Hidden Betrayal, page 19
“I’m okay.” She grabbed the boxes of bandages and gauze and turned to face him. And quickly realized she’d made a strategic mistake.
The tiny bathroom left little room to maneuver, especially for two people who never shopped in petite. Linc held his ground, resting his hands on the sink on either side of her hips.
“Sit, Linc. I’ll clean that scrape.”
He didn’t move, instead narrowing hazel eyes. “Don’t shut me out.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re pulling back because you’re scared.”
“I’m not scared.”
“You are.”
“Am not.”
His eyes reflected the quick flare of amusement at her juvenile response. “You lost your father horrifically, and it hurt you. You’ve kept your heart safe so you don’t get hurt again.”
“I was engaged to be married only a week ago, Linc, so obviously I was willing to risk my heart.” Even as she said the words she knew she was lying, and from his patient look, he knew it, too.
“Don’t close me out, sweetheart.”
The look on his face was so compelling, so honest, she heaved a broken sigh. “I’ll try not to.” At the moment, that was all she could give him.
He studied her, then nodded. “Good enough for now.”
Chapter Twenty
Linc talked with Ellie, but his gaze tracked Mikayla as she and Bella worked on putting together a meal. They sat at the table in the dining area to the left of the living room, providing an unobstructed view. Ellie nodded toward the now-silent Donny. “Glad he finally shut up.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Donny’d refused to use the bag of frozen corn on his swelling ribs, complaining it was too cold. They’d given him over-the-counter painkillers, and he’d complained they weren’t strong enough. He’d protested vociferously when they’d bound his arms and legs to the chair but had finally wound down and now sat sullenly gazing at the burning logs in the fireplace. Linc wondered if, for all the years they’d worked together, he’d simply ignored the fact that his partner was a huge pain in the ass.
He rose, crossing to the kitchen window to gaze out at the snow swirling from a dark sky. “Still coming down.”
Mikayla opened the door of the small oven, and Linc grabbed the oven mitts. “I’ll get that.” He reached in and pulled out the dish bubbling with scalloped potatoes, setting it on a hot pad on the table. Ellie brought utensils and plates, while Bella opened a can of sliced peaches. Seth stood looking out of the front window, phone to his ear. Linc had wadded up a scrap of paper and wedged it into the bullet hole in the glass to help keep in the heat.
“Hey, you gonna give me any of that?” Donny had perked up.
“You’ll get yours when we’re done.”
They sat, ignoring Donny’s swearing.
“Looks pretty good for coming from a box,” Ellie commented as she spooned potatoes onto the plates.
Bella beamed her a smile. “We found ham in the freezer. There’s some cooked with the potatoes.”
Linc pulled another chair to the table and motioned for Mikayla to sit next to him. He took a loaded plate from Ellie and set it in front of her. He raised a brow when Seth sat across from him, laying his phone on the table next to his plate. “What did Sanford say?”
“He agrees we bring him off the mountain tonight. He’s called the county and they’re sending up a plow. Once it gets here, we’ll follow it down. I checked the Ford Donny drove and it’s got enough fuel.”
He pointed to Linc. “You and Mikayla will drive the Ford. Ellie, Nikolaev, and I will transport Bertola in the Suburban.” His gaze took in the others seated at the table. “We all need to stay alert.”
Mikayla frowned. “I thought you arrested Paco Zecena along with the top guys from Mexico. How can we still be in danger?”
“We did arrest them, and the marshals in San Diego and Los Angeles conducted a sweep on the entire cartel. It’s looking like we’ve decimated their operations in California, and it’s a step to crippling their organization in Mexico as well.” His eyes were a calm gray. “That doesn’t mean El Jefe in Mexico still can’t send someone to take out the witness who can place his brother at the scene of a murder.”
“Then I’ll never be safe.”
Linc laid a hand over the one she’d fisted on her thigh.
“Yeah, you’re still in danger. But the Mexican government is conducting coordinated raids, and they’re closing in on the Zecena compound in Sinaloa. If they get El Jefe, the organization is done.”
***
Mikayla sat on the couch, swiping through the messages on her phone. Linc had retrieved it from Donny’s pocket, and now she had limited battery life and texts from a worried mother to deal with. She heaved a heartfelt sigh. Martha had sent the first text of the day at about ten in the morning, and the messages had gotten increasingly peeved when Mikayla hadn’t responded. Around one in the afternoon, the tone had switched to angry, and then a little before five, alarm had crept into the pleading accusations. Contrast that with the single message from Brady, which was, as usual, blunt and to the point. She was to call their mother and reassure her, then call Brady and tell him what was really going on.
She glanced around the room. Donny slouched in the chair, eyes half closed. She had the uneasy feeling something was going on in his head, and he wasn’t as defeated as he looked. Claiming that the chore calmed her, Bella was singing softly in what sounded like Russian as she washed the dishes, while the Jameson siblings were huddled around the table, talking in quiet tones.
She gave some thought to the text to her mother, wording it carefully so she wasn’t lying, but didn’t reveal the serious nature of what had happened. Then she opened her favorites list and tapped on her brother’s name.
He picked up on the first ring. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Scary day, but I’m fine.”
“What the hell happened?”
She gave him a quick rundown on the events of the day, glancing up when she felt the couch give as Linc sat beside her.
“Really, Brady, I’m fine. Once it gets here, we’ll follow a snowplow down the mountain and should be back in Salt Lake City before dawn. Then we’ll get a chance to sleep.”
“I don’t like it, Mike. With all that protection, you shouldn’t have been kidnapped.”
She found herself reassuring her brother. “Linc is here, and three other marshals. They’ve got lots of guns.”
Linc motioned to her. “Let me talk to him.”
Mikayla raised a brow, then shrugged. Brady would probably feel better hearing it from Linc. “I’m passing the phone to Linc so you men can get your testosterone in order.” She handed off the phone, then leaned back on the couch, feeling the exhaustion creeping up on her.
She glanced at the clock on the mantel, little bear hands pointing straight up. Midnight. She closed her eyes, letting herself drift, the voices in the room flowing quietly around her.
Mikayla didn’t think she’d slept, but when she blinked her eyes open, she found herself tucked against Linc’s shoulder. She tipped back her head and saw he had also nodded off. Dark stubble along his jaw highlighted the beauty of his long eyelashes resting on his cheekbones. She winced at the bandage on his forehead.
She reached up and ran a finger lightly along his hairline at the edge of the bandage. He could so easily have been killed. At any point, Donny could have simply pulled the trigger and that would have been it. Like her father, gone trying to protect her.
Linc reached up and gripped her hand, his eyes focused on her, a wealth of meaning in that look. Without breaking his gaze, he brought up her hand and kissed her palm, then shifted to bite lightly at the pulse point of her wrist.
She stifled a groan as heat rose from low in her belly. His lips moved back to her palm, his stubble brushing against her skin. When he sucked the tip of her pinkie into his mouth, sliding his tongue over it, she thought she could melt into a hot puddle of lust. “God, Linc,” she whispered.
He paused, then removed the finger from his mouth. He leaned down to murmur into her ear. “I want to use my mouth all over you, sweetheart.”
She reached up to grip the back of his neck and pulled his lips to hers, opening her mouth in a kiss that edged toward desperate. He responded in kind, tugging her onto his lap, sliding his tongue against hers.
“Hate to break up the party, kids, but the snowplow’s here.”
Linc took his time, ending the kiss with a little nibble on her bottom lip before lifting his head. “You always had shitty timing, Eleanor.”
“I consider that my sisterly job.”
When Mikayla thought her wobbly legs would support her, she set her feet on the floor and stood. Linc rose behind her, and when she shifted and brushed against him, she felt gratified by the evidence of his arousal.
While Linc and Seth freed Donny and took him to use the bathroom, Mikayla glanced around the room. It wasn’t in the neat and tidy condition it had been in when she and Donny had arrived that afternoon. She turned to Ellie. “Shouldn’t we straighten up the place? It doesn’t seem right to leave this mess for the owner to discover.”
Ellie shook her head. “We need to go. The Marshals Service will contact the owner, and pay for a crew to come up here to clean the place and do any repairs. They’ll pay the owners compensation to make it right.”
The sound of feet stomping on the porch made Mikayla’s heart jump, but when the door opened and she saw it was Bella, she sighed with relief. Bella stood on the mat inside the door, snow melting from her boots, the smile on her face suggesting she liked nothing better than tromping through the snow at night. “The snowplow is on the highway, and I moved the SUV to the front of the cabin. We are ready to go.” Mikayla was beginning to think Bella was the most naturally cheerful person she’d ever met. Even the most mundane tasks seemed to delight her.
Seth left Linc with Donny, who now had his hands cuffed behind him, and strode toward Bella, hand outstretched. “Keys.”
The light in Bella’s eyes drained away, and her expression turned serious. “I will drive. People from California don’t know how to drive in the snow.”
Seth looked like he would argue, then gave a curt nod and turned to Ellie. “You’re riding shotgun. I’ll be in the back with the prisoner.” He tipped his head to Linc. “I want you and Mikayla in front of us in the Ford. Make sure one of you has the Salt Lake Marshals’ office in your phones so you can get us there.”
Within minutes, Mikayla was once again in the front seat of Donny’s car, securing the seat belt in place, but this time she was thrilled to be in the vehicle. The snow had stopped, and the moon glowed behind thinning clouds. Linc turned over the engine, adjusted the seat and heat controls, and drove along the dirt road covered in slushy snow. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the headlights of the big SUV behind them. They came to the highway, and Linc flicked his high beams. The snowplow engine rumbled into gear and the heavy truck pushed ahead of them, the blade pushing snow to the side of the road. The plow moved faster than she’d anticipated and they began the descent down the mountain through the dark night.
She eyed Linc. “You tired?”
His eyes flicked from the road to her, then back again. “Yeah. You?”
“Yes, but I think I’m getting my second wind. Do you want me to talk to you, help keep you awake?”
“Hell yeah.”
“Okay.” She paused for a minute, then asked, “How did you and your siblings get your names?”
He snorted out a laugh. “Not what I thought you’d ask. We’re named after famous historical figures my parents admired who had character traits worthy of naming their children for.” He shrugged. “You can probably guess who I’m named for.”
“I’m assuming Abraham Lincoln, certainly an admirable man. Is Ellie after Eleanor Roosevelt?”
“Yeah. My father had read a biography on Lincoln before I was born, so the name was on his mind. Mom told me once she admired Mrs. Roosevelt’s resilience in the face of a husband who neglected her emotional needs. Which I think says a lot about their marriage.”
“Hmm, and Seth?”
“Ever hear of Deadwood?”
“Oh, of course. Marshal Seth Bullock, lawman in the wild days of South Dakota. That’s fitting.”
“Says the history prof. Bet you’re a killer playing Jeopardy.”
“Depends on the category. I don’t do well with pop-culture-type questions or sports.”
“You don’t like sports?”
“Ambivalent.”
He shook his head like he was gravely disappointed.
“I take it you’re a fan.”
“I’ll play and watch about anything with a ball.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “Even baseball? Surely you like baseball. It’s un-American not to like baseball.”
“Baseball is like watching paint dry, slow and boring.”
“Have you ever been to a game?”
“Brady played Little League for many years, and I went to almost all his games. Paint drying.”
“What about a major league game? It’s like magic, your first look at the field, being part of the crowd, singing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’ during the seventh inning stretch. I’ll take you to a Padres game, you’ll see.”
It was the first time he’d mentioned that there might be even something as simple as a baseball game to share in her uncertain future. Maybe she’d even like a baseball game if she was with Linc.
They lapsed into silence as he drove along the winding mountain road. They had dropped enough in elevation that there was less and less snow on the road. The plow eventually pulled over, and they sped past with a honk of the horn. Linc’s navigation app said they still had over a half hour until they got to Salt Lake City.
Staring out the window with the dark shadows of trees flying by, she asked, “How did Donny get the drop on you outside?”
“He didn’t get the drop on me.”
“Linc, he caught you and brought you into the cabin with the gun pointed at your head.”
“That was the plan. I let him grab me.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Not kidding.”
She stared at him, incredulous. “You let him catch you? Are you crazy?”
“Not crazy, either. I needed to get in the cabin, see where you were, make sure you were safe before we took him out.”
She leaned back against the headrest. “Linc, he could have shot you dead at any point.”
“Could have. I was counting on the fact that Donny would want to get in my face, lord it over me that he was in charge before he shot me again.”
“So you gambled with your life that he wouldn’t shoot you on sight.”
He reached out a gloved hand and enfolded hers. “I was right, and he didn’t, so no point getting upset. You were awesome, by the way.”
“Yeah, awesome.”
His eyes gleamed in the glow from the dashboard. “You kept your cool, got me the key to the handcuffs. That was a huge bonus. You kept it together when it counted.” He raised a brow. “Cut yourself some slack, Mikayla.”
Once again she felt like her shaky defenses were crumbling. Maybe exhaustion was adding to her emotional instability.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
She shrugged. “You’re pretty cavalier about the risk you took.”
He pulled her hand up and pressed his lips to her knuckles, and her fingers tightened convulsively around his. “We both got through this relatively unscathed. That was the goal, and that’s what happened. There’s no point in thinking about what ifs.”
“Right.”
“Mikayla.”
She glanced over to find him frowning, eyes on the road, fingers tapping on the steering wheel. “What?”
He didn’t speak for a long minute. “I’ve got feelings for you. Strong feelings.” He shot her a quick glance, and his words, plus the hot look in his eyes, had her heart doing a slow somersault in her chest. “I want to know that I’m not the only one. That you’ve felt it too. I don’t want to make an idiot of myself.”
“Linc, I…” She stumbled over the words. The risk of opening herself to him, exposing those raw emotions, made her feel uneasy. Vulnerable. Exposed. She’d laid so much open to him already there would be nothing left if she told him she thought she was tumbling down a slippery slope toward love. She didn’t know if when she reached the bottom she’d land in his arms or broken in emotional pieces on the rocks.
But then he looked over and they locked gazes and for one heart-stopping moment, she saw a flash of vulnerability.
“I have feelings, too. Strong feelings.” The words came out in a rush.
“For me.”
That brought out a laugh. “Of course, for you.”
“Good.” He kissed her fingers again, then let them go.
The lights of the city were getting closer as they made the final descent out of the mountains. Mikayla tapped on the navigation app and studied the map. “The highway takes us straight into downtown, then you’ll have to take the exit.”
“Why don’t you tell me what else is worrying you.”
She gave a startled laugh. “After what’s gone on today, you have to ask?”
“Are you still worried about the cartel?”
“Of course. Do you really think the Zecenas will leave me alone?”
“I think it’s likely. My guess is the organization will bring their people back to Mexico until things calm down on this side of the border. And as much as the Zecenas protect family, Paco messed up badly, and El Jefe will be pissed.”
“Then I won’t need to go into witness protection.”
