“Hey, dirtball.” Ethan’s voice and Damien’s fierce barking snapped attention to the charging shepherd from the mouth of the tunnel.
Simultaneous events blurred definition.
Lexi leaped into the low-slung boat then pivoted to rock the floating dock. Basil’s balance faltered with uneven footing as Kaylee’s elbow struck his gut. Caden charged forward. Matt and Ethan rushed the dock.
Basil’s first shot spun Caden around and into the water. Pain in his chest and the cold depths closing over his head kept him conscious. The bullet hit him center mass with his vest preventing penetration but not the monstrous burn spreading throughout his chest. He fought to remain coherent.
Muffled screams from above indicated the ongoing struggle as he gathered his senses and swam forward and under the boat to surface behind the struggling trio. Breath burned in his lungs.
In breaking the surface beside the dock, he heard two more shots in quick succession. Damien yelped before a loud thud indicated something heavy hitting the deck.
Shock filled him at seeing Lexi and Kaylee struggling with a downed Basil, his gun dropping to the plank. Matt buckled to the platform, his hand clutching his shoulder.
Basil’s fist crashed into Kaylee’s cheek. Ethan snatched her back before another belt rendered her unconscious. In a maelstrom of flying fists and disordered actions, Kaylee struck out blindly, seldom connecting with her target. Lexi struggled against Basil trying to confine both her wrists in one of his hands. Her foot connecting with his groin produced a howl of rage and pain.
The deadly scene continued to unfold with the contractor struggling to right himself despite Lexi’s determination to keep him down. As Caden heaved himself up, Basil recovered his gun and shoved it in Lexi’s face. Quick reflexes saw Lexi’s arm come up and her head duck to the side at the same time Ethan latched onto Basil’s gun hand.
The shot went wide.
From behind, Caden gripped Basil in a reverse chin-lock at the same time Ethan snatched the gun away. The bastard had tried to kill everything precious in his life and deserved what he’d now receive. The choke hold tightened until the shit’s gasping sounds weakened, but Caden didn’t soften his grip.
Matt wheezed a breath while holding pressure on his wounded shoulder, his gaze assessing the situation. “Caden, enough—”
Voices continued to buzz like annoying insects yet made little sense. Nothing mattered other than stopping the dirtball’s next breath. Cold seeped into his bones, just as death approached the sadistic thug within his grasp. It wasn’t enough.
A warm hand scrabbled at his upper arm while a familiar softness cupped his cheek. The cherished heat thawed the ice surrounding his heart and limbs.
“No, Caden. Don’t. Please.” Kaylee’s glazed eyes pleaded her cause.
The contradicting rush of adrenaline urged him to snap the weakening neck in his grasp.
An eternity passed in those few heartbeats of time. Two futures, one where she carried guilt over him killing her kidnapper, and another where her soul filled to bursting, remained connected to him on a spiritually equal field.
Matt’s tirade began cutting through the haze. “Caden. Stop. I’d rather see bruises on his face than lilies on his chest.” Sitting up with his brother’s help, Matt looked to his shepherd. “Ethan, help Lexi with Damien.”
The heat of Kaylee’s body pressing against him as she sidled closer thawed his icy resolve. Slowly, her touch drifted down his arms to cover his wrists, gently prying them away. With no other anchor in his panicked world, he scooted sideways and wrapped his arms around her melting form. Basil slumped unconscious to the dock.
“It’s Damien’s shoulder. Someone’s gonna have to carry him.” Lexi examined the shepherd, his plaintiff whine filling the air. Lexi looked to Ethan. “I can help Matt if you can carry Damien.”
After checking on the dog, Ethan hauled Lexi to her feet and held her tight, his lips slanting over hers. It was a long moment before either came up for air.
“Matt, you okay?” Caden stared at the carnage wrought. All for greed.
“Yeah. Thanks, everybody, for asking. I’ll be fine, but I need to get to the hospital. And we might need to get a garden hose to separate these two. How about you?” Matt’s face contorted in pain with movement.
“I think the impact broke a rib, but I’m in one piece and not leaking.”
Ethan stepped back while Lexi helped Matt to his feet, supporting him with her shoulder.
Kneeling up offered Caden thigh to shoulder contact with Kaylee. To absorb her soft scent after burying his face against her neck and taking her very essence into his soul, restored his sense of the world. “Don’t you ever do this shit to me again. Got it?” The thought of not gazing into her eyes and connecting with her spirit spiraled his thoughts to a dark and foreboding place.
As if sensing his deteriorating mood, she pulled his head down for a kiss. His compliance was immediate, sealing his lips over hers, demanding entry and taking everything she offered, giving equally of himself.
“Great. Now we need a fire hose,” Matt muttered.
When Caden lifted his head, Kaylee’s love and assurance reflected back. The unspoken truth and certainty in her eyes spoke of the future of which he’d dreamed.
If he’d been seconds later, he could have lost her forever. If the bastard had been a better shot or turned his gun or her instead of him, she wouldn’t be soft and loving in his arms. So many ways fate could have screwed them. Yet here she is, safe and warm in my arms.
“Check. Avoid sadistic kidnappers at the top of my to-do list. Got it.” Her sassy grin spoke of pranks yet to come.
“Pirate, I oughta warm your ass.”
“Right now, other parts are warming just fine.” Her seductive smile presaged a new beginning, free of constant tension, fear, and uncertainty.
She knew damn well he couldn’t make good on their volcanic attraction right then, yet her grin denoted knowledge of her effect as she squirmed against him.
He’d settle for kissing her senseless, loving the dazed look, softening body, and wobbling knees. It only took seconds to achieve.
“Guys? C’mon. What the hell are you doing?” Matt complained.
“I’ve got neither the time nor the crayons to explain, Matt, but you’ll figure it out someday. I promise.” Caden grinned against Kaylee’s lips before pulling back.
“Hey. It’s bad enough when Ethan and Lexi stay lip-locked long enough to challenge any free diver, but, Caden, you don’t need to compete.”
Kaylee swiped a lock of wet hair from his face. “Let’s see if he’s got some blankets stored in the boat.”
“Well, at least we have convenient transportation.” Caden helped Kaylee up before securing the prisoner.
Epilogue
Soft, warm, furry pups scampered over Kaylee’s legs as she sat amid the roaming, scrambling furballs. For the past half hour, she’d sat and cooed over each one that tried to climb her chest to reach her face. The rough rasp of moist tongues on her cheeks were memories to treasure.
It’d taken two weeks before her life began to settle into a normal rhythm. Days at the cabin were relaxing and soothing with short hikes and long conversations while evenings with Caden’s family brought the folksy and humorous wit that characterized their relationships. Plans for the future evolved during nights in her soul mate’s arms.
Caden crouched beside her, visually evaluating each pup. “Kaylee, there’s eight here. We can only take one.” He snorted when she turned pouty lips in his direction.
“But look at them. This one’s nestled on my lap and her brother is giving me a tongue bath.” She smiled, knowing what went through his thoughts. His gaze showed it in spades.
“Yep. Only one, babe.”
“But then that one would be lonely. She’d cry over the loss of all her brothers and sisters. You can imagine what that feels like after Matt was shot.” The fact they’d emerged from her nightmare with everyone intact w
as a miracle.
“Hon...”
“Matt said that if you have two, they keep each other company.” Last night’s campfire with all the McAllisters present rekindled long-ago feelings before Reese’s death, a time when she’d taken family gatherings for granted. Matt had inadvertently dropped the idea of them each having a dog. Kaylee immediately adopted it as a foregone conclusion.
“Matt was just trying to make my life hell because I didn’t listen to him at the dock.”
“He doesn’t blame you for getting him shot. He just wanted to harass you.”
“Changing the subject won’t change the outcome.” The grin twitching at the corner of his lips betrayed his intention.
Cahill, the breeder, turned to Caden. “Dude, you lost this battle before you even arrived. It’s easier just to give in.”
Caden sighed, ignoring the obvious. “Sweetheart, if you get two, it’d have to be one male and one female. Otherwise, we run the risk of them fighting when they’re older and alone in the house. And that means you’d have to have one spayed or neutered. Which means surgery and pain. You wouldn’t want to put your best friend through that, would you?”
She gasped. “I would never consider doing that to you!”
Cahill laughed. “Man, you oughta quit while you’re ahead. Know what I mean?”
“We’ll figure something out. Please?” She knew she had him. He was just drawing out the scene for his own purpose, for which he’d take great delight in obtaining compensation once they were alone.
In the SUV, her eyes burned with unspent tears at the pups’ pitiful howls. Each one clawed at the crate’s metal spindles. She sat on the back seat between them, slipping her fingers through the bars and stroking their fur. “They don’t seem to notice the T-shirt with their mother’s scent.”
“They’ll be fine once we get back to the cabin. We’ve got all the time in the world to acclimate them to their new environment.”
Freshly tilled farms gave way to gently rolling hills, the morning sun spilling over their crests. Caden’s gaze returned to the rearview mirror before he shook his head. Even in his softhearted moments, he radiated a focused masculinity that knocked her socks off. Instead of fading over time, it had gained momentum.
“Can we take them to the construction site after the workmen are gone?”
“Yup, they go where we go. However, they gotta wear a harness whenever they’re outside or away from home. By the way, I got a call from the contractor. The extra trees have been cleared out, and he received the approved permits to start.”
“Wow. It’s really happening. We’ve got all the muck and nonsense behind us. Now we can finally take a deep breath and move forward.” In her mind’s eye, she saw their home finished, their children playing in the backyard with the shepherds under their parents’ watchful gazes. From the ashes of Reese’s death and her own tragedy, she would emerge to fulfill her dreams.
She had her fresh start.
The End
Thank you for reading Bound By Shadows. I hope you’ve enjoyed Ethan and Lexi’s journey. If you have a minute to rate the book on Amazon, I would greatly appreciate it.
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About Reily
Reily is a West Coast girl transplanted to the opposite shore. Past employments as an ICU nurse, private investigator, and work in the military police has given her countless experiences in a host of different environments to add a real world feel to her fiction.
Over time and several careers, many incidents have flavored the plots of her stories as man’s cruelty and ingenuity for torment and torture are boundless, not contained by an infinite imagination. Witnessing the after-effects of a teenager mugged at knifepoint for a pair of tennis shoes, or an elderly woman repeatedly stabbed with a screwdriver for no apparent reason, left an indelible impression that will forever haunt her subconscious. In counterpoint, she has observed a woman stop her vehicle in severe, snowy weather to offer her own winter coat to a stranger, a teenager wearing a threadbare hoodie. Life’s diversities are endless.
Though her kids are her life, writing is Reily’s life after. The one enjoyed after the kids are in bed or after they’re in school and the house is quiet. This is the time she kicks back with laptop and lapdog to give her imagination free rein.
In reading, take pleasure in a mental pause as you root for your favorite hero/heroine and bask in their accomplishments, then share your opinions of them over coffee with your best friend (even if he’s four-legged). Life is short. Cherish your time.
If you haven’t already, read how
Lexi and Ethan met in the prequel.
Tender Echoes
“Jesus, Charlie. Hold on. I’ll get you to a hospital.” Lexi swallowed hard against the rising tide of acid degrading her throat’s lining as the unfolding scene corrupted her sanity. Pressure against the makeshift bandage on Charlie’s belly wound yielded a deeper crimson soaking her jacket, the provisional dressing secured by fingers encased in a thickening, sticky glove. So much blood.
This could’ve been Lexi’s fate—stabbed, slashed, disfigured for all time, blood forming rivulets pooling in the alley’s filth. Maroon puddles mingled with body fluids common to alleys sheltering the homeless as if destined to couple in a macabre, virulent concoction.
“R-run, Lexi. D-don’t let him make you a w-whore. I wasn’t—strong enough. Y-you were never p-part of the street life.” Trash and other filth from the narrow passageway cushioned Charlie’s bruised and battered head. One front tooth was missing, probably swallowed, while blood seeped from jagged slashes on her cheeks and brow, both career enders in the event she survived. “You shouldn’t be here. It was a mistake to text you, but the cops wouldn’t believe us girls.”
“Did your pimp do this, Charlie? What’s his real name?” Tell me so I can help you.
Remnants of a cardboard box, a vagabond’s homemade privy, retained odors of the dispossessed, rivaled only by the excrement saturating every molecule of thickened air drawn into her lungs. This was no place and no way to die.
“Yeah—said I stole from a customer. But I didn’t. The b-bastard just wanted a freebie.” Otherworldly pain glazed eyes forecasting a nonexistent future while icy wind leached color from a once-beautiful face now smeared with crimson streaks and pain. “Won’t tell you his name. I didn’t want to die alone. You’re f-free. You made it.”
“No, Charlie. I’ll get help. Lie still while I secure a pressure dressing.” This late at night, there’d be few cars to flag down and no foot traffic from which to enlist help. She was forced to rely on emergency personnel who’d classify the incident as NHI, no human involved.
Terror-induced flashbacks spewed forth of a stranger offering refuge to a teenager standing on a precipice, a choice. She’d first thought him relatively handsome, not understanding the slimy base of his character. She’d had no experience with pimps. Still, something inside steered her away from his pleasant façade. Perhaps she’d sensed his underlying character. Instinct had directed her to the unknown, where a small group of prostitutes offered shelter and nurtured her mind.
With one hand, Lexi freed her belt and maneuvered it under the fallen girl’s tiny waist amid groans and mewling cries. Youth and a livelihood from flatbacking necessitated a svelte figure, which facilitated her efforts to cinch the leather strap tight. Lexi reached for the cell clutched in Charlie’s hand, knowing the late hour meant a longer wait for help. Her fingers, covered in sticky crimson ropes of blood, tangled briefly with Charlie’s, a squishy squeeze to lend encouragement. Another bolus of acid rose in her throat.
“No.” One word spoken from the disembodied voice behind her could flash freeze hell and instigate the formation of ice crystals in any world, under any circumstance.
The c
old, hard scrape of death filled her mind. Slowly, her gaze turned, lifted. At the head of the alley and backlit by dingy sodium-vapor light, the corpulent flesh-peddler stalked forward.
“I knew we’d meet again, Lexi. Remember me? I’ve dreamed of this day for years.” Moon glow shimmered off his blade, which weaved a figure-eight motion, the steely threat weaker than his words. “I always wondered how you’ve managed to elude me…Now I know.”
“And I always wondered if the perverted psycho my friends feared was you since they kept your identity a secret. Now I have a face to put to their terror.”
In twenty yards, she’d either breathe her last as a human shish kabob or replace Charlie in the pimp’s stable. He stopped and tilted his head to the side as if inventing a new and horrific way to terrorize before he began his sociopathic playtime.
“I need to call an ambulance, or she’ll die.” The chill shimmying down her spine spread outward to encase every nerve and muscle with the knowledge of his intentions. No one should die in a filthy alley.
He shrugged.
His feral grin logged an accounting of past and intended atrocities, declaring her future better off in the hands of Hades. “There’s only one way you get to make that call.
Book One in
The McAllister Justice Series
Digital Velocity
The deadliest weapons are the ones we never see.
Keyboard prodigy, Lexi Donovan has risen from teenage orphan of the streets to complete independence with little help along the way. When a friend is threatened, Lexi sends an anonymous message to police, leading to a firefight that leaves a cop wounded.
Detective Ethan McAllister’s well-ordered life turned upside down the day an obscure text message led to a sexual predator’s identity and arrest. Since then, Callouston PD’s finest can’t trace the elusive hacker sending him tips. The latest text leads him to a brutal mutilation and a riddle indicating the identity of the next murder victim.
Bound By Shadows (The McAllister Justice Series Book 2) Page 27