Catching Cara: Dark Horse, Inc: Book 2

by Amy J. Hawthorn

  She bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. Trailing her fingertips over his cheek, she gave him the answer he expected, the smart choice. “Here. I couldn’t live with myself if I brought more trouble around you or your family. I suspect Trent’s going to make Kate stay on the farm, and he’ll tighten security even more. It’s the best place for me to be.” He didn’t miss her unspoken meaning. She meant that it was safest for everyone else. Her own safety didn’t factor into her choice. As badly as he wanted her with him, he’d accept her decision.

  Of course, the right decisions were often the hardest. He’d accept it, but he sure as hell, didn’t have to like it.

  “Did you get it out of the fridge or the oven? It’s not cold enough. Go on and get. I’ve got important matters to attend to.” Boyd watched as Hawkins looked at the can of beer in his hand, barely sparing his pale, wraith of a wife a glance. Head down, she made a silent exit from their garage.

  Boyd had come from their operations base at the old quarry. Each time he drove out there to check on Dale, his neck itched. It wouldn’t be long until Dark Horse or the feds showed. They needed to pack up, hunker down and bide their time for at least a few months.

  But they didn’t have a few months. Ironclad deals had been made and they had a schedule to keep. If they couldn’t supply their buyers, they wouldn’t have a business.

  Sutton would be back to breathing down his neck.

  He heard the front door close and Hawkins set his beer on the workbench. “This mess stinks. It has cluster-fuck written all over it. What are you going to do about it? You screwed the pooch today. I can’t continue to cover up your mistakes.”

  Boyd bit his tongue. Hawkins had left everything, even most of the decisions, up to him. Yet he wanted to play man in charge. “We need to get Dark Horse out of the way when our associates come to town. I think we should repackage somewhere else then have the meet where we planned. The buyer won’t be pleased if it appears we don’t have our shit together. This first deal is too damn important.”

  “MacDonald has to go, but if he shows up dead it’ll be too suspicious. A dead deputy will bring to much attention to Riley Creek at the worst possible time.” Hawkins leaned back against the workbench and frowned.

  Boyd waited to see if the Sheriff would come up with anything worth contributing. When their paths first crossed, he’d thought that he might have found an ally worth his weight. He’d been wrong. So far all he’d done was wave his dirty badge around and point out the obvious.

  A little over a month ago, he’d been out in the county with the local white trash, leaving a cockfight. What better place to find scum looking to make a quick buck? Not thinking, he’d pulled his truck out onto the road and had an open beer in the cup holder, in plain view.

  He’d also had a dead light bulb in his driver side taillight. Hawkins pulled him over and Boyd had seen the same thing in the Sheriff’s face as he saw in his own every time he looked in the mirror. A total disregard for the law.

  When he’d pulled out his fake license, he’d also “accidently” pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills. He’d handed his license over for inspection. After a brief moment Dale handed it back without the bills and sent him on his way.

  He’d found his way in. He needed additional manpower, and who better to have on his side than the local law?

  Now he wasn’t so sure. Hawkins could be more liability than help.

  “Any thoughts on how to get MacDonald and Dark Horse out of the picture on the day of the exchange?” He didn’t expect much of an answer, but asked just to play the game.

  “Yeah. I do.” And when Hawkins outlined his plan, Boyd realized exactly how stupid the man was.

  There was no way he’d sign on for that.

  But it does give me a better idea. One that might actually work.

  “Hmmm. Now that right there’s not a bad sight.” Cara turned from where she stood at the corral gate, watching the sunset. Kate spoke from beside her with her arms crossed on the top rail, wearing an appreciative grin. She followed the other woman’s gaze to find that Trent was bent over, with Scarlet’s hoof in one hand and a frown on his face. Kate’s eyes locked on Trent, and Cara silently admitted that he did have an ass worth appreciating.

  But the man standing beside her friend held Cara’s attention. She didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing those long, muscled legs encased in faded denim. His flat belly and broad shoulders that stretched his T-shirt tight made her mouth water. Joe looked up and met her gaze. Heat flickered in his chocolate and gold eyes.

  Kylie stood beside the men, but worry scrunched in her brow. “Will Scarlet be okay?” She leaned over beside Trent, trying to get a look at the old horse’s hoof.

  “She’ll be fine, but I think our lesson is done for today. Storm clouds are rolling in.” Trent released the horse and gestured for a nearby stable hand to care for her. “I thought Kate and I might take you to see Bonnie and the other foals before we go up to the big house. Are you ready?”

  “Yes!” Kylie jumped up.

  “That’s my cue.” Kate smiled brightly as she left Cara at the rail and went with her little cousin and Trent.

  Joe ambled up to her with a lazy grin. His expression filled with dark promise and a hint of something else.

  The good kind of trouble.

  “Are you gloating Mr. MacDonald?” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

  His smirk only grew wider. “Absolutely not.” He took her hand in his and steered her toward his truck. Behind her back, he’d arranged for her to essentially trade places with Kylie for the night. Kylie would stay the night at Walker Farms and Cara would stay with Joe.

  “Joe?”

  Thunder, low and barely audible, rumbled in the distance.

  He stopped and faced her, but she forgot what she’d been ready to say.

  He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, the side of his thumb brushing over her cheek. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

  A sticky, humid breeze blew through. “Joe, I…” She still had no idea what she’d planned to tell him.

  With a whirlwind of emotions in his eyes, he murmured, “Come on. I owe you a steak. It’s been almost a week since you’ve been off the farm. Even as pretty as it is, I’m sure you’re ready for a change in scenery.”

  “Yes. It’s the best possible prison imaginable, but I don’t do well cooped up. I need to stay active or I get twitchy. If I get any more restless, I’ll be climbing the walls.”

  “Let’s get you out of here, then. I’m sorry about being late. I had to work over a bit.” He helped her into his truck and buckled her in. He trailed his hand across her abdomen then shut door as if he hadn’t stolen her breath.

  She waited until he started the truck to continue their conversation. She’d spent more than a fair amount of time in the past week worrying about him and the Sheriff. “How is work? I can’t imagine working under Hawkins and acting like everything is normal.”

  “I try to stay out of his way as much as I can. It’s frustrating, but until we get this mess figured out, I can’t really do anything.”

  “Is anything being done to investigate him? Surely he hasn’t gotten away with so much without raising a red flag or two?” They came to the end of the long driveway and passed the Walker Farms sign.

  He took her hand in his and rubbed a thumb over the back of it. “Unfortunately, he’s smart. Along with his connection to Boyd, there is an increased chance that whatever they have planned could be bigger in scope than we first thought. I don’t like any of it.”

  “What happened today?”

  “Someone broke into Griffith’s pharmacy last night. The place was a disaster, the area behind the counter littered with pill bottles. At first glance it looks more like vandalism than theft.” His brow scrunched in thought.

  “You think there’s more, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. I do. All the evidence points to vandalism and, with Hawkins on the scen
e—hovering over every question, every line on the report—it stinks. For someone to bypass a security system, then take the time to open and dump out a half of the bottles in there? All the pills, the lids, bottles, everything was scattered on the floor.”

  “So, Hawkins says vandalism?” She watched his jaw tighten at her question and wished she could kiss his tension away.

  “Yeah. Whenever I opened my mouth to ask Ned a question, Dale spoke over me. I had to leave or else they would have hauled me away for assaulting an officer.” He shook his head but kept his eyes on the road.

  She ached for him.

  “I waited until my shift was over and then went back to talk to Ned on my own time.”

  “Was he able to tell you anything more?”

  “Not really, but I felt a little better for trying, and he seemed to appreciate that someone took him seriously. He didn’t believe that kids would break into a pharmacy to cause mischief either. Ned never came out and accused Hawkins, but he did make a comment about his close relationship with Jimmy, who’s a known drug user.”

  “It sounds like Ned is wondering if he’s covering for someone.” She pursed her lips in thought. “Doesn’t he realize that, even if he doesn’t get caught, if he steps on enough toes, he won’t get re-elected?”

  “When I watch him now? I think he believes that he owns the badge and therefore the county. Even if I had the proof and could take him down now, I’d likely sacrifice the opportunity to find out what he and Boyd have in the works.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s likely big and ugly.” Dark, heavy clouds loomed in the distance. She rested her forehead against the window and closed her eyes.

  He placed his palm on her thigh. “Yeah. I think there’s little doubt of that.”

  They rode in silence until they arrived at his house. He ushered her inside and straight to the kitchen. He pointed to the barstool. “Sit. I’ll be right back.” He went out the back door for a moment then returned.

  “Sit? When did you get so bossy? I figured you for a more modern man, Joe.” Even full of sass, she did as told, making him smile.

  “I have no problem with strong, confident women. I’m not a caveman, but you need a break and tonight, I’m going to give it to you.” He poured a glass of wine and set it in front of her. “Drink. No more talk of impending gloom and doom. Unfortunately, I think it will find us soon enough.”

  “I wish I could disagree with you.” She took a sip and watched him put a couple of monstrous potatoes in the microwave.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to make do without the Thanksgiving style spread we had last time. I didn’t tell anyone about our plans except Kate and Trent.”

  “We’re alone?” She smiled into her wine.

  “We are alone. We have the entire night to ourselves.” He pulled a platter out from the fridge with two of the largest steaks she’d ever seen.

  “That’s enough meat to feed an entire family. I hope you don’t expect me to eat that much. I won’t be able to walk.”

  “Sweetheart? For what I have planned, you’re going to need the calories, but walking is optional.” He set condiments out and picked up the platter. “Come with me?”

  “Sure.” She followed him out and leaned against the deck rail. Taking a sip of wine, she watched the horizon. Dread coiled in her belly. A masterpiece of green fields, towering trees, and blue skies lay before her. A dark gray line hugged the horizon.

  Please, not tonight. She sent a wish into the air, hoping that they could enjoy the evening without some sort of catastrophe. Joe seemed set on pampering her, and the last thing she wanted was to ruin his plans.

  She turned away from the view and sat in a chair with her back to the sky.

  Something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. As he finished their dinner, she said all the right things and smiled at the appropriate times. When he’d suggested that they eat outside, she’d agreed but her unease had grown. Then he’d offered a lame excuse about not wanting the bugs to get the steaks and she’d jumped at the chance to go inside. She complimented him on the food, telling him it was the best she’d ever had, but she ate mechanically.

  She was so not Cara, nothing like the Mayhem he’d come to know. He got up to clear their plates and offer her dessert when it hit him.

  A storm had loomed all evening and finally decided to make its appearance. Lightning flickered outside, and she flinched. She tried to halt it, but the subtle twitch gave her away. She closed her eyes briefly, and her shoulders rose and fell. He saw her brace for the thunder. Still a good distance away when it came in, it rolled through the house slow and lazy. When silence followed, the tension in her shoulders eased.

  Damn. His badass, tough as nails warrior princess was scared of storms. A fist squeezed his heart. He thought back to the day that he’d met her. A nasty little storm had just rolled through. Her eyes had been red-rimmed and he’d wondered if she’d been crying. She’d been shaky and trying to hide it. He’d thought she’d been a fragile thing upset by the accident.

  He went to the living room and closed the curtains before going back to her. “Hey? How about we watch a movie, relax for a bit?” Not waiting for an answer, he took her hand in his. He drew her with him into the living room and tucked her into his side. He turned on the TV and raised the volume.

  “Not fond of storms, huh? We’ll just wait this one out.” He hoped the forecast had been wrong. They’d predicted that this system would move through slowly, drenching the area. The skies would likely rumble through most of the night.

  She stiffened beside him, staring blankly at the TV. “No. They terrify me. I hate it, but have no control over it. I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep it together.”

  He hated that she didn’t feel comfortable enough to meet his gaze. “Don’t worry about it. If I survived Kylie’s terrible twos and the tantrum filled threes, I can handle anything.”

  No response.

  “Even when she’s acting like the devil’s own spawn, she’s still my favorite person in the world.”

  She tilted her head to look up at him. “But she’s so good.”

  “Now? Yeah, she is.” He felt a small surge of pride in that. “We went through a dark patch about three or four years ago. Michelle, her mother, was killed in a car wreck and we’d been having trouble before that. We tried to keep the anger and frustration between the two of us, but toward the end, I discovered Michelle wasn’t the woman I thought she was. As bad as things were, there was no telling what Kylie overheard.”

  Lightning flashed dimly behind the curtains, making her tense. “It’s hard to hide things from children.”

  “Yeah. Between all the relationship turmoil and the trauma of her mother’s death, she became a terror.” He ran his hand up and down her arm.

  “I don’t blame her. You two had to have been her entire world and she watched it crumble around her.”

  “Exactly, for nearly a year, all it took was the slightest upset to send her into a full-blown meltdown.”

  “You saw her through it all. No wonder you’re her hero.”

  Relaxed, comfortable, he’d let his guard down and his words slipped out before he could stop them. “Hero? More like the villain.”

  Cara started and then craned her neck to look up at him. “What do you mean? You’re her rock.”

  Something nasty coiled in his gut. Thunder rumbled shorter, a little louder and he witnessed the panic in her eyes. She flinched, but fought the anxiety, focused on him. He never told anyone what happened that night. He’d carried the weight of his responsibility like a ball and chain for three years.

  And he loved the way Cara looked to him, trusted him. He dreaded the sight of watching that light in her eyes dim. But, if he didn’t share, he’d be no better than a liar.

  A brighter flash strobed outside his window, only partially dimmed by the curtains. She put her hands on his chest, fingers gripping his shirt.

  “We dated briefly in high school but d
idn’t stick. I went away to college. When I came home after graduation, she came on strong. Really strong. We were sexually active, and she swore to me that she was on the pill. I cared about her a great deal, but there was just something almost desperate about her when we had sex. I always wore a condom. At least I thought I did.” He paused and stared at the TV, not really seeing what was playing.

  “What did she do?” When Cara tucked her chin into this shoulder and looked up to him with faith in those gorgeous honeyed eyes, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself. He wasn’t worthy.

  “Got me drunk. As usual, we were like bunnies. Either I didn’t wear one, or she tampered with it. I’ll never know. Ultimately, I have to take responsibility for my actions. She may have taken advantage of my intoxication, but she didn’t pour the alcohol down my throat. I did that. Doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.”

  “That night gave you Kylie.”

  “It did. She’s my silver lining.”

  She flattened the hand on his chest, and he felt the press of her palm against his heart. “What happened, Joe?”

  He released a heavy breath. “The day of the wreck, I came home early and overheard her on the phone with her best friend. We’d had a particularly rough week. I asked Mom to keep Kylie for the weekend, and I thought we’d go away for a couple of days. It’d be a chance for us to talk things out. I stood there, in the doorway to our bedroom, while she stood with her back to me, venting to her friend about our troubles. It was all fine until she went into great detail about how hard she worked to win me, and how she didn’t think it was worth it any longer. Before I could step in, she admitted to her friend how she planned her pregnancy and trapped me with it. I found out that she’d pursued me with the sole purpose of getting my ring on her finger.”

  “Oh, Joe.” She cupped his jaw in her small hand, and he melted.

  Rubbing the back of his neck, he pulled back and looked up to the ceiling. “Speechless, I stood there listening and waiting. It was like watching a train wreck and having no power to stop it. She finally turned around and saw me. She ended the call with a terse, he’s home and immediately got mad at me. I lost my temper, her anger erupted, and we ended up in another shouting match. She grabbed her keys and ran out. I let her go and heard the sound of squealing tires as she sped off around the curve. I should have stopped her.”