Chapter Twenty-One

By the time the five of them entered the hotel lobby, Mikayla was convinced only sheer grit and determination were keeping her upright. They’d checked in at the Marshals’ office and turned Donny over for booking. Sanford had arranged the hotel, and the clerk checking them in assured them the rooms had been stocked with sleepwear and toiletries, including toothbrushes.

As they moved toward the elevators, Linc held her back with a hand to her arm.

“What?”

“Look, I don’t want you by yourself. I don’t think the Zecenas will send someone after you, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Lines of fatigue fanned out from his tired eyes, making Mikayla remember that if Linc hadn’t been drawn into her mess, he would still be on sick leave, recovering from a serious gunshot wound. “I’m fine, Linc. It’s late. You said you thought the Zecenas are done in the US, at least for the moment. I don’t think we have anything to worry about, and we all need to get some sleep.”

He was shaking his head before she’d finished speaking. “No, I won’t leave you unprotected. We all have our own rooms, but they all have two beds. You and I can share a room.”

With the heat between her and Linc, even as exhausted as she was, she didn’t think they’d be sleeping in separate beds. And sex with Linc was too important, too fraught with meaning, for her to make that choice lightly. She wanted to sleep with him, but on her own terms.

“No. We aren’t sharing a room.”

His expression gave nothing away. They reached the elevator where the others had stopped. He turned to his sister. “El, you’re sharing a room with Mikayla.”

His sister raised a brow, then glanced at Mikayla. “Okay.” She looked like she was going to say something more, but the elevator chimed.

Linc leaned against the back wall of the elevator, arms crossed over his chest. He was probably irritated, but since her only goal was to crawl into bed and sleep the clock around, she figured she’d deal with Linc in the morning.

They stepped out on the fifth floor. Ellie stopped at a door on the right. Linc nudged his brother, had a short conversation, and they exchanged room keys. Bella and Seth disappeared into their rooms, and when Mikayla would have followed Ellie into theirs, Linc stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. “She’ll be in in a minute, El.” Ellie gave him a knowing smirk as she shut the door.

He took Mikayla’s hands in his, interlacing their fingers, and pulled her close. “Those feelings, they go pretty deep.”

“We haven’t known each other long, Linc.”

“Doesn’t seem to make a difference. Does it matter to you?”

The intensity of his gaze forced her to answer honestly. She shook her head.

He pulled her closer, releasing her hands so he could bring his up to trace a finger along her jaw. He leaned forward, closing his eyes the moment before his lips met hers. She leaned forward, hands going behind his neck to pull him to her as his touch sent fiery heat leaping through her veins. He bit her lower lip, and when she opened her mouth, his tongue slid against hers, hot and sensuous. He threaded his fingers through her hair, cradling her head, and gentled the kiss, using his tongue to soothe. He eased back, tilting his forehead against hers. When she opened her mouth to speak, he gave his head a quick shake.

“Give me a minute, Mikayla.” He inhaled deeply, his breath feathering across her face as he let out a controlled exhale. When he opened his eyes, she saw the banked desire. “What were you going to say?”

“Nothing,” she murmured, glad she’d had the moment to reconsider asking him to take her to his room.

His eyes flared with sudden awareness, letting her know he’d guessed what she’d been thinking. With an abrupt movement, he knocked on her hotel room door, and when Ellie opened, he all but shoved Mikayla through.

***

Linc sat in the booth in the crowded diner across from the hotel, waiting for everyone to arrive. The smells of frying bacon and strong coffee reminded him of Sunday mornings when he was a kid. Maybe he’d get his mom to have everyone over for breakfast once the case was tied up. Give his family some time to be together without the stress of the job, and meet Mikayla.

His mom would make a fuss about him bringing someone, but she’d like Mikayla. The thought nearly snuck by him. He’d decided to take a woman home to meet his mother and stepfather. He’d never considered a long-term relationship before, let alone a forever relationship, but that was exactly what he wanted with Mikayla. Forever.

Rubbing the heel of his palm over his heart, he spied her coming toward him ahead of the others, weaving between tables with her long-legged stride. Curves in all the right places, deep red hair, and those green eyes that made him go weak at the knees. In a word, perfect. He rose, and when she approached the table, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. Her hand clutched at his shirt and he felt more than heard her hum of pleasure.

“Hey, break it up, kids.”

Linc took his time releasing Mikayla, smiling when he whispered, “Good morning.”

She looked a little dazed. “Good morning back.”

“Think we can sit?”

He shifted to glance at his brother. Bella and Ellie were behind him. “Oh, you’re here.” He tugged on Mikayla’s hand to bring her into the booth next to him. Seth sat, and Bella scooted in next to him to make room for Ellie. Linc wondered if he was the only one who noticed that Seth was careful not to touch Bella.

Within seconds their waitress, her hair bright orange and frizzy and with a pair of blinged-out cheaters on the end of her nose, appeared armed with a coffeepot and a stack of menus she passed around. “You folks want coffee?”

“Like oxygen, and keep it coming,” Ellie said, nudging her mug closer to the pot. The woman filled mugs around the table, though Seth put his hand over Bella’s. “She’ll want tea.”

Linc caught the look when Bella glanced at Seth, surprise in her eyes.

The waitress paused. “That all right with you, sugar?”

“Yes, please. Green tea, if you have it.”

“I’ll bring you the little basket that has our selection, and you can pick what you want.”

“Thank you.”

“Be back to take your orders in a quick minute, folks,” the waitress said before leaving them.

Linc didn’t bother looking at the menu. Taking a sip from his steaming mug, he raised a brow at his brother. “Talk to Sanford this morning?”

“Yeah. Donny complained enough about the bruise on his ribs that they took him to the hospital last night. Doc gave him some painkillers, and said he’ll be fine. But since he kidnapped Mikayla and assaulted federal marshals in Utah, he’ll be held here for formal charges before being taken to California to deal with the charges there.”

“He’s a popular guy.”

“Most likely you and Mikayla will have to give testimony in both trials, so there will be a lot of back and forth.”

The waitress returned to set the little pot of hot water and basket of teabags in front of Bella, then pulled out her tablet. She made her way around the table. Mikayla ordered oatmeal and fruit salad. When it was his turn, Linc went with heart attack on a plate: eggs over easy, bacon, and hash browns. When the waitress had bustled off, Ellie skewered him with a look. “Mom told me not to bother you, but you’ve got to call her, Linc.”

“Jesus, you’re right. I was going to this morning, but I thought it was too early with the time difference.”

“Your mother is worried because you were injured?” Bella asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine but she’s been holding on pretty tight since I was shot.”

“It is natural. You should call your mother.”

“I will.”

Linc raised a brow at Mikayla. “Did you call your mother?”

“Yes. She gets up early so I called from the hotel. Like your mother, she won’t be completely happy until she sees for herself that I’m safe.”

The food arrived and they all dug in. Linc noticed Ellie giving Seth the eye as she worked her way through a stack of pancakes. Linc pushed his plate back and leaned into the seat, sipping his coffee.

Watching his sister, he waited. She didn’t disappoint. Ellie leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

Seth’s hand stilled with a bite of omelet halfway to his mouth. “What?”

“Spill.”

“Spill what?”

“Whatever is bugging you.”

Seth didn’t even try to deny it. Ellie had the ability to read people, a skill that was annoying when they’d been kids, but served her well in the Marshals Service. Linc was glad she wasn’t turning her superpowers on him.

Seth chewed, swallowed, then spoke. “Richard Jameson is in Texas.”

Carefully, Linc set his coffee on the table. “How do you know that?” Mikayla shifted in her seat, and under the table her hand gripped his.

“We had a lead, the one Ellie called you about a few days ago. Turns out to have been a good one.” Seth drummed his fingers on the table, a rare sign of agitation. “There’s a compound west of the Louisiana border that’s off grid. They have their own electricity, wells, grow a lot of their own food. Locals say they’re armed to the teeth. There’s evidence he’s there, or at least has been there in the past few months.”

“What’s the evidence?”

“They’ve been pretty much in a constant state of warfare with the local LEOs ever since they tried to serve a warrant and got shot at for their trouble. The group in the compound are trying to claim sovereignty, say they’re seceding from the US in order to live like real Americans. Best I can tell, that means they want to shoot any weapon they can get their hands on and blow shit up.”

“What are they blowing up?”

“Federal courthouse, most recently. Went after a judge who didn’t buy their argument that they’re the true defenders of the Constitution.”

“And Dad’s role?”

“Not sure, but the Marshals Service ran an image they got on the court’s security video through facial recognition and came up with a match to fugitive Richard Jameson and another person linked to the Texas compound.”

“Have you told Mom?” Ellie asked before Linc could.

“Arch told her. Marshals are going after Richard.”

“I want in on it,” Linc said.

“We all want in on it. I’ll make that happen.”

***

Linc drove while Mikayla reclined in the passenger seat, the Foo Fighters playing from a satellite radio channel. The day was beautiful and unseasonably warm, and they’d shucked their jackets. They could have been any couple heading out of town on a short trip. But they weren’t a couple. They were something, but she wasn’t exactly sure what.

The return trip to southern Utah should have felt a lot less stressful than the drive north had been, but Linc seemed as watchful and alert as ever, his gaze shifting from the rearview mirror to the road ahead, then back again.

She tried to force herself to relax. The Marshals Service had put both Donny Bertola and Paco Zecena behind bars. The Zecena cartel had been decimated. Maybe the trauma of the past few days was catching up to her, but she still felt on edge.

“You okay?”

“Sure. I’m fine.”

“How come,” Linc shot her a glance, “I get the feeling that you say you’re fine whether you are or not. It’s your go-to answer.”

There wasn’t much she could say to that because he was right. But it wasn’t only worry about the continuing threat from the cartel that had her keyed up. It was Linc. She found herself hyperaware of him. How he looked, smelled, spoke. The way he had of always being watchful, not only of their surroundings, but of her, like he took in every detail of her movements and her mood.

No doubt, with him she felt safe, but there were so many times when she’d glance at him and her breath would hitch, because those green-gold eyes would be watching her with that steady look. He was…attentive, in the extreme. And having never experienced a man so focused on her before, especially anywhere near this degree, she found the ever-increasing spiral of sexual tension…distracting. Unsettling. Add to that the uncertainty of their situation, and she felt keyed up all the time. She didn’t know if Linc was thinking long term. She didn’t know if she was thinking long term. They’d shared some truly stupendous kisses, but other than the throwaway comment about going to a baseball game, they’d made no plans.

Linc had admitted that his feelings ran deep. But what did that mean?

She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He wore a waffle-knit Henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, the tendons in his forearms rippling as he shifted gears. Even those small movements had her fantasizing about him. His hand working the gearshift made her think about his hands working her body. His wide palms, strong, agile fingers soothing, stroking, flexing. The imagery had heat burning in her belly and warmth starting up from her neck.

“Looks like everyone in the county is in town this weekend.”

“What?”

He glanced at her and his eyebrows shot up. Wide eyed, she jerked her attention to look out the windshield. It said something about how distracted she’d been that she hadn’t realized they had arrived in Concord and were following a long line of pickups, some pulling horse trailers, onto Main Street. A banner strung from light posts proclaimed the weekend as “Concord Cowboy Days.”

“Sweetheart, if we didn’t have to get to the sheriff’s office before they close for the day, we’d do something about what’s on your mind.” The drawl in his voice sent tingles up her spine.

“Never mind, just drive.”

He gave a lazy chuckle that did nothing to cool the blood burning in her veins. She forced herself to focus on the scenery, the people, anything at all to distract her. By the time Linc put the Jeep in park outside the familiar beige building, she felt like she had found some measure of control.

He held open the door to the sheriff’s headquarters and she preceded him into the reception area. The on-duty deputy looked up, a smile breaking across his round face.

“Well, hey there. Came back to visit, did you?”

It took her a second to place him as the deputy she’d spent a few minutes chatting with while preparing coffee. Only days before, it felt like weeks.

“I didn’t introduce myself last time, Ms. O’Kane. I’m Deputy Jorgensen. Nice to see you again.” He nodded at Linc before turning his attention back to Mikayla.

She smiled at his contagious cheerfulness. “Hi. We’re here to pick up my car. Sheriff Bland let me store it in the county yard.”

“Sure, I know all about that. Sheriff’s not in right now, but I can help you out. Follow me back and we’ll get the keys and then I’ll walk you over to the lot where it’s parked.”

Linc’s warm hand settled against the small of her back as she moved to follow the deputy. She looked up in question, but Linc kept his gaze straight ahead. Deputy Jorgensen kept up one-sided chatter as they moved through the office.

“I pulled the short straw, so I’m the only one in the office today. Don’t even have a prisoner to watch over since Lopez made bail. All the other deputies are part of the law enforcement presence for Cowboy Days. Brings a lot of folks to town. Not that there’s much trouble, unless you count the drunk and disorderlies that always crop up about the time the bars are closing. But that’s to be expected, I guess.”

He pulled keys from his pocket and opened a file drawer, retrieved a set of keys and handed them to Mikayla, then scribbled a notation on the bag they’d been stored in.

“You planning to stay in town tonight?”

Mikayla glanced at Linc. “That was our plan.”

“Well, unless you had the foresight to get motel reservations, good luck with that. Every place for ten miles around is booked up. There’s a dance later, biggest social event of the year. Folks like to get together before winter kicks in. C’mon, we’ll go out through the back door.”

They exited the building and followed the deputy across the parking lot to a chain-link fence, where he pushed a button that had the gate rolling open. Seeing her Subaru parked inside the gate made Mikayla feel like maybe she was getting her life back.

“Now, you drive on out, and I’ll shut the gate behind you.”

“Thank you, Deputy. I appreciate your help.”

The deputy glanced at Linc, then back at Mikayla. “You both are welcome to come to the dance. It’s over at the rodeo grounds. I guarantee you’ll have a good time.”

Mikayla smiled. “Thanks for the invitation.”

Linc held up a hand before Jorgensen could move away. “When did Lopez get out?”

“Yesterday. Buddy of mine took it in the face when the little shit, pardon my French, ma’am, got himself arrested. Wasn’t sorry to see him go.”

“You know his whereabouts?”

“Said he was heading back to California until the trial. Got his car out of impound and took off.”

“Know who paid his bail and the impound fees?”

Jorgensen shrugged. “Not off the top of my head. I can find out if you like.”

Linc nodded while pulling his phone from his pocket. “Yeah, I would.”

They exchanged numbers. Mikayla unlocked the Subaru and got behind the wheel as Linc slid into the passenger seat. She drove through the gate with a wave to the deputy, then rounded the building to pull up next to the Jeep.

Instead of getting out, Linc leaned back in his seat, fingers tapping on his knee.

“What’s up?”

“You want to go to a dance?”

“Are you serious?”

“Yep.”

“Lincoln Jameson, I did not expect that from you.”

“Why? I like to have a good time.” He reached out a finger to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “What do you say we spend a little time together where we don’t have to worry that you’re in danger. Get to know each other better.” He paused, his gaze direct. “I want to go dancing with you.”

Mikayla heart thudded in her chest. “That sounds fun, but I’m going to be a girl and say I don’t have anything to wear to a dance.”

“I don’t think a dance at the rodeo grounds has the same dress code as a club in LA. Wear jeans, nobody will care.”

“I’ve been clubbing exactly one time in my life, and never again. But okay, I’ll make something work. But what about where we’ll stay tonight?”

“Let me take care of that. There’s a grocery store a few blocks from here. Follow me there. What you’re wearing is fine, but if you want to change or wash up or whatever, you can do that in their restroom while I pick up a few supplies.”

In the grocery store restroom, she used the little makeup she’d brought to apply eyeshadow and mascara. With her mood lighter than it had been in weeks, she pulled on a clean tank top, tucking it into her jeans, then donned a light shirt, leaving several buttons undone. She studied herself in the mirror. Not clubbing sexy, but that wasn’t her look anyway. She guessed her look would be considered more nature girl, and that seemed to work fine for Linc.

She hadn’t been this excited about going out with someone in a long time. Maybe forever.