Last Resort Read online

  “Do you have a game plan?” he asked.

  Cayden slipped out of the office and returned to the kitchen. The only people who knew about her real job were a few close friends, the Scott family, and her publisher.

  “Cayden Young can’t very well go around asking questions,” he told her.

  “Why not?” She poured the water into the tank of the cappuccino maker then opened the brewing group and shook in the grounds. “We were the ones to find her body. People will just think I want closure.”

  “Or you manage to spook whoever murdered Shana and he decides to add you to his hit list.”

  “Good deduction, Watson,” she said, stumped by his astute observation.

  “There’s no way I’m the Watson in this equation,” he whispered in her ear. Cayden’s heart sped up by his mere closeness. “What happens after you finish the book, tying up loose ends?”

  “Just giving you what asked for.” She felt his warm breath against her cheek. Heat from his skin shot into her when he grabbed her hand to guide the grouper back to the dock on the machine.

  “Go to bed, try to get some sleep.”

  “Thanks, warden, I’ll give it a shot.”

  With a frustrated hiss, he quickly spun her around, which put him inches from her face.

  Leaning his forehead against hers, he seemed to fight something inside of him. “Regardless of how we feel about each other, welcome back,” Levi said before he took off. He left her alone to figure out how to breathe life into a thirteen-year-old case.

  Chapter Three

  First thing in the morning, Levi checked with each department around Goosebay Lake, and then once more at end of shift. Stuck in the conference room with his staff, the clock read a little after 1:00 PM. For over an hour he listened to marketing pitches and felt ready to hang himself.

  When he got the call from his barn manager, he had already covered all of his standing appointments for that afternoon. Since everything ran smoothly on a day-to-day basis, he figured it had to do with Cayden.

  After he ended the meeting for the day, his staff practically killed each other to leave the room. Apparently, they also believed their pitches sucked. During the lake’s off season, he needed to keep money pouring in, which meant they would have to focus on different streams of revenue.

  As he left the side door out of the conference room, Levi dodged questions from the marketing manager and headed to his truck. It never failed—everyone had a million things to talk about.

  “Wagons of hay!”

  While he got into his pickup, Katie seemed to pop out of nowhere. “We can have bobbing for apples and a corn maze,” she proposed with more enthusiasm than any of her ideas warranted.

  He turned the key and drove past with a wave.

  “Maybe a haunted house? It’s totally an autumn thing!”

  In less than three minutes, Levi whipped around the bend and pulled into the barn’s driveway.

  “The pretty crazy lady says she you gave her permission to be here.” While he parked alongside the barn, Fernando approached Levi’s truck. “Mario wanted us to call security, but then Carla said you fired him last night for bothering the very same woman.”

  “No one got fired.” Levi chuckled at the way gossip spread and stepped out of the pickup.

  “Not a bother. She’s quite sweet actually,” Fernando said, accompanying him around to the field, “but we thought you should know.”

  Cayden skipped around the horse paddock with the miniature ponies. As teeny, tiny workout shorts cupped her round ass, a white tank top hugged her perfect breasts. Breathtaking, rang in his head. Levi leaned against the fence and waited for her to tire out. With sweet abandon, Cayden threw her head back and laughed while she chased the ponies around the field in her ridiculously expensive Ugg boots. A silly fact he knew due to his mom’s obsessions with the gossip mags.

  “Ponies!” she screamed. “When did you get mutha-fucking ponies?”

  “If you ever read your emails, you would know that we got them a year ago. Hey, don’t! Stop that.”

  She pretended to ride Stella’s back. “If you told me about the ponies, I would have been back here so much sooner.”

  “That’s reassuring,” he grumbled. “I’m guessing you didn’t get any sleep.”

  “What’s that? I couldn’t hear you over the pony.”

  Years of pent-up resentment couldn’t be erased with a simple smile. Nevertheless, if she stayed around much longer, he would be powerless against Cayden Young. “You’re punch drunk. Come here?” Sleep would cure her current mood, but unfortunately, but she always had an aversion to the good stuff.

  “I already told you, mister, I don’t want your candy!” she shouted.

  “Look, if you don’t come here I’ll be forced to climb in and get you. Then our staff will witness one boss wrestling another to the ground.”

  “Since one boss wants to buy the other one out…” She shrugged and carried on with the ponies.

  A hot pain twisted his gut. He didn’t want to buy her out—he more or less needed to for the sake of his sanity.

  “There’s manure in there. Trust me, you don’t want me to come get you.”

  “Fine.” Cayden growled in defeat and stomped her way toward the fence. He couldn’t help but laugh at her dramatics. “So who was it? Which one snitched?”

  Levi glanced at his workers, who pretended to be too preoccupied with their work to pay attention to them.

  “Why, are you going to fire them like you did Dickie?” He reached for her but she dodged his hand. “Cayden, I swear … I have work.”

  “Yeah, I heard … pumpkin patches. That Katie is a chatty one.” She walked the length of the fence and Levi shadowed her from the other side. “With ideas like that, I’m going to be your partner forever.”

  He’d bite his tongue off before admitting he felt the same way about the fall theme. “Tell me, guru of marketing, genius of promotion, what would you do?”

  “Never that easy. I’m going to need you to supply some quid pro quo, Scott.”

  A deal or a challenge always had to be in place to interest Cayden. “I’ll think of something. In the meantime…” He caught her arm and easily hefted the five-ten beauty over the fence.

  “Levi,” she yelled, “put me down!”

  He effortlessly flipped her over his shoulder and headed to his truck.

  “Go back to work. I promise the pony fairy will be out of your way for the rest of the day,” he told everyone.

  “No, she won’t!” She pointed at them. “The pony fairy will always be watching.”

  Levi opened the door and dumped her in. “Stay,” he demanded before he shut the door to his pickup.

  ****

  Crime scene photos and autopsy results rolled on a continuous loop in her head. Without anything to keep her mind off of the girl’s death, Cayden sobered up pretty quick.

  “If you want, I can—” As Levi pulled up to her cabin, she grabbed the handle of the door and pushed out of the truck without a second glance.

  “Cayden!”

  Running to her porch, she kicked off her Uggs and opened the door. Sleep had eluded her for a couple of days, an hour or two here and there. In the past, Goosebay Lake usually did the trick, but apparently not anymore.

  Instead of forcing it, she’d taken a walk around the resort. Nothing caught her attention until she laid her eyes on the ponies. The ridiculously cute animals made everything better … at least for a moment.

  Reaching for the bottom of her tank, she pulled it over her head and walked to her room.

  “You want to talk?” he asked from behind her.

  Cayden figured he would be too busy with his daily work to follow her into the cabin. “Not particularly.” Tempted, she knew she didn’t need the inevitable fight it would provoke if she whipped off her sports bra and shorts.

  “Fine, then I’ll talk. This book is a bad idea. You’re too close to the victim.”

  Flashes o
f Shana’s arm sticking out of the bushes came to mind. This defining moment changed the trajectory of her life. “Maybe I should pack up my shit and leave. Would that make you happy?” Yearning to pick a fight, Cayden turned to face him. “But only after I sign over the resort, right?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Not today you didn’t.”

  He shoved his hand through his hair and took a ragged breath.

  “Forget it.” She climbed into her oak bed. “Look, you win. See?” Cayden slipped beneath the cover with the belief that would be the end of it, but he took a seat in the white puffy chair near her window. “I don’t need a babysitter, Levi. Go back to work.”

  “Just relax.”

  No match for his strong will, she took a deep a breath and closed her eyes.

  Chapter Four

  September 2003—St. Geneva Fair

  The air smelled of popcorn, hot dogs, and gasoline from the rides. It was closing in on homecoming week, and Levi needed to dump Meghan … and quick. He pointed his water gun at the ceramic clown’s face and took aim.

  Senior year of school started and he couldn’t have been less interested. Homework barely made his to-do list and he spent most of his time with his friends. Anything to avoid Cayden. She had infiltrated their lives. Either she baked with his mom or spent time fishing with his dad.

  “On your mark.” Already three prizes deep against the guys, he hoped to score that giant stuffed dragon by the end of the night.

  When he glanced away from the wide mouth of his target, Cayden caught his eye. She stood at the carnival entrance with kids from her school. The group closely resembled an ad in a men’s magazine with their high ponytails and lettermen jackets. It didn’t help that she laughed at something the captain of Chesterfield’s football team said.

  “Get ready,” the carnival barker called. “Get set…”

  Dale Newman grabbed Cayden by the crook of her arm and tried to pull her away from her friends.

  “Go!”

  Levi clutched the trigger of the gun but didn’t take his attention off the group of private school kids.

  “What the shit? Bud’s kicking Levi’s ass.”

  Dale whispered something in her ear, which made her shake her head with a laugh before pulling away from him.

  “Come on, Levi, you’re losing!” Meghan screamed at a decibel level only dolphins could hear. He turned his attention back to the game. Not anywhere close to winning, he decided to put on a good show and squinted his eye. Aiming the gun at the clown’s mouth, he sprayed water into the opening.

  “Ow, crap!” He pretended to rub while the game carny declared Bud the winner.

  “What the hell?” Meghan pouted. “I really wanted that giraffe.”

  Even though he faked his injury, he found it hard to believe she didn’t care.

  “Is that the girl who’s staying at the resort?” Greg asked.

  Cayden and her friends approached them. “I heard she was an orphan.” Meghan laughed while Cayden passed by them. “Did your parents take in an exchange student?”

  He knew right then he would get rid of the cheerleader sooner rather than later.

  “Double or nothing on the next one?” Levi offered, completely ignoring his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend.

  “That teddy and Snoopy for the gorilla if I win.” Shawn Cooper, the sheriff’s son who was considered the class clown, wagered. Levi hung around a good group of guys who were all raised in St. Geneva. They went to the same school since elementary and just stuck together. Greg got the “smart one” title, where the twins, Mike and Bud, were the jocks, which left him in the open spot, floater. The guy who could blend into any group with no problem.

  That night everyone made it to the fair … even Bud’s twin, Mike—a first since being diagnosed with cancer.

  “I want in on that,” Greg said. He stepped up to the game.

  “On your mark…” Determined to win this time, he didn’t look away. “Get ready, get set … go!”

  Putting all his attention on the stupid clown’s face, he pushed aside the playback of the way Cayden looked at that asshole. He heard about Dale, and the reviews were all bad. While his clown’s head filled up with air, he resisted the urge to punch the smug shit in the face. Unlike his anger, his balloon popped first.

  “Lane number three is our winner.” The carny tossed a gaudy, oversized ring at him and winked. Meghan squealed in delight. As the cheerleader clung to his neck, he caught Cayden’s attention before she disappeared into the hall of mirrors with her friends.

  Levi headed after her but drew up short once Sheriff Cooper stepped in front of them. “Are you guys behaving yourself?” Shawn’s dad headed up the department, and for a lack of a better word, was a real hard ass.

  “We’re good, sir,” Shawn muttered, clearly embarrassed.

  “I should hope so. I’d hate to get any calls about you nuts.” He pretended to draw his gun from his holster and made the pistol sign with his fingers. “Don’t forget what your curfew is, boy. I don’t want to have to come looking for you.” As he walked by, he squeezed his son’s shoulder until Shawn nodded in pain. They’d witnessed worse stuff from the sheriff. Today Shawn got off pretty easy.

  Anxious to find Cayden, Levi mumbled under his breath. “I have to go take a leak.” He slipped out of Meghan’s death grip and pretended to head to the Porta-Potties. They were stationed on the other side of the fairgrounds by the Tilt-a-Whirl. “I’ll catch up with you guys at the bumper cars!” he called out before he doubled back to the funhouse.

  The same carnival pitched their tent in St. Geneva every year. It was cute for a novelty but nothing more. With a quick look around, he snuck under the tarp that led to the employee entrance.

  Dipped into darkness, he knew from experience where to turn. He followed the light from beneath the mirror slats until he came to an opening. A gang of teenage girls worked their way through the funhouse. Levi closed his eyes and tracked Cayden’s voice, deeper than the usual teenage nasal twang, and he counted their steps.

  After the third girl went by, he took a chance and grabbed the last one. Hoping he didn’t make a mistake, he pulled her deeper into the funhouse and clamped his hand over her mouth. Thanking his lucky stars, he held up his finger to his lips.

  “What the hell, Levi?” she hissed and punched him. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  “Ow.” He used his arm to duck under her next blow. “You didn’t tell me you were coming here.”

  “I didn’t know I needed to check in with my warden.” In a huff, she finally stopped her rain of pixie punches.

  “Only after lights out.” He glanced from beneath his arm and laughed at her pouty frown. “But I could have given you a ride.” She probably thought her hard expression intimidated him, but it did nothing more than turn him on.

  “My friends brought me,” she said before she relaxed her tense stance and loosened her balled-up fist.

  Off limits, his mind reminded him. Since nothing could be done about the warm pit that filled his stomach whenever she was near, Levi settled for her closeness instead. Leaning back against the mirror, he studied the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She piled her long hair on top of her head in a bun. It looked sophisticated against the contrast of her plain tank top, letterman jacket, and jeans.

  “Cayden Young, part owner of a resort, doesn’t even own a car?”

  Voices from another group of kids grew close to their spot. Grabbing her by the waist, he brought her deeper into the funhouse.

  “Until I get my sleep under control, my grandfather won’t let me drive. That’s why I stay at the resort instead of school.”

  They squeezed in between a distorted mirror and a skinny one. As he kept hold of her waist in the tight space, she put her hand on his chest. Unsure how many kids passed by, he tried to think of something other than her mouth. With their lips dangerously close, he breathed in the sweet scent of vanilla and citrus. His dream girl came in the for
m of his favorite ice cream flavor, Creamiscle.

  “Hold on, does your family think you’re staying at the school? If you’re seventeen, you can stay—” When she looked away, he finally understood. “Holy shit, you’re not seventeen?”

  “I’ll be sixteen next month.”

  He grabbed his head. “My parents’ boss is legit a kid. This will blow their mind.”

  “You can’t tell them,” she pleaded. Her pretty eyes went soft. “They’re already freaked out by our partnership.”

  “Then what do I get for it?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Hurry up, genius.”

  Cayden seemed genuinely shocked that he had her cornered. Levi knew he would get his payment in full to keep her little secret, but he wanted answers for a few other things first. “What’s with you and Dale Newman?” he asked, while fighting off the urge to kiss her.

  “Probably the same thing with you and that girl … except, you know, without the sex.”

  “Huh?” His heart dropped into his stomach. “Wait, no—”

  “Word around the resort is that you got her pregnant at the campfire two weeks ago. Shotgun wedding or something.”

  He stared into her brown eyes before she busted out into a soft peal of giggles.

  “Cayden?” someone shouted.

  Once she had thrown him off with her story about Meghan, he lost track of his thoughts. “Dale Newman isn’t what he seems,” he blurted out. Levi never told anyone about the campfire, but apparently his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend had decided to share the details.

  “Thanks for the warning, Dad.”

  “And we are not getting married,” he damn near spat.

  “So that tacky carny ring didn’t mean anything?”

  “That was…” At a loss for words, he tried to save himself but couldn’t come up with anything.

  “Cayden, we’re meeting the guys at the ice cream shop, come on!”