Keeping What's His: Tate (Porter Brothers Trilogy Book 1) (17 page)

Chapter 19

“Run Logan! Don’t let him catch you!” Sutton yelled, watching as Dustin chased after his son.

She laughed as Dustin grabbed Logan from behind, tossing him up into the air then deftly catching him. The squeals coming from Logan brought a smile to her face. She could watch the two together for hours, even if it amazed her that he was a father.

“They’re just alike, aren’t they?” she asked the woman sitting next to her at the picnic table.

“Yes.” Holly grimaced. “Sometimes, I don’t know who the child is.”

“I bet you don’t.” Sutton picked up her beer, taking a drink as she studied the woman.

When Rachel had invited them over to hers and Cash’s home for the Labor Day picnic, she had worried the police would be watching. However, after the sheriff had stopped by to talk to Tate, she had been relieved as she had unashamedly listened in as Knox had told Tate he had been officially cleared of killing Lyle, Mrs. Stevens, and shooting Rider.

“I handed over the bullets from your guns to the state police that Greer turned in to me. They didn’t match the weapon used on the victims. An unregistered gun was used in both instances. The gun you hid, I took to Knox. It was bought at a gunshow, and the seller didn’t pick out your picture as the buyer.”

“You or the state police have no idea who it could be?”

“No. Jo let us search through Lyle’s things. He was a drunk, but he didn’t use drugs as far as we could tell. Helen Stevens wasn’t, either, and all Rider does is what Shade buys off you.”

“So, there’s no connection between the three of them?”

“Nothing.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, it makes whoever is doing it damn near impossible to catch unless they make a mistake. It’s freaking everyone in town out because no one knows who could be next. Keep an eye out. If you see anything, call.”

“I will.”

Sutton had seen the worried frowns on both men. Everyone in town was in danger until the killer was caught. The men had families they wanted to protect, but how could they do that with an invisible assailant?

Logan ran up to Holly. “Can I have something to drink?”

She reached into the ice cooler, taking out a bottled water and handing it to him.

“Thanks, Holly.”

The pretty woman let the boy climb onto her lap.

“He’s getting too big for that,” Greer said, reaching into the cooler for another beer.

Sutton saw Holly throw him an icy look as her arms wrapped around the five-year-old little boy.

“No, he’s not.”

“You’re going to make him a sissy.”

“Do you even listen to the crap coming out of your mouth?”

Greer took a drink of his beer before responding to the angry woman. “It’s the truth. If it wasn’t for me, the boy wouldn’t even know how to put his pants on one leg at a time.”

“Holly, you’re holding me too tight,” Logan whined, jumping down off her lap when she loosened her hold.

“Go ask Aunt Rachel if she has any more grape salad,” Holly urged him.

When he ran into the house, she glared at Greer. Neither tried to hide the antagonism between them. Sutton didn’t know if she should intercede or get Tate, who was fishing with Cash.

“The only opinion that matters to me is Dustin’s. Yours, fortunately, doesn’t count.”

“I’ve told Dustin that he needs to send your ass packing,” he sneered.

“How’s that working out?” she retorted.

“He said Logan’s too attached for you to leave.” Greer crushed the empty beer can in his hand. “I told him you’re going to disappear, anyway, when your boyfriend gets out of jail next month.”

Holly’s face whitened, filling with hurt. Sutton remembered Tate telling her that Holly and her ex-boyfriend had broken into a law office to find out information on Logan’s biological mother. Diamond hadn’t pressed charges against Holly, but the ex had gone to prison.

“I haven’t had any contact with Mitch, and I don’t plan to. You know that. You’re just being mean, Greer. I’ve apologized over and over for not going to the sheriff when Samantha died. I was trying to protect Logan.”

“You were trying to protect your own ass.”

Holly’s tearful gaze shied away from hers. Sutton could tell she was embarrassed by Greer talking openly in front of her.

“Cut it out, Greer,” Dustin said, coming out of the house and walking to stand behind Holly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“She worked in Diamond’s office for months. I’ve told you not to trust her, little brother. You’re going to find out the hard way that she’s a snake in the grass.” Greer reached into the cooler for another beer.

“That’s your third one,” Holly spoke up when he opened it and took a drink.

He raised a brow at her, drinking all of it then crushing it in his hand again.

“You should have one. You might actually learn how to have a good time.”

“I’ll pass.”

“Thought you would. You couldn’t loosen up if you had a six-pack.”

“If you’re so interested in me having a good time, why don’t you leave? That would make my day.”

Greer’s mouth snapped open. From his expression, his reply was going to be ugly.

“Don’t do it,” Dustin warned. “I’m getting tired of the way you treat Holly. You don’t have the right to throw her breaking into Diamond’s office in her face when you were the one who planted that evidence on Knox to take the suspicion off me when Samantha died. We all made mistakes.”

“Mine didn’t involve kid-snatching.”

Holly stood up with Logan’s bottled water in her hand. Sutton gaped as she flung it in Greer’s shocked face. He started toward her, but Dustin blocked him.

“Settle down. You deserved it.”

Greer pointed his finger at Holly. “One day.”

“I’m
sooo
scared. You big ape, why don’t you go get your caveman club and scratch your ass with it? That is, if you can find it. Let me show you where it is.” Holly was shaking in fury as she reached out to pat his cheek.

Sutton admired her for standing her ground against the formidable man.

Greer nearly knocked Dustin down trying to reach Holly. They barreled into the picnic table, and Rachel flew out of the house with a gun in her hand.

Sutton hastily jumped up from the picnic table, ready to scream her lungs out in terror when Rachel took aim, firing it at Greer. Stunned, she could only watch as bright yellow paint exploded on Greer’s shoulder.

“Shit! That hurt, Rach …” Greer practically fell, trying to move away from Dustin when Rachel shot another paintball at him, hitting him on his butt as he turned to run.

“He should be able to find his ass now, Holly.”

The two women burst into laughter while Greer remained silent, too wary of getting shot at again.

Logan came out of the house. “Can I go next, Aunt Rachel?”

“No!” Greer stormed off toward the river.

“Sure. Come on. I’ve got a target set up on that tree over there.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? I really don’t like him playing with guns.”

This time, Holly got a reaction from both Rachel and Dustin.

“It’s a paintball gun, and there hasn’t been a Porter born who hasn’t learned to shoot the eye out of a squirrel at fifty feet.”

Sutton and Holly both blanched at Rachel’s bragging.

“Is she joking?” Sutton asked Tate as he and Cash returned with a string of fish.

Greer remained out of range of the paintball gun.

“No,” Tate and Cash both answered at the same time.

“Logan is not going to shoot the eye out of a squirrel,” Holly said empathically.

“I don’t want to shoot a squirrel.” Logan’s bottom lip began to tremble, and his eyes brimmed with tears.

“Don’t worry, baby; no one’s going to make you.” Holly picked the little boy up, patting him on his back.

“See? I told you she’s making a sissy out of him,” Greer yelled from across the yard.

“Logan, go inside and get yourself a freezy pop out of the freezer. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“She’s gonna make him fat, too!” Greer’s loud mouth made Sutton cringe.

Holly set Logan back on his feet, waiting until the door closed behind him before turning to Rachel, holding out her hand.

“Give me the paintball gun.”

“Why?” she asked suspiciously.

“Because I’m going to show him who the sissy is.”

Rachel took a step back, holding onto the gun. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You might hurt him.”

“That’s the plan.”

“Give her the gun,” Tate ordered.

“Are you serious?” Rachel questioned her older brother.

“Yes, but give him a minute to get a head start.” Tate looked over at Greer. “Run.”

Greer took off like a pack of wild dogs was after him when Rachel reluctantly handed Holly the paintball gun. She shot off a couple of balls at him, barely missing the fleeing man. Tate, Cash, and Dustin burst out laughing at Greer.

Sutton shook her head at the nutcases surrounding her when even Rachel began to urge Holly on. Mumbling to herself, she decided to join Logan inside.

“Where are you going?” Tate called out.

“Inside.”

“Why?”

“To show Logan that normal people do exist.”

“We’re normal!”

“There are people in mental institutions more normal than you all are.”

“Don’t be that way.” He came to her side, slinging his arm around her shoulder. “We’re just having some fun.”

Sutton rolled her eyes at him. “You’re all setting bad examples for him. What if he grows up to shoot at people and fight all the time?”

Tate’s chest puffed up proudly. “Then he’ll be a Porter.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“Could be worse. He could be a Hayes or a Coleman.”

Sutton turned to Holly who had quit shooting when Greer had finally managed to get out of her sight.

“Give me the gun.” She held out her hand toward Holly.

Tate’s arrogant smile slipped when Holly handed her the paintball gun, and she then trained it at Tate.

“Who’s laughing now?”

*  *  *

“Are you still mad?” Sutton had suffered Tate’s stony silence all evening after she had brought the paintball gun home at Cash’s urging. It seems the man didn’t want the weapon around if he pissed Rachel off.

She took off her robe and laid it on the chair beside the bed. Placing a knee on the mattress, she prepared to climb into the bed.

“That last shot was unnecessary, and it hurt like fuck.”

“You shouldn’t have tried to take it away from me. You were supposed to run.” Sutton’s eyes shied away guiltily from the bruise on his side.

“A Porter doesn’t run.”

“Greer did,” she reminded him.

“We think he was adopted.”

Sutton couldn’t help falling onto the bed, laughing. “What about the red hair?”

“It’s more brownish red.”

Sutton traced her fingers over the bruise then leaned over him, placing a gentle kiss on the angry mark. Tate settled himself, getting more comfortable against the pillows.

“That make it better?”

“Not yet,” he answered grumpily.

Sutton ran the tip of her tongue over it.

“That’s helping a little.”

She slid her lips to the right to the faint mark on his stomach. “Better?”

“Getting there,” he groaned.

Sutton tugged down the blanket that was covering his lower body, and then she delicately flicked her tongue against the flesh at his hip, moving down to the mark on his thigh, gently brushing the edge of her teeth over the mark she had left there.

“You’re missing the spot that’s really hurting.” He wrapped his hands in her hair, trying to guide her toward his cock that was straining upward.

“I don’t remember shooting you here.” Sutton traced the tip with her tongue before taking the head into her warm mouth.

“Every time you look at me, it’s like a shot to my dick.” His hand went to the nape of her neck, holding her in place as his hips surged upward, forcing her to take more of his cock into her mouth.

She sucked on him, feeling him get harder and longer in her mouth. She had only given Scott oral sex a couple of times, disliking having him in her mouth. With Tate, she couldn’t get enough.

Relaxing her throat, she tried to take more of him, wanting him to enjoy it more than he had with other women. She felt herself dampen at the empty feeling in her pussy and pressed her thighs together to lessen the ache.

“Let me help with that.”

Tate rolled to the side, flipping her upside-down. His intention had her scampering to the edge of the bed.

“I’m not ready for that. I’ve never … Scott wouldn’t …”

Tate sat up, the passion in his eyes deepening. “Come here. You’re making me horny as hell.”