Stone Cold Cowboy (21 page)

“She figured everything out. She says one word to her brother and mine is dead.”

“I won't do that.”

“She wouldn't do that,” Rory said over Sadie's words.

“If you do, I'll see you go down for aiding and abetting your brother. I will find every speck of dirt on you and use it against you both personally and legally.”

Sadie stepped around Rory. “Hey. You don't need to threaten me. I'd never do anything to jeopardize your brother's life.”

“Not even to save Connor?”

“As your brother already pointed out, nothing will save Connor from what he's done. I am not helping him anymore.”

“Is that right?” Cooke eyed Sadie.

“That's right. You want to nail Connor, I won't be the hammer that strikes the blow, and I won't stand in the way.”

“So after all these years of you saving his ass, you're out?”

Sadie held up her hands, showing the agent the scars around her wrists and on her arms. She pulled the hem
of her shirt up and showed him the marks across her torso and the scar on her ribs.

Stunned she'd do such a thing, Rory stared at her, shocked. “Sadie.” He tugged her shirt down for her.

“I've learned my lesson.”

“Well, if it's any consolation, the charges against your brother are far less severe than the charges against Derek for what he did to you.”

“That doesn't really ease the fact that I have to live with knowing my brother turned his back on me when I needed him the most.”

“Then you understand why I'm here. I would never turn my back on Beck.”

“Beck?”

“Trigger. If he trusted you with that message, despite not knowing if you'd betray him for your brother, then he's desperate to get out.”

“Why doesn't he just come in?” Rory asked.

“He'd never jeopardize a case we've been working on for over a year. People are depending on him finishing this job. The lives he'll save if we get this crap off the streets and put these people behind bars . . .”

Sadie got it. “You're not worried about those lives, you're worried about his.”

“I'm always worried about his, but what he did, giving you that message . . . it was reckless.”

“No, it wasn't. He saw in me exactly what I saw in him. Resignation. Those guys are not going to stop, or think about what they're doing. They're reckless. That's what makes Trig . . . Beck nervous. That's why he wants out.

“I've watched my brother this past year, and especially these last weeks spiral downward into desperation.
For his next fix, to make the big score, and to save his life. I'm sure Derek's experience tells him exactly what I know and have seen, desperate people do stupid things. Add in a sick sadist and it's a recipe for disaster. There's something about Derek that's just pure evil. I don't know how else to say it. He likes hurting people. Even when there's every reason to walk away—like you're stealing a herd of cattle and the owner is coming after you—he doesn't care and has to feed that need to hurt someone. He could have just left me out there in the middle of nowhere without my clothes or my horse, but instead he indulged that dark side. It's not the first time either. No telling what Beck has witnessed and stood by helpless to do anything or be caught out for who he really is.”

Cooke shook his head and stared off in the distance again. “You said he didn't look good.”

“Physically he seemed fine. You guys have an uncanny resemblance. He's leaner than you, but it's what I saw in his eyes—that's not quite right, it's what he let me see, so he could determine I was on his side. He's tired of the game. Tired in a way that goes so deep he's having trouble believing and living the lies.”

“Which is why I need your help to end this. Beck won't come in until he finishes this case.”

“I told you—”

“I don't give a fuck that you want to keep your hands clean.” Cooke took a menacing step forward, then caught himself when Rory glared. “If you truly believe Beck can't live the lies, then he's dead. Dead. Do you get it?”

“I understand you're upset, Agent Cooke.”

“Caden,” he bit out, trying to rein in his temper and be civil.

“Caden, there's nothing I can do. I don't know where my brother is. He's not answering my calls.”

“You've got a number for him?”

“He swaps out his burner phone every couple of days. They're not as stupid as you think. They know the cops are after them and using traceable phones will only get them caught.”

“You must know something.”

“I know my brother and Derek owe someone a lot of money. That person is going to collect one way or the other and that scares me more than I can explain because my brother is all I have left of my immediate family. I know it will take a miracle for my brother to change his ways. He won't turn himself in no matter how many times I beg him to do so. He's a follower, looking for the big score that will set him up for life. He doesn't see that he will always be the little fish swimming with sharks who will turn on him to save themselves.

“I know he doesn't trust me anymore.”

“Is there someplace he goes when he needs to hide? A friend or a girl who will help him out?”

“Caden, you're grasping at straws. The cops know all those things. Everything. This isn't my brother's first time hiding from the police. They've checked out every known haunt, friends, enemies, and girlfriends. If he's cooking up meth, he's doing it somewhere isolated. Not in town, but out in the country. Doesn't Beck know where?”

“No. For all their stupidity in other things they've kept their operation a secret.”

“If Beck can't give you the information, then why do you think I can?”

“Because you know your brother. You know his habits.”

“I used to, but he's been more out of my life than in it the last couple of years. I'm his go-to girl for bailout. I can't help you.”

“It better be can't, because if it's won't, you'll go down with him.”

Sadie threw up her hands and let them fall in frustration. “What do you want me to say? He's probably in some abandoned shack on someone's property. There'll have to be at least an old dirt road for them to get their supplies in and out. At the bare minimum, they'll need water, but even that they can bring with them. Since he's been stealing Kendrick cattle, my guess is that he's close to the Kendrick land. He didn't pick the Kendrick cattle for any other reason than he's lazy as hell when it comes to actual work.”

“The sheriff's people have been all over that place and found nothing.”

“Well, if Connor made it easy we'd all be doing better things right now. It's probably some trailer they're able to move, or a shack they've camouflaged. I don't know, but it's there. If I hear from him again, I'll let you know. I'll even try to convince him, again, to turn himself in.”

Sadie turned her back and walked away, straight up the steps and into the house.

Rory hung back, eyeing the agent. “She really doesn't know anything.”

“How is she? Those marks on her . . .” Caden shook his head, his mouth pulled into a tight line of disapproval and sadness.

“She's had it rough since Derek strung her up. Now
her father is dead and her brother is in dire need of money or he's going to end up dead, too. He's desperate. She hasn't said it outright, but she knows he'll use her to get that money if he has to.”

“Does she have the kind of money he needs?”

“No. Her brother has sucked every last dime she's got. Hell, he still owes me. She's tried to pay off his debt.” Rory read the disapproval in Caden's eyes. “Hey, I didn't ask her to or want her to. She has a deep sense of justice and right and wrong. She's not in this with those guys. I don't know if her father left any money for her. This property is worth quite a bit thanks to the rich folks moving in and driving up land prices, but she can't pull any money from the property on a dime. She'd have to get a loan from the bank and I don't think she'd do that for him. Not now. She's set on letting him go down for what he's done.”

“I need more than her trying to convince Connor to turn himself in. I need her to actively try to make him do it. If I can get my hands on him, I can turn him against the others and pull Beck out.”

“I won't let you use her as bait. Derek has a real thing for her. The way he looks at her, it's like a mountain lion hunting down prey. I won't let you put her in harm's way for a bunch of drug dealers.”

“I can protect her.”

“Bullshit. Your priority is your brother. She's mine. I'll keep tabs on anything she finds out—if her brother contacts her again—and I'll let you know. That's the best I can do.”

Caden handed over his card with his information. “I need a location. If Beck finds it at the very last second,
and I don't have eyes on it ahead of time, it may be too late.”

“Understood. There's a lot of wild land out there to cover. I'd suggest you try a helicopter, or one of those drones everyone is arguing about on the news. You might have better luck that way than trying to cover all that territory on the ground.”

“Are you willing to go for a ride to take a look? You know your land better than anyone, I presume.”

“Sure. Set it up. I wouldn't mind getting some aerial shots for my own use.”

“I'll be in contact.” Caden held out his hand.

Rory took it and held tight. “You do anything that puts her in danger, and I'll take off your head.”

“Understood. But she finds out anything, I want to know.”

“Understood.” Rory shook, then released Caden's hand. He waited for the guy to climb in his truck and drive away. When he turned around, he spotted Sadie standing in the open doorway staring back at him. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself. He couldn't live without her. He didn't want to. But how to make her a permanent part of his life with all this turmoil mucking up their lives? He didn't know, but he'd find a way, because her happiness meant everything to him, and she meant everything to his future happiness.

S
adie turned from the front door and walked down the hall toward her room. She stopped outside her father's bedroom door and stared at the stripped bare mattress. The cleaning crew had done a great job. Not a single drop or splatter of blood remained, but she still saw it clear as day in her mind. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out, trying to erase the image and the echo of fear running through her system.

Strong hands clamped on to her shoulders and rubbed her tight muscles. She exhaled and relaxed into Rory's touch. She'd become so used to him touching her in such a short time. “Used to” didn't quite cover it; she craved his touch. It always calmed and excited her all at once.

“What does he want from me? I can't tell him anything the cops don't already know. My brother is pissed at me, you, the world. What am I supposed to do?”

“Breathe, sweetheart.”

She sucked in a ragged breath, turned, and pressed her forehead to his chest. His hands slid around her waist, and he held her gently. That was Rory, a steady presence. One who never pushed her, never asked for
more than she was willing to give, and always stood with her.

She gripped his sides, pushed back, and stared up at him. Before she said a word, he leaned down and kissed her softly.

“What was that for?”

“You looked like you needed it.”

She squished up one side of her mouth and nodded. “I always seem to need a kiss from you.”

“Happy to supply as many as you need.”

“One more, then it's time to get down to business.”

Rory's smile just might do her in. He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, then brushed his lips over hers and sank in. She opened to him, savoring the glide of his tongue over hers. His hands slid up her sides a second before his thumbs swept along the outside of her breasts. She pressed close to him and his hands rubbed down her back and over her bottom. His fingers sank into her ass and pulled her up and closer, her belly rubbing against his hard length. She wanted to get her hands on him, but not here. Not now. He must have felt the same way, because the minute her hands touched his bare back under his shirt, he pulled away, breathing hard. His intense gaze met hers as he licked his bottom lip in a move so sexy she wanted to bite his lip and taste him again.

“Honey, you keep kissing and touching me that way, we're not going to get anything done.”

She cocked up one eyebrow and gave him a half smile. “We'll get one thing done.”

He planted one hand on her bottom and pushed her down the hall toward her room. “Pack.”

“Spoilsport.”

“You're asking for trouble, woman.”

“I've got my hands full of it, I might as well have some fun.”

“You like living dangerously.”

“Nothing seems dangerous when I'm with you.” She walked past her brother's room and stopped short. She went through the door and stared at the broken dresser drawer and the hole it made in the wall when her brother must have thrown it. “Connor's been here.”

Rory bent and picked up an empty bottle of whiskey. The brown dregs settled in the corner of the bottle. “Looks like he might have slept here last night and drank away his sorrows.”

“Probably waiting for me to come home. Even though we spoke last night, I didn't tell him where I stayed. Damn. He must be really hurting. I can't imagine how he feels. He missed being there in my father's final hours. He never got the chance to make things right.”

“Maybe someday he'll remember he still has a sister and will want to make things right with you.”

“Right now, I'd be happy if he made even one right decision.” She backed out of her brother's room and walked into hers across the hall. She went to her desk by the window and used her keys to open her desk drawer.

“You need a key for your own desk?”

“If I want to keep my laptop from getting stolen, yes.”

Rory frowned. “Your brother is an asshole, and I think cavemen might have used that same laptop.”

“Yep. Will you grab my denim jacket out of the closet and my boots? I'm looking forward to going for that ride.”

Rory did as she asked. She packed up her laptop in her backpack and made sure she had her books and homework assignment for her next class.

“When do you have school?”

“I have a class Tuesday and Thursday and another on Monday and Wednesday.”

“How many more classes do you have to take before you graduate?”

“After eight years, these are the last. Finally.”

“You're graduating?”

“In May. My father would have been so proud. I'm the first of the family to earn a college degree.”

“Your father was proud. He knew you'd finish. It's not in you to quit.”

“Yeah, well, I've got an assignment I need to finish and plan a funeral.”

“About that, what do you want to do?”

“I need to look at my father's papers. He planned everything when my mother died. He'll be buried next to her. Everything else I need to know should be in his hiding spot.”

“I can't believe you two had to hide and lock away everything.”

“Life with a drug addict who will do anything, including sell anything he can get his hands on for his next fix.” She cocked her head toward the door. “Come with me. I need your muscles.”

“They're all yours.”

She slid her hands up his arm and over his biceps. He raised his hand and flexed, breaking the hold she had on him with ease. “Oh God.”

“That's what you'll be saying later.” He hooked his arm around her back and pushed her forward,
and grabbed her hips when she stood in front of him. He walked her forward, keeping in step with her, his mouth at her neck, kissing a trail up to her ear. “Stay focused, or we will never get this done.”

“Hey, you're the one who flexed and made my insides quake.”

His deep chuckle at her ear sent a shiver down her spine, but he was right; she needed to focus on the task and stop distracting herself from reality with the hot guy who went out of his way to make her smile and forget the reason she was here.

She walked out of his light grasp and stood next to her father's desk in the small office off the living room. She pointed to the fake ficus tree in the corner. “Pull the tree up when I release the bolts.”

She squatted next to the small oak barrel planter and pulled out the black wrought-iron handle with the pin her father had rigged to hold the fake top and tree in place.

“Clever.” Rory held the tree aloft like it was nothing more than a feather. She'd have had to struggle to pull the eight-foot top-heavy tree out and set it in the corner. Moss fell free and landed on the hardwood floor. She'd clean it up and spread it over the base again when they reset the tree.

“What's inside?” Rory asked, kneeling beside her.

Sadie stared into the barrel amazed by how much her father had stuffed into the small space. Her mother's jewelry box. She opened it and stared at the few but treasured pieces her mother loved. Her and her father's wedding rings. A pair of tiny diamond stud earrings. A couple of gold necklaces. One had two gold hearts
dangling from the bottom. One with an S for Sadie, the other with a C for Connor engraved on it. Tears filled her eyes.

Rory's big hand settled on her back. “It's strange the things that remind me of my mother. The coffee cup I made her in fourth grade is still in the cupboard. Every morning when I grab a mug, there it is. Some days, I barely notice it. Others, it hits me so hard my heart feels like it's shattered all over again.”

Sadie tapped the charms with her finger. “I remember every time she bent over to kiss me, this would dangle from her neck. I can still remember the smell of her hair, the way she smiled, the sound of her laugh, but my memories are fading into the realm of dreams. The further I get from those moments we shared, the less real she seems.”

“That's life, sweetheart. You will never forget her, but you have to live your life. If Connor was here, you'd share your memories and stories. I used to with Ford and Colt all the time when we were young. We don't do it as much now, but maybe we should.”

Rory took the necklace from her fingers, unclasped it, draped it around her neck, and fastened it. He pulled her hair free and brushed his fingers through the long strands.

Sadie pressed her hand over the two hearts that rested over her own heart. She felt closer to her mother, and even Connor, for having it.

“Let's sort through these papers,” Rory suggested. He picked up the thick envelope and handed it to her, sucking in a surprised gasp. “Uh, that's a lot of money.”

Sadie stared into the barrel at the bundles of cash
stacked at the bottom. “What the . . .” She reached in and pulled several out. “There's got to be at least ten thousand dollars here.”

Rory pulled out the papers from the envelope. She counted the money.

“Look at this.” Rory set one paper after another on the floor beside them. “He has a life insurance policy for one hundred thousand dollars. This is the deed to the ranch. And this is his will. Everything goes to you, Sadie.”

“The night of our first, and only, date he told me that he trusted me to do the right thing where Connor is concerned, even if that meant doing the hard thing and walking away. Tough love. I'm trying to do that, even though it breaks my heart. Old habits die hard, I guess.”

“This money, the house and land, he left it to you to make the life you wanted. He left a note.” Rory held up the paper with only a few lines written on it. “‘Buy something you've always wanted just because you like it. Pay off your student loans. Write what is in your heart. Live with no regrets. Love with your whole heart the way you've always done and find someone who will love you the same way.'” Rory's head came up and his gaze met and held hers. “I think you get your writing talent from your dad. As last words go, that's pretty damn good.”

Tears spilled over her lashes and trailed down her cheeks. “Yes. It is.”

“You took care of him and your brother for a long time, sweetheart. Now he wants you to take care of you. You feel guilty doing that, but you've got to ask yourself, when is it your turn? The answer is now.”

“It's hard.”

“I know. But you can't keep living for everyone else. Trust me, the only thing that gets you is lonely.”

“Have you been lonely?”

“Until I met you,” he admitted, his eyes soft on her.

“I didn't realize I was missing you until I found you. You weren't here and now you are and everything is different and better and complicated and simple. Does that even make sense?”

“You and me make sense. Everything else we'll deal with and get through together.”

Sadie leaned forward on her hands and knees and kissed him softly. “That's the best thing you've ever said to me.”

Rory slid his hand along her face and smoothed his thumb over her cheek. “You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen or known. That beauty comes from your heart, Sadie.” He kissed her this time. A soft touch of his mouth to hers that lasted seconds but held a depth of meaning that flowed through her whole body. She leaned into him and savored his touch and the warm, calm, loved way he made her feel. Yes, she felt loved. He didn't have to say it. She'd like the words, but somehow they'd seem flat compared to the simple, elegant, emotion-filled way he kissed her.

“You've got to stop being this fantastic. You make all other men look bad.”

“Good. Then you'll never want anyone but me.”

“Already done.” She pressed her hand to his handsome face. “Still, you can't be this great all the time. I must do something that irritates you.”

“I didn't want to say anything. I mean, you've got so much going on already, but seriously, what is with you putting ketchup on your tacos?”

The laugh and smile came out of nowhere. She tried to stop both, but couldn't. The disgruntled and disgusted look on his face only made her smile and laugh more.

“That's just not right. Guacamole, salsa. These are condiments for tacos. Ketchup is for hot dogs and hamburgers.”

She playfully shoved his shoulder. “Stop.”

“Never. Not when it makes you smile like that.”

Sadie sat back and stared at him, then at all the papers they'd spread out. “Even during all of this, you find a way to make me happy again.”

“That's my job.”

“It's in the boyfriend job description?”

He stared at her a moment, letting that “boyfriend” hang between them. She'd said that once before, but this seemed more definite. They hadn't really defined this thing they shared so intensely. Saying it out loud made it all the more real.

“Something like that.”

“Let's hope I live up to the girlfriend expectations.”

“You're better than anything I ever expected.”

“I'm not fishing for more compliments.”

“I never thought you were. What I said is true.”

“This from the man who never dates, according to his brothers.”

“Not never. I just don't see the point in running through a string of women who aren't the right woman.”

“How do you know they weren't the right woman if you didn't take the time to get to know them?”

“I don't know. How is it that the moment I met you I knew it was right? You felt it, too.”

She nodded. “Still, you never really dated?”

“Just because my brothers didn't know about it, doesn't mean it didn't happen. I'm a guy. I like women. What about you?”

“I dated a few guys off and on over the years. Nothing serious.”

“Until now?”

The bold question should have made her nervous, but she answered without a single flutter of nerves. “Yes. Until you.”