Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
P arker stood on the road, his hands on his hips.
The cars were gone now, but he saw the skid marks on the road and in the dirt beside it.
“The marshals’ SUV was here.” Jenna motioned. “It was on its roof. The state trooper vehicle was there.” She pointed.
Park nodded. “Olson got free of his restraints, then attacked your marshals, and caused the crash. He would have purposely hit the state trooper vehicle.” He scanned the surroundings. “He took a marshal’s weapon, killed your men, then shot and injured the troopers. Then he took off.”
“We know all of this already.” Owen stood nearby.
Park ignored the guy. He was young, cocky, and feeling threatened.
Focusing on the ground, Park walked the path that Olson had taken. He imagined climbing out of the car after killing the marshals, and firing at the troopers. Park swiveled. Large, grassy fields flanked the roads, with hills in the distance.
“The scent dog followed a trail through here.” Jenna walked in front of him. She was in another pair of jeans today, with a brown jacket. She looked stylish, the denim hugging her ass in a way that was hard to ignore.
Focus on the job, Conroy, not the marshal.
They walked into the field. The grass was knee-high and the ground was muddy.
Owen grumbled. Park saw him glaring at his mud-splattered shoes and felt a spurt of amusement.
“Stay with the SUV if you don’t want to get your shoes dirty,” Park suggested.
The man’s gaze narrowed, and he stubbornly stomped after them.
“The dog lost the scent here.” Jenna motioned to a flat patch of grass.
“He knew you’d bring dogs.” Park crouched and touched the mud. The pungent scent of rotting leaves and sludge hit him. “He covered himself in mud to disrupt the dog.” He looked up and nodded. “He went that way.”
Owen frowned. “Mud can throw off the scent?”
“If you know what you’re doing.” Park rose. “Olson knows what he’s doing.”
“So, what’s that way?” Owen shifted, his shoes squelching in the mud.
“Markell,” Park answered.
“Shit,” Jenna said.
Owen’s eyebrows winged up. “Markell’s over a hundred miles from here.”
“Olson’s fit and has no gear.” Park stared into the distance. “He could make that. This terrain won’t stop him. Add in the possibility that he hitchhiked part of the way, and he’d have made it back by now.”
“He’ll connect with acquaintances,” Jenna said. “Get supplies and things he needs.”
“Yeah.” Park nodded. “We need to have that poke around Markell.”
Jenna slid her hands into her pockets. “Marty Price won’t be happy to see us. It’s not the kind of place where people talk to law enforcement. From what the state troopers tell me, everyone’s unfriendly, standoffish, and keeps to themselves.”
“We’ll hit the local bar and look like we belong.” Parker looked at Owen at the same time Jenna did.
“What?” the young marshal said.
“I’ll drop you back at the hotel,” Jenna told him. “You can help the lieutenant coordinate the search once we narrow down Olson’s location.”
“What? No.” Owen shook his head. “I can blend in.”
Park raised a brow.
“I can .”
“I’ve got this, Owen,” Jenna said. “Parker and I will go in, ask questions, and be back this evening.”
“ No .” Owen straightened. “I’m coming, but I’ll stay in the vehicle. You could need backup.”
Parker was impressed. The kid had a spine.
Finally, Jenna nodded. “Deal. But you stay out of sight.”
“We’ll take my truck,” Park said. “It’ll be less conspicuous than your shiny Tahoe.”
They stopped at Parker’s cabin and swapped vehicles, then set off.
Several hours later, Parker drove into Markell. It was the afternoon, but the sun wouldn’t set until much later, so the day was still bright and sunny.
It didn’t help the town much. The sunlight made it look even more rundown and dingy. The main street had a few shops and the bar. Some houses were clustered around the main part of town, and most of the buildings were wood, with faded paint.
He parked in front of the general store.
“Stay here, Owen,” Jenna said. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be.”
In the back seat, the young man huffed out a breath. “I got it. Call me if you need me.”
Park eyed the weathered building that housed the Markell Trading Post. He spotted a sign on the front door. “The store’s closed for the day.”
Jenna raised a brow. “Maybe because Marty Price is out helping a friend?”
“We need to find out where Price lives.” Park eyed the rundown bar across the street. A carved sign above the door said it was called Rusty’s.
“Keen for a beer?” he asked.
She cocked her head. “It just so happens I am. Wait a sec.” She pulled off her jacket, then unbuttoned her shirt. Park’s eyes widened.
But when she slipped the shirt off, she was wearing a black tank top underneath. She opened the passenger door of the Ram and tossed the jacket and shirt on the seat. Her gun followed, then she unclipped the badge from her belt.
She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a small tube of lipstick. She looked in the side mirror as she painted the bold red on her lips. Then she fluffed her hair in the reflection of the car window. Finally, she tugged the neckline of her tank down—showing off a healthy dose of cleavage.
She spun and smiled. Her entire demeanor changed. She looked looser, a little wilder.
This should be interesting.
“Come on, babe. Buy me a beer.” She slipped her arm through his.
His muscles tensed at her touch.
She stilled. “Sorry, is this okay?” She started to pull away. “I get that you don’t like being touched.”
He gripped her arm, keeping it twined with his. “It’s okay.”
She eyed his face. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. “All right, then.”
As they headed toward the bar, Park realized something.
A part of him didn’t mind the lovely marshal pressed against his side.
The bar was well beyond seedy.
As she stepped inside, the wooden floor creaked, and was sticky with… Jenna didn’t know what and didn’t want to know.
A few rough-looking types were dotted around, sitting in the booths and at the bar. Two guys with huge, bushy beards were playing pool at a rickety, worn pool table. They stopped to watch her and Parker walk in.
She flashed them a saucy smile.
“Baby, I need a drink. I’m so thirsty after all that driving.”
Parker slid a hand down and around her hip. She barely controlled her jolt.
“I’ll get you whatever you want, sweetheart.”
She liked his hand on her a little too much. Clearing her throat, she slid onto a stool at the bar. The bartender was a man in his fifties, with a weathered face, tattoos around his neck, and shaved gray hair.
“What can I get ya?”
“Two Jack Daniel’s, please. No ice.”
He gave her a chin lift.
Parker leaned against the bar and casually scanned the room. He’d no doubt clocked everyone sitting inside. Then he leaned into her, his mouth close to her ear. “No sign of Price or Olson.”
Jenna hadn’t expected Olson to be sitting in the bar. Still, a girl could hope.
The bartender plonked the glasses down in front of her. She grabbed hers and handed the other one to Parker. She clinked her glass against his and tossed it back.
It burned. It had been a long while since she’d had whiskey. She wasn’t much of a drinker, but she did like a glass of red wine on occasion.
Parker looked amused and sipped at his drink
“That hit the spot.” She whirled. “Beer next, please.” She perused the lineup. “I’ll have an Alaskan Amber.”
The bartender’s lips twitched. “A girl who likes her drink.”
Jenna winked. “A girl who likes to have some fun.”
A moment later, he set the beer down in front of her. “You folks just passing through?”
“Something like that. I’m Jen, and this is my man, Con.”
Parker lifted his drink.
“We’re on a little Alaskan vacation.” Jenna sipped her beer. “If we find the right place, we might stay awhile.”
“Not much around here,” the bartender said.
“That’s what I like about it…” Jenna smiled and touched her tongue to her upper lip. “What’s your name?”
“Rusty.”
“This is your place?”
“Sure is.” The bar owner’s chest puffed up. “Rusty’s is always open.”
Park sipped his drink. “Unlike the local store. We saw it was closed.”
“That’s rare,” Rusty said. “The owner, Marty, took a day off.”
“I saw there’s an apartment above the shop,” Jenna said. “Must be hard to take time off when you live where you work.”
“Nah, Marty rents the apartment out. He’s got a cabin out on Bay Mountain Road.”
Bingo .
“Any cabins for rent around here?” Jenna asked.
“Maybe.” Rusty shrugged a shoulder. “Marty would know.”
Jenna flashed a smile. “Thanks, Rusty.”
She turned and leaned into Parker. “How about a game of pool, baby?”
He set his glass down. “Sounds good.”
The old-timers had finished their game, and the pool table was empty.
She racked the balls while Parker chalked his cue. She quickly pulled her phone out and texted the info on Marty to Owen.
Then she pulled Parker in close. His hands clamped on her hips, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to pull her closer or push her away.
“Is this okay?” she whispered. “If it makes you uncomfortable…”
“It’s fine.” His voice sounded like gravel, but he pulled in a breath, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. His fingers brushed her skin, leaving warm tingles behind.
Keeping in character, she nuzzled into his chest. “I’ve got Owen narrowing down where Marty Price’s cabin is.”
“It’s scary how good you are at this.”
She tipped her head back and smiled. “You haven’t seen anything yet, baby.” She studied his face. She slid her hands up his arms and registered how taut his muscles were. “You’re sure that you’re okay?”
“I…haven’t been this close to anyone since…” A muscle ticked beside his eye. “A long time.”
She started to pull away, but his hands tightened, holding her where she was.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m okay,” he repeated.
What the hell had they done to him? “You have nothing to prove to me.”
He shook his head, then released her. “You can break, sweetheart.”
They played a game of pool. Their bodies brushed a few times, and Jenna found her body warming, reacting to his. She kept glancing at his face to gauge his reaction. His face was blank, making it impossible to read.
She shook her head. She was in the middle of a manhunt and didn’t have time to drool over a man.
She took the next shot, leaning over. Sensing his attention, she glanced back and caught him looking at her ass.
Her lips curved. “Con, are you focused?”
“I am.” His dark gaze flicked up. “Just not on the game.”
There was a thump of heavy footsteps on the wood. A mammoth man in red flannel stepped up to the table. He had a bushy, red beard and a hard face.
“I’m playing with her next,” he rumbled.
Parker calmly chalked the end of his cue. “Not happening.”
The mountain man was several inches taller and broader than Parker. Jenna clutched her cue, ready to react if needed.
“I do what I want,” the man announced.
“I don’t care. She’s my woman, and she’s not playing with you.”
The man took a threatening step forward. “Who’s going to stop me? You?”
“Actually, she’s perfectly capable of stopping you herself, but look, just go back to your buddies.” Parker’s voice dropped to a lethal level. “So you don’t get hurt.”
That tone gave her shivers.
The mountain man was not so bright. He puffed up his chest. “I’m not afraid of you.”
Parker lowered his arms. “You should be.”
With a growl, the man swung a fist and bellowed.
Parker calmly sidestepped, then cracked the cue over the man’s back. The wood broke in half. The mountain man stumbled forward, then Parker punched him and slammed him into the pool table.
The man slid off the table and crashed to the floor, out cold. The man’s friends stood, and when Parker swiveled their way and shot them a look, they slowly sat back down.
“Sweetheart, it’s time to go,” Parker said. “I think we’re done here.”
She watched him and licked her lips. Watching him take down that guy had been…hot. “Okay, baby.”
He slid an arm around her, and she twined her arms around his neck. He tensed, then relaxed. She slapped a kiss to his cheek.
Their gazes locked and she felt a shot of pure heat in her belly. That intensity of his radiated off him, like a caress on her skin. He felt like a contained storm.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have?—”
He hauled her closer, then his mouth was on hers.
She opened her lips, and his tongue boldly slipped inside. He cupped the back of her head, and she melted against him. The warmth of him hit her, the taste of him. Desire was a bright burn inside her and she moaned into his mouth.
“Get a room,” someone cried. It was followed by a lot of hooting and hollering.
Jenna stepped back and blinked. She felt dazed.
Parker had that inscrutable look on his face again, but she got the impression he was a little knocked off balance.
She swallowed and managed a shaky smile. She raised her voice. “We might just do that. Bye, fellas.”
As she walked out of the bar, she was a little unsteady and her panties a little damp.
“We need to go,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
When was the last time any kiss had affected her like this? When had she ever let a man close enough to rattle her with just one touch?
She already knew the answer to that question. Never .