by Kat Martin
Officers McElroy and Rodriguez shared a glance between them. They assessed Tory, who clutched her robe together, her face pale and frightened. She looked sleep-rumpled, her fiery hair tousled around her face, and sexy as hell.
“What’s the bodyguard’s name?” McElroy asked.
“Hamilton Brown. Works for Maximum Security.”
“I know him,” Rodriguez said. “Good guy.”
“Make the call,” McElroy said.
Josh pulled out his phone and called Ham, who answered groggily, still sleepy from being up so late last night. “Not you again.”
“Sorry, buddy. I’m headed for jail. I need you to look out for Tory.”
“Jesus, man. I thought you said nothing happened last night.”
“I said nothing much.”
Ham sighed. “I should have figured. Whatever you need to do, don’t worry about Tory. I’m on my way.” Ham hung up the phone and Josh turned to the cops. “Mind if I finish getting dressed?”
“Make it fast,” McElroy said.
Josh started for the adjoining room and the older cop followed. Josh noticed he’d unsnapped his holster, letting his hand rest on the butt of his pistol. If Josh had wanted to disarm him, the gun wouldn’t have mattered. With any luck, those days were past.
Tory hurried after them. “What happened last night?” she asked as Josh grabbed a bright blue, Dallas Cowboys T-shirt and pulled it on over his head.
“Damon and I had a chat. I told him not to bother you again. That didn’t sit well. He swung at me. I swung back. Then I left.”
“That’s it?”
He sat down to pull on his socks and boots. “Pretty much.”
He didn’t tell her that afterward he’d been too wound up to come straight back to the room. That his confrontation with Damon, thinking about him with Tory, thinking about the beating Bridger had given her, had pushed him right to the edge.
He’d left the Jeep in the hotel parking lot and walked down the block to the Silver Spur Saloon, drank three beers and a shot of Jack.
Afterward, he’d been calm enough to come up to his own room, thank Ham, and send him home. But the edginess hadn’t completely left him, the powerful need for Tory he hadn’t expected to feel and didn’t really like.
It wasn’t until he had taken her, claimed her in some primal way, that the restless feeling had left him and he had been able to sleep.
He looked over at her now. She was biting her lower lip, worry stamped into every line of her face. He felt bad about that, but Damon had to be dealt with. He didn’t regret what he had done.
“I know an attorney here in town,” she said. “But he specializes in family law. I’m not sure—”
Josh tossed her his cell phone. “Call Linc. Explain things, tell him what’s going on. He’ll know what to do.”
He had phoned his brother last night before he’d gone to see Damon, had asked him to send the jet back to pick them up. It was scheduled to arrive at noon. Way it was looking, that might have to change.
“Time’s up, Cain. Turn around and put your hands behind you.”
Josh did as he was told and McElroy locked the cuffs in place. “Stay here till Ham shows up,” he said to Tory as McElroy nudged him forward.
Tory caught his arm. “I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”
His pulse shot up. “I told you, dammit, this isn’t your fault. No one’s to blame but Bridger.”
“Let’s go.” Rodriguez pushed him out of the room.
Chapter Nineteen
Tory had never met Lincoln Cain. She wasn’t prepared for the big, handsome, powerful man who strode across the tarmac in her direction.
“Looks like you’re in good hands,” Ham said from beside her. He had helped her pack up both hotel rooms, taking Josh’s holstered pistol from the nightstand and stuffing it into the satchel that held his clothes. Tory had checked out of the hotel and Ham had driven her in the rented Jeep out to the airport. He was going to catch a cab back to get his car, still parked in the hotel lot.
“Call me if you need me,” he said.
“Thanks for everything, Ham.”
“Just stay safe.” Ham turned and walked away as Linc closed the distance between them, his strides long and purposeful.
During their brief but intense phone conversation, Linc had told her the plane would be arriving at the airport an hour later than scheduled, but that he would be on it.
Dressed in a short-sleeve button-down yellow shirt and a pair of expensive beige slacks, he moved with the authority of a man used to being in charge. He was worth millions, she knew, having Googled him that morning before Ham arrived. And every inch of his six-foot-five-inch frame oozed success.
She’d known Cain was going to be on the plane, but she hadn’t expected to see the smartly dressed blond woman in the white linen skirt suit walking beside him, his wife, Carly Drake Cain.
Tory looked down at the stretch jeans she was wearing with a sleeveless peach print blouse and a pair of open-toed sandals and thought of the tailored skirt suits and expensive heels she had once worn to work.
Each time she had run from Damon, she had left some of her things behind. When Damon had found her in Carlsbad, she’d been forced to abandon the last decent clothes she still owned.
“Victoria?” Even Linc’s voice sounded powerful.
“I’m Tory.” She held out her hand, which Linc wrapped in both of his.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
“You too.”
“We’re neighbors. We’re still working on rebuilding the big house so we’re out at the ranch quite a bit. If work hadn’t been so hectic, we would have met sooner.” He turned. “This is my wife, Carly.”
“Hello,” Tory said.
Carly leaned over and gave her an unexpected hug. “I’m so glad we got to finally meet you.”
Tory’s russet eyebrows went up. “I didn’t realize Josh had mentioned me.”
Carly smiled. “He told us you were staying at the ranch. You wouldn’t be there if he didn’t care about you.”
Tory returned the smile. She supposed that was true. Josh was definitely the kind of guy who took in strays.
She glanced up as a man in a navy blue pin-striped suit came off the plane and crossed the tarmac to join them. He was fortyish, with silver threaded through his light brown hair, stylishly dressed.
“Tory, this is Nathan Temple,” Linc said. “He’s a criminal attorney. He’s going to handle things for Josh.”
Criminal. The word made her stomach burn. Josh was no criminal. And yet as she looked at Nathan Temple, relief washed through her. The attorney had competence and professionalism written all over him.
Plus, a man as successful as Lincoln Cain would only hire the best.
“It’s really good to meet you, Mr. Temple. How soon can you get Josh out of jail?”
Carly and Linc exchanged amused glances. Maybe she was being a little too pushy, but she couldn’t stand to think of a vital man like Josh being locked behind bars.
“Please call me Nate,” Temple said, “and it shouldn’t take long. I need to get down to the jail and talk to him, find out what’s going on.”
“The Jeep that Josh rented is parked in the lot.” She dug the keys out of the small leather purse slung over her shoulder.
“I’ll drive,” Linc said, holding out one of his big hands.
Since he didn’t look like the kind of guy who ever lost an argument, she simply handed them over.
They all piled into the Jeep, Tory in back with Carly, who had insisted Nathan Temple ride up front with her husband. Linc punched the address for the Scottsdale Police Department into the GPS and drove the Jeep out of the lot.
“You said Josh mentioned I was staying at the ranch,” Tory said to Carly as Temple cranked the air conditioner up another notch. It was a little after one in the afternoon and the Arizona heat was climbing.
“I heard about it first in town,” Carly said. “Iron
Springs is a small community. Everyone knows Josh has a pretty new housekeeper living out at the ranch.”
Tory glanced away. “Yeah, I can imagine what they’re saying.”
Carly reached over and caught her hand. “What they’re saying doesn’t matter. Linc and I had to deal with the town gossips, too. One thing I learned—all that matters is what makes you and Josh happy.”
Tory smiled, liking Carly right away. “Thank you for saying that.”
“Josh and Linc talk fairly often. Josh explained about your friend, Lisa, and the terrible things that happened to her. Of course you had to come back to Phoenix.”
“I’m just so glad she’s going to be okay.”
Carly squeezed her hand. “Josh told Linc about Damon Bridger and how you ended up in Texas.”
“Josh told Linc about Damon?”
“Both of us know about him. We know you have a little girl. Josh says she’s adorable.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about Josh discussing her personal business with his family, but knowing how he felt about her daughter took away some of the sting.
“Her name is Ivy.” She thought of her little girl as she gazed at the sandy desert landscape passing outside the window. “I need to get back to her, but I can’t leave Josh. It’s my fault he’s in jail.”
“Why is that?” Linc asked from the driver’s seat.
“If Josh hadn’t been trying to protect me, he wouldn’t have gone after Damon and he wouldn’t have been arrested. I don’t know exactly what happened last night but I should have found a way to stop him.”
A rumble of disbelief came from Cain’s broad chest. “I don’t think that was going to happen, no matter what you did.”
Maybe not, she silently conceded. Josh could definitely be strong willed.
“In some ways, my brother’s a lot like me,” Linc said. “He’s protective of the people he cares about. If he feels one of them is in danger, he isn’t going to stand by and do nothing. I doubt there was any way you could have stopped him from doing something he believed was necessary.”
Maybe Linc was right, but whatever had happened last night, she wasn’t going to abandon him now.
“We’re going to get Josh out,” Linc said. “We’re going to fix this, Tory. You can count on that.”
She relaxed back in her seat, her worry easing a little. Everything about Lincoln Cain said he would keep his word.
Her worry resurfaced as the Jeep turned off Indian School Road into the parking lot of the Scottsdale Police Department, a flat-roofed structure painted a bright sunflower yellow. In front, big glass windows looked over the parking lot.
For the next half hour, Tory and Carly sat in the waiting area while Nathan Temple and Linc were in the back talking to Josh. Making use of the time, they both made phone calls, Carly calling her Drake Trucking office in Iron Springs while Tory phoned Mrs. Thompson.
“I’m really hoping we can come back today,” she told the older woman. “I’ll call you as soon as I know for sure.”
“Ivy’s really been good, but she misses you. She keeps asking when you’re coming to get her.”
Tory’s heart pinched. “Could you put her on the phone?”
“She’s right here.” There was a pause while Mrs. Thompson handed Ivy the phone.
“Mama?”
“I’m here, sweetheart. Are you and Mrs. Thompson having fun?”
“When are you coming home, Mama?”
“There’s a chance Josh and I will be back this afternoon, honey, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll be there as soon as I can, I promise.”
“I really miss you, Mama.”
Her throat went tight. “I miss you, too, sweetheart. I’ll call you as soon as I know for sure. Be good for Mrs. Thompson until I get there.” Tory ended the call and wiped a tear from her cheek. She looked up to see Carly watching her.
“You’ll be home soon.”
She shrugged, a little embarrassed. “We haven’t been apart overnight since we left Phoenix months ago.” She sighed. “Before that I was always working. I was an ad exec for the Elwin Davis Group, one of the big firms in the city. My job meant everything to me. I never realized how much I was missing.”
“Linc and I want kids. But I want to make sure my company’s running smoothly first. Then I can take as much time off as I need.”
“Kids are great,” Tory said. “You won’t be sorry.”
Carly smiled. “I know Linc will make a fantastic father.”
Tory hadn’t missed the warm, occasionally heated glances between husband and wife. The two of them seemed perfectly suited. She hoped they understood how lucky they were.
She turned at the sound of footfalls, looked up to see Josh walking down the hall next to Linc and Nathan Temple. All three men were impressive: Cain exuding power and authority, Temple intellect and competence, Josh courage and strength.
He hadn’t had time to shave. The scruff was back, darkening his jaw, adding to his masculinity and amazing sex appeal. She felt a little tug, hoped she wouldn’t blush.
Tory stood up and waited, letting Josh set the tone of their reunion. She could feel those intense blue eyes on her, warm, but there was something more in them. Regret? Uncertainty?
Suddenly she understood. He thought he had somehow failed her. No way could she let him think that.
Tory walked over to him, reached up and slid her arms around his neck. “Are you okay?”
Hard arms came around her, pulling her close. “I’m okay. Damned glad to be out of there. I didn’t mean to turn this into a circus.”
“You did what you thought was right.”
He looked into her eyes and his jaw hardened. “Bridger comes near you, I’ll do a lot worse than punch him in the face.”
“Take it easy,” Temple warned. “This is not the place. Let’s get out of here.”
Color rose beneath Josh’s cheekbones. He reached for Tory’s hand, laced her fingers with his, and pulled her toward the door. Once they were all in the Jeep, a tight fit with three big men and two women, Linc drove out of the lot toward the airport.
Along the way, Temple explained that Josh had been released on a five-thousand-dollar bond, which he’d posted. Not all that high because the mild assault was a misdemeanor, not a felony.
“Bridger wanted to add breaking and entering to the charges but there wasn’t any sign of forced entry,” Temple said. “At least we don’t have that to worry about.”
“What happens if Josh is convicted?” Tory asked.
“The maximum penalty is six months in jail. But that isn’t going to happen.”
The lawyer explained that he had contacted an associate here in Phoenix, an attorney named Aaron Guinness. Guinness had alleged mutual combat—Bridger had also thrown a punch and Josh had a bruise on his jaw to prove it. The attorney had threatened to file countercharges against Bridger if he continued to pursue his allegations.
“I don’t think this is going to take long,” Temple said. “Aaron is one of the best attorneys in Phoenix. In the meantime, Josh can wait for word back in Texas.”
Tory felt a rush of relief. As soon as they reached the airport, she called Mrs. Thompson and told her they were on their way home. She also talked to Ivy, who was clearly eager to see her.
But as they boarded Linc’s jet, her worry returned. Damon knew about Josh, knew he had brought her to Phoenix. The private investigator Damon had hired had no doubt told him Josh owned the Iron River Ranch in Iron Springs, Texas.
There was a very good chance Damon would come after her. And after the fight Josh had had with him, Josh was now in the crosshairs, too.
She should pack her things, take her daughter, and leave the state. Get as far from Iron Springs as she possibly could. It was the right thing to do and the only solution.
She closed her eyes as the jet roared down the runway and lifted into the air. When she opened them, Josh was watching her.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said.
Tory sighed. “Maybe you do. I don’t know how, but you always seem to.”
“You aren’t running. I told you before, if he comes after you, we’ll deal with him.”
“He’s already filed charges against you. If you try to protect me, you might end up in prison.”
“He’ll be on our turf this time. This is Texas. Here we have the right to protect ourselves from scum like Damon Bridger.”
“Staying wouldn’t be fair to you. You didn’t sign on for this when I drove up in front of your barn.”
“I knew you were in trouble that first day. I let you stay then. I want you to stay now.”
He wanted her to stay. The words soothed her troubled heart. She looked into those beautiful blue eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Never more certain, baby.”
She leaned across the seat and very softly kissed him. “Thank you.” She was staying. At least for now.
She still wasn’t sure what she was going to do if Damon showed up at the ranch.
She’d keep a bag packed for her and Ivy just in case.
Chapter Twenty
Halfway through the flight, Josh and Linc came out of their seats and sat down together at the back of the plane so they could talk.
“You know you have a problem,” Linc said. “And it isn’t the charges Bridger filed against you.”
Josh ran a hand over his unshaved jaw, feeling the familiar roughness. “I know.”
“You think he’ll come after the girl?” Linc asked.
“I don’t know. I warned him what would happen if he did. He knows my background, knows I’m former military. Maybe he’ll be smart enough to leave her alone and move on.”
“What’s your gut say?”
Unconsciously, his hand fisted. “I think he’ll come. His ego won’t let him back away.”
“You figure that’s what’s driving him. Ego?”
Josh thought about the wild look in Bridger’s dark eyes when Josh had asked him about Lisa Shane. “Maybe. Could be something a lot worse than that. Tory thinks Bridger might be the guy who abducted her friend. Takes a special kind of pervert to torture a woman that way.”