Chapter Nineteen

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Caroline sat in the open back of Slade’s van with the really bad cup of coffee that one of the cops had given her.

She sat, sipped, and watched the first responders do their thing. Watched Nash, too, as he was giving his statement to one of the county deputies—something Caroline had already done.

Apparently, they’d given her top dibs in that department.

Maybe because she’d been the one to kill Bodie. Or it could have had something to do with her on the edge vibe she had no doubt been giving off. Added to that, she hadn’t needed any medical attention like her mother, Jordana, and Leland.

Ruby was in the process of being interviewed as well by another deputy, while an EMT continued to clean and bandage the wounds on her neck. Like Nash, her mother kept glancing her way. Maybe making sure she wasn’t about to lose it.

She wasn’t.

Nowhere close to that.

But it was reasonable for them to think that she would what with her knife sticking out of Bodie’s heart.

Slade was with the county sheriff and a team of CSIs, and they were likely discussing what needed to be searched and processed. Thankfully, not his house since the shitstorm hadn’t happened there. But the harbor would definitely need to be checked out in case Eddie had left a stash of weapons there.

Watching a crime scene wasn’t exactly old hat for her. Neither was killing a man. But as she saw the ME team lift Bodie’s body into their van, she certainly wasn’t feeling guilt. Or fear. Or panic. Or some tangled stew of all of those things.

No.

She was feeling relief. A Zen kind of sensation that might have been helped along with sheer exhaustion, spent adrenaline, and more of that relief. A whole mountain and ocean of it.

Bodie was dead. Stone cold dead, and part of her was glad she’d been the one to face him down.

And end him.

It felt like a full circle that had started when he’d attacked her eighteen years ago and finished right here with his blood soaking into the ground.

Of course, Jordana wasn’t feeling much relief at the moment. She’d sobbed and wailed all while the EMT’s were treating her wounded hand, and she was continuing the sobbing and wailing now that the cops were carting her away to jail. Caroline had heard the cops talking about charging her as an accomplice in Barney Coltrain’s murder. She wouldn’t get off with just a slap on the wrist for that.

Leland wasn’t faring much better than this daughter. One set of EMTs had immediately taken him to the hospital. But if and when he recovered, he’d be facing charges, too, since he’d not only helped Bodie escape so he could murder him, Leland had also obstructed justice.

No charges for Eddie, though. Like Bodie, he was being carried off in a body bag. Again, Caroline couldn’t muster up even a little sadness over that. The man had been willing to kill them.

And for what?

To help a sick bastard carry through on an old grudge against her? A grudge that Bodie had started when he’d stabbed her. Yeah, Eddie wasn’t going to get any sympathy from her.

She looked up when Ruby started her way. Her mother wasn’t her usual put-together self. Probably because of the blood on her clothes and her disheveled hair.

Caroline thought she’d never looked better.

Then again, that Zen thing was likely coloring her view. Her mother was alive, and one wrong flick of the knife, and she might not have been.

“How’s your coffee?” her mother asked. She was drinking her own cup of the nasty brew and grimacing with each sip.

“I think they soaked old tires in stagnant water and called it coffee.” Caroline moved over a bit so Ruby could sit next to her. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “Just scratches. I know when some men say that, it’s really a gash, but in my case, it isn’t.” She sipped more coffee, and like Caroline, her gaze was fixed on Nash.

Speaking of never looking better, Nash fit into that category as well. The combat warrior/guardian angel. With an amazing face. And butt. Yes, that butt was rather superior.

As if Nash had known she was thinking of him, he turned, and their gazes collided. A thousand things seemed to pass between them. And Caroline liked that very much. That even without words, they were connected.

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said, re-snagging Caroline’s attention. “I shouldn’t have let Bodie get to me so he could use me to draw you out.”

Caroline glanced at her. Frowned. Then, huffed. “Apology not accepted. Because it’s not needed,” she added when she saw her mother’s fallen expression. “He was going to come after me one way or another. If he hadn’t used you, it would have been someone else. Someone who might not have been able to survive.”

Her mother made a slight sound of agreement, but Caroline thought that agreement would grow by leaps and bounds when she gave it more thought. Yes, Ruby was banged up, but she was mentally and physically tough. This wouldn’t break her the way it would have done to someone else.

“My life flashed before my eyes,” her mother went on while sipping more coffee and grimacing from the taste. “Never happened to me before.”

“Oh, and what did you see?” she asked, and because Ruby’s tone suddenly seemed so deep and intense, Caroline found herself drinking more of the sludge as well.

You.” Ruby leaned over and brushed a kiss on Caroline’s forehead. “My baby. My daughter. A woman capable of, well, anything. Not to make light of this, but you kicked his ass.”

“I did,” Caroline verified.

“How’d you learn to throw a knife like that?” she asked.

“Training and lots of practice. I’ve gone through eleven wooden targets over the years.” She paused. “Somehow, I always knew it would come down to him and me, and I wanted to be ready this time.”

“Oh, you were ready. So ready that I should offer you a job at Maverick Ops.”

Caroline shook her head and figured Ruby was joking. Maybe not, though. But that kind of work wasn’t for her.

“We haven’t talked like this in a long time,” her mother continued a moment later. “It feels like some kind of turning point.”

“It is. Forgive and forget,” Caroline muttered. Then, she shrugged. “Well, forgive anyway. I, uh, think what I was feeling about the attack eighteen years ago got tangled up with feelings of Dad dying. Of you not being there. It became that barrier between us. Maybe this is the post-adrenaline junk talking, but I think it’s time for that barrier to come down.”

She looked at her mother and was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Surprised, too, to feel them in her own.

Ruby smiled, leaned over and kissed her on the forehead again. “Barrier is down. Maybe that means you can come for dinner.” Her mother paused a heartbeat. “And bring Nash.”

Now, Caroline smiled. “I think that’s a nice invitation to what would be a very uncomfortable meal for him. I’ll bring him, though if you promise not to glare at him for sleeping with the boss’ daughter.”

Oops. She hadn’t meant to blurt that out. But judging from Ruby’s casual lift of the shoulder, she had already known.

Of course, she had. She was Ruby Maverick.

Ruby sipped more coffee and spoke with her gaze now fixed on Nash. “You’re in love with him?”

Since she’d already spilled about the sex, Caroline continued with the truth. “Yeah, I am.”

Once again, her mother did not seem the least bit surprised.

“Does he know?” Ruby asked.

Nash’s ESP must have kicked up because he glanced at her again while he finished his talk with the cop. He started toward her, looking far between that of a Greek god of hotness could have managed.

“He doesn’t know I’m in love with him. Not yet,” Caroline added. “Are you going to give us your blessing?”

Ruby leaned in and whispered, “You’ve always had it.” She gave her another kiss, on the cheek this time and got up. “I’ll give you two a moment while I call for a ride home.”

“We can give you a lift,” Nash offered when he heard what she said.

Ruby shook her head. “I think you two need some time to discuss things.” She brushed her hand on Nash’s arm. “Are you okay?” she tacked onto that, glancing at the ME van that was driving away with Bodie’s body.

“I’m okay if Caroline is,” he said.

“Then, we’re all okay,” Caroline assured him.

“Good,” her mother muttered. “The mission was a success. Take some downtime,” she added and began to make her way toward Slade.

That “all okay” was close enough to the truth anyway. Once they’d had that downtime, it’d be the full truth. And once she told him that part about being in love with him.

She’d felt bold and invincible when she spilled to her mother about that. But now it occurred to her that Nash might not feel the same way as she did. Heck, this could have just been the job to him, and he might—

He took hold of her shoulders, pulled her to him, and kissed her. It was long, hot, and wonderful. The kind of kiss that ignited flames and gave a promise of things to come.

“So,” he said when he finally pulled back. He’d left her breathless, dizzy, and wanting a whole lot more. “Slade says I should take you back into the lake house, that I should put you in the hot tub, and…well, I’d rather not spell out his suggestions, but they’re really good ones.”

Yes, definitely a lot of promise.

“Can we go now?” she asked.

“Absolutely.” He helped her out of the van and hooked his arm around her, already leading her through the gates to where he’d left his SUV. “Did you work out some things with your mom?”

“I did. Forgive and forgive. The forgetting might kick in a little later,” she tacked onto that. “Oh, and she wants us to come for dinner.”

Nash’s head whipped toward her, and she laughed at the brief look of panic on his incredible face. “You can say no.”

He helped her onto the seat of the SUV but kept her facing toward him. This put them at eye level. Mouth level, too.

“I don’t want to say no,” he assured her.

“You mean that?” she had to ask.

“I do. I, uh, think your mother should get used to seeing us together.”

Oh, she liked the sound of that. “Does that mean because we’ll start dating?”

“Among other things.” He kissed her.

She liked that, too. A lot. And the kiss made her feel so needy that she had to fight the feeling just to say what she needed him to hear.

“I don’t want to be a job for you,” she started.

She groaned. Bad start. So, she regrouped.

“I want you in my life,” Caroline said on her second attempt. “And in my bed.”

He grinned. “That’s a good place to be except you don’t have a bed so it’ll have to be mine.”

“Sounds perfect.” The location didn’t matter. This was all about the company. “So, sex, dating—”

“I’m in love with you, Caroline,” he interrupted. “You’re probably going to say it’s too soon for me to feel that way, but it isn’t. I swear, it’s the real deal, and—”

“I’m in love with you, too,” she interrupted right back. “Head over heels, crazy in love with you.”

Nash stared at her. And stared. Then, that slow grin spread over his mouth. A grin he shared with her when he leaned in and kissed her.

All of his kisses were amazing, but it felt as if he’d put some extra heat in this one. It was perfect. And once again, she felt as if it had sealed some kind of deal.

A deal she wanted very much with Nash.

“Let’s go to the hot tub,” Nash whispered with his mouth against her ear. “And get started on that downtime.”

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