“Well, hell, big guy, I’ll go kick her ass just to see what that’ll get me,” she said grinning. As she ran her fingers over his face, all the irritation previously there was washed away.
“Don’t tempt me. I was thinking about letting you,” he said, joining her in the truck. He saw Beulah watching him from the window, and he tipped his hat in salute. Her only response was to get flustered and try to escape his view.
When he buckled his seatbelt, she had to know. “So, if I really make her bleed next time, what do I get?”
He grinned his good ol’ boy smile. “Baby, any damn thing you want.”
It was good to know, since she already had something in mind.
* * *
Callie stood in the sheriff’s kitchen, stirring sauce for the pizzas. She was just starting to chop the veggies for the toppings, when Quinn walked into the room.
“It smells amazing in here.”
“Well, thank you, darlin’. I aim to please,” she replied, before stepping over Zeke, who was lying beside her.
“I think he’s in love,” said Quinn softly, nodding at the dog.
Callie laughed, missing the look on the sheriff’s face. “Well, why not? I feed him every time he looks at me with those big puppy eyes of his.”
Quinn loved how she leaned down to scratch his dog behind the ears, murmuring words of love and affection. Suddenly, Quinn, wished he was the dog. “So, do you need help?”
“No, Nate and Luke should be here soon. I have to say that you inviting them here earned you big points from the doctor,” she added, washing her hands in the sink.
“Well, I wasn’t trying to earn them. I just figured you’d want to spend some downtime with your brother. You two seem really close.”
“We are. I don’t see him as much anymore,” Callie answered, as she worked the pizza dough with her fists. “Hey, big guy, I need you for a minute.”
When he came close, his hands immediately went to her hips, as he buried his face in her neck.
“Oh, yeah? What do you have in mind for that minute, baby? Keep in mind I can move fast if forced to, but I may need a little longer than that,” he drawled, sliding his hands around the front of her body to pull her firmly against him.
Callie’s breath caught in her chest as his mouth began teasing her earlobe. “I need you to pull my hair back for me with my hair tie. Can you reach into my pocket and find something to use?”
He liked the idea of his hands wandering. “I’m pretty sure that I’m supposed to be trying to get your hands in my pockets,” he whispered in her ear.
Zeke went on alert and began growling at the door.
“Geez! We brought the beer, so you can tie down that monster you call a dog,” teased Luke, as Zeke stood protectively in front of Callie.
“I know how he feels. He’s not real keen on people coming near his girl,” said Quinn. “Down, Zeke. Friend.”
Zeke immediately sat. As he stared up at Callie, he earned a slice of pepperoni. Now, he watched her like she was a goddess.
Quinn couldn’t believe his damn dog.
Luke dropped a case of beer on the counter before heading toward Callie. “Hey gorgeous,” he said leaning in to kiss her, only to have Zeke growl once more.
Quinn laughed, and then saw the look she was giving him. “What?”
“My hair?” she asked again, hands still covered in pizza dough.
“Oh, yeah, sorry, baby,” he said, reaching into her pocket. When he found the hair tie, he patted her ass, and then pulled her curls over her shoulders and out of the way.
“Where’s Nate?” he asked, finally noticing that he was missing.
“He’s on a call with our big boss. He’s trying to arrange for the DNA found in the wounds to be sent in for type crossing,” Luke replied, opening the refrigerator to start loading up the bottles of beer. “He’s curious to see what the DNA is exactly.”
“Yeah, as are we,” added Quinn.
“Did you get enough beer, Luke?” asked Callie, looking at all the bottles he was sliding into refrigerator.
“Hardly, but your brother refused to sponsor a kegger,” he retorted.
Quinn couldn’t help but laugh at the visual in his head.
“And we brought something with us,” he said, pulling out Callie’s gun. “Nate wants to see if you have been practicing or just letting it sit and gather dust.”
“Okay, after we eat.”
“I have flood lights in the backyard,” Quinn offered, curious to see how well Callie could handle her weapon.
When Nate came to the door, Zeke went on alert but didn't react to the man like he did with Luke. Instead, he lumbered over to greet him.
“Why the hell didn’t that mangy dog try to eat him, too?” asked Luke, opening four beers before handing them out.
“Better taste?” replied Nate.
“It’s probably because he and Callie have the same scent to Zeke. So, he is being cautious, but doesn’t feel like Nate is dangerous.”
“Such a smart, Zekey,” Callie crooned, leaning down to lovingly talk to the dog.
All the men laughed as the dog whined and put his big head against her leg.
“You’d swear that the dog is in love with her,” said Luke, drinking his beer.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that she’s stolen his heart,” said Quinn. He couldn’t look away from her, no matter how hard he tried. Callie blushed, and damn if it didn’t drive him wild.
“Okay you Neanderthals, what do you want on your pizzas?” she asked, standing over four crusts ready to go.
Callie laughed at the choruses of everything from extra cheese to pepperoni, as she made them to their specifications.
“We can eat them in the backyard and shoot some empty cans off the fence.”
She stared at him. “Isn’t it illegal to fire weapons inside the city limits?”
Quinn found that funny. “Baby, I’m the sheriff. What are they going to do? Arrest me?”
She rolled her eyes and was met with a chorus of laughter.
* * *
When it was finally time to eat, one bite of the pizza and Quinn had his final validation that he was a goner.
This was his confirmation that he was on the straight track right to love. Never in his life had he felt this way about any other woman before. At one time, he actually believed that women were for entertainment in the sack, but Callie was special.
He wanted her to be his everything,
She even made his dog fall in love in less than two days. Zeke, who usually never left his side, was sitting next to Callie, with his head in her lap as she fed him pieces of pizza. The most endearing part was when she was blowing on them carefully, to cool them down for his dog, like Zeke was a child.
Damn it!
He had to find a way to keep her with him for the rest of his life. She was beyond his expectations of what he wanted, and he couldn’t help but hold his breath as she picked up her gun, popped in the clip, and loaded the chamber. He watched intently as she leveled the gun and pulled the trigger, missing the first can.
“Ha! You haven’t been practicing,” said Nate, teasing her.
“Please, I was just getting used to sighting the gun.” When she pulled the trigger this time, she hit her target. In fact, she passed every other test her brother threw at her.
Heading back to her spot on the bench, she leaned down to leave a kiss on Quinn’s lips.
“Mmmmmm,” he replied.
“Are you satisfied that I can handle my gun now, big guy?”
“Oh, yeah,” he replied, kissing her back. The taste of beer and pizza on her lips made all the blood in his brain drain to lower parts of his body. Here were three of his favorite things—Callie, alcohol, and food.
He pulled her down into his lap. “Something about a woman with a gun makes me all hot and bothered.”
Callie whispered in his ear, hoping to drive him wild. “Wait until later, big guy. I’ll show you what hot and bothered is
really like.”
As she walked away, the feel of his gaze burrowing into her back was satisfaction enough. It pleased her that she had the ability to get such a masculine response from him.
Yeah, it made her as happy as a damn clam.
After the pizza and beer were gorged on, and the men each took a turn shooting at targets, Nate and Luke headed back to Callie’s place. She kissed each of them goodbye, waiting for them to pull away. When she turned around, Quinn was sitting on the front porch, holding two more beers in his hands as he watched her intently.
“Thanks for dinner, Callie. It was great.”
“Never a problem,” she said, taking a sip from the bottle. “What are you dwelling on? I can see it on your face.”
“I’m just thinking about things,” he answered, trying to work everything out in his head. When he chugged the beer, it didn't alleviate the nerves brewing in his gut.
Callie was drawn to the simple action of his neck muscles moving as he swallowed. It made her want to run her fingers all over him. Now, she was really thirsty. She couldn’t believe that in only a few days she was feeling this drawn to him. Callie was so comfortable with him that it was as if they did this sort of thing every night.
It felt right.
“Want to share?”
Quinn shrugged as Callie took the opportunity to lean against him. “I’m still caught off guard by you. You’re nothing like I thought you were,” he admitted, as her brows knitted together.
“Oh, I see,” she said a little insulted.
“No, wait, Callie! I didn't mean that in a bad way. At first, I thought that you were the cool psychiatrist who was icy and sophisticated.”
“And now?”
“Now, I see that there are so many layers to the woman you really are. You drink beer and know how to handle a gun. You’re like a puzzle that I can’t quite figure out. Each time I get one piece into place, something changes, and I am amazed by a new piece I discover.”
“Hmmm… I don’t know, Quinn. I’m fairly simple to understand. I don’t generally play games, and I am more than likely to be digging in the dirt than eating in a five-star restaurant. This is the real Callista Carter. The icy doctor is my job. It’s the same with you, and I bet you don’t even realize it.”
He didn't know what to say.
“When you put on the cop persona, you’re cool and collected. One might say that you’re somewhat aloof. All you show is silent control.”
He waited for her to finish.
“But when you’re here, or when you wake up in the morning, you’re funny as hell. I think it’s all a matter of perspective. Before, you just didn’t take the time to get to know the real Callie. On our one date, it was more of you trying to impress Callista Carter.”
“I get your point.”
“Do you Quinn? Are you really satisfied with who I am?”
“I really like this side of you,” he said, staring down at his scarred boots.
“Well, big guy, I have to say I’m happy to hear that,” she replied. Callie needed to change the subject, or she’d be blurting things that needed to stay in her head. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve definitely had enough beer for tonight.”
“Did I manage to get you drunk enough to take advantage of you?”
Callie laughed. “Oh, yeah, Quinn. I think you did,” she replied. When he lunged for her, she tried to evade but failed miserably. Before Callie knew it, she was being swung up into the air and dumped over his shoulder.
“Quinton!”
He laughed. “Yes, Callista?”
When he slapped her on the ass, it was hard not to fantasize about all the things he planned on doing to her once they were inside.
Already, he had a very long list.
* * *
They watched from the shadows.
It disgusted them how they cavorted in front of the sheriff’s house. Just look at how he tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her off to do God knew what.
It was vile.
The leader sneered in the darkness. “She’s a marked one.”
“Which sin?”
The second figure laughed in the darkness. “I say we save her for lust. Look at how that man behaves with her. All he’s thinking about is sex.”
There was more laughter.
“That would be a great ending to the sacrifices. I think we need to start to throw the sheriff and doctor off the trail. It won’t take them long to figure out our plans.”
“Good idea. I say we start tomorrow at the fireworks. I think that the good doctor needs to be a little more afraid. It doesn’t appear that she’s worried at all.”
Tomorrow, they’d do more than scare her. She was going to get a lesson in terror.
In fact, so was the sheriff. Maybe that would entice them to back off and stop trying to find the identity of the killers.
“Oh, yeah, that would be perfect.”
“She deserves to die,” the newest member said, gleefully.
Together, the three figures moved through the darkness to make their plans for the following evening’s festivities.
Soon enough, the town would be cleansed of the last sins.
Chapter Seven
Friday Morning
C allie could feel the morning sun on her face as she slowly opened her eyes. Through the window, she could see dawn breaking on the horizon. It looked like it was going to be a gorgeous day for the Fourth of July celebration. Since this would be her first one ever, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. If the excitement in town was any indicator, it was going to be amazing.
At the light tickle of breath on her neck, Callie could feel Quinn curled protectively around her body. There was no doubt that she enjoyed having him near. Then, it occurred to her that once this was all finished, she would be leaving his bed and returning to the isolation of her own home.
It was funny. Never once, before Quinn and Zeke, did she ever think of herself alone at home. Now, the opposite was true.
Damn, she could feel the tears begin to fill her eyes. There was only one explanation.
She was in love.
Oh hell! What was she going to do now?
Sliding out from beneath Quinn’s tanned, muscular arm, she watched him as he slept. Her heart tripped in her chest at the sight of him. His sun-streaked hair was messed up, and there was a five o’clock shadow across his face. His rugged good looks made her want to reach out and run her fingers across his cheek.
Yep, she had been bitten by the love bug, and deep down, she knew it was going to come back to haunt her at some point.
Callie grabbed her running shoes and clothes as she headed for the door. She needed to log some miles to clear her head as she put the mess in front of her into perspective. While pulling on her sneakers, the dog blocked the front door.
“Okay, Zekey, you can run with me,” she said, kissing him on the top of the head. “Let’s make Quinn some coffee and leave him a note so he doesn’t think that I kidnapped you.”
In his big sunny kitchen, Callie measured out the coffee, starting it for him. Ripping off a sheet of paper from a notebook, she scribbled a message before grabbing Zeke’s leash to head out the door.
It was somewhat funny. Here she was trying to put some space between them to think, and what was she doing?
Absconding the man’s dog.
Callie’s heart wasn’t going to let her win this one.
That was for sure.
She was screwed.
Quinn rolled over and buried his face in Callie’s pillow. The gentle scent that lingered woke all of him up, including his lower body. When he reached out, to pull her beneath him, Quinn was startled to feel the empty space in his bed.
Immediately, he sat up and scanned the room. His woman was nowhere to be found, and that alarmed him. Grabbing his jeans, he jumped into them as he raced down the stairs into his kitchen. His first thought was that she had left him, and it made him ill. Then, he saw the coffee pot with the
fresh java, and the hand-written note beside it. His heart slowly returned to normal, as he realized that she didn't try to escape.
Big guy,
I went for a run and took my new buddy with me. I’ll make you something special for breakfast when I get back. I hope you slept well.
Love,
Callie
He stood there reading the note over and over again. The last part kept tripping him up. Did it mean something or did she sign all of her letters that way?
Damn it!
He was going to drive himself crazy trying to analyze something that probably wasn’t there. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he wandered back over to the table to sit and wait for her return. Old habits die hard, and he decided just because it was a holiday, it didn’t mean he shouldn’t get in some work beforehand.
Besides, he needed the distraction.
Pulling out the files, Quinn started reading over Callie’s notes. In them, there was a reference to something he hadn’t caught earlier. Apparently, she did because it was highlighted. In the coroner’s report, Tommy Brooks had found another piece of the puzzle.
The man had pulled a fragment out of Sammie Jean’s scalp and vaginal wall, which appeared to be from the same source. It was some kind of wood.
That piqued his interest. Quinn grabbed the pen from Callie’s bag to start making his own notes. Later, he would call Tommy to find out the source of the fragment. This might hand them a bigger lead to follow.
As he worked through the rest of the file, Quinn began reconstructing Sammie Jean’s day. It was like any other. The victim had gone to work at the beauty parlor, and returned home to put on her man-luring gear. Her final known stop was the bar, where she proceeded to have some fun. Sometime after nine, she exited ‘Ollie’s Wilde Hare’, with a man no one saw. At some point, before she was killed, Sammie Jean had proceeded to perform oral sex.
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