Pretty Lawless

by Jodi Linton

  “If you really want me to believe that lie, I will, Briggs.” Colt interrupted my retreat with his short and sweet comeback.

  Eyes narrowed and heart heavy in my chest, I spun on a heel and fired back, “I’m owed some damn justice in my life. And no Texas Ranger, detective, or”—I cocked my chin in his direction—“federal marshal, for that matter, is gonna steal it away from me.”

  Taking a step forward, Colt moved under the shadow of the night sky. “I hope you know that when you play with fire there’s a good chance you might get burned.”

  “My skin is as tough as leather,” I affirmed with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early, Marshal.”

  He scrubbed his jaw, the corners of his mouth twitching upward into a sardonic grin. “Laney, we’ll get to the bottom of all this.” He leaned back in the doorjamb, silently appraising my face. It unnerved me. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”

  On that note, I walked my red cowboy boots out into the cloak of darkness, vanishing around the corner to my parked car hidden beneath a broken porch lamp. I looked both ways and jogged across the barren back lot like a high school boy running from his girlfriend’s father who had just caught him with his hands down her pants. Cold air nipped at my nose, keys rattled in the palm of my hand, and when I slid behind the wheel of the beat-up cop car, the chilled leather seat bit at my ass. I jammed the keys into the ignition and turned. Immediately, it stalled. Throw me a bone. And then my damn butt cheek started to lift off the seat like a June bug flopping around on a doormat.

  Once I’d clearly fouled my mouth up enough to take a bar of soap to it, I hitched a thigh and fished out my iPhone. That whole crap of “good tidings to you” wasn’t working in my favor, because blinding me in the dead of night was yet another goddamn text from my mother. Screw that. I chucked the phone in the cup console, that damn eye twitch still bugging the heck out of me, when I spied Young lady, I told you that Texas Ranger was trouble flashing across the screen a second time.

  That’d been enough to steal my attention. I plucked the phone up and sent Mommy dearest a text.

  What do you know?

  Immediately she responded. Gunner called me bc he couldn’t get a hold of ya.

  I replied, And you answered?

  By the way, where the hell are you? The asshole you love is in the Odessa hospital.

  My heart slammed into my chest. Thanks, I sent and dropped the phone on my lap.

  With clammy hands, I leaned over the seat and pried open the glove compartment for the letter. It’d been sitting there since this morning. Such a stupid move to believe I had everything under control. After putting in a call to Colt, I had locked up Luke Wagner’s place and gunned it back home. Frustrated by the way Gunner left with Luke and that Matthew McConaughey wannabe Detective Brock Cavanaugh without giving me or the shit storm at the Wagners’ ranch a second thought, I had decided to drown my pain in a couple glasses of whiskey. But that was before I stumbled across the envelope with my name scribbled in black ink taped to the fridge. Not having the heart to read the love letter this morning, I’d stashed it away in the cruiser until the time came when I could swallow the bullshit I knew Gunner’d jotted down. But now…

  As I slid a nail beneath the waxy glue, my throat ran dry. Inside was a handwritten note by none other than my Texas Ranger boyfriend.

  Well, shit that man. I wasn’t in the market for a floodgate of tears again.

  Good morning, sweetheart,

  Last night, well, l wanted to tell you how much it meant to me to hear you say you wanted to try for another baby and move into the new ranch house. I understand there’ll be some adjustments on both our parts, but mostly on yours. You deserve the world. And I’m determined to give it to you. But as I’m sitting here writing this, I know in my heart none of these things will take place. I lied to you. Hell, I have told a lot of lies lately. I’m not purposely keeping any of these secrets from you to hurt you or to make you mad. It’s just something new we have to figure out, the two of us both being officers of the law. And yeah, I should’ve handled Wyatt a little better, but I was worried you’d get pissed at me if you found out I’d recruited him as a rat for the rangers. As for the thing with Luke, which by now I’m pretty sure you’ve found out about, I did what I had to do to protect the person who matters the most to me. You, sweetheart. Please understand I never meant to stab you in the back.

  There’s an unopened bottle of whiskey in the pantry. I hope to hear from you soon.

  Yours always,

  Gunner

  The letter crumpled in my hand, and my heart sped up. That soon-to-be ex-boyfriend of mine had sure thrown me a curveball. I folded the note in half and tucked it away in my back pocket.

  He was trying to win me over with pretty words. Like hell I was that easy. Okay, fine. When it comes to a pair of narrow-hipped Wranglers, I give in quicker than my mother did to a slice of lemon pound cake back when she was doing the Atkins Diet. Yet now it was time to suck it up and put my best foot forward. This morning we’d hashed it out like some erotic romance couple. Tonight we’d duke it out like an old Wild West showdown.

  Bros before hos. In this case, maybe Gunner and I were both the hos.

  I cranked the ignition again, and the engine rolled over. Blissfully listening to the exhaust purr as sweet as a kitten, I floored it out of Bristol Mills toward the hospital.

  Chapter Three

  Gunner

  Christmas Day, the day I’d planned on asking my sweetheart to marry me, really fucking must be my Achilles’ heel.

  Taking a bullet in the thigh? Check.

  Shooting a homicide detective in the head? In the morgue, thank you very much.

  Proposing to Laney? Not even in the ballpark.

  Just the sight of my phone lying on the chair—which hadn’t received a text from Laney since I’d pinged her hours ago—made me want to pull some caveman bullshit and put out an APB on my girlfriend. Hell, it’s not like my boss wouldn’t jump at the chance to bring the Pistol Rock deputy in, but it’d mainly be because they’d want to drill her with questions about me.

  I might’ve let it slip she was sniffing around the ranger station last week looking into her cousin’s case. When I’d offered to be lead investigator on the Willie King case, the one that had Laney’s cousin awaiting trial on gun and drug charges, never once did I believe it would lead me to discovering a link between the drug Molly and my parents’ deaths. My old man had been looking into the exact same drug until that fateful night a masked gunman ended his life. Now I’d become a danger to the woman who owned my heart by placing her in the path of the very same criminals who’d put a hit on my family. Normally I had no problem keeping my work and love life separate—despite the fact that my girlfriend’s family, on more than one occasion, had become primary suspects on a case or two of mine. I could always handle such shit. But this particular case socked me in the gut quicker than I’d been able to see the red herring ahead. Not only was that picture of Laney’s father, the one I’d snatched from our closet, driving me mad, but something felt extremely off when it came to the tip I had received pointing me in the direction of Floyd Briggs as the point man behind the killing of my parents.

  Floyd was a drunk. A jackass, nonetheless, but heck, I’d spent many Sunday afternoons at Locked and Loaded, and the man couldn’t shoot for shit. It didn’t add up. Yeah, he’d known my old man. Everyone and their dogs had seemed to have some sort of connection to the slain Texas Ranger director. It meant nothing. Besides, out of both my girlfriend’s parents, Floyd and I had no bad blood. But Laney’s mother, yeah, that was a whole other can of worms.

  And now, instead of planning a honeymoon trip, I’d booked a one-way ticket to hell with my newly appointed sidekick Luke Wagner.

  I heard giggling, and then the sound of a door swinging open made me jerk upright.

  “You must be the Texas Ranger?” a woman asked, hitting me with a pointed look.

  I
grumbled something inaudible, trying to hide my pissed-off attitude. She was the lady holding the needle, after all. Hey, folks might consider me a badass, but for Pete’s sake, being a badass did not mean I couldn’t have a phobia. And sometimes that phobia happened to be needles and doctors. Good thing they’d put Luke and me in different rooms, because the last time I occupied one of these hospital gurneys I became a running joke.

  Okay, I might’ve shed a tear. Needles fucking hurt.

  I gritted my teeth and rolled on my side. “Wilson. Gunner Wilson.”

  She nodded from the doorway, smiling. Well, shit. She’d probably heard about my last run-in with a shotgun. “Okay, then.” She glanced down at the clipboard in hand and snickered. “I promise to be gentle.”

  Damn past medical history.

  As it was, I had one butt cheek lifted in the air and one eye poised on the redheaded nurse giving me the stinkeye. I shifted my weight, and damn did it hurt to move.

  She dropped the clipboard on the table and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. “You gonna lift the johnny?” Her mouth tipped up into a sardonic smile. “Or do ya need a little help?”

  It wasn’t an easy feat, but I maneuvered my ass upright. Biting back a groan, I raised the hospital gown and lowered myself down on the table. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  She squirted the syringe, gaze dropping below my waistline. “The boxers, too, Ranger,” she said, taking a step closer. “Now don’t be a baby.”

  Nothing had gone as planned. In fact, I’d managed to take down all my hard work, my friends, and most importantly, my lover with a bang. Yet instead of holding Laney’s hand, being a stand-up guy by apologizing for all the shit I’d brought to her doorstep, I was perched on a gurney, waiting to be poked with a needle by Nurse—my eyes locked on her badge—Lynn so she could give me exit papers. Such a fitting ordeal.

  “Just give me the injection and be done with it,” I muttered as I placed both hands palm down on the gurney. If I’d known I’d be laid up in a hospital room with a needle probing my butt, well, hell, I’d have rethought the idea of seeking out the Witness Protection Program for Luke Wagner.

  The nurse’s hand stalled in midpoke. “It seems your behind is popular for target practice, Mr. Wilson. No need to worry, I’ll make sure you don’t feel a thing. You won’t even know you got a tetanus shot.” A cold hand pressed into the small of my back. “The bullet graze isn’t bad, but we can’t have you getting an infection.”

  Before I could respond with one of my jerk comments, a needle jammed into my flesh.

  “Motherfucker!” Embarrassing. But yeah, my ass crack was sweating bullets.

  A giggle followed by a glove pop, and then a sassy voice graced my ears again. “All done, Mr. Wilson, but may I give you a piece of advice? Try to protect yourself a little better in the future.” Nurse Lynn picked up the clipboard and pushed the door open. “Would hate to see that cute behind in my ER again.” She slid a gaze up and down my body, lingering a minute on my bare thighs, then stepped out into the hallway, leaving me to gather up my britches.

  Once I heard the door slam closed, I pulled up my jeans crusted with dried blood, wincing when the denim slid across my thigh, readjusted my badge on my hipbone, and exited the sterile room the same way I’d entered. It’d been four hours since the shootout in El Paso, and Laney still hadn’t returned my call. Not that I could blame her. With a hobble in my step, I slapped my cowboy hat on my head and went in search of Luke.

  Three rooms down and past the nurses’ station, I found exactly the man I’d been looking for. His doctor strolled by me, and I took his place inside the cold, unwelcoming room. Cruel act of fate that the only guy I’d ever wanted to put behind bars I’d taken a bullet for mere hours ago. If only I could find a way to rescue my sweetheart and pull the two of us out of the fire that seemed intent on baptizing us both in sin.

  I knocked a fist into the wall. “We need to talk.”

  Luke tugged his shirt over his bandaged torso as he turned around at my approach. “See they got you all patched up.”

  “I’m going to tell Laney.” I pushed my hat up, swiping the sweat lining my brow with the back of my hand. “She deserves to know. I owe her that much.”

  Any more spilling my guts to Luke about my romantic feelings toward Laney would’ve branded me a bona fide pussy for life. Besides I was sick at my stomach thinking about another long night not kissing, touching, or being buried deep inside my girlfriend. She’d started out as a means to an end, yet over the years she’d grabbed hold of my cold heart and broken the barrier I’d put up around it. And now I couldn’t fathom a day going by without her occupying my every waking hour. That’s why she had to hear my truths. All the lies had managed to get me were a wounded thigh, a federal marshal in ICU, and a pretty lady unable to bear the guilt trip I’d waged on her.

  Time to come clean, Wilson.

  Luke slipped a toothpick between his lips, gnawing on the tip as both blue eyes zeroed in on me bracing a hip at the doorway.

  “Glad you decided to grow some fucking balls, Wilson.” Luke shoved his cell phone in his front jeans pocket. “Though it’ll be damn interesting to hear Laney’s take on everything.”

  “What exactly is that supposed to mean?”

  He sneered and crossed the room, getting up in my face. The forceful jab of his thumb in my chest caused my blood to boil. I clenched my fists at my side and shoved down the war raging inside me. Punching the pretty boy in the face wouldn’t help my cause. Scrubbing his chin, gaze narrowed and primed for a fight, he added, “This truth you’re so adamant about spilling…” Our scowls collided. “I’m not sure Laney will find it too damn amusing when she hears the real reason you came back to town after all those years.”

  When I first decided to come back home it wasn’t for the reasons I’d told Laney. It’d been a tactical move on my part—she was never supposed to know my true intentions. Then I saw her out on Bosley’s land, and I couldn’t fight the need to get her back into my bed. Fiancé or not, Laney was gonna be mine again. And for Christ’s sake, all my actions had brought me back full circle…staring the ugly lie in the face: I’d only stepped back into Pistol Rock because new leads had surfaced on my parents’ murder case. Laney would blow a gasket when she heard all my horrid truths. And I deserved every goddamn thing she threw my way.

  “What I do in my spare time has no room in this case.” Luke paused, the sorry look on his face slipping a little as I edged closer and brushed his thumb off my chest. “If you use my past mistakes against me, I’ll fucking ruin you.”

  Luke shrugged one shoulder. “Always thought you were a little too soft for the job.” He made a final jab as he shoved past me and tried to make a break for the hallway.

  “God damn it. Not like I was the one who came running to the rangers when all hell broke loose.” I should’ve seen the fist making a play for my face. But I didn’t. The back of my head slammed into the tile wall. Being a man of the law didn’t award me the same liberties as cocky shit ranchers to take a swing in public places. I turned and spat at the floor, hissing under my breath. “I’ll give you that one, Wagner, but I’m telling Laney. The more she knows, the safer we’ll all be.”

  “Go get your girl. Tell her whatever truths you need in order to cleanse your soul. I’ll be seeing if that cute little nurse would like a nightcap.” He pinched his hat lower and stepped out into the hall. “Thanks for covering my ass.” Luke kept talking in time with his boots as he marched away. “I’ll see you around, big guy.”

  No way in hell was he going to slip through my fingers that easily. Besides, the bastard had a target aimed at him, and if I allowed that bullet to lodge in the back of his head, my boss would have my goddamn badge.

  “Wesley.” I flashed my badge under the fluorescent lamps. “Make sure Mr. Wagner here finds himself a nice cozy place to sleep.”

  Instantly, Luke dug a boot into the floor and turned, trying to dodge my fellow ranger easing toward
him. “So now you’re going to arrest me?” he bit out as both arms shot from his sides. “Way to play dirty.”

  “No one ever said I played fair.” Fishing my phone out of the front pocket of my jeans, I dialed Laney’s number again and tuned out the arrogant prick yelling my name as I headed toward the elevators.

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been standing near the nurses’ desk watching some jerk-off doctor and Laney hug, hands stuffed deep down in my pockets and dying to punch the bastard in the face. She should have been wrapped in my arms, with my mouth pressed firmly against her forehead, listening to my soothing words. And hell, I was hard-pressed as to why she was hugging the guy in the first place. I poked my head around the corner right as my gal turned. Those torturous, seductive red cowboy boots glided across the floor, making her toned, shapely denim-covered legs a menace to my already twisted heart. Really wasn’t a good time to have sex on the brain.

  She worried her bottom lip, her watery brown eyes posed on mine.

  “There you are, sweetheart.” I slung an arm around her waist—as if we were old friends—and drew us closer together. Too fast. Probably a little possessive. But hell, her body was a temptation that haunted my sorry mind and heart and made me ache to claim her as my girl. Placing a soft yet demanding kiss on her cheek, I tightened my hold and glared at the good old doctor over my shoulder. I might be slightly possessive. “Ready to go home, darling?”

  Besides, once I’d gotten a good look at the guy, I remembered him. Not only was he the shit-bag doctor who’d patched up my ass the day Laney saw fit to take a shotgun to my behind six years ago, but he also propositioned her right next to my hospital bed while I’d been high as a kite. Some guys were unbelievable. I split a glance his way and tossed him a dirty don’t-fuck-with-me-big-guy wink.

  He made a point to look as if he was busying himself with paperwork.

  Laney pulled back, eyelids fluttering upward, tears still staining her lashes. “You are such a horse’s ass.” She sniffed, and the feel of her chest tightening on a deep swallow about shattered my reserve.