Doc (13 page)

Caleb watched from across the bar as Izzy cozied up to Preacher Prior, president of the Badlands Buzzards MC. He set his beer down on the counter so he didn’t accidentally squeeze it too hard and send shards of glass everywhere. Izzy had one hip leaning against the corner pool table and she was caressing Prior’s stick—his pool stick—suggestively.

“Doc?” came a familiar voice to Caleb’s right.

“Yeah?” Caleb replied without taking his eyes off Izzy and Prior.

“Why are you at the bar by yourself?” Easy asked. “You and I could still get a table, even if everyone else is at home.”

The others were home with their women, as was more often the case these days. Easy still hung around Maria’s every night that Daisy was working to keep an eye out for her.

Easy followed Caleb’s gaze toward the darkened corner of the bar and gave a concerned grunt. “Isn’t that Izzy? Rubbing on Prior’s cue?” he asked.

Caleb tapped his fingers on the polished wood of the counter. “Yeah.”

“Isn’t she your woman?”

Caleb caught himself before he answered again. “No,” he replied, which ran counter to his instincts. His cock jerked in protest.

“What’s she doing?”

“Baiting the hook for Prior.”

Easy gave a low whistle. “Bad idea.”

“I don’t disagree. But it’s our best shot at catching the Paul kid whose cousin seems to have pulled a disappearing act around the same time the younger one robbed that gas station.”

“What the fuck makes her think that Prior would give up
anybody
in his organization?” Easy asked, obviously incredulous. “Even a pissant hangaround?”

“Izzy’s got leverage,” Caleb said quietly. He watched as Prior finally lost interest in the game and turned his full attention to the beautiful woman in front of him. Izzy took him by the arm and led him away from the table and toward the front door.

“What kind of leverage?” Easy asked. “Her tits? Because I’ve got to say, Doc, I don’t think that’s going to be enough.”

Caleb growled at the thought of Prior’s hands on her. He stood up and made his way toward the exit
—not the front door as Izzy and Prior had done, but the back, through the kitchen.

“I’m coming with you,” Easy insisted. Caleb didn’t argue.

It was sheer hell having lost sight of her, even for just a few moments. Caleb quickened his pace down the alley just outside the back door and turned the corner to the side of the building.

There he saw Izzy pressed against the side of her Charger, Prior’s hands slipping over her hips and his mouth just inches from hers.

“I know you,” Prior declared.

Izzy shook her head and maneuvered his hands off her. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do,” he insisted, though he seemed unsure. He pulled back from her and studied her face. Then the light bulb went on. “You were in my bed.”

“True,” Izzy replied. “I was in your bed. But you don’t know me.”

“What the fuck?” Caleb spat as he came up behind Prior.

Prior turned and glared at him. He assessed first Caleb, then Easy, and then looked beyond them, no doubt to ascertain whether or not Shooter, Tex, and Hawk were close behind. Not finding them, he turned his gaze back to Caleb. “Fuck off,” he growled.

“Get your fucking hands off her,” Caleb ordered, still closing in. He wasn’t quite within striking distance, but he was gaining ground. He’d rip Prior’s hands off her and beat the man senseless. Fuck asking him to cooperate, Caleb would just kick the shit out of him until the man was begging to help.

Izzy was a bit more clear-
headed, it seemed. “I need something from you, Prior,” she told him.

Prior smiled but his gaze didn’t leave Caleb. “After I grease Barney Fife and the Gimp, I’ll give it to you, baby. I’ll give it to you all night and all day tomorrow. If you’re a good girl.”

Izzy sighed. “I doubt that, Prior. You’ll probably be dead by then.”

Prior turned back to look at her. He must have guessed that Izzy and Caleb were together, because when he realized he was blocked in by the two ex-Army Rangers, he grabbed Izzy with one hand, pulled a switchblade with the other. He set her between them, with the blade glinting at her throat.

Without thinking, Caleb pulled his .45 out of the waistband of his jeans and trained it on Prior’s head.

“Holy Fuck,” Easy muttered darkly. “Fucking fight and I don’t have a gun
or
a knife. Thanks for the heads up, Doc.”

“Let her go, Prior,” Caleb said quietly.

“What the fuck?” Prior growled. “Someone start talking, or she starts bleeding.”

Blood roared in Caleb’s ears, his finger flexed on the trigger. It wasn’t a difficult shot. He could put it right between Prior’s eyes if he cared to, though it didn’t seem like enough of a punishment for the asshole.

“Fair enough,” Izzy said, deadly calm. There was a sharp click, though not of a hammer. Prior tensed at the unfamiliar sound, but even he knew it wasn’t a gun she had in her hand.

Under the piss-yellow glow of the overhead street lamp, Izzy held up a small digital recorder. A voice Caleb didn’t recognize filled the tense silence.

“Look, enough’s enough,” someone said. “All these fucking plans and we’re still standing around with our dicks in our hands. We ain’t seen a payday like he’s been promising.”

“Soap,” said another voice. “Killing a brother ain’t no walk in the park.”

“Jesus, man” said a third voice. “Killing a brother? Nah, man, killing the
prez
. Let’s call it like it is. He deserves that much, anyway.”

“True. And not just him. Tiny, Switch, and Dink? They’ll never stand with us. We take out Prior, they’ll be out for blood.”

“We take them out first,” someone argued. “And he’ll know we’re coming for him.”

Someone sighed. “So, we do ‘em all at once. It’s the only way.”

“Heads are gonna roll if we fuck this up.”

“Heads are gonna roll,” someone agreed. “But they won’t be ours.”

Izzy switched off the recorder. Prior remained frozen, still waiting for his brain to catch up.

“Prior,” Caleb said, warning him.

Slowly, Prior pulled the knife from Izzy’s throat. Caleb still didn’t lower his gun.

“How the fuck did you get this?” Prior demanded.

Izzy looked him straight in the eye, all business. “I bugged your clubhouse. That’s how you found me in your bed. I was setting up surveillance.”

Prior’s face contorted with rage and he moved toward her. Caleb stepped forward, keeping the gun at eye level.

“I got no problem putting you down,
Jack
,” Caleb hissed. “You touch her again and I’ll ghost you before your crew has a chance to do it.”

Prior seemed to regain his perspective and stepped back. “So, what? You’re just doing your civic duty? Protecting and serving? Oh, that’s right, word is you’re not a cop anymore.” He snorted. “Not that you ever were. I’ve always said that. Animals smell their own.”

“That’s right. So you know I’m not just blowing smoke.”

Prior grimaced. “Why tell me?”

“Like I said,” Izzy replied. “I want something.”

Prior snorted again. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to enjoy it as much as riding your sweet ass?”

Izzy ignored the comment. “Jace Paul.”

It wasn’t often that the
president of Rapid City’s only one-percenter gang was caught off guard, but that seemed to throw him for an even bigger loop than hearing his fellow compatriots were plotting to murder him

“The fuck? The Paul kid? What about him? He’s nothing. He’s not even patched in.”

“So, you don’t mind giving him up,” Izzy countered. “After all he’s not a
brother
.”

She emphasized the word so hard Prior’s jaw twitched. She was right, though. Prior had few loyalties. Not anymore. And somewhere in that pitch black heart of his, he knew what he owed Izzy and Caleb for pointing it out.

“What do you want?”

Izzy explained and Prior agreed to turn over the kid and anyone else he was with.

“I’ll call you in a day or two,” he told them and stalked away toward his bike.

After he was gone, Easy let out a slow breath. “Jesus H. This bounty hunting thing is some real shit,” he said to Izzy.

“It
can
be,” she replied, slipping the recorder into her jacket pocket.

Caleb finally lowered the gun but couldn’t bring himself to put it away. His nerves were raw and he could feel his anger bubbling just below his skin.

“Doc?” Easy asked as Caleb moved away from them and headed toward the car.

He yanked the passenger side door open and gestured with the .45, though his finger no longer hovered over the trigger. He glared past Easy toward Izzy.

“Get the fuck in the car.”

Izzy sat beside him in uncomfortable silence as he drove them home. She would have preferred to talk about what had happened, and how to keep it from happening again, but Caleb definitely wasn’t feeling chatty at the moment.

To test the waters, she said, “Caleb?”

“Don’t,” came the harsh response.

Izzy frowned. While she wouldn’t call herself a talker, at least not for the mere sake of talking, she was, by nature, a strategist. She wondered how long he was planning to sulk. With her luck probably all night, though hopefully not for the rest of her time here.

They were close to catching Paul, closer than they had been at any rate. Soon he’d be behind bars and she hoped to at least have a
conversation
with the brooding man beside her. A conversation that ideally wouldn’t include juvenile labels like “boyfriend” or inane phrases like “taking it to the next level”. But she wanted to come to some kind of understanding with him.

He pulled into the drive and yanked the parking brake hard. Izzy unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him to the house. He unlocked the front door and stepped past her. He turned on the light, waited for her to come inside, and shut the door behind her. He took out his gun and placed it on the kitchen table, then he slid his leather jacket off and tossed it over the back of one of the chairs. He turned and walked past her toward the living room.

“Sleep on your own tonight,” he told her. “I’ll take the couch.”

“Bullshit,” Izzy countered, refusing to move toward the bedroom. “You’re coming to bed with me.”

Caleb’s eyes grew impossibly dark, but she wasn’t cowed. She understood he was irritated. The meeting with Prior could have gone more smoothly. But she and Caleb were still feeling each other out, learning how to work together. She’d already decided to split the reward money with him, though she hadn’t told him yet. It meant she’d have to take another high priority skip in order to have the bills covered, but she was hopeful it would pan out. She watched him grind his teeth at her refusal to follow his orders.

“Fine,” he growled. “You take the couch.” He moved toward the bedroom, but she stepped in front of him.

“You’re not walking away from me,” she informed him.

Caleb ignored her and tried to move around her. Continuing their dance, she blocked him again. He finally regarded her for a long moment.

“I can pick that door in less than ten seconds,” she reminded him. “You’re not walking away from me,” she repeated. “You’re not shutting me out.”

His hands flexed as though he longed to touch her. Izzy welcomed it. After walking the high wire tonight,
it would be good for both of them to blow off a little steam.

Caleb leaned down into her face. “You need that door between us, Izzy,” he said. “You need more than that door. You need
miles
between us right now.” He paused. A measured silence stretched out between them before he said, “Get the fuck out.”

“Fuck you,” she replied. “I’m not leaving.”

His hands flexed again and he licked his lips convulsively.

“You want to put your hands on me, Caleb? Do it,” she challenged.

He shook his head and looked away. “You do not want that.”

“I think I do,” she argued and slid her leather jacket down her arms. It landed in a heap on the floor behind her. “In fact, I know I do.”

“Izzy,” he warned as she grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head.

“Touch me, Caleb,” she demanded.

He didn’t respond. He didn’t move toward her, either.

She unclasped her bra and tugged it down. “I won’t break,” she assured him. “I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” She kicked off her boots and popped the button on her jeans.

“This is not going to happen,” he told her. “Get dressed, get your shit, and get out of my house.”

Izzy wiggled out of her jeans and tossed them aside. “Make me,” she countered.

“Izzy, I swear to God,” he said as she stood before him in just her panties. “I will…”

“You’ll what?” she prompted. “What will you do to me?”

Caleb moved forward, reaching for her with one hand. She could tell by the look in his eyes he hadn’t yet given in. She moved backward, out of his reach, and toward the bedroom behind her. “You need to leave,” he demanded and reached for her again once they were inside the bedroom. He finally grasped her wrist and pulled her forward.

Instead of fighting his hold, Izzy surged forward and stood on her toes. Her face was just inches from his. “No!” she said firmly.

And this was the catalyst; the brittle moment that had crackled between them now snapped. Izzy found herself lifted and moved, not toward the bed but to the wall next to it. Her back hit the cool plaster with a thud.

“Ge
t out before you get hurt,” he demanded. “Before
I
hurt you!” His voice was gravelly, full of venom. He’d no doubt successfully ordered a lot of people around this way. Izzy might have been afraid, might have wondered about how much danger she was in, if it weren’t for his large hand cradling the back of her head, protecting it from the wall he’d just pushed her into.

“You don’t want to hurt me, Caleb,” she said calmly.

“I will,” he replied.

There was a slight tremor to his voice. So tiny, so faint
, Izzy was only just barely sure she’d heard it. But it was there. His other hand was pressed flat against the wall, pinning her in.

“Touch me, Caleb.”

He hesitated a moment then punched the wall beside her. “I can’t,” he said through gritted teeth.

His eyes flashed in the moonlight coming in through the window. To anyone else it would’ve looked like anger, like white hot rage simmering below the surface. And she supposed some part of him
was
angry, but not at her. No. When it came to her, Caleb Barnes wasn’t angry. He was afraid.

“Put your hands on me, Caleb.”

He glared at her. “Is that what you want? You
want
to get hurt? You like it rough?
You like pain, Izzy?
”

Izzy raised her chin and looked him in the eye. “I want everything you have to give me,” she replied.

Caleb had a hold of her hair at the scalp, which didn’t hurt her but couldn’t be fought against. He angled her toward the bed. Pushing her down, he released his grip and laid his forearm across her chest, immobilizing her.

“Is this what you want?” he demanded, hovering over her. His free hand grabbed her panties and yanked. The fabric bit into her skin and then tore. “You want it like this, Izzy? You want to get hurt?” His hand was on the button of his jeans and he yanked open the fly with a jerk that shook the whole bed.

Izzy couldn’t move with his weight on her. She couldn’t raise her arms high enough to reach him, so she spread her legs as he moved in between them.

He hesitated, one arm holding her against the bed, the other hand grasping his
rock-hard cock.

“Give me everything,” she told him, because she couldn’t make him do it herself.

His body tensed before he plunged inside her, burying himself completely. She cried out from the force of it. She couldn’t hold him in her arms, so she wrapped her legs around him. The metal of his zipper scraped against the skin of her thighs as he pounded into her. She blinked back tears of frustration as her own climax taunted her, out of reach, just like he was. Izzy closed her eyes and waited for him to finish. He needed this. He couldn’t live without it. Because he wasn’t really living at all, not that she could see. He was just going through the motions. He had so much more to offer. He didn’t even realize it. She hated how lonely he was, so she relaxed under his weight and let him drive into her. She hoped with every thrust he was aware that he wasn’t alone. Not with her. He was never alone with her.

After he came inside her, she lay underneath him, drowsy and spent but in a completely different way. She drifted off to sleep, only vaguely aware that he’d left the room, closing the door softly behind him. She frowned in the darkness. Maybe he wasn’t ready to stay, but he wasn’t kicking her out and that was something
, at least. She rolled to her side and gathered his pillow to her, breathing in his scent. It was a poor substitute.

She was getting closer to drawing him out, pulling more of him to the surface that she suspected was rarely disturbed by even a ripple of emotion. He might have always been this way, for all she knew. Caleb Barnes hadn’t suddenly woken up one day surrounded by impenetrable darkness. He’d been stumbling toward it for years, maybe his whole life, though she didn’t know why. One night wasn’t going to bring him out of it. She sighed, but not in defeat.