Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) (32 page)

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure. As pretty as you are, hobbling around with a chair attached to your leg really isn’t that sexy.”

She giggled. “I love your twisted sense of humor.”

“Hey,” Scorpion called from behind them. “What about me? I’m dying.”

“You’re not dying,” Craig tossed over his shoulder. “She barely poked you with those shears.”

He linked his fingers through Karen’s and smiled down at her. A beautiful smile that tugged at her heart and made her breath catch. She smiled back and squeezed his hand.

Together they walked out of the greenhouse and let the door slam shut behind them.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“You don’t have to drive me home, Karen.”

“No, I insist.” Karen glanced askance at Craig as they left the hospital. “I want to.”

He nodded and turned to look out his window.

Craig had suffered an a
nterior fracture-dislocation of the olecranon, which was a bone in his elbow
.
The surgery had gone well and the orthopedic surgeon had explained that he was able to repair the damage and insert a tension band fixation to hold the broken elbow in place. Craig would need to wear a brace and a sling for awhile, but the doctor expected him to make a full recovery. They’d kept him overnight in the hospital and had released him first thing the next morning. Karen had stayed at the hospital all night with him. She’d fallen asleep in the chair in his room. Nick and April had shown up later that morning. They’d brought Craig’s car to him. Karen had hugged her daughter and son-in-law, thanked them, and sent them on their way.   

Scorpion had been treated at the hospital, then hauled off to jail. Cougar had been apprehended in the woods not long after the cops had arrived. With all the members in jail, and their leader dead, the Cobras were no longer a motorcycle gang.

Craig was unusually silent on the drive to his house. He only spoke long enough to give her directions. Overwhelmed by nerves, Karen didn’t try to engage him in conversation. She’d never been this nervous before. Whatever happened today would determine whether or not she and Craig had a future.

He lived right on the edge of Lake Pend Oreille in Sagle. She pulled into the driveway twenty minutes later, stunned by the size and beauty of the place.

Craig’s house was of newer construction, she guessed less than ten years old, two stories, had lots of big windows to enjoy the view, and a wraparound porch with a white railing. The landscaping was incredible, native species mixed with stunning imports. Karen tried not to drool over the gorgeous arrangement of the plants.

“Not that it’s any of my business, but how can you afford a place like this?” She stopped his SUV in the driveway and turned her head to gape at the property. “I mean, look at it, it has to be at least three or four thousand square feet, and the views…oh my God, this place is incredible. Your landscaping is making me drool.”

Craig’s mouth curved into a smile as he watched her. His eyes sparkled with merriment. “I made some wise investments over the years. Plus I don’t have an expensive wife or a gaggle of kids to support.”

Was he teasing? She glanced back at him. “Was that said in jest?”

He smiled, his eyes crinkling around the corners. “Partially. Not that I wouldn’t mind having a wife and kids…I just never got around to doing that.”

She held his gaze. “I’m glad.” She glanced out her window then back at him. “I was wondering about something. Were you really restoring that old bike?”

He snorted. “Hell no. I had never ridden a motorcycle before going undercover. A friend loaned me that one. You won’t believe all the shit I got from the other bikers when I showed up on that piece of crap. I only said I was restoring it so Viper wouldn’t get suspicious.”

Karen giggled. “Then it was probably a good thing I was blindfolded when you took me for a ride so I couldn’t see how bad you drove.”

He chuckled, then cleared his throat. “True.” He reached for his door handle. “Might as well show you around.”

Karen exited her side of the car and came around to his side to open his door for him. But he beat her to it. He had no problem embarking with one hand, but she hovered close by, just in case.

“I’m not an invalid, Karen. You’d be surprised what I can do with one hand.”

She jerked her gaze to his. Was there a double meaning in that sentence? Her heart went wild, slamming against her ribs.

His eyes darkened, heated, turning a deep greenish blue.

She lowered her gaze. “I’ll bet you’ve got a fancy boat out back too, don’t you?”

He let out another snort. “Hell no.” He turned and headed for the front of the house. “I’m from Arizona. I find water a little intimidating. I prefer to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground.”

Karen followed him up to the beautiful, wrap-a-round porch. “Yet you live right on the edge of one of the deepest lakes in the nation.”

He kept walking until he reached the bottom of the porch. “I like the scenery.”

“It is breathtaking,” she agreed. “Have you ever gotten your feet wet? You don’t seem like the type of guy who would be afraid of anything.”

He paused on the first step and turned back to her. “You’d be surprised.”

She stopped in front of him, tilting her head back. “So what scares you, Craig? Is today the day you’ll show me the real you?”

She caught a glimpse of nervousness in his eyes before he lowered his gaze. “The man you met in the compound, the man I portrayed there, was mostly me. I can be a crude bastard and I say ‘fuck’ a lot. The guys at the office call me a potty mouth.”

His gaze shot back to hers. “I like the water as long as I’m not in it. But what scares me most is you.”

Karen’s heart sped up. She swallowed hard. “Why is that?”

He turned away from her. “Come inside,” he urged, heading for the front door. “If you think the outside is cool, you should see my videogame room.”

Was he teasing? Again, Karen wasn’t sure. But she got the impression he’d changed the subject on purpose because he wasn’t quite ready to answer her question.

She followed him inside. Indeed, it was a lovely home, big, open rooms, vaulted ceilings in the living room and kitchen area, a circular staircase that went up to the second level. He didn’t have a lot of furniture, but if he had to travel back and forth between Seattle and Sandpoint, she imagined he hadn’t had much time to decorate the place. Huge windows gave a fantastic view of the lake and the surrounding area.

He wasn’t joking about the videogame room. A huge flat-screen television at least five feet wide hung on the wall in the room off to the left of the kitchen. Surround sound speakers came out of the ceiling and the wall around the room. A huge sectional black leather couch sat near the wall farthest from the television.

She followed him into the room, glancing around. “Impressive.”

“It’s also my entertainment room. Where I watch movies, but mostly I use it to play videogames. Does that bother you?”

She cocked a brow. “Should it?”

He searched her gaze. “A grown man playing videogames doesn’t bother you?”

She stepped toward him. “Not in the least. Does it bother you that I’m a total plant freak and spend hours out in the forest every day, collecting samples, studying plants?”

“Not in the least.” He turned from the room. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a drink. What do you like?”

She chuckled as she followed after him. “You haven’t figured that out yet?” She climbed onto a bar stool at the counter while he opened a large, stainless steel fridge.

He turned back around, holding two Amberbocks. His eyes twinkled. “Dark beer, right?”

“Perfect. But it’s not quite noon. It’s a little early for drinks, don’t you think?”

He twisted the top on both the beers. He handed her one. “After what we just went through, I think we both deserve a drink.” He pulled back the stool next to hers and slid onto the seat. He took a swig of the beer, then set the bottle on the countertop.

“Agreed.” Karen took a sip of her own beer.

Gently resting his injured arm on the countertop, he turned to face her. “I haven’t been this nervous since I was a teenager.” He stared down at the small space between their stools. He cleared his throat.

Karen set her own beer on the countertop. She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’m nervous too. I’ve thought about you a lot over the past weeks.” She watched his face, hoping he’d look at her. Finally, he lifted his gaze to hers. “I understand now why you lied to me. You did it to protect me. You did it to keep your cover from being blown. I’ve already forgiven you. But I want to know everything about you. I want to know who you really are. No secrets between us. Will you tell me about yourself?”

He turned her hand over, cradling it in his larger one. “You already know most of my story.” He stared down at their hands. “I was that kid Blade I told you about. That wasn’t a lie. After I left the gang life, I finished high school, then went on to college, joined the FBI. I wanted to help take criminals off the streets, so that’s what I’ve been doing for as long as I can remember. Last year we took down a large human trafficker and have spent months trying to track down the middlemen. When we got the lead on Viper’s compound and that he might be one of the middlemen, I decided to be the one to go undercover because I didn’t have a wife or kids like the other guys and it would be a long assignment that could last months. Too long for any of them to be away from their families. I had nothing to lose. If I died, there would be no one to mourn me. It was also an opportunity for me to take down the man who had been responsible for my sister’s death. But I knew I was going to need some help once I got inside. So I recruited Rebel.”

“Sebastian Wolfe,” Karen murmured. “I was quite fond of that young man. Was he really who he said? What happened to him?”

“He’s serving his time. And yes, he was an actor and also a vet. He was facing a long prison sentence for multiple drug charges. I was able to work a deal with the prosecutor and the judge for a reduced sentence for him if he agreed to go undercover and help take Viper down. He was reluctant and first, but he finally agreed. He applied for the vet job Viper advertised about and fortunately Viper picked him. He went into the compound a few weeks before I did. I told myself I was trying to help him out, but honestly, all I cared about was taking Viper down.” Craig sighed. “The guilt of what I put Sebastian through has been eating me up inside, the things that went down in that place, what Sebastian was forced to witness, and what he was forced to do…” Craig pulled his hand from hers and leaned back. He raked his hand through his hair, making it more shaggy and disheveled than it was before. “He shouldn’t have had to go through that. I used him, Karen. I used him to take down Viper. And all I gave him in return was more damage than he already had. I wish I could make it up to him somehow.”

Her heart ached for him. He cared so much about others. “You said you got him a reduced sentence.”

“Yeah. He only has to serve three out of the fifteen years he was originally sentenced to. But I feel like I should have done more somehow. The scars he got from that place—and I’m talking the emotional ones—will be with him for the rest of his life.”

Karen slid off her stool. “Sebastian was already damaged before he went into the compound. And you did do a lot for him, reducing his sentence down to three years.” She grabbed his good arm and pulled him toward her, urging him off his stool.

He landed in front of her, his body brushing up against hers. Her skin tingled. She tilted her head back and met his gaze.

“I would like to visit him in prison sometime. Will you take me?”

He hesitated, then wrapped his good arm around her waist and pulled her snugly against him. “Yes. I think he would like that. He was quite fond of you too. And he has no one else.”

Karen leaned into him, laying her head against his chest. “You should know I put in an application with the state to adopt Damon.”

“I know.” His voice rumbled near her ear. “The social worker in charge of his case contacted me and asked if I thought you would be a good mother. I told her I thought you would be a great mother to him and that if it was up to me to choose his mother, I would choose you.”

Her breath caught. She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. “You said that?”

“Yes. You never got the chance to raise your own daughter. Everyone deserves a second chance, especially you.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

He patted her back. “You’re welcome.”

Karen lowered her gaze. “Soon I may be trekking through the woods with Damon in a Baby Bjorn. He’s going to love the forest just like me. Would you date a woman my age who had a new baby?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Her chest squeezed. And she knew in that moment he truly was “it” for her. She’d waited all these years to find the right man and now he was standing in front of her.

“What happened to Runt? I worry about him a lot.”

Craig smiled. “I’m glad you asked. He’s with a nice foster family, one who has experience with special needs kids. They have a dog, which I’m sure helped with the transition. I’ve visited him a couple of times. He seems to be doing well. I asked the social worker to make sure he was given a proper name. They made it all legal with the court. His name is now Jonathan Walker.”

“Walker?” Karen quirked a brow. “Was that Viper’s last name?”

“Yes. Keith Walker was Viper’s real name.”

The doorbell rang.

Craig glanced at his watch before stepping away from her.

“That must be the kennel, bringing Scar back. I told them I’d be home today. They’ve been working with him, trying to rehabilitate him.”

“You kept Scar?” Shock rocked through her. “Why? You don’t seem like the dog type.”