Free Taming The Boss (Billionaires In The City Book 7) by Mallory Crowe Page A

illuminate the ammunition shells that were left on the forest floor. He bent down and pulled his shirt over his hand so he could pick up the shells without getting fingerprints on them and put them in the front pocket of his shirt. He was willing to bet he could get Sheriff Steve to run prints on them. It was a hell of a favor to ask, but Steve was one of the few people who knew about the large donations Rourke had made to the police department. He owed Rourke and this was an easy enough way to pay him back.
    Rourke leaned back on his feet and studied where the gunman had been. It looked as if he’d been lying on his stomach in the prone position when he did the firing. There were some cigarette ashes that hadn’t been blown away by the wind yet. Chances were, whoever this guy was, he’d been there for a while. Rourke tried to think of any chain-smoking military-trained people he knew of, but this far away from the city there were plenty.
    He stood and looked around. He didn’t see any type of foot tracks around him. Maybe if he’d been here right after the shooting happened and in the daylight he could’ve seen something, but at this point the forest had destroyed any other evidence he might find.
    For now, all he could do was hope that Steve could get a read on the prints and that this guy didn’t wear gloves while he loaded his gun. Rourke glanced down at his watch. It was already three p.m. Thanks to Cali, he’d lost most of his day, and considering he had to pick her up in a few hours, he probably wouldn’t get any work done.
    He wasn’t really sure what he was going to do about Cali. She had him in a tight spot, and he wasn’t sure how dirty she was willing to play. She talked a good game, but every once in a while, he’d see a flash of something in her eyes. A bit of fear, or a bit of vulnerability, that he knew she didn’t want him to see.
    And he really wished he knew what the hell happened earlier in the day. He knew kissing her was a bad idea, but he was just so angry and overwhelmed he lost control. It was so hard to be around her, knowing how hot she was in his arms. How quickly she went up in flames the last time he touched her. He figured she thought he was trying to punish her, but that wasn’t the case at all. If he had his way, her climbing into bed with him wouldn’t be a punishment at all. He wanted to make her come so many times that she forgot he even had brothers. So many times that she forgot Luke’s name.
    But when she pushed him away, she gave him a look that made him feel like the lowest of low. As if he was scum of the earth for even thinking about touching her.
    It was a shock to both of them; it was the first time Rourke realized that someone had hurt her. Someone had done something to put that fear in her eyes, though she was trying to hide it with everything she was worth.
    And that fear drove him crazy. Because he shouldn’t care about her. About what happened in her past or what was happening in her present or future. But the fact was that someone had taken a shot at her, literally, while she was in his town, which meant she was under his protection. Even if they were in their own private war, he was the only one allowed to give her blows.
    A quiet anger snaked through him at the idea of someone coming into his territory and threatening Cali. Sure, she was strong and much too smart for her own good, but physically she wasn’t that imposing. Her heels she wore the first two times he met her made her taller, but in her tennis shoes, she was only five foot seven. And her frame was athletic enough to show that she worked out, but it was slim. He was probably double her weight, if he had to guess.
    His hands turned into tight fists as he thought of someone taking shots at the defenseless Cali in the dark, deserted road. What Rourke would give to have five minutes alone with the son of a bitch.
    But his revenge would have to be shelved temporarily. He’d have just enough time to