Sex Fest [Cowboy Sex 8] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Read online

  “Don’t sass me, Patience. I’m very upset over this and your parents will be, too.”

  “Can you wait and call them tomorrow? I couldn’t reach them and it’s just as well. It’s late and there’s no reason to upset them. Besides, it’s rare when they’re able to get away together. Let them have the night and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Kane frowned. “Patrick went along?”

  Patrick worked all the time. Finding the house empty had come as a surprise to Baron, too.

  “Yes.” Patience pointed at the kitchen table. “They left a note.”

  Kane stretched his neck. “Sure it’s authentic?”

  “Really?” Patience rolled her eyes. “They’re at the cabin in Maggie Valley.”

  “I may call them.”

  “And say what?” Patience shook her head. “I don’t remember calling you and asking you to come over. I only gave you the heads up because I thought you should know.”

  “Let me guess. Now you want me to leave because you have better ideas for the rest of your evening. Well that’s just too bad, young lady. I’m not going anywhere until you make me a promise.”

  “I can’t wait to hear this,” she muttered.

  Baron was actually looking forward to it. Kane seemingly had an about face.

  “You’ll listen to Baron. You won’t question what he tells you to do. You’ll do it.”

  Baron was wrong about Kane. He wasn’t quite as irritating now that he undoubtedly saw things from Baron’s perspective.

  “Kane, someone shot at me. The bullet was so close I could hear it flying by my ear. If you think I won’t listen to Baron the next time he tells me to sit tight, you’re wrong.”

  Kane frowned. “And if a bullet was that close to your head then I’m calling your dads. That’s too close to be an amateur’s threat. Someone wanted you dead and they just screwed up. Now they’ll be looking to finish the job.” He pointed upstairs. “Go get packed. I’ll call the girls and tell them to send their fellows this way. We’ll run a convoy through town and split off in different directions. With any luck, if anyone is following you, they’ll tail the wrong car back to Fletcher before they realize you’ve gotten away.”

  “He’s right, Patience.” They needed to get her out of town. As long as someone was out there looking for her, Baron wouldn’t rest easy. If someone had placed a price on her head, they knew where to find her and it was only a matter of time before they came to the McKay’s farm.

  “I’m rarely wrong,” Kane muttered.

  Patience seemingly had something on the tip of her tongue but instead of arguing, she wheeled around and marched away. As soon as her footsteps could be heard above them, Kane added, “This may have something to do with Alberto and Norina.”

  “I think so.”

  “Is that an accusation I hear in your voice?”

  Baron kept a stiff upper lip and tried to remember that Norina was just a teenager. Kane had looked after his cousins in a commendable manner. Unfortunately, he’d placed his friends in harm’s way when he’d turned to the McKays for help.

  “Well?”

  “I understand why you felt like you needed to protect Nory and her sisters. I even understand why you brought Nory here to North Carolina. What I’ve never quite understood is why Joshua didn’t keep his involvement a secret. Surely you guys thought this through. It’s not like you were picking up stones and throwing them at common criminals in an effort to scare them off. You were calling out armies to keep the mob away from your cousins. That won’t go unnoticed.”

  “And what do you know about the mafia?” Kane arched his brow.

  “What I’ve read, mostly.” Kane would buy that story. Baron always had his nose in a book.

  “Then maybe you should read better authors,” Kane snapped. “You can’t believe everything you read in a blasted book, son. The mob isn’t after us. I—”

  “You’re lying is what you’re doing, Cartwell.”

  Kane clenched his fists. “We all do what’s necessary to protect our families.”

  “Listen, I don’t fault you for that. In this case, my pointed finger is at Patience’s fathers and I’m not telling you anything I won’t say to their faces. They should’ve found a way to assist you without flagging down the kind of people who will now want to get even.”

  “We don’t know if this is related.”

  “It has all the earmarks of mob retaliation.”

  They stared at one another for a long, drawn-out moment. Baron could only imagine what he was thinking. After all, Baron was only one of several Clink employees with a shady past.

  “Right now, Patience needs to go and you need to keep her out of here until we know who we’re up against.”

  “That’s not a problem.”

  Kane’s lips twitched. “I didn’t figure it would be.”

  * * * *

  Patience collapsed on the bed as soon as they entered their hotel room several hours later. With her arms spread wide, she probably didn’t have a clue how inviting she looked.

  Baron threw their bags on the low dresser and glanced in the mirror, eying the brunette behind him. God help him. He was one step shy of being hopelessly in love and here they were in a roadside motel, holed up for the night.

  “Are you sure we weren’t followed?”

  His phone buzzed in his pocket. He withdrew his cell and hurriedly read the text message from Trixie Cartwell’s husband Brock. “Now I am. Rory and Mitch held the tails. There were two of them.”

  “What?” She sat upright. “There are two people trying to kill me?”

  “Hang on.” He hurriedly scanned a few more messages as they came in simultaneously. Realizing she would start asking a dozen questions, he said, “Kane confirmed two tails. He stayed with us until we reached the four-lane and says it was a few miles before he saw any traffic once he doubled back. Rory’s tail followed him back to Clink and raced away after realizing they’d picked up the wrong car.”

  “And what about Mitch?”

  Baron laughed as he finished reading the last message. “Mitch is just a son-of-a-bitch.”

  “I can’t wait to hear this.”

  “He drove to Hendersonville and went into town. Care to guess where he stopped?”

  “The police station?”

  “You got it,” Baron replied. “Apparently cops were waiting.”

  “So they got him?”

  Baron shook his head, hating to give her the bad news. “Guy got away. He evaded the locals and state highway patrol.”

  Patience’s eyes watered. “These guys know what they’re doing. Don’t they?”

  He was beginning to believe they might. “Kane and Braden are on their way to Maggie Valley tonight. They couldn’t reach your dads and—” He stopped then. How much more should he reveal? Hadn’t she dealt with enough for one night?

  Covering her mouth, Patience wailed, “Oh my God. I didn’t think. It never occurred to me. The Cartwells are afraid something might have happened to my parents?”

  Baron knelt in front of her. He clasped her hands in his. “Listen to me, Patience. You know how cell phone service is up there. I’ve tried to call you when you’ve been there with your mom and it’s not always possible, particularly in this weather.”

  “But they always check in and even if they’re gone for a few days, they’re always a phone call away.”

  “Then it’s the weather,” he said, certain of it. “There’s one way in and one way out of that cabin. Unless someone has a death wish, they wouldn’t try to do something to your fathers up there. It would be suicide for anyone who tried.”

  “Unless we’re really dealing with the mob here,” she whispered.

  “Listen to me. Whoever is behind this, they will run out of luck and when they do, we’ll be waiting for them. They won’t hurt you, Patience.”

  “Unless this has something to do with Baldini’s mess. You don’t understand, Baron. The man is a quack. He left his young daughters in
Erwin. When the mob came to collect, he didn’t go home to protect them. He sent Kane and the Cartwells called in my fathers. What kind of man lets his family—all women I might add—face the consequences of his thieving actions? That’s the kind of man Alberto Baldini is. He is a worthless thief who doesn’t give a damn about his girls.”

  “Patience, we don’t know that this has anything to do with Alberto.”

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Instead of adding to her worries, he stood up and grabbed the ice bucket behind him. “The vending machine is right outside the door. It takes credit cards so I’ll grab us some snacks and drinks. It’s only four or five steps away. I won’t take my eyes off this room.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, leaving the bed and pursuing her luggage. “I’m just tired and need some sleep.”

  “Then we’ll skip the snacks and small talk for snuggling and pillow talk.”

  “Baron—”

  “You’re falling asleep in my arms, Patience.”

  “I tried to text them,” she admitted, acting as if a full disclosure would come as a surprise.

  “They may have turned in early. The festival starts tomorrow night. They’ve been in the studio, too, so they’re probably exhausted.”

  She shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Come here,” he said, tossing his keys to the nearby round table. He took a seat on the uncomfortable wooden chair and pulled her to his lap. Bracketing his arms around her waist, he whispered at her ear, “I’ve waited this long. I can wait a little longer.”

  “Maybe you can,” she said, turning her chin to her shoulder. “But I’m not sure I can.”

  Chapter Three

  “Well this certainly complicates our lives.” Patrick flattened his palms on the kitchen counter. He took a few shallow breaths, undoubtedly trying to handle his rage.

  Joshua glanced at Kane, wondering if he realized his brother had adamantly opposed helping the Cartwells with their Erwin situation. If Kane hadn’t known, he’d soon hear all about it. Patrick was the McKay who had settled into the quiet country life. Even his rowdy club days with Vicky were now a thing of the past.

  “This is your fault,” Patrick said pointedly, glaring at Kane. “You couldn’t leave us out of Alberto’s problems. You had to drag us into the center of it.”

  “We both know why I turned to Joshua for help,” Kane said.

  “Of course we do,” Patrick bit out. “You needed someone other than a Cartwell to throw under the bus when things go to shit.”

  “You don’t mean that, Master Patrick,” Vicky said, patting his hand.

  Patrick slowly lifted his gaze. “Who gave you permission to leave the bed, slave?”

  Vicky paled. “I didn’t wait for permission.”

  Patrick gritted his teeth, now apparently steadying a very different beast. “I’ll be right back.” Without any further explanation, he picked Vicky up, tossed her over his shoulder, and slapped her ass with a firm hand.

  “Master Patrick, please don’t do this. Not right now. I’m concerned about Patience.”

  “And we are as well. The men will handle this.”

  Vicky argued a bit more. Joshua couldn’t help but grin at his brother Aspen then. They would all play hell after the Cartwells left because Vicky would be in a lousy mood after being banned from the conversation.

  “Maybe Vicky should hear this,” Kane said.

  “You know how Patrick feels about upsetting her,” Joshua said, thinking he shouldn’t have to remind the Cartwells. Patrick would do whatever necessary to protect Vicky.

  “We should’ve warned you, Kane,” Aspen said. “Patrick didn’t want us involved with Alberto’s mess.”

  “Alberto’s problems fell at his Erwin home,” Braden reminded them. “If his young daughters could’ve escaped his troubles, we wouldn’t have been involved.”

  “Because the girls were innocent, we helped,” Aspen said. “But we did it for them and for you. We sure didn’t do it for Alberto.”

  “Understood,” Kane said, taking a seat at their kitchen table.

  “By all means, make yourself at home, Cartwell.” Patrick returned. His attitude hadn’t improved. “What brought you all this way, anyhow? Is there a reason you couldn’t just call?”

  “Have any of you checked your phones?” Kane asked, thumbing the counter behind him where two devices were plugged into chargers.

  Aspen picked one up and frowned at the facing. “No service.”

  “We assumed as much,” Braden said, turning to Patrick. “I’m putting this out there. Not because it will help but because we need to move beyond our differences and start focusing on what we can do to protect Patience and the rest of the girls.”

  “Go on,” Patrick said, cutting him short.

  “Kane will tell you. I wasn’t jumping up and down to help Alberto. I love Ann’s family, but I wanted to bring them to Fletcher after their mother died. Alberto fought us on that and blamed his daughters. I never bought it for a minute. I even told Kane at the time that one day his girls would be fighting his battles.”

  “Don’t you mean you would fight those battles with my brothers standing beside you?” Arrogant to a fault, Patrick lifted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Now it appears we’re at your mercy. We have to turn to you for help.”

  Joshua sat at the opposite end of the rectangular table. “What are the chances Alberto’s enemies are behind this?”

  “Fellas, fact is, I don’t know. When Patience said she could feel the wind off a bullet, I was—”

  “Wait a second…” Patrick rushed Kane. “You’re telling us that our daughter was nearly killed tonight and yet there you sit all calm, cool, and collected!”

  “I’ve been in similar situations with my own daughters, my woman, and your woman.” Kane didn’t blink an eye. “You might say I’m used to close calls. You should be as well. Still, we should focus on who’s behind this.”

  “Or who’s responsible,” Patrick pointed out. “Then again, I guess if we ask that question, we can all crook our fingers at you!”

  “Me?” Kane shook his head. “I get that you’re upset, Patrick. I didn’t realize you were against us turning to your brothers for help but sure, if this is related to the Baldini issues, then I’ll understand your anger.”

  “I don’t need or want your understanding, Cartwell. I just want you to stop turning to my family when you can’t take care of your own.”

  “That’s enough,” Joshua said, tired of listening to the bickering that certainly wouldn’t change anything. “Where is Patience spending the night?”

  “I was wondering when you might get around to asking that one.” Kane grinned. “She’s on the road somewhere with Baron.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Joshua said.

  Patrick’s rigid body seemingly relaxed. He backed away from the table and butted his hips up against the breakfast bar. “Well at least she’s with someone who can look out for her.”

  “He’ll keep her safe,” Braden said. “But while we’re trying to find out who’s behind this, you may want to consider sending her to Spenser and Mark. They must have security and bodyguards in place with all the hype surrounding their recent success.”

  “He’s got a point,” Aspen said, his gaze working between Patrick and Joshua.

  “I’m not so sure she wouldn’t be better off with Baron,” Joshua said. “Even though they haven’t made anything official, I’m sure he cares for our daughter.”

  “That’s obvious,” Kane said, smirking. “Sort of reminds me of Patrick back in the day.”

  Kane was clearly deviling his brother. Patrick and Baron weren’t anything alike.

  “Let’s be practical here. Are we dealing with a Baldini problem here or is it something else?” Patrick asked, ignoring Kane.

  “We think that’s what this is—retaliation for helping Alberto by offering protection for Norina. We’re taking Nory out of town for a couple of weeks,
” Braden said.

  Joshua stroked his chin. That wasn’t exactly a surprise. They looked for a reason to take her out of town. There were too many young boys chasing her and the Cartwells didn’t think any of them were good enough for Nory.

  Patrick said, “My gut tells me we’re dealing with the mob here.”

  “That’s not your gut. That’s your need to blame Kane and tell us, ‘I told you so.’” Aspen paced. “If it had been an ordered hit, she would’ve been shot. The car would’ve been damaged and I’m assuming it wasn’t or someone would’ve mentioned the fact. Mob guys would’ve shot up the house or blown up an outbuilding. They would’ve wanted fireworks with all the booms and blasts.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Braden admitted.

  “So what else do we have?” Joshua asked. “Who else would have a vendetta against our family?”

  “Maybe it’s not about our family,” Aspen said. “Maybe it has something to do with Mark and Spenser.”

  Joshua clucked. “It could have something to do with their label. They’ve been at war since they decided to take their music in another direction.”

  “Labels release artists all the time. They don’t go after their families,” Patrick said. “This has Alberto’s name all over it and Cartwell knows it. If he didn’t feel responsible, he wouldn’t have driven all this way.”

  Kane stood. “All right. That’s it. I’ve listened to your shit until I’m tired of it. I’m here because I love your daughter like she’s my own. I’m also here because I do not know who is responsible and damn it, when you didn’t answer your phones, we were concerned.” He turned to Braden. “We came up this mountain packing because we didn’t know what we’d find. Now if you want to blame someone, okay. Blame away. Now that we’re done with that, assume I said ‘I’m sorry, Patrick,’ and let’s move the fuck on. Patience is with Baron so she’s safe for the night. When daybreak comes, we need to have a plan ready for them. Now focus on that and quit acting like a jackass.”

  Joshua’s lips twitched. He glanced at Aspen in warning, but it was useless. He burst into laughter until Patrick turned on him. “You wouldn’t be standing there laughing if that shooter had his mark.”