Shane readily complied, but for a moment Chase thought Malcolm was going to come up with an excuse to leave. He didn’t, though. After saying something under his breath that Chase didn’t bother to hear, Malcolm went up the hall toward the interview room.
Jericho waited until they were inside before he turned to Dexter. “Did you check the unmarked squad car?” he asked.
Dexter nodded. “The truck, too. There’s nothing on either of them.”
“Then go ahead and drive the car to the front of the building.” Jericho gave Jax, April and Chase each a glance. “You ready to go?”
Chase was more than ready, but he kept April back when Dexter hurried back to the parking lot. He didn’t want April outside any longer than necessary.
“I’ll be back after I drop them off,” Jax told Jericho. “We can search for Quentin and Renée then.”
Chase wished he could help with that. Wished even more that he could find them. But this wasn’t a safe place for April to be. The shot-up windows were proof of that.
Finally, Dexter brought the black four-door car to a stop directly behind Jericho’s cruiser, and Chase was ready to get April moving.
But his phone rang.
Since any and all calls could be critical, he took out his phone and saw Marshal Harlan McKinney’s name on the screen. Maybe the mole, Janette Heller, had spilled her guts after getting that plea deal.
“Please tell me you have the name of the person who hired Janette,” Chase greeted when he took the call.
“No. She’s still negotiating the plea deal. But that’s not why I’m calling.” Harlan paused. “Chase, there’s been a murder.”
* * *
APRIL HAD SEEN Harlan’s name on Chase’s phone screen, but she hadn’t been able to hear any of what the marshal had said that could put the thunderstruck expression on Chase’s face.
“A murder?” Chase asked. “Who?”
No. Her thoughts automatically went in a bad direction. Was her brother dead? She tried to brace herself, but that was impossible. As bad as things were between Quentin and her, she hated to think of someone murdering him.
“Call me back the second you know anything,” Chase said several moments later. He hung up and looked at her. “It’s not Quentin. It’s Tony Crossman.”
Of all the names she expected to hear Chase say, that wasn’t one of them. “Crossman?” Jericho and she said in unison.
Chase nodded. “He’s dead.”
April sank down into the nearest chair. For months, Crossman had been a bogeyman for her. A killer who wanted Quentin and her dead. And he was the reason they were in WITSEC.
Now someone had killed the killer.
“This changes everything,” she said, looking up at Chase.
Another nod from Chase, and he helped her back to her feet. “We should go. It’ll be getting dark soon, and it’ll be harder to see if anyone tries to follow us to the safe house.”
He was right, of course, and somehow April managed to get her feet moving. Hard to do, though. She felt numb. Relieved, too.
At least April felt that way until Chase ushered her out. Both Jax and he drew their weapons before they hurried her to the unmarked cruiser. Dexter and Jericho kept watch—just in case they were attacked again. That’s when a big chunk of her relief vanished. Because while Crossman’s death did indeed change everything, it didn’t necessarily put an end to the danger.
Chase maneuvered her in the backseat of the car with him. Jax got behind the wheel, and he didn’t waste any time driving them away from there.
“What happened to Crossman?” she asked, though April wasn’t sure she actually wanted to hear the details. She already had way too many memories and details of murder and violence.
“He was shanked in a prison fight about an hour ago,” Chase explained. “Crossman died before the medic even got to him.”
“They’re sure he’s dead?” she pressed. “Because this could be another of his sick games.” However, she couldn’t imagine what Crossman would hope to gain from something like this.
She must have started to look a little panicked because Chase slipped his arm around her. “He’s dead. The guards are questioning the other inmates now, but no one is jumping to take credit for it. Harlan did say the guards were surprised, though, because the other inmates actually seemed to like Crossman.”
Hard to believe that he was well liked by anyone, but Crossman was a rich man, so maybe he was buying protection and favors from his fellow prisoners. After all, Crossman had been behind bars for six months, and there hadn’t been even a hint of violence directed at him.
That reminder caused everything inside her to go still.
“Malcolm was at the jail earlier today,” April said. “Maybe he’s the one who arranged the murder. And Crossman did hint that Malcolm had something to do with the attacks against us and Bailey’s kidnapping.”
“The guards will look into that.” Since Chase didn’t hesitate with his answer, it meant he’d already given it some thought. “They’ll look into the other suspects, too,” he added.
That hung in the air for several seconds. “You mean my brother.”
Chase lifted his shoulder. “Quentin had reason to want Crossman dead. Renée, too, since she knew Crossman was a potential threat to Quentin.”
“True, and Renée did visit Crossman at the prison, but Quentin doesn’t have the money to pay for an attack like that.”
“He would have if he’d gotten the money from a loan shark,” Chase quickly pointed out.
April touched her fingers to her throat. Then nodded. “Quentin was evasive about why he’d borrowed that money. But why wouldn’t he have just told me if he’d done that?”
Chase gave her a flat look that she had no trouble seeing even in the dim light. “It’d be like confessing to murder. And it wouldn’t matter that Crossman is scum. Murder is still murder.”
Yes. It sickened her to think that Quentin might have gone this far. Crossman had been a genuine threat, but he would have been convicted. Would have ended up behind bars for the rest of his life. Of course, his conviction wouldn’t have ended Quentin’s and her life sentences. Because they would have had to remain in WITSEC as long as Crossman was alive.
“Don’t focus just on your brother,” Chase said to her a moment later. “There also might have been a dispute the guards didn’t know about. In other words, this might not be connected to what’s happening with us.”
April hoped he was right. Having Crossman dead wasn’t any big loss, but she didn’t want his murder on her brother’s hands.
Chase maneuvered her into the crook of his arm. “Why don’t you try to get some rest? It’ll take us hours to get to the safe house because Jax will have to drive around a long time to make sure we aren’t being followed.”
April was certain that rest was the last thing she’d get, but it was no hardship to be in Chase’s arms. Of course, he wasn’t resting, either. His gaze was firing all around them, probably looking for more of those hired thugs.
“What if all the gunmen were working for Crossman?” she asked. If so, that meant the danger was really over.
“We’ll know soon enough.” Chase idly brushed a kiss on the top of her head. That, too, was no hardship, and April wondered if Chase even realized the effect he had on her.
She didn’t want to hope too much that Bailey and the rest of them would all finally be safe. But the hope came anyway. No danger. No WITSEC. She could live a normal life, and Chase wouldn’t have to give up his badge and family.
The thought stopped in her head.
But that would mean things would change between Chase and her. They weren’t exactly riding off into the sunset together, but they had eased some of that bad blood. Being in his arms proved that. So did all those hot kisses. Ho
wever, if there was no reason for them to be in hiding together, that might also give Chase a reason for them not to be together at all.
Get a grip.
If the danger had already ended, that’s all that mattered. And she couldn’t lose Chase because he wasn’t hers to lose. Though it did feel as if someone had just crushed her heart.
Chase’s phone rang, getting everyone’s attention in the car, and when April saw that it was Harlan calling again, she braced herself in case he was about to name her brother as Crossman’s killer.
Thankfully, Chase put the call on speaker. “Did you find out anything else about Crossman?” Chase asked.
“Not yet, but there are a few inmates who seem to want to talk. In exchange for lighter sentences, of course. Something might pan out with that, but it’s not the reason I’m calling. It’s about Janette.”
It took April a moment to remember that was the name of the mole they’d found in the marshals’ office.
“Janette took the plea deal,” Harlan continued a moment later. “And she gave us the name of the person who hired her to hack into WITSEC files.”
Chapter Fifteen
Renée.
Chase wasn’t exactly surprised that Renée had been the one to pay off Janette, the hacker. It’d been clear from the start that the woman would do anything to find Quentin. What was surprising though was that she hadn’t covered her tracks better.
Most criminals would have used a middleman to broker the deal and added layer after layer of cover so that nothing could be traced back to them. Renée hadn’t done that. Why?
That’d been the question on Chase’s mind during the entire drive to the safe house. And it was still on his mind now.
The safe house was quiet with Levi and Mack asleep in the living room and Jax’s return to the sheriff’s office. Bailey was also sleeping in the makeshift nursery they’d made out of the second bedroom, and April was in the only other bedroom across the hall. Probably to give him some alone time with Bailey.
Alone time with his thoughts, too.
So much had gone on what with the attacks, Crossman’s murder and now the news about Renée hiring Janette. All of it was twisted into a tangled mess, and even the quiet didn’t help Chase sort through it.
What did help was knowing that Bailey and April were safe. For now, anyway. With Crossman out of the picture, Chase had to work on keeping it that way. That started with figuring out how Renée played into all of this. Whoever was behind this wanted April hurt.
Or dead.
If it was Quentin, it could be for whatever part of April’s estate he’d inherit. If it was Malcolm, it could be simple revenge. Revenge that he’d perhaps already started by having Crossman murdered. But what would Renée possibly hope to gain by killing April?
Unless...
“What’s bothering you?” April asked, snapping him right out of his thoughts.
Chase looked up at her. She was in the doorway, her hands bracketed on each side of the jamb, and she was watching him watch a sleeping Bailey.
He did a double take. Because April wasn’t wearing any clothes. Well, she had on a bathrobe, but that was it. Judging from the towel she had draped over her arm, she was headed to the shower.
April did her own double take when she noticed where his attention had drifted. To her body. He quickly fixed that and turned back to the baby.
“Is something wrong?” April pressed.
Because something might indeed be wrong and since he didn’t want to wake Bailey, Chase stepped away from the crib and joined April in the hall so they could talk. He reminded certain parts of himself that this was just for a chat. And not so he could keep gawking at her in that bathrobe.
“I’m thinking it’s possible Janette was paid to say that Renée had been the one to hire her,” Chase tossed out there.
April stayed quiet a moment, obviously processing that. “Is there anything specific that makes you think that?”
“Harlan said Janette got a top-notch lawyer, one that she wouldn’t normally be able to afford.”
She shrugged. “Maybe Renée paid for that, too.”
“That’s what I thought at first, but why wouldn’t Renée just spend that money to better cover up what she’d done? There doesn’t appear to be a personal connection between Renée and Janette, so I’m surprised Renée didn’t just put up a front man to hire her and then let Janette hang if she got caught.”
April made a sound of agreement. “Especially since Renée got the information she wanted—my location so she could use Bailey and me to help her find Quentin.” She paused. “So, you’re thinking Malcolm could be behind this?”
“Or Quentin.” Chase didn’t have to wait long for the surprise to appear on April’s face.
“Quentin might have needed to find you so he could get the money to pay off his debts. After all, you had a do-not-contact order on him when you entered WITSEC, and he had no way of getting in touch with you.”
“Only because I thought it was too risky for us to try to communicate with each other.”
Chase nodded. “So, this might have been Quentin’s only way of finding you. And then he could get rid of Renée by having Janette say that Renée was the one who hired her.”
“You really think so?” she asked.
Obviously, he hadn’t convinced her. Chase hadn’t actually convinced himself, either, but he wanted to tell her what was on his mind and hope that she could see any flaws in his theory. Because it would be a lot better for April if her brother didn’t want her dead.
“Think it through,” Chase continued. “Yes, Renée resents you because she believes you turned Quentin against her, but Quentin could be manipulating that. He could be baiting Renée to go after you.”
April groaned, leaned against the wall. And she blinked back some tears. “I know I shouldn’t be shocked by anything he’s capable of doing, but it still hurts.”
Now he had convinced her. But maybe he was wrong.
“I know. I’m sorry. And this is all just a theory. Quentin might be innocent.” Of this, anyway.
Even though it was a different kind of dangerous to get closer to her, Chase did it anyway. He pulled her to him. And he had to give those parts of his body yet another reminder that this was a hug of comfort. Too bad those parts couldn’t tell the difference.
And April felt the difference.
She eased back, looked up at him, and he saw the questions—and the heat—in her eyes.
Not good. Chase moved away from her. It didn’t help. He could still feel her in his arms. Still had the taste of her in his mouth.
Still wanted her more than his next breath.
“All right.” April sounded disappointed that he hadn’t acted on the heat crackling between them. She fluttered her fingers toward the bathroom just up the hall. “I won’t be long, and then I’ll probably spend the night in here with Bailey.”
Chase wanted to remind her there was a baby monitor so she could sleep in the room set up for her and still hear Bailey. Heck, he also wanted to follow April and...
Well, he wanted to have sex with her.
That was the down and dirty, but considering everything that’d gone on between them, she might turn him down flat.
His stupid body seemed to take that as a challenge. Chase grabbed the baby monitor and headed for the bathroom. She’d already turned on the shower. He could hear the water running, which meant she’d likely already stripped down.
His body took that as a challenge, too.
He knocked once, just a sharp rap, and April opened the door. He stepped inside with her and set the baby monitor on the vanity.
April stared at him. Frozen. Well, except for her breath. It was gusting.
Chase had a big reason to keep his hands off her.
April was a criminal. He was a marshal. Opposites. But that didn’t seem to matter when it came to this attraction between them.
It sure didn’t matter now.
There were times when he wished he’d never met her. Other times when he knew he’d never have this feeling with anyone else. Despite that whole opposite thing, his feelings for her ran hot and deep. And not just sex, either.
It would have been so much simpler if this were just about sex.
“I’m never sure what I should do when it comes to you,” she said, her voice all mixed up with that gusting breath.
“I know exactly what to do with you.”
And he did. Chase proved it by sliding his hand around the back of her neck and hauling her to him. His brain sent up a red flag warning. Which he ignored and kissed her.
There it was. That slam of fire that he always got whenever he was near her. He put her body right against his. Her breasts against his chest. The rest of them aligned just right, too.
She tasted like something forbidden. Probably not too far off the mark. But there was something else, as well. Something familiar that whispered of home. And family. That was brief, though, because soon the fire had its way, and his body urged him to do more than just kiss her.
So, Chase did.
He pushed the robe off her, and he lowered his mouth to her breasts. She was curvier than she had been before the pregnancy. He approved and savored every inch of her breasts until she was breathless and clutching onto him.
And kissing him in return.
April sank to the floor, pulling him down with her. It was warm and steamy like the rest of the room, and they landed on the thick bath mat. She located his mouth again and did some damage there while she went after his shirt. Once it was off, he felt her bare skin against his. Not just her breasts, either.
She was naked.
And beautiful.
Man, she knew how to take away his breath, too.
Chase considered scooping her up and taking her into the bedroom. Briefly considered it. But the bedroom suddenly seemed miles away.
Their other time together had been crazy and rushed. This time was no different, and even though he wanted to slow down, to savor her a while, he knew that was a pipe dream. The need pushed aside the foreplay.
The Marshal's Justice (Appaloosa Pass Ranch 4) Page 14
