A Reason to Kill (Reason #2) (34 page)

I pulled my head up and tried to right myself, but fell face first again. If I hadn’t been so terrified, I would have blushed, but my mind was still back with the roar Cowboy had, well, roared at me before I took a nosedive into the cab.

“Easy,” Shane bit out when I raked him again with my nose.

“Help me up; I don’t want my face in your crotch any more than you do.”

Cowboy was head-butting the cab, causing the truck to rock back and forth, and even over all that noise I could hear a pissed off Max shout, thanks to Jake calling him, “Why does she have her face buried in Shane’s crotch?”

Seriously? Bear, possibly mauled to death, and that’s what he focused on?

Shane pulled me up, planted me in the seat next to him and then I turned, grabbed the phone from Jake and yelled, “Stop stomping and rescue us for God sakes.”

“Where are the fuckin’ keys to the truck and why the hell isn’t he armed?”

“I don’t know, where are the keys to the truck, Jake and why aren’t you armed?”

Jake at least had the decency to look embarrassed as he pointed out the back window.

“He left them outside, some babysitter you saddled me with. Are you coming or what?”

“Luckily, for you, I was still at the house so I’m on my way,” he bit out, “but just so we’re clear, those unnecessary risks you promised not to take, startling a bear with a fuckin’ air horn is one of them.”

“Yeah, yeah, if I live to argue about it then we’ll argue about it.”

“Prepare, if I get there and that bear is even close to takin’ you out I won’t hesitate to kill him.”

Cowboy roared again and tried to chew through the door. Then his paw came up, slammed against the window, cracking it. I was closest to the door and when it cracked, Shane pulled me across his lap and sandwiched me between him and Frank.

“Max,” I cried out, “please say you’re close.”

He must of heard the panic in my voice ‘cause he told me to, “Breathe, baby, I’m almost there,” and he wasn’t lying, I could see his rusted old truck spitting dust behind it as he raced up the path from his land. He blew his horn to get Cowboy’s attention and then came to a sliding stop, pulled a rifle from his gun rack, and opened his door getting out. Cowboy took in the new threat, turned his back on our truck, and then took a few steps towards Max. Max raised his rifle, took aim on Cowboy, and then we all watched as Cowboy took a few more steps, wobbled, and finally went down.

“Should have used more juice,” Shane mumbled.

“We’ll know next time,” Frank replied.

“I think I’m changing my major,” Lucy whispered

“You can change it to lumberjackin,’ I can teach you all you need to know,” Jake chuckled.

Max still had his sights on Cowboy as he made his way around the bear and to the truck. When he reached us, he pried open the door, scanned the cab, and then put out his hand pulling me from the truck. Instead of yelling, which I was expecting, he wrapped both arms around me and held on tight. Then he buried his head in my neck, took a deep, ragged breath, and whispered, “Jesus, I’ve never been that scared in my life.”

And there it was, even Thor, God of Thunder had a weakness.

“You and me both,” I whispered back.

“If you think I’m lettin’ you catch the remaining bears without me right by your side, you’re nuts.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“A big bear almost mauling me changed my perspective. A large, God like man can be handy in a pinch.”

“You just want me for my brawn,” Max told me.

“You just want me for my ass,” I replied.

“And your sweet rack.”

“You’re such a guy,” I giggled.

“That, I am . . . Now, about your face in Shane’s crotch."

Twenty

Just the facts, Jack

“Let him out before he tears up the cage,” Frank shouted to Jake, who was standing in the bed of the truck. So, he pulled the rope that raised the door.

Cowboy attacked the door as it opened but didn’t leave the cage. Just when we thought we’d have to prod him to exit, he jumped down, looked left then right, and then took off into the woods. Max, rifle in hand, had been standing to the right of the truck, aimed and ready to fire if Cowboy made a move. The amount of time it took us to wench Cowboy into the cage, and get him over to Max’s side, the effects of the tranquilizer had worn off and he’d woken before we’d gotten to the drop zone. He’d started rocking the cage and attacking the door. So, we’d stopped and bailed out of the truck to set him free, before he injured himself.

I watched as the huge bear ambled his way deeper into the forest, his containment forgotten for investigating new territory. He looked back once, giving our group grunt as if to say, “Until we meet again,” and then stomped his way deeper into the forest.

Turning to Max, I finally asked, “Nala,” in hopes he’d heard news about the lost mother bear.

“We’ll find her, don’t worry,” he replied as he kept his eyes on Cowboy.

While we were watching the giant bear disappear, Max’s phone rang. I turned to him and waited while he answered, hoping it was about Nala. Max looked at the screen and growled, “About fuckin’ time,” then barked out, “Tell me you got somethin’ for me, Jack?”

I knew Jack was his cousin, a sheriff who lived in Colorado, that he’d asked him to look into Stetson and considering he had groped me, arrested me, harassed me, and generally pissed me off, I hoped he found something that would tighten the noose around the bastard’s neck.

“We headin’ back to try for another bear?” Shane asked as I watched Max talk.

“I think we’ll call it a day. I’d like to help search for Nala.”

“Is Max still mad about the nosedive?” Shane chuckled as he watched Max as well.

“He’s Max, what do you think?”

“Me? I think Max would be mad at any man who looked at you, so, yeah, I think he’d ring my neck if he knew I wouldn’t be opposed to your face bein’ between my legs.”

“What?’’ I gasped.

“But I wouldn’t be opposed to Lucy putting her face between my legs either,” Shane chuckled.

“Oh, my God,” I mumbled as Lucy walked up looking between us both.

“Though, both of you at the same time would be even better,” Shane smiled and then winked before turning towards the truck.

“Did he just?” Lucy mumbled beside me.

“Uh-huh.”

“Playa.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Explains why someone who looks like him is still single.”

“Yep,” I replied as I watched Shane climb into the truck.

That explained exactly why a man with a megawatt smile and looks that would make most women swoon is still single. God help the woman who tries to tame that man. Though, as I turned my attention back to Max, something told me the right woman wouldn’t have to work too hard. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, it seemed.

As I watched Max pace, his face looked like thunder as he listened to his cousin. When he stopped and looked back at me, I could tell then he wanted to kill Stetson with his own two hands.

“That doesn’t look good,” Frank observed as he walked up.

“I’d say Stetson’s goose is cooked if Max’s face is anything to go off of.”

“Thesaurus,” Lucy chuckled and my answering giggle had us both laughing out loud.

“Now you think it’s funny,” Frank sighed, making his way towards the truck.

Still laughing, Lucy winked at me following Frank so they could head back to base camp. I waved as they drove off, then I climbed into Max’s truck to wait. I watched from the side view mirror as Max finished his call. When he finally hung up, his face told me he was a man on the edge. His brow was pulled down in anger, his lips stretched thin as he worked them with his teeth. His face was a dark shade of furious I’d never seen. It told me to tread lightly as he stormed back to the truck, climbed in, and then curled his hands around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

“Max?” I whispered as I reached out my hand and placed it on his arm.

“Give me a second,” he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

His jaw clenched as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. His fingers curled and uncurled on the steering wheel as he gained his composure. Once he’d gotten himself under control, he turned to me, placed his hand on my shoulder, and squeezed once before rocking my world.

“That sonofabitch assaulted a prostitute, tried to rape her. She got away from him and tried to press charges, but his father, the Chief of Police at the time, swept it under the rug, buried it deep. Then he pawned the bastard off on Trails End with a beefed up resume—”

“Oh, my God—”

“— and now he’s had his hands on
you
,” he gritted out. “Gotta get to the house, Jack is faxing the report so I can take it to an emergency meetin’ I plan on callin’ today. Then I plan on havin’ a “conversation” with the man.”

“Max, please don’t . . . I mean, I’m sorry for what he did to that other woman, but I was fine the minute my knee connected with his nuts. Please don’t do anything rash.”

Raising his hand, he cupped my face and ran his thumb across my cheek, watching his thumb work. When his eyes came back to mine, he wrapped his hand around my neck and then laid his forehead against mine and whispered, “Mia, don’t ask me to be less than a man.”

“But you’ll end up in jail,” I told him as a knot formed in my throat.

“I go to jail for teaching that man a lesson, it’ll be well worth a night behind bars.”

“But—”

“He touched you,” he hissed as his other hand came up and trapped my face.

He pulled back and his eyes locked with mine, determined, furious, and I realized then he needed his pound of flesh against the man who had wronged me. His inner caveman was crying out to exact this revenge. Raising my hands to cup his face back, I watched in fascination as his eyes closed, his head turned, and then he kissed the palm of my hand. When he turned back, I leaned in as he had done and placed my forehead to his, giving him what he needed, permission.

“Okay, Max. Try to avoid the second cell if you can. The mattress is lumpy and you’ll have a sore back in the morning.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” he answered, a grin tugging at his mouth.

“If you can’t, I’ve been told I give great back rubs—”

“I don’t wanna hear about other men,” he snapped, his grin gone, furrowed brows in its place.

“By my dad,” I smiled.

Max chuckled once, touched his lips against mine and then mumbled, “Stop bein’ cute or I’ll take you right here.”

“I can’t help it if I’m cute, I was born this way.”

“Still bein’ cute,”

“Still can’t help it, ask Lady Gaga.”

“Right, that I believe,” he grinned back and then kissed me. Unfortunately, he stopped before it could go further and told me to, “Buckle up, I got shit to do and a man to fire,” as he started his truck and took off.

We drove in silence to his house, my hands wringing in my lap the whole way. I didn’t want Max to get into trouble, but I had to admit, the thought of Stetson being handed his balls didn’t exactly bother me. He was a pig, no, that’s not right, pigs are pink and cuddly, so it wasn’t fair to them to call Stetson, a pig. Roach made more sense, slithering around, nasty, dirty—.

“Babe!”

“Hmm, sorry?”

“We’re here, are you getting’ out?”

I looked up, saw his cabin, and nodded unbuckling my seatbelt. He waited for me as I rounded his truck and then he took my hand as we climbed the steps of his deck. As he opened his door, I thought back to Booboo the day before and wondered how the search for Nala was going. Eager to be involved in the search, I stayed on his deck as he entered and pulled out my phone to call Lucy and Frank.

“Hey,” Lucy answered.

“Bring Frank over to Max’s so we can head out and look for Nala.”

“Still no sign of her?”

“Not that I’ve heard. How soon can you be here?”

“Give us twenty minutes to finish up here and then we’ll drive over. We’ll come through the meadow in Max’s truck.”

“Ok, see you in a few,” I replied and hung up.

My phone rang as I was heading inside and I saw Maxine was calling. She’d ridden with Jess to Fairbanks to take Brian to the airport. The drive took four hours and based on the hour, they were due to arrive back at any moment.

“You back?”

“It’s one of Max’s men,” was her abrupt reply. It hadn’t taken me long to learn the inner workings of her mind so I knew immediately what she was talking about.

“How do you figure that?”

“The axe, don’t know why I didn’t think about that sooner. Max supplied most of the axes for the competition. When it was over, they were all rounded up and hauled back to the lumberyard.”

“So, it was just my dumb luck that the axe used to kill Donald had my fingerprints on it?”

“That’s what I’m thinkin’. Wonder if that idiot Stetson even interviewed the men who handled the axes?”