Midnight Sins (7 page)

Moving through the crowd was Clyde Ramsey,

Rafe’s uncle on his mother’s side. A hard scowl

covered Clyde’s face as he strode the distance in a

bowlegged walk that bespoke his years on the little

ranch he owned between Sweetrock and Aspen,

Colorado, well away from the family his sister had

married into.

Clyde had raised Rafe and his cousins when no

one else would have them. Would he disown them

now as well?

“Well, let’s go,” he growled as he stopped in front

of them. “I have cattle to feed and horse stalls to

clean. I don’t have time to waste.”

He’d come for them. When everyone else stood

glaring at them, as usual, Clyde was there to protect

them in his own gruff way.

“I have to make a stop first,” Rafe said quietly.

Clyde’s scowl deepened as he blew out a hard

breath. “Course you do,” he harrumphed. “Let’s get it

done so we can get home and figure this one out.” He

shook his graying head. “Saving the three of you is

turning into a mission in life, Rafe. And I’m an old

man. Find a way to fix this.”

He didn’t give them time to answer. He turned on

his heel and strode to his truck, expecting them to

follow.

“Go on; we’ll be behind you,” Ryan told him. “And

hurry with that stop you have to make. We have a long

day ahead of us if we’re going to figure this out, as

you say.”

They had more than a hard day ahead of them,

Rafe thought. There would also be a hard life because

he, Logan and Crowe would be back. He knew his

cousins, he knew himself, and he knew there wasn’t a

chance in hell he was going to let the barons get rid of

him this easy.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the security

footage would be enough to prove their innocence.

They were never stupid, and they never let anyone

know their plans. They’d learned better than that as

young teenagers when they were accused of stealing

cars, cash, and a variety of other items.

No one, not even Clyde, had known they were

camping out at the lake that weekend. Most

weekends they spent alone at the ranch after the

ranch hands left, working on fences or equipment.

Killing Jaymi that close to their campsite was a

clear attempt to frame them. Rafe was beginning to

wonder if the murders the FBI had put down to a serial

killer weren’t an attempt to frame the Callahan

cousins instead.

“Here. The keys to the street and trail.” Logan

stepped in front of him as they neared the vehicles

parked on the other side of the town square. “You’re

going to check on Cami, aren’t you?”

He gave a brief nod.

“We’ll follow behind you. Listen to me, Rafe,” he

snarled as Rafe moved to shake his hand. “This town

is crazy right now, man, and you know it. Let me call

Jack and Tobias. They’ll come get her and make sure

someone takes care of her. You can’t protect her right

now. It’s going to take all we can do to protect

ourselves.”

And he was right. Too damned right.

“Give me a few minutes to make sure she’s in the

apartment,” Rafe told him. “If she’s not there, then

she’s at her parents’. I just want to be sure.”

After stopping behind the apartments long

enough to quickly change into the fresh jeans and Tshirt

his uncle had thought to bring him, Rafe headed

upstairs to Jaymi’s apartment.

He still had the key. She had never asked for it

back. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside before

closing it securely behind him and staring around

silently.

If he hadn’t known Jaymi was dead, then he

would have expected it the minute he entered the

apartment. Her presence had always been there

when she was alive.

It was gone now, replaced with the heavy weight

of grief that wrapped around him and seemed to

permeate the entire room.

He had hoped Cami would be at her parents’.

That was where he had expected her to be. He

damned sure didn’t expect her to be there alone. As

he stepped to the open bedroom door, he saw how

wrong he was. She was here alone, huddled in the

bed, exhaustion marking her sleeping face.

But at least she had her medicine and beside the

bed was a glass of chilled water. Someone had been

checking up on her at least.

Breathing out roughly, he sat on the side of the

bed and tucked her blanket around her shoulders

gently.

Instantly, feather-soft lashes lifted, and soft, blueringed

dove gray eyes filled with an overload of tears.

“Rafe.” Her breathing hitched as the tears

overflowed.

“Come here, Cami-girl.” He opened his arms to

her, his throat tightening as she threw herself against

his chest, the sobs tearing from her as he closed his

eyes and fought against his own pain.

“Go ahead and cry, sweetheart,” he whispered

gently as he laid his cheek against the top of her head

and ignored the trail of liquid warmth he felt ease from

his eyes. “Cry for both of us.”

He’d lost his best friend, and he was damned if

he knew how to handle it. He hadn’t been able to

protect her as he’d sworn to Tye he would do. He had

broken the only promise the man who had called him

brother had ever asked of him.

As he held Cami, rocked her, and felt the grief

that tore through her, he wondered why Jaymi had

thought to entrust him with her sister’s protection when

he’d just failed to protect Jaymi.

How could he even trust himself now to protect

this little waif who had managed to worm her way into

his heart?

He’d promised. He’d find a way to do it.

Jaymi couldn’t have known what she was asking.

She had no idea he and his cousins were signed to

go into the military. They’d all chosen the Marines.

And who did that leave to look after Cami?

“Oh my God!”

The frightened squeak had his head jerking

around to see Ella Flannigan, Cami’s father’s sisterin-

law as she stood poised just inside the doorway.

She looked like she was ready to run screaming.

“Rafer Callahan, you just scared the shit out of

me.” Her expression turned chastising rather than

terrified as she noticed the way her niece held on to

him as though he were a lifeline.

Compassion and sorrow filled her eyes.

“I promised Jaymi.” He swallowed tightly as

Cami’s sobs began to ease as exhaustion seemed to

tax her weakened body. “I promised to look after her.”

She blinked quickly before nodding. “I’ll be in the

living room with Eddy.”

Her husband hadn’t been here when Rafe

entered the apartment and he hadn’t heard anyone

come in. Ella looked as though she had just woken

up, so he sincerely doubted her husband was here.

But he would be here quickly enough considering their

small house was only blocks away.

He nodded, his hand stroking down the back of

Cami’s head as he felt her relaxing marginally.

She would be asleep in a minute, he thought. The

bronchitis medication was obviously keeping her

sedated enough to allow her to rest.

“I miss her, Rafe,” she whispered, her weary and

tear-thickened voice slicing across his heart.

“So do I, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Go to sleep

now. Get better for me, okay?”

He couldn’t leave while she was still ill, and the

second he and his cousins were cleared, he was out

of there. For a while.

“Don’t leave me, Rafe.” Misery filled her voice.

“Please, don’t you leave me, too.”

“I’ll be here, Cami,” he promised. “For as long as

possible, I’ll be here.”

He wouldn’t upset her more by telling her he

would have to leave soon.

It eased her enough to allow her to drift back into

sleep, though, and when he laid her back in the bed

and pulled the covers over her, he wiped his hand

down his face tiredly.

He wondered if he would ever sleep again. If

there was any way in the world to sleep at all after

Jaymi’s death.

Moving to the living room to face her aunt and the

smart-assed sarcasm her uncle Eddy had in

abundance, Rafe found himself unwilling to listen to

any further insults.

Mark and Eddy hadn’t been outside the jail when

they were released, despite the fact that he had more

than expected Mark Flannigan to cause a public

scene.

For once, Eddy Flannigan was quiet when Rafe

walked into the room.

Ella stood next to the kitchen, leaning against the

door frame while Eddy stood looking through the

large picture window.

“Jaymi’s lease is paid through the next three

months,” Ella said heavily. “Her father wants her to

stay away for a while. And her mother isn’t doing well.”

Eddy turned around, and he and his wife shared

a look that had Rafe’s gaze narrowing. “They don’t

want their own daughter now, after losing their eldest.”

Eddy’s expression was tight and hard as Ella’s

eyes filled with tears again.

“It’s a complicated situation, Rafe,” Ella finally

stated. “But we’ll take care of Cami the best we can.”

“Let me know if she needs anything,” he bit out

roughly. “I’ll take care of it.”

“She’s not your responsibility,” Eddy growled

then. “We will take care of her.”

“Let me know,” he repeated softly, watching as

Ella slowly nodded. “I have to leave now, but if you

don’t mind, after—” He swallowed, the movement tight

and mixed with fury and pain. “Once we’re cleared,

we have to leave.”

“Surprise,” Eddy grunted.

Rafe ignored him as his wife sliced a

disapproving look his way.

“We’ll take care of her, Rafe, and if she needs

anything we can’t provide, we’ll contact you,” Ella

promised.

It was far more than he had imagined he would

get from the two.

“Thank you, Ella.”

There was nothing more he could do, and no

other way to look after Cami as he’d promised her

sister he would do.

He left the apartment without saying anything

more, and as he closed the door behind him, he could

have sworn he heard Cami cry out his name.

Rather than turning back, he forced himself to

walk down the hall and down the steps to the lobby

before exiting the building at the back once again.

His cousins, two uncles, and the two military

police personnel were still waiting on him. Moving to

the motorbike, he kicked the ignition and hit the gas

the minute the motor throbbed to life. Tearing from the