Midnight Sacrifice (21 page)

Damn. Damn. Damn. How did he fuck that up?

By pushing too hard, too fast, stupid.

But all he’d been offering was a hug. What kind of shit would make a move on a woman who was that upset?

Danny rubbed his forehead. He unlocked the back door and went out onto the porch. His eyes locked on the flowerpot. Guess it wasn’t evidence. He contemplated putting it in his trunk and dropping it in the nearest dumpster. But something stopped him. Maybe they weren’t evidence right now, but if something else were to hit the fan, who knew?

He hefted the pot first. Damn thing was heavy. He put his bad forearm under the bottom for support. Pain shot up his arm. Bad idea. The container plopped to the ground. Danny dragged it across the back lawn to the concrete apron in front of the garage. He pulled on the overhead door. It wasn’t locked and gave way to his tug. He shoved the pot of flowers against the wall. He jogged back to the porch and removed the branch from over the back door. He returned to the garage and tucked it behind the container. Just in case something else happened and the authorities suddenly decided the seemingly harmless items were important clues.

Now what? His arm twitched like a puppet, and the needles of pain had become nails. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed a break. He went through the empty inn. All the other guests were out pursuing their chosen outdoor adventures.

In his room, Danny stretched out on the bed. He elevated his arm on a pillow and dialed Reed’s number on his cell.

Reed picked up on the first ring. “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine. I just wanted to ask you a question.”

“Shoot.”

“What do you think the chances are that Nathan had an accomplice here in town?”

“Besides his uncle?”

“Yeah.” Danny adjusted his arm on the pillow. “I was thinking the local cop, Lang, was awfully obnoxious.”

“That’s Doug.” Reed sounded disgusted. “He’s a total jerk, but I can’t see him helping Nathan. He was pretty shook up when he found out what Nathan had done.”

“Still, they were close, right?”

“Yes, they were.” Reed was quiet for a few seconds. “Do you want me to call Detective Rossi and run it by him?”

“Do you think that’s the right move? Rossi didn’t seem too helpful.”

“Rossi’s a good cop.” Confidence projected through Reed’s voice. “Sometimes you just can’t get a break on a case.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“In fact, why don’t you come home and let Rossi handle this?” Reed asked. “Jayne’s worried about you.”

“Not yet. I want to check a few more things.”

“OK. I’ll call Rossi and ask him to check Doug out. Take care of yourself, Danny, for Jayne.”

“I will. Thanks.” Danny punched
END
.

A car door slammed. He got up and went to the window. Jed was walking from his truck to the house. A second later, Mandy crossed the lawn and got into an old Subaru wagon. She pulled out of the lot. Alone.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Danny rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Jed was sitting at the island eating a fresh muffin. He looked up at Danny. “What?”

“Where’s she going?”

“The range.”

“The range?”

“The shooting club.” Jed got up and pulled a coffee mug from the cabinet over the coffeepot. “When you carry a gun, it’s important to practice regularly.”

“Mandy carries a gun?”

“Of course.” Jed’s already prominent brow dropped. “I wouldn’t let her run around alone without one.”

Danny digested that tidbit for a few seconds. He knew plenty of people who had guns in their homes, but not very many carried a firearm. “Why didn’t you go with her?”

“Because she asked me to stay with her mother and brother.” Jed poured coffee. “Look, I don’t like it any more than you do. But do you really think it’s possible for her to not go anywhere alone for four months, while at the same time making sure her family is looked after?”

“I guess not,” Danny said.

“Mandy might be small and pretty, but as much as I hate to admit it, she
can
handle herself.” Pride tinted Jed’s voice.

“How do I get to the range?” After Jed gave him general directions, Danny went out the back door, jogged to his car, and
drove out onto the street. A few turns later, he spotted Mandy’s green Subaru. He followed her. She took a side street and drove through a section of residential homes that declined in value and upkeep as they left the main business section. Glossy shutters and wide lawns gave way to narrow lots and peeling paint. Deep green grass shifted to clover. She came to a stop sign. He saw her glance in her rearview mirror.

Snagged.

Danny waved. Mandy ignored him and continued out of the town proper. A couple of miles later she turned onto a dirt lane. A sign read Huntsville Gun Club. Danny parked next to her in a dry but rutted lot. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure I’m able to protect my family.” She grabbed a nylon bag from the passenger seat, closed the car door, and walked away from him. Danny hurried to catch up.

It was an outdoor shooting range. No store. Just a shack with a soda machine under the overhang. A long wooden roof on posts angled away from the rough building. Underneath, picnic tables were spaced end to end. Targets dotted the expanse of meadow that stretched away from the tables. Big grass berms rose at the rear of the range to catch stray bullets.

Two men were popping off shots with handguns. Mandy gave them an absent wave and set her nylon bag on a center table. She pulled out ear protection, both foam plugs and over-the-ear muffs, and safety glasses. “If you’re going to stand there, put these on.” Without looking at him, she handed Danny the muffs. She rummaged around in her bag, dug out a spare pair of protective glasses, and handed them over. She looked all business. He did what he was told. When Danny’s sister eyeballed him like that, he knew better than to argue.

Mandy pulled a revolver out from under her sweatshirt. What the fuck?

“Where did you get that?” he yelled.

With a sigh, Mandy pulled the foam plugs out of her ears. “I’ve had a concealed carry permit for years, but I admit, until this winter, I didn’t carry that often.”

“But you do now?”

“Every minute of every day.” She put the plugs back in and turned back to the range. Danny noticed the two other guys had stopped shooting. They were watching Mandy.

She took her stance, brought the gun to level with both hands, and squeezed off five rounds at the twenty-foot target, hitting it smack center each time. She reloaded and put the next five into the next target with equally impressive aim.

Well, damn. She could outshoot Danny any day. He’d been a decent shot before his injury, but he hadn’t won any awards for marksmanship. From the disgusted expressions of the other two dudes, they sucked even more. They packed up and cleared out before she could reload.

Mandy looked back at him. “Have you tried shooting since you got hurt?”

He shook his head.

“Do you want to?”

Danny took the gun and stepped up to the table. He popped off a couple of rounds one-handed and missed with every freaking one. Not unexpected. His military sidearm had been a 9mm, which had a whole different feel than Mandy’s .38 revolver. Plus, he was sadly out of practice. He loaded the gun and raised his arm, confident that with a little practice, his aim would return.

“Wait.” Mandy stepped up behind him. Her arm came around his body. She lifted the forearm of his wounded hand, her fingers sliding along his skin. “I know you can’t use this hand, but if you can hold this arm across your body and tighten your chest, it’ll give you more stability.”

His chest? Yeah, like
that
was what had gone tight.

She put his arm into position, wrapping around him in the process. Damn. How long could they stand like this? He’d gladly fire all his rounds into the dirt if she’d hug him a little tighter.

“Try again.”

Danny sighed. He sighted on the twenty-foot target and squeezed.
Pop, pop, pop
.

His first two shots went wide. The third smacked into the left edge of the target with a quiet
whoomp
.

“That’s better.” Mandy snuggled up closer. Her thighs cradled his. Her head tilted toward him. Danny inhaled. The faint scent of flowers drifted over the smells of dirt, grass, and forest.

“Mmm. Much better.” Oh, yeah. This shooting lesson could go on all day. He put his next two shots exactly where he wanted them, two feet short of the target. The bullets hit the ground with little puffs of dust. “How did you learn to do that?”

Mandy’s hand gripped his shoulder. “Jed’s daddy showed me. I broke my left wrist in high school. Couldn’t use it to shoot for months.”

“You and Jed have always been close?”

“Best friends since grade school.” Mandy slid her hand to his elbow. Danny squeezed off another shot to keep her interested. His bullet hit the base of the target. For a woman who worked so hard, her fingers were soft. Strong, though, too. And that was Mandy, an intriguing combination of soft and strong. “My father left us. Jed’s daddy reluctantly let me tag along. I’m not sure why. He had very strict guidelines about women’s roles, but for some reason, he didn’t apply them to me. Maybe because he felt sorry for me, or maybe it was because I was just a kid. I was a scrawny tomboy until I hit sixteen.”

Enough about Jed and his daddy. Danny took another shot, sending a bullet into the middle of the target.

“Oh, look.” The pitch in Mandy’s voice rose to girly excited, which was funny considering they were at possibly the most masculine place on earth this side of a strip bar. “You hit it, dead center.”

Satisfied that he could shoot where he aimed, Danny lowered the weapon. “You’re a good teacher.” He unloaded the gun and placed the safety gear on the table. A quick scan of the range and parking lot assured him they were alone. He turned to face Mandy. Empty and quiet, the range was peaceful. He lifted the glasses from her face.

“You already knew how to shoot.” She tossed her earplugs into her bag.

“Haven’t touched a gun in more than a year, though.” Despite all his time in the military, Danny wasn’t a firearm enthusiast. But he appreciated a gun’s ability to keep a person alive.

Mandy shifted her weight to move away from him. Danny stopped her with a hand on her hip. He leaned down to get another whiff of her hair. Her blue eyes went dark and wide. Danny brushed his lips against hers. She stiffened for a split second, then sighed against his mouth, as if she didn’t have the energy to fight their attraction anymore. Her eyes closed as he tasted. Just a sip.

He slid his hand around to the small of her back and eased her closer. Her hips nestled into his. A perfect fit. But Danny held back, remembering her skittishness in the kitchen. He kept his kisses light and strictly outside the mouth.

Until she pressed against him. Her lips parted, but it was the feminine moan that challenged his control.

Mandy wanted him.

Danny angled his mouth to take more. He deepened the kiss. Her mouth was hot and sweeter than her cinnamon bread. A groan worked its way out of his chest. Raw and powerful, it
echoed what was going on in the rest of his body. Need. Fire. Everywhere.

Mandy tilted her head away. She blinked up at him, her eyes showing equal amounts of desire and confusion. Yeah. That about summed it up.

When she moved away, he let her go. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

That was so not what Danny was going to say. A lot of thoughts were flying though his head.
Wow. Holy shit. Incredible.
But Danny didn’t have a single ounce of regret.

Unfortunately, Mandy had enough for both of them.

“I have to get back.” She brushed past him to pack up her supplies.

“Mandy.” Danny caught her bicep. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

With her eyes firmly fixed on her bag, she shook her head.

“There isn’t anything you can’t tell me.”

Her gaze lifted to his. There were many things swirling around in the beautiful blue of her eyes. Regret. Sadness. Determination. “You have to go.”

But the lust was gone.

Sometimes retreat was the best option. The object was to win the war, not necessarily every single battle. “OK. We’ll go.”

He reached for the nylon straps of her bag.

Mandy stopped him with a hand on his forearm. “No, you have to go back to Philadelphia. All you’re doing here is stirring up things best left settled.”

“Nothing feels settled to me.” Danny crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”