Chapter 14 #2
“Oh, shortcake, there is nothing confusing about it. We want you, and you want us. You’re the one holding back, making this complicated.
” I hovered so close that she had to tip her head back to maintain eye contact.
“We’re consenting adults. We’re asking for a chance to show you we’re different.
Not a marriage proposal, just a chance.”
“But what if you don’t like who I really am?” she asked. The fear in her eyes made my heart clench.
“Then you’d have gotten hundreds of orgasms out of it and the solid answer that we’re piece-of-shit humans, because that is the only type of person who wouldn’t see your value.
” Unable to stop myself, I leaned in close and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.
“Go change those soaked panties, Juno. We’ll be waiting. ”
Standing tall, a soft chuckle vibrated in my chest at her frozen, confused expression. After a few seconds of her gaping at me, I gently grasped her shoulders to turn her into the cabin, smacking her ass lightly to get her moving.
I choked on a stifled groan at feeling her cheek jiggle with the light smack. Hopefully soon I would get to see my pink handprint on each ass cheek, or the plump globe mold around my fingers as I squeezed tight.
“You’re so fucked,” West chuckled.
I shook my head and turned to face away from her cabin before I broke and followed her.
“No, asshole—we are.”
Shoulder pressed against the porch post, I stared off into the distance, savoring the pleasant evening.
After a few seconds, I gave voice to what I’d been thinking about all afternoon.
“Knowing he didn’t physically hurt her doesn’t make me want to kill him any less.
That shit she’s talking about is the same bullshit Mattie’s ex spewed at her. ”
“But Juno didn’t have you, or anyone, to counterbalance the lies with truth. I know what that feels like.”
The heat pumping through me from earlier, warming my skin to the point of sweating, cooled at his sobering tone. Twisting around, I found his unfocused gaze fixed on the porch’s white-painted boards.
“Maybe, since you both being alone is similar, that’s something you two can work out together,” I hedged.
West shook his head. “No one needs my fucked-up past in their heads. It’s bad enough that it’s in mine.”
I wasn’t a sensitive guy, but seeing him looking so distant, hopeless, had me swallowing hard to clear the emotions clogging my throat. I couldn’t protect him from his past, but I sure as hell would do anything for the man to help him process the awful things he’d survived.
West was loyal, dedicated, brilliant when it came to anything with an engine, and soulful when you least expected it. He deserved a full life without assuming he didn’t because of what was done to him as a kid.
“That’s your call,” I murmured. “But she might be more understanding than you think. Sounds like her childhood wasn’t great either.”
“Neither was yours,” he added with a bit of bite to it, telling me we were edging into an uncomfortable territory for him.
“Yeah, but I had Mattie, and when she was home, I had Mom. We were poor as shit, but we had each other, and Mom, for all her other bad qualities, tried to be a good mom.” I grasped his shoulder and squeezed. “Just think about it.”
Before he could respond, the door swung open and Juno stepped out, ending the conversation. West’s pinched features transformed into a wide smile, though I noticed it looked stiff, unlike earlier.
Hell, if she could help him heal from his past, then I’d give her whatever she wanted. My best friend deserved to be happy, and so did she. Which was why this had to work between the three of us.
Juno eyed us after closing the door and locking up. “Everything okay out here?” She arched a questioning brow in my direction. “Lovers’ quarrel?”
West huffed. “You’re confusing lovers with fuck buddies.”
I trailed behind the two as they descended the steps, heading toward the parking lot.
“I think I’ll need a little more insight into that comment,” Juno hedged, looking over her shoulder with a shy smile.
“Or a demonstration?” I offered with a smirk.
Crimson bloomed on her cheeks and down her neck. “You’re the worst, Langston.”
“When it comes to fucking, I can guarantee he’s not.” West chuckled, the memories that had been dredged up earlier long gone.
“How did this conversation swing back around to sex already?” Juno groaned. “Let’s talk about the weather or birds or computers.”
West responded with something that made them both laugh, but I didn’t hear their words.
They continued on, but I’d paused in the middle of the street, eyes locked on the woman standing in her small front yard, staring at her cabin with a worried expression.
My feet were carrying me toward her before I even realized I was moving.
“Calista.” She jumped slightly and swung around, hand on her chest like I’d spooked her. “Everything okay?”
“Um, yeah, all good, Langston.” The fake smile she forced only solidified that she was absolutely not okay.
“Hudson home?” I paused beside her, gaze sweeping over the house for what was causing her obvious distress.
“No, he was in Anchorage for something regarding the case, then went to the trail with Oliver and Ethan. I think they found something belonging to the hiker who died.”
I scanned the yard. “Where’s Sam?” My heart rate spiked, blood thundering through my veins at not seeing the vibrant and demanding girl running around after her dog like she always did. “Is she okay?”
“What? Oh yeah, I just dropped her off at Amy’s for a bit. She offered to watch her for a little while so I could get some stuff done around the house.” This time Calista’s smile was genuine. “Cleaning with Sam in the house is nearly impossible. She pulls everything out that I’d just put away.”
Enough bullshitting. If I didn’t find out what was wrong, I’d jump out of my skin. “Why are you out here, staring at your cabin?”
Her slim shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know exactly. Something just feels off.” She paused, but I didn’t say a word, knowing she had more to add. “And after everything back in LA, when something feels off, I’ve learned not to ignore it.”
“That’s smart, trusting your intuition. What exactly feels off about the house that’s making you not want to go inside?”
“I don’t know. When I walked up, everything was fine, but when I went to open the door, I froze. Like my muscles locked up. I don’t even know what caused it to happen.”
Motion behind me had me whirling around, hand going for my sidearm that I was only without when I was naked, only to pause when I recognized Juno and West. They watched me with curiosity, gazes bouncing between me and Calista.
“What’s going on?” West asked. “Everything okay?”
“I’m going to check out something inside for Calista. Why don’t you go on to Dave’s?” I reached into my pocket, palmed the keys, and tossed them to West, who caught them midair. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Do you want me to stay with you, Calista?” Juno cut the distance between them and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “If you don’t want to be alone while he does whatever he needs to do, I’ll stay with you.”
“No,” I barked before taking a deep, calming inhale. There was no way in hell I wanted Juno anywhere around if Calista’s feeling was correct. I locked gazes with West and inclined my head toward the parking lot. “Get her to Dave’s. I’ll be right behind you.”
With a clipped nod, clearly understanding my concern, West wrapped an arm around Juno’s shoulders and dragged her away from Calista.
“Come on. Let’s go get you some of those amazing nachos while we wait for the two douchecanoes to show up and ruin our night.”
It took a few promises from Calista that she’d stay safe before Juno reluctantly backed out of the yard, calling over her shoulder to reach out if we needed anything before disappearing around a cabin.
I waited until I was positive they were gone before sliding my sidearm free of the holster, palming the grip as I marched up the porch steps.
Not taking my eyes off the front door, I shouted over my shoulder, “Was Brandon or Carl home when you dropped off Sam?”
“Carl was. Brandon was out doing something in the toy shed.”
I nodded more to myself than her. “Good. Go back over there, have them call both Oliver and Hudson and tell them something is going on at your place.”
“But what if I’m wrong?” Calista whispered, wringing her hands. “It could be nothing.”
“What if you’re not?” I inclined my head toward Carl, Amy, and Brandon’s cabin. “Go. I’ll check out inside, make sure things are secure here. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”
I waited until she was halfway down the street, just a few cabins down from her destination, before stepping up to the front door.
Inspecting the edges of the wooden frame, I scanned every inch for tool marks or signs of forced entry.
The cool metal slipped in my hand as I turned the knob, slowly inching the door open to step inside.
The aroma of something savory cooking in the crockpot on the counter filled the room, and my stomach growled in interest. Taking in the small living area, I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips at the array of toys scattered across the floor.
In the corner was a child-size round table with a little tea set on top, dolls in three of the four small chairs.
Adjusting my hold on the gun grip, I moved around the room, stepping over Sam’s things and weaving around furniture while monitoring my surroundings.
It didn’t feel off like it did for Calista, but I sure as hell would not let my guard down.
After a clear sweep of the kitchen followed by the two bedrooms and bathrooms, I holstered my gun.
Standing in the middle of the living room, arms folded over my chest, I found my gaze falling on the small table again, something drawing my attention.
Steps light and sure, I crossed to the corner, squatting low to inspect the play set.
My harsh curse echoed in the quiet room. A note sat perched against the pink plastic teapot, the writing clear and the spelling correct, which instantly told me Sam was not the author.
Mindful not to leave prints, I used one of the doll’s creepy plastic hands to adjust the note so I could read it. As the words processed, boiling anger filled my veins and pulsed in my ears while dread sank in my gut like a hundred-pound weight.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But which am I? Leave, or your girls will be the next ones needing missing person flyers.”
Holy shit.
This was bad. Really fucking bad. First Caroline went missing along with all the other women on the trail, and now the sick fuck had broken into someone’s cabin here, leaving a threat without any of us noticing.
Which made one aspect of these cases very clear.
The person responsible for everything evil in our town was someone we knew.