Now that she looked at the picture, she could see this had been the beginning of Flash’s decent. In those days, he was going down the road that would separate them—nothing she could have done to stop him. He worked out and it showed; he was bulking up. That wasn’t the only change within him; his attitude was growing darker. To her, he’d remained the same sweet guy, but when it came to others, she could see the change. I was losing you then. I just didn’t know it yet.
Unlike the elastic band keeping the book closed, there was no closure when it came to Flash. He still owned her heart; only now she wasn’t a teenager any longer and no matter how much she wanted to, they couldn’t go back. He was a criminal, possibly a murderer, and she stood on the other side of the law. Their time had passed.
The same organization signs our paycheck. Placing the picture back in the journal, she sat it on the bed and stripped out of her dress to change. It was time for her to put her skills to use and to do some investigating. She’d find out what Rocco had hinted at.
A few minutes later, she sat curled up on the sofa with a steaming mug of coffee and her laptop. The journal and Flash’s picture on the cushion next to her made her wonder about her motives. Was she doing this to give Dad justice or to prove Flash didn’t do it? Could she handle it if what she found proved Flash had murdered her father?
The laptop barely came to life when the doorbell rang, forcing her to set it aside and answer the door. Before she did, she grabbed the journal and dropped it into her purse, which was now sitting on the floor by the sofa. As she neared the door, Rocco’s words echoed through her thoughts. The information I’ve already told you puts us both at risk… Maybe she was overreacting, but that was better than being dead. Retracing her steps, she grabbed her gun which she had holstered and in her purse.
Whoever was there pressed the doorbell again. “I’m coming.” Her heartbeat echoed in her ears and she forced herself to take a calming breath. If she was in danger, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She wasn’t an easy target. She might work behind the computer more than some agents, but she still had to complete the same training. She could handle herself. So could Dad though and look at him.
Next to the door stood a small window that allowed her to look out without the person seeing her because the hall light wasn’t on. Without the porch light on, she couldn’t make out much more than a tall, male figure. She hadn’t wanted company so she’d shut off the light, hoping anyone who stopped by would think she wasn’t home. No such luck this time.
Keeping the chain on the door, she opened it. “Hello.”
“Shit, I thought you weren’t going to answer.” Craig leaned forward, pressing his hand on the door. “We need to talk.”
The stench of liquor drifted toward her. “Now’s not a good time.”
“Fuck, Elise.” He stepped forward. “Don’t do this. I…shit, I don’t know who else to turn to. I need your help. Please.” He glanced back toward the road and when he turned back to her, fear flashed in his eyes.
Maybe it wasn’t the best move but she closed the door enough to pull the chain off before opening it again to allow him in. “What’s going on?”
“Do you have a drink? I need…” He moved past her, farther into the house.
“Damn it, Craig, you don’t get to stroll into my hom…” This isn’t home anymore. Her chest tightened as she realized she’d have to sell the house. Without Dad, there was nothing left for her in Pinewood—nothing to bring her back once a month.
“I need a fucking drink!” He strolled into the kitchen as if he owned the place, opening cabinets, looking for liquor.
“Fine, one drink and then you’re going to tell me what the hell you’re doing here or you’re going to leave.” Slipping her holstered gun into the waistband of her yoga pants wasn’t ideal, but it would have to work; she wasn’t about to set it down. She went to her father’s make shift bar on an old wooden cart along the far wall in the living room. “Whiskey, rum, or vodka?”
“Whiskey. A double.” Craig dropped down onto the chair and shook his head. “He didn’t do it. You have to know that.”
“Funny, you’re the second person to tell me that.” Keeping an eye on him, she poured the whiskey. “Is that why you’re here?” She went to him and held out the beverage to him.
“I’m here because…” He took the glass from her and took a deep drink. “Holy fuck, Elise, I was with him. They know…I know…it’s a setup. Fuck, they threatened to take me down with him if I so much as opened my mouth. They pointed a gun to my head…I thought I was going to die.”
“What are you talking about? You were with him when? Who had the gun?” She sat down on the sofa, grateful she’d had enough foresight to bring the whiskey with her. She wasn’t a drinker but she needed it now. Without bothering with a glass, she brought the bottle to her lips and took a long drink, allowing the liquid to burn her throat.
Two people had now come to her, trying to get her to believe Flash was innocent. This set off alarm bells in her thoughts. The stories didn’t seem to line up and if they were lying to protect Flash, they’d need to get their stories straight before they went to the police with them because so far, she wasn’t convinced. They each seemed to give him an alibi but there was no way he could have been in New York and with Craig at the same time. So, what was the truth?
“Flash and I met up outside of Pinewood. We rode back to town together, intending to stop by his place and then hit the bar for a drink. We’d just turned into his drive when Lewis and Chang pulled their guns on us, demanding we dismount and get on the ground. Flash bitched they were just there to cause him more problems but I was in the dark. I’d seen Lewis a few hours earlier and things were fine but in that moment, he looked at me with such hatred.” In one deep swallow, he finished his drink and reached for the bottle to fill his glass again.
“In a minute.” She moved the bottle out of his reach. “I need the rest of the story, and then if you want to polish off all of the liquor in the house, be my guest.
“You believe me? You believe Flash is innocent? What am I saying—you have to believe me. You know he would never do that to you.”
Hadn’t Rocco said almost the same thing? Why was everyone else convinced and why was she so uncertain?
“They have to have evidence or they wouldn’t have arrested him,” she tried to reason but even to her own ears, it didn’t sound convincing.
“He wasn’t in town. Want proof?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet.
The thing was worn around the edges but she recognized it immediately. If she opened it, the corner would have FA & ED etched into it. It had been her present to him for Christmas her senior year. Unable to stop herself, she reached for it and slid her fingers across the smooth leather. Her heart pounded double time in her chest. He still carries it all these years later.
“In the struggle, they dropped it. I don’t think anyone realized it.” He nodded to the wallet. “Open it. There’s a receipt for the toll. He was in New York. Shit, Elise, I watched him come across the bridge; that’s where we’d planned to meet up. Whatever he was there doing, he had to do it alone, but we had planned to go for a ride today, so I tagged along. I drove around some back roads while he was doing his business in the city. He texted me when he was heading back and we linked up again.”
“Did you explain that to Lewis?” Lewis was ambitious and he would take over for her father, but she didn’t want to believe he could have been responsible for her father’s murder. Or that he’d arrest someone to cover whatever happened.
“You’re damn right I did, and he threatened to shoot me if I didn’t keep my mouth shut.” Leaning forward, he snatched the bottle out of her hands. “Our paths separated somewhat. We still catch up for drinks or to ride, but I don’t know what Flash is into now. What I do know is he didn’t do this.”
She opened the wallet and there, staring up at her, was a picture of them. Not the picture she’d adde
d to the wallet before she gave it to him, but one of them weeks before everything had gone to hell. The last picture they’d taken together. He was leaning against the short stone wall that lined the creek with her in front of him, his arms wrapped around her, holding her against his chest, his body arched forward, his head near the crook of her neck. Moments before, he had been kissing along her neck, whispering naughty things in her ear.
“It’s next to the money.” He nodded to the wallet. “What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to get to the bottom of this.”
“You can’t, Elise. Lewis is dangerous.” Sitting the glass on the side table, he rose from the chair with the bottle still in hand. “I don’t know what Flash did to him, but Lewis wants him. Your dad kept him in check. Now…”
She checked the receipt, noting the time, before closing the wallet and setting it aside. “That’s all the more reason. Dad drilled his values into me all my life. I can’t turn my back on this. I have to see it through to the end, no matter the cost. No matter what I find.”
“Alvin wouldn’t want you to do this if the cost was your life.” He paced next to the coffee table, avoiding her gaze. “After today, I wouldn’t put it past Lewis that he’s done it. What if you digging into this costs you your life? Flash’s life? Someone else’s? Are you willing to live with the consequences?”
“And if I do nothing Flash will go to prison for a murder he didn’t commit.” She took the gun out of her waistband and sat it next to her before pulling her legs up onto the sofa and leaning back. “Craig, they want to go for the death penalty.”
“Fuck!” He brought the bottle to his lips and took a long drink.
She didn’t think she could say it better so she stayed quiet and allowed him to drown his pain in the bottle. If she could have done it, she would have, but the more evidence that dropped into her lap, the more she was willing to believe that Flash was innocent. She just needed to prove it. She needed evidence and then she could do something with it.
“Well, I’m not letting you do this alone. Whatever you need, you can count on me.” He sat the bottle down on the coffee table and looked at her. “So, where do we start?”
“I’m going to do what I do best. I’m going to gather the evidence we need. In the meantime, maybe you should stay here. I mean…is there someone at your place waiting for you?”
He let out a light chuckle and shook his head. “Under normal circumstances, I’d think you were coming on to me and, Elise, trust me, that’s truly an honor. You’re a beautiful woman but I also know your heart belongs to Flash. We both might disagree with the choices he’s made in his life, but we still love him. Just in different ways. He’s like a brother to me.” He sat back down and closed his eyes. “To see Lewis attack him while he was handcuffed brought something alive within me that I didn’t know I had. Rage burned inside me. But Chang had me at gunpoint. What was I supposed to do?”
“You’re doing it now.” She went to crouch by his chair and laid her hand over his. “We’re going to fix this.”
“They bloodied him and then hauled him off. Who knows what else is happening to him now.”
“Nothing,” she reassured him. “Rocco was here earlier. Flash has a team of lawyers; they’re working on getting him out. Now I need to do my part. I’m serious—you should stay here tonight. If Lewis finds out you’ve come here, it could mean trouble. Either way, it won’t be long before he finds out and he’s going to come for us.”
“Oh, that’s reassuring.” He looked at her and shook his head. “I hope they don’t let you comfort witnesses in the field ’cause, Elise, I hate to tell you but you suck.”
“Thanks, asshole.” She slapped his hand. “Thankfully I deal very little with witnesses. My skills are in a very different area and fortunately for us, it’s the one we need. Now, if we’re going to get him out, I need to start digging. Make yourself at home and you know where the guest bedroom is. Make sure you tell me if you need anything or if you think of anything else that might be helpful.”
He waited until she was settled back on the sofa with her laptop before he said anything else. “You still love him, don’t you?”
“I…” She stared down at the keyboard as if she had to think about it. In her heart, she knew the answer but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to admit it aloud. Her chest constricted with the horrible accusation that he might be responsible for her father’s murder. Maybe he wasn’t but until she knew for certain, she couldn’t allow herself to go down that road. She needed to keep her feelings for him to herself; otherwise, she’d end up hurt again. What am I thinking? I’m already hurt.
“That’s answer enough.” Craig glanced down at the bottle of whiskey on the coffee table. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.”
“Mind if I finish this?” He reached for the bottle but didn’t bring it to his lips as he waited for her to answer.
“Be my guest. There’s another bottle in Dad’s office.” Hard alcohol always left her with a nasty headache the next morning, but looking at the dark brown liquid she was tempted to give in to it and allow it to carry her away for a few hours. Temptation called to her, teasing her with the idea of forgetting everything for a few hours, but the risk was too great. Instead, she pulled up the internet and took a deep breath. In the next few hours, she would learn the truth and no matter what she found, she knew it was going to kill a piece of herself. Please, let me find what I need.
About the Author
Marissa Dobson is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than sixty books in different genres of romance, including Alaskan Tigers series.
Being the first daughter to an avid reader gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since then she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn’t until she was a teenager that she started exploring writing.
Marissa lives an hour from Washington D.C. with her supportive husband, Thomas—who puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night—and her writing buddy Pup Cameron, a cocker spaniel.
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Also by Marissa Dobson
Alaskan Tigers:
Tiger Time
The Tiger’s Heart
Tigress for Two
Night with a Tiger
Trusting a Tiger
Alaskan Tigers Box Set Volume One
Jinx’s Mate
Two for Protection
Bearing Secrets
Tiger Tracks
Healing the Clan
Alaskan Tigers Box Set Volume Two
Her Black Tiger
Tiger Trouble
Alpha Claimed
Roaring to Change
Forever Creek Shifters:
Forever’s Fight
Protecting Forever
Crimson Hollow:
Romancing the Fox
Loving the Bears
A Lion’s Chance
Swift Move
Purrable Lion
Bearly Alive
Saved by a Lion
Furever Mated Box Set
Stormkin:
Storm Queen
Reaper:
A Touch of Death
Beyond Monogamy:
Theirs to Treasure
SEALed for You:
Ace in the Hole
Explosive Passion
Operation Family
Marine for You:
Lucky Chance
Back from Hell
A Marines Second Chance
Tanner Cycles:
Until Sydney
Phantom Security:
Different Sides
Undercover Agent
Takeover Agent
Blessing Montana:
Smoke
Touch of Home
> Cedar Grove Medical:
Hope’s Toy Chest
Destiny’s Wish
Leena’s Dream
Cedar Grove Medical Box Set
Fate:
Snowy Fate
Sarah’s Fate
Mason’s Fate
As Fate Would Have It
Half Moon Harbor Resort:
Learning to Live
Learning What Love Is
Her Cowboy’s Heart
Half Moon Harbor Resort Volume One
Clearwater:
Winterbloom
Unexpected Forever
Losing to Win
Christmas Countdown
The Surrogate
Clearwater Romance Volume One
Small Town Doctor
Stand Alone:
Road to Kaytlyn
Irish Nights
SEALed Rescue
Past Comes to Light
SEALed Outcome
Starting Over
Secret Valentine
Restoring Love
Road to Kaytlyn Page 9
