When she looked up at him, his grin made her heart melt. God, she loved her men so much, it sometimes scared her. He winked and then leaned down close enough to whisper against her ear. “And you know how much it turns me on when you push.”

  “Come on. Let’s go. Where’s Sage?” Jen was on her feet and tugging him to the door before her brain noticed her feet were moving. The room erupted in laughter as they walked out, but she didn’t care. Sage wasn’t the only one who could meet a challenge.

  *

  TOBI SNICKERED AT COLBIE’S futile effort to get Bode to retrieve their unfinished pitcher of margaritas from the outside table. Colbie turned to her and glared.

  “See? I told you. I think it’s in the Queen’s Code of Conduct… don’t let potential murder victims finish any drink that has a little paper umbrella in it. That might include fruit on sticks, too. I’m not sure. I’ll have to get back to you on that part.”