Cross Falls Saga - Southern Suspense Box Set

by Mallory Crowe

  Seconds later, he was in the cruiser and backing away from Cross Falls. "Don't worry, Gabrie. As soon as the doctors clear you, you can rest and I'll make sure no one bothers you."

  No one, meaning Jack or Darren. Gabrie let out a sigh and ran the seatbelt strap through her fingers. As eager as Chris was to watch out for her, this wasn't a permanent situation, and she couldn't keep the brothers away forever. She was rather certain she'd illegally evicted Jack, and both men had childhood items in the home that she had no right to keep.

  She glanced over to Chris, who intently watched the highway as he drove. "I'm getting the feeling that not all of this crap is in your job description."

  He shot her a quick look. "My job description is to help people." He set a comforting hand on her bare knee, above the tiny scratches left over from the rough ride she'd had in Drake's trunk.

  She bit back the urge to ask whether touching the people who needed help was also in his job description. Even with the sizzling heat, his warm touch felt good. Was that strange? After so recently having a man's fists and feet slamming into her, should she really be so happy about a hand on her knee? Was there some sort of instruction manual for surviving violent attacks?

  "I do appreciate the help," she said carefully. When the cruiser hit a bump, she used the opportunity to subtly move her leg away from his touch. As much as she enjoyed the comfort, she didn't want to give him any mixed signals.

  "It's no problem at all. As soon as we're done at the hospital, I'm going to look through Drake's past ten years with a fine-toothed comb. If he had something to do with your mom's murder, we'll know soon."

  Gabrie felt the blood rush from her face at the reminder that Drake was somehow involved. "I'm not so sure he's the one who killed her."

  Chris raised a brow. "You think it's just a coincidence that he used railroad spikes? That's not exactly common. Or practical, for that matter."

  "I know," she muttered. And Lord knew she'd been terrified when Drake pounded those spikes into the wooden floor. "But it all seemed too easy." Before Chris could tell her how crazy she sounded, she continued, "I mean, all he had to do was check my pockets and take my pepper spray away. Also, those spikes wouldn't have held. My mom's murderer had them embedded in concrete. This was different."

  Chris nodded slowly as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. "So you really think the Cross boys have something to do with this?"

  Gabrie pursed her lips. That was one of those questions she was really hoping no one would ask. She'd known Darren for a while, and he'd been nothing but the perfect gentleman the entire time they were together. And Jack...

  "I don't know," she said honestly. "When you look into Drake's history, you're going to get my mom's file, right? Maybe I could, um, borrow it for a little bit?"

  Chris stopped the car at the drop-off section of the hospital. "I'm going to put in a request for the file tonight. Are you sure you want to see it?"

  "I'm sure." Gabrie took a steadying breath as she climbed out of the cruiser. It was past time she learned the truth about what happened to her mother, and if the aches in her ribs were any indication, sooner was better than later.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Gabrie checked her phone once more as she stepped into the empty hospital lobby. When she saw that there were no missed calls or texts, she glanced up to the dark sky outside the windows. She'd assumed a hospital in such a small town wouldn't have the same long wait times as the ones in the city.

  But no. Apparently the Hampton Falls hospital was the biggest and best equipped in three counties. Which meant hours of waiting for doctors, nurses, x-rays and, Gabrie's personal favorite, paperwork. After the first forty-five minutes of sitting in an uncomfortable gown doing nothing, she insisted Chris leave to get some actual police work done.

  Six hours later, she was grateful he hadn't stuck around for all the boring waiting. As soon as he got back to the hospital, he'd take her home and she could finally get some sleep. Preferably after a nice long shower.

  Gabrie bit her lip as she stared out at the parking lot. Maybe she shouldn't be relying on Chris so much. What if he did want more than just friendship? He hadn't said anything, but she just wasn't used to people being so generous. Even when Darren offered to let her come to Hampton Falls, he'd expected them to get back together. Of course, so had she, so she couldn't fault his logic there.

  Maybe she could've called Penny. She hardly knew the waitress, but Penny seemed to have fond memories of Gabrie's mom. Actually, if Gabrie was going to be living in Hampton Falls from now on, she really should make friends with someone besides the Cross brothers and the sheriff.

  But as soon as she considered calling Penny, she noticed a familiar figure striding toward the hospital. Jack. Shit. What the hell was he doing here? She glanced over her shoulder, contemplating for the briefest moment whether there was anywhere to hide.

  But then the sliding doors were wide open and Jack frowned at her, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Gabrie?"

  She set a hand on her hip. "Where did you think I would be?"

  He took a few steps closer. His navy blue V-neck t-shirt hugged his body, and his worn jeans hung from his hips in that precise way that had Gabrie imagining how he would look in nothing but the jeans.

  She blinked a few times and tried to look stern. There were reasons she was avoiding him—good ones—even if she couldn't remember them.

  He rubbed the back of his neck and his bicep flexed in a particularly distracting way. "I figured you'd be here. I mean, I came here to see you. I just thought you would be in a room. Not hanging out in the lobby."

  "I'm not hanging out. I'm waiting for Chris to take me home."

  "I'm glad he's been helping you out. Darren and I drove out to where Drake was..."

  Gabrie tightened her lips. She really didn't want to think about Jack and Darren going over to that place. If it weren't a crime scene and on someone else's property, she'd probably burn the place down.

  "And the officers there took our statements. Then Darren dropped me off at Penny's, and I came up here as soon as I got her to lend me her car. They're not even keeping you overnight?"

  She scoffed. "Says the guy who wandered out just hours after a horrible car accident."

  The corner of his mouth tilted. "Yeah, I guess I'm not a huge fan of hospitals either. But I want you to be safe, you know."

  "Trust me, that's what I want too."

  "Is anyone staying with you at Cross Falls tonight?"

  And here was the part of the conversation she didn't want to have. She glanced over his shoulder for any sign of Chris. In a town this small, how long could it really take him to get there? "Tank will be keeping me company tonight." Funny how quickly she went from not liking dogs to being grateful to have one in the house.

  "Gabrie, I really want to talk about what happened today."

  Funny. That was the last thing she wanted to do. "You're a guy, Jack. You're not supposed to want to talk."

  He took another step closer and set a hand on her arm. She really wished she flinched or felt some sort of discomfort. But all she wanted to do was lean into his arms. Damn it. Why didn't she feel like this when Darren touched her? Or Chris?

  When Chris's palm had been on her knee, she liked the contact. The comfort. But with Jack, all she could think about was getting more.

  Determined to fight it, she rolled her shoulder and in the process shook off his fingers. "I don't want to talk to you right now, Jack. I found stalker level pictures of my mother in your family home. Do you have any idea how fucked up that is?"

  "Yes! I have no idea what's going on either. But this is my family, okay? If you want to figure this out, let me help you. I know this town and the people better than anyone. We can work this out together."

  Gabrie took a deep breath and steadied herself for what she was about to say. "Jack, listen. I think you're right. If we worked together, it would be easier. But I can't rule out the possibility that you had some
thing to do with her murder, and until I can, I can't be around you."

  Both of his hands came up and raked through his hair. "I promise I didn't have anything to do with that."

  "Jack, I—"

  His mouth covered hers in a quick brush of his lips. In spite of everything going on in her head, she leaned forward and kissed him back.

  As he pulled away, his palms ran up and down the back of her arms. "You can trust me, Gabrie. I promise."

  She pressed her forehead against his chest, not wanting to look him in the eye. "I need time to sort this out, Jack. If you need me to loan you some money for a place to stay—"

  "I can find a place," he said through clenched teeth, and Gabrie knew she'd hurt his pride.

  Even through her guilt, her bank account let out a sigh of relief. She hated to kick him out, but she needed private access to that attic to really dig around the history of the house and how his family and hers were intertwined.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris's police cruiser pull in and she stepped away from Jack. "So, um, do you know where Darren is staying?"

  Jack glared at Chris as he made his way across the parking lot. "He's probably booking a room at the inn off the highway on the way into town. I'm not sure how long he'll be in town for." As Chris approached the doors, Jack turned back to Gabrie. "The cops might have more questions for us tomorrow, but after that, he might head back to Raleigh."

  Before she could ask how long Jack planned to be in town, Chris entered and gave her a comforting smile before he turned his stern cop face to Jack. "Cross," he said as he moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Gabrie.

  "Sheriff." Jack tilted his head.

  Chris looked between the information desk in the lobby and Jack. "If you're here to visit someone, don't let us keep you."

  "I'm here to see Gabrie. We were actually in the middle of a great conversation."

  Gabrie fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Come on, guys. It's late and I need to go home."

  "I can get you home in no time." Chris placed his arm around her waist and she tried to tell whether he was trying to show off in front of Jack or was sincerely going to help her to the car.

  A quick look to Jack and Gabrie knew he was steaming. "I guess I'll leave you two alone then," he said between clenched teeth. He leaned forward and gave Gabrie a quick, possessive kiss. Before she had time to either kiss him back or pull away, he backed away. "Remember what we talked about. Give me a call whenever you're ready for my help."

  Chris and she both stared as he strode out of the building and to Penny's truck.

  "Was he bothering you?" Chris's arm tightened around her waist.

  Gabrie winced at the shot of pain. "Careful there. Bruised ribs, remember?"

  "Shit, I'm sorry." He loosened his hold. "So you and Jack are..."

  "A thing," she finished for him. If Chris was getting any ideas, she didn't want to give him any false hope. Between Jack and Darren, she had enough man problems on her plate.

  And really there was only one man she was constantly thinking of.

  Chris started to lead her to his car. She had the feeling he probably would've made her walk on her own if it wouldn't have been so awkward to stop touching her the second he found out she wasn't interested in him.

  "Why kick him out then?" he asked.

  "Because I've had a long ass day and I was creeped out!" Gabrie was sick of people, and herself, questioning everything. Her original plan to get back home and dissect everything in Cross Falls had been replaced with an overwhelming desire to sleep.

  "Makes sense to me." Chris held the car door open for her.

  Immediately, she felt guilty for snapping. He really didn't seem agitated that she and Jack were together. He was a cop and it was his job to know what was going on. Hell, maybe he was just a touchy type and he wasn't actually flirting. Good grief, when had her ego become so inflated that she thought every guy was hitting on her? This wasn't the city. Touching and hugging and comfort was a thing here. She just needed to get used to it.

  "I didn't mean to be so grouchy," she said as Chris pulled onto the highway. "It's just been a long day."

  "No need to explain yourself to me," he assured her. "So the doctors weren't worried?"

  "It went okay. No concussion," she said with a pointed "I Told You So" glance to Chris, "and the ribs are bruised but not broken. So I'm heading home with an obscenely expensive bottle of painkillers. You know how doctors are. They were just worried enough to not be sued if something happened later. But really, Drake never hurt me too bad. I'll probably feel worse tomorrow, but the ribs will heal soon enough."

  "I'm glad it wasn't more serious than that," he murmured.

  They drove the rest of the way in silence. The soft rocking of the cruiser only added to Gabrie's desire to curl up in bed. At this rate, she wouldn't even make it to the shower that she so desperately needed.

  Before she knew it, they were in front of Cross Falls and Chris once again opened her door for her. She was really getting spoiled with all this VIP treatment, she thought as she blinked herself awake.

  He held out a hand, and she allowed him to assist her up. "Thanks again for all your help today. I don't know what I would've done without you."

  He shrugged. "It's my job."

  Gabrie glanced up to the night sky. "Well, you apparently work too hard."

  She started to make her way to the porch when Chris continued, "I got the approval for the document transfer today. I should be able to drop off the files tomorrow afternoon for you to look at."

  Gabrie's heart beat faster in her chest. She was finally going to have a chance to see the intricate details of her mother's murder. Even though she'd technically been able to access them for years, she'd never wanted to truly review the horror of what tore her two-person family apart.

  But it was time to find out the truth. She met Chris's eyes. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

  CHAPTER THREE

  Gabrie pulled her truck to a stop in front of the well-kept Traveler's Inn. According to his latest text, Darren was going to be going back to the city today, so it was her last chance to talk to him face-to-face. She grabbed the stack of printouts on the seat next to her and hopped out of the truck.

  The landing only slightly hurt her now healing ribs. Although the bruises looked a hell of a lot worse than the day she'd been at the hospital, the pain had started to fade. It had been seven long days since Drake had dragged her off, and she was finally starting to feel like her normal self.

  As much as she'd tried to hold it together in front of Chris and Jack, the second she made it inside Cross Falls, she'd pretty much checked out from the world. For three days, she didn't set foot outside. Instead, she rummaged through every room, box, drawer, and nook in the place, looking for more pictures or anything that could tell her what Philip felt guilty about or why he left her everything. She kind of hoped there would be a diary or something that would spell everything out in nice, easy to understand bullet points, but no luck.

  Not that she really expected to find a journal. The Cross guys were hardly the journaling types.

  Jack and Darren had both been checking up on her, though they respected her healing enough to stay away. Just the periodic text message here and there. The one time she did venture out of the plantation all week was to do a snatch and grab for food, and she'd been terrified to run into one of the men.

  Not that she was scared of them. Because she knew they would ask whether she was okay or whether she needed anything, and she couldn't stand their kindness at the moment. Not after she'd kicked them out of their childhood home and spent a week digging through their family mementos and private possessions.

  Guilt washed over her at the very thought of the decades-old artwork done by young Jack and Darren. And what had she gained from her week of trudging through boxes and boxes in that attic? Nothing.

  The only box that had anything to do with her or her mother had been right in the
front of the attic. As though Philip wanted easy access or he'd recently looked through it. If he was a killer, it would make sense that he'd want to look through his mementos. Or if he was a guilty man trying to make up for past sins. But Gabrie was becoming more and more convinced that as long as Philip was dead, there was no way for her to get her answers.

  And the police report was...tough. It was one thing to know what was done to her mother. But to read it described in excruciating detail and actually look at the pictures was a whole different kind of painful. It was enough to send her straight back into her cocoon of bed sheets and dog for another twenty-four hours.

  But when Darren texted her that he was leaving today, she knew it was time to crawl out of her self-imposed exile and start to take care of a few things. He'd agreed to meet with her, but if they wanted any privacy, it would have to be before checkout.

  Gabrie clutched the papers tightly against her chest as she walked through the dated but neat lobby of the inn. She nodded a hello at the receptionist as she passed through to the hall and looked for room 115. She could feel the receptionist's eyes on her, but she didn't want to stop to say hello. Not when she was holding the gruesome details of her past.

  The receptionist probably knew who she was by now anyway. Word had to spread fast about the newcomer who'd been worked over by the local drug dealer and kicked the Cross brothers out of their family home.

  The dark floral carpeting led her down the hall with the rooms laid out in numerical order. As she came to 115, she softly knocked on the door, not wanting to bring any more attention to herself than necessary.

  Within seconds, Darren answered. His dark eyes looked her over. "I'm so glad you could make it." He held the door open for her to enter.

  For a brief moment, Gabrie hesitated. Maybe she shouldn't be alone with Darren if she still didn't have all her answers. But then she remembered the grisly documents in her hand and knew they couldn't have this discussion anywhere public.