Archer (15 page)

K
age pulled straight into the driveway of his house and parked next to his partners’ vehicles. Jane lunged against the seat belt, gripping the dashboard. The front door of the house stood wide open. The lamp they left on in the living room lit up the porch.

Panic seized her. She’d forgotten her promise.

“No, no, no…” She unclipped her belt and ran out of the car before Kage pulled to a complete stop.

At the restaurant, she hadn’t thought once of anything bad happening at Kage’s house in their absence. She ran toward the door with only one thing on her mind. If anything happened to her cat, she’d never forgive herself.

As she reached the first step of the porch, an arm hooked her waist and her feet left the ground. She struggled.

“Dammit, calm down.” Kage clamped his arms around her.

“I have to find Bluff.” She kicked her legs and pushed on his arm. “She’ll be scared.”

“Quiet.” He stalked back to the Mustang and swung her into the seat. He hovered in the door, blocking her exit. “Lock the door.”

“No, please.” She reached for him, but he pushed her hands back inside the car. “I need to find Bluff. I promised her. I need to find her before Scott notices I still have my cat.”

“I’ll get Bluff. You lock the door.” He held her gaze. “Say it.”

She rocked on the seat. “I’ll lock the door but please, find Bluff. I can’t let anything happen to her.”

Kage nodded and shut Jane inside. She pushed down on the lock. “Please find her,” she said, “please just find her.”

Kage jogged toward the house, gun drawn, keeping his upper body low. She fisted her hands on her thighs. None of the other men showed themselves, but their vehicles parked on the front lawn and vacant meant they had to be nearby.

She wanted to go out there. Kage was more than trained to defend himself, but she needed to protect him from doing something he normally wouldn’t. He was one of the good guys. He helped women, solved cases, and investigated people for a living. What he didn’t do was kill people out of anger.

The personal way he took Scott’s threats, because of her, she had no doubt that he’d do anything to get Scott out of her life and make him pay for what she’d gone through. She peered out the window, trying to catch a glimpse of anyone.

The late-summer sun had gone down twenty minutes ago, and without the light from the house, she could barely see a thing. The other guys should be here, but where were they?

The outside security lights came on. She inhaled a deep breath knowing Kage was responsible for lighting the area. It was one thing to face Scott alone, but the darkness made Kage vulnerable.

“Come on, Garrett. Where are you?” she whispered.

Her brother would make sure Kage stayed in control. Her hands shook. He needed backup. Scott had already proven to her the first time he came after her and hit her across the face, laying her out on the pavement, that he’d do anything if he felt justified.

Her stealing Scott’s gun and money gave him a reason to kill Kage and get him out of the way. In her panic to escape, she hadn’t thought about the consequences of her actions; she only wanted to get the hell away from him and find somewhere safe where he couldn’t hurt her anymore.

If she left the car, maybe Scott’s attention would be on her, and she could distract him, giving the boys a chance to make a move. They could catch him when his guard was down.

Kage had ordered her to stay in the car, but she’d rather face his anger than allow Scott a chance at Kage. She opened the car door. Her decision came from what she knew in her heart.

Disobeying Scott meant bruises and broken ribs. But she knew Kage would never do that. He’d be pissed for sure, but she could handle his kind of anger. She searched under the bushes in the front yard, knowing that when she was scared, Bluff tried to hide. She wanted to make sure her pet was safe before she sought out Scott.

She heard footsteps coming from inside and hurried around the corner of the house. Maybe she’d made a mistake going against Kage’s wishes and getting out of the car.

Flattening herself against the side of the house, she looked expectantly toward the corner, ready to bolt if anyone came around to that side. When no one appeared, she let out the breath she’d been holding and turned to go toward the backyard. Then she gasped, and her body froze in terror.

Scott was there, pointing a gun at her, his good looks ravaged by desperation.

A few days’ worth of whiskers covered his jaw, his usually groomed blond hair was messed. Even the jeans and T-shirt he wore seemed days old and slept in. She scooted back, her hand against the side of the house.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?” He waved the gun, never taking his aim off her.

“There are men here who’ll kill you,” she said.

His lip curled. “That’s where you’re wrong. With you here, my pistol cocked and ready, they won’t dare do anything that might get you hurt.”

“That’s not true,” she whispered.

He laughed, but no sound came out. “Where were they when you were living with me, huh? Your brother, the big investigator, too busy helping others and digging into someone else’s business to give a shit about what was happening to his little sister.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You have another dick between your legs.” His knuckles whitened on the gun. “Do you really think Archer will save his slut of the week?”

She cringed and stepped back.

“Stop or I’ll blow a hole right in your forehead,” Scott said.

Where were the guys? She swallowed. With Scott’s delusional state of mind, she wouldn’t put it past him to shoot, unconcerned about what would happen to him when someone heard the blast.

“The first one I’ll take out is the asshole who thought he could take what is mine.” Scott moved closer and now she was able to see into his eyes. “Then I’m taking you back.”

Jane had looked at his face for four years but had never seen the absolute rage he displayed now. Anger, yes. Disgust, yes. But for the first time, she believed he’d kill her and anyone else who stepped in his way.

“I’m sorry.” She forced herself not to run away. “I’ll go with you.”

“You’re lying, and trust me, sweetheart, you’ll pay for that later.” Scott stepped close enough the end of the pistol skimmed her forehead. “Get it straight in your head. I’m taking you with me whether you want to go or not. Things are changing with us. I’m not going easy on you. You’ve lost any trust I’d given you.”

A movement behind him caught her eye. She fisted her hands at her side, afraid if she moved or looked, Scott would turn around.

“I’ll show you, I can do better. I won’t disobey you again,” she said.

He lowered the pistol to her chest and trailed the end between her breasts. She shivered and locked her knees. Unable to get enough air in her lungs, her head swam and she feared she might actually pass out.

Kage! Garrett!

She panted, trying not to lose consciousness. Any moment, she expected to hear a gun blast, and she hoped it wasn’t Scott taking her life. Or, worse, taking the life of one of the others.

“Please. I’m begging you. Take me with you,” she whispered. “Please.”

Kage’s face came over Scott’s shoulder. He stared at her but spoke to Scott. “Real easy now, drop the gun.”

Kage shoved his pistol into the side of Scott’s neck. Jane held her breath. Scott still had his gun against her chest.

“Please,” she whispered. Whether it was begging Kage for help or asking Scott not to kill her, she had no idea.

“Put the gun down, Carson. We have you surrounded.” Garrett’s voice boomed behind her.

Scott laughed into her face, the sound maniacal to her ears. “Not smart, are they?”

“I’m not going to ask again. Put down the weapon slowly,” Kage said.

“Do they even realize that I hold the power, sweetheart?” His hand held the pistol steady over her heart. “Let me explain what is going to happen. You all are going to step back, put down your weapons, and watch me walk away with Jane. Unless you’d like to see her life snuffed out here.” He raised his brows at her. “Maybe you don’t understand how you play into their lives, sweetheart. For someone who is fucking you, Archer seems to want me dead more than he wants to save your life.”

Her gaze flashed to Kage. He made no move and kept his gun at Scott’s neck. It wasn’t true. They didn’t just have sex, they’d made love. She was his woman in every sense.

“Oh, look, Archer. She’s second guessing all the bullshit you’ve fed her.” He chuckled and smiled. “My poor Jane, always doubting yourself. You don’t really believe he loves you, do you?”

“Kage?” She stared at him.

She wanted to tell him she wasn’t listening, and Scott was a liar. No matter what Scott said, nothing would change her mind about how she felt toward Kage, her belief in him. The hardness around Kage’s mouth kept her from speaking those thoughts. Everyone knew Kage never tied himself down to one woman.

When she’d arrived back to Bay City, she’d hidden out and wallowed in self-pity. Yet he’d stepped up and taken responsibility toward her. He’d seen her at her worst. Her chest squeezed. Of course he’d protect her. She was Garrett’s little sister.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Scott said softly. “None of them know you the way I do. You belong with me. I’m the only one who understands the way you are. You like how I watch over you.”

She gazed down at the weapon poking her in the chest, then up into Kage’s face. Tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them away.

Maybe Kage wouldn’t want her when he realized how much she’d changed and heard how easily it was for her to accept Scott’s abuse. She wouldn’t blame him. She’d done everything wrong and given Kage nothing in return. He deserved someone who came to him without any baggage. But she could prove to herself she wasn’t going to add to her guilt over the past anymore.

She couldn’t do this in front of the people she loved. She refused to go down letting Scott ridicule her any longer. That shit was over.

She didn’t care if he shot her dead. But degrading her in front of the people she loved wasn’t going to happen. Not anymore.

She cleared her throat. “Where’s my cat?”

Scott’s brows lowered. “Your cat?”

“Where’s. My. Damn. Cat?” Her back stiffened and she raised her arm to push the gun away.

Scott grabbed her wrist, turning her, and wrapped his hand around her chest, the pistol pushed into her temple. “Walk, and if anyone thinks to shoot me, they’ll be taking you out too.”

Her gaze met Garrett’s and he lowered his weapon, stepping back, giving Scott room. She looked at her brother, praying he understood. No one else could get hurt because of her.

His intense stare wounded her. His shoulders sagged and his mouth tightened in a grim line. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. As she walked past him, she mouthed
I love you
.

Wanting Scott to believe she’d go without a struggle, she let him lead her to the front yard. “I need my purse.”

“You don’t need anything.” Scott pushed her forward.

She stumbled, stepping on a rock in the grass and realized she’d lost her shoes when she jumped out of the car. They weren’t even hers. She’d lost Sabrina’s shoes.

“I need my purse,” she said. “It’s in the Mustang. I-I still have the money I stole.”

The end of the gun hit her cheekbone and she cried out, trying to stay on her feet. Pain ricocheted across her nose and around her eye. She stumbled, falling against Scott. Tears blurred her vision, and the simple act of blinking nauseated her. Scott shifted directions and walked toward the car. He pivoted with his arm wrapped around her and peered inside the vehicle. “Motherfucker left his keys in the car.”

“No, please,” she begged.

“Stop thinking about him!” He yanked her arm. “Archer’s too stupid to do anything, and now he can kiss my girl and his car goodbye. You know I love you more than he ever will. I’ll teach you to forget about him. He’ll never forgive you for everything you’ve done, but I will. We’ll start over once we’re away from here.”

“He’ll catch you, you asshole.” She fought the pain and threw her weight into his side.

Her attack only pissed him off more, and he pulled her around to the driver’s side. “Listen carefully. You’re going to crawl through and close your door. Don’t even think about running. If you do, I’ll kill your brother, Archer, and those other two losers on the side of the garage. Then I’ll shoot you.”

She nodded, and when he leaned over, she scrambled across the driver’s seat and gearshift, and into the passenger seat. Scott followed her inside.

“Shut the door.” He started the engine and flipped on the lights.

She closed the door and found her purse on the floor between her feet. She picked the red bag up and set it on her lap, never taking her gaze off Scott.

“You have all the money?” Scott twisted his body. Then he put the car in reverse with his left hand without taking his aim off her.

“Yeah.” She opened her purse.

Scott’s laughter made her sick. She reached inside. “It’s all right here.”

At the end of the driveway, Scott shifted into first, put the pistol between his legs, and held out his hand. “Let’s see it. I swear if there’s even a hundred dollars missing, I’m going to beat the shit out of—”

She raised her hand and sprayed the Mace directly in his face. He let the clutch out and took his right foot off the gas, killing the engine as his scream filled the car.

“You bitch!” He grabbed for her but, in his blindness, he missed.

She latched onto his hair and shook his head, her vision blurred from the cloud of Mace filling the Mustang. “You can’t hurt me anymore,” she screamed. “I hate you.”

The door flew open, and Kage was there, pulling her out to safety. Garrett, Lance, and Tony moved in, guns drawn. She rubbed the heels of her hands into her burning eyes. She was going to kill Scott.

T
he takedown of Scott Carson lasted less than twenty seconds after his Janie used her Mace. Kage shielded Jane from the scene happening on the ground on the other side of the Mustang, making sure she was safe first. He held her arms between them to keep her from rubbing her eyes and making the sting from the Mace any worse.

She uttered not a word, but he knew it must hurt like hell.

“I’ll take her in and wash out her eyes.” Tony reached for Jane, giving Kage his nonverbal promise to watch over her as if she was his. “You’ve got five minutes. Police are on their way.”

He nodded and let Tony take Jane. He waited until the front door closed and she was out of sight before heading to where Carson was being held. Fury twisted with fear over losing Janie fueled him forward with his intent to kill the man.

Garrett hovered near Carson, who sat on the ground, slumped against the wheel of the car, his hands cuffed behind his back, his eyes red and streaming, having taken a direct hit from the Mace. The cords along Garrett’s neck stood out as he spoke low to Carson.

“Stand him up,” Kage said.

Lance moved forward. “Check yourself, man. You do not want to go there.”

He ignored the advice. “Stand him up, Beaumont, or I will.”

Garrett grabbed the front of Scott’s shirt, pulled him to his feet, and got in his face. “You better hope you have a long stay in prison, because I will hunt you down and make your life miserable if you even speak or think about Jane.”

Scott struggled to open his eyes, squinting against the pain. “Go to hell.”

Garrett turned to Kage. “You called dibs. The piece of shit is yours.”

Kage stepped forward, an arm’s length away from Carson. Disgust rolled through him. Most of all, he wanted to kill the man who had dared lift a hand to Jane, and probably every other woman he’d had in his life.

“Is it true? Everything you did to Jane?” he asked quietly.

Scott sneered, his eyes mere slits in a red face. “Damn right. That bitch deserved it.”

Kage drew back and landed a vicious punch to Scott’s ribs. The
whoosh
of breath and grunting afterward were enough evidence that he’d hit his mark. Jane wasn’t going to be the only one who suffered through the agonizing pain of broken ribs. Three, if he guessed right.

“Did you force her to sleep with you?” he asked, equally quiet.

“Fuck”—Scott grunted—“off.”

“Wrong answer.” Kage brought his knee up and nailed Scott between the legs. Carson’s eyes rolled back in his head as he slunk to the ground.

Kage pulled him up, steadying him. He leaned in and said, “You’re not even worthy enough to speak her name.”

He swung an uppercut to Scott’s chin, sending him flying over the hood of the Mustang before hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. Carson’s head rolled around as he moaned. Kage helped the asshole back to his feet and propped him against the car again. He was no way near done with the bastard yet.

“This is for all the times you made her feel less than a woman.” He kicked him low in the stomach. There wasn’t a spot on Carson that wasn’t left hurting, but Kage still wasn’t satisfied.

He wrapped his fingers over Carson’s throat and squeezed. “Last, I take your life, because you touched my woman.”

Satisfaction, the kind of which he’d never experienced before, gave him the strength to keep pressing in, past the muscle, past the cartilage, past the ability to breathe. Carson’s body seized, stiffened, and then slumped, and still Kage continued strangling the life out of him.

“He’s not worth it, man,” Garrett said.

Unaware of Garrett until he spoke, Kage whipped his head to the side. “He hurt Janie,” he spat out.

“Yeah.” Garrett looked away. “I’m not stopping you. I’d be in your spot, killing him myself if you hadn’t called rights at him first. But I also know my sister. She’s been through a hell of a lot. You killing someone for her will add guilt onto what has already happened, and she will blame herself. That’s the kind of woman she is. I’d prefer that you don’t put that burden on her.”

“Fuck,” Kage breathed, letting go of the bastard.

Kage watched Carson collapse to the ground the same moment he heard the sirens coming up the lane. He turned to Garrett, wanting him to know how much he wanted to kill. How out of control he’d become. How he had the ability to become an Archer in every sense of the word. How he didn’t deserve Janie.

Instead, Garrett lifted his chin. “There’s a difference between you and them. There always was. Don’t go there.”

Kage flexed his hands and stared at Garrett. He knew. Out of all the PIs at the Body Shop, Garrett knew him the best.

For all the strength it took him to stay away from a life a crime, to turn his back on his family, and to separate himself from society. His biggest fear was that, deep down, he was capable of going over the edge. His anger, his scars, his memories burned inside of him, and he feared one day he’d have enough and go after the man who had hurt everyone he loved.

Garrett glanced down at Carson and back at Kage. “We got this covered. He went crazy. He struggled. In capturing him, he got a few injuries. You didn’t see a thing. Case closed.”

Turning away, Kage walked to the house and asked Tony to head outside to help Lance and Garrett. Jane sat on the couch, a wet washcloth over her eyes. He stood on the other side of the living room, soaking in the sight of her and filling his lungs with air. He’d quit breathing when he rounded the house and seen she was not in the car.

Without her, he didn’t know what would happen to him. For years, she was his ideal of the perfect woman, someone to aim for and strive for so that someday he could do her proud. She was beautiful, poised, and, when some jack wasn’t messing with her head, unpredictable and crazy, in the best way. The thought of having her had kept him walking the straight and narrow, and yet he almost killed a man tonight.

“Baby?” he whispered.

He wasn’t sure she heard him, until she raised her head and removed the cloth from her face. Eyes swollen and vacant stared back at him. He pushed down the pain and approached her.

Already, her cheekbone showed signs of a bruise. He wanted to go back outside and put more hurt onto Carson for what he’d done. No one should ever go through what Jane did.

Sitting on the coffee table in front of her, he put her knees between his thighs and inhaled deeply. He had to tamp down the fear and vulnerability he’d experienced tonight, thinking that she could die and he’d never told her he loved her. “You okay?”

“Bluff…” She scrunched her nose. “She’s gone. Tony helped me look everywhere in the house, and she’s not here.”

“I’ll find her, baby. She could’ve run off into the woods. Cats are smart. She’ll hide out, until she knows it’s safe to come back to you.” He held onto her legs, stroking the top of her thigh with his thumbs. “I know your eyes are burning something fierce, but are you hurt anywhere else?”

She laid her hand on her chest but shook her head. He removed her hand, swept her hair over her shoulder, and changed his mind about not killing Carson. A faint bruise already bloomed on her collarbone where he’d pressed the pistol to her.

“I’m fine.” She glanced toward the window. “Garrett?”

“He’s dealing with the police,” he said.

She nodded. “Good.”

“Yeah.” Kage kept watching, not understanding or liking what he was seeing. “Baby?”

Jane stood. “I should put some cat food outside in case Bluff gets hungry and comes back. I wouldn’t want her to go hungry.”

He followed her into the kitchen. She was in shock, pretending tonight never happened. That her ex-boyfriend hadn’t had a gun to her head and almost took her life.

“Do you care if I open a can of tuna too?” She poured a cup of dry cat food in a bowl.

“Go ahead,” he murmured.

She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks. She’ll like that. She always goes nuts when I splurge and give her moist canned cat food, and tuna is like the granddaddy of any cat dessert. She’ll probably smell it from the woods, don’t you think?”

Kage leaned against the archway, not answering. She had her own way of coping, and no matter what he said, she wasn’t absorbing that outside her the danger was going away. Never again would she have to worry about someone coming after her or hurting her.

Jane opened the back door. Kage moved to follow her out and watched as she set the bowl on the bottom step. She gazed out into the darkness and called out to the cat.

He had no idea if Bluff had run off or if Scott had found her and gotten rid of her to hurt Jane. He blinked hard and peered up into the sky, missing the little ball of fur himself. First light, he’d go out and look around.

“Come back inside,” he said.

She turned around, ducked her chin, and walked past him into the kitchen. He hooked her waist. She startled, and he swore. “Sorry, baby. Just need to hold you for a second.”

“I’m okay, Kage. Seriously. It’s over.” She patted his arm.

He let her go, and she walked away from him without looking back. He frowned and followed. It would have made sense for her to be angry, or even to cry. Yet she walked around the house as if she’d arrived home after a day at the garage.

Garrett, Tony, and Lance came in, closing the front door behind them. Jane stopped in the middle of the room and stiffened. Garrett crossed to her and wrapped her in his arms. She held on, head turned, staring at the wall behind Kage. He gritted his teeth. He did not like what he was seeing.

“It’s finished, sis,” Garrett said.

Jane nodded and pulled back. “Thank you.” She gazed at each one of them, but when she looked at Kage, she settled her eyes on the front of his shirt. “To all of you.”

Garrett glanced at Kage and back to Jane. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She stepped closer. “Can you take me home?”

Garrett’s brows rose. “That’s what you want?”

“Mm-hmm.” She lifted her arm. “I’ll just grab a few clothes, and then you can pick up the rest of my things tomorrow.”

“Sure, sis,” Garrett said, waiting until she walked out of the room before looking at Kage. “Wanna tell me what that’s all about?”

“She’s in denial.” He crossed his arms. “I’ll tell you now while she’s in the other room, I won’t let you walk out the door with her. She’s not going anywhere.”

Garrett narrowed his eyes. “My sister’s life has hung from a very thin thread the last four years, which I’ve recently found out about and doesn’t make me feel good, seeing as how I’m her brother. I watched a drug runner hold a gun on her tonight and, frankly, anything my sister asks me for right now, I’d do in a heartbeat, so tell me one good reason why I would ever leave her with you when it’s obvious she doesn’t want to be here.”

Kage looked him dead in the eye. “Because I love her.”