Desert Bound

  “They would be.” Sean shook his head. “Was it Ollie who beat his ass?”

  “What?”

  “Ollie. I was never sure whether he’d beat Joe up or throw a party when they split—because honestly, cuz, you could see that one coming a mile away. So was it Ollie? Or you?”

  “We didn’t beat him up.”

  “Jena’s new man?”

  “As far as I know, Joe left the Springs as ugly as he came in, but no one I know laid a hand on him. By the time Allie told us, he was long gone.”

  Sean frowned. “He was beat up, Alex. Beat up. I think he’d been at my place at least a week and he still had bruises on his face. Lip was cut up. Looked like someone had tried to wring his neck.”

  “When was this?”

  “Few weeks… maybe a month. I don’t know how long he was there exactly. And I didn’t come straight here. I had some shit to do in the city, wanted to get stuff taken care of before I headed home.”

  “Where did Joe go?”

  Sean shrugged. “Hell if I know. He was there one night after I showed up, and he spilled about leaving Allie, then he took off. He knew how pissed I was. Went to the store for beer and he was gone when I got back.”

  Alex put the timeline together in his head. A few weeks. Maybe a month…

  “If Joe showed up at your place a month ago, he could have gotten those bruises from Marcus.”

  Sean lowered the water bottle he’d been about to drink from. “What?”

  “Joe owed Marcus some money. They had words. Joe left Allie before Marcus died, but he might have been hanging around. Might have holed up somewhere… We need to get together with Caleb on this shit. I think he’s been trying to track Joe.”

  “Are you saying the police think Joe had something to do with Marcus’s death?”

  It churned his gut, just like he knew it churned Sean’s. Joe had been an asshole, but no one wanted to think that someone who’d been a friend could have done something so wrong. Taken the life of a good man with a family.

  “It’s possible, Sean.”

  “No.”

  “If he was desperate—”

  “What would he be desperate about?” Sean was almost yelling. “He was already leaving town. So he owed Marcus money. It’s not like Marcus was the Russian mob. He’d let that shit go, Alex. You know he would.”

  “I know he would. I’m not saying Marcus—”

  “This was not about money. Not money between Joe and Marcus, anyway.”

  “Then what was it about, Sean? Because, honest to God, I’ve been wracking my brain to figure out why the hell someone would kill Marcus Quinn. The man was liked—no, loved—by most of the people around here. He was one of the few people in your family that everyone trusted. No offense.”

  “None taken. But Alex…”

  They both sat silent for a few minutes, Sean sipping a water bottle, Alex tapping a pencil eraser on his desk.

  Finally, Sean said, “I want to see Allie. The kids.”

  “They’ll be home or at her dad’s store. Not sure what her schedule is today.”

  “Has Ollie…”

  “Nope.”

  Sean shook his head. “Not surprising. Jena okay? I can never tell from her e-mails because she always talks about everyone else.”

  “Big as a house and her husband pisses me off regularly, but he’s a good guy. Thinks the sun rises and sets on her and those boys. He’s good.”

  “He really do that freaky shit about shifting into other people?”

  “Not often, but he can.”

  “Weird. As. Hell.” Then Sean’s mouth tipped up in the corners. “And you’re back in town permanently. You and Ted killed each other yet?”

  “We’re living together.”

  Sean burst into laughter.

  Alex grinned. “Practically, anyway. We’ll get the formalities taken care of soon enough.”

  “You don’t drag your feet, cuz.”

  “No,” he said quietly, the smile falling from his face. “I dragged my feet too long.”

  “You both did what you had to do.” Sean’s face was serious, too. “Sucks. But you know I’m right.”

  “I do and I don’t,” he said. “Wasted seven years, man. Could have had her. We might have had our own kids by now. Seven years.”

  Sean looked at him in silence, then looked to the window and nodded toward it. “All this, Alex. What you’re doing? It wouldn’t be possible if you’d moved back with her.”

  “I know.”

  “So does she. And she knows it’s important.”

  “I hope so.”

  Sean smiled. “She’s Ted. She knows. Even if it pisses her off.”

  He nodded, not wanting to say more. “Good to have you back, Sean.”

  “Good to be back, cuz.”

  Alex grinned. “Now, I know you’re lying.”

  “Hey, handsome,” Ted said as she sidled up to him at the bar. He’d called her and told her to grab Jena and Allie after all the kids were in bed, but he didn’t tell her why. Just told her to meet him at the Cave. “Good to see you.”

  “You too.” He pulled her to him for a quick kiss. Sean was hiding in the hallway, waiting to surprise the girls, but Ollie knew he was there.

  The bear was behind the bar, trying very hard not to look at Allie, who was cute as a button in a pair of nice jeans and a bright yellow top. Alex was glad to see her dressed up a little. She’d hardly left the house in the past month.

  And from what Alex could see, she was looking anywhere but at the big man standing behind the bar.

  Interesting.

  “How was work?” Ted asked.

  “Hot. Dusty. Grading is almost done, though. So that’s good news.”

  “Awesome,” she said with a grin. “Your place or mine tonight?”

  “Are you still the one with an actual house and a bedroom that doesn’t rock?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then your place it is.”

  “You’re making breakfast.”

  “I can do that.” He put his arm around her waist and pulled her between his legs, letting his lips meet hers in a long, lingering kiss. He heard a few whistles sound around the bar, but he didn’t care. Everyone in town knew she was his by now. He was more than happy to give them a show.

  “Alex,” she said as she backed away. A flush stained her cheeks. “Seriously?”

  “I waited seven years to be able to kiss you like that in front of God and everyone, Ted. I have the urge to indulge.”

  Jena was grinning at him over Ted’s shoulder. “I love it. Love. It.”

  Ted said, “That’s because you’re a sappy pregnant woman.”

  “Yes, I am. And my husband’s working tonight, so I have no one to kiss, and I’ll have to live vicariously through you.”

  “Hey, Ollie.” Alex heard Allie’s voice on his other side. “How’s it going? Been a while.”

  Ollie didn’t look up from pulling a pint. “What are you drinking, Allie?”

  “I…” Allie’s eyes darted to Ollie, then away.

  Alex tried not to listen. Tried to distract Jena and Ted, too. But all of them kept glancing at Allie’s pale face and Ollie’s impassive expression. It was almost painful, how uncomfortable it was. He saw Ollie take a deep breath, then look at the woman he’d been silently in love with for fifteen years.

  “Allie girl,” he said in a low voice, “what do you need?”

  They were staring at each other, and Alex could have sworn every single eye in the bar was on them.

  She was holding her breath; Ollie was holding her eyes.

  Alex heard Jena whisper, “Come on…”

  Then Sean Quinn jumped out from the hallway, wrapped his arms around Allie’s waist, and bent to plant a kiss on her cheek.

  “Miss me?”

  Allie yelped and turned in his arms. “Sean?”

  “Hey, honey.” He dipped down and picked her up, swinging her around in an embrace as Jena and Ted ran to the
m both.

  “Sean!”

  “What are you doing here?” Jena asked with a laugh.

  “Hell,” he said, grinning. “I missed my girls.”

  Feminine laughter filled the air, and in it, Allie’s laugh rang loudest. Alex glanced over his shoulder to see Ollie looking away, pulling another pint, but his jaw had gone granite. Alex looked at Sean, who was also glancing at Ollie with a devious expression on his face. He shook his head and looked away.

  Only Sean Quinn would poke at a bear and think it was a game. Alex just hoped Sean knew what he was doing. Ollie was as mellow as they came. Until he wasn’t. It took a lot, but when that bear let loose, even the biggest predators ran.

  It was an hour later when Caleb Gilbert sauntered into the bar. He must have been off duty, because he went behind the bar while Ollie was pulling another draft and grabbed a longneck from the case. Then he walked back and sat next to Alex, watching the girls as Sean spun them around the dance floor.

  “So,” Caleb said, “that’s the prodigal friend?”

  “Yep.”

  “Any particular reason he’s back?”

  “Other than to charm our women?” Alex asked.

  Caleb smiled, clearly enjoying watching his wife dancing, even if she was a little less graceful spinning around the dance floor while carrying his baby.

  “They love him,” Caleb said.

  “He’s a lovable guy.”

  Caleb raised an eyebrow at him. “Jealous, McCann?”

  “Nope.” He glanced at Ollie. “I’m not.”

  Caleb caught his meaning. “Ah. Well, it’ll be… interesting having him back.”

  Ollie didn’t say anything, but Alex heard a glass come down on the bar and crack. Just as quickly, he heard it crash in the trash can behind the bar.

  “Dang it, Ollie! I just ordered a whole bunch more of those glasses,” Tracey shouted. “Take it easy, will you?”

  Ollie’s eyes leveled on Tracey. “This my bar?”

  She said nothing, clearly still pissed and just as clearly not willing to say another word to him.

  “Table six needs you,” Ollie said. “Get to it.”

  Tracey stomped off, her order pad in one hand, still glaring at her boss.

  Caleb muttered, “Not like him.”

  “I know,” Alex said just as quietly.

  “When that snaps—”

  “Trust me. I know.” Alex changed the subject. “Joe was at Sean’s place in Laguna. A few weeks ago. Sean said he was beat up pretty bad.”

  “Oh?” Caleb glanced at Ollie. “Did Joe say who messed him up?”

  “No. He took off pretty quick after Sean showed up.”

  “Joe Smith…” Caleb said. “I’m discovering a lot more about Joe Smith—or Russell, which is what he uses to check into cheap hotels—than I expected.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Tomorrow night, McCann.” Caleb downed the rest of his beer, then stood. “We’ll get into it tomorrow night. I had a shit day. But I’ve had a cold beer, my woman is here and laughing, and I saw her eyeing my boots. That means I need to dance with her.”

  Alex watched Caleb swing over to Jena and within minutes, his arms were wrapped around her and he was smiling like the cat who drank all the cream then came back for seconds.

  Speaking of cats…

  Alex’s eyes slid to Ted, and he decided that Caleb Gilbert wasn’t an idiot. A shit day could be solved by cold beer and dancing with a good woman. He had no idea what the boot thing was about, and he didn’t want to know. He just finished his Coors and walked over to dance with Ted.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Tea…”

  “We need to get to Jena’s.”

  “They can wait.”

  His mouth was hard on hers, but his hands were soft. He was holding her down as she straddled his hips and both hands were already up her shirt. One hand trailed teasingly along her spine while the other slid along the hem of her jeans.

  Tease. He could be such a tease. How had she forgotten that?

  “We’re going to be late,” she panted.

  “I haven’t seen you all day.”

  “So come back here after.”

  A low growl rumbled in his throat and she saw the gold light his eyes when he pulled his mouth away from hers.

  “They don’t get you until I do,” he said in a low hard voice.

  Ted felt her hackles rise. “Cool it.”

  “Not until you understand me.”

  “Alex, do not pull the alpha wolf, macho bull—”

  “It has nothing to do with being an alpha, and everything to do with you being mine.”

  The hackles were done rising. They were up, and Ted felt like baring claws. But before she could open her mouth, he put a hand over it and leaned close, his eyes intent on hers.

  “You’re mine. And I’m yours. Understand this, baby, for the rest of our lives, we’re going to have your family and my pack tugging at us. Your patients. My employees. We have responsibilities we can’t escape. But you are my mate.”

  Seeing as he wasn’t grunting or pounding his chest, Ted pulled his hand away, but she didn’t speak. She cocked an expectant eyebrow at him as he continued.

  “For the rest of our lives, there will be something or someone who needs our attention. Always. But this?” He pulled her closer and squeezed his hands at her hips. “This is priority. You have a busy day, I come to you and give you what you need. I have a busy day, you do the same. But you and me comes before everything else. Get that?”

  “Alex, I—”

  “I can hear the ‘but’ in your voice, Ted, but this is not something that’s negotiable with me. We don’t get that from each other, we drift. We drift, we lose our connection. That is not acceptable.”

  She took a deep breath and said, “There are—”

  “Now you’re just being ornery. You know I’m right.” The growl got deeper. “If you’re too stubborn—”

  This time, it was Ted who clamped her hand over Alex’s mouth. He didn’t give an inch, snapping out and grabbing her ring finger between his teeth.

  She wanted to scream, because that shouldn’t have been hot, but it definitely was.

  Before he could argue with her, Ted said, “Mortal danger.”

  He frowned and let go of her finger. “What?”

  “Mortal danger, Alex. I’m the only doctor in town. If someone’s having a heart attack, you’re going to have to keep your pants on.”

  He narrowed his eyes, then gave her a shrug. “I’ll give you mortal danger.”

  “Oh, that’s so generous.”

  “But ‘mortal danger’ does not include one of your thousand and one cousins having a migraine.”

  “Fine.”

  “Or cramps.”

  “Fine.”

  “Or heartburn.”

  “Fine!” She shoved at his shoulders, wanting to get up. Still slightly pissed, even though the words he said—the conviction in them—hit her, and not in any shallow way. This man was in deep. As deep as she was. It was beautiful, and a little frightening.

  “And if they interrupt us having sex, there better be massive blood loss.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m done with this conversation.”

  “Or there will be massive blood loss, if you catch my meaning.”

  “Wait, hold on…” Ted scrunched her face together and closed her eyes. “It’s difficult. I think… because I speak rudimentary English…” She opened them and glared into his now-amused eyes. “I get it.”

  He smiled. “You’re so damn cute when you’re pissed. Want to make out on the couch before we go to Jena’s?”

  Since that was the question he led with as he walked through the door, she shouted,“Argh!”

  Then she climbed off his lap and stomped to the door.

  So Alex made out with her in the car.

  “Let’s lay things out,” Caleb said.

  Alex asked, “You sure you want to do this
with everyone here?”

  Ted glanced around the room. It wasn’t just her, Caleb, and Alex. Jena was there, along with Sean, Allie, Willow, and Ollie, who was looming in a corner, obviously trying to ignore how close Sean and Allie were sitting.

  Caleb looked around at the assembled crowd. “Is anything we say here going to leave this room?”

  “No.”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “Hell, no.”

  Various grunts.

  “Okay, then.” Caleb turned back to the board where he’s pinned a bunch of pictures. Ted could spot a few crime scene photos, along with pictures of Marcus Quinn, Chris Avery, Frank Di Stefano, and a few people she didn’t know. “Here are the players we have so far.”

  “You left someone out,” Allie said quietly.

  Caleb turned. “Allie—”

  “I don’t think he’d kill anyone,” the small woman said quietly, “but he should be up there is he’s a suspect. Or connected, Caleb. Don’t try to spare my feelings on this.”

  Damn. Ted always forgot how tough Allie was. Even as a kid, she’d suck it up if she was hurt or sad. When things hurt the most, she just got really, really quiet. Her last baby, when Joe couldn’t bother showing up at the hospital and Jena was holding her hand, had been delivered in almost complete silence. And there she was again, Allie’s jaw was tight when Caleb pulled out a picture of Joe and stuck it on a blank corner of the board. Ted knew that’s where it had been before Caleb pulled it down.

  Damn.

  Ted heard her pull a deep breath, then she said, “Let’s go.”

  Caleb turned to her. “Ted, why don’t you start at the crime scene, then we’ll work backward.”

  “Fair enough.” She rose and walked to the board. “First off, the crime scene wasn’t where Marcus died. He was killed somewhere else, then his body was dumped there. There wasn’t enough blood at the scene. So somewhere out there is the real crime scene, but it’s possible we’ll never find it.”

  “So the coyotes?” Sean asked.

  “Opportunistic. Just regular coyotes. His body was there, so they… did what they do. Luckily, the pathologist in San Bernardino was able to get a clear cause of death. Shot in the back by a nine millimeter. Prior to death, he’d been given a dose of rohypnol. Roofies.”