“Fuck,” Julian bellowed, spittle flying from his mouth as he looked left and right, then over his shoulder. Eli was coming up the stairs. The heavy beat of his footsteps was music to her ears.
She called out Eli’s name at the top of her lungs only to find herself dumped on the landing, practically thrown against the wall by a furious Julian. He looked over the railing to where Eli was barreling up the staircase, and then he grabbed Charlie, pressing the gun to her temple, the metal cold against her clammy skin.
Her body immediately stiffened, trying to stay as motionless as possible. She had no idea what might set him off. She didn’t even dare take a breath.
“Don’t come any closer,” Julian yelled, pulling her tighter against him. “I’ll shoot. I’ll do it.”
She could see Eli out of the corner of her eye, standing there with his hands out in a stop motion.
“Relax, man. We can talk this out.”
“No, don’t come any closer. I’ll do it. I’ll pull the trigger.”
Despite her racing heart, Charlie’s brain was working overtime to figure out how to get free. Julian’s grip was as tight now as it had been when he’d first grabbed her by the elevator. He should be getting tired. She could hear his labored breathing, feel the tension in his fingers that clung to her desperately.
“You let me go and I won’t shoot,” Julian said. “I’ll let her go once I’m safe.”
Right. She didn’t believe that for a second.
Apparently, Eli didn’t either.
“Let her go and I’ll stand aside. I don’t care about bringing you in. I only care that Charlie is safe. I’m not a cop. I can’t arrest you.”
Julian didn’t sound like he was buying what Eli was selling.
“No, you leave the building and I’ll come down. She stays with me until I’m safe.”
It was officially a stand-off. Neither one was planning to budge.
Eli tentatively took a step toward them only to have Julian take a step backward in response.
“Don’t come near me. I’ll pull the trigger,” Julian warned.
The cold metal of the muzzle was pressed to her temple. If he shot her, she’d be dead. Point blank range? She’d be six feet under, no question about it. All those years of friendship and he’d kill her in cold blood right here in the stairwell.
“I know that you killed Kendra,” Eli said. “I know that she found out about you and Sofie. She was going to tell on you, wasn’t she? That’s why you killed her.”
“She didn’t understand,” Julian growled, his hold tightening. “She would have blown up my whole life.”
“Did Thom figure it out too?” Eli asked. “Or was he just handy to blame it on? The autopsy is going to show that it wasn’t a suicide, Julian. They’ll know that you killed him.”
Sofie and Julian? She’d been a child. Barely fourteen.
Now Julian had teenage interns. It turned Charlie’s stomach as the realization dawned as to what Julian was trying to hide. Had been hiding all these years while getting plaques on his wall for abusing young girls.
“Sofie was thirteen,” Eli said. “That’s rape.”
“No, it wasn’t.” Julian shook head, and his grip had lessened slightly. “She wanted it. She was in love with me. She wanted it.”
“A thirteen-year-old girl cannot consent with a twenty-five-year-old man,” Eli said, taking another step forward. This time Julian didn’t take a step back. “How many have there been? A dozen? More? When we bring them in and ask them questions, what will they say?”
“They wanted it,” Julian screamed as if he was in excruciating pain. “They came on to me. Me. Do you hear me? They wanted me.”
It was then that his hand slipped off of her arm, and she didn’t hesitate for a second. Ripping herself from his grip, she frantically crawled away as fast as she could. Julian lunged toward her but a body from above them landed on him, sending him sprawling on the stairs, howling and cursing. The gun skidded out of his hand and fell down the steps with a loud clatter.
Eli reached her in seconds, his hands running over her arms and legs, looking for injuries.
“I’m okay,” she said, pushing at his chest. “Don’t let him get away.”
“Jackson’s got him.”
Jackson? He’d been the one to jump down and was currently slapping a pair of cuffs on Julian.
“How did you know?”
“We heard you scream when we were in the lobby,” Eli said, helping her to stand on shaky legs although he kept his arms wrapped around her. She didn’t protest. “I sent Jackson up in the elevator so he could come in from behind while I came up the stairwell.”
That wasn’t exactly what she’d been asking but that information was good to know.
“I meant…how did you know about Julian?”
Eli smiled, pulling her closer so she could feel his heartbeat under her palms. He was solid and steady, and she allowed herself to lean against him, absorbing some of that strength.
“Sofie finally returned my call. She said that she’d told Kendra about her relationship with Julian. I’m guessing that with her background of sexual abuse, she was livid. She was going to see him and confront him. That’s probably when he killed her. He wanted to cover up what he’d done.”
“And Thom?”
“I don’t know about Thom. That’s a question for Julian.” Eli pressed a kiss to her temple, just where the gun had been pointed. “I think we need to get you out of here. The police should be on their way. We called them when I heard you scream.”
“What happens now?”
“We go home, honey. Our part in this is over.”
Home. It sounded like just the place she wanted to be.
With Eli.
Six months later…
* * *
Dana, Charlie, and Eli carried the last boxes across the hall and dumped them on the floor of his condo. It was amazing how much work it was to move even if it was only a few feet.
“I think that’s it,” Eli said with a groan, rubbing his back. He’d taken on the heaviest items along with a few of his friends who were already working on putting Charlie’s office furniture together in the spare room. “How about I order some pizza? Isn’t that the universal thank you when friends help you move?”
“I want cheese in the crust,” Dana replied with a laugh. “And breadsticks. With dipping sauces.”
“I’m on it,” Eli vowed, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I’ll go see what the other guys want.”
He disappeared down the hallway, leaving Charlie and Dana by themselves.
“How about a cool drink?” Charlie offered. “I know it’s not hot outside but I’m sweating.”
“Sounds good.” Dana made a show of fanning herself. “I have a little glow on myself.”
Charlie popped open two sodas, pouring them into glasses before handing one to Dana. Her friend raised her glass in the air.
“We need to toast. This is a big occasion. Here’s to Charlie and Eli. I’ve never seen a more beautiful couple or two people who deserved love and happiness more than they do.”
Charlie clinked glasses with her friend, her throat clogged with emotion. She’d finally come to the point in her life where she did feel like she deserved to be happy. Eli was there, too. Then they’d found each other.
It was…magical. Having a partner like Eli that she could count on no matter what. It sounded sort of icky and sappy but he was the one she’d been looking and waiting for. He was her person, and she was his. They belonged together. There hadn’t been some major declaration or fireworks in the sky. It had been more of a subtle thing, creeping up on both of them when they weren’t paying attention. It was a passion and a tenderness in her heart that she’d never felt before. It was a sureness when falling asleep next to him, and then waking up seeing his face first thing. It was more than she’d ever imagined it could be, although getting here hadn’t been without its ups and down.
To sum it all up,
Charlie had never been happier.
“Don’t even think about it,” Dana said, shaking her head. “Don’t let those thoughts dampen what’s supposed to be a fantastic day. You and Eli are moving in together. We’re supposed to be celebrating that.”
There was more to celebrate, although no one but Charlie and Eli knew about it. Last night as they’d packed her dishes and utensils, Eli had gone down on one knee and asked her to marry him. It had been a surprise, but not a surprise. They’d been talking about taking that next step, especially as they were moving in together. They’d decided that they wanted to get married, but they hadn’t gone much further than that. They weren’t in a hurry or anything. Heck, there wasn’t even an engagement ring yet. Eli wanted her to have a say in it so they’d eventually go shopping. Right now, she was just enjoying the present.
“I am celebrating,” Charlie said, taking another sip of her soda. “I was just thinking that the trial starts next week.”
Julian’s trial. He had a crackerjack of a criminal attorney, one of his friends from law school. The guy had an impressive record of acquittals, and he seemed confident that Julian would be found not guilty.
His defense for Kendra’s murder was that she threatened to tell the world about him and Sofie. He was still swearing up and down that Sofie had come on to him. That she was the aggressor, and he was simply the poor male who couldn’t help himself when it came to a seductive teenager. Sadly, some people were buying that story.
His statement admitted that he and Kendra had argued that day, yelling at one another. But she’d left his office alive. Eli’s call to the therapist had confirmed that Kendra had been sexually abused by a trusted adult at the boarding school. She’d even called the therapist about Julian and Sofie, telling the psychologist that she wanted to confront him about his abuse of a minor.
As for Thom’s death, Julian swore that it was truly a suicide, although the coroner had found sleeping pills in Thom’s blood stream. The same pills that Julian’s wife had a prescription for. Julian was still pointing the finger at Thom, hoping for reasonable doubt at the trial. The attorney had already told the press about Kendra and Thom’s sexual relationship, even dragging in the ex-girlfriend and Cagney. It made for quite lurid headlines locally.
Julian, however, had other problems that were complicating his murder case. Several of the young women he’d “mentored” over the years had come forward with sexual allegations. Sofie had come forward with her story as well. Julian’s standing in the community was ruined, just as he’d predicted it would be.
“What do you think really happened?” Dana said, falling back onto the couch cushions. “We’ll never get the real story from Julian.”
Charlie had given that question quite a bit of thought over the last six months. Too much thought, to be honest.
“I think he has told the true story. Sort of. He’s just used Thom’s name instead of his own. I think Kendra confronted him that day and they argued. Then something happened. Either they fought physically and there was an accident, or he decided in cold blood to hit and kill her. Either way, afterward I think he panicked and dumped her body in the country and my car at the mall. Then he played it off as if he knew nothing. For a long time, it worked, too. As for Thom, I think he was a scapegoat. I don’t believe he killed Kendra.”
“Blaming Thom is so handy for Julian,” Dana replied with a grimace. “His lawyer is slimy as fuck, too. Do you think he might actually get Julian off? Could he really go free?”
Eli had come back into the living room in time to hear the question.
“It’s a possibility,” Eli said. “But I think the DNA is finally going to do its job. If it matches Julian, I think it’s game over, although he’ll try to explain it away by admitting that he did see her that day. We don’t know how a jury will feel about it. But in the meantime, he has massive legal troubles. They have Julian on several doorbell cameras at Thom’s house the morning of his death, and also on camera at the rental house just minutes before the fire started. Plus all the young women coming forward…let’s just say he has a lot to worry about.”
“Are you ready to testify?” Dana asked Charlie.
“I think so. I’ll just tell the truth.”
“And the whole time Julian will be staring at you,” Dana replied with a shudder. “He won’t make it easy.”
Charlie glanced over at Eli. “I’ll have someone in the audience to look at besides Julian. I won’t let him shake me.”
A smug smile on her face, Dana followed Charlie’s gaze. “Yes, I can see that. Good for you.”
Eli’s friends began filtering into the living room, grabbing cold drinks and chatting. Talking about their upcoming week and the cases they were working on. Charlie was beginning to get used to hearing about dead bodies and stalkers. She wasn’t even fazed anymore.
She and Dana began working on the kitchen while they waited for the pizza. Since Eli was the major cook in their relationship, she didn’t have much. They’d kept all of his pots and pans, but they’d decided to use her dishes and flatware.
“Those are some handsome men out there,” Dana observed, elbowing Charlie as she slid a stack of plates into the cabinet. “Of course, your man is the best-looking.”
Charlie just smiled serenely. “Yes, he is.”
“Kendra would be proud of you.”
Tears pricked at the backs of Charlie’s eyes, and her throat tightened. “I hope so.”
“I know so. She was all about grabbing life by the balls and acting like it’s your last day on earth. We could all take a few lessons from her.”
Was Kendra resting in peace now? Charlie hoped so with all of her heart. Her best friend deserved it. She hadn’t deserved for her story to end so soon.
Her gaze traveled to the man that had made such a difference in her life. Eli was laughing and talking with his friends, but he seemed to feel her attention. His head turned and he looked straight at her, smiling as he did so. There was love and promise in his expression. A promise of a future together. She’d never take that for granted.
Thank you, Kendra. For bringing him into my life. And for making the lights go out that first night. You knew just what I needed.
Charlie was sure that Kendra was smiling down on them.
* * *
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed Cruel Grace. There will be more stories in the Cowboy Justice Association: Serials and Stalkers series.
Coming soon!
About the Author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
* * *
Olivia Jaymes is a wife, mother, lover of sexy romance and cozy mysteries, and caffeine addict. She lives with her husband, son, and two spoiled dogs in central Florida and spends her days typing on her computer with a canine on her lap.
* * *
She is currently working on a new cozy mystery series – A Ravenmist Whodunit - in addition to her other ongoing romance series.
* * *
Visit Olivia Jaymes at
www.OliviaJaymes.com
Cruel Grace: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 5) Page 21
