Shadow of Sin(78)

Son of a bitch, it was his fault—every bit of anger, pain, and fear Samantha had dealt with over the last year. All because of him.

Joe cocked an arrogant brow. “Looks like you’ve got your legitimate reason to wake Sam now.”

Amanda didn’t even glance his way as she bolted out of her chair and stormed from the room.

Caleb didn’t mind the silence as they waited for the women to join them. He hadn’t trusted himself to follow Amanda. If he were to see Samantha laying in bed, he’d want to strip naked and join her, wrap his arms around her and keep her from harm. He’d reach for the solace he’d only found with her. Losing himself in the sweet pleasure of her body was not an option. Not when he’d been the one to place her in danger.

“She’s gone.” Breathless, Amanda’s eyes held a hint of panic as she ran back into the room. “So is your truck, Alec.”

Caleb surged to his feet. “What do you mean she’s gone?” His stomach clenched as he swallowed back his own rising panic. Mark was still out there.

“You forget how to interpret English?” Amanda bit out. “She’s gone. As in she’s not in this house.” Her accusatory tone indicated that, for some reason, she blamed him for Samantha’s absence.

Alec opened his laptop and started clicking away at the screen.

“She doesn’t have a cell phone, if that’s what you’re doing,” Amanda said, again glaring at him, only this time, rightfully so.

“Goddammit!” Caleb circled around and shoved his chair hard enough to chip the table. “Where would she go?”

Alec raised his hand and snapped a finger. “Got her. She’s on the highway heading west. If we go now, we won’t be far behind her.”

“If what Charlie says is true, Mark is still out there,” Caleb reminded them. “Let’s get a move on.”





Chapter 19

By the time Samantha turned onto the gravel driveway that led to Carlotta’s old farmhouse, her tears had dried up. She felt … exhausted. Empty and weak. Sad and foolish.

She’d known better than to let her heart get the better of her where Caleb was concerned, but she’d done it anyway. She’d allowed herself to get caught up in being his lover. In the gentle smiles he shared so freely with her now. In the hard lines of his body, and the way he’d commanded her pleasure. In Caleb’s arms, she’d forgotten what it was like to feel alone.

Amazing how quickly that feeling came back once she’d left Alec’s house. Like riding a bike.

She turned off the truck and slouched back into the seat. It’d been irresponsible to leave like that. Like most times when hurt and temper took control of her brain, it’d made perfect sense when she’d done it. And also, like most times, once she’d cleared her head, she’d realized it hadn’t been the best idea.

Oh well, it wasn’t as though Vincent was still a problem. She was here—too late to do anything about that. She’d call Alec once she got inside. Caleb would be furious, but she was okay with that. They needed to get back to business as usual. Having him rail and carry on about how she never listened, that she was too independent, too stubborn—blah, blah, blah—would restore the status quo between them. The faster they got back to normal, the faster she could pick up the pieces of her heart and get back to … what? Her work? Her friends, most of whom shared the same gene pool as the man she’d have to forget?

She crossed her arms over the steering wheel, dropped her head and groaned out loud. “I’m gonna have to move.”

It took several minutes for the pity party to play out in her head. Move to California. Lots of people there in need of her legal expertise. Buy a house on the beach, drive the coast on the weekends. She wasn’t much of a wine drinker, but if they had samples, she could take in a winery or twelve on her coastal excursions. That should do the trick.

Samantha let her mind wander. She knew from experience that whining and feeling sorry for herself—even in the solitude of her own head—would get on her nerves and she’d be able to let it go. Something she’d learned as a child, and she’d survived that. She’d find a way to deal with this, too.

Samantha got out of the truck and mashed the lock button out of habit. It wasn’t like Carlotta had close neighbors, and she doubted anyone would be coming by at this time of the morning.

Carlotta’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but Samantha knocked on the door anyway. She cupped her face and looked through the window in the door but didn’t see any movement.

The fresh air felt good against her face as she walked around to the back of the house. It was nice out here. The gentle scent from the flower gardens mixed with the scent of neighboring cattle and the only sound was the crunch of the gravel under her feet. She loved the excitement of the city, but there was something about the country that soothed her.