Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
L ana peeled her clothes off and pulled her sweatpants from Cal’s dresser. The TV droned on in the background, but her attention was far from the screen. Cal was in the shower, and she couldn’t shake Tanner’s reaction to their confrontation. Cal wanted him to be guilty, and he had a lot of reasons to go on, but her instinct told her he wasn’t.
Her chest expanded on a deep breath. She had needed to see her mom, to actually touch someone in her family. With Cal, she felt safe. But having her mom know she was safe lifted a tremendous weight from her chest. Guilt had swirled in her stomach since she had first placed her trust in Cal.
She stretched her neck from one side to the other, but the tension didn’t ease. The water in the bathroom shut off, and she sat on the edge of the bed. The soft mattress called to her aching, tired muscles, but they had a lot to figure out before she could welcome sleep. He strode out of the bathroom a minute later, droplets of water dotting his chest and abdomen, a towel hanging loosely around his waist. His lips hitched up in a smile, as he sat down beside her and pulled her against him. Burrowed in his warmth, it was hard to believe all the shit that had happened was real. But it was.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
She let her shoulders relax and slipped her hand over his abdomen. His muscles flexed beneath the light trail of her fingers. Maybe after tonight this horror would be over and she could get back to normal life.
But what was “normal” life now? Could she go back to working with designers and creating buyers’ dream homes? It seemed so distant now, so far from who she had become now. As much as she missed home, she needed to find a way to weave the old Lana into the new one.
She and Cal needed to talk about how things would move forward. The last thing she wanted to do was put pressure on him, but she couldn’t pick up where she’d left off, either, as if nothing had happened between them.
This felt like home now.
“I’m fine.” She rested her hand against the stubble of his face. She loved him clean shaven, but the scruff was rugged and sexy, too.
“I know. I’ve needed to shave for days now.” He ran his fingertips where her hand had vacated.
“I like it.”
He grunted. “Good to know, but I don’t feel very clean with all this hair. I should shave before we go to sleep.”
A warm, fuzzy feeling spread over her skin. God, that sounded intimate… permanent. “Is that where we’re going?” Her voice was rough and husky. Her fingers trailed over his collarbone and down to his erect nipple.
He chuckled softly, catching her wandering hand in his. “Oh yeah. But first, I need to ask you some things, babe.” He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. “My mind keeps going back to Shawn—”
She sucked her breath in and shifted so she faced him. “Do you think Shawn had something to do with this?”
Seriousness settled into the lines of his face, turning the gentle curves into hard lines. His jaw clenched. “It looks like a possibility.”
Like poison, his words sank in. Shawn. She barely knew him. What reason would he have to want her harmed? Her thoughts worked with rapid speed. “Do you still think Tanner is a suspect?”
Cal’s thumbs moved the material of her shirt to find the bare skin of her back. A shiver raced over her. It was really hard to concentrate on serious stuff when he kept touching her.
“I’m still deciding whether or not I believe him.”
Part of her wanted to cling to the hope that Tanner wasn’t involved. After all, he was family. How could she have grown up with someone so sinister? How could she not have sensed his threat? Cal scratched his head, then returned his hand to her back.
“A lot of things point to him. I don’t believe in coincidences, so I can’t let that go. But I have enough doubt, too, that I believe something else might be going on. Something that involves Shawn.”
“I can’t fathom any reason Shawn would benefit from my…death.” Her throat tightened on the word. The fact that Cal was the only reason she was alive right now restricted her airways. She couldn’t think about what could have been. It hadn’t been in the cards.
Thank God for Cal.
His jaw worked as his gaze combed over her face. His hold tightened on her.
She let her body relax in the safety of his arms. It was as if they had a constant invisible line of communication. He knew when she was hurting, when she was in need, or when she was putting up a tough front. No one in her life had ever taken that much notice, had ever been able to see her so clearly.
“Don’t worry, baby. We’re so close. Ethan and Nate will work on investigating Shawn.”
She pulled out of his arms and frowned at him. “I don’t want you going on another manhunt.”
He ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“But I do. It’s scary for me having you out pounding the streets and shooting people in the feet.”
“It’s a very reliable method.” His eyes sparked with humor.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You didn’t have to shoot Tanner.”
His smile faltered, and his gaze shifted. She pinched his pec and he laughed.
“Ouch. You have sharp little fingers.”
“Cal.” Her voice reverberated with warning.
“I had every reason to get the truth out of him.”
She glared at him. It hadn’t been easy watching someone close to her get hurt. But regardless, Tanner had a sordid past and had hurt a lot of people. She couldn’t let that go.
“He’s fine.” Cal waved the air between them. “You don’t understand my methods, babe. I could have done a lot worse, but the moment I realized he could be telling the truth, I backed off.”
She lowered her gaze. A shot in the foot to Cal was as trifling as a punch to the face to anyone else. For someone like Tanner, it was next in line to death. But everything Cal was doing was to protect her and get this whole nightmare over with. What did she know about getting information out of people? And Tanner could be a self-righteous prick. If Cal had approached him in any other way, he would have been obnoxious and confrontational.
Tanner always got what he wanted, no matter the cost. If he hadn’t seen to it himself, Grace or Marcel had gotten the results he had desired. As a result, Tanner had never failed at anything in his life. Her parents had raised her very differently. Her father had made sure she’d worked for every accomplishment. Money had always come easy, but he never let her forget the effort it took to make it and the value that it had.
“What’s the matter, Lana?” Cal’s knuckle lifted her chin.
She shook her head. “Nothing. I know you wouldn’t set out to hurt someone for no reason.” She combed her hair back with her fingers. “I just wish you didn’t have to, that we weren’t in this situation at all.”
The corner of his mouth lifted salaciously. “I kinda like this situation.” His fingers slipped into the waistband of her pants at the small of her back. Pleasure erupted in her belly. His mouth pressed a kiss to hers. Her lips prickled with the need for more. He groaned and pulled away.
“God, Lana. If you only knew what you do to me.” His voice was haggard. “Just so you know, I’m very grateful fate brought you into my life.”
Her cheeks tingled. She looped her arms around his neck and examined the gold flecks in his green eyes.
“Just so you know,” she mimicked his playful words, “there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.”
His smile widened to spark his eyes with mischief. “Is that so?”
“Mmm-hmm…” She pressed her lips to his. His lips were warm and smooth against hers. His mouth inched open to welcome her, and his tongue came out to flick hers. Her insides tightened until her toes curled into the balls of her feet.
“Good to know.” He breathed softly against her lips. His arm slid under her butt, lifting her over top of him and settling her legs around his hips. Rufus whined from his spot on the floor. Lana threw her head back and giggled.
“Rufus, you’re killing the mood.” His tone was playful, but he got up from the bed and ushered Rufus into the hall.
“Smooth.”
“How much you wanna bet he waits right there?”
She squealed with laughter as he tumbled on top of her.
***
Hours later, Lana lay sated and plastered against Cal’s naked chest. After a delicious round of lovemaking, they had made some sandwiches, let out Rufus for the night, taken a shower, and crawled into bed. He’d shaved his beard, too, and she couldn’t stop running her fingers over the satiny skin of his jaw. She drifted off to sleep to the soft sound of rain pattering against the windows and Cal’s even, slumberous breathing.
Brrring, brrring!
The alarm system shrieked in warning. She bolted into a sitting position. “Cal!”
Her heart leapt into her throat. Cal was already off the bed, yanking on pants and a shirt. Rufus jumped from his spot on the floor, a deep, menacing growl sounding in his throat.
“What’s going on?” She climbed off the bed. The chilly air in the room intensified the goose bumps on her skin. Her arms crossed over her chest. She was butt naked. Cal didn’t turn on a light.
“Stay here.” He stopped at the dresser against the wall by the door. “Sonofabitch,” he ground out.
She scanned the floor. Goddammit, where were her clothes?
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. She found a pair of sweatpants and sat on the edge of the bed to tug them on.
“My phone is in the kitchen. I wanted you to call Nate.” He held his gun in front of his chest and advanced on the bedroom door. “Stay here and lock this behind me.”
“How did they find us?” she hissed into the blackness that surrounded her face. She wrung her hands in front of her.
“I don’t know. Don’t leave this room. Rufus, stay.” Cal slipped out of the room on silent feet.
Her pulse thundered wildly against her throat. Rufus paced the spot in front of the door. She stood on shaky legs and clicked the lock into place as softly as she could. She backed away from the door as if it blazed with fire. A stream of moonlight peeked through a slit in the blinds, illuminating the way to the bathroom. She took long steps across the cool hardwoods, her ice-cold hands clasped over her bare breasts.
Someone was here. In Cal’s hideaway. Looking for her.
Her mouth went dry. Oh God, she had no way to call for help. She found one of Cal’s oversized hooded sweatshirts and pulled it on. It did nothing to combat the chill that shook her. She found her way back to the bedroom door where Rufus waited. Her breath came in short puffs. A crash suddenly shook the silence that had fallen. It was close—in the kitchen.
She swallowed over the lump in her throat and pulled Rufus against her legs. “It’s okay, boy.” She smoothed his ears back. He kept his body positioned in front of hers. His slim and fit muscles bunched with tension, and he continued a low growl as if he knew they had to be quiet and that he had to protect her. Cal’s ferocious voice boomed through the cabin. Her stomach dropped. Someone was in the house.
Crash! Bang!
And Cal was fighting whoever it was. She backed farther away from the door. Every muscle in her body was coiled as tight as a spring. Fear stung her mouth with its acrid taste. She was useless cooped up here in the bedroom—a sitting duck. Cal was capable…but what if he needed help?
She bit her lip. At the very least, Rufus could help to attack whoever had entered the house.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Sirens pierced the air.
Rufus whined.
This was stupid. She had to do something.
But Cal would kill her if she left the bedroom. She raked her hand through her hair and searched the room for a weapon. She couldn’t see a damn thing. Cal’s angry voice shouted above the screech of the alarm. God, she hoped he had things under control. What if there was more than one intruder?
She inched away from Rufus’s side and along the edge of the bed. She found Cal’s nightstand and switched on the bedside lamp. A weapon, there had to be one. Something…anything. She opened the top drawer.
Condoms sat at the top. She breathed through tight lips. That wouldn’t help. Aha! Brass knuckles. She slipped them on over her fingers. They hung heavily on her slight hands. Good Lord, that wouldn’t help her. She moved on to the drawer beneath.
Her hand closed over the smooth, cool metal of a switchblade. She firmed her lips. Another crash and a yell sounded from the main area. She took a deep breath and clutched the metal. She’d never used a weapon before—much less a switchblade. She opened the knife. The sharp, shiny edge brought a sour taste to her mouth. If she had to use it to save Cal or herself, she would.
She gripped the handle and held it low, the edge pointed to the floor.
Rufus spun in a circle at the door, sensing her exit.
Crash!
Something sharp pelted her legs. Lana let out a shriek and backed away from the shards. Her free hand clutched her throat. She whirled around. Glass scattered across the floor, as the window smashed in. A baseball bat swung at the window again, caving more glass. Rufus charged for the window. Her heart pumped wildly in her chest.
“Rufus!” She grabbed his collar with her free hand and dragged him away from the glass.
He stayed by her side. Her fingers fumbled madly on the door lock.
Another crash sounded behind her. The second intruder was almost through the bedroom window.
She tore the door open and charged out. Rufus raced into the hall, his ferocious bark enough to bring silence from the kitchen.
Her bare feet scuffed down the smooth hardwoods. Rufus’s dark form rounded the corner to the kitchen. Her chest heaved violently. She sucked a deep breath into her nose.
It was silent.
She hesitated at the corner of the hall and the kitchen. Icicles prickled her spine.
A tall, black form rounded the corner of the kitchen. She screamed. Her back slammed against the wall behind her. She sliced the air with the knife.
“Lana!”
Cal.
She dropped the knife to the floor. It landed with a clatter and danced at their feet. She flung herself against his chest.
He closed her in his arms. “I told you to stay,” he growled into her hair. Another crash sounded from the bedroom.
“Someone broke the bedroom window. He’s almost inside.” Her voice shook, and her body trembled like a leaf.
“Sonofabitch.” His body bunched. He kept her close to his chest and led her into the kitchen with him.
He snagged his phone off the counter and handed it to her. “Take this.” He grabbed his keys from next to the spot that his phone had vacated. “Go in the garage, wait in my truck, and lock the doors. Don’t unlock them until I come for you. Call Nate once you’re safely in the truck.”
She slipped the phone into the front pocket of the hooded sweatshirt she wore.
“The code is 1-1-2-7. His number is programmed in my phone.” He turned her in the direction of the front of the house, where the garage access door was located. She nodded and started away.
“Cal, please be careful.”
“Go. I won’t be long.” His voice was low, barely audible. He crept to the edge of the kitchen and rounded the corner of the hallway. He moved as soundless as the wind. Rufus crept behind Cal.
She didn’t look around for the attacker. Cal would surely have him restrained, unconscious…or worse. She made her way through the house. When she reached the garage access door, she shoved her feet in her shoes, unlocked it, and entered. The air was cool in the garage, sending a shiver over her skin. She took a deep breath and found the fob on his key chain. The door shut behind her with a soft click.
She depressed the unlock button. The truck’s lights flashed in her eyes and beeped.
“Don’t move.”
Something hard and metallic pressed against the back of her head. Her breath sucked in sharply. Ice shot through her veins. Her body turned to lead, anchoring her to the spot. A scream caught in her throat. The cool metal kept it trapped in her chest.
The speaker snatched the keys from her hand. Another shape moved in the darkness. The rear passenger door opened.
“Get in,” the cold, dead voice hissed. “Make a sound and I’ll blow your head off.”