Hear No Evil (Brotherhood Trilogy Book 3)

by Jordan Ford

  There’s a dead body on the ground behind me. Lucca Sorrentino is sitting in the back of the sheriff’s truck, staring out the window at his wife and daughter. They’re crying on each other’s shoulders.

  Kade has his arms around Jules and the baby. They’re standing on the porch, surveying the scene with dazed expressions. Trey stands helplessly near his girlfriend, waiting to step in and comfort her.

  I catch his eye and we share a look that says the same thing—what do we do now?

  The whole world is open to us. Our biggest threats have been eliminated.

  Except Antonio Mossa, but Kurt has already assured me that an extra police unit is coming in to hunt the guy down.

  All that’s left to do is head back into town and win Caity back.

  Kurt’s deputy crouches down by Marco’s covered body. He arrived about ten minutes ago and has been on the phone the entire time. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but his expression is grim.

  Shoes crunch on gravel as Kurt approaches me and speaks loud enough so everyone can hear.

  “I’ve spoken to a Detective Nosh. He’s already on his way up and will be dealing with the investigation. I’m going to take Mr. Sorrentino back to the station. I’ve arranged for transport to come up and collect you guys. There’s a motel in town that can accommodate you.”

  “When can we come back?” Jules looks over her shoulder and into the living room. “This is our home.”

  The sheriff eyes her carefully before softly answering, “I understand that, but this property is currently a crime scene. Plus we’ve got the threat against your life to consider. Until Mr. Mossa is in custody, statements have been taken from each of you, and the crime scene is cleared, this property is a no-go zone.”

  Jules’s eyes fill with tears but she nods. “Okay. Thank you, Sheriff.”

  He gives her a kind smile. “Gather whatever you need—essentials only. You have about fifteen minutes before the van arrives.”

  The sheriff turns to leave, but I snatch his sleeve before he can get too far. “Can I come with you?”

  “What?”

  “I need to get into town.”

  The sheriff’s eyes narrow and I look to the ground, shame flooding me. “I said something to Caity. I…” With a heavy sigh, I look up and face whatever I have to. “I need to apologize. I have to see her. Please.”

  He studies me for a painfully long beat before his lips twitch. “I should make you wait.”

  “Yeah, probably.” I put on my pleading eyes, hoping they’re bright enough.

  Closing his eyes, he lets out a huff and flicks his finger towards his truck. “If she didn’t like you so much it’d be an outright no, so get in before I change my mind.”

  I can’t help a short smile at Kurt’s admission of what he’s observed between Caity and me. A sharp thrill spins through me.

  Turning back to the cabin, I wave at Trey. “Heading down to see Caitlin. Can you grab some stuff for me? I’ll meet you in town.”

  Trey gives me a reluctant nod and disappears inside.

  I slip into the passenger side and am grateful for the heavy grill between Lucca and myself. Knowing he killed my mom should make me wild with rage, but all I can tell myself is that it’s over. Justice will be served, and going ape shit on the guy is only going to damage what I want to achieve.

  Justice.

  After all these years.

  Finally. Justice.

  For all my parents.

  The thought calms me, settles into my chest with a liberating effect that helps me breathe a little easier. I can’t wait to tell Caity.

  Kurt doesn’t say anything as we head down the hill. We bump and sway down the driveway. I keep my eyes forward, my jaw clenched.

  It’s a quiet trip to Legacy and I don’t mind it so much. Even though the silence is heavy and slightly awkward, I let it ride until we drive past my upside-down car.

  Kurt points out the window. “Biggest fright of my life.”

  I glance at him. “What?”

  “Thought Caity might be in that thing. Her truck was still at the station when I left. I assumed she’d gone with you.”

  I give him a pained smile and shake my head, trying to ward off the image of her crestfallen expression before she ran away from me.

  “That girl drives me crazy, but she’s family, you know. Don’t think Al would ever get over it if something happened to his girl.”

  I close my eyes and mumble, “Thank God she wasn’t with me.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Back in town.” I look down at my hands. They’re shaking. I make two fists. Damn, I hope she wants to see me. That look on her face as she ran away. Will she even give me a chance to take back all the dumb stuff I said…or at least explain it?

  Telling her to go was the right thing to do. She didn’t deserve to be caught up in this shit. I wanted to protect her.

  It’s an overpowering throb in my chest. I can’t even describe.

  I want Caity to be safe and happy. To have everything she deserves.

  I’ll need to make sure I protect her throughout this whole investigation. Knowing her, she’ll want to become part of it. She’ll jump up to testify against Antonio. She’ll do anything to help us out.

  “So, an Agent Rybeck called my office after he spoke with you.”

  Kurt’s distraction fires Caity to the back of my mind and I whip around to look at the sheriff.

  “He sent a lightning bolt right though me. I was about to give up looking for that black SUV until he told me who he was. Made me realize your story wasn’t complete horseshit.” His lips purse to the side and he glances at me. “Glad I listened to him.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper. “You saved my life.”

  “Nearly didn’t.” He wipes his mouth, his fingers still a little shaky. “Anyway, Agent Rybeck’s on his way. I’m to hold Mr. Sorrentino until he arrives. FBI want in on this too. Hopefully Detective Nosh won’t mind.”

  I snicker and shake my head. “I don’t give a shit who puts this guy in prison. Just as long as someone does.” Glancing over my shoulder, I glare at my mother’s killer.

  He won’t look at me, but his jaw clenches at my words. I wonder what’s going through that brain of his. The anger on his face is obvious, but there’s a flicker of remorse in the background.

  It’s weird. I can’t imagine Marco being like that. Out of the brothers, Lucca has the bigger soul…he just can’t control it. Thoughtless emotion has always been his greatest enemy.

  Long-buried grudges are what ended him. It made him kill his sister, beat his wife, threaten his daughter. Hell, he tried to kill himself.

  What kind of life is that?

  I rub my stomach, willing myself to take a lesson from it. There’s no way I’m going to turn into a bitter old man who can’t let go.

  I’m not saying it’ll be easy to forgive the guy for what he did, but I have to get there one day. I can’t be owned by this shit anymore. I’m done.

  Scrubbing a hand down my face, I watch the dark trees zip by and realize I probably couldn’t think that at all if it wasn’t for my family. I lost everything, but life gave it all back.

  I’ll never stop missing my mom, dad…Uncle Rafe.

  But my brothers fill that hole. Ana, Jules, Ellie…Caitlin. They make my life rich. As long as no one hurts them again I think I’m gonna do just fine.

  A smile tugs at my lips and I let it rise as the main street of Legacy gets that much closer.

  I start formulating my speech for Caity. I can’t go in there with bullshit. She’ll see right through it. Probably best to start with an apology. Or maybe she’ll want an explanation first. Hell, maybe I should kick things off with how much she means to me.

  I blink, trying to come up with the best words for it.

  “I love you” just seems too cheesy somehow.

  We’ve only kissed a couple of times, and those were so highly charged by outside stuff that I’m not sure they even c
ount.

  I want to kiss her again—over and over. I want to experience every kind of kiss you can have from the short peck on the lips to the long-winded make out sessions where I lose track of everything but the feel of her body. I want to kiss her nose, her cheeks, her eyelids. I’m hungry to explore every inch of her until our kisses and touches are the most natural thing in the world.

  I want to hold her hand, call her my girlfriend.

  Does that mean I love her?

  My eyebrows dip together and I gaze out the window, nerves attacking me from all sides.

  Pulling into the parking space, Kurt kills the engine and turns off the headlights. The interior light illuminates the cab as his door pops open.

  I take one more look at Lucca. He glances up and we stare at one another. His upper lips curls, his glazed eyes fiery, but then I see that flicker of pain again.

  Mariella was right. He’s going to die an old, miserable man.

  Kurt hauls him out of the truck and walks for the station.

  Pulling in a breath, I hold it for a second before leaning my head back against the headrest. For some weird reason I feel like crying.

  It’s over.

  Marco’s dead.

  Lucca’s in custody.

  For so long, that’s all I’ve wanted. My murdered family has been avenged.

  I can’t believe how exhausted I am.

  The thought that the second I see Caity, I might just start blubbering like a baby slows me down. Resting my hand on the door, I wait another minute until my heart has regulated again and I can slip out of the car.

  I shut the door behind me and shove my hands in my jacket pockets.

  And that’s when I notice Mr. Powell’s truck still parked where Caity left it. When Kurt mentioned it before, I figured Caity was still out hiking, blowing off steam. I expected it to be gone by the time we got back to the station. It’s getting dark.

  I tip my head in confusion but don’t have time to figure it out.

  “Hey!”

  I glance up at the angry bellow just fired at me from the stairs.

  Albert Powell storms towards me, his wife only two steps behind. She’s been crying. Her face is pale with stress. The big guy, on the other hand, is radiating the kind of anger you run from.

  I force my legs to stay put. If I’m going to make amends with Caity, I need to get in good with her dad. “Is everything okay?”

  “Where is she?” Gripping my collar, he slams me against the hood of his truck.

  “Al, be careful!”

  I wince as pain radiates up my spine, but I don’t have a chance to respond before he’s yelling at me again.

  “What have you done with my daughter?”

  A rock plummets through me, scraping my insides with a painful reality check. All I can manage is a soft whisper. “What?”

  “Caitlin! Where is she?”

  I blink, my brain trying to power through the tidal wave of emotion. “She—”

  “Don’t even think about lying to me,” he growls. “I’ve had enough of that for one day.”

  Tia gives him a pained look, her eyes filling with watery remorse. Turning to me, she rubs her forehead and explains in a trembling voice, “She was due back hours ago. It’s really unlike her to be late. Al’s been worried sick. When he told me she’d gone up to the cabin, I had to explain.”

  Mr. Powell huffs and shakes his head. The lies have wounded him and it’s only fueling his wild desperation.

  “My truck’s here, but she’s not.” His spittle hits my cheek. “Kurt said you guys came into the station and then left. Which makes you the last person to see her. So where the HELL IS SHE?”

  I puff and struggle to answer him.

  Caity.

  I told her not to come. She ran.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I stare into the dark woods across the road.

  “But, she…” I wrestle free of his grasp, thrashing against him until he lets me go. “She…she ran into the woods! But…but she knows this place better than anyone!”

  “Exactly,” Al grits out. “Which means she should be back by now.”

  This weird kind of sound punches out of me, a half-sob, half-cry of agony.

  Mr. Powell lets me go, stepping back as I bend forward and gasp for air. “We’ve got to find her! We’ve got to go.”

  I stumble to the edge of the road.

  He and Tia stare at me like I’m having some kind of mental breakdown.

  “Let’s go!” I roar, thumping the back of his truck.

  Caitlin’s dad flinches and looks to Tia.

  “I’ll go check in with Kurt,” she says. “See if we can’t round up a search party.”

  “It’s getting dark.” His voice is husky with fear.

  “Then we better move fast.” Rising to her tiptoes, Tia kisses her husband on the lips. “Be safe. And bring our Caity home.”

  His face bunches as he touches his wife’s cheek, then sniffs and heads to the back of his truck. Rustling around in the back, he pulls out a couple of powerful flashlights.

  Tia races into her brother’s office as Mr. Powell hands me the light.

  “Which way?” he growls.

  I point across the road to where she ran.

  I drove her away.

  Shit! What the hell was I thinking?

  I wanted to protect her, not…

  Fisting my hair, I indulge in one more gasp of terror before switching into logic mode.

  That’s all Caity needs from me right now.

  Logic.

  Solution.

  There’s only one reason Caity wouldn’t return.

  She knows these woods better than anyone. She couldn’t get lost.

  Which means she must be hurt.

  Calculations fire through my brain as I try to work out how fast she might run, how far she could get, which route she may have taken.

  “Shit,” Al mutters. “There’s not even a trail. Tracking her in the dark is going to be damn hard.”

  “Hopefully she hasn’t gotten too far.” I ignore his thunder glare and flick on the flashlight, pointing it into the forest. The beam is bright and useful. It keeps me breathing. Calm.

  I’m fighting for control on this one.

  Usually I have to be strong for my brothers, but this time it’s my crisis. I’m close to the edge, and staying composed will be the only way to find Caity.

  Our boots are loud in the quiet darkness.

  I shine the beam through the thick tree trunks and start shouting, “Caity!”

  “Caitlin!” Mr. Powell hollers. His voice is like a freaking boom box.

  Good. We’re going to need it.

  Shining my flashlight on the ground, I highlight the undergrowth and study the different indentations.

  “That way.” Mr. Powell points ahead of me and charges forward.

  I jump back before he stands on my feet, then run to catch up with him.

  He’s going to frickin’ hate me for life now.

  Shit, if we don’t find Caity alive and well…I’m going to hate me.

  Alive and well.

  “Please,” I whisper under my breath. “Please be alive and well.”

  #37:

  When All Else Fails…Sing.

  Caitlin

  The stars look amazing from up here. My unimpeded view is breathtaking. If I were on this ledge for any other reason, I’d be marveling at the greatness of it all.

  But I’m not.

  I stare at those twinkling wonders until my vision glazes over.

  Pain.

  That’s a fresh word right now.

  My body is throbbing with it, exhaustion creeping in. My brain is telling me to sleep.

  Every now and then my eyelids droop. My limbs are fooled into relaxing until my instincts start screaming You’ll fall! You’ll fall!

  I snap awake, my eyes bulging wide as waves of fear and waning adrenaline pulse through me.

  Breaths punch from my tight chest, shallow and
rickety.

  Antonio’s faint cry haunts me.

  My imagination has painted numerous pictures of his body splayed on the rocks below. Their clarity is brutal, but maybe it’s keeping me alive.

  I don’t want to die that way.

  I’d rather freeze here on this rock, gazing out at these marvelous stars.

  Freeze, or maybe die from dehydration.

  I still can’t decide if it’s a miracle that this hardened rock caught me, broke me, kept me alive.

  Or is it a torture because as each hour ticks by, I’m one more hour closer to death?

  I don’t want to die.

  I want to see my family again.

  I want to graduate. Go to college.

  And then maybe, one day, if I get especially lucky…I’ll find Riley again.

  He’ll walk back into my life and want to make something happen.

  My snicker is brittle and harsh. “You’re a dreamer, Caitlin Powell. Always have been.”

  It’s impossible not to mock my romantic sensibilities.

  I’ve always been after the adventure, trying to make my lonely life more exciting.

  And look where it’s gotten me.

  “You’ll never get to write that book,” I murmur.

  All those pages of notes and short stories gone to waste. Will Dad and Tia go through my room? Will they find the files on my computer? Will someone else take my plans and turn them into something great?

  “No!” I shout, my voice bouncing back to me as it hits the rocks to my left.

  I stare at them through the darkness, my lips slowly parting.

  The way the moonlight’s hitting them shows off their shape. They jut in and out, a craggy outline in the darkness.

  “That cliff face almost looks climbable,” I murmur, my eyelids drooping.

  And then I hear what I said.

  My eyes snap back open. The air in my lungs freezes for a second as my fighting voice finally breeches the walls of self-pity.

  Stand up and look behind you!

  Figure it out!

  Fight!

  “But my arm’s broken.”

  You’re going to use that as an excuse?

  You’re stronger than this.

  Now get your ass up!

  “I might fall.”

  If you don’t do something, you are going to die a slow death on this ledge.