Breaking the Bad Boy (28 page)

“You look like you again, welcome back, Duchess,” she went to him and kissed him lightly on the mouth.

“If I never see another bustier it’ll be too soon,” she said and he laughed.

“Don’t be too hasty, I loved every second,” he said and then recalled he had a wire on him and he sighed. “Would you get me a cup of that swill?” She nodded and went to the kitchen while he continued to watch the drive. Brent hung up and watched Joss go. He was obviously wrestling with telling Buck something. “I’ll keep her safe, Brent,” Buck said and Brent relaxed visibly and nodded at him. Joss put the coffee on the table.

“You’ve done pretty well so far, I’ll have to trust you,” he said.
Christ,
Buck thought,
that’s the last thing you should do
.

“Take your shirt off, Buck, and put the wire on me instead,” Joss said. He almost said no, but she was right, they’d check him, but maybe not her. He unbuttoned his shirt and she pulled hers off.

“Hey, I’m recovering from a heart attack over here,” Brent said nervously.

“God, you’re so beautiful,” Buck whispered to her and pulled his wire off and taped it to her breast under her bra. “I suspect they’ll be side tracked by that fact and not even see the wire if they do look. Go get a darker shirt on.” She laughed and went back to her room as Buck buttoned up. She returned a few seconds later wearing a silk teal sleeveless blouse.

“Very nice. Here they come,” he said. “One late model BMW SUV, and a Ford F-350, both white.” He brought the binoculars to his eyes. “Looks like there are two people in each vehicle, and I have a positive ID on Lanier in the BMW.” He sipped the coffee. “This isn’t so bad, Duchess.” She smiled.

“Yes it is, you just haven’t been pampered all your life,” she said. He finished the coffee and handed the cup to her.

“Get behind me,” he said and she backed up. “
Davis
, keep her safe for me, man.” Buck hadn’t planned on letting them know how he felt about Joss, but he felt better thinking they’d try to keep her safe if he didn’t make it. He was a fool.

The cars stopped right next to his Harley and he saw Cassidy look at it and smile that smile that she made when she was thinking about doing something nasty. How could Joss be related to this woman? How could he be related to his mother, for that matter? Cassidy kicked at the bike to knock it over, but the big bike just rocked and Lanier looked at her and said something sharp and she went sulkily to the porch.

“Just you and Cassidy, Lanier, leave your thugs outside,” Buck said.
Where my snipers can take them out
. Lanier turned and nodded to his two remaining thugs. Buck had gotten rid of four of them in the past few days; these two were equal parts eager to kill him and scared to death of him.

Lanier stepped into the house cautiously and Cassidy pushed past him and marched right to Joss with murder in her eye. Buck stepped between them and stopped Cassidy by grabbing her arm. “Sit down, Cassidy; you are behaving like a child.” She looked at Buck and pulled her hand back to slap his face. He easily caught her hand and pushed her into the open chair behind her.

“Asshole,” she spat at him as she was forced to sit.

“Cassidy never mentioned how lovely you are, my pet,” Lanier said to Joss. Cassidy refocused her anger at Lanier.

“She wouldn’t know,” Joss said.

“Very true,” Lanier said eyeing Joss. “Did he rape you, my pet?”

“Buck? God no,” she said. Lanier smiled and shook his head at her.

“Not Buck, the man whose brains were splattered all over the bed in the room where you were to be safely kept. The man who died with his pants around his ankles and his dick in his hand.” Joss shuddered at the memory. Brent went white and wobbled slightly.

“No, he didn’t have the chance to,” she said.

“I am very glad to hear it. I would have killed him, too,” he said to Joss, then nodded at Buck with approval. Brent looked horrified at the casual chatting about rape and brain matter. Lanier took a step toward Joss but Buck raised his gun and motioned to a chair at the table.

“Sit, Lanier, let’s cut to the chase,” Buck began. He fleetingly wished Joss’s blouse wasn’t so silky, Lanier was practically drooling and he himself was distracted.

“I’ll stand. What could the FBI possibly want with me, Buck?” Lanier asked. This man had tortured his friend and partner; it was with an effort that he didn’t just plug a few holes into him for the sheer pleasure of the deed.

“Robbery, assault, kidnapping, murder, pick one Lanier. You, too Cassidy,” Buck said.

Cassidy looked up at Buck. “I didn’t kill anyone, Buck, that’s an unkind thing to say,” she batted her lashes at him.

“You killed Fernando, didn’t you?” Joss said.

“Why is she even here?” Cassidy hissed at Buck.

“Hell, Cassidy, this is her house. And she’s smarter than the rest of us combined.” Buck looked at Joss. “How did you know?”

“Gut mostly, he would have turned his back on her, but not on anyone else,” Joss said.

“He was still mad about my extra marital affairs, he was half in love with Brent, and took it personally,” she rolled her eyes. “What a strange little man. He wouldn’t tell me where Brent found the gold, it was irritating. The knife was sitting on the table, I killed him.” Joss’s hands shook with rage.

“That was friendship and honor, something you wouldn’t recognize,” Joss said reddening. Lanier smiled.

“Quite lovely, indeed,” Lanier said taking all 5’11” of her in. Buck wanted to pound him into the earth, and from the look on her face, so did Cassidy.

“It would have saved us a lot of trouble if you just died when you had that heart attack, Brent.” Cassidy said to him and Joss’s mouth fell open. “I would have gotten all this, and we could search the property at our leisure.”

“Are you delusional?” Joss said. “Don’t you think he’d have written you out of the will by now?”

“No, I have a contract. He hasn’t mentioned it to you, has he? It was the reason I left without a fight. When Brent dies I get everything, unless it’s an accident, of course,” she gave Joss a “so there” look of satisfaction. “You think I left my baby daughter without a mother? No, Brent made me leave.”

“Joss, honey, it was...” Brent started.

“Don’t worry, Dad, I would have promised her anything to leave, too,” she smiled at him. “What are you searching the ranch for, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“The gold, of course, the Frenchman’s gold. They told me you were a genius, but I’m not seeing it,” Cassidy smirked.

The three men in the room had gotten very still. Joss laughed. “It’s a myth,” she said.

Cassidy laughed. “You seem pretty certain, what makes you say that?”

“I say the Frenchman’s gold is a myth because Brand and I invented things about it that were spouted a week later in town as the God’s honest truth,” Joss said.

“Cassidy, I suggest you shut up, Buck is clearly wired and transmitting everything back to his FBI friends,” Lanier said eyeing Buck.

“I’m not wired, Lanier,” Buck said. “It’s just us.”

“Show me,” Lanier said. Buck hesitated, then unbuttoned his shirt again and took it off. “So you did get shot, I heard rumors.” He looked at Joss. “And will you take your shirt off?”

“Not for you!” Joss said. Lanier chuckled. “You bastard, you killed a child who was merely playing a game. What kind of weakling kills a twelve year old boy?”

“He was the weakling, I gave him one small smack on the face and his neck simply snapped. Unbelievable!” He looked at the door. “You will come with me, Joss, I know you know where the gold is, and I grow weary of waiting a moment longer.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Joss said.

“I see that I have been wasting my time here. Cassidy, I am no longer interested in your company. Joss, on the other hand, you
are
coming with me, I imagine you are as vigorous in bed as your mother,” Joss’s mouth fell open again. “Perhaps more so, as Cassidy is getting a little long in the tooth.” The man just admitted to killing her brother and propositioned her with his next breath. “Am I right, Buck?”

“Fuck you, Lanier, she’ll never go with you, something about being a genius, I expect.” Joss wanted to disembowel Lanier, but Buck was so calm.

“You will pave the way to her premature death, whereas, I can promise my men won’t rape her and kill her after I leave if she comes with me under my protection.”

“I can promise your men won’t rape her and kill her as I watch you bleed out on the floor,” Buck said. “I would like to know the whereabouts of my partner.” Lanier laughed.

“Special Agent Fields?” Buck nodded. “Why do you care?”

“He had a family, and you killed him, I assume you know where you left him.”

“He was so useful to us; we haven’t gotten around to killing him yet. Give me Joss and you can have Fields,” Lanier said. Both he and Buck looked at Joss. Joss had stopped breathing.

“I was with Brent when we found the first piece of that damned gold; I know that gold is here somewhere,” Cassidy said but no one was listening to her they were all focused on her freak of a daughter.

Cassidy looked around at the roomful of people she hated, three ex-lovers, two of them fighting like terriers over her own daughter, and her daughter was downright mannish she was so unnaturally tall, it was too much. She brought her own little gun, and she was going to take care of the problem right now. “He’s in the basement of the little house, you pair of idiots,” she murmured, but the men were too focused on each other. Cassidy eyed Joss and sneered. “You were always weird, Brand was so sweet and loving, but you, you were just plain weird.”

Buck had his gun leveled at Lanier, and so did Brent, but Joss was watching her mother’s face change color, she went from rage to calm in half a second and then Joss saw the gun. Everything happened too fast for her to register events.

Joss gasped when Cassidy pulled her gun out, thinking she was going to hurt Buck, but Cassidy locked eyes with Joss and smiled a smile that reminded her of the day she left that she hadn’t let herself think about in fourteen years.

Cassidy was slamming her things down as she stomped around the house, screaming at Brent before she walked out.

“If you even try to pin that on me I will tell the world you sexually abused your own daughter, don’t think I won’t.” Brent went white.

“I never,” he said. And Cassidy smirked.

“You know that and I know that, but they will put your last remaining child in foster care so fast it’ll make your head spin.” That was when she walked out of their lives.

She was wearing the same damn smirk right then as she pulled the trigger.

Chapter Ten

Lanier pulled his gun out of its holster and Buck fired his gun at Lanier at the same time Brent fired his gun at Lanier, then Buck swung the gun around to shoot Cassidy, stepping in front of the woman he loved to protect her with only his body. His shot went wide when the bullet meant for Joss slammed into his chest. Buck stumbled backwards into Joss and she fell underneath him, his body immobilizing her from the waist down. Buck’s gun had fallen to land by her side.

Joss hadn’t felt the bullet, all she could feel was Buck trapping her lower body, and she had the sudden dreaded realization that it was he who was shot, not her. Cassidy was slowly closing in on her, coming closer with the nasty look on her face. She only had eyes for Joss.

“Be brave, my Duchess,” Buck whispered and her resolve strengthened and Joss lifted his gun and fired three times into her mother’s chest. Cassidy had a surprised look on her face as she crumpled to the floor next to Buck, a growing red patch in the center of her torso. Joss stared at her unmoving body and felt a surprising serenity. Then she fixed her attention on Buck and lost it.

Buck’s wound was in the left side of his chest, and she knew he was going to die without some sort of divine intervention, and then she heard the helicopter. She had always considered the sound vaguely sinister, but now she realized the sound meant there was hope, and she clung to it.

There was gun fire outside, but she couldn’t bring herself to lift her face away from Buck’s.

“Don’t you dare die on me, Buck, I’ll be very mad,” she said tears flowing freely.

“Hold me, Joss,” he said. “It’s… cold.”

“I have you, I won’t let go. Don’t talk, save your strength,” she had her hand pressed on his chest, but blood was seeping out. At least it wasn’t spurting out, that was good, right?

“You were right,” he said.

“Of course I’m right, don’t try to talk,” she said.

“Listen, damn you. I love you, Joss, I love you,” he whispered, he put his hand over her hand over his bleeding chest and held her eyes as long as he could, wanting to see his beautiful Duchess for as long as he could before he slipped away.

“I know you do, Buck, now live long enough to prove it to me. To see our baby,” her voice broke when she said the word baby, and he squeezed her hand. “Live, dammit.”

“Yes, dear,” he whispered so softly that she wondered if she heard him right.

The paramedics rushed in, pushed her back gently, and took her lover away in the helicopter, leaving her standing in the yard watching it grow smaller as it flew toward
Bozeman
, out of her reach.

“Miss Erickson. Miss Erickson?” Someone touched her arm and she turned, a man had been saying her name for a while and it only just registered. He looked vaguely familiar.

“Yes,” she looked at the house; her dad was standing on the porch talking to a woman in a pantsuit with her dark brown hair in a severe bun. Brent was okay, she hadn’t even wondered until now.

“Miss Erickson?” She focused on the man in front of her again.

“Yes?”

“Will you come with me please?” He asked and she walked with him to a black SUV in the drive. She faltered when he opened the door.

“Wait,” she said. Some self preservation emerged from deep inside of her and she questioned who this guy was.

“I’m Special Agent Davis, we met a few hours ago,” he said by way of prodding her memory. Buck knew him, he must be safe. Maybe he would take her to Buck.

“Oh,” she said. “Special Agent Fields.”

“No, Miss Erickson, I’m Davis, not Fields.” He was being patient with her.

“No, Special Agent Fields is in the basement of the little house. I don’t know where that is, but that’s what Cassidy said. He’s alive,” she said and watched
Davis
’s eyebrows raise and she sat down in the car and he closed the door and called someone on his phone. She couldn’t hear what he said, and she couldn’t bring herself to concentrate on anything but the dread she felt about Buck.
Davis
got into the car next to her and they left the ranch.

They drove for hours or minutes, Joss was completely turned around and lost in her own thoughts. Was Cassidy’s gun a twenty two? She thought it was small, Buck was large; there was hope. Buck’s gun was a nine millimeter; it left a big hole in Cassidy’s chest. She shivered. Three big holes.

The car stopped and someone else opened the door for her and she stepped out and into a building where she was taken down steps, and around corners and finally into a small room with a chair, a table and a large mirror taking up most of one wall where she was asked to wait. Joss stood and concentrated on breathing.

Sometime later, she didn’t have any idea how long, she didn’t even care; the same woman in the pantsuit and bun who was talking to Brent came in the room.

“Please have a seat,” she said and Joss looked at the one chair and slowly walked to it and sat.

“How are you?” The woman asked. Despite the question, Joss heard the animosity in the woman’s voice.

“How’s Buck?” Joss asked. The woman considered her for a moment.

“Do you think you’re in shock?” She answered Joss’s question with her own.

“Yes, Christ, that’s a stupid question. I expect I have mild shock, but my anger is helping it burn off. Is it simply an academic interest on your part?” Joss said.

“Yes, I’m wondering if you can take a polygraph test or if the results will be swayed by your, shall we call it distress?” Joss flushed with anger but was suddenly delighted to have something else to think about other than Buck clinging to life. She hated the woman standing before her with the satisfied look on her pretty face, almost as much as the woman hated her.

“What the fuck else would you call it? Go ahead, I have nothing to hide,” Joss said.

“We’ll see about that. Please remove your shirt.” Joss stood and complied. She towered over Agent Bun.

Agent Bun ripped the wire Buck had placed so lovingly on her off, and put it on the table. Joss pulled her shirt back on. The woman reached for Joss again and then wrapped a strap around Joss’s chest, and tutted at the blood that was there. Buck’s blood, Christ, it was all over her. Joss looking at her hands which were brown with it.

“We are all upset about our colleague, Agent Buckingham.” She leaned in close and whispered. “You don’t own the rights.”

“This ought to be fun.” Joss said with dripping sarcasm. The woman smiled without humor and pointed to the chair again. Joss sat.

“Is your name Joss Erickson?”

“Yes.”

“Do you live at
445 Larimer Square
in
Denver
?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever broken the law?”

“Yes.” Joss thought of the bodies she’d left in her wake, the speeding, the underage drinking, she was a regular Bonnie Parker.

“Have you ever taken illegal drugs?”

“Yes,” Joss said and considered the aforementioned under aged drinking. These answers just frustrated Agent Bun and she looked at the mirror briefly for instructions, Joss lifted her head and looked, too.

“Why did Agent Buckingham say your secret was safe with him?”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“What was the secret that he said he would keep for you when you left the cabin this morning?” Was that only this morning?

“Um, it’s a secret.” Joss rolled her eyes.

“Do you know where the Frenchman’s gold is?”

“It’s a myth.”

“Yes or no answers, please.”

“No.”

“Are you married?”

“No.”

“Do you love him?” Joss looked at the woman and didn’t answer. “Answer the question, please. Do you love Agent Buckingham?”

Joss sat back up her chair. “Yes, I do.” She exhaled loudly.

“Do you know where the Frenchman’s gold is?”

“Tell me Buck’s condition,” Joss said. They were so focused on the gold; maybe she’d get some information from them if she didn’t roll over for them.

Agent Bun paused listening to her ear piece then continued.

“Do you know where the Frenchman’s gold is?” She repeated.

“Tell me Buck’s condition,” Joss repeated and the woman exhaled loudly. Joss was clearly irritating her.

“Listen you,” she pointed at Joss. “You have no rights here. You either tell us what we want to know…” she stopped abruptly, listening. “Do you know where the Frenchman’s gold is?” Joss sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest and waited. It wasn’t long before Joss yawned, and soon her head pitched forward. She startled awake and pulled her fingers through her hair.

“Sorry, I haven’t had much sleep,” she said and she heard the tinkling of laughter from Agent Bun’s earpiece, then some low voice talking indistinctly.

“He’s still in surgery,” Agent Bun said after glaring at her. A frisson went through Joss’s body. He was still alive. “Do you know where the Frenchman’s gold is?”

“Nope,” Joss said and the woman exhaled again.

“Are you an art thief?”

“No.”

“Did you know Agent Buckingham slept with your mother?”

“Boy, you people are really charming. Yes, I know he slept with Cassidy.”

“Is that why you killed her?” Joss chuckled, this was absurd.

“No.”

“Do you think he loves you?” The voice was mocking.

“So, that’s how it is, you love him, too. You think if he doesn’t love
you
back, then how could he love me?” She examined Agent Bun’s face. “He slept with you, didn’t he?” The woman’s face pinched unattractively. “Oh, he didn’t, that’s the problem here; he didn’t.” Joss sighed. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business.”

“Answer the question, please.” She was really getting rattled, and looked at the mirror shyly. That made Joss sit up and take notice, who the hell was behind the glass, Buck’s wife?

“I find the question irrelevant, but yes, he loves me. Didn’t you hear him say it?” Anger was the only thing keeping her from weeping.

“Are you carrying his child?” Agent Bun hissed.

“That is no one’s business,” Joss said, sure that the polygraph was going bananas.

“Why does he call you Duchess?” Joss chuckled softly.