Hayden (A Next Generation Carter Brother Novel Book 4)

by Lisa Helen Gray

  “What’s stopping them from getting to her before then?” Walker asks, rubbing a hand over his beard.

  “She has gone into hiding and said she will contact me on a pay as you go phone so they can’t trace her. And as of this morning, I got word out that I’m going to the old cattle market on Friday to collect evidence that will put a stop to these crimes.”

  “Why would you leak that?” Beau snaps. “You’ve put a target on your head and put yourself in danger, Hayden.”

  I grin, clasping my hands together on the table. “Because while I’m meeting her at another location in town, you guys can surround the cattle market and arrest whoever turns up.”

  “I think it should be one of us who goes,” Rob declares, a little pale.

  It’s hard not to look at Beau, to see if he’s thinking the same as me over Rob’s comment. It’s hard to tick him off the list when he reacts like that, yet it could just mean he’s worried.

  “She will only meet me, Rob. She made that clear,” I tell him.

  “That’s not how this works,” Fisher argues. “If she has evidence, she needs to come to us.”

  I push back my chair, letting them see my disappointment. “Then I’ll tell her to meet me somewhere else and pray they don’t hurt her before then, because I’m not putting her at risk. Too many people have been hurt because of this gang. It needs to be put to an end.”

  “Wait,” Walker yells, placing his pen down. “I’ll listen. I can get word out and have a team put together.”

  “But then you have a chance of them being tipped off,” Beau muses, pretending to be in thought. “We should keep it as low key as possible.”

  “Are you saying we have a leak?” Walker accuses, his face turning red.

  “No, but who here can honestly say that someone hasn’t listened in on their conversations? It only takes one person to overhear and we are screwed.”

  “And what if more than one of them show up?” Rob asks, his attention on Beau and me.

  “Call for help,” I offer dryly. “I’m not doing this if she’s going to be put at risk.”

  “How do we know this isn’t a set up for the gang to get you alone? They’ve killed before, Hayden,” Rob stresses.

  “I’m not stupid. That was the first thing that popped into my head when she called. I looked her up on Facebook. She hasn’t been active since she witnessed whatever she did that night. This is the real thing, and she’s scared out of her mind. She’s a good person, just finished college. I can’t see someone like that being mixed up in a gang that is clearly trying to steal to make money. Can you?”

  “And how do we know that what she has warrants an arrest or is even worth the manpower and time this will take?” Fisher asks, his gaze narrowed on me. “We could be working on real leads. Not some ‘maybe’ story.”

  I sit back down in my chair, arching my eyebrow at him. “She has video footage of who she assumes is the leader, and photos. I might not know what or who is on that video, but it’s enough to scare the girl to death. She was genuinely petrified, telling me I couldn’t trust anyone. She told me I couldn’t tell the police because she felt even they couldn’t protect her. She wanted me to take this to my boss.”

  “This is the break we need, even if it isn’t conventional,” Walker confesses.

  “She didn’t tell you any more?” Rob asks.

  “No, and I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to risk scaring her away. Hell, she doesn’t know I’m here today. I spent the whole night stewing over what I should do. I’m worried she won’t turn up if she knew.”

  “What’s her name?” Fisher asks, poising his pen over his paper.

  “Look, I did this against her wishes. I’m not going to reveal her identity until I know for sure she’s safe.”

  Walker sits forward, running a hand over his jaw. “So why did you come?”

  “Because it was the right thing to do, and I know how hard Rob has been working to bring these people in. I knew I could trust him and Beau.”

  “That goes without saying, but I warned you not to look into this,” Rob comments, frowning.

  “If I had listened to you, you wouldn’t have this evidence right now.”

  “We thank you for coming to us,” Walker declares.

  “I still think one of us should go with you, just to be safe,” Rob stresses.

  “No one will know where I am or when we are meeting. I’ll be fine. It’s in town and the place can get busy on weekends, you know that.”

  “I have that dinner with Faith and our parents on Friday night. I’ll have to cancel again.”

  “My God, please don’t. She made herself sick worrying over plans last week, don’t stress her out even more.”

  “But—”

  I give him a pointed look. “No buts.”

  Walker sits forward. “We will still need to bring in at least two other officers to cover the ground. I know you said no more people, but to cover that derelict building, we will need more men. We can also have the place completely locked down so no one can hide inside to blindside us.”

  Turning to Beau, I suck in my bottom lip. “What do you think?”

  He reaches out to pat the top of my hand. “I think it’s a good idea. This way, they can make sure everything is covered by an officer.”

  “If you think it’s best, I suppose it will be okay.”

  “Is there anything else you can tell us?” Walker asks.

  One of you is corrupt doesn’t seem like the appropriate answer, so instead, I say, “Nope. That’s everything.”

  “We will still need to speak to the witness,” Rob explains softly, making me doubt his innocence once again.

  “As soon as I know she will be safe, I’ll bring her here. I’ll explain who Beau is and that she’s safe and can trust him.”

  “We will let you know once we have them in custody,” Walker promises.

  “Just keep one of us updated on Friday. If anything feels out of place, don’t hesitate to call,” Fisher offers.

  “You can call me. I can pass anything on,” Beau lies. “These guys will be busy and need their focus.”

  “I’m good with that.”

  “So, on Friday at nine, you’ll go meet this witness and we will sort out everything on our end.

  I puff out a breath, smiling. “Thank you. I’ll be glad for it to be over.”

  “No, thank you for coming to us and not doing this alone. You did the right thing,” Walker promises.

  “Any time,” I reply, pushing out of my chair. “I have to get going. I have work. Thank you for hearing me out.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Beau offers, standing up.

  I wave goodbye to the others before stepping out of the room, opening my mouth to curse whoever it is out.

  But Beau grips my waist, pausing my words. “Don’t say anything,” he whispers from the corner of his mouth. We reach the door leading out, and he forces a smile to Hayley. “Buzz us out please, Hayley.”

  The door beeps and Beau places his hand on it, pushing it open.

  The second we step outside, I take in a lungful of air. “That was intense.”

  “Yeah,” he agrees wearily.

  “I don’t even know what to say. Each of them asked questions that could implicate them in one way or another.”

  “Agreed. I didn’t get a better read on them either. Those questions would be something we would ask anyway, so nothing really stood out.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong,” I add, yet I don’t believe my words. One of them is guilty. I can feel it.

  Beau runs a hand through his hair, blowing out a breath. “No, I don’t think you are. I had my doubts before, you know I did, but after that meeting, I could feel it. I can’t explain it.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish I had been wrong, if that helps.”

  “It’s fucked up, that’s for sure. Before you came, I looked over the timeline of the break-ins, and there isn’t a pattern. Which is unusual as they’re normally in one local
area.”

  “What about the times you thought you had the gang’s location?”

  “Same. It didn’t add up. Someone was definitely tipping them off. Some of the raids were planned only minutes before we left, which means someone had to have called or messaged them on the way.”

  “Who was there?” I ask, hopeful.

  “That’s the thing, we all were. Even I was sent out on that raid.”

  My lips part, ready to ask if he could access phone records during that time, but movement from behind Beau pulls my attention.

  I duck my head, hiding my lips from him. “Rob is here.”

  I look up, forcing a smile as Rob strolls over. “Hey, Rob.”

  “Everything okay over here?” he asks, his brows pulled together.

  “Yeah, I was just telling Beau to stop stressing about not being there. He’s set on cancelling with Faith, which I don’t think is wise.”

  Rob slaps Beau on the shoulder, gripping him. “Stop worrying, mate. We have her covered. I promise she will be safe.”

  Beau forces a smile. “Thanks, man.”

  “I’ll leave you to it. I really do need to get going,” I inform them, before giving Beau a pointed look. “I’ll speak to you later.”

  He gives me a short nod. “Bye, Hayden.”

  “See you around, short stuff. And stay safe, yeah? You never know what they’ll do to you if they find out what you’ve been up to,” Rob warns.

  A sense of foreboding crawls up my spine as I give him a tight smile.

  “They’d regret trying. Us Carter’s aren’t known to be taken down easily.”

  I take a few steps backwards, giving them a salute before turning and heading towards my car.

  For Rob’s sake, he’d better be innocent.

  My family would destroy him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  My heart hasn’t been in tonight’s segment and it’s showed in my work. I’m actually surprised we finished earlier than normal, as I read quarter to nine on my phone.

  I had been distracted the whole night, waiting to receive a message off Beau or Liam. I hadn’t heard from either since earlier on in the day, when Beau called to say they had set up.

  My concern is probably unwarranted; we still have fifteen minutes until the initial meet is meant to take place. Yet Beau and I had hoped someone would show up early. We both want this finished; Beau more than me, since someone he considers a friend is a suspect.

  It’s taking a toll on him.

  However, I know Beau will contact me if there’s an update. And yet my stomach churns with an uneasy feeling, just like it has done all day.

  I can’t shake the feeling or sense of dread that I have somehow put Beau in danger. It’s playing on mind, making me feel sick. Faith would never forgive me if anything happened to him. And she just found her happy. I don’t want to be the reason it was taken away.

  “Hayden?” Clayton barks, snapping his fingers in front of me.

  I shake my thoughts away, coming out of my daze as I glance around the room at those watching me with concern.

  I slap Clayton’s hand away when he continues to snap his fingers and glare up at him. “What is your problem? And why are you clicking your fingers at me?”

  He watches me for a moment, concern morphing over his expression before he masks it, tightening his features. “My office, now!” he barks, storming out of the studio.

  Once he’s gone, Chrissy steps forward, looking away from the door Clayton just exited through. “Are you okay, Hayden?”

  I snort, waving her off. “He doesn’t scare me.”

  Leana slides her chair over to me, grimacing. “I think she’s referring to the fact you’ve not been yourself. Your body is here, but you aren’t. I’m still shocked you agreed with what Josie’s boyfriend said about her. He was really cruel and harsh. You normally rip a guy like that into shreds.”

  Thinking back, I can’t remember a Josie, or much of our last caller. I had been too distracted by my phone and what was taking place.

  I rub a hand over my face, letting out a weary sigh. “Fuck, I’m so sorry. I’ve got a really bad headache.”

  “Would you like me to go and talk to Mr. Cross for you, and explain? You can leave early then,” Chrissy offers, her voice low, soft.

  I force a smile. “No. But thank you. It makes him feel better when he gets to yell at me.”

  Their laughter sounds forced as worry creases their foreheads.

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure them, giving them a short wave as I get up.

  I exit the studio room, making my way down the corridor to Clayton’s office, checking my phone once more.

  Nothing. Again.

  I don’t want to worry. I know Beau can take care of himself. But I can’t help it.

  “There you are,” Clayton announces, coming to a stop outside his office door. “What is up with you tonight?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Are you asking as my boss or the guy I’m sleeping with?”

  He looks up and down the corridor to check the coast is clear before gripping my wrist and pulling me into his office. He drags me over to his desk, leaning me against it before he takes a seat in his desk chair.

  I wiggle my arse on the desk, sitting back, and begin to swing my legs.

  “Now, why would it matter which part of me is asking? And since when was I just the guy you’re sleeping with?”

  “You’re the one who wanted to keep it professional at work. So as my boss, I’ll apologise for being distracted. I’ve had a headache.”

  “Do you need food, is that why you’re being a bitch?”

  “I’m not a bitch and I’m not hungry.” And for the second time in my life, I’m not. My stomach is in knots.

  “So, what is it?” he splutters, frowning at me. “I know I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “I’ve got a headache,” I grit out, checking my phone.

  He snatches it from my hand. “Answer me.”

  “Hey,” I snap, reaching for it.

  He shakes his head, placing it on the desk next to me before gripping my hands in his to stop me reaching for it. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on. If you want what this is between us to end, just say so. I’m a big boy.”

  My brow furrows. “Why on earth would I want that? You’re great in bed.”

  He guffaws. “Is that all I am to you?”

  My shoulders drop and I duck my head a little. “No. You’re more than that. I’m just tired and have a headache. I get cranky when I’m ill,” I lie, not ready to tell him about the story until I know there is a story.

  His eyes heat as he runs his palms up my thighs. “Do you want me to make it better?”

  I smirk, scanning his office briefly as all the fantasies I’ve had about having him in here resurface. He’s decorated since he took over. It’s all grey and black with dark oak furniture.

  I reach for his tie, pulling him towards me. His chair slides forward, bringing him closer.

  “Don’t tease me. You know I’ve been wanting you to fuck me on your desk,” I breathe against his lips.

  Grinning, he stands, pulling me to the edge of the desk, my core pressing against his hardness. My thighs clench as I wrap them around him.

  “I’m not teasing,” he rasps, pressing a kiss to my neck.

  I tilt my head to the side, giving him more access, before gripping his blazer. “Then I won’t stop you.”

  I feel him smile against my neck as I rock against him. He reaches for my jacket, sliding it off one shoulder as he pulls out my plain white T-shirt from my ripped jeans. I moan, squeezing my thighs around him.

  A phone vibrates across the table, but I don’t pull away, instead bringing his lips to mine as I slide part of his blazer off.

  His tongue massages mine, leaving my brain frazzled. It’s like all the feelings take over and turn my mind to mush. The only thing better than him kissing me, is him being inside of me.

  Every nerve stands o
n end as I grip the hair at the nape of his neck, deepening the kiss.

  When the vibrating starts up again, Clayton tries to pull away, but I pull him back, kissing him once more.

  “Phone,” he mumbles against my mouth, gripping my hips and rocking me against his hard on.

  “Ignore it and keep doing what you’re doing,” I order.

  The phone starts up again and Clayton pulls back slightly, grabbing a phone off the desk. Lost in my own mind, it takes me a few seconds to realise it’s mine.

  I go to reach for it, but he pulls back, reading the message.

  I snatch the phone from him once he’s distracted, unable to look at him as I click on the messages Beau has sent.

  BEAU: I don’t think they took the bait.

  BEAU: We’re going to stay on for a bit longer.

  BEAU: No one is here. Maybe this lead is another dead end. The break-ins might just be gang related.

  I look up at Clayton and watch his nostrils flare. His hands drop to his sides, forming clenched fists.

  “Clayton?” I whisper, trying to form the words to explain.

  “Please tell me that isn’t what I think it is,” he grits out.

  “Clayton—”

  He slams his hand on the back of his chair, pushing it into a filing cabinet. “Please fucking tell me that isn’t about the burglaries,” he growls, levelling me with a glowering look.

  “I…” I pause, not knowing what to say. I hadn’t expected him to be so furious or react like this. I knew he would be mad, yes, but not like this.

  He takes a step back, running a hand through his hair. “It is,” he affirms, snarling in disgust.

  I stand, straightening my jacket and tucking my T-shirt back into my jeans. “It’s fine. Beau is at a location ready to catch the cop who could be working with the gang. You don’t have to worry. I did it. I might have actually put a stop to them.”

  “What?” he yells, spinning to face me. “How could you be so fucking stupid, Hayden?”

  “Excuse me?” I grit out.

  I can move past him being pissed, but his anger is something I won’t stand for. He has no idea. He’s overreacting.

  “I told you, Hayden; I told you to leave this fucking story alone. Did nothing I said register with you? You had no business sticking your nose into this. It is not your job.”