Croc's Return (19 page)

He laughed harder when she elbowed him. Rolling off, she tugged down his shirt, which came to a respectable mid-thigh, and then marched off toward the bathroom.

It didn’t take a peek over her shoulder to know Caleb admired the view, and must have been pretty blatant about it because Luke asked, “Why are you so happy, Daddy?”

“Because I have you and your mom.”

She might have stumbled. Stupid ledge between the bathroom floor and the hall.

That morning, Caleb was treated to the hustle and bustle of a family that needed to get ready to get out the door, on time. Luke had to be at school before nine, and then it was time to drop Caleb off with a kiss, then on to her own boring job at the grocery store.

Ho hum.

Until that night when she and Caleb snuck out for a tryst in his brother’s truck. They steamed the windows that night.

Broke the picnic table the next.

Made use of the outdoor shower…

Each morning she woke to Luke’s grin and Caleb’s hug.

It was wonderful.

So the week went, and despite the lack of privacy, and the glower on Caleb’s face each time she went to work, she was happy.

On Thursday about mid-afternoon, a familiar tingle let her know Caleb was there. She turned around to find him standing at the bottom end of her checkout aisle.

He wore the official Bittech uniform, and it suited him. She especially wanted to strip it from him.

I will…later.

“What are you doing here so early?” she asked. “I’m not due to finish for another hour.”

“Wes let me off early so I could show you a surprise.”

“It will have to wait. My boss will never let me leave early.” She made a face. “But in other news, I’m not working tonight.”

“How come?”

“The club is shut down on account of a burst water pipe in the bathroom.”

“I don’t suppose it could stay shut forever,” he grumbled.

But that was all he was doing. Grumbling. He might not like her job at the Itty Bitty Club, but they’d come to an understanding. While Claire and Constantine—with his sly Chihuahua—watched Luke at night, Caleb kept an eye on Renny at work. Just not in the club and it wasn’t because Caleb had an inability to, as he stated it, “Watch guys hit on my girl.” Nope, he stayed outside because she requested it.

In a funny twist, Renny found herself really uncomfortable with mostly naked women strutting around him. Not that they dared try anything.

The dancers learned, after the first time he popped in for a beer, to keep their hands off. Whoever thought human women were meek never saw Renny grab a girl by the hair and growl, “Keep your paws off my man, Tina, or I will make your furry ass into a rug.”

Because where Caleb was concerned, now that he was back, he was hers. And nothing,
nothing
would keep her away from him.

Although some idiots seemed intent on trying, like her boss at the supermarket who barked, “Suarez, why aren’t you working?”

Renny rolled her eyes before facing her manager, some guy sent down by head office to maximize the store’s revenue. “Work doing what?” She swept a hand toward her empty aisle. “There’s no one here, Benny.” Indeed, the few shoppers in the store had yet to finish and need a check out.

“Maybe there’s no one on account someone is too high and mighty to do her job because she’s too busy yapping.”

She clamped her lips tight. There wasn’t much she could say to placate Benny.

But Caleb didn’t know that. “It’s my fault. I was the one who came in and talked to her.”

If Caleb thought to diffuse the situation, he was wrong because the manager of the store didn’t care. Benny also didn’t realize when he took a step forward and aimed his florid face and vitriol at Caleb just who he was dealing with.

“Listen, you scarred freak. I don’t need your type coming in here and scaring off my clients.”

Renny might take a lot of flack at the hands of this miserable excuse for humanity, but like heck would she let him berate Caleb.

“Don’t you dare talk to him like that.” She came around the counter and stood before Caleb, who appeared surprised.

“It’s okay, Renny. I’m gonna have to get used to hearing shit like that.”

“No, it is not okay. You got those scars serving your country, and now this moron thinks he can insult you. Not happening.”

“Watch your mouth or you’ll be looking for another job.” Benny tried to look intimidating, but a human had nothing on the real predators she’d grown up with.

“Are you threatening to fire me? No need.” She fumbled at the buttons holding her red vest closed. Renny balled the fabric and tossed it at Benny. “I quit.” Turning to Caleb, she smiled. “Looks like I’m finished early after all. Let’s go see that surprise.”

“You can’t quit,” Benny hollered after her.

Renny stuck up a certain finger over her shoulder.

“Did you just tell him to fuck off in sign language?” Caleb asked. “That is so freaking sexy.”

“Weirdo.”

“Your weirdo, baby. Now are you ready?”

“For what?”

“You’ll see,” was his enigmatic reply.

What she saw was an overgrown front lawn and a tiny house whose wooden shingles were grayed from the weather and, in places, green from humidity. But the windows were intact if bare of curtains.

Inside, the wide plank floor had lost its varnish, but it was swept clean. Renny peeked around the space. The open living room with its sliding glass door to the backyard of the house. The kitchen with its white tile countertops and painted cabinets.

“Why are we here?” she asked, already guessing.

“Say hello to our home.”

“Our?” she asked as she spun with an arched brow. “Kind of presumptuous, don’t you think?”

He looked crestfallen. “Yes, ours. I mean, after the week we’ve spent, and—”

She placed a finger on his lips and laughed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t tease you like that. Of course I want to be here with you.”

“Luke, too.”

A snicker escaped her. “Well, duh. We’re kind of a package deal.”

He made a face. “I am so bad at this relationship stuff.”

She draped her arms around his neck and smiled. “Oh, I don’t know about that. So far you’re doing pretty damned good. So good, I think we should test out this place before we grab our son and move in with our stuff.”

They made love that afternoon on the countertop. In the shower. And were now curled together with naked limbs in a nest on the floor.

For once, there was no rush to be anywhere. Not even to pick up Luke because Caleb had already made arrangements with Melanie. Since her best friend had to go see Bittech for her fertility test results, she’d drop Luke off on her way home after grabbing a bite for dinner, giving Renny and Caleb some alone time.

From the direction of her purse, her phone jangled, a catchy ditty titled, “I’m Going Bananas,” an old Madonna song she’d bought and used as a ringtone for Melanie

Rolling away from Caleb, Renny said over her shoulder on her way to grab it, “She’s probably looking for details.”

“I thought women weren’t supposed to gossip about their sex lives,” he said, rolling to his back and lacing his hands under his head. It pulled at his flesh and defined some of his muscles. The scar that twisted down his side did nothing to mar his perfection. Rather it drew her eye more to the beauty of his shape.

It also distracted. She fished the phone out of her purse just as it went to voicemail. Before she could redial, it was ringing again.

She answered with a laugh. “Holy having a cow, Melanie, are you that impatient to hear the details?”

“Renny, he’s gone.” Said in a voice tight with fear.

The world stopped spinning, and Renny’s whole bearing froze as she made sense of the words.

As if from a distance, she heard herself say, “What do you mean he’s gone?”

“Luke. He’s missing. The twins say the dinosaur got him.”

“No.” Renny whispered the word through numb lips. All of her went limp, including her fingers, which released the phone. Her knees decided to no longer support her, dumping her to the floor, where she hit hard. But the pain of impact was nothing compared to that gripping her heart.

As soon as Renny said, “What do you mean he’s gone?” Caleb was moving, yet his fastest speed wasn’t fast enough to catch her before she collapsed. He dropped to the floor beside Renny, drawing her into his lap even as he dove for the phone.

He tucked it to his ear as he held a sobbing Renny close. “Tell me what’s happened.”

It didn’t take long. Through hiccupping sobs, Melanie let him know what had happened. In a nutshell, Luke was gone.

Taken.

Because I wasn’t there to protect him.

It didn’t take any kind of medical degree in psychology to see Renny blamed herself for Luke’s disappearance. There was plenty of blame to go around, starting with his own.

Damn me for not remaining more vigilant.
He’d let his guard down after a week of no sightings. He, Wes, and even Daryl had done some more patrols, but found nothing. Not a single whiff of its unique aroma, not a peep from anyone in town. They’d wondered if the creature had moved on or was dead. Or perhaps it hadn’t posed a threat at all.

In his cocoon of happiness, he’d allowed himself to relax, and now, because of his mistake, his son had paid the price.

Unfair!

Caleb slammed the steering wheel as he was forced to stop for a red light. He might have run it, but he somehow doubted the car would win in the battle for space against the rather large dump truck.

“This is all my fault.” He growled. “I should have waited until later to show you the place and gone to grab Luke. The blame for this is on me. If I had been there for him, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“You don’t know that.”

Yeah, he did, because if he had been the one watching Luke and the twins, he would have never let those boys out of his sight. However, it hadn’t been fucking Caleb on guard but Andrew. A man with no predator sense, an idiot who would probably die quickly if he had to survive in the wild.
Because I’d kill him.

The weak bastard didn’t pay attention to those he guarded. Andrew let himself be distracted.

Like I was distracted. Point the finger in the right place.

“This isn’t your fault,” Renny said, linking her fingers through his where they rested on the car’s stick shift.

“Feels like it is.”

“We might be worrying for nothing. Maybe Luke just wandered a little too far into the swamp while playing a game of hide-and-seek.”

Since she didn’t seem to believe her own reassurance, he chose to drive faster and soon drew the car up to the front of the Bittech building.

On the patterned cement outside the main doors, Melanie, with her hands latched to the twins, paced.

Relinquishing her grip on his hand, Renny barely waited for the car to stop before she was tumbling out. “What happened?”

“Andrew was around back with the boys. He says his phone rang, and he turned around to talk to whoever it was for only a second. Which is a second too long,” Melanie grumbled. “He knows how quick the boys are. The next thing Andrew knew, the twins came screaming out of the woods, talking about the dino again.”

“I might have to kill your husband,” Caleb announced.

“Get in line.” A scowl marred Melanie’s features. “I already told him I’d yank his guts out if anything happens to Luke.”

“I’ll hold him down for you,” Caleb offered.

“No need, Wes already offered.”

“Where is Wes?” Renny asked, looking from side to side.

“Looking for Luke, of course.”

“Andrew, too?”

Disdain wouldn’t allow itself to be contained. Caleb snorted. “Doubtful.”

Melanie’s lips turned even lower. “He’s inside calling some people to get a search party going.”

“He’s a bear. He should have been able to sniff out his trail.” Renny took the words right out of his mouth.

If Caleb hadn’t once seen Andrew’s puny brown bear, he might have accused him of being a koala. Then again, that was insulting vicious koalas everywhere.

“Where was Luke last seen?” Caleb asked.

“By the willow tree that—Renny,” Melanie yelled. “Get your ass back here. You can’t go rushing into the swamp like that. You’re human. You won’t be able to defend yourself.”

The truth hit hard, and Renny stumbled to a halt. She whirled, tears streaming down her cheeks. The pure anguish she displayed was something Caleb well understood. Pain was a close companion, but he couldn’t give in to his pain right now. Yes, he was chilled to the bone by what might be happening to his son. He was devastated he’d not protected Renny from this. But he was also calm and clearheaded. Not a single shake in his hands, his breathing regular.

Panic had no place right now. The man he used to be stood straight as Renny cried, “I don’t care if I don’t have a weapon. That’s my son in there, and he needs me.”

And Renny needed him. Caleb strode to her, making every effort to appear non-threatening, as he did not want her to bolt. Melanie was right. The swamp wouldn’t prove kind to his delicate woman. Only the foolish—or desperate—went off into the swamp without a weapon or a plan.

Sensing she was ready to flee, he resorted to words since he wasn’t in reach. “What happened to your theory that said he might be playing hide and go seek?”

“I lied. Something’s wrong. I feel it, feel it in here.” Renny thumped her stomach.

Funny how she pinpointed the spot he felt a twinge, too. The gut always knew.

“You’re probably right. Things don’t look too good,”—
Great pep talk so far. Why not make her face blanch further?—
“but I will promise you one thing.” As he got close to her, he reached out to grasp her hand, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll find him.”
Fucking right I’ll find him, even it’s the last thing I do.

“We’ll find him.”

He shook his head. “I can’t risk you getting hurt. Melanie’s right. How would you defend yourself? Make a slingshot out of your bra?” He forced a wan smile, but Renny simply stared at him. Eyes brimming, lips trembling.

Heartbreaking.
Fix this.

With one last press of fingers, he let her go and went to walk past Renny. As if she’d let him go.