Hunting Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 3)

by Kate Allenton

  “You’re going to need to sit for this.” His forehead crinkled as he claimed a seat directly across from me. “I got a hit on the DNA.”

  I chewed my lip and tried not to rub my wounded shoulder. “You figured out which guy is Trinity’s dad?”

  “None of them were a match,” he answered.

  Huh? “I thought you said you got a hit,” I questioned.

  “We did, but it wasn’t to the father’s DNA. It was Trinity’s. We ran hers through the national database to see if we could find any connections and we got a hit through that.”

  “Who’s the match?”

  “A male on the maternal side and judging by his age, we’re looking at a possible grandfather, who just so happens to be incarcerated up at Holster County Prison.”

  “The prison?” I asked. “Trinity never mentioned Georgina’s parents, but maybe they’ll know who the father is if there wasn’t a match to those three.”

  “Sounds like we need to take a trip to Holster.”

  “Not you, me,” I said. “But you’re sure she wasn’t a match to the toothbrush?”

  “Sloan is not the father,” Sam said. “Although that would have turned her from orphan into millionaire overnight.”

  More like billionaire, but who was I to point that out?

  “Thanks,” I said and rose.

  “We aren’t done yet,” he said, opening a folder. He turned it toward me.

  My legs almost gave out as I stared at the color picture of Martin Steinbuckle. This was the man I’d married. He’d cut his long hair, but the twinkle in his blue eyes still shined through. The orange prison jumpsuit did little for his skin tone. He was con man, had conned me into marrying him. “I should have figured that he’d been arrested before.”

  “He had a record,” Sam said. “Robbery and theft.” Sam fanned out the papers. One was Martin’s picture, one was his arrest record, and the other was his death certificate.

  I picked up the death certificate. I should have felt something. Anything. I’d married the man, but I was just like the killer, devoid of emotions.

  “You going to be okay, or do I need to get a shot?” Sam asked.

  “I’m fine,” I answered and tossed the certificate back into the pile. “I hardly knew the guy.”

  Sam pulled the documents back together and showed me the envelope they’d arrived in. “Attorney’s name and address is on the outside of the envelope when you’re ready to deal with the estate.”

  I didn’t want anything of Martin’s. The death certificate was enough.

  “Thanks,” I said, rising from my seat again. “Is that all?”

  “Yeah, for now,” Sam answered. “Since we didn’t get a match to those three DNA samples, the lab is still looking for whatever answers they can find.”

  “Thanks, Sam.”

  I walked out of the room and paused just outside the doorway. Learning I was still married had been a shock. Learning my husband was dead didn’t touch anything in me. The fact I hadn’t shed a tear kind of worried me. Was this work and these killers changing me into something unthinkable, even more so than before?

  I met my sister’s gaze across the room. Our twin bond was still intact. She steered the ugly black wheelchair across the room, following me into the kitchen. I grabbed a water and had a hard time opening it with the bandage on my arm. She took it from me and opened it, while I grabbed some over-the-counter pain meds from the cabinet. Her arm muscles quivered with the strain of opening the childproof lid, but she managed and handed me two. God, we were a pair.

  “I’m sorry about Sloan,” she said.

  “Grant tell you?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry I never got a chance to meet him. Grant said that you really liked him.”

  I did a nervous laugh. “The first time we met I thought he was an ass and Grant was ready to kill him.”

  “Grant told me that too.” She gave me a sad smile. “If you need anything, all you have to do is ask.”

  My sister was my everything. She had been for a very long time, even before our parents died. And here she was, fresh out of a lengthy coma, offering me support when her memories were on the fritz.

  I took her hand and squeezed. “You don’t need to worry about me. You work on your memories.”

  “I’m getting bits and pieces coming back. Grant seems to be a trigger.”

  “I saw what he was triggering last night in front of the TV.”

  Gigi blushed like a schoolgirl getting caught making out. That was the difference between us. I didn’t care.

  “I’m glad these people were here for you when I wasn’t.”

  “You’re my blood, Gigi. You always come first,” I whispered. “Now I have to go call a cab. I have a convicted felon to go question.”

  Chapter 18

  Noah sent the cab away when I told him where I was going. Instead, he let enlisted Carson to drive me. Each man in my life had a unique presence. Noah was like the authority figure I’d never had. Ford, he was the devil and the angel on my shoulders. Sam was the younger nerdy brother I’d always wished for in school that could have hacked the computers to fix my grades, and Carson was the older brother I never had. My own personal protector. When he watched my back, he allowed me room to breathe, lifting away the weight of having to do everything off my shoulders. He protected me just as much as I was protective of him.

  “I’ve set up the house for when you start our case,” he said as he led me into the prison.

  Our case was the one I’d promised to help him with. To locate his mother’s killer after a decade or more from a hit and run that took her life. Carson was like my second family and his town my second home. I’d help him not only because he needed me but because they all did. There could be a killer among them. Another killer besides the one I’d helped stop before.

  “You got all the evidence?”

  “I’m still working on it. The police chief isn’t willing to just hand things over.”

  I gave a little nod. “Might want to see if Sam and Ford can help.”

  Carson pulled the door open. “You know me so well.”

  After filling out the proper paperwork, using Gigi’s ID, I was sitting in a booth with a phone hanging on the wall while I waited for Mr. Mount to be led inside. The door across from the clear Lucite barrier opened, and a man was escorted inside. His wrists and legs were shackled. His steely blue gaze met mine.

  I tried to smile and ignore the butterflies taking flight when the man was seated in front of me. His handcuffs were removed from his right hand, but the guard fastened the cuff through a sturdy steel ring on the counter. I picked up the phone and gestured.

  His frosty gaze kept me rooted in my seat as he slipped the receiver off the wall and pressed it to his ear.

  “Mr. Mount?”

  “Do I know you, lady?”

  “Not yet. My name is Lucy Bray. I’m a friend of your granddaughter.”

  There wasn’t even a twitch of surprise as he held my gaze.

  “You don’t look surprised to find out that you have a granddaughter.”

  “I’m not,” the old man answered.

  “So, then what can you tell me about the father?”

  His eyes narrowed in anger. “Is this some fucking joke?”

  “No, sir,” I said. “I’m helping your granddaughter locate her dad, and I was hoping you could help by supplying me with his name.”

  “My daughter was raped at college, Ms. Bray. The cops never figured out who the hell the guy was, but when they do, I’ll make sure my daughter’s name is the last thing he hears before he dies.”

  “I’d do the same if someone had raped my sister,” I answered without batting an eye.

  The sharp lines of tension in Mr. Mount’s hard jaw softened.

  “What do you want from me, Ms. Bray? I don’t know who the father is, and I’m not due to be released for another five years.”

  “Georgina was trying to make things right for her daughter. I’m sorr
y for your loss.”

  “My daughter’s name isn’t Georgina. Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?” he asked.

  “DNA doesn’t lie, but if Georgina isn’t your daughter, then who is?” I asked.

  “Susan Mount.”

  I gasped as a huge piece of the puzzle clicked into place. “Susan Montgomery?” I asked.

  “Yeah, that’s what she goes by now. I made her change it so there weren’t any ties to me that would hold her back.”

  Georgina wasn’t Trinity’s mother; it was Susan Montgomery.

  “That Georgina girl might have raised my granddaughter, but she didn’t give birth to her. That would be my Susan.”

  “Susan gave up her baby?”

  “Yes, It made sense under the circumstances.”

  Had that been why Georgina had tried to blackmail Sloan? To keep Susan’s identity hidden? Was that the reason why Susan was running with Sloan? Why they needed to be dead?

  I had more questions than I had answers.

  “How does your daughter know Jack Sloan?” I prodded, wondering if he knew his daughter had gotten married and divorced. Far be it for me to break the news.

  “They were best friends in college,” Mr. Mount answered.

  “Your daughter might be in danger,” I said, lowering my voice.

  “The news has reported she’s dead.” He said. His look and tone suggested he didn’t believe it either.

  “Do you know where I can find them?”

  His brows dipped. “No, but whoever tried to killed her is a dead man.”

  “You’re a man after my own heart,” I said. “I’ll bring your granddaughter by to visit when she’s ready, and if I ever figure out the guy that raped Susan, I’ll be sure to tell you the little prick’s name.”

  Did that make me an accessory?

  The man’s gaze softened again. “And you tell my Susan I asked about her?”

  “When I find her, I’ll tell her you said hello.”

  He leaned back in his chair.

  The man behind the glass was covered in tattoos and scars. He’d seemed ready to rip out my throat when he’d first entered. But when he talked about his daughter, his entire demeanor had changed. For the next twenty minutes, he told me stories of Susan growing up and how the rape had changed her, made her guarded. She was never the same carefree college girl after that.

  Carson and I sat in the car and watched the men loitering in the prison yard. Some were exercising, some standing around talking, and some playing basketball across the dirt-covered field.

  When Mr. Mount walked out, two of the groups converged around him. One guy offered a cigarette as he climbed the bleachers to sit. The rest of the men sat a step below him and gathered around.

  “He’s the top dog. He’s earned their respect,” Carson said, gesturing to the group.

  “The king of the playground is probably telling his merry band of misfits all about our visit,” I whispered.

  “That was Mr. Mount?” Carson asked.

  I slowly nodded.

  “Where to now?” Carson asked.

  “The police station. I think, in order to get my answers, I need to solve another cold case.”

  “Your sister has amnesia. You’re helping a teen that you hardly know. A killer is chasing you. You were shot, and your boyfriend died. Wouldn’t you rather I take you to a bar and get you drunk?”

  That sounded perfectly divine. A minute to catch my breath and work through all of the thoughts rambling around in my head. I needed a minute, just one to get my bearing, and if that happened to be while drinking some wine, then who was I to complain? I smiled. “You’re right. It’s time for Noah to do some lifting. We’re just his flying monkeys.”

  “That’s my girl,” Carson said, firing off a quick text before handing me the phone. “Call Noah, and I’ll find the perfect hole-in-the-wall for us to disappear.”

  I called Noah and asked him to see what evidence was kept from the rape and to run any DNA that might have been collected. Was that what this was? A hired hitman to take everyone out of the equation that could point fingers?

  Carson pulled into a little hole-in-the-wall bar just like he promised. A shack that I would have never even considered was a bar. There was no sign. Only a handful of cars in the parking lot. We walked in, and one man was behind the counter. A woman peeked out from a kitchen off the main dining room. Carson and I slid up to the bar, and he ordered for both of us.

  When the bartender put my wine in front of me, he spilled it, splashing it on my shirt and then apologizing profusely. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “The bathrooms are back there,” he gestured, and I started to rise from my stool.

  Carson rested his palm on my arm and leaned in before I could stand. “You’re welcome.”

  My brows dipped as I headed down the hallway, trying to pry the wet shirt from my chest. As I reached for the bathroom door, hands grabbed my arm and twirled me into another room.

  Sloan stared at me for a few seconds before he pressed his lips to mine. “I’m sorry. I tried to tell you.”

  “I figured it out with the toothbrush,” I said between his kisses.

  “God, I wanted to tell you. I wanted to whisk you away,” he said as he kissed a trail down my neck, only stopping at my bandage.

  “How did you know…” My face softened. “Carson?”

  “You trusted him most, so I did too.”

  “What happened to your shoulder?” All kissing had ceased, and concern clouded Sloan’s face.

  “If you’ve been talking to Carson then you know about Tenure. He shot me.”

  “What?” Sloan growled. “Noah was on protection detail.”

  “He wasn’t around, but Detective Rowen was. He probably scared Tenure away.”

  Sloan’s brows dipped, and I kissed him again, enjoying the few minutes we had together. “I know about Susan’s baby.”

  Sloan eased me away from his mouth. “I should have known you’d figure it out.”

  “DNA confirmed it. I just talked to Mr. Mount.”

  “Carson told me,” Sloan said as he pulled me into his arms and held me tight. His gaze softened as he stared into my eyes.

  “Why didn’t you take Trinity with you?”

  “She doesn’t know about Susan yet. Susan didn’t know how Trinity would take it if she knew the truth about the adoption or why she’d given her up.”

  I rested my palm on the back of Sloan’s neck and kissed him nice and slow, taking my time to savor every moment.

  “You’re going to have to tell her. Trinity is safer with you and Susan than she is with me.”

  “Lucy,” Sloan said, resting his hand on my cheek. “That’s not our decision to make.”

  “It is now that I know the truth,” I said. “That kid doesn’t have a sole person in the world right now. She thinks she’s alone, and she’s worried about foster care. Worse, she’s terrified of a hitman. If Susan doesn’t want to tell her, then fine, but you’re dealing with the kid while I clean up this crap.”

  Sloan kissed me hard again. His fingers slid beneath my shirt, touching my skin. “When this is over, you’re getting divorced, Mrs. Steinbuckle.”

  “Actually,” I said, nibbling his lip between my teeth, “I’m a widow.”

  Sloan pulled back and stared into my eyes. “How did you make that happen?”

  I chuckled. “I didn’t.”

  I kissed him quickly one more time when a knock sounded on the door.

  “Time’s up, lass,” Carson called out.

  “I need more time,” I whispered between us. The need and lust I was feeling was staring back at me. Sloan threaded his hand through my hair and kissed me once more, searing me with the melting heat of promises he’d be keeping in the future.

  When he broke the kiss, I nodded, understanding everything his kiss implied.

  “I’m going to send Trinity to Carson’s lake house. Pick her up in two days.”
/>   “Susan isn’t going to like this,” he whispered as he kissed me again.

  “It’s the only way to keep Trinity safe. When this is done, they can go their separate ways. Hell, I don’t even care if you tell her the truth…yet.”

  “I wish we had more time,” Sloan whispered.

  “We will when this is over.” I kissed him once more and walked out the door, closing it behind me, blocking whatever rock he’d turned over to make it happen.

  Carson winked as he walked me back to the bar. “You look thoroughly kissed.”

  “I was.” I giggled like a schoolgirl as Carson and I proceeded to get thoroughly drunk.

  Chapter 19

  Trinity shook my shoulder, rousing me from my hung-over sleep. My eyes opened, and the room spun for several minutes.

  “I’m leaving with Carson,” she whispered.

  I pushed myself into a sitting position and swiped the sleep from my eyes. “You know what to do?”

  She nodded. “I wish you’d come with me. I trust you.”

  “And I trust them,” I said, sliding my legs over the edge of the bed. “You’ll be safe, and you can return when I catch the guy, and…you can stay with me as long as you like. I won’t let them put you into foster care.”

  She hugged me tight. Relief mingled with trepidation in her touch. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too,” I said, rubbing her back while trying not to jostle the bandage covering the gunshot wound on my shoulder. “Go.”

  I opened the door to find Carson waiting in the hall. “I’ll be back in two days, Lucy. Stay alive until then, would you?”

  I winked. “I’ll try my best.”

  He pulled a weapon out and handed it to me. “Don’t lose this one.”

  I shoved it back into his hands. “You’ll need it more than me. I’ve got a whole armory at my disposal.”

  He reluctantly shoved the gun back into its hiding spot under his shirt. I walked them through the darkened command room and out the front door, watching as Carson pulled away with my new friend.

  I headed back inside and shut the door. The guards standing watch reminded me of the danger I was in. I walked into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee and returned to my room, unable to sleep.