“My great-great-great-great-granddaddy built that house with his own hands after toiling for the Union Army during the Civil War. He left the brutality of slavery on that land and returned four years later with his freedom and his dignity. He bought this land from the people who enslaved him and his kin and vowed that his blood would forever have a place in this world to call a home of their own. That’s not just some old rickety building, Taylor. It’s a mark of my legacy. A reminder of everything my people have endured and survived. It’s a promise of what we can achieve if we keep trying and refuse to succumb to the pressures of the outside world. So whatever you have to say to me, it had better be damn good. Otherwise, I’m gonna let that prosecutor swallow you whole.” She bared her teeth behind curled lips and spoke with her jaw clenched. “Do you understand me?”
The child was shivering now. “I can explain everything, Ms. Aja. I pr-promise. I just gotta know you’re really here to help me.”
His pleading blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears as they darted from side to side, scanning her face for the truth. The implication that he didn’t automatically know he could trust her sliced her heart into fine shreds.
“Unlike the police, as an officer of the court, I’m not allowed to lie to you. If I’ve asserted myself as your lawyer during this interrogation, I have to perform on your behalf. If I don’t, it can be used against me, and it can also be used as a means of getting you out of this mess you’ve made for yourself. Not to mention…”
She sat down on the table facing him, stretching a slow, nonthreatening hand out to him. As she laid it softly against his cheek, she longed for the days when doing this would make every hurt better for him. “You’re my baby, Taylor,” she huffed. “I’m mad as hell at you, and if we weren’t sitting in a law-enforcement agency, I’d take a switch to your behind. But I’m not gonna let anyone harm you without going through me first. You understand?”
He closed his eyes, relief flowing like the streak of tears falling down his face, fast and unchecked. “Believe me, Ms. Aja. I never wanted any part of this, but I didn’t have a choice.”
She wiped away the wet tracks on his cheeks before continuing. “What do you mean?”
“Mr. Bennett said—”
Aja held a hand up as she sat across from Taylor. “Wait, Eli Bennett? Is that who you mean?”
He huffed frantic breaths in and out before blurting everything out in one headlong rush. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Aja. He made me do this.”
Aja’s heart beat fast and hard in her chest, knocking against her rib cage in pronounced thuds.
“Tell me everything.”
Still handcuffed to the table, Taylor raised his arm in an awkward position to wipe the tears on his face away. Sitting here, watching uncertainty and anxiety paint the canvas of his face reinforced how much of a child he truly was.
If Eli Bennett has done anything to harm this boy, I swear I will end him.
“What happened, Taylor?”
“Ever since my me-maw got sick, my daddy’s business hasn’t been doing so well. He was paying for her cancer treatments out of pocket. At first, it wasn’t so bad. But then he got underbid on a few projects, and there wasn’t as much money coming in. So my mama took a housekeeping job at the Bennett ranch.”
Aja’s stomach roiled. She could already see where this story was headed, and she didn’t like it.
“One day, Mr. Bennett saw me drop Mama off to work and asked how I planned to spend my day. I told him working with my daddy over at your ranch.
“I didn’t think nothing of it then. But a few days later, when I dropped Mama off again, he asked to speak with me. He told me he had a job for me, one that would pay better than my summer gig with my daddy, and it would be less work.” Taylor shook his head, then looked up to the ceiling as if he were reading his past through a new set of lenses, understanding things now that had escaped his comprehension then. “I should’ve known better than to listen to him. If I’d taken off, I wouldn’t be in this mess, and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”
She was quiet. It was too soon for her to add her thoughts to the mix. Aja didn’t want to disturb his flow. She needed every detail if she intended to use this account to get Taylor out of this predicament somehow and lay the blame where she was certain it rested—at Eli Bennett’s feet.
“He told me he wanted me to push a few of your fence posts down as a joke. He said he was teaching you a valuable lesson about ranching. He said you didn’t have any livestock, so no one would get hurt by a few posts being knocked down. I figured he was right and that it couldn’t cause any harm because my dad would probably fix them anyway, so I agreed.”
She let a long breath escape her, hoping it would ebb her frustration. “But that wasn’t the last of it, was it? He came back with another task, and another task until you were burning down my barn and trying to strangle me in my bed?”
The boy shook his head furiously. “No, that wasn’t me. I swear I didn’t attack you.” She watched him for a minute, then waved him on to continue his story. “When he demanded I cut the scaffolding, I told him no. He said he’d turn me in to the police, and he’d make it so my dad never got another job, and he’d fire my mom. I thought he was bluffing until my dad lost three bids back-to-back the following week. With no cash, we’d be on the streets, and my me-maw would die.”
“So you went along with his plan and cut my scaffolding, burned down my barn, and tried to kill me?”
He shook his head again. “I cut the scaffolding after I knew my daddy’s men were through with it. They were coming to take it down the same day. I didn’t know you’d be under there taking more measurements. The barn was an accident. I went in there to damage some electrical work, but I heard Ms. Daniels screaming your name as she walked by, and I panicked. I accidentally stepped on some kerosene lamps, a spark from an exposed wire hit the spilled gas, and the fire got out of control so quickly, all I could do was run.”
She watched him carefully. His eyes never wavered from hers. “Where were you the night of my attack? I need more than your word you weren’t the one to attack me.”
“I was with Mr. Pete at the hardware store. We had a late shipment come in, and he needed my help doing inventory and restocking. He keeps a camera running in the store. You can ask him to show you if you want.”
She believed him. But she was still going to check it out. She’d get Pete on the phone before she left this room. But for now, she was satisfied Taylor was telling the truth.
A strange sense of relief washed over her. She wasn’t thrilled with Taylor’s admitted involvement in the vandalism on her ranch, but knowing he wasn’t the one to attack her made her anger and frustration ease.
“I believe you, Taylor.” The boy sighed big and loud, sliding down somewhat in his chair as he leaned back. “The problem is, without irrefutable proof, there’s no way anything you told me gets you out of cuffs and Eli Bennett into them. Even without the assault charge, you could be looking at serious time for the vandalism.”
“Would a video recording of him admitting he made me do this be proof enough?”
She sat up a little straighter in her chair. “It would be a hell of a bargaining chip if you had one.”
Taylor shared a nervous smile, the corners of his mouth still anxiously trembling before he gave her his log-in information for a cloud account. She sat back and watched the video on her phone, a smile spreading across her face as she did. When it finished, she looked up at Taylor with a lifted brow. “Now this is a game changer—something I can use. Sit tight, Taylor, and watch me work.”
* * *
“How did you let this happen, Dean?”
Jackson leaned against the wall and watched as Ross paced back and forth. “How did I let it happen? I’d like to see how you planned on stopping her. And honestly, I agree with her.”
“So you want to let him
go like that sentimental fool sitting in there, blowing a hole in this case, because he’s sixteen?”
Jackson shook his head, keeping himself planted against the wall, unsure if he could ignore his instinct to snatch Ross up by his neck for talking about Aja like that in front of him. “No. If he did it, I want him to pay just like you. But I agree with what she said. If it comes out that we questioned him and got a confession without representation or a parent present, this entire scenario could blow up in our faces. Even though we’re working inside the parameters of the law, the public won’t see it that way. I don’t want him to get off because we couldn’t make it look good on paper.”
Ross stopped pacing, staring at Jackson with a pointed glare that pissed him off more than intimidated him. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Now that she has crossed this line, we’ll never be able to get this in front of a jury. If the victim is defending him, this is all a waste of my damn time.”
The door to the interrogation room opened and Aja peeked outside. “Gentlemen, all is not lost. Come inside. I believe my client has something to share with you that’s going to makes us all smile.”
Ross turned to Jackson, his brow furrowed in tight, straight lines as he silently questioned him. His response to the prosecutor was to shrug and follow Aja back into the room. If the confidence he saw in each sway of her hips was an indicator, he knew she was about to blow their minds. Because one thing he knew about Aja Everett was that she was a problem solver of the highest caliber. She always got the job done.
Chapter 31
“Well, I’ll be damned. Eli Bennett sho’ does put on an interesting show.”
Aja’s smile widened as she sat across the table from John Ross. This was exactly the reaction she wanted from the prosecutor.
“As you can see from the video, my client was being threatened and coerced by an adult. Now, putting my client in jail for these crimes might get you another notch in your win column, but we all know if you take Eli Bennett down, you’ll get the acclaim that goes along with catching a big fish.”
Ross whistled and wrote on the notepad placed in front of him. “You’re right. It would definitely be something to see if we could pin this on Bennett.” Ross scribbled some more on his notepad before making eye contact with Aja again. “All right, Counselor, I’ll give you the immunity you’re asking for. But only if your client agrees to testify against Bennett if this goes to court.”
Aja narrowed her eyes. “You’re gonna try to plead Bennett out?”
The prosecutor tilted his head as his eyes met Aja’s. “Bennett is a big deal in Fresh Springs. The crimes were committed in Fresh Springs. More than likely, they’ll be tried there too. If he fights this, he’ll more than likely lose with this video. But that still doesn’t mean he won’t fight us. I’m about to put in a call to a friendly judge to get a warrant to search Bennett’s accounts and his home. Hopefully, we can catch him off guard and get more to pin on him to use as leverage for a plea bargain. Does your client still have the money Bennett paid him?”
Aja tapped her pen on the table, then wrote down an address and slid it to Jackson. “My client says Bennett handed him the money himself. Maybe you can trace the bills back to Eli through the serial numbers once the Rangers retrieve them from that address.”
Ross watched her again. The lawyer in her knew he was tallying up the ways in which she’d practically made his case for him. He wrote a few more lines on his notepad and stood, extending his hand to Aja. “You’re not half-bad at this lawyer thing, Ms. Everett. If you ever feel like working for the prosecution, look me up.”
She stood and accepted the hand he offered, smiling as she answered, “Thanks, but this county couldn’t afford me.” She looked down at a wide-eyed Taylor and winked. “This was simply me helping out a friend.” The boy smiled, relief smoothing out the worry lines previously carved into his young face. His ordeal wasn’t over yet, not until they could put Eli Bennett behind bars where he belonged. But the immediate danger of him losing his freedom was over, and that was a win she was happy to claim.
Ross left the room, leaving Jackson, Taylor, and Aja remaining. She stole a brief glance at Jackson. There was something unrecognizable settling in his eyes.
He was probably trying to figure out how a person could manipulate a child like Taylor, or thinking about some other detail of the case. Because whatever he was thinking about it, she was certain it wasn’t her. And she definitely didn’t think he was feeling the looming sadness closing in on the margins of her heart.
No, that was reserved for her. Because as happy as she was that this craziness was about to be over, that Taylor would walk out of this building with his freedom, and that she and her people were safe again, a little corner of her heart ached the slightest bit in knowing Jackson would leave Restoration Ranch.
She cleared her throat, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her. She was a grown woman who’d walked into their one night of glorious sex with open eyes. It was never supposed to be more than it was, and she wouldn’t let herself get all worked up like some clingy teenager who didn’t know how to end things with a kiss and a smile. “Taylor, I’ll wait here with you until your dad arrives with your new attorney.”
“His dad arrived a few minutes ago. Reenie texted me.”
Aja smoothed her hands against her braids, trying to control the awkward, nervous energy suddenly running through her. “Oh, good. That means you’ll be out of here soon.”
Jackson stepped on the other side of Taylor, leaning down and unlocking his handcuffs. “My associate Ranger Adams will be in with your paperwork and your dad, Taylor. Soon you’ll be free to go.”
The boy stood slowly, then in a rush of anxiety and relief, he threw his arms around Aja and hugged her so tight she knew he had to have rearranged some internal organs. “Thank you so much, Ms. Aja.” She was about to tell him it was nothing when she felt tremors run through his body and heard his heavy, emotion-laden voice crack. “I’m sorry for what I did to you. Please forgive me.”
She rubbed her hands up and down Taylor’s back, soothing him as if he were a baby instead of the almost-man filling her arms. “The fault rests with Bennett, not you. He forced you into this. Not to mention, we’ve all needed a little forgiveness in our lives. Me especially. I’m simply paying it forward.” She stepped out of his embrace, drying the tears on his face with a stroke of her thumbs. “Next time, if something like this happens to you, talk to someone. Your family loves you. They would never have let Bennett get away with this. Not for any reason.”
There was a knock on the door, and Earl Sullivan stepped inside, followed by a brunette in a business suit. After a brief exchange on the events, Aja followed Jackson out of the interrogation room, leaving a grateful parent and child to wrap things up with their new attorney.
“You did a good thing in there.”
Her lips curved seemingly of their own power whenever his velvet tones danced in her ears. She honestly needed to get a handle on that, or he would think she was some kind of grinning idiot. If he doesn’t already believe it.
“I know I did. Glad you didn’t fight me too much on it, or things would’ve gotten ugly.”
Jackson held up his hands in surrender. “Fighting people is your thing, not mine. I’m glad you could help that boy. I was never comfortable railroading him, by the way. But I don’t have a lot of control over Ross.”
“Jackson, sooner or later, you will have to learn that there’s a difference between the letter of the law and the spirit. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. That’s not a judgment on you specifically, more on the system itself. People who are making ends meet or are poor, disenfranchised, or belong to marginalized communities don’t have equal footing in the legal system.”
Jackson let a derisive chuckle slip into the air. “This coming from a woman whose job it was to get her rich clients out of ho
t water with the law?”
“I worked with those rich clients so my firm could afford to take on double the pro-bono hours we were required to, and I donated my money and my time to legal clinics in areas of low socioeconomic status to give people a fighting chance in the system that often says they don’t matter. There’s no rule that says I can’t like making money and help those in need at the same time. There’s also no rule that says you can’t bring people to justice and still help them at the same time. It’s all about balance, Ranger Dean.”
She waited for an angry reply; annoying him seemed to be her superpower, so it wouldn’t surprise her if her words got a rise out of him. But instead of the defensive retort she was expecting, Jackson stepped closer to her and gave her a playful tap. “You’re right. There’s no reason I can’t do both.”
She stared at him. He still had that strange look of introspection mixed with speculation he’d had when they were in the interrogation room. She didn’t understand what he was seeking the answers to, but whatever it was, there was something softer and less guarded about him. She was about to ask him what was going on when he pressed a gentle hand against her upper arm and said, “Let’s get you back home.”
* * *
Jackson took the scenic route back to Restoration Ranch, and he knew he was doing it on purpose. There was something about returning Aja to the ranch that felt final, like he was closing the door on an important moment in his life. He’d spent a handful of days with this woman and her land, and now the idea of never being there again with her was making him feel detached and lost.
He didn’t want to think about why that was. Instead, he held on to the few remaining moments he had with her in the cab of his truck, wallowing in the quiet comfort of her presence for the last time.
Fighting the building desire to reach across the console and rest his hand on her thigh, he tightened his fingers around the steering wheel. Just because she’d allowed him to share her body once, that didn’t give him the right to take such liberties now. Especially not when he’d insisted such intimacies could never happen between them again.
Jackson Page 21
