Clean Lines (Cedar Tree #4) (22 page)

Naomi has gone with Fox for a scan and I'm in the waiting room with Gus, who's been on the phone since he got here just minutes after us. The only thing he's mentioned is that the Chief was getting in touch with his counterpart in Phoenix to file an official complaint regarding the conduct of his two detectives. Movement by the door draws my attention and I lift my head from my hands, hoping to see Naomi with some news. Instead Jenna leans against the doorway, a nervous little smile on her face.

"Hi," she says, her voice thick with what I assume to be an attempt at seduction. It only turns my stomach and boils my blood. Obviously missing the fact that I'm not alone in the room, she saunters over to stand in front of me, her hand on her hip. "I’ve missed you."

And my control snaps.

I'm up out of my seat, grabbing her by the shoulders and backing her into the wall in an instant, my face inches from hers.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? Do you have any idea what you've started? You stupid bitch!"

"Easy my friend." Gus's voice penetrates the loud rushing of blood filling my ears as his hand carefully peels away my fingers from her neck. Only now do I notice how her eyes have turned fearful and her face is beet red. I remove my hand but stay in her space.

"Stay away from Naomi or me, and don't you ever mess with what is mine again, or so help me God..."

I turn away trying to reel in my anger.

"I'm sorry... I was just trying to help. I thought..." she stammers, but I'm not buying her manipulative bullshit for one second.

"Joe?"

I turn around to see Naomi walking in and I don't hesitate, I walk right up and wrap her up in my arms, but she pulls out and turns to Jenna, her back ramrod straight.

"I have a shitload of vacation time saved up. Consider that my official notice. I'm done working for a petty, mean-spirited, unprofessional little bitch. I quit! Find yourself another ER physician to abuse at and another sheriff to harass. We're done with you." Turning to me she smiles big. "Fox wants to see you. Let's go, love." And with her head held high and my hand in hers, she walks us straight past an open-mouthed Jenna, leaving a chuckling Gus behind.

Fuck me, she can get me from murderous to horny as a three-balled tomcat in seconds. My girl's got talents. Walking down the empty hallway, we pass a unisex washroom with the door slightly ajar and I can't resist; with a tug on her hand, I pull Naomi inside with me and shut the door.

"What the he—" The rest of whatever she was about to say disappears down my throat, since my mouth is on hers, drinking in a much-needed taste of this woman who can rev me up, turn me inside out and flip me on like a switch. I don’t just need her...no, she’s become as essential to me as food and water —as air.

"You were missing from me. I needed to remind myself," I tell her when I finally pull back.

"Joe..." she whispers with her hands still clenched in my shirt.

"You called me love...before."

"Hmmm. I did do that," she admits, but won't look at me.

"Alright," I chuckle at her unwillingness to meet my eyes. "We'll get back to that later. For now, there's a boy waiting for us I believe."

With a quick glance down the hallway, we slip out of the washroom as unnoticed as when we entered. Outside his room she pulls me aside and quickly fills me in on the results of the scan. No fractures to the skull but there appears to be a small bleed and some swelling, so he will be admitted. I don't know what I was expecting, but the almost detached and clinical way Naomi seems to handle this development is not it.

She leads the way into the room, where a uniformed officer is standing guard just inside the door. A precaution I'd expected. The lobby is full of officers, uniformed and plain-clothed, since both shooting victims have been transported here as well, their injuries apparently non-life threatening. Gus managed to glean that information before the two of us had retreated to the small waiting room for some privacy.

Fox is lying in bed. The kid looks to be asleep, a small portion of his hair shaved on the side of his head where I guess they stitched his cut. Damn. He looks like death warmed over.

"Hey Bub," Naomi says softly as she approaches the bed, and his eyes blink open. They shift from her to me and then land on the police officer still standing by the doorway, before sliding back and looking straight at me. It takes me just a second to register what he is trying to tell me.

"Excuse me, Officer? Is it possible to give us a little family time?" Although I've seen the guy around town and would normally not think twice to send him out of a room, I force myself to stay in my role as a mere citizen. Thank God he doesn't do more than nod once and step outside, closing the door behind him.

"Thanks," Fox's voice croaks from the bed.

"No problem, buddy. Anybody come and talk to you already?"

"Somebody came in just after Mom left to get you but I pretended to be asleep. I wanted you to be here too."

"Not going anywhere, kid."

"He had a gun. I heard the detectives at the house this morning and got scared so I climbed out the bathroom window. I was planning just to hide in the tree line on the side of the cornfield until they left, but when I got there, this guy stepped out from behind a tree with a gun. I tried to run but he tackled me and said he'd shoot me in the back if I tried again. He duct-taped my hands behind my back. Then we walked for maybe twenty minutes alongside the corn, I don't really know. I heard you yelling my name at some point." His eyes turn to his mom and he swallows hard before continuing. "There was a car waiting on the far side of the field on one of those farmer access trails? The kid who was at the dig that night was in the driver's seat. They put me in the trunk and started driving. Seemed like forever and every time we stopped, I thought for sure they'd get me out, but then the car would start up again. At some point I could hear the one guy yelling but I couldn't hear the other voice so I thought maybe he was on the phone. When we finally stopped, the guy with the gun opened the trunk. We were at this empty gas station or auto shop or something, but I heard a car engine and thought we might be close to a public road. I tried to get away, but the bastard cold-cocked me with the gun. Don’t remember much after that, until I heard some shots and found myself tied to a car lift. The driver was sitting with his back against a wall while the dude with the gun was acting all crazy, running from one bay door to the next, peeking out those little windows, waving his gun around. When he noticed I had my eyes open he pointed it at me and I thought for sure that was it. I asked him what he wanted with me. He said I was gonna make him rich. Would shoot him from small time, right into the 'big leagues.' Something about Max making sure of it?"

The fear on his face is unmistakable, as I'm sure the shock on mine is.

"He said 'Max?’"

Fox just nods and I see Naomi covering her mouth with her hand. Fucking hell. My mind is already starting to re-sort and re-file all the little bits and pieces of information I have and the scenario I come up with is chilling. It reaches back further in time than I'd been aware of. And that scares the fuck out of me.

I lean over the bed and put my mouth close to the kid's ear. "I promise you, I will keep you and your mom safe. If it's the last thing I do."

Then I turn to Naomi who still stands almost frozen beside the bed and take her in my arms, pressing her head against my chest.

"Beautiful, you with me?" I feel the nod of her head and pull back so I can look in her eyes. "Everything I care about is in this room, you hear me? I will do anything to protect it. Anything."

"Joe...I..." I cut her off with a hard kiss, not caring that her son is right there. He's not stupid and he better get used to me all over his mother. Gonna happen a lot.

"Later. You and I? We talk later about us." With that I turn to the door and pull it open.

"Dooley! Gus! Better get your butts in here!"

"A
nything happens, it'll take us all of five minutes to get back."

I'm pissed. Joe's basically kidnapped me from the hospital to get some sleep at his place despite my protests. Unfortunately I have very little steam left...if any.

Having to listen to Fox recount the story again for Gus and Detective Dooley to hear didn't only tucker him right out, but me as well. I swear my eyes were blinking in sync with my poor kid's. I was about to curl up on the chair when Gus came back in with Neil and decreed that he'd stay the night and I was to get some sleep. Somehow, somewhere he and Joe had worked this little arrangement out—without bothering to include me in their planning session. So I'm pissed, but also very, very tired.

I startle when I'm lifted out of the truck. Damn, must've dozed off. Just as easily I snuggle into Joe's chest, closing my eyes again.

When I wake up next, I can't breathe. I'm in a dark room, alone and I can't breathe. I try...my mouth is open and I try so hard to pull the air in, but there's nothing. Just a vacuum. I drop myself from the bed and crawl into a corner. Tears start squeezing from my eyes as I look around for something—anything—to help me. Jesus. The beating of my heart is so hard, I can feel it against the wall of my chest, swelling...bursting. My hands are clawing and scratching, grabbing for something to hold onto...grab onto. I can't breathe...no air...no...

"Fuck!" I can hear Joe. I can even sense his hands on me—lifting me off the floor—but I can't see anything through the film of tears. I feel detached and cold. Still in the dark.

"Hey, baby. I'm here...not leaving you. It's alright, you're alright—" His deep rumbling words are like a soothing life-line; an anchor for me to hold onto, preventing me from disappearing completely. My body starts shivering with cold air, hitting exposed skin, as I try to focus on the continuous litany of softly spoken words, while his hands strip me naked. I finally gasp a breath full of blessed air when I'm submersed into a bath of warm water, held tightly by strong arms against familiar skin. After the first breath, the next comes easier, and the next...and the next. A full shudder runs down the length of my spine, taking the remainder of the shivers with it and now I can feel the rapid rise and fall of Joe's chest—hear his fast heartbeat—and I lift my hand over top so I can feel its solid rumble under my palm. Connection.

"I'm here," I manage.

"Thank God. That freaked the fuck out of me, beautiful."

I can feel his arms tightening around me and a deep breath clearing his lungs.

We stay in the bath for a while, not saying anything, just holding on. Settling down. Suddenly, the reality of the past day comes barreling at me and I surge up, splashing water everywhere.

"Fox! I need to call and see how he's doing. Need to go back."

"Settle. I'd just left the bed to call when I heard you drop out of the bed. He's fine. Talked to Neil who says he's been sleeping aside from his forced wake-up calls every couple of hours. He likes Neil a lot. It's fine, baby. It's only four o'clock in the morning. Let's try and catch a couple more hours before heading back, okay?"

I know he's right. I know if I don't try and sleep at least some of this stupid panic attack off, I'll be a zombie again the rest of today and Lord knows I'll need my strength. So I give in.

With the water only lukewarm now, I get out and grab us some towels off the shelf. Still a bit wobbly, but determined to stand on my own two feet, I gently but firmly push Joe's hands away when he tries to take over drying me off. Neither of us bother putting clothes back on before we crawl into bed. When Joe curls his body around my back, tucking me close, he presses his face in my neck and mumbles, "Tomorrow we're gonna sit down and do some planning. It may be temporary, it may be permanent, but either way, we're gonna do something constructive. I think we both need something positive to work on. What do you say? Ready to make some plans?"

"I want to call a realtor."

My life is unravelling around me and my carefully constructed stability has evaporated. I feel suspended and need to start taking control where I can. Joe's right. I'm selling my house and want to look buying the old feed store. Step one.

"I'm good with that, beautiful. Now sleep."

Soft lips trailing from my sternum down to my belly button, taking a slow dip of a tongue, only to take their journey further south, wake me up to the crisp light of morning. My hand inadvertently reaches down to find the messy waves of Joe's hair and a moan from my mouth alerts him to my arousal. It only takes a second before his tongue and fingers find the evidence slipping from my pussy. I lift my knees and drop my legs open, and Joe settles his shoulders between. When I look down, I see his bright blue eyes dark with lust focused on me.

"Morning, honey," I breathe. "Best way to wake up is with your mouth on me."

"Can't do that, beautiful." Joe pulls himself up and over me, lines his cock up with his hand and slides inside me right up to the hilt in one hard move, taking my breath away.

"You start talking while I'm trying to pace myself and it ain't gonna work. You'll have me finish before even starting," he growls, pulling his hips back before slamming back home as deep as he can, slapping his balls against my ass and grinding himself on my clit. The tone of his voice, the words, the intensity of his eyes and the sensations he creates in my body all conspire to have me tumbling toward climax blindly with only a few strokes of his cock.