Chapter Four
Caleb vaulted across the room in an instant, positioning himself beside the door. For the second time that night, instinct drove his hand to the shoulder holster beneath his arm.
Bare skin met his fingers.
His Glock was still in the Jeep. At the bar.
“Gia. It’s Zach.” A deep, urgent voice came from the other side.
“It’s okay.” Gia scrambled off the couch. “He’s a friend. Navajo Police.”
Friend or boyfriend?
Caleb’s fingers curled. Not his business.
Still, he stepped aside as she opened the door. If the guy was a police officer, he’d keep her safe. Handle the two goons from the bar if they came back. Maybe he’d know some local agency that could help Gia.
The tall man who flowed into the room in a brown Navajo Nation Police uniform looked to be Caleb’s age, and young for the lieutenant’s rank pinned on his collar. An elastic tie tethered shoulder-length, straight black hair behind his neck.
“Billy called, said there was trouble—” The man halted when he spotted Caleb. Dark brown eyes swept over the room and narrowed. “Who the hell are you?”
His gaze dropped to Caleb’s bare chest. “And where’s your shirt? ”
A jolt of familiarity zapped Caleb. Second time that day. First the mustached thug. Now this guy. He held the newcomer’s stare, trying to gauge if the officer didn’t like strangers in his territory or if he didn’t like strangers with Gia.
Definitely personal. The guy puffed up like a jealous boyfriend.
For some reason, that made Caleb want to mess with him.
He cocked his lips in a taunting grin. “Shirt’s in the kitchen where she took it off me.”
A tick jumped in the officer’s jaw.
Gia stepped in with a calming hand. “Zach, this is Caleb Varella. He helped me out of a bad situation—and got hurt. Caleb, this is Zach Blackwater. A friend.”
Blackwater.
Recognition landed like a punch to the ribs.
Zach’s eyes flared with the same realization.
His mouth twisted. “Varella.” He extended a hand, the turquoise and silver bracelet on his wrist catching the light. “Welcome back. Cousin.”
Caleb accepted the handshake. Brief. Tight. “Been a while.”
They’d once been inseparable—chasing each other through sagebrush, hiding in arroyos until their grandfather threatened to tan their hides.
Caleb’s throat tightened. After the move to Phoenix when he was twelve, he’d begged his parents to let him come back in the summers. To breathe air untainted by cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. To escape a home trapped in the vicious cycle of toxic codependency.
The answer had always been no.
He hadn’t seen Zach since.
The memory left a bitter trace. He kept it off his face .
Zach’s posture remained stiff. “Twenty-two years. Since grandmother’s funeral.”
“Cousin?” Gia’s brows knit. “Like actual cousin? Not clan?” She glanced from one man to the other. “Got it. Now I see the resemblance.”
Zach turned to her. “What happened?”
When she hesitated, Caleb answered instead. “Two men tried to abduct her outside Lucero’s Lounge. Cartel enforcers or gangbangers, most likely. No obvious colors or ink.”
“You’d know, wouldn’t you?” Zach muttered.
The words sliced through Caleb. His cousin didn’t know the man he’d become. He’d spent his childhood judged by others because of his parents. But he wasn’t a kid anymore.
And he had nothing to prove to Zach Blackwater.
Gia shifted on her feet, her gaze darting between them, clearly picking up on the tension.
Zach pressed the mic on his shoulder. “Lieutenant Blackwater. Contact Gallup PD—”
She touched his arm, her gaze pleading. “Is that really necessary?”
Zach’s expression gentled. “Yes. I’m sorry.”
He resumed speaking into the mic. “Request a patrol unit to Lucero’s. Send out a BOLO for two individuals—” He cut his eyes to Caleb.
Caleb rattled off the men’s physical descriptions, the vehicle make and model, and the Arizona plates he’d caught before getting into Gia’s SUV.
“You in law enforcement?” Zach asked, his eyes narrowing. “That was a pretty detailed description.”
“Executive protection. Before that, ten years in the Army. I’m trained to notice the little things. ”
Some of the tension eased from Zach’s shoulders. He relayed the information to the dispatcher.
When he finished, he turned his focus back to Caleb. “I served, too. Marine Corps. Nine years. What unit were you in?”
“Third Special Forces Group out of Bragg.” Satisfaction hummed as Zach’s brows shot skyward. “You?”
“Third Battalion, Seventh Marines. Scout Sniper.”
Now it was Caleb’s turn to be impressed. His cousin would keep Gia safe.
Although, if her ex felt motivated enough to track her down when she’d clearly made an effort to stay hidden, Zach might need help.
I could help. The thought rose uninvited.
No. His part in this ended tonight.
Tomorrow, he’d bury his mother. Then visit the detective in Phoenix handling her case. After that, he’d pack up what few possessions of hers remained and head east. Maybe to his cabin in North Carolina for a few days to give his shoulder time to heal, then take the New York job for Ryder.
Right now, however, his concern was Gia.
Caleb ignored his cousin’s aggressive posture and stepped closer. “You’ve had a rough night. Will you be safe here?”
She nodded, but her body said otherwise—arms curled protectively around her stomach, spine stiff.
“Of course she’s safe here!” Zach snapped. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Protective and prickly. Caleb got it.
Gia was beautiful, intelligent, with a fragility that called out to his protective instincts. If he lived here, he might have competed with Zach for her attention.
But he didn’t live here. Wasn’t staying .
And Gia didn’t need more men chasing after her.
The cell on Zach’s hip rang.
“Blackwater,” he barked, then listened. His features hardened. “Thanks. Let me know if they turn up. I’ll get victim statements over to GPD.”
He hung up and turned back to Gia. “Gallup police are at the bar. The guys who attacked you were gone by the time they got there.”
“Cameras?” Caleb hadn’t noticed any, but surely there had to have been one hidden somewhere.
“At Lucero’s?” Zach shook his head. “The owner’s never had a reason. It’s full of old-timers who’ve been frequenting the place for years.”
“What about the bartender and the two guys at the bar?”
“They saw the man come in. Gave the same description as you. When the gunshot rang out, Billy went for his rifle. By the time he got outside, Gia’s car was gone, and a black Ford Explorer was leaving.”
“Then the threat to Gia isn’t over.” Caleb instantly regretted his words when Gia flinched.
If looks could kill, Zach’s glare would have been a shot to the head. “Law enforcement in New Mexico and Arizona are looking for the SUV. Gia’s safe here, on the rez.”
Zach shifted his attention to Gia. “I’ll ask Naveah to stay with you after her shift.”
“That’s not necessary.” Gia gave a stilted smile. “I’ll be fine.”
Caleb didn’t buy it. He was close enough to see the tension in her muscles, the faint tremble in her body.
Fight or flight.
He had a feeling he knew which one she would choose .
He started to reach for her chin, then remembered her earlier reaction and dropped it. “Get some rest. Decide what to do in the morning.”
Don’t run.
“In the morning,” he stressed.
She said nothing, just stared at him with wide, turbulent eyes that made him want to stay.
To watch over her.
To hold her until she felt safe again.
When he’d brushed his lips across hers on the ground outside the bar, it had been to distract her. Keep her calm while he planned his move against the asshole about to plug him with a round.
And because he’d wanted to.
She’d tasted as good as she smelled.
Prickly pear.
The hand he’d almost touched her with curled into a fist.
He’d had beautiful women as clients before and never once had his thoughts veered to unprofessional places. What was it about this woman that had him so off-kilter?
Maybe he should take a vacation instead of the New York job. He had plenty of time accrued. Make himself do something that wasn’t work-related.
Get a life.
“Your car’s still at the bar.” The huskiness in her voice was as potent as if she’d stroked her palm over the front of his jeans.
His body tightened.
“I’ll drive him back,” Zach offered, his tone laced with irritation.
Caleb snapped back into himself and checked his watch. Nine pm .
His mother’s funeral was in the morning .
“Thank you,” Gia whispered. A butterfly touch to his arm that he felt all over. “For being my knight in shining armor.”
He nodded, unsettled by the thought he might not see her again. “Take care.”
The deadbolt clicked behind him and Zach.
Only then did he release the breath he’d been holding.
She was safe.
But for how long?
The chill night air cut through his bare chest. Still, he lingered.
He could stay. One more night. Just long enough to be sure.
But the thought was dangerous—his training, his instincts on overdrive from the events of the night.
He shoved it down hard and forced his feet toward Zach’s white Tahoe, marked with the yellow and green emblem of the Navajo Nation Police.
Khaki colored cotton hit him in the face.
“Put that on,” Zach muttered as he slid behind the wheel.
Caleb sniffed. “Is it clean?”
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Zach growled. “Yes, it’s clean.”
Caleb pulled the shirt over his head, wincing at the snap of pain in his shoulder. “Thanks.”
Silence stretched until Zach turned onto the highway.
“Lucky you were in the right place at the right time.” Accusation clung to Zach’s words.
Caleb bristled, then let it go. “What do you know about Gia?”
“She doesn’t talk about herself.”
“What about her ex?”
“Nothing.” Zach cut his eyes in Caleb’s direction. “She’s been here six weeks. Grandfather met with her. Whatever she said satisfied him, so I didn’t probe further. He helped her get a twelve-week contract job at a clinic that’s short-staffed. Found her housing. She rarely leaves the rez.”
“Whoever this asshole is, he found her anyway. His errand boys drove an SUV with Arizona plates. Think he’s local?”
Zach shook his head. “Her car had a temporary Arizona plate when she arrived. All she’ll say is she’s from the East Coast.”
“We need his name. My colleague can run a background check.”
“I’ll ask her. Maybe with what happened tonight, she’ll be more forthcoming.” Zach pointed to his badge. “And I can run a check.”
He pulled into Lucero’s. The neon open sign was no longer lit, the building dark. Only Caleb’s rental remained in the lot.
Caleb climbed out of the Tahoe. Something else occurred to him. “What’s Gia’s last name?” She hadn’t offered it up when he asked.
Zach’s eyes narrowed. “If she didn’t tell you, why is it your concern?”
“She’s not safe here anymore.”
“She’s also not your problem. I’ll take care of her. See you at your amá ’s ceremony tomorrow.”
Caleb blinked. “You’re coming?”
A shrug. “ Shinálí expects it.”
When your grandfather was president, his word was law, apparently
The Tahoe’s tires spit gravel as Zach sped off.
The temperature had dropped some more. Caleb’s breath billowed out white as he made his way to the Jeep.
He shrugged into his black leather jacket, then removed his Glock 19 from its case and set it on the passenger seat.
His shoulder burned and his body ached from the blows the younger thug had landed.
He’d been planning to spend the night at a hotel in Gallup. Instead, he retraced the route back to Window Rock. The funeral and burial would be held on the rez, so he might as well spend the night there.
It had nothing to do with the fact it was closer to Gia.
The lone hotel in the town center was basic, but clean. The off-white walls, framed photos of local landscapes, and brown patterned carpet were typical of a two-star chain anywhere in America. Beneath the window, the A/C unit hummed noisily, belching out warm, stale air.
Caleb closed the drapes and stripped down to his briefs.
Forcing himself to scroll through the messages on his phone, he read each one from his Dìleas colleagues—personal notes asking how he was holding up, condolences about his mother, a virtual hug from Nathalie accompanied by a photo of a watercolor lily she’d painted for him.
He considered texting Ryder about the night’s events, but decided against it.
For now.
No sense alarming his boss over something that wasn’t job-related—especially since, as Zach had pointed out, Gia wasn’t his problem to deal with. He’d take a few extra days off when he got back and recover.
Instead, he tapped out a brief reply to everyone: he was fine, the funeral was tomorrow. Then he settled cross-legged on the bed.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale.
Despite his attempt to clear his mind, Gia lingered. Her eyes held a wealth of secrets. Where had she come from? Why hide here, on the largest Indian reservation in the US?
The need to protect her called to something deep inside him. His cousin felt it, too.
He’d seek her out tomorrow, before he left town. Give her his business card. Just to make sure she understood how to stay safe.
But he couldn’t stay.