Cold Heat (Seasons of the Heart #1) Page 9

  Rafe’s phone signaled in incoming text, grunting as he read it. “Cal and Zach are heading up and should be in this afternoon,” he was saying as he started typing out a reply. “They’ll head over to my place, the less people we have in plain sight, the better the surprise, if we need it.”

  “That’ll work. We also need to get word to the Sheriff’s office and let Sanchez know what could possibly be going down.”

  “I already called, Sanchez is out on vacation, and it seems,” Rafe made air quotes with his hands, “Deputy Sheriff Robby Collins is in charge.”

  Drake pinched the bridge of his nose with that information, “Are you serious? That idiot’s in charge? Damn it!” He let out a deep breath of resignation. “What did he say when you filled him in?”

  “Basically, as long as you’re defending your property, you’re good, we are not to turn this into some, and I’ll quote him here, ‘hot shot, glory days mission that endangers civilians lives’. And since everything we have right now is hearsay, we can’t use any of the other officers, even if they were close enough, until we have conclusive evidence of a crime.”

  Drake punched his fist on the trucks dashboard, the anger evident in his clenched jaw as he rounded the turn in the road where Kaylie’s car had been left, and pulling to a stop in front of it, putting his truck into park. “Fuck them, Rafe. We run mostly on mountain law, spread thin as we are. We’ll take care of it, and call in the big dogs if we need them,”

  Drake slammed his way out of his truck before reaching in the bed of this truck for the towropes and chains that they had brought with them.

  Rafe let out a low whistle when he saw the car, wondering how she had managed to come away with so few injuries, and how lucky she was that Drake had come up on the car before it had been completely covered with snow. “Man, I have no idea how you saw her car here, I would’ve kept going past it if I hadn’t of known where it was,” Rafe said, as he tried wiping off more than six inches of snow off the barely recognizable car. “Shit, there’s a good solid inch of ice underneath the snow on her car! This is going to be a bitch to pull loose, man.”

  Drake only grunted his response while he was trying to break the ice off of the front bumper of the car before finally breaking enough loose that he could attach the tow hook underneath it, before moving to the rear of the car. “Rafe, get your ass over here and help, would you? I don’t want to be out here too long. We need to see if we can get it off the damn tree, and this ice over here won’t make it easy.”

  The two men were struggling to free the car when a sheriff’s department SUV pulled up alongside them. Drake and Rafe took a minute to catch their breath while they waited for the officer to step out of his vehicle.

  The door to the truck creaked as it opened, its driver stepping one long booted leg onto the paved road before following it out with the other. As the deputy unfolded himself to his full height, both Drake and Rafe rolled their eyes at Deputy Collins’ motions. “What’re you two doing with this car, boys? This car looks like it was abandoned and needs towed to an impound lot.”

  “It was abandoned after the driver slid into this tree, Deputy,” Drake growled at him. “The owner of the car was shocked and concussed when I happened across her the other day as the storm was getting started. I called it in when I got home, reciting everything, including that the driver was with me.”

  “And there’s a good question to ask you, Givens; why was, or is, the woman with you? If she was injured, shouldn’t she have been taken to a hospital? You keeping her with you for any particular reason?”

  “I really don’t like what you seem to be implying, Collins,” Drake said as he took a step around the car and into the deputies space. “The roads were too dangerous to drive on, and waiting for an EMT was out of the question, all things considered. I was able to ascertain her injuries as non-life threatening, and took her to my place to observe her, if medical attention was necessary, I would have called it in immediately and done everything I could to keep the victim safe.”

  “Did you call in her name to anyone, see whether there was a missing persons alert on her?” Collins gave Drake a hard stare, “See, Givens, this just isn't sitting right with me. I think I need to go over to your place and check on this mystery victim myself, make sure she doesn’t need ‘rescuing’ from you.”

  Rafe cut over and stepped up behind Drake, grabbing him before the man could do something foolish like take a swing at the stupid deputy. “Collins, if you’re not going to help us, then get the fuck lost.”

  Robby Collins gave a tight-lipped smile before walking to the back of the disabled vehicle to assist the other men. He had more important shit to do than be here with these two reserve officers, he thought to himself. Sheriff Sanchez had left for vacation, leaving him in charge of the law, but he knew these two were tight with Sanchez, and didn’t want any complaints about him reaching the Sherriff's ear; that man was a well-respected sheriff and could have his badge if he wanted it. No Sir, Robby thought to himself, he was going to be just as important and powerful as Sanchez is, he just had to bide his time.

  The three men grunted and strained as they finally freed the car from its position around the tree. Drake crawled back under the front end to attach the towropes, checking to make sure everything was secured before they tried to pull the crumpled piece of metal back to Drakes place.

  Walking over to Collins, Drake offered the man his hand, “Thanks for helping us out here, I appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, sure. It’s all part of the job. What’re you going to do with this piece of junk now?”

  “The lady wants to see if it’s repairable, so I called a couple of buddies who can fix damn near anything and they’re headed up this week to take a look.”

  Collin’s cell started to ring, and after casting one last glance at the car and the two men, he turned, climbing back into his SUV and drove away.

  “What a fucking prick,” Rafe said as they watched the taillights pull away. “There’s something with him, and one of these days karma’s going to catch up to him and kick him in the nuts,” he sighed.

  “Alright, man, let’s see if we can get this car back to your place and check on your girls.”

  Drake stopped short in front of Rafe, turned and plowed his fist into Rafe’s jaw, knocking the man’s head back. “That was for talking shit in my kitchen,” he said as he climbed in the truck, waiting for Rafe to climb in beside him before making their way down the road.

  Chapter 19

  Not sure what to do with herself and Jenny, and knowing the two men would be gone for a couple of hours at least, Kaylie decided to dive back into cooking for the guys, to deal with the nervous energy she had coursing through her. Pulling some chicken out of the fridge, she sliced it up into strips and placed it in a bag with a marinade. She found Drake’s meager selection of vegetables, selecting a few to start slicing up to add to the chicken when she put everything together for an easy and hearty dinner.

  Once she had everything prepped, she checked the time and winced when she saw that hardly an hour had passed by. Knowing she’d be unable to sit still, she turned on Drakes stereo turning the volume up, and filled the house with music to sing along while she started cleaning house.

  Kaylie was lost in her own world when she caught sight of Jenny pressing her nose on the window and growling. Stopping what she was doing, she walked over to a window near Jenny to see if she could see what had Jenny so suddenly upset, hoping it would just be a winter rabbit or a fox that had caught her attention. Not seeing anything obvious out the window, she was about to turn away when she caught the form of a man running back into the woods behind the house.

  Kaylie was opening the drawer in the side table that held the gun as Jenny was pacing in front of the widows, growling low and menacingly in her chest and throat, the fur on her back standing up. Kaylie was starting to shake when she heard the sound of a vehicle coming up to the front of the house, her panic was forced down when Jenny
recognized the sound of a familiar engine and ran to the door to greet Drake, her body quivering with excitement.

  Kaylie ran to the door, just steps behind Jenny, pulling it open before throwing herself into his arms, gasping in his secure contact and shaking.

  Drake pulled her back so he could see her face, “What’s wrong, Kaylie?”

  “I was cleaning, not paying attention to anything when I saw Jenny out of the corner of my eye, she was focused on something around the back of the house, pacing and growling. I walked over, hoping to catch sight of whatever animal had caught her attention. I didn’t see an animal, Drake, I saw a man running back into the woods.”

  Rafe was already headed around the house at a full run when Drake told Kaylie, “Rafe and I will see what we can find, you get back into the house, lock the doors and stay away from the windows.” He took off after Rafe and Jenny.

  The two men and the dog followed the footprints left in the snow, giving chase until they came to the end of the prints where their tango had climbed into his truck and gotten away.

  Turning towards Drake, Rafe barked, “Damn it!”

  “Did you see anything?”

  “No,” Rafe started as he squatted down to study the tire tracks in the snow. “Fucker was far enough ahead of me that I couldn’t see anything of the truck once I got here.” He looked back up at Drake. “It could be anything from an idiot wandering around, or we were too late getting rid of her phone.”

  Drake let out a sigh of aggravation, putting his hands on his hips as Rafe stood back up. “I need Cal and Zach up here ASAP to keep some extra eyes on the place.” Both men started walking back toward Drakes place, each one deep in their own thoughts as they approached the house. “How the hell did they get here this quick? There’s no way they made it up here from Vegas today, the roads have been impassable until late yesterday, even now they’re still icy in spots. There had to have been someone tailing her, biding his time during the storm. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Walking up to the house, Drake pulled out his keys to unlock the door when Kaylie pulled it open from the inside. “What are you doing, Kaylie? I thought I told you to stay inside and away from the windows while we went after whoever it was you saw.”

  She lowered her eyes for a moment before looking back up at the two men, “No. Drake, I’m tired of running and hiding from every shadow. I know it’s a battle that I have to face inside myself, but I have to stop. I need to find the strength that I had once upon a time. I stayed in the house, with the doors locked like you asked, but I have to stop hiding. You both have done so much for me today.” Kaylie stopped what she was saying, turned and led the men into the kitchen. Stopping when she reached the counter, she turned to look at the two men, noticing some swelling and early bruising on Rafe’s jaw. “Jesus, Rafe, what happened to you?” she asked as she ran a finger along his jaw, her look quizzical. “This looks like someone’s fist got ahold of you.” She turned to the freezer and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables for him. “Here. What happened to you two out there?” She narrowed her eyes as the two men started chuckling, looking Drake over for any bruising before seeing the swollen knuckles on his hand. “Seriously, you two?”

  Kaylie took a deep breath before continuing, “You know what I read, once upon a time? ‘Life has no remote; get up and change yourself.’ I’m making that change, or trying to,” she looked between the two men. “When I started this, I decided to stick up for and protect myself. I continued to change when I left Las Vegas. Now I have to realize that not every shadow is him… Drake, you keep telling me that I need to trust you, that you’ll keep me safe, and I do. But I have to trust myself also.” She took a deep breath, “Drake, I need to trust myself, for a few hours at least, and I need to know that I am strong enough to live.”

  The men were standing there, listening to her as she spoke.

  “I know this is beyond ridiculous coming from me, especially after I just climbed all over you because of what I saw.” Kaylie ran her hands up into her hair, pulling at it like it would help he think clearly. “I have to prove to myself that I can, and as long as I have you here with me every second…“ she stopped, shaking her head. “God, I even sound pathetic and ungrateful to myself, I can only imagine how I sound to you. Sometime in the next couple of days, would you trust me enough to leave me alone here? Please?”

  Drake looked at her, looked into her eyes, and he saw something he’d often seen in himself when he’d first come back from a mission. It was something so many men and women serving now were coming home with, maybe not the exact same, but PTSD came from so many different sources. He knew what she was asking was difficult for her, but he knew that there were obstacles, demons, in the road to recovery that she had to face in order to live fully again.

  He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. “Just not tonight, okay?” He turned to Rafe, thanking him for the help before the other man turned and headed out to his snowmobile, walking around Kaylies battered car on the way.

  Chapter 20

  “Can't you just please trust me this time? I know you’re doing what you think is best to keep me safe,” Kaylie was saying as she stood over his stove making pancakes the next week, “but you have to understand that I need some time to myself.”

  “Kaylie.”

  “No. Don’t interrupt me, please.” She held up her hand, telling him to stop while she finished up their breakfasts. “All I am asking for is a few hours to do something without you here supervising me. You’ve got to be getting tired of me by now.” She turned from the stove with a plate stacked with pancakes and bacon that she had finished earlier. “Hell, I’m getting tired of me. Please Drake? I’ll be fine here during the day for a couple of hours. I have your phone in case I need to call you, which I won’t need to do, plus, I’ll have the gun here. You’ve been working with me on using it, making sure I’m comfortable if I need it. I’ll even keep Jenny here with me. Come on Drake? Leave me alone and go play with your friends. Rafe isn't that far away from here.”

  Drake couldn’t pin point when, exactly, he’d lost so much ground in this discussion. He knew she had a valid point in needing time alone, but damn it, it was still too dangerous. “Kaylie, I understand what you're asking, and why you're asking it, but it doesn't feel right. No, I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” he was shaking his head. “Even with Jenny staying here.”

  Sighing she told him, “You’re right, its foolish of me to think that I would be safe in a remote cabin in the mountains, forty miles from the nearest town. Snow falling on the ground outside, the deputy running a drive by every day, while I stayed warm and secure behind locked doors with Jenny. I can see where that could lead to disaster.”

  Narrowing his eyes at her, he was certain her heard sarcasm in her speech. “Fine. If it’s that important to you, I’ll call Rafe, see what’s up. But I’ll only give you limited time, so you'd better make the best of it, and Jenny stays inside the entire time. Clear?”

  She was all but bouncing in her seat while Drake was talking, giving her the conditions to her ‘parole.’ “Deal! Doors locked, phone on, Jenny inside. Sir, yes Sir!”

  “You,” he motioned with his fork, “are a smart ass.” Just another thing I love about you. Wait, when did he decide that he loved her? Drake shook his head as if to clear it.

  Drake had called Rafe and they had decided on a few hours of poker in later in the day. He was reluctant to leave her alone that afternoon as he let Jenny out for a few minutes. “You have three hours, Kaylie. That’s it, and if the snow starts falling any faster, it could be less than that. You have my phone and Rafe is programed speed dial one. If you need me for anything, call immediately. I’ll be back before dark, understand?”

  “Oh my God, Drake, I am not a child you’re leaving home alone for the first time! Three hours is perfect. Jenny and I will just do girly things. Now,” she leaned in to kiss him quickly before opening the door to let Jenny in and him out, “go away
.”

  Brian looked at the phone number displayed before answering the call. “I hope this is good news you’re calling me with?”

  “I told you I knew where she was staying, and with whom. Her car, and its tracker, is parked outside his cabin. I told you that her car was wrecked when I helped Drake and Rafe move it off the side of the road. The car isn’t going anywhere for now.” Deputy Collins was looking forward to the money he was making from this information. “I went over to his place while they were still messing with the car and I saw her inside, looking awfully cozy and comfortable in his house.

  I’d have tried to get some pictures for you, but the bastard’s dog alerted her to me being outside, and then the guys showed up. I had to haul ass so they didn’t see me.”

  “Deputy,” Brian sneered, “tell me where she is today. Now.”

  “She’s at the cabin, alone. I saw Givens drive off a few minutes ago. I’m not sure where he was going, but I know she’s not with him, and he looked pissed.”

  “Very good, Collins,” Brian said as he was hanging up on the man. How fortunate that the deputy liked the finer things in life, fine things that he couldn’t afford. Another player to keep in his pocket, should he ever need him again. For now, though, Brian was ready, more than ready to collect his belongings.

  It’s time, he thought to himself as he looked over the images that Manuel had gotten for him. It had taken them far longer than he wanted to, to be able to finally get away from Vegas and all the hoops he’d had to go through with his parole officer, and Ruvalcaba, and now the need for vengeance was festering inside of him. The bitch, his loving wife, had to pay. He knew what she’d been up to, spreading her legs for that bastard she’s been staying with. She stopped spreading her legs for him a long time ago, but apparently, like a dog in heat, she’ll now take anyone on. He looked over at Manuel, the fury boiling in him evident on his face, “Are your men ready? I want her with me tonight. I don’t care how we go about getting her, just see that we do, and remember, no one else is to hurt her.”