Force of Nature (14 page)

Austin looked at the list. It was pages and pages of high end items—big screen televisions, computers, game systems, and even jewelry. He laid it on the console and looked at her.

“If they know what he’s doing, then why are the Feds having you drive this to him? Why don’t they simply arrest him and be done with it?” Austin thought he knew the moment he asked.

He wasn’t thrilled about what he thought was going on either.

Her answer confirmed it. “Because they want to see who the big cheese is. Phil seemed to think that Solomon is just the middle man and that whoever we take this to is the one they want.

They didn’t even know the warehouse address until this.”

Austin started to tell her that she’d have to tell them she wasn’t doing it, but thought about what Holly had said. He tried to think of a tactful or even a nicer way to tell her she wasn’t doing it, but the best he could do was tell her “no fucking way.” He was sure that would go over well.

“I know what you’re thinking and I’m taking this load, Austin. You should have gone with your sister if you think I’ll not do this. I’m my own person and you have no rights over me whatsoever.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that she was his, but again, thought that it wouldn’t be prudent. Instead, he tried reason. It could work.

“I’m telling you you’re not.” He winced when he realized that it hadn’t been anywhere close to reason. “Let me reword that. It might have come out wrong.”

“Oh no, you said it just like I thought you would.” He could tell by her entire body she was pissed. “I’ve made arrangements for you to be picked up when we get to Amarillo, Texas. It’s a good sized town and they have a nice airport. I don’t need the added stress of you for another three days.”

She would leave him too. Austin wasn’t sure if he was more hurt than pissed at her for making arrangements when he snapped his mouth closed. He’d done the same thing. Just as she’d done, he’d made arrangements to suit himself over her wants.

He looked out the window and thought. Christ, he didn’t want to leave her. He didn’t just want her…he needed her. Looking back at CJ, he tried again.

“I’ll go home if after today you still want me to. I’m…it’s been pointed out to me that I may have been a bit overbearing toward you.”

“A bit? Austin, you’ve done nothing but order me around since the first time I saw you. I don’t need it. No, I think for both of us we should just mark this as a bad experiment and move on with our lives.” Austin could feel her hurt as she continued. “It’s not worth the good sex. I won’t have a man own me. My mother put up with it for nearly all her married life and I won’t.”

He tried again. “I’m going to work on that. I swear. Just give me until Amarillo. If I haven’t made some changes in my charming ways, I’ll go willingly.” He would leave her truck, but not her. He’d rent a car and follow her if need be, but he wouldn’t leave her. “Please?”

Austin had never had to beg in his life and never for the company of a woman. But he was beginning to realize she wasn’t just any woman. She was his mate, his match.

“All right. But I’m not canceling the arrangements until we have to. I have to be honest with you, Austin. I can’t take much more of this. You have to fucking back off. It was just sex.

Nothing more.”

Smiling to himself, he thought perhaps that she was saying that a little too much. She knew as well as he did that it wasn’t just sex. And as soon as he could, he was going to prove it to her.

~Chapter Fourteen~

“They just passed over into Tulsa. She’s about an hour from Oklahoma City. I figure they’ll stop there for the night. I got another crew waiting for them there to see if she’s got a tail or not.”

Wayne Solomon looked over at his partner Ruben Baker. He and Ruben had been working this same deal for over five years now and it had been extremely profitable for them both. He looked around the room they were both in and smiled.

The carpet alone cost more than most people made in a year. Italian made, it covered most of the knotty pine floor and was valued at just over ten million dollars. He grinned when he thought about how few people actually got to walk on this rug.

The antiques were the finest he could have. Most of the pieces were from an office he’d laid claim to several years ago. An antique dealer had kept a huge warehouse of beautiful things and when Wayne had tried to buy him out, he wouldn’t sell. The man had very nicely left everything to Wayne when he’d died suddenly. An ice pick to the ear tended to do that.

The rest of his mausoleum was decorated the same way. Beauty only for his eyes and those few people he’d have over. None of them were friends, not even Ruben, but they thought they were. Business was business and Wayne had been very careful never to mix his pleasure with his business. Though there were times when the two of them did spill over into one another.

“What do we know about the man traveling with her? Is he someone we need to be worried about?” They had been surprised when they’d seen the man with her yesterday but not concerned. CJ Webber was a loner and too much like her father to have them worry about some man. The older Webber had been a business man too. Not a very good one, but a business man all the same.

“No. He still lives at home with his family. They have a nice bit of property next to where her father lived. The family he claimed was werewolves.”

Wayne nodded. He remembered now. Webber had even said he’d shot one as it stole across his land. The police had gone out to the house of the man he’d said he’d shot and there was nothing. Wayne looked down at the file he’d had put together on CJ right after he’d gotten her name from a mutual contact.

“See that he doesn’t become a problem. Make sure the claim of him being a wolf isn’t true as well. I don’t need any pack to show up when one of their brothers goes missing. As for Oklahoma City, make sure they get the tracer on her truck this time. Those idiots really bungled it last night.”

The tracer the idiot…the dead idiot had put on what he had assumed was the Webber girl’s truck had been one going in the opposite direction than CJ was supposed to be going in. It took them nearly three hours to figure out what had happened and was too late to call off the kill of the driver. How was he to know that the man wasn’t the right driver until it was too late? Totally and completely not his fault.

Wayne decided to call the girl tonight. Just to give her some encouraging words. Maybe let her know that if she wasn’t in on time, just a little off, he’d cut her some slack. Wayne loved the Wisconsin accent he’d perfected to talk to her. He had her eating out of his hands. Maybe when this run was over, he’d have to meet up with the pretty little trucker. Her picture, he was sure, didn’t do her justice.

The load she was carrying for them was valued at just over fifty million. Preston Xpress had been shipping his jewelry in ordinary trucks for several weeks now. Diamonds and other gems were stashed in with the middle end televisions and the cheaper laptop computers. The floors were false and only a few other than store managers where the merchandise was going had any idea what they were receiving. The trucks, unloaded by the staff, would be stolen into late at night so that the manager could get in and get the things that had been hidden. Wayne had only found out about it several days ago. In fact, the same day he’d called little Miss Webber.

Ruben’s phone went off. From the ring tone, Wayne knew it was Ruben’s wife. The man was a simpering fool when it came to his mate. There were days, like today as a matter of fact, that he wished Ruben would just shoot her then himself. It mattered little to Wayne that Ruben’s wife was his own sister. She was a whiny bitch. By the time Ruben had ended the call, Wayne wanted to hit someone. Instead, he sent Ruben on any errand.

“Find out what you can about this supposed wolf. I want to know if he is a loner or is he a member of a pack. If he is, I want to know how big it is and if he will be missed.”

“You want to get him away from the girl? Are you thinking he’ll be an issue?” Ruben took out his phone and began clicking away at the keys. “I can have someone…that new guy, what was his name? Isaac Dorsey can hunt them down. I’m betting he can—”

“No. No more outsiders. I want you to do this. This load can make us very rich and I would like to be able to spend it without having to look over my shoulder all the time.” Wayne already had plans to not look over his shoulder and see Ruben and his family there already. “Go to Oklahoma City and see what you can find out. Report back to me. I’m going to go to Columbus and see what I can find there.”

Wayne waited until Ruben left for the airstrip and then sat behind his desk. Pulling out the list from under his blotter, he checked off two of his “to do” things. Number three, check on Webber girl, done. Number twelve, kill Ruben—here he put half a check mark. Smiling, he knew that it would only be a matter of hours before that little item was checked as well. The other two things he checked were getting rid of the car he’d stolen two weeks ago and selling off the few pieces of antiques that he no longer found enjoyable.

He picked up his disposable phone and called CJ. She answered on the second ring. That made him smile. He could not abide by rudeness. Not of any kind.

~~~

Austin had started to doze off again when the dash exploded with static. He looked over at CJ as she played around on a radio-looking device that sat above her stereo. So far as he could see, she didn’t listen to music so he couldn’t figure out what station she’d be trying to tune into this far into the trip. Then when voices came through the line, he realized it was a CB.

If anyone would have asked Austin, he would have said that CBs were a thing of the past.

He thought that with cell phones and satellite, no one would have any use for them in this day and age. He started to ask her about it when a very clear, very male voice sounded out of the thing.

“That you QT-Pie? Damn girl, you said you’s done. How the heck are you?”

Austin’s breath caught when CJ smiled. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything more beautiful.

“Yeah, Jungle Jock, it’s me. You know how it is, can’t stay still for more than ten seconds without my legs getting all jumpy.”

Austin sat back to listen.

“You knows it. I been doing this so long my butt’s got big old calluses on it. Makes my bottom look like a horses south end.” They both laughed at the unseen man. “Hear it told you done purchased that farm. Whatcha doin’ that for? You gonna make your dream happening?”

CJ glanced over at him before she answered. “Hummm, yeah. Got a deal too good to pass up. Construction starts in the thaw. Should be up and running by next spring if all goes well.”

“Your momma’d be prouder than a peacock. You got a name picked out? Should be something fitting. I think it should be—”

“Hey Jungle, what do you know of the Mounties coming through Tex-ass? I got me a load I have to get on time.” Austin raised a brow at her as she continued. “I have less than two days to get to the City of Angles.”

“Ah hell, girly, ain’t seen nothing of them for several hours. I was thinking there was a donut convention going on and they all got themselves an invite. Hope so ‘cause me and the boys we are making up for lost time.” Austin glanced over at the speedometer and winced. Eighty. If she got pulled over, they’d all be sunk. He felt the truck begin to slow and looked again at the dash. Seventy now.

After ten more minutes or so of bantering back and forth, Austin saw her turn the thing down. He could see signs for Oklahoma City and wondered how much further she was planning to go today. Frankly, his own ass was getting to be a tad sore and he wanted to stretch.

They’d been in the truck since six that morning. They had stopped once around noon to get gas and to go to the bathroom. She’d filled up while he went inside and got them some food and when she’d gone in to go to the bathroom, he’d taken the opportunity to call Phil then Dallas.

Phil hadn’t answered so he left a message telling him where they were and they were both fine, then he’d called his brother.

“Hey, I found out what the trust is for.” Dallas launched right into it as soon as he answered.

“She bought about four thousand acres just outside of Columbus. From the county records, she’s applied for a building permit to build a set of apartments. The city is all for it, of course. She got a tax abatement for ten years and then she guaranteed to hire twenty people by the end of the first year.”

“It’s an apartment? Are you sure?” Austin knew it was something more than that. And Dallas confirmed it.

“That’s what they are calling it now. One of the pack works for the county engineers office and he said that it’s being called that to hide what it really is. Austin, it’s going to be the Rebecca Jane House. It’s a place for battered and abused women. It’ll even have health care and some learning facilities when it’s complete.” Austin lay back on the bed as his brother continued.

“There’s something else. Your mate? She’s rich. Not just rich, but ‘oh my fucking God’ rich. Not counting the three properties that she’ll sign off on in January, she’s worth well over ten million.

Once she signs off on that, she’ll be a cool twenty. I’ve already got an appointment with Phil to make him the pack’s financial guru.”

Austin heard the door open and took a deep breath through his mouth. CJ, her scent made his cock harden. When she walked through the doorway with two bags of what smelled like burgers and fries, Austin told his brother he’d call him later.

After they ate, CJ got back at the wheel and Austin sat in the passenger side to think. That had been nearly four hours ago. They’d only said a handful of words since. But looking at her now, Austin could see the fatigue written all over her face.

“How much longer are you going today? You look like you can barely hold your head up.”

She glanced over at him, but didn’t say anything. “CJ, why don’t we pull over and rest? You could nap for an hour of two and probably feel a lot better.”

“I can’t. If I can make it to Amarillo tonight, you’ll be on a plane home by midnight. Phil set it up for you.” They passed the sign welcoming them to Sayre, Oklahoma just as she finished.