Every Little Piece of Him Page 17

  Realizing she still wore her robe, she went into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of joggers and a sweatshirt, then made coffee. As she waited for the pot to fill, a knock came from the back door. She stepped into the hallway and answered.

  Having met the doctor when he came to sew up Anders' arm, she motioned him inside and led him to the guest bedroom. Anders intercepted her from following Dr. Warner in and took her back to the kitchen.

  "The coffee is done." She opened the cabinet to retrieve the mugs, glancing over at Anders. "What happened?"

  He leaned against the counter and unzipped the front of his snowsuit, shrugging his shoulders to work his arms out of the sleeves. "We were coming off the mountain, and Will rode ahead of the rest of us. All of a sudden, his body stopped, and the snowmobile kept going, right off the side of the mountain. When we got up to him, he was knocked out."

  She handed him a steaming mug. "Did he hit his head, too?"

  "He had a helmet on." He took a sip of the coffee, set it down, and pushed the snowsuit down his legs, then stepped out of his boots. "He was clotheslined."

  "Clotheslined?"

  "Someone put a thin cable across the trail." He kicked his discarded suit out of the way and put his hand up to his neck. "The wire was about this high. Luckily, Will was standing while riding with the switchback coming up and the cable caught him across the chest, or it could've decapitated him."

  "Oh, my God," she whispered, her heart pounding. "Who would put a cable in the path when so many people use the trail?"

  Anders gaze intensified. She reached out to him and placed her hands on his broad chest.

  "Baby?" she asked, needing to know what was going on in his mind and in the other room.

  His mouth tightened and slowly relaxed. "Probably hunters or someone trying to keep others off the mountain so they'd have the trails to themselves."

  She recoiled, shocked at the stupidity of others. Will could've died if the cable hit him in the neck.

  Chapter 34

  Anders stayed in the guest room long after the doctor left. Fifty-seven stitches in his chest, a tetanus shot, and two pills—Amoxicillin and Hydrocodone— later, Will slept soundly.

  The tension in the room smothered him, and all he wanted to do was go in the next room and crawl into bed with Iliana—except he wasn't prepared to answer more of her questions.

  "I should've told Iliana there are men after us." He stayed on the floor, leaning against the wall.

  Used to sharing a room with the others, he noticed Two-crow and Mark also picked a wall and stayed with Will. Years after leaving Mexico never cut the bond or experience of living all together in one room.

  "It's only a matter of time until she becomes aware of what is going on." Two-crow leaned his head against the wall. "I feel like a clock is ticking. I don't know what will come first, the men wanting to kill us or the cops to arrest us."

  "This is bullshit." Quint hitched up the leg of his jeans and pulled his socks higher inside his boots. "Why would they wait until we're forty-five years old to keep coming at us?"

  "We've all got more to lose now." Mark shook his head. "Ten or fifteen years ago, we had nothing. If they want to pay us back for killing Mateo and leaving, they know that coming after us threatens everything we have, not to mention if they succeed and take us out."

  "I don't think it's that complicated." The heaviness in Anders' chest stole his energy. "Because we've killed all the others that came after us, I believe the last two men had to start over on their search when their hitmen disappeared. They don't know we killed them. Nobody does. It could've taken this long for them to find us without the info the ones we killed carried."

  "I don't know, man," said Two-crow.

  "What do you think?" he asked.

  "There had to have been some kind of communication going on between those who were sent to kill us and the original two left. I'd bet my life they've known where to find us since we escaped from Mexico." Two-crow paused. "This is payback, and they're going to make us hurt before they're done terrorizing us, then they'll kill us."

  And, Iliana would suffer, or he'd lose her before they killed him.

  He rubbed his hands over his face. "I need to go to her."

  "Do you trust her?" asked Mark.

  For most of his life, the only people he trusted were in the room with him right now. He pushed to his feet. Iliana would blindly accept that someone was after him, but to tell her why someone was out to kill him, he'd need to reveal his past. He was too selfish to ruin what he'd found with her.

  "I trust her when it comes to me, but I will never put everyone else at risk by telling her what we're all involved in." He went to the door. His tired body already stiff from the activities today. "There are sleeping bags in the closet. You know where everything else is."

  He opened the door and let himself out. There was never any question of them leaving Will's side until they knew how he was doing after the pain medicine wore off. They'd deal with their next move tomorrow when they all had clearer heads.

  Standing outside his bedroom, he inhaled deeply, knowing once he walked inside, Iliana would question everything that came out of his mouth. She was smart, and when she started doubting him, she'd find a way to figure out what was going on in his head.

  He opened the door, expecting to find her, considering it was almost three o'clock in the morning, and found the light on, Iliana dressed and standing by the dresser.

  She walked straight to him, wrapping her arms around him. "How's Will?"

  "Sleeping. As long as the antibiotics work and infection don't set in, he'll be fine. There's nothing broken." He inhaled deeply, palming her head against his chest. "You should be sleeping."

  "I couldn't sleep knowing you were upset for your friend." She leaned her head back. "I keep thinking that the police should know about all the accidents happening on the mountains. First, you get shot at, and now Will gets hurt. People need to be held responsible for their negligence."

  "I'm not going to involve the police. That would be up to Will." He kissed her forehead and then walked away and sat on the edge of the bed, peeling off his socks.

  "But, you were shot at, and Will was hurt in a matter of months. There must be someone around the area doing things that could harm others. Whether that person is aware of it or not, people need to be more careful out in the wilderness. Not to mention, both things happened on the same mountain." She sat down beside him. "I've been thinking. What if the fire on my motorhome wasn't only arson, but someone causing more trouble in the area. What if there's a sadistic asshole out there who enjoys hurting others?"

  "The explosion happened the night we met, and the police are aware of the fire. They haven't caught the arsonist." He unbuttoned his shirt.

  "But what if—"

  "Il." He stood and unzipped his jeans. "Give it a rest. This is Montana. You know how unpopulated it is in the Bitterroots. There are people out enjoying the trails, the mountains, hunting, and even finding solace from the land. I'm sure even the state police would tell you that if we're going to be out on forestry property that it's our responsibility to keep ourselves safe."

  His responsibility?

  What about other people's responsibilities?

  She groaned in frustration. "Of course, I've heard how lawless it is once people move away from Missoula or Billings and go to the mountains and rural areas but I never imagined the stories were true. Still...Will could've been seriously hurt tonight."

  "Yeah," he said, knowing that better than she could.

  "It's sad really when there's so much land for everyone to enjoy that a few people ruin the experience for others. What if it had been a kid or a family out riding their snowmobiles?" She shuddered. "Or, you ran into the cable, too? Or, the others?"

  "All I want to do is go to bed. I've got a couple of hours before I need to go downstairs and take care of the Lair before the whole fucking thing falls down around me." He stepped out of his clothes. "Can
we go to bed?"

  She exhaled. "Of course, you must be exhausted worrying about Will."

  The stress lines between her brows deepened. He asked too much from her. From someone her age. From someone with her background. From someone who loved him.

  She pulled down her pants and took off her top. Naked, she walked to the bed and crawled across to her side. He followed her, and they came together naturally.

  Him lying on his back.

  Her pressed against his side with her arm draped across his stomach and her head using his chest as a pillow.

  He wanted to give her the normalcy she brought him, and instead, he brought her chaos.

  Reaching blindly to the nightstand, he found the remote and shut off the light. He closed his eyes, knowing he needed to relax. It would do no good to make mistakes because he'd let himself become run down.

  Their plan to go out and become targets to draw those who wanted to kill them out of hiding failed. One by one, they were all getting hurt, nearly fatal accidents.

  "Would it be too much to ask that you don't go out on the mountains anymore?" whispered Iliana. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

  He opened his eyes and stared into the darkness. Somewhere in other people's background, they were taught to share their troubles, to rely on each other, and to see bad people pay for their crimes.

  Then, there were people like him who never learned to trust others and protected themselves at all cost, even if they had to harm others. His experiences taught him to develop, nurture, and rely on himself, never depending on an outsider.

  "You're not going to lose me." He held her while his heart beat heavily.

  He hoped he could make that promise come true.

  Chapter 35

  Will leaned against the kitchen counter. Iliana slid a mug of coffee toward him. It'd only been three days since his accident.

  "Are you sure you wouldn't like to drink in the living room where you can sit down on the couch and be more comfortable?" She studied his awkward and stilted movements.

  "I'm fine." He lifted the cup to his lips.

  His posture argued the point. He held himself stiff, shoulders hunched, and moved slowly as if each step pulled on the many stitches across his chest.

  Will wore Anders' clothes, which fit him pretty well. She knew without asking that Will wanted to leave and go home. He'd growled and glared like a wild animal all morning.

  "I only have a sister but from watching Anders, you, and the others the last few days, I've decided that men are stupid." She raised her brows, hoping her teasing would get him to change his mind about leaving. "Why wouldn't you take advantage of staying here where your meals are brought up from the kitchen downstairs, it's quiet, the bed is comfortable, and there's someone to take care of you?"

  "Don't need taken care of." Will put his cup down and braced his hands on the counter. "When did Anders say he'd be back?"

  "Ten." She looked behind her at the clock on the stove. "You've got about fifteen minutes."

  His skin paled. She sighed quietly. It was taking all Will's strength to stay on his feet and wait.

  Without asking, she walked around the island and picked up a stool, carrying it three feet and putting it beside him. "Here, you can sit."

  He gave a slight shake of his head. "Hard to get up if I do."

  "I can help," she said, reminding him that he was stuck with only her until Anders came back.

  Sweat broke out on Will's forehead. He glanced at her. "Appreciate it, but I'm fine."

  She stood ready in case he changed his mind. "Anders mentioned that you take people hunting and fishing."

  "Yeah." Will moved his shoulders, grimacing. "Outside of Federal."

  "Idaho?" She hadn't realized he lived on the other side of the pass.

  "About forty minutes from here." Will straightened his back and grimaced. "In the summer, if I take the trail through the Bitterroot Mountains with an ATV or UTV, I can make it here in thirty minutes."

  "I've heard how there are thousands of trails, but I've only been on the mountain with Anders..." She swallowed, not wanting to bring up bad memories for him.

  He carefully turned toward her. "He's only taken you to one peak out of the hundred that is out there."

  A click of the door kept her from commenting that enough bad things had happened on that mountain for her to find any excitement over seeing the others. She turned to the entryway in expectation.

  Anders came in and swept his gaze down her body before meeting her eyes. "Everything okay?"

  "He's up and moving around." She raised her brows making her point. "But, he should really stay a few more days."

  "I need to get back to work." Will pushed off the counter. "Ready?"

  Anders nodded. "I put your Jeep in the pole building until you want to come back and get it."

  She stepped over and kissed Anders. "I'm going to go downstairs. I had the chef fix up some containers of food for Will to take with him. That way he doesn't have to try and fix himself meals for the next few days. I'll grab it and meet you at the Hummer."

  "Thanks, Il," he murmured, patting her hip.

  She made it to the hallway, and Will called her name. Peeking her head back into the kitchen, she said, "Yes?"

  "Thanks for..." Will's Adam's apple bobbed.

  She smiled, understanding what he found hard to say. "It was no problem. You're Anders' friend."

  Leaving the two men alone, she put on her coat and walked downstairs to the kitchen. Corey, the morning chef, pointed his knife in the direction of the side counter. She found the two bags and waved her thanks and headed toward the back door.

  Meeting Mac coming inside, he stopped. "Is Mr. Stone's guest leaving?"

  "Yes." She stepped around him and shifted the bags to one arm.

  Mac backtracked and opened the door for her. She smiled in relief. "Thanks, Mac. You're always so helpful."

  "It's the least I could do for Mr. Stone." Mac dipped his chin.

  She went outside and found Anders and Will at the front bumper of the Hummer. Hurrying over, she put the bags in the back seat.

  "There, you're all set." She stepped back from the Hummer.

  Anders cupped her cheek. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

  She turned her head and kissed the palm of his hand. "No worries. Get Will settled and I'll be here waiting for you."

  "What are you going to do?" He leaned in and kissed her lips.

  "Mm." She caught sight of snowflakes falling and looked up. "I'm going to catch up on laundry and practice singing."

  "You better run in before you get cold." He stepped back and opened the door for Will.

  She rubbed her hands together and told them both goodbye. By the pinched expression on Will's face, he needed to get home where he could lie down and take some pain medication.

  Sweeping the back door open, she almost ran into Mac. "God, I'm sorry, Mac. The cold weather has me rushing around not looking where I'm going."

  "Can I help you with anything?" Mac reached behind her and closed the door.

  "No, I'm good." She squeezed Mac's arm. "I'm going upstairs to get out of everyone's hair."

  The bar was already full, even though it wasn't even noon yet. She quietly went upstairs, thankful when the door shut and cut off the noise from below. Needing to go through her songs for Friday night after having not practiced for three days, she went into the guest room and stripped the bed to get started on the chores.

  Balling the sheets in her arms, she noticed Will's discarded clothes on the floor from the night he was injured. Scooping everything up, she went into the laundry room. The shirt Will wore the night of the accident was beyond saving. She set it to the side.

  She inspected the pair of jeans. Besides a couple spots of blood, she was sure would come out in the wash, they looked good enough to save. She tossed them in the washer, then thought better of it and slipped her hand in the front pocket in case he had carried something important that could
get ruined in the water.

  Feeling the cool leather in the back of his jeans, she pulled out his wallet and set it on the dryer. She checked the last pocket and found a piece of paper. Turning it over, she read.

  5/8 I

  6/9 Q

  9/7 A

  10/14 M

  She set the paper down and poured laundry soap in and started the washer. The first numbers on the paper stood out. Her motorhome was blown up on May eighth.

  Picking up the wallet and paper she walked into the other room. Was the letter I meant to be Iliana?

  Anders never mentioned if he spoke of the fire to Will and if that's what it was, why would Will write it down?

  She looked at the other numbers and letters. Q, A, M.

  Inhaling deeply, she set Will's belonging on the end table. Her head pounded. She wasn't a snoop, and the list probably meant something totally different like his schedule for taking customers out on the river.

  But, A could be for Anders.

  She pursed her lips. Q could be Quint. Not many people had names that started with that letter. And, M for Mark. If that was right, then it made sense that I would be for Iliana.

  Pulling out her phone, she looked at the dates from the paper. Anders took her up on the mountain before the snow started. She read the details she'd put on her calendar.

  The day Anders got hurt on the mountain was the seventh of September. She looked at the paper, her chest tightening. Why was Will keeping track of bad things that had happened?

  The other dates didn't mean anything. On October fourteenth, Anders hadn't even been with her. He'd left for hours. But, it was an M for that date so it could be Mark.

  She sat on the couch and rubbed her forehead. Q had to be for Quint.

  Lowering her hands to her lap, she stared down at Will's possessions. The paper had to mean something different than a list of bad things happening. Besides, it wasn't any of her business what he wrote on a piece of paper. For all she knew, it could be...

  She groaned and opened up his wallet. Maybe there was something else that would tell her that she was jumping to conclusions.