All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel (16 page)

“We spent hours on the firing range when we were kids, trying to perfect the one skill my father respected, hoping he’d notice.” She laughed, recalling his ambivalence toward the children he’d brought into the world.

“Is your brother as good a marksman as you?”

“Better. He craved Dad’s approval more than I did. He started competing and even won a couple of trophies. Dad finally noticed, and from then on, he and Brian were practically inseparable.”

“Did you resent that?”

“It wasn’t so bad. I had friends, and it wasn’t long before I left for college. Then I met David and things went downhill from there.” She gazed out at the lake shining in the moonlight and blinked back tears. When her voice was steady again, she laughed dryly.

“My life sounds sad when I tell the story all at once like that, but it wasn’t all bad.” She turned to smile at Joe. His gaze was on the horizon and he cleared his throat before he spoke.

“Your life is just getting started. It can be anything you want it to be.” His tone left no room for doubt.

Again, she marveled at his commitment to her. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Irene said you pick up strays… like me. Why?”

He shook his head slowly. “Irene is a great lady. It wouldn’t be the same around here without her.”

“Is it true?”

“I suppose it is. Irene and a few others came here out of horrendous circumstances. They stayed because they didn’t have anywhere else to go, or because they thought they owed me something. But the word
stray
implies you’re lost and helpless. I don’t think either of those words apply to you. You just need a little help getting through a rough patch and you’ll be good as new.” He paused and stepped closer. “Then, if you decide to stay, it will be because you want to.”

His eyes were warm and inviting. The spell he wove banished her loneliness and made her feel safe. What was the harm in accepting comfort when it was offered? Part of her recognized the danger. The other part didn’t care.

He sighed. “You’d better take Dillon into your room now and see if you can get some sleep. Waiting for you to make the first move is proving to be more difficult than I thought.” He grinned crookedly as he turned her toward her room and commanded the dog to follow.

For a moment, she wanted to stay, to put her arms around his neck and give in to these feelings that raced up and down her spine every time her eyes met his, but that wasn’t possible… not now… not with David occupying her every thought.

“Good night, Joe.” She stepped through the balcony doors with Dillon on her heels, and Joe closed the door firmly behind her.

Chapter Fifteen

Tuesday, 12:20 am

J
OE ANSWERED THE
phone on the first ring. “What do you have for me, Murphy?”

“Dennelli should be arriving in about four hours. His chopper is on standby, and his men are heavily armed.”

Murphy’s latest update came as no surprise to Joe, but it just didn’t make sense. What was Dennelli after? Frustration ratcheted his anger a notch higher. “The bastard would have to be crazy to think he can take her by force, and he’d be stupid to come in here and start a war he can’t possibly win.”

“Or desperate. Which brings us to the question, why does he want her back so bad? There has to be more to the story than just a man who’s having second thoughts about the divorce he gave his wife. Maybe she’s got some evidence that would put this guy away.”

“She wants him out of her life—that’s all. If it was just a matter of Cara knowing where the bodies are buried and him wanting to shut her up, I’d know how to handle that. For some reason, he wants to punish her, and I’m afraid there’s only one way this can end.”

“I think you need to operate under the assumption Dennelli isn’t quite rational, especially where Cara is concerned, and that he’ll do anything, including starting a war, to get her away from you.” Murphy hesitated. “Have you considered just putting them in a room together and letting them hash it out?”

“That’s not going to happen. Cara is scared to death of the creep. She’s convinced he’ll kill her and, from the little I know about their relationship, I believe her. She’ll be safe here for the time being. I’ll handle Dennelli when he shows up. When we finish with Sinclair, I’ll figure out what to do about Dennelli for the long term.”

“That sounds like a dangerous proposition.”

“Not as dangerous as what she’ll face if I don’t.”

“I’ll see if I can dig up anything that will help. I presume you’ll be ready for him when he shows up?”

“Count on it.”

Tuesday, 4:14 am

I
N THE EARLY
hours of the morning, something pulled her from a deep sleep. It was a few minutes before the whirring beat of rotor blades brought her fully awake. A helicopter, close. She raced from the bed to the balcony, searching the sky. Dillon whined nervously beside her.

Two sets of high voltage lights on utility poles lit up the front yard like daylight. Every man on the ranch stood ready, in full battle gear and armed to the teeth. One of them balanced a rocket launcher on his shoulder. It was like something from a bad movie.

A noise behind her made her whip around. Three figures emerged from Joe’s room. Dillon wagged his tail. One of them must be Joe. She recognized the other two as Walker and Rayna. They each carried a sniper rifle and positioned themselves at opposite ends of the balcony, hunkering down out of sight.

Joe pulled her into the shadows inside her room, called Dillon, and closed the door.

“It’s David? Why didn’t you wake me?” Her fingers shook as she pushed her hair out of her eyes.

“Calm down. That’s why I’m here.”

“The chopper will land any second. I should be down there with everyone else.”

“Why? So he’ll know you jumped out of bed and arranged your schedule so you could be there to meet him? That’s not the way to play this. The only impression I want him to leave here with is I’m ready for him. I thought maybe you and I could make an entrance, after he’s waited a few minutes. I bet he’s not used to waiting—is he?”

“No. He’ll be mad as hell.”

“Good. Now, take a deep breath and go throw on some clothes. Don’t forget your gun. I want you to make a good impression.”

Grabbing jeans and a sweatshirt, she dressed in the bathroom and ran a brush through her hair. She retrieved her handgun and a pair of shoes before rejoining Joe by the balcony doors.

“The chopper landed a couple of minutes ago. We’ll wait another five before we go down. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine.” It was a lie, and he was sure to guess that from her shaky voice.

He took her holstered gun from her hand, threaded the belt around her waist, and pulled it tight.

“I’ll be right beside you. Dillon will be there, too, and he’s probably less forgiving than I am. Rayna and Walker are up here with sniper rifles. There are two dozen guys in the yard, armed and ready. This will be fun.”

“I think I might throw up.”

He chuckled, and she gave him a venomous look.

“Remember the night we met?” he asked. “You were scared, with good reason. You didn’t know what was happening, or who to trust. Remember when you thought the guy with the knife had the drop on me?”

“I picked up his gun… and shot him.”

“Where’d that come from?”

“I don’t know. Everything happened so fast. It had to be done, so I did it.”

“Exactly.” An easy smile lit Joe’s face. “You can do this too. It’ll all be over in ten minutes, fifteen tops. Are you ready—Party Girl?”

Cara took a deep breath, willed her stomach to stay down, and nodded. Joe guided her from the room as Dillon trailed behind them.

The military-style helicopter had landed less than a hundred and fifty feet from the house. The rotors still turned slowly. Two armed men were on the ground, and four more stood inside the open cargo bay. They were seriously outnumbered and looked like they’d prefer being anywhere but there. David stood stiffly just inside the circle of illumination cast by Joe’s lights. He stepped forward as soon as they left the porch.

She was astonished at how difficult it was to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, but she had to. Keeping pace with Joe was essential. The only strength she had at the moment flowed from him. Still, she faltered when she looked up. David glared at her. Joe’s hand, resting lightly on her back, urged her forward.

Joe’s men were spread out on both sides of them, each armed with an AK47. Steve manned the ground-to-air missile launcher she’d seen from upstairs. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. War had been declared, and the troops were putting themselves in danger to protect her. How would she live with herself if someone got hurt?

They stopped about fifty feet from the chopper and watched David approach.

“That’s far enough,” Joe called when David was still ten feet away.

David’s contemptuous gaze traveled slowly over Joe, and then the line of armed men before it came to rest on Cara.

David was a big man, football player size, although he’d never played the game. His hair was trimmed short and he always wore a business suit with a white shirt, open at the neck. He used his voice, his dress, and his imposing height to intimidate. His eyes were dark and calculating, but many times she’d seen them go from calm to crazy in a heartbeat.

Right now he was enraged. Evidently, he’d thought he’d swoop in here and retrieve her without resistance.

“Cara, are you ready to go?” His fury was carefully masked.

“What could possibly make you think I’d go with you?” The strength in her voice surprised her and earned a nod from Joe.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, but it’s nothing we can’t fix if you’ll just come home with me.” He moved closer as he spoke.

Joe took a step forward. “She said she’s not going with you, Dennelli.”

David studied him for a moment. “Reynolds, isn’t it?”

Joe didn’t answer.

“Rumor has it the highest bidder buys your loyalty. What’ll it take? I can beat any offer you’ve ever had. Plus, you’ll get to walk away from this alive.” David smiled mockingly.

“I don’t have any use for your money, or for you, but if you think you want to take me on, that might make for interesting sport.” Joe stood with his thumbs hooked in his pockets. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Fury burned in David’s eyes, and Cara could almost feel the effort it took for him to control himself.

“She’s my wife. This is between me and her.”

“Actually, she’s not your wife anymore and even if the divorce wasn’t final, I think you’ve lost any privileges you might have had.”

“At least talk to me, Cara. Let me apologize.” His gaze came back to her.

“It’s a little late for an apology, especially one you don’t really mean.” Cara took a step toward him, and Joe put a warning hand on her arm.

David noticed the gesture. “I see how it is.” He sneered, shifting his gaze back to Joe. “You’re sleeping with my wife.” He bared his teeth in a menacing smile. “I’ll have to punish her for that.”

Joe tensed. “You’ll never touch her again, Dennelli.”

“Sure I will. As soon as she comes home. Right, Cara?”

“I despise you. I actually used to think I could figure out a way to make you happy… but it wasn’t me, was it? You just enjoyed inflicting pain. Well, I’m not afraid of you anymore, and if you come around here again, I just might kill you myself.”

David swore and lunged for her. Joe jumped in front of her instantly, shoving her out of the way. He was stronger and pushed David back easily. She didn’t realize she’d pulled her gun until Joe looked at her with a question in his eyes.

“You have every right, but that’s more my style,” Joe said. “You sure you want to do that?”

David watched her, contempt in his eyes. “I’m leaving, but make no mistake. You’ll come home, one way or another.”

The smart thing would be to put a bullet in him and be done, but Cara couldn’t kill him in cold blood. She lowered her gun, and Joe turned back to David.

“Those little laser dots on your chest”—he pointed at David’s shirt—“mean you’re a dead man if you don’t get your ass out of here in the very near future.”

David looked at his shirt then back up and, for an instant, fear darkened his eyes. “Reynolds, you’ve just made the biggest mistake of your life.” He glared at Cara as he backed away toward the helicopter.

“Don’t come back, Dennelli. This is your only warning. Next time you won’t be walking out of here.”

David turned and stalked away. Cara guessed it was only his pride that kept him from running. When he was finally in the chopper and it took off, she laughed with relief, bordering on hysteria. The chopper got smaller and smaller, and the noise of the rotors faded away. Joe gave the order to stand down. Walker exited the house with one arm wrapped around Rayna’s shoulders, their rifles slung across their backs. The two of them laughed and talked until Rayna spotted Cara.

Walker grabbed Cara around the waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning around before he set her back on her feet.

“Now that was a good time, boss!” Walker slapped Joe on the back. Then he grabbed her hand. “Come down after breakfast, Cara. We’ll go to work.”

“No,” Joe said. “She’s taking the day off.”

“You said it yourself. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Joe’s tone hardened. “Tomorrow will be soon enough. She can come down in the morning. Right now, I need her here.”

Cara discerned the warning in his softly spoken words.

Walker must have heard it too. “Okay, Joe, don’t blow a gasket.” He winked at her. “Tomorrow morning then.”

Tyler joined the small group, also giving her a hug. Rayna looked like she wanted to say something but finally turned and walked away.

“Chopper landed at a private field on the east side of the lake,” Tyler said.

Joe frowned. “Get eyes and ears over there. I want to know every move this guy makes.”

Tyler nodded and jogged toward the house.

“You don’t think he’s leaving?” Dread tightened its grip on Cara’s stomach.