Adam (14 page)

Keelee glanced at Adam before she leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for this day to be over.”

Adam dropped to his knees in front of her and moved her hair off her face. Dixon and Drake ghosted out of the room and shut the door.

“Baby, we can do this later.” Her eyes fluttered open and those beautiful blues found him.

“I want this done, Adam. Let’s just get this whole thing over. If I never see Clint again, it will be too soon.”

“Alright, babe. You’re one tough cookie. You know that?” Adam leaned forward and kissed her full lips. He was encouraged by the small sigh and immediate surrender of her mouth as she opened for his kiss. Her hands wound around his neck and threaded through his hair, pulling him closer.

Adam lost himself in her. He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard the door open and he really didn’t give a shit. If his woman wanted soft kisses, he was damn well going to give them to her.

Jason cleared his throat and then chuckled when Adam lifted his hand to give him the one finger salute. “Dude, your claim is staked. Let the woman up for air. Sheriff Anderson has agreed to joint jurisdiction on the case. When he heads to the Koehlers’, you and I will be accompanying him.”

Adam lifted away from Keelee and grinned like a fool at the cat-like contentment of her smile. His eyes never left hers as he questioned Jason.

“Joint? Why didn’t you just slap your badge on the table and take it away from him?” Keelee lifted a hand and traced his lips.

“Because this isn’t a federal case. In the spirit of cooperation, the good sheriff has agreed to let us peer over his shoulder on his investigation. It’s called jurisdictional cooperation. This is his territory. We’ll of course offer assistance with any requirements that stress the department’s resources, but they will have the stick. Understand?”

Adam stood and glared at the sheriff. “Ask your questions.”

The older man met Adam’s glare and didn’t back down which was almost impressive. Almost.

“Fine. I want pictures of the injuries. If this guy has lit a shuck, I want evidence of his attack documented. Because I’m going to find him. I’m going to arrest him and I’m going to put him behind bars.”

For the first time, Adam had a sense Barney Fife might actually be competent. “I’ll give you the medical write-up to accompany the pictures.”

The sheriff shook his head. “No.” He held up his hand when Adam started to interrupt. “You’re part of Clint’s rationale for doing this. No matter your affiliation with Guardian, in this case, you’re a witness and you can’t be my medical expert. I’ve got a doc in Hollister that I can call. Dr. Ezekiel Johnson is a good man and he can be here in a couple hours.”

Adam shook his head. “Make it tomorrow. She needs to rest.”

The sheriff nodded. “Not like those bruises are going to fade anytime soon.”

Keelee huffed. At the indignant sound, Doc bent down and kissed her forehead. He whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

He sat down on the arm of the chair and managed to keep his mouth shut as Keelee answered the sheriff’s questions. Hearing the unadulterated details of the assault again only served to reinforce the growing hatred Adam had for Koehler. After a half hour of questioning, Adam took Keelee upstairs and gave her a mild muscle relaxer. She slipped into bed and drifted off almost immediately.

When Adam left her room, he found Dixon propped up against the wall in a chair reading a book. “Figured if you’re going to leave to go with Jason and the sheriff, you’ll want someone close. We’ll be available, at least until that bastard’s behind bars.”

Adam cleared his throat and nodded. “Thanks.”

Dixon shrugged. “Whatever it takes.”

Adam responded without thinking, “As long as it takes.”

Adam followed the sheriff’s four-wheel-drive Suburban through the back country roads. At the crest of a ridge about fifteen miles from the Marshall ranch, they pulled up to a small ranch house. Because of the drifting snow, the trip had taken the better part of an hour. The small ranch may have seen better days, but it appeared adequately maintained. The barns and outbuildings could use some paint, but the roofs were new and there was plenty of hay stacked both inside and outside the barn. All in all, it was a tidy operation and not one Adam would have believed to be the Koehlers’ after all the disparaging comments about their work ethic.

Adam parked the ranch’s quad cab truck and stepped out, making a beeline towards the house and the sheriff who had pulled in first.
Five minutes. That’s all he wanted. Five minutes alone with that son-of-a-bitch, Clint. He’d give the fucktard someone to hit, alright.

Adam threw a glance over his shoulder and stopped in mid-stride. Jason had not moved from the far side of the truck and stood staring at the side of the barn. “Dude, you just going to stand there or are you coming?”

Jason glanced toward him. “You got this. I’m going to stay out here and get some fresh air. Give me a shout if you need me.”

Adam felt a twinge of apprehension and turned on the ball of his foot, heading back to his friend. Jason held up a hand and gave a slight shake of his head. Adam stopped, assessing the scene. Something wasn’t right.

Adam glanced back towards the small ranch house. The sheriff was waiting for him on the porch. Adam swiveled his head and threw another glance toward Jason. He leaned casually against the hood of the truck. His demeanor gave no indication of duress. Jason lifted his hand and signed
.
No gouge
.
Adam chuckled and turned towards the house.
Damned Air Force pilot.
If he hadn’t worked with Jason in the past, he wouldn’t have known the term meant everything was good to go.

The sheriff threw his chin toward Jason. “Your boss not coming?”

“He’s not my boss, and he’s decided he needs some fresh air.”

The older man’s eyes narrowed. “It’s maybe twenty degrees out here.”

Adam drew an exaggerated breath and expelled it. “Yeah, great isn’t it?”

The sheriff grunted as he knocked on the door. “Yeah, if you’re a freaking polar bear.”

The door to the ranch house opened. A weathered, leather-skinned cowboy Adam recognized from the Marshall ranch took a head-to-toe assessment of the sheriff and then turned to give a once-over to Adam. His surly expression offered no hospitality.

“Gerald, we’re looking for Clint.” The sheriff apparently knew not to wait for pleasantries.

“Ain’t here.” The gruff old man glanced up at Adam. “You’re one of them Guardian people.”

Adam nodded.

“Clint get in trouble with your side of the ranch? He knows better than to go there.” The man’s curiosity relieved Adam slightly.
The father didn’t know.

“No, Clint attacked Keelee Marshall. Beat her and choked her.”

The old cowboy jerked his head up and set his jaw. “Bullshit! If that girl got attacked, it
wasn’t
Clint. Try one of those Guardian types. They’re a vicious lot.”

The sheriff shook his head. “Nope. It was Clint. Ms. Marshall gave a statement and we have a witness that puts him at the location at the time of the attack.”

“Well, he ain’t here. Haven’t seen him in almost two days. Didn’t come home after chores yesterday morning. The lazy good-for-nothing had to step up and actually work for once in his miserable life.”

Sheriff Anderson squared up on the cowboy. “I’m going to search the house and the outbuildings to make sure he’s not hiding here. Got to fill all the squares, do what the citizens pay me to do.”

“I ain’t hiding him. Go ahead and take your look.” He stepped out of the way but pinned Adam with a stare. “Why are you here?”

“We consider the Marshall family one of ours. Your son screwed up when he raised a hand to someone under Guardian’s protection.”

A shrug of lean shoulders was the only response Adam got out of the ranch hand. The sheriff walked out of the small farm house and shook his head.

Gerald Koehler lifted his hand towards the outbuildings. “Close any door you open and stay out of the corral. That damn bull will kill you rather than look at you. Not that I’d give a shit, but I’d probably have to put the bull down.”

Adam and the sheriff headed towards the barn, but a whistle from Jason pulled them toward the vehicles.

“He’s not here.” Jason’s scratchy bass voice left no room for argument or doubt. Adam nodded and headed towards his truck. The sheriff, on the other hand, didn’t move.

“How do you know that?”

Jason leveled a glare at the sheriff. “We’re going back to the ranch.”

The sheriff shook his head. “I got no reason to be traipsing back that way. How do you know he’s not here?”

Adam watched a sneer spread across Jason’s face. Damn, it had been awhile since he had seen that walking wall of muscle irritated, but he was now. Seemed that, without knowing it, the sheriff was pushing Jason’s boundaries.

“Fine, you go search. Have a great time. Hope you find Koehler.” Jason pivoted on the ball of his foot and headed towards the passenger side of the truck.

Adam got into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition. He pulled away from the house and glanced at to Jason.

“So who’s our passenger?” Adam flicked a glance in the rearview mirror and watched the small ranch spread slowly disappear.

Jason twisted in the seat. “Christian Koehler. Chris, this is Adam. He works with me. He’s a doctor. When we get far enough away I’m going to take over driving, and he’s going to take care of your injuries.” The big man’s voice was quiet and soothing. He reached down and placed a large hand on the form stretched across the seat. Jason pulled away when the injured man flinched. At the bottom of the hill, Doc pulled the vehicle to the side and got into the back seat as Jason pulled onto the road. Adam pulled the coat off the young man and sucked a lungful of air as he did an assessment. “Hey, Christian. I’m Adam. I need you to tell me what happened and when it happened.”

The man had been beaten. Adam knew the answer to when. The coloration of the bruises and healing of the cuts suggested it was not more than two days ago. His lip was split and had he gotten to a doctor sooner there wouldn’t be a scar. Now? There wasn’t much Adam could do to repair the damage without leaving evidence of the violence.

The man didn’t open his eyes. It was almost as if the effort were too much for him. “I fell,” he whispered.

Adam shook his head as he finished examining the arm that Christian cradled.

“These injuries are not indicative of a fall.” Adam spoke more to himself than Jason, but by the tightening of that big back, Adam knew the man heard.

A soft groan came from the young man’s lips as Adam palpated the area around his orbital socket. A tear slipped from the boy’s eye. Christian shook his head carefully but didn’t respond.

Jason spoke from the front, “Christian, someone did this to you. I don’t give a shit why or who. I made you a promise and I’m keeping my word. I’ll protect you from them. You won’t have to go back. I promise.”

Another tear slipped down. Trying to get him talking again, Adam changed the direction of the conversation. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen. Almost twenty.”

“You live at the ranch with your family?”

“I do now. I was at school on a partial scholarship. Dad was paying for my room and board.”

“Was? Why did he stop?”

“He has his reasons.” A tear trailed down the boy’s face.

“What happened, Christian?” Adam stopped his exam and waited.

“Dad pulled my money for school. I don’t have money to leave. It’s too late to apply for grants or loans for next semester. I had to come home. But he doesn’t want me here. It’s easier for Clint and Gregg when I’m gone.”

The boy’s answer only begged more questions. Adam shook his head and pulled the jacket back up over the young man’s shoulders. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

“When I’m not home, they don’t have to fight.”

“Fight? Who are they fighting?” Doc really had no idea what the young man was trying to say.

Christian sighed. The man looked absolutely defeated when he spoke. “He hates me. He makes me fight them. I’m taller and bigger than both my brothers. I don’t like to fight, but I can take them. I had to learn how to defend myself.” The man’s sobbed snort preceded, “He says fighting will turn me into a man or kill me. He doesn’t care which.”

Adam exchanged glances with Jason in the mirror. “We got you now. We’ll get you out of here and maybe get you set up back in school.”

The young man finally cast a glance toward Adam. The kid was scared. Adam could see the lack of trust and outright fear in Christian’s eyes. Adam could feel the tension in the way the injured man held his body.

“Why? Why are you helping me?”

Adam put a hand on Christian’s shoulder and pushed out a lungful of air. Why indeed? Helping this young man would be a no-brainer for every last man on Alpha Team, and he knew for a fact Jason had his own reasons for coming to the kid’s aid. Adam met Christian’s searching look and told him the truth. “Sometimes people are put in your path for a reason. Both Jason and I were given a chance by a man who could have passed us by. He didn’t. He gave us opportunities that neither of us would have had if he hadn’t extended a hand. We both respect the hell out of him. Paying his gestures forward is a no-brainer.”

Jason nodded and turned onto the ranch access road. “Do you want to go to the ranch house or the clinic, Doc?”

Adam glanced at the man lying beside him. “Clinic. I need x-rays of his zygomatic and radius.” Adam winked and translated for Christian, “Cheekbone and forearm. We’ll set you up in the house after I take some pictures and clean you up.” Jason nodded and drove to the training facility.

Adam and Jason helped the young man out of the truck and into the small hospital.

“Would you take off your shirt and hat?”

Using deliberate care the young man disrobed without much assistance. A long thick cascade of sandy brown hair fell around his shoulders. His body was ripped with muscle. Adam chuckled. This man wasn’t good looking—he was fucking gorgeous. Even a straight man like Adam couldn’t miss that fact.

Chief and Dixon wandered into the building after he’d finished getting film on Christian’s injuries.

“Well, the radius sustained a straight break. The cheek will be okay, soft tissue damage only.”

Adam nodded towards Chief and motioned towards the cast cabinet. “Need about ten rolls of that fiberglass casting and two rolls of cotton.” Chief did a double take at Doc’s new patient and grabbed the supplies Adam indicated.

Dixon leaned against the wall silently. Adam motioned toward Christian. “This is Christian Koehler. Clint’s youngest brother. He’s staying here.”

Dixon shook his head. “Damn. You’re going to have one hell of a shiner.”

Christian dropped his eyes to the floor. “Yeah.”

Dixon sucked his teeth and pushed away from the wall. “Sucks, man. Guess you’re stuck with us for a while, then?”

Jason nodded from the position he’d taken up across the room.

“We got us a poker game going tonight. You’re welcome if you feel up to playing.”

Christian lifted his eyes toward Dixon for only a second before he dropped them again. He shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m pretty tired. It was too damn cold in the barn to sleep last night.”

With a jerk, Adam’s head came up from his work of wrapping Christian’s arm. “What?” He searched the young man’s face.

He saw it happen. Christian comprehended his blunder. “N-nothing.” The whispered response sounded more like an apology.

Every man in the room stood at attention. Before Adam could speak, Jason snarled from the other side of the room. “Did your father make you stay in the barn?”

The boy flinched and a single tear trailed down his cheek. He shook his head. “It’s my fault.”

Adam pulled his latex glove off and cupped the young man’s uninjured cheek in his hand. “Nobody deserves to be treated the way you have been treated, Christian. Now let’s finish this cast, give you something for the pain, and get you some food and a warm bed. Alright?”

“Thank you,” Christian whispered as he dropped his eyes. Adam glanced at Jason. The big man seethed with anger. Aggression rolled off him in waves. The cords of his neck popped out as his fists clenched and flexed. Chief crossed to the big man and spoke quietly. The conversation was too low to hear, not that Adam needed to hear it. He knew the King family history well enough to know why Jason was hitting the stratosphere. Chief continued to talk in that low, reassuring tone. Finally, Jason nodded once, executed an about face and left the facility.

Christian glanced after him. “He’s mad.”

Adam nodded. “But not at you, my friend. I’m certain of that. He’s a good man.”