Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One) (27 page)
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Authors: Kennedy Layne
Tags: #Romance, #Military
“Sadie, you can’t lie to Dad, even if he is a pain in your behind.” Keane couldn’t believe his sister thought she could pull this off. He was starting to think that Calvert should have a remote Seattle office just so he could be there to put out the fires his sister created. “He’s going to find out and then he’s going to try and sell it, without ever having used it. Next thing you know, the local VA will be using it to ferry patients.”
“That’s not going to happen because I already sold him a raffle ticket, which is why he’s being stubborn. I thought he should buy more, you know, to make it look legit. He only bought one.” Sadie must have walked away from the group of people she was with to discuss her exploits in private. “Ashlyn, are you there? Can you please tell Keane that this will work?”
Ashlyn smiled and started talking to Sadie as Keane pulled the vehicle up to the main house, next to the garage. The smell of steaks being cooked over an open flame wafted from around the back of the house, causing Keane to practically salivate. He shifted into park and then gave Ashlyn time to finish up the call, very grateful that the two women in his life got along so well. He and Ashlyn had flown out to Seattle a month ago, with the sole purpose of her meeting his family. He’d already spent time with hers, even enjoying a rather nice glass of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve twenty-three year in the retired judge’s private chambers.
“Sadie, we’ll back you up on this, but you should really just tell him the truth and say it’s an early Christmas present,” Ashlyn advised, taking off her sunglasses and leaving them in the console. The sun was setting and Keane already knew the sight it made as it set over the pond in Calvert’s backyard. “We could even go half with you and say it’s from all of us, if that will help.”
Keane lifted an eyebrow, knowing exactly how much a state of the art RV cost. Ashlyn was trying to get him to loosen up the ridge in his wallet, but he’d been a saver most of his life. It was a little difficult to adjust to having someone else in his life to think about, causing him to believe he should have saved more. What happened when they had children? Raising a child or two certainly wasn’t cheap. And college? Keane started to sweat just thinking about it.
“Hello? Anyone home?” Keane was surprised to see that Ashlyn had already disconnected the call and had apparently been calling his name a time or two. He shoved aside his worries and then opened his door, walking around to do the same with hers. He held out his hand and admired the navy blue and white sundress she had worn this evening. The fabric molded to her curves just right, as far as he was concerned. She stood and rested her warm hand against his face. “Are you all right?”
“Absolutely,” Keane assured her, moving both of them to the side so that he could close the car door. He captured a kiss, not caring in the least if he smudged her lipstick. She laughed and immediately ran a finger underneath her lower lip to erase the smear. “You’re about to be my wife, who happens to be starting a new job as one of the Orange County prosecuting attorneys. I’d say I’m doing more than all right.”
Ashlyn had tried to include her team of paralegals in on the deal, but they all had moved on to bigger and better things in D.C. Mia had accepted a position with Bishop Vance. He’d finally managed to pull that one off. As for Parker and Reed, they found their own teams to complement. Gina replaced Ruth as the new Chief’s executive assistant. Ruth found that teaching Pilates at Curves better suited her job prospects when she’d immediately retired from the D.C. office after Garner’s death.
“You guys should just turn around and get a hotel room if you can’t keep your hands off of each other,” Brody yelled from the side of the house. He must have been making his way out of the garage when he’d spotted them. He stopped right before he was out of sight, lifting up his sunglasses to inspect Keane with a shake of his head. “I buy you a brand new wardrobe and you still show up in khakis with a stiff-assed pullover shirt. Ashlyn, when are you going to agree with my sense of fashion?”
“Never,” Ashlyn called out with a laugh, grabbing Keane’s hand and pulling him toward the loud conversation erupting from the back patio.
Sure enough, the entire group was lounging on the deck, overlooking the peaceful water. Calvert was standing before a large stainless steel grill, multiple steaks lined in a row with a dozen or more baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil on the top rack. Sawyer handed Keane a beer while Ashlyn gave him another kiss before joining the woman Royce had brought with him, although Keane was relatively certain the two weren’t exclusive.
“Who’s the blonde?” Keane asked, tilting the neck of the cold, clear bottle and taking his first sip of Newcastle Brown Ale for the evening. Damn, that was good. He motioned with his bottle to where the women were standing. “Royce, is that the same woman who was at the Orlando City game a couple of weeks ago?”
“No,” Royce replied, stealing a chip out of Coen’s hand before claiming the last lounger. Keane didn’t mind. He leaned against the railing, calling out a greeting to Calvert, who was already charming the two ladies with his grilling skills. “That was Jenna. This is Meaghan.”
The man was definitely a player, but Keane was relatively certain there was a reason for Royce’s aversion to commitment. He wasn’t as open as everyone else though. He was social, yet quiet…and those were the men with lethal secrets.
“Sawyer, can you go get me some plates?” Calvert called out, flipping the ribeyes over with the grilling tongs. The apron was a nice touch, but the white lace certainly didn’t fit his personality. “Oh, and grab some silverware, too. We can eat out here tonight.”
Sawyer stood and grabbed Coen’s baseball cap before walking toward the sliding glass doors. He positioned it backwards, like Coen wore it, as he disappeared from view. Coen muttered some curse words and ran his fingers through his hair as Brody continued to talk about the new hardware he was receiving tomorrow and what it could do for them in the field.
They’d all been training these past two months, getting to know one another and how each of their skillsets could complement the other. There had been firing exercises, tactical maneuvers, and problem solving sessions. They had also reviewed the facts surrounding the last case ad nauseam. The most brutal had been the discovery of multiple dismembered female corpses in Andrew Rutledge’s deep freezer in his D.C. apartment. Keane had spent the night just holding Ashlyn after that gruesome finding, coming to terms with the fact that she could have been added to that list.
It was also found that Rutledge had spent a good portion of his life studying Internet technology and that his second major in college had been computer science. His annual vacation usually coincided with the most recent release of Solaris Unix Operating Systems. His apartment was full to the brim with an amazingly complex server farm that baffled even the FBI’s cyber department.
As it stood, Keane wouldn’t be surprised in the least if Calvert gave them an assignment by the end of next week. The team had proven themselves efficient, capable, and deadly.
Keane was the first one to notice when Sawyer returned, although he was empty-handed. The concern written on his face said it all and soon everyone was turning to find out what was wrong.
“Townes, there’s a problem. I was listening to the radio news you had on in the house about that approaching Hurricane Gilroy and…” Sawyer broke off, taking off the baseball cap and rubbing the back of his neck as he struggled with words. Keane set his beer down on the railing, already knowing this wasn’t going to be good. “Shepherd Moss escaped from Union Correctional Institution in Raiford, Florida this afternoon. He’s now on the FBI’s Most Wanted list as of sixteen hundred hours today.”
Keane and the others were clearly out of the loop, because everyone was exchanging looks of concern. Who was Shepherd Moss and what was his connection to Calvert? The more Keane thought about it, the more he realized he
did
recognize the name.
“Moss?” Brody asked, lifting his legs up off of the lounger and setting the soles of his sandals on the deck. He lifted his sunglasses once more and set them on top of his head, studying Sawyer and then Calvert. “As in the serial killer who brutally murdered eighteen women?”
“Sawyer, could you please take over?”
Townes Calvert spoke so softly that even the usual rasp in his voice couldn’t be heard. He quietly set down the tongs on the porcelain serving platter before methodically removing the apron, draping it over the nearest chair. He didn’t make eye contact with anyone as he silently walked across the wooden deck and into the house, soundlessly closing the patio door behind him.
No one said a word, but all eyes were trained on Sawyer. What the hell had just happened? Keane reached out a hand when Ashlyn came to stand next to him, wrapping her arm around his waist in support. She leaned into him as they all waited for Sawyer to explain what had just taken place.
“What the hell, Sawyer?” Royce asked, mimicking Brody’s posture as he sat up and rested his elbows on his knees. “Is there something we should know?”
“It’s not my story to tell,” Sawyer replied somewhat reticently, tossing Coen back his hat before walking over to turn down the burners. “What I can say is that we’re about to have one hell of a mission hunting the most elusive serial killer in Florida’s history.”
Keane pulled Ashlyn to him, embracing her until her arms were wrapped around his neck. All he’d wanted was to deal with the simple divorce cases where he took a picture or two. When did those cases roll around? It didn’t appear he was going to get that, but what he did have was someone to come home to every night. They’d come into each other’s lives at the exact moment they needed each other.
An obsession might have taken a deadly turn, but it was the flames of desire and love that were left to be rekindled in the end.
The End
Essential Beginnings (Surviving Ashes, Book One)
Hidden Ashes (Surviving Ashes, Book Two)
Buried Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Three)
Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files 1)
Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2)
Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3)
Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4)
Internal Temptation (CSA Case Files 5)
Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files 6)
Redeem My Heart (CSA Case Files 7)
Starr’s Awakening & Hearths of Fire (Red Starr, Book One)
Targets Entangled (Red Starr, Book Two)
Igniting Passion (Red Starr, Book Three)
Untold Devotion (Red Starr, Book Four)
Fulfilling Promises (Red Starr, Book Five)
Fated Identity (Red Starr, Book Six)
Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One)
Faithful Addiction (The Safeguard Series, Book Two)
First and foremost, I love life. I love that I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister… and a writer.
I am one of the lucky women in this world who gets to do what makes them happy. As long as I have a cup of coffee (maybe two or three) and my laptop, the stories evolve themselves and I try to do them justice. I draw my inspiration from a retired Marine Master Sergeant that swept me off of my feet and has drawn me into a world that fulfills all of my deepest and darkest desires. Erotic romance, military men, intrigue, with a little bit of kinky chili pepper (his recipe), fill my head and there is nothing more satisfying than making the hero and heroine fulfill their destinies.
Thank you for having joined me on their journeys…
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