“You don’t seem surprised to see me, Captain.” He wrapped a hand around Samantha’s throat, causing her to growl in protest. “Could it be that you knew I was alive?”
Caleb kept his focus on Mark. He’d witnessed better, stronger men crumble under the pressure of combat and Mark was as close to cracking as any he’d seen. His hands shook and his face was mottled with red. Mark had let his rage and his need for revenge overshadow his common sense. Just as he had all those years ago, apparently. Mark was delusional if he thought this would turn out any better.
Same temper, same buttons. Caleb knew just which ones to push.
“I’ve recently been made aware.” At Mark’s raised eyebrow, he clarified. “Your fingerprints were on the casings found in the woods. Bullets meant for my brother, right?” Caleb lowered his weapon as he took a slow step. “Sloppy work, wouldn’t you say?”
“Easy, Caleb.” came Joe’s phantom voice.
Fuck easy. This bastard went after the people he loved. In his mind, there was no coming back from that. Especially not when he had a gun at Samantha’s head.
It was time Mark pointed that thing at him instead.
“Fuck you. That’s far enough,” Mark told him as he moved to take another step. “You think you’re untouchable? You think you’re in charge here? Not anymore. I’m calling the shots and I say it’s only fair that she learns the kind of man she’s been fucking, don’t you, Captain? The kind of man she’ll die for.”
“The only person who’ll die today is you.” Mark’s nostrils flared, his eyes clouded with rage and Caleb knew he had him. “You’re a traitor. A worthless piece of shit who can’t even come at me directly. What’s the matter, Shaw? Am I too much for you that you’ve got to go after a woman instead?”
A deep, animalistic sound came from Mark’s chest as he forgot about Samantha and jumped the couch.
“Caleb, no!” Samantha lunged for him as Mark raised his gun. Caleb snagged her around the waist, turning her away as Mark’s bullet buried into the wall beside them. Caleb raised his own weapon and fired.
Chapter 20
Samantha shook her head, the ringing in her ears from the gunfire making it hard to hear what Caleb was yelling at her. Brandon and Alec had come in, from where, she didn’t know. Didn’t care. She’d never been so scared and so relieved at the same time.
Brandon rushed to Mark and kicked the weapon from his hand before bending and placing his fingers against Mark’s throat. He nodded and Samantha knew he was dead.
Alec rushed over and pulled her away from Caleb with a scowl.
“Jesus, Samantha,” Caleb was saying as he reached for her again. “What were you doing, jumping between us like that?”
Alec lifted her chin. “Are you okay, Sammie?”
Good question. She stared at Alec with blurred vision and the right side of her head had begun to throb. The image of Mark pointing a gun at Caleb wouldn’t be one she’d soon forget, but otherwise, she supposed she was fine.
She put her arms around Alec’s waist and hugged him as her limbs started to quiver. “Sorry. I’ve got the shakes, but I think I’m okay. Thank you for coming,” she added and realized how inadequate that sounded.
“Of course we’d come,” Caleb growled. He grabbed her arm and pulled her out of Alec’s embrace before leading her right out the front door. He spun on her and cupped her face, placing frantic kisses on her forehead, over her eyelids, and across her cheeks before smashing his lips to hers. His tongue worked with precision, pushing past her lips until his taste flooded her mouth.
Samantha gave herself over to his kiss. His hands ran all over her body, as if checking for himself that she was unharmed. She took the opportunity to do the same, needing the reassurance, needing to feel the life in him. She loved him, even though she wished she didn’t. Caleb broke away from her mouth and pulled her close. His heart raced like a runaway freight train against her cheek.
“Are you all right?” She pulled back to look up at him.
His hands came down on her shoulders and he shook her, none too gently.
“What were you thinking, leaving Alec’s the way you did? You could’ve been killed!”
Fear for their lives and adrenaline overload made for an explosive combination that she had no hope of controlling. She shoved him away.
“Oh, no. Don’t you dare take that insolent tone with me. You don’t own me. I thought I was safe. You said so yourself, remember horseman? You wanted me to trust you, and I did. A whole lot of good it did me.”