Justified

by Jay Crownover

  Kody snorted. “Still can’t believe Case let her come and wouldn’t let me invite Shot.”

  I shook my head and narrowed my eyes at the rebellious blonde. “Your brother puts up with a lot, but he will never accept your bestie being the leader of the local motorcycle club. Even you have to realize that’s asking too much.”

  Della nodded in agreement. “Crew isn’t a fan either.”

  Kody shrugged and took a chug of her beer. “My brothers don’t get to pick my friends.” Her eyes narrowed, and her shoulders straightened as she bit out, “Especially when their taste in friends leaves a lot to be desired. Who invited him?”

  Every head in the backyard turned to watch as Hill Gamble strode purposely across the grass. The tall, blond Texas Ranger had stayed in Loveless until my mother was formally charged. He’d left quickly after, off on another case somewhere down by the border. I could see by the surprise stamped on Case’s face he hadn’t been expecting his friend to show. Hill stopped to kiss Mrs. Clooney’s cheek and to shake Hayes’s hand. He slipped an envelope into the teenager’s grasp and said something that made Hayes blush brightly enough to be seen all the way across the yard.

  Hill tipped his pale gray cowboy hat down in greeting, but the grim expression on his handsome face didn’t change even after welcomes and the offer of a cold beer.

  “Sorry, but I’m not here on a social call. Case, can I talk to you privately for a minute?”

  Case’s eyes met mine, and I immediately hurried over to his side. “We can go inside. Everyone is in the yard, so we’ll have some space.”

  Hill nodded solemnly and must’ve caught Kody’s angry gaze because his step faltered slightly. His tone was brisk when he told Case, “You might want to ask Crew and Kody to join us.”

  I rushed over to Mrs. Clooney and asked the elderly woman to keep an eye on things while we were inside. Mostly I wanted her to keep Hayes occupied so he didn’t question why his entire family wasn’t outside.

  The older woman patted my hand, the motion sending her sky-high teased hair bobbing in every direction. “I’ve been watching out for that boy since he moved in next door. I’ll make sure nothing happens to his special day.” She winked at me. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t sneak off with that little girl with clown hair as well. Boy’s in deep with that one. Never seen him focus on one girl before.”

  I wanted to laugh but I was too worried about Hill’s sudden appearance and the grim look on his face. I kissed her wrinkled cheek in thanks and rushed toward the house.

  A couple of minutes later, all the Lawton siblings, as well as myself and Della, were gathered in the kitchen of Case’s house. Hill seemed nervous and he wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes, not even after Kody stomped her foot on the ground and demanded, “Out with it, Gamble. What’s with the sudden appearance and the cloak-and-dagger act?”

  Hill sighed and whipped his hat off his head. It was the first time I could remember seeing the man flustered. He shoved a hand through his hair and lifted his head so he could meet the curious eyes trained on him.

  “Yesterday I was called in when a body showed up in a junkyard outside of Austin.”

  Case crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side. “Why’d they call in the Rangers? Austin Homicide should’ve been able to handle a basic call.”

  Hill looked down at his boots and curled his hands into fists at his sides. “They called me in to assist because the deceased was a former law enforcement officer, and because I have a personal history with him and knowledge about his career.”

  Of course, Case was the first one to put it together. I gasped in surprise when he suddenly slumped next to me, my arms darting out to catch him, even though there was no way I could keep us both upright. Luckily, Crew had lightning quick reflexes and grabbed Case’s other arm before he hit the ground.

  “No. Hill, no. It can’t be.” Case’s voice cracked, and I watched as his brother and sister both instinctively moved in front of him, trying to protect him from the harsh truth Hill Gamble was about to lay at the Lawtons’ feet.

  “I’m sorry, but the deceased was identified as Conrad Lawton. I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you this. Your father was murdered.”

  I wrapped my arms around Case’s waist and pressed myself against his back. I could feel him shaking, could feel a storm of emotion building inside of him. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Della grabbed onto Crew in a similar way. They were strong, capable men, but learning that both the man and the monster they’d always feared was gone was enough to turn them both into lost little boys.

  Kody was the one who reacted the most intensely. She didn’t cry. She didn’t shake. She didn’t fall apart or take a moment to reflect. No, she launched herself at Hill, eyes wild and fists raised. She called the man every name in the book. She cursed him to hell. She clocked him on the cheek and went for a punch to the gut before he caught her in his arms, locking her down and refusing to let her move as she struggled to get free. She was breathing fire as she asked him, “How many times are you going to tell me someone in my life is dead, Gamble? How many times are you going to stand there and look so cold, so removed, while you rip my heart out?”

  The big, blond man sighed and for a brief second something painful and raw flashed in his moody, gray gaze. “Hopefully this will be the last time, Kody.”

  Kody wrenched herself out of his hold and poked her index finger in the center of his broad chest. “It will be…because I never want to see you again.”

  She stormed out of the kitchen with an angry stomp. The rest of us watched her go as Hill muttered, “I really am sorry, but I figured the news was better coming from me. I’ll have to take a backseat, since I knew Conrad and there can’t be a conflict of interest, but I am involved in the investigation now.”

  Della let go of Crew after pressing a quick kiss to the back of his neck. “I’m going to check on Kody.” The elegant woman slipped silently out of the room, and I could practically feel the tension rise as Case and Crew faced off with the Texas Ranger.

  “You’ll keep me in the loop.” Case issued it as an order, not a request.

  Hill nodded grimly. “As much as I can.” He dragged his hands down his face and suddenly looked exhausted. “You think she’ll be okay?” There was no question as to whom he was asking about.

  Case and Crew nodded simultaneously. “She will be. We’ll take care of her.” And they would, because the Lawtons stuck together no matter what.

  “Good. That’s good.” Hill’s tone lowered, and anyone looking at him could see he was the one who wanted to make sure stubborn, wild Kody Lawton was all right. Good thing for him neither one of her bothers were paying attention, each lost in their own twisted and complicated mixture of grief and relief at hearing that their father was no longer a threat.

  But I was watching, and I could see every ounce of unrequited love this man had for Kody shining like flakes of silver in the stormy gray of his eyes.

  Interesting.

  It wasn’t until much later when the party was over and Hayes left to go hang out with his friends that Case finally allowed himself to react fully to the news of his father’s death. Collectively, all the remaining Lawtons decided it was best to break the news to Hayes about his grandfather on a day that wasn’t all about celebrating his accomplishments. It was supposed to be a happy day, one full of family and friends. In true Conrad Lawton fashion, he’s managed to rain on everyone’s parade. The man had an uncanny knack for bringing nothing but pain and sorrow into his children’s lives.

  When I walked into our bedroom, Case was sitting on the floor, back to the bed, much the same way I’d done the first day he brought me home from the hospital. His head was in his hands, and there was an open bottle of Crown Royal on the floor next to him. Silently I lowered myself next to him and quietly reached out so I could stroke the back of his neck. I kissed his temple and brushed my nose across his damp cheek. His wide shoulders shook slightly when I wra
pped my arm around them.

  “I shouldn’t be upset or surprised. He was a mean, nasty bastard. He treated my mom terribly, and he never did anything without a hidden agenda.” He reached for the bottle of whiskey and rubbed the rolled-up sleeve of his plaid shirt across his eyes. “But murdered…Don’t know what to do with that. Makes it worse, makes it hurt more.”

  I kissed his temple again and squeezed him harder. “You feel however you’re feeling. There isn’t a right or wrong way to process this kind of news. Tonight we’re going to focus on you, and whatever you need. Tomorrow we can focus on the rest of the family. We’ll get through this. All of us will because we have each other to lean on. We’re family.”

  I finally understood just how powerful and unstoppable having a real, loving family could be. Nothing was going to take us down as long as we had each other.

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  Author’s Note

  Hi guys!

  There is nothing as exciting as starting a new series and bringing a whole new set of characters into your lives.

  I just wanted to drop a few notes here so if you’re a new reader, or a longtime one, so that all the connections in Loveless to my other series are clear! I’m very tricky like that. I’ve been leaving crumbs to Loveless for years!

  First, there’s Case. If our handsome sheriff seems familiar it’s because he appears in Salvaged, in my Saints of Denver series. He plays an integral role in the characters in that book getting some much-needed closure. He also makes a brief appearance in my Getaway series. We find out just how irresistible he can be in Runaround.

  Hayes also plays a part in my stand-alone novel Recovered. Affton, the girl who got away from him, actually has a whole book. If you love angsty New Adult I strongly suggest you pick Recovered up.

  Now for the trail that goes the furthest back. The Sons of Sorrow first are introduced in my internationally best-selling Marked Men series. Rome Archer has a run-in with the Denver Chapter in his book, and honestly, people have been asking me for a book about the bikers for six years! Finally, I found a place to make that work. Also, the major outlaw MC based out of Colorado is named the Sons of Silence, so I kind of wanted to keep something similar with the club name. Fun side note: my dad dated the president of the club’s daughter in high school for like five minutes. If you ever wanted to know exactly how badass my old man is…lol.

  Are you enjoying the Lawtons?

  Keep reading for a preview of the next book in the Loveless, Texas series, coming in early 2020.

  Prologue

  Hill

  My little brother had always been my best friend.

  It was common knowledge around our tiny hometown of Loveless, that where one Gamble brother went, the other followed.

  Our home life wasn’t the best. Our parents had a complicated, volatile marriage. They loved each other deeply, passionately, almost obsessively…they hated each other the same way. At times it felt like Aaron and I were nothing more than props in some dynamic, overly dramatic soap opera our parents were living out. So, my baby brother and I learned early that it was better to be anywhere other than home. I never minded him following me around. I liked being his hero. I enjoyed being the one who taught him the basics, like how to play catch, and how to fish. I also indulged him by passing along my little tips and tricks when it came to getting girls. Although I tended to stick with sports and any extracurricular which might help me get into a good college, girls were always Aaron’s favorite distraction from what was happening at home.

  It helped that Aaron was a good-looking kid. Tall, lanky and filled with teenage angst that made him broody and unpredictable. He cruised around Loveless on a battered old dirt bike I helped him fix up and had just enough disdain for authority to place him squarely in the “bad-boy” category. Teenage girls found him irresistible, adults found him to be uncontrollable. He was a quiet kid, often lost in his own thoughts, but he never had a problem opening up to me. I didn’t think there was a single secret between the two of us.

  I was wrong. Very wrong.

  I had no idea Aaron was cutting himself. Leaving scars on his body to hide the ones that refused to heal on his heart.

  I would have never guessed his wild mood swings were anything more than puberty and testosterone taking their toll.

  I didn’t have a clue my younger brother was silently suffering, internally agonized every single day. His mind was telling him lies…and his mind would turn out to be his worst enemy.

  Unfortunately, I also never in a million years would ever have predicted that Aaron and I would fall in love with the same girl. Or that she would be the reason our relationship ended up falling apart.

  Kody Lawton became the center of Aaron’s entire world in the blink of an eye. The Lawton kids and Aaron and I were all friends growing up, but as soon as Aaron met Kody, they became thick as thieves, almost inseparable, and forever up to no good. Kody was a troublemaker, a fearless rebel, a sassy, smart-mouthed brat who my brother thought the sun rose and set upon. But it wasn’t until Kody’s mother passed away right as Kody was about to enter high school that my brother realized his feelings for her went deeper than friendship.

  I’d graduated by then, but before I left asked her brother, Case, to keep an eye on Aaron. I knew the death of their mother hit all of the Lawton kids hard, but Kody was devastated and Aaron, even though he was emotionally fragile at best, was the one she leaned on the heaviest. Almost overnight they went from best friends to something so much more. For Aaron, there was no other girl beside Kody Lawton, and for Kody, Aaron was always going to be the first boy she ever loved. I was too far away—too engrossed in finally finding some freedom and getting to live life on my own terms—to recognize the warning signs. But I did know the way Aaron loved Kody Lawton wasn’t unlike the way my parents loved and hated one another. There was zero balance, and little else mattered in my brother’s life than the girl who had stolen his heart. They were living together before she was old enough to vote and got engaged the day before Kody graduated high school. To the casual observer it appeared to be young love working out, but on the inside, things were a mess. Aaron needed help, but he was too young and too scared to admit it to anyone…even Kody.

  She was the one who called me in the middle of the night, crying because she found Aaron huddled in a ball on the bathroom floor slashing his skin with a razor blade. Kody was the one who texted me in a panic when Aaron was so listless and drained he wouldn’t leave bed for days and days at a time. She begged me to come. Pleaded with me to fix my brother, but I panicked. I didn’t know how to fix him, didn’t have the tools required to convince Aaron he needed help. I tried to comfort him, but still I kept my distance. Deep down, I was jealous. Even with all the turmoil and upheaval Aaron brought into her life, Kody adored him. She loved him like it was the only thing keeping him alive, and maybe it was. There was no telling how deep and twisted the depression that lived inside my brother had taken root. When I did go home to check on him, it felt like I was visiting a stranger. I was no longer his hero. In fact, I had somehow morphed into his number one enemy. Aaron acted as if he hated me for leaving, for living my own life. It made me wonder if he knew how hard I worked to be a good brother while also hiding my ever growing attraction to his one true love.

  I didn’t want to like the grown-up Kody Lawton. I didn’t want to find her beautiful and vivacious. I didn’t want to be charmed by her sharp tongue and no-holds-barred attitude…but I was. On my first visit back home, it suddenly hit me that Kody was no longer a little girl, but a young woman. One who was strong, savvy, and endlessly patient with my baby brother. I’d spent my entire life taking care of everyone else, and I couldn’t deny I was envious of the kindness and compassion she was always showing Aaron. It was an inconvenient crush, especially because I couldn’t distance myself from her emotiona
lly since we were both tied together by our growing concern for Aaron. Talking to her about how much she loved my little brother and how worried she was about him often left me hurting—for her and for Aaron—but I suffered through. What other option did I have?

  Knowing my feelings for Kody could never go anywhere, I focused on my life away from Loveless. I graduated college, joined the Texas Border Patrol, and eventually worked my way up the ranks of law enforcement until I had the opportunity to apply to be a Texas Ranger. I dated here and there. Told myself I couldn’t settle down because my career came first, because I didn’t have enough to offer just yet. The truth was, my whole heart was never invested in finding love. It was stuck back home, hung up on my little brother’s soon to be wife. I distanced myself more and more from Aaron and Kody, not knowing that Aaron’s issues were escalating. I stopped taking Kody’s calls, but I never stopped caring about my brother. I called him directly, urged him to get help, and begged him to see someone about his emotional unpredictability. I tried to connect with him. I even tried to get my parents involved, but as usual, they were more concerned about themselves than either of their children. No matter what I said, or how hard I tried, Aaron brushed off my concern and assured me he would be fine. And I selfishly believed him. It was easier for me that way.