Cold Heat (Seasons of the Heart, Book 1)

by LeeAnne White

  Rafe watched her for a minute while she made herself at home in Drake’s kitchen. He wasn’t sure what to think about this mystery woman who fell into Drakes life. He felt Drakes eyes on him before turning back to Drake for the nod to go ahead and let her in on what he knew.

  “Kaylie, before Rafe starts, you need to know that Brian is being released today.” Both men were watching her while Drake told her this, one with concern, the other curious about her reaction to this first bit of news.

  Kaylie froze for a second at Drakes news, her body tensing, her breath catching and holding, her hands clenching the countertop where she had laid the ingredients she had pulled out. The news was swift, painful only for a minute as she let her head drop down before forcing her muscles to relax, reminding herself to breathe. She had survived, she reminded herself, and gotten away before he could find her. She would be on the move again as soon as she could get her car fixed. “There’s more, isn’t there? Rafe wouldn’t have come over here when he could just have easily called.” She turned and looked at the two men. “What else aren’t you telling me?”

  Rafe met her gaze and nodded his head in acknowledgement. “It seems your ex was under surveillance by the FBI before you sent him to jail.” He watched her face pale before she turned around, motioning for him to continue, his curiosity growing when she wouldn’t look at them. “The feds were interested in how he acquired his wealth so quickly, out of nothing, and they began watching him, but they could never quite pin him down with enough to take him in for the drug trafficking he was suspected of. Everything they had on him was circumstantial. When he was sentenced to jail, it effectively put their investigation on hold, or so they thought.”

  Kaylie was listening as she browned up some meat, adding in sauces and seasonings until the kitchen smelled like spicy sandwich meat. Setting the top on for it to simmer, she sat at the table, her hands clenched tightly together as Rafe continued on.

  “It seems your ex had a frequent visitor whom the feds were very aware of, a man known to work with a cartel, trafficking drugs from Mexico into the US and up to Las Vegas. Now that Brian has been released, the good guys are hoping to get enough evidence and information to shut it down.”

  Swallowing had, she took a deep breath. “How could I be married to him for so long and not see this? How could I have been so stupid? So unbelievably naïve to the truth?” Her voice getting louder with each question she asked. Standing suddenly, her chair sliding backwards across the floor with the force of her emotions. “Answer me that! I was never a stupid woman; I was never a quiet, mousey coward growing up! I was opinionated; I was a fighter for and of myself! How did I give up so much of myself to him that I was left little more than a shell of a woman?” Crossing to the front door and grabbing a jacket, she went outside, slamming the door behind her.

  Chapter 16

  Las Vegas

  Brian could not stop himself from relaxing in the warmed leather seat of the black Land Rover that Manuel had driven to pick him up in. After eighteen months of jail time for spousal abuse, Brian was again a man free to walk out and live his life again: well, as free as he could get with parole hanging over his head, but he was sure he could persuade his parole officer to cooperate. Even if there was a cost. How anyone could be so stupid to think that he abused his wife, when in reality all he had done was discipline her, was beyond him, he thought to himself. A man of his wealth and power deserved obedience and loyalty from his wife, and that bitch had failed at both. Smiling to himself, he imagined all of the ways he would make her pay for her failures.

  “Did you get what I needed before you came to pick me up, Manuel?”

  “Yes, Sir, I did. There is a suit in the trunk for you, and I have an appointment for you with your tailor this afternoon, it’s where we are headed now. If you look in the glove box, you will find the credit cards that you had me store for you, along with both your old cell, and a new cell and number. Everything is as you requested it.”

  “And Kaylie?” Brian asked as he opened the compartment that Manuel indicated, removing the phones and checking his wallet. His eyes began to gleam when he spotted the squared off look of his .40 caliber handgun and pulled it out. “Have you managed to track her down for me? There is a heavy price she needs to pay, and lessons she must learn for her unacceptable behaviors and her accusations against me. She not only tarnished my reputation, but she cost me millions in business. None of these can be tolerated,” he said as he held the gun comfortably in his hand.

  “Her phone and her car have not been in the same place, but they are only separated by a couple of miles.”

  “You’ve yet to tell me, specifically, where she’s disappeared to. The roads here are fine, yet you told me they were impassable, which is the truth, Manuel?”

  “Mrs. Peterson’s car and phone are in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the roads have been closed since the last storm. I’ve found someone useful up there who is more than willing to help us keep tabs on her, and he’s in the perfect position to do it without drawing notice. I also have men waiting for the instruction that they’ve been cleared to go find your wife.”

  “Well, well. It seems to me that she wants to play a game of cat and mouse if she’s headed to the mountains. Far be it from me to not entertain her. Change of plans, Manuel. Tomorrow I want to head up the mountain to see what my lovely wife is up to, and who she’s with.”

  “Sir, Señor Ruvalcaba has requested a call with you tomorrow morning. He indicated to me he was eager to discuss business options with you now that you are out.”

  Brian gritted his teeth. He knew he needed to re-establish himself within the organization if he wanted to keep the lifestyle he had worked too hard for, but he was ready to find Kaylie, to bring his wife home with him where she belonged. “Call the men you have up there and have them start their search immediately, use the coordinates you’ve gotten off her phone and her car, and instruct the men to notify us if they find her, but they are not to touch her; she’s mine; and you need to have everything ready to leave at the first available opportunity, so as soon as I’m finished with Ruvalcaba, we can go.”

  Manuel nodded his head as they wound their way through the Las Vegas traffic on their way to the first of many stops that Brian had asked him to arrange.

  Several hours later, Manuel pulled the SUV up the drive to the front of the Peterson’s large, two-storied, stucco house, putting the truck in park before Brian stepped out of the passenger seat and walked to his front door, taking the keys from Manuel’s hand, Brian unlocked and walked into his home for the first time in eighteen months.

  His eyes moved from the large carpeted staircase bisecting the cream colored wall on his right just beyond the entryway, to the twin pillars across the terra cotta tiled floor which lead to a formal dining room on his left. Ignoring the stairs that led to the bedrooms, Brian walked to his left, down the step into the dining room and formal living room, following the flow into the large professionally equipped kitchen. Golden toned wood cabinets lined two walls; the granite counter top shining as he flicked on the overhead recessed lighting. The kitchen, separated from the breakfast area by a long cream colored bar, adjoined smaller, more relaxed family den where he knew Kaylie had enjoyed sitting and reading in the overstuffed olive toned sofa and chairs, his large flat screen TV was mounted on the wall over a gas fireplace. The large picture windows lining the wall looked out over their back patio and heated pool.

  Brian could feel the anger in him growing as he took in his surroundings, looking for anything that was out of place, and knowing that Kaylie had stupidly thought she could walk away from him? She failed to understand that she was his, as much as the house and everything in it was, and he despised giving any of his possessions away.

  He turned, ignoring the downstairs guest suite where she had taken to spending many of her nights after he disciplined her. Brian headed for the stairs, pausing when noticed that a trio of pictures of her family were missing. Brian narrow
ed his eyes before continuing into the master suite. Walking in, he first noticed the carefully made bed, Kaylie’s pillows still in their spot. Walking over to her dresser, the rage began to take over seeing the dresser’s top still displaying their framed wedding picture, it intensified as he pulled drawers open, one by one, the empty drawers where her things should be, the things that he had bought and paid for? The bitch, his mind screamed as he yanked a drawer out and threw it against the far wall, destroying it. He stormed into their en-suite bathroom, again taking in the empty spots where her makeup and perfume had once sat. Yanking open the closet door he growled at her side of the closet, clothes she decided she didn’t want still hanging on the closet rails. Knowing he had one last thing to check, he shoved his shirts aside to access their wall safe. Pulling it open after he keyed in the combination, he saw her wedding rings lying atop a stack of cash.

  Anger like he had never experienced before blinded him to everything except revenge as he turned back to her clothes, yanking them from their hangers, and ripping them apart with this hands. The destruction of Kaylie’s clothes was absolute once the fury had run its course, and Brian left the pile of destroyed silks, and designer brands laying in a shredded mess, waiting for Kaylie to come home and see what she had done.

  Chapter 17

  Drake and Rafe sat in a stunned silence after Kaylie slammed the door behind her, before Drake stood, and walked over and opened the door, motioning for Jenny to go out with Kaylie.

  “Well,” Rafe started, “I’m not sure what you were expecting when she found out the truth man, but I wasn’t expecting that.”

  Drake turned and looked at his friend with the type of smile men wore only when they knew they were going to win a battle, “It’s exactly what I was hoping for from her. Man, if you’d seen her even just a couple of days ago when I found her car wrapped around that tree, she was a woman who had been through hell, but she’s finding the strength to take care of herself. Its like there’s an inner magnet pulling all the broken pieces of herself back together, fusing them into a stronger person than she started. That,” he said, gesturing to Kaylie through the window, “is a thing of beauty.”

  Rafe was quiet for a minute, looking at his former Captain, shaking his head at Drake’s statement. “She’s not your usual type, man.”

  “What? What the hell are you talking about, Rafe?”

  “Her,” Rafe answered, angling his head toward the windows. “Whenever we’d hang during down time, whenever the urge for the taste of a woman would hit you, that’s not the type you’d ever take. It was always the smaller women that drew your eye for the night, never someone who looked like her.” Rafe shrugged his shoulder at the hot glare Drake was aiming at him. “There’s nothing wrong with her, I’m just making an observation and stating facts as I know them, and I know that’s not what you used to run to for a quick release.”

  “She’s different,” Drake heard himself saying. “I don’t even know what it is, but there is something about her that has a grip on me; maybe I’m tired of going in for a taste every once in a while. Somehow she relaxes me, and tests me.” He shook his head, “I know something’s coming, that she’s not out of the woods yet, but I’ll be damned if I let her go before I know she’s safe, if I can let her go.” He walked to the burner, stirred the meat sauce that Kaylie had whipped together, and pulled out plates, ending the conversation on his part.

  “I’ll drop it for now, and I’ll be an extra set of eyes and ears while you need them because, yeah, I have a bad feeling that trouble’s coming, too.” Rafe saw Kaylie heading back toward the house with Jenny, “I’ll call the Sheriff and fill him in, get more eyes up here because we’ll need them. We should be able to go get her car, today, if we use your truck, at least get it off the side of the road and away from the tree.”

  Kaylie walked in as Drake was answering Rafe, “That’ll work. We can head out after lunch.” He turned his attention to Kaylie, “You okay now?”

  “Better, thanks. I’d like to…“

  “If you even think about apologizing, remember what I told you about it,” Drake warned her.

  Rafe’s eyebrows rose as he watched Kaylies face blush as she looked at Drake. She cleared her throat before continuing; “I’ll just finish getting everything for lunch together for you guys. It sounds like you’re going somewhere…” she trailed off.

  “The roads are pretty clear right now so we’re going to try and get your car and bring it back here, get it off the main road while we find a mechanic to look at it,” Rafe answered her.

  Kaylie’s eyes widened, “Are you serious? You’re going to go and get it? You can bring it back here? Why didn’t you say so?”

  “Kaylie,” Drake began, “this doesn’t necessarily mean you can leave right away, but we know a couple of guys who can fix damn near anything. We’ll call them and see if they can come take a look, see if it’s something they can fix, but don’t forget how you got so banged up to begin with. Your car is currently against a tree.”

  “I know, but if there’s a chance I can get out of your hair…“

  “You won't be going anywhere yet, Kaylie,” he interrupted her, “not until I know that you’ll be safe. We know that Brian is out of jail, after serving a sentence from charges you pressed, he’s been associating with known traffickers. Rafe and I agree that it may not be safe for you to be on your own yet.”

  “You and Rafe decided? What about my decision? If I am still in danger, if he can find me, he can find me here just as easily as anywhere else. I’ve already fallen into your lap, Drake, and now you expect me to sit back if there’s a chance that Brian could come after me here? I don’t see how he could, by the way, since no one in Vegas knows where I was going, remember?”

  Rafe sat up straighter in his chair, “Kaylie, did you change your cell number before you left town, or is the number you have the same one from when you and Brian were married?”

  Drake let out a quiet curse at his stupidity for not even thinking about her phone.

  “No, it’s the same number, I kept it in case my lawyer needed to get ahold of me. Why?”

  “Go get us your phone, sweetheart,” Drake said.

  When she had stepped into his room where they had left it, Rafe turned on Drake, “You didn’t even think to see if there was GPS on her phone? Fuck, man, if our hunches are right about her ex, he’ll know exactly where she is!”

  Kaylie walked back carrying the phone, her eyes wide in her pale face. She said nothing as she handed the men her unlocked phone open to the newest text.

  Time to play and I’m it.

  Frowning, Rafe took the phone, and after hitting some windows, he glanced at Drake, showing him the GPS icon.

  “He knows how to find me, doesn't he? Drake, I need to get away from you, from Jenny. You don’t know what he’s capable of, and now he could be coming your way.”

  Both men looked at her incredulously as they started to chuckle at her. “Sweetheart, did you forget that we are both former military? And now we’re both reserve cops up here? I’m pretty confident in our abilities to keep not only us, but you as well, safe. If you still want to leave after we’ve established that the threat has passed, well, we’ll discuss it. But for right now, even if we can get your car running, I need you to stay here. Rafe and I will just take your phone on a little trip and leave it someplace, so if he does go looking for you, he’ll end up in the wrong spot. We’ll still be extra cautious around here, just in case.”

  “Damn it, are you two seriously going to sit here and laugh about this?”

  “Sweetheart, I can assure you we have seen worse, and, if the time comes, I swear nothing will get past me to you.” Drake turned and walked back into his room for a minute before returning with a revolver in his hand. “Have you ever handled a gun, Kaylie?” At her nod he continued, “Since I don’t know how well you know handguns, I’ll leave you this one, as a precaution. Don’t pull it out and aim it at anyone unless you plan on using this
, and aim for the kill, not just to hurt someone.” He and Rafe went on to explain how to handle the gun, taking her outside to fire off several rounds until he was certain she had the basic knowledge, should she ever find herself in a situation to need it.

  “I’m wasting my breath arguing with you, aren't I?” When both men merely nodded in agreement, Kaylie threw up her hands, turned, and finished setting out what they needed for lunch while Drake moved to put the gun in the side table drawer.

  Chapter 18

  The two men set off in Drakes truck with Kaylie’s phone, leaving both Kaylie and Jenny at Drakes house with his phone, and his revolver, in case she needed to call them. Once they’d cleared his property they headed further down the road several miles in the opposite direction from Kaylie’s car before pulling off the road and tossing her phone out the window. As he turned his truck around, Drake couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, his hands tensing on the steering wheel as his eyes kept checking the mirrors to make sure there was nothing to worry about.

  “Rafe, do me a solid and…“

  “Already on it,” Rafe said, cutting him off as he picked up his cell and began sending out a text to their friends from the sheriff’s office, and the teammates who might be up in the area. “Man, the way you're twitching and checking our six is crazy. I know we’ve seen more than enough shit that could fall into the ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ category, and I won’t say there’s no way anyone could have followed her up here this fast considering the roads have been shit until they were plowed yesterday, but it’s highly unlikely, and now it’s snowing again.”

  “Just a feeling between my shoulder blades. Pissed at myself for not thinking about the GPS on her phone. If he’s as twisted as she said, there’s no way he or Acosta wouldn’t have had someone watching her. And if they noticed that her phone was stationary? Shit.”