“Jade!”
The shout snapped Bryce’s gaze around to the man climbing out of his vehicle.
Jade stopped midsentence and turned. “Captain?”
If Bryce thought he was wound tight before, that was nothing compared to the new layer of tension the man’s arrival added. Frank had listed his name as a possible dirty cop, and Bryce decided his friend had been right to do so.
Captain Colson sure was keeping tabs on things. And, of course, he would to a certain extent, but to Bryce, he was overly interested. Was he worried about what Jade might uncover in her search for Frank’s killer? If that was the case, then it was very possible the man was responsible for all of the attempts on Jade’s life. Was he also responsible for protecting drug dealers who were making and selling their poison? For putting this precious family in danger? He hoped he kept his thoughts hidden from his face, but he didn’t plan to let the man out of his sight for as long as he was in close proximity to Jade. His hold tightened around Mia, and she snuggled closer with a little sigh.
“Captain Colson,” Jade said. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
He raised a brow. “Surprised? I still get out of the office occasionally. I heard the call go out over the radio. I’m glad to see you’re okay.”
“Thanks to my dad and Bryce.”
Bryce shifted Mia to the crook of his left arm and shook the captain’s outstretched hand.
“Looks like someone has it in for you, Hollis,” the captain said.
“No kidding.”
“You know why?”
She went still, then sighed. “I have a couple of theories. I don’t know if they’re even close to being right, though.”
“Care to share?”
“I can do that, but I’d prefer not to do it here.”
“All right. My office sometime tomorrow if you feel up to it?”
“Yes, sir.”
He nodded. “You and your family have someplace to stay? I don’t think it’s safe to remain here. Not with someone so determined to get to you.”
She coughed and took a swig of water from the bottle Bryce had slipped into her hand. “I agree. My aunt lives in Boone. I think they’ll head to her place. My dad’s already been on the phone, getting the horses taken care of. Thankfully, my parents’ home wasn’t damaged, so I plan to stay here.”
“Hopefully, it won’t take them long to finish the investigation, and we’ll know how this fire started.” The captain’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. “Nathan McDonald is on his way.”
“The fire marshal?”
“I gave him a heads-up on my way over here. With everything going on, there’s no way I believe this was an accident.”
“No,” she said. “It wasn’t. My front door was jammed somehow.” She paused. “And there were two mini-explosions.”
Bryce blinked. “Explosions?”
“One in the kitchen and one outside my front door.”
“I can understand the one outside your door, but how would anyone get inside to plant a bomb without being seen?” the captain asked.
“Good question,” Jade said. “Unfortunately, I don’t have a clue. My ladder was missing, too.”
“Ladder?”
“It’s a rope ladder I kept in my closet in case I had to get out from the second floor. Like tonight. I don’t think Mia knew it was there, but it’s possible she could have moved it. She, or one of the twins, but I highly doubt it. Whoever broke into my place must have done it while I was out either last night or today sometime, because I feel sure I would have noticed them. I didn’t see any sign of forced entry when I got home tonight. And my door wasn’t jammed. That came after I went inside for the night. Absolutely nothing triggered any kind of alarm that someone had been in my place.” She shrugged. “I just don’t know.”
“Did anyone find Officer Kane?” Bryce asked.
“Out cold, sir. Found him beside his patrol car with a goose egg on the side of his head and a two-by-four beside him. Paramedics are transporting him to the hospital now. Overheard them say something about a possible fractured skull, but thought he would most likely be okay in time.”
“Unbelievable,” the man muttered. “All right, thanks. Let’s get Mr. and Mrs. Hollis and the kids escorted to wherever they’re going tonight.”
Bryce turned Mia over to Mr. Hollis, then kept an eye on everyone in the vicinity of Jade. “I think you should go with your family,” he told her.
“Not a chance.”
“Jade—”
“I’m not leaving, Bryce. Please don’t try to get me to change my mind.” She shook her head. “I’m more determined than ever to catch the person responsible.” She pointed toward her smoldering home. “What if Mia had been in there? Or what if all three of the kids had? Because sometimes we have slumber parties on my den floor.”
“Jade, you can’t play the what-if game. You’ll just run in circles.” She swiped a stray tear, and his heart thundered with the need to comfort, to reassure her. “This is just a blip in the road. A speed bump. Once this person is caught, everything can return to normal.”
But the child who’d slept so innocently in his arms had Bryce convinced that would be a new normal. The burning question about whether or not Mia was his wouldn’t leave him alone.
“I can’t stand the thought of them in danger. The kids, my family. Any of them.”
Bryce pulled her into a loose embrace and let out a low breath when she didn’t pull away. He rested his cheek on her sooty head. “This can’t go on much longer. Whoever is doing this is getting bolder. Sooner or later, he—or she—will make a mistake.”
She nodded, then stepped out of his embrace and straightened her shoulders. “You’re right about one thing for sure. This can’t go on much longer. It has to end. I’m getting back on top of this investigation, and I’m going to figure out what someone thinks I know—and why that scares them badly enough to want me dead.”
* * *
Thirty minutes later, Jade pressed fingers to her tired, burning eyes. Her parents’ home hadn’t been touched by the blaze, which was a real blessing. Her place, however, was a disaster. Unable to get in for so much as a change of clothing, she dropped her hands from her eyes and riffled her mother’s closet. Thankfully, her mom dressed young for her age and loved jeans and sweatshirts. The jeans would be slightly too big, but a belt would take care of that.
Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, Jade made her way into the den, where she planned to tell Bryce he was Mia’s father. It had to be said. She found him asleep on the couch. A very restless sleep. He tossed one way, muttered something, then turned and lashed out with his hand. Sasha jumped up from her spot in front of the fireplace, but Jade, recognizing the signs, hurried over to him while staying out of reach. “Bryce,” she called softly. “Wake up.”
His muttering ceased, but the frown said he was still dreaming. Sasha moved closer and nudged his thigh.
Jade touched his shoulder and leaped back in case he decided to swing at her. He thrashed, muttered something and kicked out. Sasha hurried to him and nudged her snout into his face.
“Bryce, wake up now.” Jade’s firm tone—in addition to Sasha’s actions—must have penetrated his mind somewhere in the depths of the nightmare, because his eyes opened, and he sat up blinking.
His eyes focused on her for a moment before recognition dawned. “Oh, hey, sorry. I didn’t mean to doze off.” His gaze dropped to the dog, who now sat next to him, hovering over him.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You were dreaming.”
“Yeah.” He scratched the dog’s ears, and Sasha started to visibly relax.
“A nightmare,” Jade pressed. “Do you have them often?”
“It was just a dream, Jade.”
“It was more than a dream.”
“No, i
t wasn’t,” he snapped.
Her heart went cold. “Right.”
Bryce scrubbed a hand over his head. “Sorry, it was just a stupid dream. It’s not important. The big question is, are you all right?”
“I think so.” Physically, anyway. Emotionally, she’d just taken another hit. He obviously had some PTSD issues and refused to admit it. It also looked like Sasha was much more than a well-trained pet. She was a service dog.
Jade took a seat in her dad’s recliner and leaned back. If she thought she could sleep, she’d lift the footrest and close her eyes. Instead, she frowned. “I forgot to ask you what you were doing here so late. I thought you’d gone home.”
“I did, but I couldn’t sleep. My mind wouldn’t shut off and I...” He shrugged and looked away from her. “Sasha was getting disgusted with me for all of my restlessness and was insistent that I do something to alleviate it.”
“Sasha, huh?”
“Actually, yeah. She gets her point across really well without saying a word. Anyway, I thought we could talk. When I pulled up, I heard your dad yelling for you.”
“I’m glad you came back.” She dropped her head and pressed her hands to her cheeks. “I can’t get the sound of those explosions out of my head.”
“I know the feeling. I still hear the sound of the IED that went off and caused me to lose my leg.”
“Is that what you were dreaming about?”
He stiffened, then stood. “I’m going to get some water.”
“I’ll get it.” He wasn’t going to budge on telling her about his dream. “Someone planted those bombs in my house,” she said, “and they had to have some kind of timing device.”
“Because they went off at a specific time. What about a remote detonator?”
“Maybe. ATF will take a look and be able to tell us more.” She paused. “It had to be someone I know, Bryce.” She walked into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator. The open concept allowed her to talk to him at the same time.
“Why’s that?”
“Because the person had access to my home.” She took two water bottles back into the den and handed him one. He’d seated himself once more on the couch. “Someone who wouldn’t be considered a stranger around here—although with as many people as we have coming and going, that’s going to be hard to narrow down. There’s trainers and boarders and riders and feed people, the vet...” She waved a hand. “The list goes on.”
“So it wouldn’t be hard for someone to get on the property disguised as help or whatever.”
“No, not hard.”
Brows furrowed, he nodded and swigged the water. “But to get inside your home, that’s another matter altogether. Do you hide a key anywhere?”
“No. In fact, I hate to admit this, but I rarely lock the door.”
“Why wouldn’t you lock it?”
“Because Mia goes back and forth so much that I just don’t.” She walked to the door that led to the covered walkway and gazed at the burned remains of her home. Sickness twisted inside her. “This is the only way to get to my place from here without going outside. There’s a ground floor door from the garage that leads inside to stairs. If you go up those stairs, you’ll find yourself at my front door.”
“But you keep that locked, right?”
She shrugged. “Most of the time.”
“Seriously? With what you do for a job and you don’t lock your doors? How is that even possible?”
She turned. “Look around, Bryce. We’re in the middle of twenty acres. If someone were to come up the drive, we’d know. And like I said, when someone comes up, it’s usually someone we know.”
“What about when you’re not home? It wouldn’t be too hard to figure out your family’s schedule and check when you’re working. And what about someone sneaking through the woods? You know as well as I do where those woods come out.”
She bit her lip. “The main road that goes into town.”
“Exactly. Someone could park a car...”
“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, too, but we’ve lived out here since this place belonged to my great grandparents. Not once has there been an issue.”
“Times are different now.”
“Boy, are they.” She shook her head, her mind only halfway on the discussion. The other half was trying to decide what to do now about telling Bryce that he was Mia’s father. PTSD and a man in denial. Great. Been there, done that—and she had no intention of revisiting that place.
“Captain Colson was on that list Frank gave me.” Bryce said. “He thought the captain was much too involved in the drug ring investigation.” He paused. “What’s your impression? Do you really think he could be guilty?”
She groaned. “I don’t know. Of course I don’t want to think so, but...” A sigh. “I don’t know what to think about him—or any of the others on that list.”
He studied her. “You need a break.”
“I had a break. I’m still having that break thanks to the person who tried to strangle me and burn down my house. Captain’s orders.” She stuck her bottom lip out. “I feel like I’ve been benched for something I have no control over.” Jade rubbed her eyes. “Can we talk about something else? I think I need some distance before I can come back and try to sort everything out.”
“Sure. Tell me about Mia’s father, then,” Bryce said softly.
Jade jerked. “Why?”
“I’m curious. He must be a great guy for you to fall in love with him.”
She blinked. “He has his good points.”
“Does Mia see him?”
“No.” Jade drew in a steadying breath. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t tell him the truth now, not yet. Not until she figured out exactly where he was in dealing with his PTSD issues. “She doesn’t.” She paused. “I was thinking we should go to Frank’s tomorrow after we talk to Tony Swift.”
Bryce studied her, and she wondered if he’d insist on talking about Mia’s father. After several seconds, he finally gave a short nod. “All right.”
“I know Heather’s there and going over everything, but it’s possible she’s too close to this. Maybe we’ll see something she can’t.”
“I think that sounds reasonable.”
“We’ll call her on the way to the hospital in the morning.”
“She looked bad, Jade. I’m worried about her.”
“I know. I am, too. I’m glad her mother is with her. Maybe Heather’ll talk to us a little more tomorrow.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “She hasn’t said when the funeral is. You think she’s even thought about it?”
“I think she has. I also think she may be avoiding it.” Jade swallowed and looked away. “I’ll call Lisa tomorrow, too. She and Frank were really close. I’ll ask her what the plan is.”
“Good idea. In the meantime, why don’t we get some sleep?”
“You’re staying here?”
“There are four officers surrounding this house and a fire crew just outside making sure nothing sparks another blaze.” He stood and walked over to kneel in front of her—albeit a bit awkwardly with his leg—and take her hand. “Frankly, I wouldn’t care if the entire police force was out there with the national guard. I’m not trusting your safety to anyone else anymore. I’m going to keep you safe, Jade.”
She gaped, then snapped her mouth closed. “But—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “But nothing. Don’t get me wrong. I know you’re capable and fully able to take care of yourself. I have no doubts about that. And this isn’t some caveman thing where I think you need me to protect you. It’s something I want to do. I want to be here.” He paused. “Because while you may not need my protection, I need to give it. I wasn’t there for Frank, but I really want to be here for you.”
Jade swallowed, her heart pounding from the sudden sur
ge of adrenaline. That look in his eyes spoke volumes. Then it was gone, and he was pushing off the arms of the recliner to his feet. She let her gaze stay locked on his, wanting to believe him—and scared to let herself fall for another guy in denial about his PTSD.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Get some sleep, Jade. You’re going to need it.”
“I will. You too.”
“Of course.”
She paused. “I feel horrible that my family is going through this. I can only pray this doesn’t hurt my parents’ chances of adopting the twins.”
“Well, right now, they’re safe, and that’s all that matters. If we can get this cleared up ASAP, then I would think their plans to adopt would be fine.”
“Right. So, let’s figure this out ASAP.”
“See you in the morning, Jade.”
“’Night, Bryce.”
She went into her parents’ bedroom and crawled into their bed. Tears hovered on her lashes and finally spilled over onto the pillow. Please, dear God, let us get to the bottom of this and please, keep my family safe. And give me wisdom about whether or not to tell Bryce about Mia. I know I need to, I just...can’t. Yet. Tell me when, Lord.
ELEVEN
The night had passed without any more trouble, and Bryce had listened as Jade talked to her parents, then each child, before hanging up and calling the hospital to check on Tony Swift. “Still in a coma?” Jade had said. “I thought he was waking up.” Pause. “All right, thanks. Call me if something changes.” She’d hung up and turned to Bryce. “He took a turn for the worse during the night.”
“I gathered. So... Frank’s?”
“Yeah. Frank’s. I still want to know what happened to that laptop.”
Now they were on the way with a police escort. Apparently, the captain wasn’t taking any more chances on someone getting to Jade. Which made Bryce wonder if Captain Colson was really a concerned boss? Or a man who wanted it to look like he was going all out for one of his own?
Holiday Homecoming Secrets Page 12
