All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel (12 page)

Realizing he’d given her the impression he didn’t trust her, Joe frowned. Probably not a good idea to tell her what was really on his mind. He tore his eyes away, handed his harness and gear to Tyler, and walked back to the house, sure her angry stare followed him most of the way.

“What have you got for me?” Joe asked as soon as Murphy picked up.

“The news could be better, I’m afraid. The good news is Sinclair is still in Lincoln City. No sign he knows, or even cares, where his sister is.”

“I have an idea it’s the bad news you called about. Let’s have it.”

“Dennelli is fueling up his jet. He filed a flight plan for Missoula tonight and reserved a chopper on the other end. Looks like he’s only bringing a handful of men, though. He’s either got more waiting for him on the ground, or he doesn’t have a clue what he’s up against.”

“How the hell does he know where she is… and why now? He’s been out of her life for six months. Why get involved again now? This is way too coincidental, Murphy. Did you check out the connection between him and Sinclair?”

“We’re still working on it, but right now it looks like there is no connection.”

“Keep me posted. This doesn’t feel right,” Joe said.

“How’s it going with her?”

“About like I expected. This was a lousy idea, and it’s about to get worse.” There was no sense explaining to Murphy the terror she experienced at the mention of Dennelli’s name. Or that she thought he was invincible and no one could protect her from him. There wouldn’t be a ten-foot section of fence on the whole ranch that could keep her in once she knew he was coming.

After the call, Joe left the house in search of Cara. He’d given her such a nice speech about being honest and letting her have a part in the decision-making. He’d meant it, too, but he hadn’t counted on this, at least not so soon. He didn’t like what he was going to do, but he had no choice. If she found out, she’d react in a way that would endanger herself and possibly everyone on the ranch, but if he didn’t tell her, she would likely never trust him again. Neither of those alternatives was good, but he opted for the one that would at least keep her alive.

Sunday, 9:40 am

S
HE HELPED
T
YLER
carry Joe’s harness and ropes to the shed where he stowed them all neatly. Then he turned to her with a self-conscious grin. “Uh… none of my business, but there seems to be a lot of friction between the two of you. I’ve known Joe a long time, under some pretty ugly conditions. I can tell you one thing—if he says he’s going to do something, you can bank on it. He’s had my back for the last six years. Money can’t buy that. You can trust him, Cara.”

“Nice speech. Did he pay you to say that?”

Tyler smiled. “Nope. Came up with that one myself. By the way, I’m sorry I lied to you about taking you to town.”

“Forget it. No hard feelings.”

“Good.” He beamed. “I have to get back to work. Rayna’s at the gym.” He indicated a low building to the east. “You might want to stay away until Joe gets back.”

She nodded, appreciating his advice. It wasn’t until he was out of sight she thought to ask him why Rayna hated her.

Across the yard, a German shepherd paced the confines of his kennel. Animals weren’t as complicated as people. She could relate to them. As she approached the kennel, however, the dog growled and ran back and forth the length of his enclosure. She resisted the urge to speak to him or make eye contact. When she was within five feet of the dog, she sat down on the ground with her back to the kennel and waited quietly. At first, he continued his nervous pacing, but within a few minutes he flopped down on the ground, though he kept sniffing at the air.

It was peaceful in the compound. Occasionally, she caught a glimpse of someone going from one building to another, but most of the men were apparently busy indoors, doing God knows what as part of their training. A light breeze kicked up and she wished she’d grabbed a jacket on the way out of the house. Autumn was in full swing, and she appreciated days like this when the sun shone brilliantly, showcasing the snowcapped mountains beyond the lake.

When the dog jumped to his feet and started whining, Cara looked up.

Joe was coming toward her. “Trying to tame the beast?”

“What’s his name?”

“Dillon.” He opened the kennel and let the dog out. Dillon bounced around Joe’s legs for a few seconds before trotting off to investigate other smells. He no longer seemed threatened by her presence. Joe regarded her with a curious expression. “What did you do to my guard dog?”

“I was just commiserating with him about being locked away in his kennel.” At that moment, Dillon came back and plopped down between them.

Joe knelt and scratched the dog’s ears. “I thought we’d made peace, at least on that issue.”

“Peace might be a strong term, but I did agree to go along with your… request, for the time being.”

“Are you planning to let me know when my time is up?”

“You’ll know.” Dillon eyed her hopefully and she stroked his smooth coat. When she stopped, he got up and moved to the grass a few feet away.

“I could lock you in your room so the end of your cooperation doesn’t catch me off guard.”

Cara stiffened. Had she pushed him too far?

“But I won’t because I trust you. I know, under that stubborn exterior, you’re honest and smart and you care about people. Hell, you even came to my rescue that night on the beach. I think you’ll keep your word. Am I wrong?”

“No, damn it. You’re right. I gave you my word, and I won’t go back on it.” She frowned. There was more to it than that. She wasn’t even sure when it happened, but she’d let him get too close. She trusted him. God, she was starting to hate that word. To his credit, he didn’t gloat at her admission.

“What did Murphy want?” She leaned back, propping herself on her arms.

Joe shook his head and looked away, but not before she caught the shadow of worry in his eyes. “This dog doesn’t usually like anyone. I think there’s more to you than meets the eye, Cara Dennelli.”

She froze, her gaze flying to his. She recognized the assessing look he gave her. He was baiting her. Why? He knew how much she hated that name. Without a word, she rose to her feet and walked away. Dillon got up to follow.

“Wait, Cara.”

“What?” She stopped but didn’t turn.

“There’s something I need to show you.”

“What?”

“How to defend yourself against him, if it ever comes to that again.”

She laughed bitterly. “I tried.”

“But you just made him mad, right?”

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to close out the images burned into her soul.

“Let me teach you. I’ll show you how to put him down hard, so you’ve got time to run or find a gun and kill the bastard. I know which way I’d go, but you’ll have to make your own choice.”

Dangerously close to tears, she turned and stared at him. “I’ve made my choice.”

“Good.” He got to his feet. “Let’s get started then.” He walked away, leaving her and Dillon to follow.

He led her to the building Tyler had pointed out as the gym. Inside, there were six stations with thick mats on the floor, all but one currently occupied by opponents practicing various forms of hand-to-hand combat. The heavy smell of sweat hung in the air, and the sounds of blows landing, men grunting, and bodies hitting the mats held her spellbound as she trailed behind Joe. Some of the combatants looked so dangerous. They could easily have been trying to kill each other. Joe went to the center of the unoccupied mat and turned to face her. Dillon lay down outside the fight area, where everyone who passed made a wide berth around him.

She glanced around for Rayna, spotting her on the opposite side engaged in some kind of sparring match with a man half again as big as her. Cara should have known the girl would be kicking ass.

“Okay, show me what you tried on him,” Joe said.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t. I want you to see how easy it is for a serious assailant to counter your move and take control.”

His superiority infuriated her, and she grabbed the little finger of his left hand. Instantly, his other hand gripped her wrist, exerting pressure until she could no longer feel her fingers. Then he stepped in close, pushed her back until she lost her balance, and she went down flat on her back with Joe pressing his knee against her rib cage.

“Now, if my intent was to rape you or extract information, I’d show you my knife, maybe make you bleed a little, and you’d do anything I wanted. If I came to kill you, you’re already dead.”

Her breath came faster, and her whole body trembled as bad memories swirled in her mind. Joe’s eyes met hers, and then his gaze went to the scars on her neck. Heat rose in her face as humiliation swept over her.

His hand reached out, almost touching her face, before he stopped and a scowl hardened his expression. He rose abruptly and yanked her up. “You can use the same principles to defend yourself.” Anger was suppressed in his voice.

“But you’re bigger and stronger. How am I supposed to knock you down?” She didn’t know what had angered him, but she pushed through her embarrassment to focus on what he was trying to teach her.

“Surprise and speed and follow-through. All you have to do is get your assailant off balance. Gravity does the rest. Are you ready to try?”

While he was still waiting for her response, she grabbed him, stepped close, positioning her leg behind his, and the next thing she knew he hit the mat hard with her perched on his chest. Was it really that easy, or had he given her this one?

“No fair. I wasn’t ready.” His eyes glinted dangerously. “One more thing, Cara. Always follow through. If you’re going to kill me, do it quick. If you want to run, don’t hesitate. If you wait around too long”—his hands suddenly grabbed her around the waist as he rolled to the right, pinning her beneath him—“you’ll lose your advantage.”

She grunted as he came down on top of her. “I’ll remember that. Give me a knife next time.”

“Not until you’ve had proper instruction. I’d rather my untimely demise wasn’t by your hand.” He held her gaze, just inches away from her face.

Heat rose to her cheeks. “Let me up.” She pushed against him, but he might as well have been a concrete block.

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re forgetting… the one who ends up on top gets to dictate the terms of surrender.”

“I’m not surrendering.” She slapped her hands against his chest only to have him capture both of her wrists in one hand. “Rayna is watching.”

“Why would I care if Rayna sees us training?”

“Because something like this could make her more jealous.”

“Jealous?” He got to his feet and helped her up. “Rayna is like a sister to me.”

“Then why does she hate me?”

“She doesn’t—not really. She’s just confused right now.” He watched her. “Her last name is Dugan.”

Cara inhaled sharply. “Oh Joe, not Charlie’s sister. No wonder she hates me. I don’t blame her. Does she know it’s my fault he’s dead?”

Joe grabbed her arm and swung her to face him. “It wasn’t your fault, and Rayna will come to realize that. Just give her some time. She’s a good kid.”

Cara’s gaze went to the corner mat where Rayna had been. She sat against the wall with a small group of men, laughing at something someone said. Why hadn’t Cara seen the resemblance? It was uncanny how much Rayna looked like Charlie. Thinking about him made her eyes burn with unshed tears. “Why did Charlie have to die? He had so much to live for.” The misery tightening her chest choked the words until they were barely a whisper.

Joe’s gaze lingered on her face. “Were you in love with him?”

She shook her head to clear it of memories. “No, but he was a good friend, even though I guess it was all make-believe.” Was she telling him the truth? Her feelings for Charlie were all confused and buried in grief. She’d probably never know.

“The way he felt about you wasn’t a lie. I’ve known Charlie all my life, and he changed after he met you. I was actually jealous he’d found someone who made him want to settle down and get out of this kind of life.”

She was suddenly furious—with Brian, with Charlie, even with Joe. It was so unfair. Scathing remarks swirled in her mind, but she rejected them all because Charlie’s memory deserved better than that. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She stared into his eyes. “What’s next?”

Over the next two hours, Joe taught her to deliver an elbow to the gut in a way that would force an attacker to release her and fight for air. She learned to use her head as a weapon when her hands were bound or pinned down and to deliver a kick to the knee that would keep an assailant from giving chase. He showed her where pressure points were in the wrist, in the elbow, and behind the ear and how to break a nose with the side of her fist. He was a patient and thorough instructor, yet Cara knew they’d only scratched the surface of what she needed to learn.

By the time he called a halt to the session, she was breathing hard and taking longer to get up. She was exhausted and weak from little food, but she didn’t want to stop. “What’s next?” She grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her face.

“Target practice. Follow me.”

The firing range was indoors, underground, beneath a building made to look like a barn. Joe pressed a hidden button that opened a heavy, steel-reinforced trapdoor to reveal a staircase leading down. He told Dillon to wait outside.

Once downstairs, he led them to a room where dozens of handguns were displayed on a wall. She looked at him in amazement.

He shrugged. “You can never be too prepared. Pick one.”

Cara was comfortable here. Brian and she practically grew up with guns in their hands, spending all their spare time at their father’s firing range. Her father started Sinclair Arms Distributing before she was born, and as soon as they were old enough, he taught them to shoot.

She found her weapon of choice about halfway down the wall—an HK 9mm, semiautomatic. She took it down to see how it felt in her hand. Joe pulled two clips from the drawer below it and handed one to her. It slid into place smoothly, the familiar sound strangely comforting.