Sixteen #3
“Fine is the kiss of death,” I told her, running my fingers through it again. It wasn’t the gel I used, and it felt weird, but the glare from her told me I should drop it.
“You are really very vain. Has anyone ever told you that?” she snapped at me.
“I am not,” I grumbled, rubbing my cheek with the backs of my fingers. “I need to shave.”
She snorted out a laugh, which was very undignified. “A little stubble looks good on you. Makes you look like a cowboy.”
“Oh, screw you,” I whined.
She tipped her head at me.
“Really? Like a cowboy?”
She was laughing as we reached Sam’s room.
She went in first, past the two uniformed policemen, and when I saw Sam, I was surprised to find him out of bed and sitting at the table in the corner, in one of the hospital’s ideas of a recliner.
He was dressed in sweats, white crew socks, and a T-shirt. I had never seen him look so good.
“There he is,” he said, and gestured for me.
I bolted forward, but Dane caught my arm to stop my flight.
“No,” Sam said, and my eyes went from my brother’s face to his. “Let him go.”
Dane dropped his hand.
I gave him a slight smile before I dashed forward to stand over Sam. “You look great.” I beamed down at him.
He patted his thighs. “C’mere. You know I love you in my lap.”
It was funny. Everyone yelled at once as I put my hand down on the arm of the chair and swung myself over him.
They thought I was stupid. When I caught myself, bracing my hands on both arms and slowly straddling his hips, there was a collective sigh of relief.
Sam chuckled and put a hand on his abdomen.
“Don’t make me laugh yet, all right?”
I nodded as I shifted my ass over his groin, moving around until I felt him get hard.
Instantly, his hands were like iron on my hips.
“Knock it off, ’cause I can’t do shit about that right now.”
“I could take care of you,” I told him, smiling lazily, biting my bottom lip.
He stared into my eyes and took my face in his hands. “I want you here with me every night from now on, you understand? No more, Jory. No more.”
“Okay,” I said, leaning forward to kiss him.
He tightened his hold on me so I couldn’t move. “You took years off my life, you know.”
“No, I didn’t. Don’t say that.”
He let out a quick exhale. “I need you around a long time, you understand? I can’t have anything happen to you…I just can’t.”
“Okay, okay.” I grinned at him. “Now can I kiss you?”
“Yes,” he said softly, easing me down so that our lips touched.
I closed my eyes, and his tongue slipped between my lips as I parted them for him.
I sighed into his mouth and forgot about everything and everyone else but Sam Kage.
Kissing Sam Kage. His hand went to the back of my head, holding me there as his mouth covered mine, possessively, roughly.
I moaned deep in my throat as my hands slid over his chest, touching the rock-hard muscles.
“Okay, stop.” Dane’s voice cut through my body like ice. He sounded really annoyed.
I pulled back and looked over my shoulder at him as he crossed the room to stand beside us.
“I have no interest in watching my brother make out with his partner. I want to know what the hell you were thinking by going through that woman’s stuff!”
I stood up, but Sam grabbed my hand.
“Sit here,” he said, patting the arm of the chair.
I perched as I was directed and felt his hand slip up under the back of my sweater to caress my skin. “I didn’t touch anything, Dane. I already told you.”
“That’s not true, Jory,” Detective Moore said as he walked up beside my brother. “I checked to make sure I was right, and Caleb’s fingerprints are all over—”
“I didn’t go through anything,” I almost yelled, the only thing keeping me from losing it being Sam’s hand on the small of my back. Just that much contact calming me.
“We walked in, we found her lying there.” I swallowed hard, remembering. “Caleb, because he hasn’t watched as much TV as me, accidentally touched the knife, and then I ran back outside and threw up.”
“Jory, you’ve gotta be—” Detective Moore began.
“I’m not wrong,” I told him and my brother, realizing suddenly that, along with them, Sam’s parents were there, and Detective Hefron, and a couple of other people I didn’t know.
They all had badges hanging from chains around their necks.
“I know what I did, and I know what I didn’t do, and I’m sure I—”
“Shut up,” Sam suddenly yelled, and I got up and turned around to look at him.
I couldn’t believe he was taking their side and not listening to me, but when I saw his face, I went mute. He was absolutely ashen.
“Sam,” I said quickly, leaning down, my hands on his shoulders. “Are you all right? Should I call the doctor or—”
“Sam,” Regina gasped, rushing up beside me and putting her hands on his chest. “Honey, what can we do?”
“Call the doctor!” Thomas barked out.
It was chaos in seconds, everyone yelling before Sam stood up, brushing away everyone’s hands but mine. Me he grabbed tight and hugged to his side, like he was protecting me.
“Shut up!” he roared a second time, and the room went instantly silent. I was suddenly whipped around to face him, his hands digging into my biceps painfully. Even hurt, he was so strong. “You only touched the door and the wall, correct?”
I nodded.
He looked over my shoulder but didn’t let me go. “Goddamnit,” he said, swaying a little, his voice hoarse. “Neal.” He let me go as Detective Moore stepped in front of him. “We’re fuckin’ idiots.”
I watched Detective Moore stare at Sam, and then his mouth slowly opened before he turned and looked at Detective Hefron.
“It’s Caleb Reid,” James Hefron said flatly, then he let out a deep breath. “Jesus Christ, it’s Caleb Reid.”
“Wait,” Dane said quickly. “What are you—”
“Go to his room,” Sam yelled at Moore, who turned and ran, walkie-talkie in his hand, as everyone cleared out but Sam’s family, Dane, and Aja.
“Sam,” Dane said, stepping closer to him. “What’s going on?”
Sam pulled his hair back from his face and looked at me. “Holy shit, Jory.”
“What? What’s going on? What does this have to do with—”
“It’s Caleb, baby,” Sam said, putting a hand around the back of my neck to pull me to him.
“It has to be. Everything started around the time Caleb came into Dane’s life.
The first guy was killed right after he met Dane and learned about you.
Everything lines up, and I’m sure he purposely touched that knife yesterday to throw us off.
He killed Joyce Fain and left the murder weapon in plain sight, knowing that when he brought you back with him, you would see him touch it and vouch for his stupidity.
We won’t find any other prints on that knife because there aren’t any others to find. ”
It didn’t make any sense. “But Caleb was in Texas before yesterday, and they said Ms. Fain was killed—”
“You told Moore that Caleb showed up at your hotel room. How do you know when he actually got into town? He could have been there for days before he met you, or he never went back to begin with.”
My head hurt again. “But, Sam, he was kidnapped with me.”