Stronger Than You Know by Lori Foster

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

NEVERINHISlife had he been in such a killing rage.

Once his dad had started to examine Kennedy, he’d found severe bruising everywhere. Earlier, she’d stood there in the freezing snow allowing him to prioritize everything and everyone—except her.

“She’ll be fine,” Parrish said as he moved Reyes out of the way yet again.

Fine, although she continued to shiver uncontrollably, wore a perpetually pained expression on her face and had obviously taken a battering when the car crashed.

Walking around the exam table, Reyes tucked the blankets over the side of her that his father had finished checking. His heart hurt. His eyes burned.

He seriously wanted to kill some bastards.

And he wanted to comfort Kennedy.

The conflict of two such disparate emotions made him shake.

He took her hand in his. She looked so small and delicate on the hospital bed, wearing no more than a loose, sleeveless gown that tied in the back.

With her eyes mostly closed, Kennedy gave him a wan smile. “Other than my ears ringing, and the pain in my head, I really am okay. I was hardly aware of the bruises.”

Hardly aware. That was her being brave again. “I’m so sorry, babe.”

“Not your fault,” she whispered. “In fact, I should be apologizing. I brought this whole mess into your lives.”

Parrish spoke before Reyes could react to that nonsense. “She has a concussion for sure, and she’s going to be incredibly sore as the aches and pains sink in, but I don’t think there are any fractures.” After gently prodding the worst of the bruises on her thigh, he stared down at Kennedy. “How did you hurt your leg?”

Her eyes sank shut. “I don’t remember.”

“Hmm.” Parrish gently examined her wrist and forearm. “And this?”

“I tangled my hand in the seat belt when I realized we were going to wreck.”

Ever so carefully, Parrish manipulated her fingers and then her hand. “No pain?”

“Nothing too bad. Mostly my skin.”

“It’s like mat burn,” he explained, and he put a light wrapping over it. With that done, he covered the rest of her with the blanket, all the way to her chin, then pulled up a rolling stool and sat near her. “Can you tell me what you do remember?”

She frowned for a long moment. “I saw Reyes hurt. He’d left the rifle with me, so I was getting out of the car, thinking maybe I’d scare them...”

Parrish glared at Reyes, looking furious again. “Cade grabbed the rifle,” Reyes explained. “My only thought at the time was getting to her.”

Nodding, Parrish turned back to her.

“Delbert told me he’d have the others kill Reyes if I didn’t drop the rifle, so I did.” She briefly closed her eyes. “I didn’t know how to use it anyway.”

“You’re going to learn,” Reyes said. Soon as possible, he’d teach her a hundred different ways to better protect herself. Not that she’d need to, because he wasn’t ever letting her out of his sight.

“I guess he hit me, because I woke up in the car and there was Delbert.” She drew a shuddering breath. “I was so afraid.”

It was torturous for Reyes, seeing her like this. Yet he understood the need to have all the facts. She’d get through them soon, and then he could hold her.

She opened her eyes a fraction. “I knew Reyes had been attacked and I didn’t know if he was—” Her hold on his hand tightened.

“It’s okay, babe.” Reyes wished he could take the discomfort for her.

“It’s not okay. Look at your head.”

Of all the...

“It was a small cut,” Parrish said. “No stitches needed, just a few wound-closing strips. He’ll be fine.”

She swallowed heavily, her eyes growing damp again.

Reyes leaned in to kiss her forehead. “It’s okay, baby. Take your time.”

“I knew I had to do something.”

“To save yourself,” Parrish said with a nod of approval. “And you did.”

“I wasn’t really thinking of me. Not then. I just... I knew I had to somehow send back help for Reyes.” She winced. “I know what I did was stupid. I could have killed myself. When it was happening, though, I couldn’t reason anything out. I just knew I had to fight.”

Reyes lifted her hand to his mouth. He should have been there to fight for her; instead, he’d allowed himself to be taken by surprise.

“They must have been following Jodi.” He kissed her bruised knuckles. “I should have realized.”

Kennedy looked at him for a long time and then gifted him with a slight smile. “Despite what you think and what your father tells you, you can’t prepare for every situation. You aren’t psychic, and you aren’t invincible.”

“But I’ve been trained—”

“No,” Parrish said. “She’s right. Madison sent you after Jodi. Cade and I approved that plan. If you’re in the wrong, we all are, but I prefer to agree with Kennedy. We can only be so prepared.” He got up to pace. “Golly’s brother apparently hired people to watch Jodi. We don’t know why Delbert was on the scene.”

“I know.” Shivering, Kennedy shifted uncomfortably. “He said the other man was real trouble, and so he’d left. Something about not wanting to deal with him anymore because he was too crazy. Delbert called him certifiable.”

“Hmm.” Parrish lightly patted her shoulder. “Thank you for sharing that. If you remember anything else, let us know. Until then, the pain meds I gave you should be kicking in soon. You need plenty of rest.”

“No problem.” She closed her eyes again. “Soon as I warm up, I’m ready for a nap.”

Parrish smiled, but Reyes couldn’t. “We’ll get you to bed in just a minute.”

“When you feel better,” Parrish said, “and I promise you will, stay off the phone and computer, and limit television. Reyes, you’ll want to check on her every couple of hours, just to make sure she’s responsive.”

“We’ll stay here tonight,” Reyes told her.

“Here?” She blinked at him.

“Remember, I have my own suite. It’ll be fine.”

“But...” She glanced at Parrish, then lowered her voice even more. “I want to go home.”

Home. Yeah, with Kennedy in it, his house was a home. The security was all there although the drive would be brutal for her. Just getting to his dad’s had been grueling, especially with the window broken and freezing air blowing in. He hadn’t seen an alternative, though.

“Here tonight,” Reyes insisted, “then we’ll reevaluate tomorrow. Okay?”

“You’ll have privacy,” Parrish assured her as he stood and walked around to Reyes, where he again checked his head.

“Ow, damn, Dad. Leave it alone.”

Rolling his eyes, Parrish gave Kennedy a look. “Luckily he has a hard head, or he might’ve gotten more than a goose egg.”

“It barely slowed me down,” Reyes promised, to ease the frown of concern Kennedy now wore. “I’ve had enough injuries to know a serious one from a nuisance. Once I’d cleaned off the blood, anyone could see I wasn’t badly hurt.” Hell, the biggest ache he felt was in his heart.

A tap sounded at the exam room door, immediately followed by Cade, Sterling and Madison coming in.

Cade said, “I moved your truck into a garage bay so it wouldn’t fill with snow. Tomorrow morning I’ll take it to get the window fixed.”

Normally Reyes would have insisted on doing that himself, but he wouldn’t want to leave Kennedy while she was hurt. “Thanks.”

“I brought Kennedy some clothes,” Madison said. “A few T-shirts, sweatshirt and pajama pants, because she can roll those up. Sorry, but my jeans would be about a foot too long on her.”

“And my butt would never fit,” Kennedy said with a weak smile. “Thank you.”

Sterling whistled softly as she got close. “Damn, girl. You look like you went a few rounds with a UFC champion. Your bruises have bruises.” She gave an exaggerated wince. “Hurt much?”

“Mostly my head, but the meds are helping.”

Sterling took Parrish’s stool. “Did I ever tell you about the time I tried going out a narrow window face-first? I managed to escape a bad situation, but got a chunk of glass stuck in my thigh.”

Lips parting in awe, Kennedy said, “No, but it sounds awful.”

“It was. But hey, it led to Cade and me getting closer, so now it’s a fond memory.” Glancing at Reyes, Sterling nodded to the door, then started her story.

Ah, his opportunity to talk privately with his family. Making sure the blanket covered every part of Kennedy, he softly said, “I’ll be right back.”

Kennedy barely nodded. She was too enthralled with Sterling’s gory tale.

Outside the exam room, he, Cade, Madison and Parrish huddled together, their voices necessarily low to keep Kennedy from hearing.

The last thing she needed right now was more to worry about.

“Do you know the bastard brother’s name yet?” Now that Kennedy was safe, he could fully concentrate on forever removing the fuck as a threat.

“Of course I do,” Madison replied. “He’s Rand Golly, two years older than Rob was, putting him at forty-two. He has a long rap sheet, everything from drunk driving to felony assault, attempted kidnapping and arson. He got out of prison at the same time Jodi escaped. My guess is he went to see his brother right off, and found him dead.”

Yeah, that could make a career criminal vindictive. Poor Jodi. The girl couldn’t catch a break. What were the odds of escaping one abusive lunatic only to have another come after her? “She could benefit from one of Dad’s programs.”

“My thought exactly,” Parrish said. “Kennedy will rest easier if she knows her friend is clear of danger. But first we need to eliminate the threat.” He added to Madison, “I want eyes on that motel room every second of every hour. We need to know if Golly moves while we formulate our plans.”

“Already done,” Madison assured him. “I found a few cameras that give me great access. As long as he doesn’t do something extra tricky like dig his way out, I’ll see him. If he does go out, I’ll be able to identify which car is his, then I can grab his plates. That’ll give us even more info on him.”

“Now that they’re onto us,” Cade said, “I don’t want Sterling anywhere near there when I tag the cars.”

“I don’t want you there, either,” Parrish countered. “We’ll get by without the GPS.”

Cade stiffened. “I can handle it.”

“Don’t be insulted.” Madison patted Cade’s shoulder. “I agree with Dad. From everything I’ve been able to uncover, Golly has a broad network behind him.”

“His connections aren’t the same as ours,” Cade argued.

“Agreed. We’ll have to cast a wider net now, and if there’s even a tiny chance that you get spotted, the rest of the goons will go to ground.”

“How many people are we talking?” Reyes asked.

I’ve found connections to twenty, including motel owners, diner owners, truckers and a few career criminal buddies that he probably met in prison. Nothing too high-tech, but I don’t want to risk missing a step and losing any—” She glanced at Reyes, stalling.

“Women,” Reyes said. It was a good bet that the sick bastard had an operation going. “Agreed.”

“All the more reason for the GPS,” Cade argued.

Obviously, Cade didn’t want to concede the point. Reyes got that. They were take-charge guys who worked best when in action. “You’re the patient one,” Reyes said to his brother, “so imagine how I feel. If I can stand to wait while we sort this out, you damn sure can, too.”

With that reasoning, Cade nodded.

Wanting to get back to Kennedy, Reyes asked, “Where’s Jodi?”

“We put her in a nice suite at Dad’s hotel. We dropped off additional clothes for her, stocked the small fridge and gave her unlimited use of movies and games.”

“Meaning she has everything she’d need so there’s no reason to leave the room.” His father’s hotel was another front. Yes, it served the legit purpose of renting rooms, but the entire upper floor was reserved for situations like this. It looked like nothing more than a five-star hotel, but boasted the same security they used in their homes. Jodi would be safe there. Still... “Kennedy won’t be happy to know she’s alone.”

Cade shrugged. “Short of kidnapping her, there wasn’t much I could do. The hotel seemed like the best bet.”

Would Jodi stay put? He had no idea. “Pretty sure Kennedy will insist on seeing her tomorrow, so I’ll want backup.” If it was just him going, Reyes wouldn’t worry, but with Kennedy? Too much had already happened. Never again would he relax his guard, not for any reason.

“No problem,” Cade said. “Star will insist on going along.”

Parrish folded his arms. “What’s happening with the detective?”

Reyes rubbed the back of his neck. “He said Madison explained enough to give us some leeway.” He glanced at his sister. “Though now that I ditched him at the site, he might rethink that.”

Madison stared back defiantly. “Dad and I agree that he could be a valuable asset.”

“Maybe.” One way or another, cops were going to show on the scene of the wreck. At least Crosby was a cop he was familiar with. “I assume Delbert is no longer an issue?”

“Dead at the scene,” Cade confirmed.

Although they might have gotten more info from him, Reyes chose to see his death as a blessing. It was one less person trying to get to Kennedy.

“I’ll talk to Crosby again,” Madison offered. “No worries.”

Reyes stopped her from walking away. “How exactly did you clue him in?”

“I told him enough that he wouldn’t detain you.”

Cade’s eyes narrowed. “Enough being how much?”

“Overall, I mentioned the task force and a general overview of Dad’s philanthropic work. Crosby was duly impressed, but now? I don’t know what he’ll think when he can’t find either of them at the hospital.”

Parrish considered things. “When I called him, it was just to say that there’d been an attempted kidnapping and it might involve Golly. That seemed incentive enough for him to jump onboard. But Madison is right. He’ll want to be in control of things.”

“Somehow, we need to string him along,” Madison concluded. She smiled. “Leave it to me.”

Becoming antsy, Reyes glanced at the exam room doors. He wanted to get back to Kennedy. “He’ll have questions for me, but if you can put him off until tomorrow—”

“Impossible,” Madison said. “He’s a cop, Reyes, not a goon—he won’t be easily manipulated. And as I keep telling you, he’s on the up-and-up. His questions will be legit.”

“Stick with the truth as much as you can,” Parrish advised. “There were enough people in the diner to see the attack.”

“And a few saw Kennedy taken,” Cade said. “It’ll all add up for a cop.”

Madison gave a short laugh. “It’s not like any of you to underestimate someone as badly as you’re underestimating Crosby.” Turning, she lifted her hand in a wave. “Go get Kennedy settled. I’ll see you later.”

“She’s taken with the cop,” Reyes complained.

“Seems like,” Cade agreed.

Parrish stared after her thoughtfully. Finally he asked, “Do you think Kennedy will want to join us for dinner?”

Knowing her as he did now, Reyes couldn’t see her lingering in bed, no matter how much she wanted to or how she needed the rest. She seemed hell-bent on proving, more to herself than anyone else, that she wasn’t a burden. “I’d bet yes.”

“Then I better go confer with Bernard to let him know we’ll all be in attendance.” He clasped Reyes’s shoulder. “You did great under the circumstances.”

He didn’t need false praise. “I fucked up.”

Giving a small shake of his head, Parrish said, “I’m proud of you.” He spoke next at Cade. “And you. You’ve both grown into very impressive men.” He walked down the short hallway that headed to the stairs.

Stunned, Reyes glanced at Cade. “What the hell was that about?”

“No idea, except that having women around is softening him. My guess is that he looks at things differently when he sees us happily involved.”

A disturbing thought. His dad, softened? No, he didn’t even want to consider it. “I have to get back to Kennedy.”

Cade gave him a long look. “You realize you’re in love with her, right?”

He wasn’t stupid. Figuring out what to do about it was the issue. “Come collect your wife, then I’ll put Kennedy to bed.”

Cade slowly smiled. “Be careful, brother, or you’ll be softening, too.”

Not likely. He was the hell-raiser sibling. The daredevil. The cocky jerk who got around.

But yeah, none of that seemed to matter a minute later when he found Kennedy drifting off to sleep while Sterling softly told another story.

Women had a miraculous effect on everyone.

In that moment, he felt pretty damned soft—in his head and in his heart.

MADISONSMILEDAT CROSBY. Lord, the man was something to look at, even while scowling. They sat in her car in a deserted park where she’d arranged the meeting.

Yes, she could have handled things over the phone, but what was the fun in that? She’d told him a small fib, saying she was worried about others listening in, and so he’d agreed to the meeting.

“You’re angry.”

His scowl grew fiercer, making his dark-as-sin eyes glitter.

So sexy.

“Your brother is giving me the runaround. I expected to find him at the hospital or I never would have let him leave.”

Ha! Clearly Crosby was underestimating Reyes, too. “I doubt that’s true. You saw how badly hurt Kennedy was. She needed medical attention, so you wouldn’t have delayed them. I’m even sure you realize why Reyes didn’t go to the hospital, because you know how dangerous that route can be.”

Frustrated, Crosby ran a hand over his sandy-brown hair, leaving it mussed.

Her fingers tingled with the need to smooth it back into place.

“Where did he take her?”

“A secure facility where she can get care and rest without worrying that Golly might find her.”

His gaze never wavered. “Where?” he repeated, more insistent this time.

She dodged that, saying, “In case you were wondering, Kennedy is badly bruised all over, especially one arm and her thigh.” As far as diversions went, that worked well.

“Damn,” Crosby muttered. “All I’d noticed was the lump on her head, and that was bad enough.”

Madison liked how truly caring he was. It appeared to really bother him that Kennedy was injured. “By the way, Rob Golly is in fact dead.”

He eyed her suspiciously. “You say that as if you’re certain.”

“Because I am. Brace yourself, Detective, but we’ve discovered that it wasn’t Rob causing all this trouble. It’s his brother, Rand.”

Incredulous now, his eyes narrowed. “You and your family have an uncanny ability to discover things.”

“Yes, I know. We’re good. Modesty aside, though, I’m in charge of gathering info and I’m extremely proficient at what I do.”

“Do you do it legally?”

Ah, he wanted to trip her up. Then what? She smiled at him. “If you have questions for Reyes, give me the number you want him to call and I’ll see to it.”

“I want to see him in person.”

“Yes, but Kennedy is hurt, so he won’t leave her side, and no—before you ask again—I can’t tell you where.”

His gaze searched hers, his indecision almost palpable. “She’ll be all right?”

“Certainly, though she’ll be sore for a while. Before he so conveniently perished, Delbert O’Neil struck Kennedy in the head with the butt of his gun. She was unconscious long enough for him to stuff her into his car and try to kidnap her.”

“Thank God he slid on the ice or he might...” He stopped when Madison shook her head. “What?”

“It wasn’t the weather conditions that caused the wreck. Kennedy attacked him. She was afraid Reyes was badly hurt and wanted to get back to him. From what I was told, she kicked him several times, then punched him in a place where no man wants to be punched.”

He flinched. “And that caused the wreck?”

“You could drive under those conditions?”

Shrugging, he said, “If I had to.”

That amused her and she grinned again. “My brothers also, though I doubt they’d let anything like that happen.”

Crosby rubbed a hand over his face. “Tell your brother that I need Delbert’s gun, and that I expect to be kept informed.”

“I’ll tell him, but Reyes will do as he pleases on that score.” No reason to explain that they all avoided involving the law whenever possible.

Snow accumulated on the windows, making the interior of the car cozy and private, not that anyone was at the park today anyway. The heated seats kept her toasty warm, and Crosby’s nearness kept her on sensual alert.

“You know what?” She tipped her head at him. “Why don’t you tell me why this is personal for you?”

“No.” Fed up, he allowed his anger to show again. “I’ve let you play your games. I jumped at your father’s bidding. I even allowed your damned brother to leave the scene of a kidnapping. Enough, already. If you’re not going to cooperate, then I’m done wasting my time.” He reached for the door handle.

“Wait.” Madison didn’t want him to go yet, so she drew in a breath and admitted the one thing she could think of that might keep him interested and wouldn’t compromise her family. “It’s personal for me, and for my entire family, because we lost someone we loved to human trafficking.”

Slowly Crosby sank back into his seat. “Who?”

“My mother.”

Immediately his antagonism waned. “Damn, Madison. I’m sorry.”

Now, why did his understanding make her throat feel too tight? She’d lived with the loss of her mother for years now. “Dad took it especially hard.” Skirting the issue of their vigilante work, she said, “That’s why he funds the task force.”

“To search for traffickers?”

“It’s more than that, really.” She didn’t get to brag on her father very often, so she’d enjoy doing so now. “I know I glossed over this earlier, but Dad’s involvement is actually pretty elaborate. You see, the task force he funds ensures that victims are represented legally. They get counseling and financial assistance, and they’re offered access to recovery resources.”

“Like?”

Getting into the explanations, Madison leaned closer. “Many victims have no idea what to do once they’re saved. Some come from bad home lives so they can’t get help there. Others fear retribution. They’re lost and alone and still so afraid. Through the task force they’re given safe housing, offers of education or employment, and enough financial aid to get back on their feet.”

While she spoke, Crosby’s gaze drifted over her face—and settled on her mouth. “Remarkable.”

“I’m really proud of my family and all they offer, but I’m sure you can understand that for many victims, it’s a very private endeavor.”

“It’s not the privacy issue that concerns me.” His gaze finally lifted to clash with hers. “It’s the possibility of illegal activity.”

“You’re accusing me?” Why did she sound so breathless?

“All of you, actually.” His voice went deeper, rougher. “Now tell me what else you’re up to,” he insisted, and somehow it sounded sexually suggestive.

“You know what I’d rather do?”

His dark bedroom eyes narrowed.

Madison reached for him over the console. “I’d rather kiss you,” she murmured, right before her fingers slid into his cool, silky hair and her mouth settled over his.

He went still for a heartbeat, and then those strong arms closed around her, pulling her nearer as he took over. Or tried to.

Being submissive wasn’t really her thing, so she angled as close as she could get and deepened the kiss.

To her surprise, he laughed.

Insulted, she lifted her head and glared at him. “You’re amused?”

Smiling, his gaze tender, he stroked two fingers along her cheek, then under her chin. “Yeah, you amuse me.”

“That wasn’t my intent.”

“I know.” He leaned in for a soft kiss. “My guess is you wanted to distract me. I’m tempted, but not quite that easy.”

Of all the... She dropped back to her own seat, now glad that the console kept them apart. “You think the only reason I kissed you—”

“Yeah, that’s what I think.” His slight smile never wavered. “I wouldn’t put anything past you or your family.”

“Well.” Her face heated with ire. “That’s insulting.”

“To me, as well.”

“Most especially to you,” she snapped. “For your information, I don’t offer those type of personal favors for my family. I kissed you because I wanted to. But trust me, I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Good. Let’s keep it simple, okay?” Lifting his hip, he drew out his wallet, found a card and handed it to her. “Have your brother call me within the hour. If anything else happens, I strongly advise you to let me know.”

Madison sat there, fuming, turned on and, yes, still insulted as he opened the door and got out. The wind blew back his hair and his step wasn’t as sure as usual thanks to the snow and ice.

Such a gorgeous man. So...scrumptious.

Such a dick.

And he thought she’d thrown herself at him for a distraction.

The truth was that she couldn’t help herself. Early on he’d intrigued her. Meeting him in person had affected her dreams.

She wanted him. Terribly.

Maybe it was better he didn’t know that. Sighing, Madison hit the wipers while also turning up the defroster. As soon as the windshield cleared, she spotted Crosby.

Waiting for her to leave. Concerned for her?

Or maybe he planned to follow her? Ha, let him try.

He stayed behind her to the entrance of the park, then they each turned in different directions. Had he just been playing the gentleman?

Such a confusing man.

She didn’t need him to protect her. No, she just needed him. Eventually she’d get her way. After all, she was a McKenzie through and through.