“I thought you’d be angry.”
She walked across the room and into his arms. As she leaned up, she whispered, “No. I appreciate your help.” And brushed his lips with hers.
In a heartbeat, they clung to each other as passion swept over them. Finally, she broke away and laughed. “The food is getting cold.” She squirmed out of his arms.
“So what?” He dove for her and she eluded him and put the kitchen table between them.
“So, eat first, fuck later.” She grinned at him.
“We don’t fuck.” He warned her and circled the table as she moved away from him. “Do I need to show you that again?”
She stopped and met him squarely. “No. You don’t.”
He took both her hands and raised them to his lips. Then, he dropped them and sat down. “Eat first, fuck later.” He picked up his fork.
She smiled and joined him. “It’s not much but it will give us fuel.”
The smoldering look she got in response made her stomach flutter. He only muttered, “Good thing.”
The last bite was barely past her lips when he yanked her into his lap at the table. He nibbled on her neck and his hands wandered all over her body. She squirmed until she straddled him on the chair and loomed over him, his face buried in her neck. Her hands were buried in his hair and she sizzled with every little bite he nipped on her skin. She shifted again and he groaned as she ground her hips into his.
The shrill ring of the phone shattered the moment. “Leave it,” he murmured into the soft flesh of her shoulder.
The answering machine clicked on after two rings. After the usual message, Kiera heard Amanda’s voice. “Kiera? If you’re there, pick up. You need to come down here and Jeremy is too stubborn to call. You’re the only one who can calm them.”
Kiera was across the room in a second and answered the phone. “What happened?”
“A crowd has gathered at Laugherty’s.”
She couldn’t care less about Laugherty’s at that moment. “What does that have to do with me?” Kiera asked.
“They’re saying Bobby was killed by Bigfoot. They’ve got everything but the torches and pitchforks, Kiera. You have to stop them.”
Kiera’s stomach lurched. “Me?” She shook her head. “How can I stop them?”
“They’ll listen to you. They’ll believe you because—” Amanda stopped abruptly and an awkward silence followed.
“Because I’m Doc’s daughter. No, I get it.” Her jaw clenched and she sighed. “I’m on my way.”
“Do you know where Ben is?”
“Yes, why?” She cast a wary glance at Ben.
“I think he could help, too. Where is he?”
“I’ll pick him up on the way, okay?” Kiera motioned to Ben to get dressed and he nodded.
“Thanks Kiera. Jeremy could handle it but—” Again she broke off.
“But you don’t want him to get hurt, right?” Kiera smiled, glad Amanda couldn’t see her.
“They’re just crazy. I don’t understand it.”
“Don’t you?” Silence. Kiera dropped it. “I’ll meet you down there.” She hung up.
As she told Ben what Amanda had said, she frowned. “I don’t understand why this is all happening now.”
“What do you mean?” Ben asked as he yanked on his jeans.
“We’ve had deaths associated with Bigfoot before.” She chewed on her thumb. “People haven’t started a mob over it. Why now?”
“There’s more to this than Bigfoot. You know that.” Ben picked up his wallet and keys.
She tied her boots and pulled a sweatshirt over her head. “I know, but what? I don’t understand all this.”
“Well, let’s get down there and find out what’s going on.”
Chapter Twelve
When Ben parked the truck in front of Laugherty’s, the bar was so packed people were lined up outside. Noise filled the night air. Men stood with guns in aggressive poses as if they planned a raid on some enemy camp. In a way, they probably saw it like that.
Kiera gave a disgusted sound as she jumped out of Ben’s truck. “They’re acting like a bunch of mindless rednecks.” Before Ben could stop her, she shouldered her way through the crowd. Up at the bar, John McBride stood on top and shook his fist to make his point.
“The Sheriff won’t do anything. He wants to take his deputies up there and gather evidence.” John sneered the last words. “Cover up the evidence is more like it.” A growl traveled through the crowd. Ben’s muscles bunched and he kept his eye on the armed men.
Kiera pushed forward and came face to face with Shirley McBride. “Where do you think you’re going?” she hissed at her. The woman’s expression was so twisted, her lips thinned and her watery blue eyes narrowed, Ben didn’t immediately recognize her as the nice woman who gave him a room for the night at her hotel.
“I’m going to stop this. It’s insane.” Kiera tried to step around Shirley, but the older woman shoved her back and Ben’s hands caught her.
“You leave it alone.” The woman’s hostile gaze glared at Kiera with hatred. Her angry glance at Ben filled him with unease, a cold finger sliding down his spine at its malevolence. It stunned him. The friendly faces were just masks that hid ugliness beneath them.
When Kiera regained her balance, she twisted aside and climbed up onto the bar. Since John was shorter than she was, Kiera was able to command attention. “Jeremy Covey doesn’t cover up evidence. You know that.” The crowd murmured, but it was hostile. “Let them find out what really happened.”
“We know what happened.” A man shouted from the back and the crowd roared in agreement. Ben’s fists clenched, wanting to pull Kiera down from the top of that bar even as he admired her courage to stand up to this crowd. A very drunk and unruly crowd.
“Wait a minute!” She shouted and the crowd of men’s voices began to stutter into silence. “I saw Bobby Angelos’ body.” She had their full attention now. “We have always believed Bigfoot is peaceful. There’s no reason to think differently now.”
“But the autopsy—” someone shouted.
“Is incomplete!” she interrupted. “Something is up there, and someone murdered Bobby. But a mob going up into the wilderness isn’t going to stop them. Let the Sheriff do his job.” She pointed a finger at one of the sullen-faced men. “Archie Tanner. Your son is a deputy. He’s going up there, isn’t he?”
The man nodded, his face relaxed a bit. “And Dusty! You’ve known Jeremy all his life. Has he ever lied? Even when he was wild and crazy he didn’t lie.” A thin, desiccated man licked his lips and nodded reluctantly. “We’ve trusted him this far.” Ben relaxed slightly. This was the right tack to take. Kiera was playing it very smart.
“And look what we got,” John McBride shouted. “A dead man hanging on a hook.”
“How did you know he was hanging on a hook?” Ben asked him loudly, and McBride’s mouth dropped open. Everyone stopped and stared at the small, dark man.
“Yeah, John. How did you know?” Jeremy’s calm tone sliced through the silence.
“The coroner told me. Rich and I are old friends.” He glared at the Sheriff. “Everyone knows Bobby was skewered on a hook.”
Jeremy glanced around the crowd. “Funny. I don’t think anyone knew except you.”
A dangerous murmur drifted through the crowd. John pointed at Kiera. “She knew. She knows Bigfoot murdered Bobby. So does her fancy author friend. And her child molesting partner.”
Ben didn’t know how Kiera kept from decking the guy. His eyes narrowed on the smaller man but the Sheriff caught his eye and shook his head. He nodded slightly. He didn’t like the threat to Kiera, but he’d back off. For now.
Kiera took a deep breath. “I don’t know who or what murdered Bobby. The Sheriff can find out.”
“You go with them, Kiera.” A man called out.
Nods and murmurs came from the men. “You go too.”
“I was planning on it,” she said loudly. “You all kn
ow me. I’ll make sure there’s no cover up.”
Slowly, the men began to back out of the bar, low voices still echoed around them. Ben stared after them. She was amazing. Without a single recrimination or insult, she’d sent a mob of angry gun toting drinking men on their way. He shook his head. How the hell she’d done that was beyond him. It was courageous. And stupid.
But John McBride wasn’t finished. He stepped close to Kiera and got right in her face. “You watch your step, little girl. You don’t want to end up somebody’s hanging meat.”
Ben was about to take matters into his own hands when Kiera took care of it herself. She looked him up and down with contempt. “You don’t scare me, little John.” She sneered at him. “I’m a big girl now. Your little games don’t frighten me off anymore.”
The man whirled away from her and he jumped off the bar. He and his wife left like shadows with glares of hatred over their shoulders.
Kiera sighed. “Well, that was fun.”
Jeremy placed his hands on his hips. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Ben rolled his eyes. You just don’t learn, do you Sheriff? Kiera glared at Jeremy. “You’re welcome.” She rolled her eyes. “Amanda called and—”
“I told her to stay out of it, too,” he interrupted.
“I’m sure you did.” Kiera slipped off the bar and gasped when Ben’s hands gripped her waist to help her down. Ben hung on tight and she rewarded him with a quick grin which disappeared when the Sheriff started in again.
“Why don’t you both listen?” Jeremy threw up his hands.
“If you haven’t figured that one out, Jeremy Covey, then you’re an idiot.” She glared at him.
Ben snickered and she switched the glare to him. The humor of the situation struck her too and she muffled a giggle. Jeremy, however, was not amused.
“You’re both impossible.” He growled at her. And then as he strode out the door, he turned. “Thank you.” He mumbled the words.
She grinned and Ben took her hand. “Come on. It’s a long time until six in the morning.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What did you have in mind?”
“What do you think?”
“How fast can you drive?”
Turned out he could drive pretty fast.
* * * *
Fog shrouded the road to the trailhead the next morning as Kiera and Ben managed to drag themselves into the truck. They’d packed after they’d returned from the bar and made love twice during the night. Ben was right. She was so sore she couldn’t walk without a wince, but every time she did, the memory of why made her smile.
They arrived at the foot of the mountain to a slew of deputies. Ten of them. Jeremy was there with a map and eleven sets of eyes all turned their way. The Sheriff nodded at them briefly, and then turned back to the map still speaking with authority to his men.
“We’ll arrive here the first night and break camp.” Jeremy pointed to the plateau at the peak. “The crime scene is down in the valley so we won’t be there until tomorrow.” The men shouldered their packs and they all hit the trail.
Thirteen people, thought Kiera, ought to be intimidating enough to any violent creature. Man or beast. Especially since eleven of them were heavily armed.
Jeremy indicated Kiera and Ben follow directly behind him and they began the steep hike up the first leg of the trip. “I want to talk to you guys about what’s going on,” he told them as they climbed. “We’ve done raids out here on some of the pot growers. The FBI thinks there’s some gang behind all the Bigfoot sightings.”
“Do they think the gang killed Bobby?” Kiera asked him.
“They’re stumped.” Jeremy shot them a glance. “They can’t step in without revealing they’ve got undercover guys in with the growers. Their information is pretty sketchy, but it seems that the gang is run by a local person. I don’t know how Bobby fits in yet.”
“Could he have stumbled onto something when he and Dodo headed back that night?” Ben asked.
“All I know is that Bobby has taken four trips out here in two months. This was just the latest. His story was he was looking for Bigfoot as part of his agenda to make Bigfoot a protected species.” The Sheriff’s face was grim. “Now I’m not sure what his agenda really was.”
“What does Amanda say?” Kiera spoke. She knew this was a touchy subject but had wondered how Bobby convinced Amanda to take him on.
“She says Bobby offered to come along as someone familiar with the area. I didn’t get much else out of her,” he sighed. “She’s pissed at me.”
“Well, you were kind of a caveman,” Kiera had to say.
Jeremy glared at her. “I’m not discussing Amanda.”
Kiera bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Okay. Sure.”
He growled and stepped up the pace. Ben pressed a hand to her lower back. “Don’t piss him off too much. After yesterday’s ‘exercise,’ I don’t know if I can keep up.”
“He’s in love. It’s making him cranky.”
Ben muttered something under his breath. Kiera frowned. “What?”
“I said ‘Poor bastard’.” he said louder.
She didn’t say anything, but had an attack of uncertainty. Those two words reminded her to watch her heart. Love didn’t enter into this relationship. After all, he would leave. She’d be here. Sex didn’t mean love. She had to remember that.
For the next eight miles, her brain didn’t stop. She took herself to task for allowing Ben so close to her. She berated herself for giving a day and a night of pleasure too much meaning. By the time they reached the plateau, she was convinced Ben only slept with her out of some weird form of pity.
The only thing to do was put distance between them. As they all set up camp, Ben placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “Want to share a tent?” He grinned at her.
Her heart broke. Right there. In a million pieces. Somehow, he’d gotten through her defenses and under her skin. He’d crawled into her heart and now, she didn’t know how to dislodge him.
She loved him.
The realization shattered her. It was no joyful discovery. He was everything she’d run from all her life. The smile dropped from his face. “What?”
Desperately, she shut her feelings away, slammed the doors, raised the walls. “Nothing.”
His hands gripped her shoulders and he gazed at her. “Don’t do that.” He demanded with a tiny shake. “Don’t disappear on me.”
Her heart clenched in her chest. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” He dropped his hands. “It won’t work, you know.”
“What won’t?” She kept her tone cool.
“Pushing me away.” He turned his back and began to set up the tent. “I’m an expert. I know all the moves.” He stopped for a moment and stared at her. “I always knew how to back away. It won’t work on me.”
Tears stung her eyes. “I wish you’d explain what you’re talking about.”
He strode up to her and stuck his nose in her face. “You can run, but you can’t hide,” he whispered.
Then, he backed away and went to work. She stood there shaking.
She tried. For the next few hours, she avoided contact and didn’t talk to him. She stuck with Jeremy and one of the other deputies she knew. Jeremy only raised an eyebrow and spoke shortly with her.
But Danny was young and eager to talk. It was easy to manipulate him into conversation and keep Ben at arm’s length. What she hadn’t counted on was the dark menace on Ben’s face. When she caught him staring at her as she chatted with Danny, her breath stopped.
*
Jealousy was not an emotion Ben was familiar with. For the first time in his life, he wanted to rip another man apart because he had a woman’s attention. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and he wanted to kill Kiera for inspiring it. Or kiss her until she admitted it was all an act.
He knew what she was doing. Fear drove her to put distance between them. He clenched his fists. She’d find out
tonight he wasn’t tolerating any distance. After yesterday’s intimacy, he wasn’t going to allow her to back off like this. He wanted to be amused by her game. Instead, the young deputy was in peril of getting his head knocked off his shoulders.
“She’s good at this game.” Jeremy’s voice broke through the red haze.
“What game?” he asked, though he knew what the Sheriff was talking about.
“The cold shoulder. I’ve seen her do it before.”
That didn’t make Ben feel better. His teeth gritted. “Have you?”
Jeremy studied him. “Once or twice. Never like this.”
Ben frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
The Sheriff’s gaze slid back to Kiera. “Before it’s always been a gentle shove. This is lockdown. She’s hauled up the draw bridge and preparing for battle.”
“Can we drop the analogies?” Ben sighed.
“She’s scared, dumbass. Terrified. You’ve got her spooked.” Jeremy’s blue eyes shone with amusement. “I’m enjoying it.”
“You’re a vindictive bastard.” Ben considered him.
Jeremy shrugged. “She needs someone that isn’t intimidated by this.”
“I’m not intimidated, but I may kill Deputy Doofus over there.” He clenched his jaw as Kiera laughed at something the Deputy said.
The Sheriff grinned. “You don’t want to kill Danny. He’s an innocent bystander. I suggest you lay down the law with Kiera.”
“That usually doesn’t go well,” Ben told him, and the Sheriff’s eyebrows shot up.
“Really? Those bruises I noticed on her arms say otherwise. Good luck.” And the Sheriff strolled away.
Ben stood for another few minutes and made a decision. They were going to have it out. One way or another.
He stomped over to Kiera who sat on a log with the Deputy. With a firm grip, he lifted her off that log by the arm. “Hey!” she protested.
“We need to have a little talk.” He dragged her into a stand of trees.
“Let me go!” She jerked on her arm but he held tight.
“Not until we get a few things straight.” He bit out the words.
Under the cover of a cluster of pines away from the camp, he yanked her around to face him. She crossed her arms with a stubborn set to her jaw and glared at him. “Well? You have my undivided attention.”
Legend Hunter Page 16