Chapter Twenty-Two
Horns blew and brake lights went in front of them as Linc’s sexy black Mercedes S550 coupe wove through the Dallas traffic.
“Where are we going?” Carly asked, noticing the route back to the Tex/Am building wasn’t the direction they were heading.
“You lost your gun. We’re getting you a new one.”
She started to tell him she couldn’t afford a new pistol, but the look he sliced her way kept the words from spilling out. With everything that had been going on, she missed the comfort of having a weapon, but guns didn’t come cheap.
“I feel like I should start keeping a list of the money I owe you,” she said.
“You don’t owe me anything.” Wrapped around the expensive wood-grained steering wheel, his big hands made handling the powerful car in this heavy traffic look easy. “Joe paid your debt a long time ago.”
Carly leaned back in the deep black leather seat. She missed Joe every day. It was a wound that wouldn’t heal. Even though she’d rarely come back to Iron Springs, she had talked to him at least twice a week, nothing important on either side, just the kind of call that warmed you on the inside and made you feel loved.
“Tell me something about him,” she said, “something about you and Joe.”
Linc flicked her a sideways glance. “He kept me from going back to prison.”
“What?”
“That’s right. I’d served my time, but Howler was always trying to find a way to send me back to jail. I probably should have moved somewhere else but Beau still lived in Pleasant Hill. So did Del, Rick, and Johnnie. And I had a job with your grandfather I really liked.”
“What happened?”
“One night Beau and a couple of his friends got drunk. I had an early run so Beau knew I wouldn’t be drinking. He called me, asked me to pick him and the other guys up and drive them home. Unfortunately Howler was working that night. He was in the middle of a traffic stop when I drove past. The sheriff spotted Beau’s fancy red Mustang convertible, realized I was behind the wheel, and followed us. Pulled me over just outside of town.”
“How did my grandfather get involved?”
“Joe had a police scanner. He heard the call come in over the radio, heard an arrest was being made, and my name was mentioned. Joe showed up at the jail. I told him I hadn’t been drinking—I was just making sure the guys got home safe. Joe told Howler he would have his badge if he tried to press charges.”
Carly thought of her grandfather and felt another soft pang. He’d been the only constant in her life and now he was gone.
“Joe knew the sheriff would let me go,” Linc said. “Your grandfather was one of the few people who knew Howler’s son was with me and Beau the night we got arrested.”
Carly smiled, not surprised that Joe would stand up for someone he believed was being treated unfairly. “Okay, so I guess you can buy me a gun.”
Linc laughed.
With no waiting period in Texas, Carly walked out of Drury’s Gun Shop two hours later with a sweet little Glock 19 that fit her hand perfectly. There was a gun range behind the store, which she used to get comfortable firing the weapon. She’d never gotten her concealed carry permit, but she could keep the gun with her in her vehicle, at home, or at work, and she planned to do just that.
They grabbed a bite to eat, then went to Macy’s to buy Zach some new clothes and a pair of sneakers she hoped would fit him.
After their shopping spree, Linc drove back to his office. He spent half an hour on the phone with his attorney, instructing the man to make arrangements for Carly to get temporary custody of Zach.
She felt sick about the little boy having to go into protective services, but she couldn’t hide him from the police, and it would only be a few days. At least he’d know he had someone waiting for him, someone who wouldn’t let him down.
While Linc held a brief staff meeting, Carly spent time on the phone with Rowena, going over office procedures. It was late afternoon when they left the Tex/Am building and climbed aboard the chopper for the short flight home.
Home. The thought shocked her. Dear God, she was beginning to think of Linc’s house as home and she couldn’t let that happen. She needed to move back to her own house as soon as possible, but with Archer still on the loose and the danger from El Jefe, it just wasn’t safe.
As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Linc’s protection. Aside from that, she wanted to be with him. Both sides of the argument chased around in her head. In the end, she decided to enjoy the time they had together and worry about the consequences once all of this was over.
Carly leaned back in her seat, feeling the vibration of the helicopter blades beating the air over her head as the chopper flew east. They had almost reached Blackland Ranch when Linc’s phone signaled. She saw him reach into his pocket, pull it out, and read the text.
Speaking through the headphones, he told her the text was from Taggart. An FBI agent using the name Mark McKinley would be waiting for them at Drake Trucking, there to start his “new job.”
Linc’s pilot made a course adjustment, hovered, then set down in the grassy field across from the truck yard. Carly and Linc jumped out, made their way to the entrance, then across the asphalt inside the chain-link fence to the big metal building.
“Your new hire is here,” Rowena said as they walked through the front door. “Mark McKinley? I didn’t know you’d hired a new driver.”
Carly hated secrets. And yet she didn’t want to burden her friend with more of her problems. “Sorry, with so much going on, I must have forgotten to mention him.”
“He’s drinking a Coke in the truckers’ lounge. He said you knew he was coming. He figured you’d be here fairly soon.”
“I’ll go get him.” Linc strode off in that direction.
Seated behind her metal desk, Row looked up at Carly. “I can’t believe you didn’t mention this guy. I mean, the man is hot.”
Coming from Row, who had her choice of men and rarely got involved with any of them, that was a rare compliment. “You think so?”
“He looks more like a movie star than a trucker.” As if to prove the point, the door swung open and Mark McKinley walked in. Row was right. The undercover FBI agent was handsome, no more than late twenties, with slightly overlong black hair and intense brown eyes. The beard stubble along his jaw made him look like he should be riding Linc’s Harley instead of working for the FBI.
Rowena smiled at him, but his return smile was anything but friendly. The man was clearly all business. Or maybe he was married. Men rarely ignored a smile from Row.
When Linc followed him into the room, an alpha male as hot or hotter than Mark, there was so much testosterone in the air, Carly felt a little dizzy.
“Let’s go into my office,” she said.
Linc and McKinley followed her in and Linc closed the door.
“I assume you have a class B license,” Carly said.
“I’m fully licensed,” McKinley said. “I drove trucks for three months on a previous assignment before we had enough evidence to make an arrest.”
“Good to know,” Linc said.
“How’s this going to work?” Carly asked.
“Simple. I take a load out tonight, which makes working for you look official to the rest of the drivers and anyone who might be getting information. Tomorrow night I make the pickup and delivery. If El Jefe’s men give me any trouble, I’ll tell them you’re paying me double not to ask questions. Hopefully that’ll be enough to satisfy them.”
“Sounds good,” Linc said.
“I called and got the truck lined up for tomorrow night’s run,” Carly said. “It’s a Peterbilt like the rest of our rigs, but it’s one of the newer models. I don’t want any engine trouble, no breakdowns, nothing like that.”
“Any reason he can’t take the same rig out on his run tonight?” Linc asked. “Make a trip somewhere and come back, get familiar with the equipment?”
“No reason at all,” Carly said.
“He could head down to Tex/Am Transport in Dallas. They’ve got cots in the truckers’ lounge. He could get some sleep, then drive back here, be ready for the run tomorrow night.”
“Works for me,” Mark said.
Linc pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call ahead, let them know you’re coming.”
“Gordy should still be around,” Carly said. “I’ll ask him to give Mark the tour, get him familiar with the rig.”
She led Mark out to the lounge, found the older man drinking a bottle of water, filled him in on what she wanted Mark to do, and left the agent in her foreman’s very capable hands.
When she returned to the office, Linc was waiting. “You finished here?” he asked.
She nodded. “I need to get back. I want to check on Zach, make sure he’s okay.”
“Then let’s go home.”
It sounded good, except that when they got there, they would have to turn Zach over to the authorities.
Weariness settled over her like thick oil sludge. She heard Linc’s heavy footfalls coming to a halt in front of her, felt his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her eyes to his face.
“We aren’t going to let that boy down,” he said. “We’re going to make sure he understands that.”
Her heart squeezed. Linc wouldn’t let Zach down; she knew that soul deep. Some of her exhaustion fell away. Linc wouldn’t let Zach down, and no matter what happened, neither would she.
* * *
They were back at the mansion, the helicopter lifting off the asphalt pad as Linc led Carly up the front steps to the big stone house. Using his key, he let her into the entry, walked her past the sweeping staircases, down the main hall. For a moment, he stopped in the kitchen to introduce her to his housekeeper, Betty Delinski, then guided her into his study, the only room in the house he actually liked.
It was the one room he’d had designed to his taste, a beautiful space, two stories high, with skylights in the upper part of the ceiling, polished rosewood furniture, and dark jewel-tone upholstery on the sofas and chairs.
The wood-paneled walls were filled with leather-bound books, and a huge fireplace dominated the far end of the room.
According to the phone calls Carly had made to her friend Brittany during the day, Britt and Zach were still out by the pool. The weather was warm and slightly humid, but the exhausting heat of the summer was beginning to wane.
Seated behind his massive desk, Linc phoned his attorney, Graham Steiner, for an update on Zach’s situation, while Carly waited impatiently for him to finish. He could tell she was eager to see the boy, but they needed to know where they stood before they talked to him.
“We’re going at this full tilt,” Steiner told him. “As per your instructions, my staff is making this a top priority. I spoke directly to the Department of Family and Protective Services. By now the DFPS has informed the authorities, let them know the boy is safe. But with Archer still on the loose and fresh charges filed in the vandalism case, they want the child under their protection.”
“You pressed them to leave the boy with his cousin or me until we can get things worked out, right?”
“I did, but that isn’t going to happen right away. You know how these things work.”
Linc knew from personal experience exactly how they worked. He thought of the armed guards patrolling the ranch. Blackland was the safest place he knew. Wouldn’t matter to the bureaucrats who ran social services.
“Will you be bringing him in or do you want them to pick him up?” Steiner asked.
Linc looked at Carly, read the anxiety on her face. “We’ll bring him in.”
“They’ll have people in Iron Springs waiting to transport him to the facility in Hunt County,” Steiner said. “What time should they expect you?”
“We need to talk to the boy first. We’ll be there in an hour.” Linc ended the call and rose from his chair. He looked at Carly, knew how worried she was. “Come here,” he said softly.
With a shuddering breath, she walked into his arms and he tightened them around her. He tried not to think how good she felt, how perfectly she suited him. He remembered the day he had taken her to the ranch house, how she’d said the place fit him. He remembered the wild, hard-driving sex they’d had that day. Since now wasn’t the time for erotic memories, no matter how pleasant, he eased her a little away.
“Come on. Let’s go get him. We’ll explain things, make sure he understands.”
Carly nodded. They walked arm in arm through the house, out the French doors that led to the wide expanse of pool decking, the huge kidney-shaped swimming pool, twin hot tubs set at different degrees, cabana, and landscaping that stretched for nearly two acres.
They found Britt sunbathing on a chaise lounge, Zach sitting in front of her as she slathered sunscreen over the boy’s still-healing back, careful not to hurt him.
“Hey, you two!” Carly called out with a wave. “How’s the swimming?”
Zach jumped up and raced to meet them. “The water’s great! Why don’t you guys grab your suits and come in with us?”
“We’ll do that next time for sure.” Carly smiled, but her lips barely curved. “I need you to go get dressed, Zach. There’s something we have to discuss.”
The kid’s big smile faded. “Is it my dad?” He glanced from her to Linc.
“In a way,” he said.
Carly gave him a playful shove. “Go get dressed and we’ll talk.”
Zach grabbed his towel and reluctantly padded off to the cabana.
Wearing a white one-piece swimsuit printed with big pink flowers, her dark hair wet and slicked back from her face, Britt wrapped a towel around her hips and walked up to them.
“Thanks for coming over,” Carly said.
Britt smiled. “We had a great day. Thanks for letting us use your pool, Linc.”
“The pool doesn’t get much use. I’m glad you two had fun.”
“You ought to see Zach swim. He’s a regular fish in the water. He ought to go out for the swim team.”
“That’s a great idea,” Carly said. “Once we get things worked out and I enroll him in school, maybe he could do that.”
“So you’re planning for him to live with you?”
Carly glanced toward the cabana where Zach had disappeared. “I don’t know. This has all happened so quickly. I’ll do whatever’s best for Zach.”
Linc thought of the bachelor life he’d been living since his divorce. Could he handle a ready-made family? Would Carly even be interested in making a life with him and the boy?
It was a thought that should have sent him running. If Beau found out the notion had even crossed his mind, his best friend would make an appointment for him with a shrink. And yet when he looked at Carly, when he thought of having a son, maybe children of his own, something seemed to settle deep inside him.
“Zach’s the sweetest kid,” Britt was saying. “I can’t believe his father beat him the way he did.”
Anger snapped in Carly’s eyes. “He won’t get another chance. I can promise you that.”
Linc flicked a glance toward the cabana. “No, that’s never going to happen to Zach again. Ever.”
* * *
Brittany said her farewells and headed for the car she’d parked out front while Carly sat across from Linc and Zach at a table in the shade next to the pool. Mrs. Delinski brought a tray with a pitcher of lemonade and they sipped quietly as she walked away.
“What’s going on?” Zach asked as soon as the woman disappeared back inside the house.
“Since the night you left Austin,” Carly said, “the police have been looking for you. People are worried something bad will happen to you.”
“I’m safe here. This place looks like an army base.”
“Yes, but the police don’t know that,” Linc said. “They’ve been expending a lot of manpower searching for you. It wasn’t fair to let them keep doing that.”
Zach’s head jerked up. “You called them? You called the cops and told them I was here?”
Carly pushed back damp strands of his wheat-colored hair. She wanted to hug him, but she didn’t think he’d let her. “We had to, Zach. We didn’t have any other choice.”
The boy shot to his feet so fast, his chair tipped over and crashed onto the pool decking. “You said you’d help me. You said I could trust you. You said you’d keep me safe.”
“You are safe, Zach,” Linc said. “But staying here is only a temporary solution. We need a permanent solution. That’s what we’re trying to get.”
Zach glanced wildly around. “Are they coming here? Are the cops coming to get me?” He looked ready to bolt, and Carly’s heart went out to him.
“They aren’t coming here, Zach,” she said. “Linc’s lawyers are working to get me temporary custody while we figure things out. Until that happens, you’ll be in protective care.”
“You mean jail! I’m not going to jail! I can take care of myself !”
He turned to run, but Linc caught him in two long strides, pulled him back, and trapped him in his arms. The kid struggled, but Linc didn’t let go.
“Take it easy, son. We aren’t going to let anyone hurt you. We’re going to do everything we can to help you, just like we promised.”
“You have to believe us, Zach,” Carly said, desperate to make the boy understand. “My mom died when I was ten. They took me away the night I found her, so I know what it’s like. I know how alone you feel. And Linc had a father who beat him. Neither of us is going to let that happen to you again.”
Zach stopped struggling. His shoulders drooped and he looked up at her with tears in his eyes. “What . . . what will they do to me?”
Linc let him go but kept a hand on his shoulder. “They’ll transport you to a facility in Hunt County. You have to be somewhere your dad won’t be able to get to you.”
“Your father isn’t stable,” Carly said. “He’s dangerous and that’s the reason the police want you somewhere they can protect you.”
“You could protect me here.”
“I know,” she said, “but the authorities have rules and they won’t break them.”
The boy stared down at his feet. “My dad isn’t as mean when he isn’t drunk. When he drinks, he sort of goes crazy.”
Carly felt a rush of anger. Ray Archer was never getting his hands on his son again. “We bought you some clothes when we were in Dallas. At least you’ll have something to wear.”
Zach’s eyes widened. “You bought me clothes?”
Carly smiled. “I hope I picked things you’ll like. I saw the size when I washed your stuff yesterday. We got you some sneakers, too. They’re Nikes. LeBrons. Linc picked them out.”
“LeBrons? Are you kidding me? They cost a fortune. Where are they? I wanna see ’em.”
“They’re in Linc’s study.” Before she could stop him, Zach raced toward the French doors and disappeared inside the house. Carly prayed he wouldn’t just keep running.
Instead, he returned carrying two shopping bags filled with jeans, shirts, and underwear. Zach pulled out the shoe box and popped the lid, stared down at the white-and-red, hundred-sixty-dollar pair of sneakers as if they were the most precious gift he had ever received.
He pulled out a shoe with great care and examined it closely. “They’re exactly my size.” He turned the shoe over and over in his hands. “Wow, these are great.” He looked up at Linc and she caught a hint of moisture in his eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Linc said.
Zach grabbed one of the bags and pulled it open, saw the jeans and shirts. “Cool!” He fished through the bags. “I’m gonna change into the new stuff. At least I’ll look good when they put me in jail.”
Carly’s heart constricted. She turned away so Zach wouldn’t know she was crying.