Hell Bent (17 page)

“Call Dirty Mary and tell her to make arrangements to move the ladies back to the shelter as soon as possible.  The repairs are done and it will be easier for Levi and Caleb to guard them there until we get back.”

“Have I told you how glad I am you’re back in Texas?” Ronnie asked with a laugh, as she pulled out her phone and started to text.

Yeah, she had, and Cade wished he felt more confident he was going to be able to accomplish more than temporary safety for Ronnie and his niece for his trouble.  He hadn’t even accomplished that yet.  They still had major hurdles to cross before they could claim victory in their small battle against this homegrown terrorist group. 

What Cade was worried about was the
war
that would continue after he left and they’d never be safe.  With the uproar being caused by the illegal immigration issue, it could go on for a very long time.  That meant if Veronica kept up with this cause, and he knew she would, she would continue to be at risk and put her family at risk by osmosis.  Surely there were ways she could help without direct involvement. 

He was going to talk to her about that as soon as the baby was born.  If he hung around that long.  A new mother would probably be more apt to listen to that hard advice.  One thing was for sure, she couldn’t keep sticking out her neck like she was and expect her husband and brother to back up her mouth and protect her. 

One day they wouldn’t be around, and she would pay the price.

It didn’t matter to the vigilante group that she was helping a demographic that didn’t ask to be here, or that the services she provided helped them get back to their country with a greater chance of never returning.  It just didn’t matter to them, because in their minds she was helping illegals with government tax dollars if this bill passed.

Cade knew, like the cartels in Columbia, the only way to get rid of these groups was to work up the food chain until you reached the head rat and cut off his head.  But that took time, and even when it was done, the victory only bought them momentary peace because the rat horde would eventually regroup.  The problem with the vigilante groups was a lot of the members were survivalists who lived off the land and off the grid.  Crazy men and women who had nothing to lose.  That made them dangerous, hard to locate, and even harder to take down. 

Especially when you didn’t have the manpower for the job.

Homeland Security could only do so much, because they were spread too thin with the current international threats.  The FBI and all the alphabet agencies under them had their hands full with all kinds of things that fell under their umbrella—drugs, guns, gangs, mafia, human and sex trafficking, as well as domestic terrorism threats.

Cade had worked with all of them on various ops and many agencies were understaffed, and mostly undertrained, because of the high burnout rate.  That left the CIA to pick up the slack, and they had an even higher burnout rate because their job was twice as hard and covered all of those aspects.

It was an endless cycle and sometimes Cade wondered why he bothered. 

Because if you didn’t at least try to take those organizations down, they would grow like weeds and eventually choke out any good in the world.
 

The drugs, the murders and crazies of the world would become the norm, and that was not a world he wanted to live in.  It wasn’t one he wanted his niece to grow up in either, so that was why he was back in Texas, and the reason he’d stay until this threat was at least somewhat eradicated.   If that took a little more time than he anticipated, so be it.

Cade looked up in the rearview and saw Cecelia huddled in the corner of the backseat with her hands pressed together and her face resting on them.  His heart jerked, because at that moment he could see the sweet but feisty girl she used to be, the woman he used to love.

She looked so beautiful and at peace with herself, something he hadn’t seen in her since he’d been in Texas.  She was tense and edgy now, rough as any of the hard-edged men he’d been in the trenches with on missions.  Those brief glimpses of the goodness, the softness that used to be a much bigger part of her makeup gave Cade hope that if she stuck around here, maybe that woman would re-emerge.  He was determined to see that transformation happen. 

He understood now why she left, even though he didn’t agree with her choice or method of escape.  Cecelia wanted her freedom and got it by running away, instead of confronting the situation head on and taking a stand.  Cade thought now she realized going away hadn’t changed her brother’s opinion or attitude toward her in the least and she was at her wit’s end. 

She’d gone to war, put her life on the line for her country like he and Logan had, but what had she gotten for it?  Not one damned thing.  Her brother still wanted to protect her even though she had the skills now to help him.  Cade did too, even though he recognized she had those skills.  The rest of the crew at Deep Six followed Logan’s lead.

That panic attack scared her, but it scared him more. 

It told him she did not need to go back into the military because her body and mind might just reject the idea and maybe she wouldn’t be as lucky as she had been before to come home alive.  He’d had plenty of friends in that same situation, having neuro issues, who didn’t make it back in one piece because they pushed the envelope.

Cade added fixing her situation with Logan to his to do list before he left Texas.  She didn’t need to go back to the sandbox.  Cecelia Logan belonged here with her family and that is where she’d stay if he had anything to do with it.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Cee Cee’s teeth rattled in her loose jaw, as someone shook her shoulder.  “Wake up, Brat—” Cade said, and Cee Cee’s eyes popped open.  He nudged her shoulder again impatiently.  “Get out, so I can get the bags.”

Sucking in a deep, sleepy breath, she stretched out her kinked muscles and looked around to realize the sun had set and it looked like they were at a fancy hotel. 

“Are we in Austin?”

“Yes, and Allison and Ronnie are inside checking us in,” he replied shortly.

What was wrong with him now?  This man’s moods were more mercurial than any woman she’d ever met.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, as she stretched one leg outside, and groaned as stiffness prevented her from extending it fully.

“The rooms they reserved are singles all on different floors is what’s wrong, and that’s unacceptable.  Veronica is trying to rent suites on the top floor now, because we’ll need them for the others anyway.”

“Cade, this is an irritation, not a crisis.  They’ll work it out,” Cecelia said as she put her other leg outside, and stretched her arms out.

“Can you get a move on, Brat?  I need to get back in there to make sure it doesn’t
evolve
into another crisis.  I’ve had enough of those for one day,” he growled, propping his elbow on the door as she took her time easing up to her feet.

“You didn’t bring a luggage cart?” she asked, looking around the lighted parking lot.

“No, I thought between us we could manage this, but if you need a cart for your half, go get one,” he grumbled, leaning inside to jerk one of the heavy duffles to the edge of the seat.

As knotted up as her muscles were from being mashed into that tin can, she definitely needed a cart.  He should have brought one, but like a typical man he would never consider the easy route, Cecelia thought, as she walked quickly toward the green canopy covering the wide, well-lit entrance. 

“Can I help you ma’am?  Do you need help with your luggage? the bellman at the stand by the door asked.

“No, but I could use a cart, please?” she replied, walking over to him.

The man lifted his nose high in the air.  “I’m sorry,
we
can’t allow you to have a cart.  I’ll have to help you, it’s our union rules.”

Would that be the royal We?
Cee Cee looked at his name tag
. Frederick?  And Bellmen had unions?  Good grief
.

“Well
my
rule is nobody handles my luggage but me.”  She knew Cade would never let him handle his gun bag and she wouldn’t either.  “I’d appreciate it if you made an exception just this once and he—will
tip
you, I promise!” Cecelia tossed a thumb over her shoulder, because she had a feeling that’s what this was all about.  She glanced over her shoulder at Cade and saw him struggling to pull bags from the trunk of the car at the back of the lot.

Another dumb male decision. 

Cade could’ve solved this whole problem by just pulling up under the canopy to unload their luggage. But then this bellman would’ve probably tried to take control then too.

“This isn’t about a gratuity ma’am, it’s a liability issue,” the man replied haughtily. 

“Just give me the damned cart, please,” she growled.  “I’ll sign a waiver, give you my first born, leave a pint of blood as collateral if you need that.  I am exhausted, and my—” she looked back at Cade again as he slammed the trunk down on the car.  “My
friend
is exhausted too.  You are being rude and I’m going to report that to your manager!”

The man actually snorted.  “You do that, ma’am.”

“Grrrrr—you can bet I will!” she shouted, with her clenched fists itching to feel that man’s nose under them.

“Chill out, Cecelia. This is an irritation—not a crisis,” Cade grumbled, as he dropped three suitcases and two duffles onto the sidewalk.  She spun to find him grinning at the bellman and gritted her teeth. “You gotta watch this one, Freddie—she’s small but packs a helluva wallop.  Don’t want to cross her, trust me.” 

With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Cade walked back to the car and Cecelia glared after him.  She twisted back toward the bellman.  “Make your damned self useful,
Freddie
—put those on a cart!”

Cecelia walked inside just as Allison and Ronnie left the front counter.  They spotted her and walked over to her.

“Tell Cade, I got
three
two-bedroom suites as ordered.  Half of the top floor, and it cost a freaking fortune, so I hope he brought his wallet,” Ronnie snarled, as she snapped out her arm to hand Cee Cee a key.

“I’m in that same frame of mind with him, so you’ll have to deal with that,” Cee Cee shot back, folding her arms over her chest.  “He refused to get help with the luggage.”

Allison sighed, and jerked the key from Ronnie’s hand.  “Well y’all can stand out here and be mad all you want.  I’m going up to this room, getting naked and crawling into a nice hot bath.  If you don’t hear from me in the morning, that’s where you can find me.”

With a huff, she stomped off toward the elevator leaving Ronnie and Cee Cee standing there.  The door behind them opened and Cee Cee spun to see Cade put his hip into the door to hold it for the smiling bellman.  She imagined they had a good conversation about her while they loaded the bags onto the luggage cart that Freddie pushed through the door.

“It’s about damned time,” she grated, as she grabbed the end to help pull, but Freddie stopped the cart.  “I’ve got this,
ma’am
—you just head up to your room and I’ll meet you there.”

Cee Cee glared at him a second, because the way he said the words—again made her want to deck him, as did the condescending smile on his unnaturally smooth face.  Ronnie grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the elevator.

“I have never wanted to punch a man before,” Cee Cee said as they stopped and Ronnie pushed the call button.

“Well you haven’t been around the right ones then.  I’m not having that loving feeling toward my brother right now either.  Or my husband for that matter.  He’s driving seven freaking hours overnight to get here, because he just can’t wait for daylight since he found out we’d gotten in a few days early.  Lord, when he finds out what happened today, he’ll probably have a stroke.”

“You didn’t tell him?” Cee Cee asked, with a gasp.

“Hell no—that’s a need-to-know kind of thing.  I didn’t need that trouble, because he’d have gotten in a wreck for sure getting here.  He’s easier to handle in person, so I’ll tell him then, after he catches a nap.”

After her cat nap in the car, Cee Cee wasn’t sleepy.  Stiff and tired, but not sleepy.  The door to the elevator opened and they got inside.  When the door opened on the top floor, the cart zoomed by under Freddie-power with Cade trailing him.

How in the hell had they gotten up here so fast?
 

Cee Cee followed behind them to the end of the hallway, and waited while Freddie swiped a key card in the door and opened it.  He stood back and waved his hand, and Cade walked in first followed by Cee Cee then Ronnie.

When Cade stepped aside and Cee Cee caught her first glimpse of their ‘room’ she lost her breath
.  A fireplace in a hotel room?  A huge living room and a kitchen?

“Holy shit,” she whispered, and Cade turned around to smile at her.

“You need to close your mouth and move so Freddie can get the cart in here,” he said, grabbing her arm to pull her to the side. 

Freddie grunted as he shoved the cart swiftly into the room, then went straight across the living room to the first bedroom.  Cade released her arm and followed him inside.  A minute later, he pushed the cart into the other room and it reappeared empty.

Two bedrooms?

Cee Cee looked at Cade then at Veronica and thought about Allison, who must be in the bedroom whose door was cracked open when they came in.  She wondered what the sleeping arrangements would be tonight, and a delicious thrill snaked down her spine and excitement sparked inside her when Veronica huffed a breath and walked toward Allison’s room. 

It fizzled out quickly though, when Cade came out of the second bedroom door with his duffle on his shoulder. 

“You’re in that room, Brat.  I’m folding out the sofa bed,” he informed as he dumped his bag by the sofa.

“I’m not tired yet,” she replied, walking to the sofa.

“I guess not, you slept three hours in the car,” he grumbled, as he bent to unzip his bag.  “But I
am
tired—so you need to hit the sack.”

She’d like to hit him.

“I’d like to watch TV,” she said looking at the bigscreen on the wall above the fireplace.

Cade stood and put his hands on his narrow hips.  “And I’d like to get some rest.  Why don’t you read something?”

“Because I don’t have anything to read,” she replied, and he rolled his eyes before he snatched his workout clothes up from the sofa.

“There’s probably a Bible in the nightstand—try that.  We had a damned close call today and maybe it’d do you the
new
you some good.”

“
New
me?” she repeated as the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

He lifted a brow and fisted the clothes at his hip. “Yeah, the one you found while you were in the Army.  She could use some self-improvement, remember?” 

After firing that volley, he turned and walked to the bedroom—
her
bedroom. 

The hair on the back of her neck singed off with the anger that shot up to her head.  Her chin dropped and her fists clenched at her sides as she followed him through the bedroom door and slammed it behind her.  He glanced back at her, but kept walking toward the door across the room that must be the bathroom.  She ran behind him and shoved her shoulder into it when he tried to close it.

“Oh no you don’t!  You don’t fire off an insult like that and walk off, mister!” she said, putting her weight into the door until he staggered back.

“I didn’t insult you, Brat—I stated a fact,” he said calmly, when she pushed the door wider and stood in the doorway.

“Well, you’re not a ray of sunshine yourself these days, buddy. You have more moods than a grumpy old woman and I’m getting tired of trying to figure them out!”

“Grumpy old woman?” he repeated and his eyebrows crashed down.  “Are you calling me a grumpy old
woman
?”

“Damn straight,” she said, as steam built inside her head.  “You have sex with me, then you run out pissed off and still haven’t explained that one.  Then you ask me to come to help at the mansion and I get there to find you arguing with your sister and you don’t even acknowledge my existence.”  Cee Cee dragged in several ragged breaths, then finished, “Now, you conspire with the freaking stick-up-his-ass bellman to make fun of me.” 

His eyes darkened as her breaths came in short, angry spurts and her mind swirled to find other instances she could list off to him.  There were plenty more, she knew, she was just too angry to find them.

“I’ll show you grumpy old
woman
,” he growled, and with a flick of his wrist his clothes landed on the vanity before he stomped over to grab her shoulders. 

Cade jerked her to him and his fingers dug into her flesh as his mouth covered hers in a bruising kiss.  Cecelia was too stunned to move, afraid to move and break the kiss.  She opened her mouth and he groaned as he released one shoulder to grip the back of her head to devour her mouth.  Her insides melted under the sensual assault of his hot mouth, turned her anger into need that flowed down to throb at the top of her thighs. 

A shiver rocked her as she put her hand on his chest and slid it to his shoulder.  The other hand followed and she circled his neck, leaned into the kiss to returned it with every ounce of frustration she’d endured since this man re-entered her life. 

He released her head and his hand streaked down her back to the hem of her shirt and he pushed it up to find her bra closure.  His other hand grazed her stomach and her muscles quivered as he fumbled with the button on her BDU pants. 

The pressure on her tightly puckered nipples released when the elastic snapped free but her left breast was quickly covered by the warmth of his hand.  She swallowed his groan into her mouth then returned it, and shivered as his rough thumb raked the turgid point of her nipple and electricity short-circuited every nerve in her body.  He jerked her zipper to the bottom of the track, his hand left her breast and he shoved her pants down past her hips.  He grazed his hands up the back of her thighs to grip her bare bottom, held her tightly to his body and his hips ground into hers, digging his rigid cock into her flesh.

“I need to be inside of you,” he whispered hoarsely.

Cecelia’s hand snaked down his body to unfasten his jeans and his heat singed her hand as she shoved it inside his boxers to hold him and his tortured moan danced inside of her head.

“I
want
you inside of me,” she replied, her voice just as raw as she stroked up his length to the thick head, which made him shiver.   With a growl, he shoved her away, quickly removed his boots and stripped.  Cecelia did the same, they crashed back together and his mouth slammed down over hers in a kiss that curled her toes.  He pulled away, and his words were broken as he dragged in heavy breaths.