Dawg had always been wilder than him and Natches, in many ways.
Natches was leaning against the backrest of his bike, one boot propped on the gas tank, his sunglasses resting low on his nose, his pale green eyes focused and intent as he watched Rowdy.
They knew why they were there.
Rowdy turned back to Dawg.
“You didn’t tell me when you picked me up.” He stared back at his cousin, his lips flat, anger tightening his skull.
Dawg shook his shaggy head, lowering it briefly as he sighed heavily.
-49-
Lora Leigh
“Some things you just don’t know how to tell a man.” He lifted his head, staring back as he gave it a brief jerk and grimaced. “I figured you’d get a hint soon enough. It’s not like she’s the same girl she was even last year. Let alone the one we all pretty much raised.”
Rowdy bit back the angry response he could have shot back, but hell, this was Dawg. When Rowdy hadn’t been around to watch out for Kelly’s skinned knees and the bullies who liked to pick on her, then Dawg had been there.
“We’ve pulled all the info we could find, Rowdy.” Natches straightened on the seat of his motorcycle, throwing his leg over the gas tank and crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ve been working on this since it happened, taking turns watching the house when we could, and trying to figure out who the bastard is.”
“And?” If anyone could figure it out, it was Dawg and Natches.
“Nada.” Natches grimaced. “What we have are four other rapes in surrounding counties over the last two years. All anal rapes, beatings, cuts, much more severe than Kelly’s. She got lucky. Her neighbor’s boyfriend heard the single scream she was able to get out. He was a tough guy, broke in and tried to apprehend him, but once he caught sight of Kelly he let the guy go to help her.”
“And none of you thought to let me know?” He stared back at the two men.
He had talked to both of them over the past year and never realized that the distance he had felt had been something they were hiding rather than his own imagination and the physical distance between them.
“What could you have done, man?” Dawg tilted his head to the side and stared back at him questioningly. “We didn’t want the trouble of hiding an AWOL Marine for the rest of our natural lives, and didn’t figure
-50-
NAUTI BUOY
Kelly needed that on top of everything else. We took care of her until you could get home.”
“He’s still calling her.”
Natches nodded. “Ray has been keeping us up to date. Kelly doesn’t know about the majority of the phone calls—he and her mother have been protecting her from them.”
He hadn’t been able to protect her, though.
“Are you two free?” He looked at them and knew they would be, whatever it took.
“We’re free. We made sure of it.” Natches nodded firmly. “How do you want to play it?”
“I need one of you backing me at all times we’re away from the house.” He turned to Dawg. “I’ll have her on the Nauti Buoy this evening.
I’ll have to talk to her, let her know what we’re looking at here.”
“I’ll be there.” Dawg gave a brief, slow nod. “We’re all living on the boats this summer, Natches and I will make sure we’re near, see if we can see any movement, anyone watching. We haven’t so far, but with crazies like this, you never know what they’ll do when their victim changes pattern.”
Rowdy stared back at them. They knew each other, sometimes too well.
“I’ve been thinking,” Dawg said, his voice graveled, suspicious.
“Whoever he is, he had to have known her. Kelly’s not a creature of habit.
She’s impulsive, unpredictable, and never where you expect her to be. He knew she would be home. He knew she liked to crack her window at night. You can’t tell it’s cracked from the street. He had to have known.”
“He studies his women,” Natches said. “Gets to know them somehow.
We’ve been talking about this.” He nodded to the
Natches was leaning against the backrest of his bike, one boot propped on the gas tank, his sunglasses resting low on his nose, his pale green eyes focused and intent as he watched Rowdy.
They knew why they were there.
Rowdy turned back to Dawg.
“You didn’t tell me when you picked me up.” He stared back at his cousin, his lips flat, anger tightening his skull.
Dawg shook his shaggy head, lowering it briefly as he sighed heavily.
-49-
Lora Leigh
“Some things you just don’t know how to tell a man.” He lifted his head, staring back as he gave it a brief jerk and grimaced. “I figured you’d get a hint soon enough. It’s not like she’s the same girl she was even last year. Let alone the one we all pretty much raised.”
Rowdy bit back the angry response he could have shot back, but hell, this was Dawg. When Rowdy hadn’t been around to watch out for Kelly’s skinned knees and the bullies who liked to pick on her, then Dawg had been there.
“We’ve pulled all the info we could find, Rowdy.” Natches straightened on the seat of his motorcycle, throwing his leg over the gas tank and crossing his arms over his chest. “We’ve been working on this since it happened, taking turns watching the house when we could, and trying to figure out who the bastard is.”
“And?” If anyone could figure it out, it was Dawg and Natches.
“Nada.” Natches grimaced. “What we have are four other rapes in surrounding counties over the last two years. All anal rapes, beatings, cuts, much more severe than Kelly’s. She got lucky. Her neighbor’s boyfriend heard the single scream she was able to get out. He was a tough guy, broke in and tried to apprehend him, but once he caught sight of Kelly he let the guy go to help her.”
“And none of you thought to let me know?” He stared back at the two men.
He had talked to both of them over the past year and never realized that the distance he had felt had been something they were hiding rather than his own imagination and the physical distance between them.
“What could you have done, man?” Dawg tilted his head to the side and stared back at him questioningly. “We didn’t want the trouble of hiding an AWOL Marine for the rest of our natural lives, and didn’t figure
-50-
NAUTI BUOY
Kelly needed that on top of everything else. We took care of her until you could get home.”
“He’s still calling her.”
Natches nodded. “Ray has been keeping us up to date. Kelly doesn’t know about the majority of the phone calls—he and her mother have been protecting her from them.”
He hadn’t been able to protect her, though.
“Are you two free?” He looked at them and knew they would be, whatever it took.
“We’re free. We made sure of it.” Natches nodded firmly. “How do you want to play it?”
“I need one of you backing me at all times we’re away from the house.” He turned to Dawg. “I’ll have her on the Nauti Buoy this evening.
I’ll have to talk to her, let her know what we’re looking at here.”
“I’ll be there.” Dawg gave a brief, slow nod. “We’re all living on the boats this summer, Natches and I will make sure we’re near, see if we can see any movement, anyone watching. We haven’t so far, but with crazies like this, you never know what they’ll do when their victim changes pattern.”
Rowdy stared back at them. They knew each other, sometimes too well.
“I’ve been thinking,” Dawg said, his voice graveled, suspicious.
“Whoever he is, he had to have known her. Kelly’s not a creature of habit.
She’s impulsive, unpredictable, and never where you expect her to be. He knew she would be home. He knew she liked to crack her window at night. You can’t tell it’s cracked from the street. He had to have known.”
“He studies his women,” Natches said. “Gets to know them somehow.
We’ve been talking about this.” He nodded to the
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