Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
“Y ou did it, didn’t you? You rascal.” Nate stood in the kitchen with his arms folded across his chest, a stupid grin on his face.
Cal scowled at him. “What the hell are you rambling about?”
“You slept with her. I can see it on your face.”
Cal shook his head and poured a cup of coffee from the pot on the counter. “None of your damn business.”
Nate pumped his fist in the air. “Yes. I knew you had it in you, bud.” Cal took a swig of the strong brew as Nate slapped him on the shoulder.
The hot liquid splashed his face. “I can tell you’re happier, not as tightly wound. I’m proud of you.”
“Would you can it? I’m too tired for your shit.” He grabbed a napkin and wiped the coffee off his cheek. His brows pinched at Nate. He was getting on his last nerve.
Nate laughed. “All right, all right. Go take a nap, Carol. Nothing is happening around here for a few hours at least.”
Cal’s lips tensed at the feminine nickname Nate had dubbed him with since they were in recon. “Go organize a circle jerk, you prick.”
Nate laughed. “Can’t. That’s E’s specialty.” He dropped some bacon and egg scraps to a not-so-patiently-waiting Rufus. “Really, though, catch a couple of hours. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”
Cal shook his head. “I can’t sleep. You know how it is.”
Nate nodded, his expression quiet and understanding. A rare moment. “Anything on Will Anderson?”
Nate blew air through his lips. “Not a damn thing. No record, no driver’s license, no lease agreements. He’s a ghost. But E’s working on it. If anyone can find him, it’s Ethan.”
Cal pulled out a chair and sat. Will couldn’t be a dead end. They didn’t need that shit right now. He ran a hand over his jaw. He hadn’t gotten the chance to dig deeper with Lana. His gut told him some answers lay with her, answers that she didn’t even realize she had.
“Let’s hope something turns up soon.”
Nate nodded. “Where’s your head at? You’ve gotta have a hunch on who’s behind this.”
“My gut tells me it’s a personal matter. The obvious scenario is something to do with her fame or her father. But it just doesn’t ring true.” He took another swig of coffee.
Nate joined him at the table, propping his feet up on the chair beside him. “How come?”
He raised his shoulder. “They offered a big sum of money and even paid Stamos a finder’s fee for locating me. That’s a total of two hundred grand. Seems pretty damn personal to me.”
Nate rubbed his jaw. “You going to tell me who your hunch is about?”
“Her stepbrother, Tanner. He came on to her and assaulted her. They had a big spat, but he apologized for it later. Still doesn’t sit right with me.”
“Could just have a mad crush on her. I mean, she’s gorgeous. Can’t say I’d blame him.”
Cal bit his tongue. Nate wouldn’t make a move on Lana, that he knew for certain. But with Nate’s roster of women, Cal didn’t like him commenting on her appeal.
“Man, don’t look at me like that. I’d have to be blind and deaf not to notice. She’s all yours—”
“You’re so gracious. As if there was even a competition.”
“—she has eyes only for you, dude. So calm your nerves.”
Eyes only for him? Huh. His stomach knotted. It wasn’t fair for her to think like that. Hell, it wasn’t fair for him to let his mind explore what life could be like with her. Life would be pretty damn good. Better than what he deserved. Last night, cramped in the seat of the truck, he’d slept better than he had in years. She was good for him. He was getting used to having her around. She didn’t belong in his world, and yet…she fit.
“Aw, you’ve got hearts in your eyes.”
“Shut the fuck up.” He shook his head and laughed. “What’s the plan for today?”
“To find Will Anderson.” He set his coffee cup down and Nate nodded, his eyes small with doubt.
Ding, dong.
Rufus perked up under the table with a sharp woof. Cal stood. His muscles tensed as he focused on Nate. His hand went to the gun at the small of his back.
“It’s just E. Relax.”
Right. Ethan. He dropped his hand and sat back in the chair. Nate disappeared to the front of the house and returned with Ethan, Rufus in tow.
Ethan squeezed his shoulder as he passed, taking the seat next to him. “Nate told me about what happened last night. How’s she holding up?” Leave it to Ethan to be concerned about Lana. Ethan was a big dude, but he was also the biggest softie.
He wasn’t afraid to show his sensitive side, and if anyone made a comment, as some had in the military, he’d put them in their place with one hard stare. He was respected and kind. Cal valued his friendship, and Nate’s, as well, when he wasn’t wanting to throttle him.
“Pretty damn good. She’s resting right now, though.”
“What’s the plan?” Ethan crossed his ankle over his knee, his mouth set in a grim line.
Damn, he was lucky to have such good friends. “I want to see what Nate’s buddies at the office come up with on some suspects. In the meantime, I need to pick our things up from the hotel.”
“I can go with you,” Ethan offered.
Cal watched Nate out of the corner of his eye. “Think it’s safe to leave him here with Lana?”
“Dude, c’mon. You really need to ask that?” Nate held his hand out, waiting.
“Nah. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you.”
“Good, because we have a slight problem.” Nate pulled out a chair and sat. Cal groaned. He had enough problems.
“Lana is going to be reported missing. I know her whereabouts, so that puts me in a tough spot as an agent. This is a delicate situation, but I need to be careful. Ethan will probably have to join you on future head hunting.”
Ethan clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Sweet. I need to blow off some steam.”
Cal turned back to Nate. “I don’t want to get you in any kind of trouble.”
Nate shook his head. “Her safety is our main objective. I’ll keep a low profile and help as much as I can.”
Cal nodded and stood from his chair. “I’ll arrange to get my house back together and increase the security so we can stay there.”
“Already got a head start. There’s a team there now fixing the damage,” Ethan said before he stood and downed his coffee. “But you’re not going back there, are you?”
Cal lifted a shoulder. “What else are we supposed to do? I’m not going to keep hiding. All I care about is keeping Lana safe, but at some point, this has to end. Let them come for me, I’m ready.”
Nate made a tsking sound. “Man, that’s not smart. You can stay here.”
“No. I appreciate your hospitality, but—”
“I know where we can go.” Lana’s silky voice sounded from the hallway. Cal jerked his head up, and Ethan swiveled in his chair. Fatigue laced deep shadows beneath her eyes, and guilt spurred in his stomach. The last few days had been rough. He was used to it, but she wasn’t. She crossed her arms over her chest and her lips pursed haughtily. Not that her demeanor showed her fatigue. If he hadn’t been used to studying those unwavering eyes, he’d be convinced she’d been unaffected. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her sassy grin spread warmth through his chest. It was all he could do not to cross the kitchen and pull her mouth to his.
“Where?” His gravelly voice belied his train of thought.
“I have a place.” She stepped farther into the kitchen, pulled out one of the stools at the kitchen island, and sat. Ethan’s eyebrows rose, and he looked from Cal to Lana. Cal downed the rest of his coffee and then set the mug on the table, waiting for her to continue.
One slender leg crossed over her knee, and she smiled easily. “My family owns a chalet in Glacier. No one’s used it in years.”
Cal grimaced. With all the arrows pointing to Tanner, using one of her family’s properties was too close to the hornets’ nest. He shook his head. Lana drummed her fingers on her thigh, waiting for his rebuttal.
“Do you have a better idea?”
He swirled the empty white mug in his hands and his mind worked. Dammit, he didn’t. They could go to another hotel, but they had been found at the last one. He could always rent another cabin, but finding one available nearby would be a bitch.
“Well?”
“Sorry, babe. It doesn’t make sense for us to go to a place your family owns. I still think Tanner is behind this. That would bring us right where he wants us.”
Indecision weighed on his shoulders. He had the perfect place to go, but he didn’t want to take Lana there. Not when it was an hour away and he had to keep leaving her behind to solve this shit. If something happened, and he was that far away…
Then again, no one except Ethan and Nate knew about it. Ethan’s eyes met Cal’s, his brow furrowed in consternation.
“Any other options, Cal?”
He let out a deep sigh. Screw it. It was a hell of a lot safer than Lana’s chalet, and he could be certain not another soul knew about it.
“I have a place.”
Lana’s shoulders snapped back and her lips parted. “Why didn’t you say something?”
He rested his elbows on the table and tented his fingers beneath his chin. “Because it’s more than an hour away and I don’t like you being that far. It’s my safe house. No one outside of this room even knows it exists.” He kept his gaze on Lana’s. “What do you think?”
She lifted a shoulder. “It seems the best option to me.”
“All right, we’ll leave tomorrow. But for now, we need to pay a visit to Stamos. I’ll drop off our stuff from the hotel first. You should get some rest, babe.”
On cue, her lips parted with a slight yawn. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” She slipped off the stool and sauntered toward him, and his arm reached out for her as if he were a magnet welcoming metal. His hand looped around her hips as she pressed her mouth to his cheek.
“Be careful.” She squeezed his shoulder and waved to Ethan and Nate before leaving the kitchen. God, he couldn’t wait to be alone with her again.
Tonight.
He turned to Ethan. “Thanks for arranging to have my place cleaned. I wasn’t even thinking straight enough to call anyone today.”
“Don’t worry about it. You had enough on your plate. It should be done late tonight.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling expanded in his chest.
“Shit, you’re not going to kiss me, are you? Bro, don’t make this awkward.”
Cal elbowed him and laughed.
“He’s getting soft. I kind of like this side of him, though.” Nate stood and cleared the table.
“Shut the fuck up, you two.” Cal followed Ethan out with a shake of his head.
They took Ethan’s truck to the hotel, just in case anyone was looking for them—surely they were by now. Cal had left Nate his keys so he could move his vehicle into one of the garage bays. He climbed in the passenger seat and Ethan backed out.
“You’re not worried about Nate coming on to Lana, are you?” Ethan asked, his tone concerned.
Cal shook his head. “Like I said, I trust him. Both of you. Nate can be an idiot, but I know he would never overstep like that.”
“Aha.” Ethan grinned at him.
“What?”
“You’ve staked your claim. You just admitted it.”
Cal let out a long sigh. “What is it with you guys lately?”
Ethan shrugged, the ridiculous smile still on his face. “It’s about time, that’s all.”
“Me? It’s about time for me? Unbelievable.” He rubbed his jaw. “You’ve been pining over Brittany for what? Three years? And Nate has a different woman in his bed every night.”
“Two years. And I haven’t been ‘pining’, you make me sound pathetic.”
“Not pathetic. Sad, though,” Cal said as Ethan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“Can we not talk about it?”
Cal nodded. Regret knotted his stomach. He’d hoped Ethan would have been ready for the friendly nudge, but it was something he would need to do on his own.
They pulled up to the hotel and parked. Ethan turned to him. “I think I should go in and get your things. They’ll be looking for the person involved in the murder.”
“Good thinking. They’ve probably pulled the tapes by now.” Cal passed him the room key.
“They don’t have your credit card on file, do they?”
“Don’t worry. I didn’t register under my real name.”
Ethan disappeared. Cal kept his head low and waited. Ethan was a good man. He would give the shirt off his back for anyone. He hated seeing his friend suffer, but hell. It was a personal battle. Nate had tried getting him out to socialize, hoping he would get laid and move on. Instead, he’d gotten drunk and cried. It had been fucking depressing as shit.
He shook his head. Why the hell was he worrying about Ethan’s relationship status? Maybe Nate and Ethan were right and he was getting soft. Was that such a bad thing?
Christ. All he could think about was Lana. She’d monopolized his mind since the moment Stamos had showed him her picture, and now he was damn near obsessed. He scrubbed his hands over his face. It wasn’t lust. The guys were right about that much. He’d been in lust a million times before. One good lay got that out of his system. Not this time.
The smell of her hair, the way she laughed, the feisty spark in her eyes, and her smoking-hot body—every damn thing about her drove him wild. He’d never get enough. But he didn’t want anyone else, either.
He only wanted Lana.
The back door opened. “Got everything.” Ethan dropped their bags in the back and got in the driver’s side.
“Any luck tracking Will?” Cal asked as they eased out of the parking lot.
Ethan made a face, and disappointment burned in Cal’s chest. No, they couldn’t be wrong about this. If they were, they had jack shit.
“I might have a small lead, but I’m not too hopeful. I was actually hoping to have Lana have a look at something.”
Cal nodded. “I’m sure she’ll be eager to help.”
When they arrived back at Nate’s, they walked in without ringing the doorbell. Quietly, Cal tiptoed to the spare room and set their bag inside the door in case Lana woke and needed something. Rufus weaved in and out of Cal’s legs on the way to the kitchen until he dropped down to greet him.
“She hasn’t woken at all?”
Nate shook his head. “We need to talk.” His tone was gravelly, his eyes hooded.
A fist curled in Cal’s stomach.
“You said you had a hunch about the stepbrother? Tanner?” Nate and Ethan sat. Dread clouded his mind in dark shadows.
He’d been right.
Cal rose from his crouched position and took the chair nearest him. Rufus rested his head on his lap as if he sensed Cal’s pulse ratcheting up. “Yeah. I saw the two of them in a picture, and he looked territorial. Enough so that I assumed he was her boyfriend and not her brother. Aside from that, he attacked her. I told you about that.”
Ethan made a fist on the table, matching Cal’s. Nate tented his fingers under his jaw, nodding that he remembered.
Cal’s patience thinned. “You going to tell me what you found out or what?”
Nate sighed. “I don’t know where to start. When Tanner was a minor, he was a suspect in a rape case.”
The bottom of Cal’s stomach dropped out. His breath came out sharply. “Motherfucker.” Blood thundered through him, making his head pound. He massaged his temples.
“He was charged. But he was a minor, so he got a slap on the wrist and it never affected him once he turned eighteen. But that’s not all.”
Cal looked up at him, and Nate’s mouth firmed a tight line.
“He was questioned about a murder.”
Cal dropped his hands to grip the table. “Questioned? What the hell does that mean?” He couldn’t think straight. He needed to stand, to blow off some steam before he imploded.
“It means he wasn’t a suspect, but a person of interest. It passed very quickly, before it even hit the papers, so no one knew about it publicly. My bet is his family had to pay a pretty penny to keep things quiet.”
“Whose murder?”
“Andrea Reid. She was a college sophomore, and he was a senior.” Ethan swore. Cal rose to his feet and paced the kitchen.
“What has Lana said about Tanner? Do you think she knew about this?” Nate asked.
Cal locked his jaw. Knew about it and didn’t tell him was what Nate was implying.
“Hold on,” Ethan said, extending his hand to Nate. “Give her the benefit of the doubt.” He turned to Cal. “And I’m sure she would have told you had she known, right?”
His neck muscles bunched. He couldn’t see her lying to him to protect Tanner. That didn’t make sense. He turned his attention to Nate to answer his previous question. “She didn’t say much about him. Except that he’s ‘intense’. Whatever the hell that means.”
“You didn’t ask?” Ethan crossed his arms.
“We got to talking about her stepmother, and I made a mental note about Tanner. This is more than I had expected, though.”
Ethan and Nate nodded somberly, their expressions hard. “Find out if she knows about his past. In the meantime”—Nate looked to Ethan—“start snooping around Tanner. Think you can hack into his social media? I’d ask the techs at work, but I don’t want to alert anyone that he’s being watched. We should tread carefully now that we have a lead.”
Ethan nodded. “I’m sure I can.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. “I’ve got something here. It’s not much, just a social media account under the name Will Andy. I’d love for Lana to look at his picture, see if he looks familiar.” He passed the phone to Cal.
Cal studied the blond-tipped young guy with a bottle of vodka in one hand and a cigarette in the other. His mouth hung open in a wide laugh, his pupils so dilated that it was hard to tell his eye color. He turned his attention to the man next to him, with his arm looped around Will’s shoulders. They had the same wide nose and outrageous smile.
Not a single light of recognition struck him. Shit. He’d hoped to hell Will would look familiar. That at some point he’d have met him through Stamos, or at least seen them together. Cal rarely forgot a face.
“Doesn’t ring a bell for me. But Lana should have a look too.”
“Cal, you better wake her up. We need some answers.”
“Answers about what?”
Cal whipped his head around to find Lana standing in the doorway.
Dammit, she needed to quit doing that.
There she stood, hair damp and wavy around her shoulders, nearly touching her waist. She wore a snug, white long-sleeved shirt—definitely not one of his—and gray leggings. With her makeup immaculate, the sharp blue of her eyes popped, and her skin was smooth and pale. Whatever fatigue had been there this morning was long gone.
His cock grew an inch.
Cal got to his feet, approached Lana, and took her hand. “We have something for you to look at. We’re not sure it’s Will Anderson, but we found a social media account that could be his.” She lowered herself into Cal’s chair and he handed her the phone.
Her brow furrowed, studying the screen. Cal stared at her profile, praying for a sign of recognition. Her teeth came out to nip the corner of her lip, and she brought the phone an inch closer to her face.
“I know him,” she said. Her finger tapped the screen, and Cal leaned forward. His eyebrows rose.
“Are you sure? Because, judging by the other pictures, this is Will Anderson.” He pointed to the other man in the picture.
Lana adamantly shook her head and met Cal’s gaze. Her eyes sparked with excitement. “No, I’ve never seen him before. But this is Shawn Lawson, my dad’s manager.” She brought her focus back to the screen. “It must be an older picture. His hair is shorter, and he has a beard now. But it’s definitely him.”
“Sonofabitch,” Ethan hissed. “This has to be the connection.”
Lana nodded wildly. She straightened in her seat. “I still don’t see what Shawn could have to do with this, but if that’s Will Anderson, it’s too much of a coincidence.”
Cal pinched his chin between his thumb and forefinger. “We need an address for one of them.”
Silence hung in the air.
“I might be able to help with that,” Lana said. Cal shifted his gaze to Ethan and Nate, who shrugged at him.
“How, babe?”
“Well, it would involve me calling a friend, Casey, my coworker. She’s my dad’s receptionist. She’d be able to get me that information.”
Cal grunted. “No way. If you call, and Shawn or Will gets wind that—”
Lana wheeled on him. “That what? That I’m alive? I think they’ve figured that out. She’s a good friend. She wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone if I ask her not to.”
Ethan folded his arms across his chest. “I can look into Shawn Lawson and see what I can find. It’s hard to be certain, but my bet is that they’re related. Let me research a bit, and if I can’t find anything, Lana should make that call.”
Cal closed his hands into fists at his sides. Dammit, he didn’t want Lana sticking her neck out. But if it meant bringing all of this to an end, it might be worth it. He took Lana’s hand in his again and pulled her from the chair. “Let’s go talk in private.”
“Yeah, but we don’t have time for the kind of talking you have in mind,” Nate called. Cal ushered Lana out of the kitchen and turned to shoot Nate the finger.
Ethan roared, “Take your time,” then to Nate he said in a scolding tone, “Don’t be a cock-blocker.”
“What are they talking about?” Lana glanced at him over her shoulder as they passed through the living room to the guest room.
“Ignore those idiots,” he said. Ethan and Nate were harmless, but it drove Cal nuts to have them notice her. Yet another reason he ached to be alone with her, to avoid their smart-ass remarks. His gaze traced the gentle curve of her back as they entered the room, and his fingers itched to run through the dark strands of her hair. He shut the door and pulled her into his arms.
She circled her hands around his neck. A warm smile touched her lips, igniting a fire in the vibrant blues of her eyes. He took her mouth in his, savoring her sweet taste. She nipped his lip. Her hands curled at his nape. He lifted her in his arms, and her legs swung easily around his waist. Her mouth opened hungrily.
Every urge in his body told him to lay her down on the bed and get her naked. Not yet. And not with his bozo friends waiting on them.
He sat on the edge of the bed and eased his mouth from hers. “I like this.” He trailed his fingertip over her cheek. Damn, he loved that she’d gotten done up. “Did you do this for me?” He smoothed his hands down her back and filled his palms with her perfectly round ass.
She giggled. “Maybe. It’s nice to dress normal.”
“Mmm. I liked your look at the cabin too.”
She smiled, her fingers twisted in the material of his shirt. “What did you need to talk to me about?”
The excitement left his body. “Tanner.”
Her eyebrows rose. “What about him?”
“When were you planning on telling me about the rape charges? Or the murder case?”
She gasped and her body stiffened in his arms. The color drained from her cheeks.
His jaw locked. She knew.