Against Me (Cedar Tree Book 3) (29 page)

"Huh. What do you know? Never liked that douchebag. Always seemed too much like a politician to me. All smooth and slimy."

"Anyway, that puts a bit of a new light on our possible interactions with the cartel and is something we have to talk over with Mal. Gus wants us to all meet, but I want you to meet him first."

A small smile ghosts over her lips.

"Okay, but why keep him hidden in the first place? I never questioned it because... well, you know, your family and all that."

I lean in and kiss her hard, leaving my lips on hers when I say, "yours too. Sorry to say he's a bit of an asswipe though."

Katie giggles at that. First fucking time I've ever heard her giggle. Such a girlish sound to come from her, so I just stare.

"Stop gawking at me and let's get cleaned up." Blushing and suddenly all business, she's off the bed and in her wheelchair before I can even say a word.

"That was cute."

"What?" She pretends not to know what I'm talking about.

"The giggle thing. Cute."

Pulling off my shirt to get into a fresh one, one at least a little dryer, I catch the look she throws me over her shoulder. And the smile shining in her eyes.

It being a Saturday at dinnertime, the parking lot at the diner is full up in front of the building, which suits me just fine. I pull around the back and park beside the new stairway to the second floor apartment and the dumpsters flanking the kitchen entrance.

"He's here?" Katie looks around as if he is about to come walking out of the woods and I chuckle.

"Upstairs, sweets. Seb's known, although how he has been able to keep it from Arlene, I have no idea. Mal is very good at being extremely quiet, I can attest to that, but when Arlene finds out Seb's been keeping a secret, all hell's gonna break loose."

"Would love to be a fly on the wall," she snickers, "Although, Seb does have a way with her. He's the ultimate 'Arlene-whisperer'. As bristly and sharp as she can get, one touch or word from him and you can just see her melt. Kinda endearing, really."

"Reminds me of someone I know," I say in a low voice right by her ear, earning me a well-aimed punch to my bicep.
Fuck
. Forgot how lethal those little fists can be.

"
Not
me," she huffs, opening the door and letting herself out.

I scramble to get to the other side, but Seb apparently saw us pull in from the kitchen window, because he's already hugging her when I come around the trunk.

"Coming in or going up?" he wants to know.

"In," I say at the same time as Katie resolutely states, "up!"

I hang my head and shake it, Seb chuckling in the background.

"Fine. Up it is." I hand Katie her crutches, which she uses more and more on short treks. She grabs them and with a triumphant smirk turns around and heads for the stairs. Behind me I hear Seb laughing, "didn't take her long to get you on her leash."

"Fuck off. Go check on your own hellion."

"I embrace my leash, buddy. You will too. Give it time."

He walks back in the kitchen chuckling. Bastard.

I hustle to follow Katie who is already one third up the stairs.

"Babe. Not a sprint. Give me a chance to introduce you."

"Then get your old butt in gear, honey, or eat my dust," she says, laughing all the way up the stairs, her competitive streak coming out to play.

"That ass is gonna be red tonight, little one. Count on it." I growl and the deep raspy laugh that rolls down the steps only serves to fire up the lust that is making my blood pool in my already rigid cock. Fuck me.

When I reach the top I adjust myself, but not before my brother's rumbling chuckle comes from the open doorway. My hand in the small of her back, I guide Katie inside, where the idiot stands grinning from ear to ear.

"Can't blame ya, Jefe. I like her already."

Smartass.

"Jefe?" Katie picks up on that of course, but I ignore it, introducing them instead.

"Katie, this is my brother, Malachi. Mal, meet Katie, and behave." I add as an afterthought when I see the glint in his eyes. Always a hit with the ladies, Malachi knows how to play up his Navajo roots by leaving his hair long and wearing it loose most of the time. For some reason chicks go nuts over it. To me, it was always a pain in the ass, and as soon as I enlisted I was required to shave it. Katie sticks out a hand to shake but Mal, in true player fashion, only uses it to pull her closer and wraps her in a big hug. Wiggling his eyebrows at my over her shoulder. Asshole. But then he takes it a step too far when he lets his hands wander too low, and too close to Katie's ass.

I simply step back with my arms crossed over my chest and a smirk on my face, because my little brother just fucked up good. Still hamming it up to me, he has no idea what my little hellcat has in store for him.

The moment his hands touch her butt, I see his facial expression change and he jumps back with a yelp, slapping his hands over his nipples.

"Ouch! That fucking hurt!"

"It's called a nipple twist. Very effective for both women and men alike. Especially gropy douche bags who don't know how to keep their hands off their brother's woman."

Oh, this is fun. My girl is in full swing now.

"For the record, you might have success with some big-boobed, small-assed, pea-brained bitches, flaunting those pearly whites and that luscious shiny black hair, Bubba, but when you approach a regular woman with a brain and some self-respect, you better ask permission first before you feel her up!"

By now I'm bent over laughing so hard I have tears running down my face. About fucking time someone got in that cocky bastard's face. And who better to do it than my little one. Man, she's something.

On impulse, I tap her shoulder and she whips around, biting off, "what?"

"May I?" I ask politely, before bending her over my arm and kissing the breath out of her. Right. There.

I have to pull back before I make a spectacle out of us in front of my brother, but not before I mumble against her ear, "That was fucking hot," and leave her wiping the hair out of her eyes with a smile on her face.

Stupid Malachi just stands there with a grin on his face.

"Yup, like I said, liking her already."

"Jury's still out on you, Bubba. So far you're not scoring any brownie points," Katie huffs as she manages to work her way past him into the apartment.

I hold him back when he tries to go in after her.

"Hold up, man. You disrespect my woman again and we have problems. She can take care of herself, as you can see, but that doesn't mean I'll stand by and let that happen. Just so we're clear. And another thing you should know is that that woman in there is smarter, faster, and has more courage in her pinkie finger than you and I put together. Do. Not. Underestimate. Her." I underscore every word with a forefinger poked in his chest. Something I know he absolutely hates and has since we were kids. But this has to be clear right now.

"Brother, I had my fun. I'm done. I swear. I'm not blind to a good woman. Don't make the mistake of underestimating me either. I know you've seen me as one thing for years and I can't blame you, I've done the same to you. Enough now though. Enough."

With a hand to my neck he draws me into an embrace and for the second time that day I find myself choked up.

Pussy.

We have about half an hour of surprisingly comfortable conversation. Katie warms up to Mal, even laughing at his jokes before we hear two pairs of footsteps coming up the outside stairway and just like that the entire room is buzzing with an alert energy. Katie has her gun in hand and is on her knees beside the coffee table, Mal is against the wall at the door opening to the little foyer and I'm at the ready by the peephole in the apartment door.

When I see Gus's dark hair appear, I let the breath I was holding slowly escape and shake my head in Mal's direction. Gus's voice outside only confirms it and when I crank the door, I see Neil standing behind him with that big goofy grin on his face.

"The fuck did you guys come from? We didn't hear the truck?"

"Hello to you too," Gus pushes past me to face off with Mal who has stepped into the foyer behind me. "We had dinner first, figured we'd give you a minute for the family reunion. Truck's in front, we came through the kitchen and Seb's got the door on a stop. Hotter than hell in there."

Noticing the way the two are staring each other down, I make quick work of introductions, but from the 'barely-there' chin lifts and lack of handshake I'd say there's not gonna be a lot of love lost between Malachi and Gus. Neil, however, does not seem to have any compunction about pumping Mal's hand and slapping him on the shoulder like some long lost relative. Kid is fucking nuts.

A squeal from inside tells me Katie has caught sight of Neil. He walks with a distinct limp and I realize he must still be sore, but you wouldn't know it to look at him. Points for the kid.

By the time I follow everyone is inside, Katie is hanging off Neil's neck, smiling huge and making him blush―something that propels me to walk over, snag her around the waist and tuck her to my side, effectively pulling her arms from around his neck, and that apparently is because for everyone in the room to burst out laughing. Fuckers.

"S
o what is our next move?"

Caleb is deferring to Gus, once the tension-breaking hilarity has settled down and everyone has found a place to sit. Caleb's arm still firmly around me, anchoring me to his hip on the couch in an ongoing show of ownership that makes me chuckle inwardly.

"Joe is in constant communication with the GJPD getting updates on their investigation of Holman and it looks like the case against him is tightening up nicely. The only loose thread is the presence of one Ernesto Duarte at, and the disappearance of Juan Duarte from Larchwood around the same time the murder took place. I spoke with my FBI contact to pass on this latest information and the feds aren't too happy that they may not be able to use this murder to put the nail in the cartel's coffin. Passed on Teva's digits to them so they can confirm the case details with her, but as far as the murder goes;  unless Holman fingers Ernesto, which is highly unlikely given the cartel's reach, he is off the hook."

"So one way or another, we need to talk to Duarte," Neil offers, earning a nod from Gus.

"Right. The only way to clear up this mess is to convince him he has a loose cannon among his own men, in order to get the target off Malachi's back and the heat off Katie. She's still the only one who can put him in Grand Junction at the time of the murder but that is almost a moot point with the murderer behind bars. I recorded my conversation with the FBI contact I can play him, in hopes that might help show our goodwill. As for Malachi's situation–" Gus is interrupted when Mal holds up his hand.

"I’ll meet with him–"

"No! He'll shoot you on sight," Caleb shoots up from his seat, "I won't let that happen. He won't stop to listen or ask questions. Can't do it, brother."

I can see the struggle to keep his composure as his nostrils flare and I reach my hand to grab his, squeezing it hard.

"Caleb, sit and listen. First, let Mal finish," I urge him quietly.

For a minute I don't think he's going to react, but then he lets out a harsh breath, drops his chin and turns his eyes to me, worry shining through. A light tug on the hand I'm holding in mine and he drops back down beside me.

"I'll meet with him..." Malachi persists, "after Gus has made contact. The only way for me to ever walk away from this is to face the man head on. I need out of this life. I’ve had enough, and unless I can convince him of that, there is no moving forward. I'll be too busy looking over my shoulder."

With a pained expression on his face, Mal turns to face Caleb who is keeping his eyes to the floor. "Shínaí, I spent days in the kiva thinking of different possibilities. Even before you came and found me; before we had a name to give to him, I knew this was the way. The
only
way."

Slowly Caleb lifts his eyes and simply nods his understanding.

It's quiet in the room, everyone weighed down with the possible implications of Mal's plans, but no one able to argue its merits. 'Lost his way', something Caleb said to me at some point about his brother suddenly was more evident than ever. This was a man struggling to find his way back. Hell. Willing to face down a possible death squad to get there.

With a framework in place, what is left is hammering out the details, and the next hour or so is spent doing just that. Gus will wait until tomorrow around noon to contact Ernesto, hoping to learn as much as he can from Sergeant Teva in Grand Junction and Manny in Farmington who is still in the process of getting details from Benjamin Chee. Getting a hand on the stolen drugs would go a long way to pacifying the cartel, but hopes that Guzman hadn't moved them as soon as his partner was picked up seem moot.

Locating Guzman himself would of course be the cherry on the cake, but for all we know he is safely tucked away outside of our reach and under the protection of the unsuspecting cartel. The man is a ghost.

Finally Gus gets up and slaps his hands on his thighs.

"I'm starving. I'm heading out. Neil, you coming?"

"Thought we just had dinner?" Neil says, slightly perplexed.

"Who said anything about dinner? I said I'm starving. I have a hot-blooded little redhead waiting at home. I'll be in touch with you lot tomorrow. And you, get your gimpy ass in gear," he directs at a groaning Neil on his way to the door.

"Fucking like bunnies here in Cedar Tree, I swear!" We hear him grumble after his boss, leaving us chuckling at their antics.

"Hungry?" I ask the two guys. None of us have eaten yet.

"I could eat," comes from Caleb.

I turn to Mal, "How about you? Are you able to come down for a bite?"

He shrugs his shoulders and turns to his brother, "Think the crowd has died down enough if we sneak in through the kitchen?"

"It's after seven, we should be ok. Let's go."

Caleb grabs my hand and pulls me up from the couch before handing me my crutches.