Against Me (Cedar Tree Book 3) Read online

  The venom in the small woman's voice, combined with the sheepish look on the detective's face, was enough to draw a chuckle from Gus.

  "Now we've had a few developments since then that have convinced even Detective DiRoberto here, that perhaps his conclusions may have been a tad hasty."

  "What kind of developments? I'm not even sure what’s happening in the first place," I put out there carefully, keeping my thoughts to myself for now.

  "Your neighbor, a Juan Duarte, has gone missing sometime this morning."

  "Juan?"

  "Duarte?" This from Gus and Caleb almost simultaneously.

  We all exchange looks before Sergeant Teva takes the lead again.

  "I get the feeling we'll be here a while. DiRoberto, do you want to order up some sandwiches?"

  CHAPTER SIX

  "Why am I going to Cedar Tree?"

  Ever since the clusterfuck of major proportions unfolded in the offices of the GJPD, I've thought of nothing else but to get Katie to the safest place I know, where she is surrounded by people who will look after her.

  "Katie, think. You’re not safe going back to Larchwood. You were the last known person to speak to Susan Conklin and Juan Duarte, let alone the fact that you are the only person who suspects a possible connection between the two from personal observations. And last, but not least, the fact that you were living next door to a possible family member of the Duarte brothers, leaders of one of the most worrisome Mexican cartels, if we are to believe the feds. Don't even want to think about the freaky coincidence that I happened to be investigating these guys a state away while they were within breathing distance of you."

  My hands clench the steering wheel as I try to calm the agitation boiling my blood by slowing down my breathing. Katie must have sensed my struggle for calm, because she quietly puts her hand on my leg and her head on my shoulder, which makes my blood boil for different reasons altogether.

  "Okay."

  Katie's quiet response to my rant surprises me, and I glance over at her.

  "Okay? That's it? You're not gonna argue with me?"

  She peeks at me from under her long, dark eyelashes with a sparkle in her eyes and a teasing smile on her lips.

  "Well, if you'd rather I give you a hard time?"

  I can't hold back a chuckle. "No, thanks. Enough excitement for one day, thank you very much."

  "Thought so," she mumbles as she snuggles in to my side.

  Fuck, she's gonna be the death of me.

  "I’m in serious need of a shower, just so you know. Didn't get a chance this morning. I'm also still wearing that officer's sweats, and I also wouldn't be adverse to putting something in my stomach at some point in junction."

  "You haven't eaten? It's fucking six o'clock at night, Katie. Did you not grab a sandwich earlier?"

  "Holy crud, Caleb, take a chill pill. Seriously. It's not like food was foremost on my mind today and those sandwiches were gross. Who eats sandwiches from a machine? Yuck."

  I bite my tongue. No use getting into a discussion with her about looking after herself. She's got a point anyway; I am wound tighter than a drum; A remainder of the long hours of tension and fear I spent driving up here. Not knowing what was happening, not clear on Katie's state of mind or her condition. I'd been crawling out of my skin and apparently the feeling lingered.

  Lifting one hand off the steering wheel, I slip my arm around her shoulders and tuck her in a little closer, leaning in so I can kiss the top of her head. Her familiar scent goes a long way to finally calming me.

  "I'll stop the next chance I get and we'll pick something up."

  A Subway in Monticello supplies us with a quick bite to eat in the parking lot, so we can get back on the road in short order, and the rest of the drive is made in near silence until we turn into the turn off to Emma and Gus's place, when Katie suddenly pushes off me and scoots way over to the other side.

  "You're bringing me to Emma's house? Seriously? Jesus, Caleb, can't I go stay at the motel? I didn't think you'd be bringing me here."

  Katie sits ramrod straight in the passenger seat beside me with her arms crossed, obviously not happy with our destination. Tired, irritated, and a bit blindsided by her reaction, I snap at her.

  "You're not staying at the motel where you won't be as secure. I get your reservations, but you need to get over the fact that Emma is in Gus's life and start thinking like the security expert you are. You'll stay with me in the guesthouse."

  The thought that being around Emma and Gus would still be difficult for her irks me, and has me acting like a fucking bull in a china shop. I know I fucked up right away; I don't even have to hear the sharp drawn-in breath beside me to figure that one out. Jesus. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to find the appropriate words to apologize when Katie suddenly throws me a helluva punch to the shoulder, causing me to lose my grip on the wheel.

  "Ouch! Damn, woman. You almost had me go in the ditch."

  I quickly pull around Emma's bungalow and up to the small guesthouse they had built months ago for when Kara, Emma's daughter, or one of the GFI crew, would need a place to crash. The bungalow itself has no spare bedrooms and the space they added on is solely used as offices for GFI. The guesthouse was fully wheelchair accessible, which was one of Emma's requests since she has some mobility issues of her own. That, and the fact that Katie would be close to caring people, had all been taken into consideration when Gus and I discussed where best to take her. Neither of us had stopped to think it might be awkward for her, or had bothered to include her in the discussions. Damn.

  When I turn off the ignition and turn to her, I take her in. Katie at full strength was a sight to behold; but her once sharply cut muscles have made way for softer, rounder curves now her mobility is challenged, and I like the softer look on her. You won't hear me complain about the added roundness. The defensive posture she has taken, with her arms crossed over chest and her full pink lips pursed in her angry face is cute, and almost makes me chuckle, but I'd be in even hotter water if I let it escape. I've scrapped with this woman before in friendly bouts, and even without the use of her legs, I know she can still be quite lethal with her hands. Not gonna poke that bear. Instead, I take her face in my palms and turn it to me, fully expecting the instant snap of her hands grabbing onto my wrists. She won't budge me though, not even the fire shooting from her eyes will sway me.

  "I'm sorry, little one. I'm a dick. I messed up all over the place, starting with not discussing any of this with you beforehand. That was not cool."

  Katie is doing her best to avoid my eyes and won't stop yanking on my wrists.

  "Hey. Look at me. I'm trying to apologize to you. Would you stop for a minute?"

  When she drops her hands, I can feel the resistance going out of her, but she still won't lift her eyes, so I dip my head low and am shocked to find tears pooling in her eyes. I can count the times I’ve seen Katie cry on one hand easily, and the thought that I’m responsible for her tears makes me feel like crap.

  "Ahh fuck, sweetie. Come on." I unclip her seatbelt and my own. "We're going to continue this inside."

  It doesn't take long for me to have Katie in her chair and inside where she has a look around while I grab our bags. When I walk down the short hall to the bedroom to drop off the bags, Katie is in the doorway looking at the large, king-sized bed. She hears me walk up behind her and turns around, one eyebrow raised.

  "One bedroom?"

  Yes, there is that. Not something I allowed myself to think of too much, only because I was already having a hard time controlling my baser urges.

  "Yes," I say as casually as I can, passing by her into the room and placing the bags on the bed, "where you will sleep. There’s a perfectly comfortable couch out there where I’ll crash." I cringe when I think of the couch, which is at least a foot too short for my six foot five frame.

  "I'll sleep on the couch. You're way too big."

  And there it is, the combative side of Katie I’d been expecti
ng much earlier. I rub my hands over my face before answering.

  "I'll be fine on the couch, Katie," I sigh. I'm tired. It's been a long day and I've spent most of it in a car and on pins and needles, and I'm sure Katie hasn't fared any better. I can feel her eyes on me and turn to face her.

  "I just don't like the feeling of putting you out. Don't like the feeling of putting anyone out, that's why I didn't want to come here in the first place. Do you know how absolutely demeaning it is to have to come back here for my safekeeping? To this place?" Obviously frustrated at the blank look on my face, she rolls her eyes.

  "Jesus. I know that you think my issues are with Emma and you're wrong. Dead wrong. Think, Caleb. I was supposed to protect that woman and ended up getting myself hurt and she ended up pulled from her own house; this house. You think she needs me around as a daily reminder of that?"

  For someone who’s known for his insight, I’m doing a piss poor job with Katie. Walking over to her chair, I sink to my knees in front of her and grab her hands.

  "First off, you know damn well you don't carry the burden of what happened here last year, and if not, let me remind you that no one., and I mean no one, holds you responsible, so those thoughts better end right now. Secondly, it's pretty obvious I'm blind when it comes to you. All day I've been out of sorts, saying and doing the wrong things; putting my foot in and misjudging you. Then when I try to make it right, it just seems to have the opposite outcome."

  Katie pulls her hands from mine and rolls her chair back to create some distance

  "You don't have to do anything, Caleb, don't you see? I appreciate it, I really do, but I should be taking care of myself. Instead, I've been lugged around like a piece of baggage no one’s sure where to put so it’s not in the way. I don't want to rely on you, Gus, and certainly not Emma!"

  The woman in equal parts infuriates and excites me; it's always been this way. Single-minded, argumentative, and so damn self-reliant, with that hint of vulnerability that brings out the urge to protect in me. I get up off the floor, taking in the fire in her green eyes, a blush high on her otherwise pale cheeks, and her pointy little chin lifted in defiance. The fact that her short feathery dark hair and soft body make her look like a pin up version of Peter Pan doesn't make her less formidable or challenging.

  "Fuck Katie, no one is asking you to rely on me or anyone else. I know you’re quite capable of taking care of yourself, but looking out for you is simply something I have to do."

  "Arghh. You can be such a caveman! I don't want to be this obligation you have to fulfill," she throws up her hands in frustration.

  A fucking obligation? That's what she thinks she is to me? Aggravated beyond reason, and determined to get my point across, I hold her eyes with mine while I unbutton my jeans and shove them down my hips.

  "Does this look like something caused by an 'obligation’?" I grab my hard cock and pump a few times, feeling myself harden more as her eyes slowly slide down and look at my obvious arousal.

  "Jesus, Caleb." She mutters.

  "Well?" I press, but when I still don't get a satisfying answer, I take a few steps to where she sits in her wheelchair, grab her hand and wrap it around my dick. I almost go weak at the knees feeling her small, soft hand against my hot flesh.

  "Feel that? Does it feel like I’m doing you a favor here, Katie? Does it feel to you I'm here for pity? Does it?" My anger now slipping out, I barely notice Katie moving forward in her chair and I suddenly feel the wet heat of her tongue tasting the head of my cock.

  "Holy shit, ahhh... little one. I haven't even kissed you yet."

  Holy crap! What just happened?

  One minute we’re in a heated argument and the next, we’re in the middle of a heated... something else altogether. The sight of that man is stirring, the thick midnight black hair he keeps closely cropped to his head with hints of silver over his ears, the sizeable straight nose and fine wrinkles that fan out from his uniquely hazel eyes, the strong long body, but seeing him with his pants down and his big hand wrapped around that magnificent cock shifts something inside me. Moisture pools in my mouth and between my legs almost instantly, and I don't resist when he wraps my hand around his rock-hard heat. Fuck me, but it's been too long. The man in front of me, the temptation in all that he is – his beauty, his unique scent – already so safe and familiar has me leaning in for a taste. Ah, yes. As soon as my tongue touches the crown of his proud cock, his flavor invades my senses and a small groan escapes me. He tastes so good, so rich, so... right.

  But before I have a chance to wrap my lips fully around his length, I hear him mumble something about a kiss and he pulls back from my mouth and my hand. I can feel the loss. The sound of his jeans pulling up and his heavy footfalls leaving the room without a word snap me out of my daze and full into embarrassment. Hearing the front door close, I finally lift my eyes. Son of a bitch.

  I don't want to cry. I feel like it, but I don't want to because after the day I've had, I don't know if I'll be able to stop once I start. I pull the bags off the bed, grab my PJ's and toothbrush and head into the bathroom for a quick clean up before I pull myself up and into the bed, where I roll on my side, hoping for sleep to come.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  It's not long before a light knock on the door is immediately followed by a soft, "Hello? Katie?"

  I stifle the urge to hide my head under the pillow on hearing Emma's voice filter into the bedroom. Her wild head of curls appears in the doorway shortly after.

  "Hey, sorry. Didn't realize you'd gone to bed already. I just wanted to check in and say hi." Turning around to leave, I quickly stop her with a raised hand.

  "No, no. I wasn't sleeping, just... caving," I confess with a grimace.

  "Caving?" Emma questions, a small smile on her face, "Yes, I guess that's a good term for it. I've been known to do that once or twice, holing up in a dark corner until the world stops spinning and leaves you the fuck alone. Something like that?"

  A laugh bubbles up in my chest, and with it a tiny corner of the tight hold on my day's emotions peels up. Shit. With the first tear only halfway down my cheek, Emma has already somehow managed to get herself halfway on the bed beside me, hugging me close. I should be completely weirded out by this, but I'm too tired and wrought out at this point to feel anything but relief at the comforting arms around me. So the floodgates break open. For the next ten minutes or so, I let it all out, broken open by the unfamiliar feel of a nurturing hand stroking my back and the soft words of comfort murmured in my ear. When I finally pull back, I'm shocked to see Emma's face as wet as mine is with tears of her own.

  "I think we needed that. Yeah?" She smiles through her tears, leaning over to grab a box of tissues off the nightstand.

  "Guess so," I mumble, still a bit embarrassed at my breakdown and stunned at Emma's show of emotion. "I'm not usually one for crying."

  Emma snorts out a laugh, "Yeah, I gathered as much, girl. Doesn't mean it isn't good to let 'er rip every now and then. Think of it as a cleansing."

  Hmm, a cleansing. I have to admit I do feel lighter somehow.

  "When Caleb came storming in the backdoor and made a beeline for the office, I figured something might be off, so I came to check. Guess it's been an intense kinda day all around."

  This time it's my turn to snort. "Understatement of the year."

  "Yeah. I figured that when Gus showed up shortly after you guys pulled up to the guesthouse and could barely throw me a hello and a kiss before he thundered through to the back office. Both guys are locked in there now, plotting God knows what and letting all that testosterone fly. I thought I'd come see what damage Caleb had done here before he came tearing in."

  God that woman is funny; she has me laughing out loud now, her eyes sparkling with a remainder of earlier tears and a healthy dose of humor. I’m finding a whole new understanding of what makes her so special, and I have to admit that she’s perfect for Gus. On impulse, I give her a hug.

  "Thank you," I tell h
er quietly, before letting her go.

  "Well now that we have the sappy stuff out of the way, let's get to the dirt. What did that idiot do, before he came over?"

  "Erm, well, we kinda had a fight."

  "Figured that one out myself. I need more."

  "Okay," I hesitate. I don't know how to 'do' girl talk. Haven't had much experience.

  "Just spit it out. Rip it off like a band aid, it's not that hard." She’s laughing at me now.

  "Fine. I may have said something about it not being a good idea to bring me here because of what it might remind you of, and I also may have told him he wasn't responsible for looking after me."

  "Alright, the first is a load of crap, and the second isn’t smelling that pretty, either. What is wrong with you?" She gives me a playful shove that almost sends me tumbling off the bed. "Oops, sorry. That was a little harder than intended," she chuckles sheepishly.

  I shrug my shoulders, "Just used to being a bit of a loner, I guess. Not good with people just being nice for the sake of being nice."

  "You are a ditz, Katie. Seriously. They're not being nice for the sake of being nice; they're being nice because of you. They want to be nice to you. Hell, we want to be nice to you because you're a likeable person, believe it or not," she snickers, "but I get the feeling maybe you haven't been told a whole lot. That's ok, we'll work on that," she says with a firm nod. "But fill me in on the day. All Gus would say was that you were in trouble when he left in a hurry this morning, and just now he barely said anything when he got home, so I'm flailing in the dark here."

  Thinking about how my day started filled me with the instant weight of guilt over poor Sue. I'd only known her for a few months and only superficially at that, but she never failed to stop and chat for a bit about all kinds of stuff. The closest I'd really ever come to having a female friend since I was a teenager. The thought that I was upstairs very uncharacteristically drowning myself into a bottle of Scotch because I was feeling scared and sorry for myself while someone killed her just outside my window, didn't sit particularly well. Then there is missing Juan, who I'm positive was scared out of his wits and I did nothing for him. Me, top notch security expert, sat right next door, sucking back the Glenfiddich while someone took him from his room.