Against Me (Cedar Tree Book 3) by Freya Barker Read Free Book Online Page B

offices of the GJPD, I've thought of nothing else but to get Katie to the safest place I know, where she is surrounded by people who will look after her.
    "Katie, think. You’re not safe going back to Larchwood. You were the last known person to speak to Susan Conklin and Juan Duarte, let alone the fact that you are the only person who suspects a possible connection between the two from personal observations. And last, but not least, the fact that you were living next door to a possible family member of the Duarte brothers, leaders of one of the most worrisome Mexican cartels, if we are to believe the feds. Don't even want to think about the freaky coincidence that I happened to be investigating these guys a state away while they were within breathing distance of you."
    My hands clench the steering wheel as I try to calm the agitation boiling my blood by slowing down my breathing. Katie must have sensed my struggle for calm, because she quietly puts her hand on my leg and her head on my shoulder, which makes my blood boil for different reasons altogether.
    "Okay."
    Katie's quiet response to my rant surprises me, and I glance over at her.
    "Okay? That's it? You're not gonna argue with me?"
    She peeks at me from under her long, dark eyelashes with a sparkle in her eyes and a teasing smile on her lips.
    "Well, if you'd rather I give you a hard time?"
    I can't hold back a chuckle. "No, thanks. Enough excitement for one day, thank you very much."
    "Thought so," she mumbles as she snuggles in to my side.
    Fuck, she's gonna be the death of me.
    "I’m in serious need of a shower, just so you know. Didn't get a chance this morning. I'm also still wearing that officer's sweats, and I also wouldn't be adverse to putting something in my stomach at some point in junction."
    "You haven't eaten? It's fucking six o'clock at night, Katie. Did you not grab a sandwich earlier?"
    "Holy crud, Caleb, take a chill pill. Seriously. It's not like food was foremost on my mind today and those sandwiches were gross. Who eats sandwiches from a machine? Yuck."
    I bite my tongue. No use getting into a discussion with her about looking after herself. She's got a point anyway; I am wound tighter than a drum; A remainder of the long hours of tension and fear I spent driving up here. Not knowing what was happening, not clear on Katie's state of mind or her condition. I'd been crawling out of my skin and apparently the feeling lingered.
    Lifting one hand off the steering wheel, I slip my arm around her shoulders and tuck her in a little closer, leaning in so I can kiss the top of her head. Her familiar scent goes a long way to finally calming me.
    "I'll stop the next chance I get and we'll pick something up."
    ––––––––
    A Subway in Monticello supplies us with a quick bite to eat in the parking lot, so we can get back on the road in short order, and the rest of the drive is made in near silence until we turn into the turn off to Emma and Gus's place, when Katie suddenly pushes off me and scoots way over to the other side.
    "You're bringing me to Emma's house? Seriously? Jesus, Caleb, can't I go stay at the motel? I didn't think you'd be bringing me here."
    Katie sits ramrod straight in the passenger seat beside me with her arms crossed, obviously not happy with our destination. Tired, irritated, and a bit blindsided by her reaction, I snap at her.
    "You're not staying at the motel where you won't be as secure. I get your reservations, but you need to get over the fact that Emma is in Gus's life and start thinking like the security expert you are. You'll stay with me in the guesthouse."
    The thought that being around Emma and Gus would still be difficult for her irks me, and has me acting like a fucking bull in a china shop. I know I fucked up right away; I don't even have to hear the sharp drawn-in breath beside me to figure that one out. Jesus . I run my fingers through my hair, trying to find the appropriate words to apologize when Katie