“No. I’m coming with you,” she said against his chest.
Caleb was suddenly exhausted as he let her go and grabbed his phone. “There’s no need, sweetheart. You’re about to fall over. You need to rest.”
“If you think I’m going to —”
“Don’t argue with me about this,” Caleb snapped, his tone rougher than he’d intended. “There’s nothing you can do, and you’re as exhausted as I am.”
He kissed her forehead, breathing in her sultry scent. He could smell himself on her as well. The combination gave him a heavy sense of satisfaction.
“Caleb is right, Samantha,” Charlie said. “There’s nothing we need from you tonight. You can come in later today and give your corroborating witness statement.”
“Sweetheart, look at me.” Caleb waited until she complied. Her eyes blazed in anger, but for once, Caleb knew it was for him instead of at him. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
Caleb felt a surge of satisfaction at her lack of hesitation. “Then go to Alec’s. Please. Charlie, Joe and I will figure this out.”
He breathed a sigh of relief when her arms came around his neck.
“If you aren’t at Alec’s by sun up, heads are gonna roll,” she vowed.
He hugged her close. Vincent was dead. Samantha had her life back. If he had his way, her life would be filled with joy and happiness. She’d never know fear again.
“You’re safe now, Samantha.” He sought to reassure her, to give her something good after the hell life had dealt her. “It’s over.”
* * *
The sun was up by the time Caleb and Joe walked into Alec’s house. They’d spent the night crammed into Charlie’s tiny office, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
At least he’d made it back in time to stop Samantha from storming the police station, although he wouldn’t complain about seeing her all pissed off on his behalf again. Damn, that woman was a sight to see when she was fired up.
Charlie had informed them that someone had used Caleb’s knife to kill Vincent. The knife had been locked in the glove compartment of his truck, which showed no signs of forced entry. It was obvious someone was trying to set him up, but why? More importantly, who?
Caleb poured two steaming mugs of coffee and handed one to Joe before heading for Alec’s office at the back of the house. Overly large, the office looked more like a war room than a home office in suburbia. His unoccupied desk sat at one end, a map of the world taking up most of the windowless wall behind. Family pictures adorned the other walls. The three boys with their father on a fishing trip, Amanda and Samantha on horseback, Caleb and Brandon wearing fatigues in the desert sand, their parents on a Christmas morning a lifetime ago.
Situated in the center of the room was a table that looked more suited for a dining room than an office. There were enough chairs to seat eight, and three of them were occupied.
Caleb collapsed into the chair closest to Alec, exhaustion biting at his heels. “Where’s Samantha?”
Alec glanced at him. “Asleep. She wanted to wait up, but I insisted there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t happy about it. My ears are still burning from the ass-chewin’ she gave me about ‘goddamned Martin men bossing me around’.” Alec did a poor rendition of Samantha’s smooth tone. “But in the end, she knew I was right.” Alec gave him an apologetic smile. “You look like you could use a drink.”
“More than one. But, it’ll have to wait,” Caleb said. “What’s the word?”
Alec turned his laptop so Caleb could see the report on the screen. “According to this, someone disengaged the lock on your truck around nine o’clock.”
That was well after they’d arrived at the benefit. It chapped his ass that someone got into his truck undetected, but Caleb didn’t press the issue. “We have the when. What we don’t have is the who.”
Joe walked to the end of the table and pulled Amanda into a tight hug. “Hey baby,” he mumbled against her neck. “Why’re you still up?”
Amanda ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his head back for a kiss before snuggling against him again. “Hey,” she sighed. “Not tired.”
Joe kissed her again before releasing her back to her chair. “You look like you’re about to pass out.” His hand came to rest on the back of her neck, his thumb sweeping back and forth in a gentle caress.
The scene was painfully intimate. Caleb had grown used to the affection they so easily gave to each other. Watching them now made him long for something he’d never imagined wanting for himself.