Jack had known noting of the trust his grandmother had put in place for him. In fact, he’d never even been particularly close to his grandmother. Christian couldn’t help but think of the irony of the entire situation. A person Jack had never been close to had set up a trust for him that had him set to inherit several million dollars. A person Jack had loved with all his heart had figured out a way to steal it all, if she managed to pull it off, and start a new life of her own with Jack’s best friend. And Jack had known nothing of any of it—until this moment.
But Jack remained quiet for a long space of time. He stared down the hallway into the darkness so long that Chris began to wonder about his sanity. Just as he started to say something about leaving, Jack spoke.
“Who inherits the money if I die before my birthday?”
The question startled Christian almost as much as Jack’s icy forthrightness. “James,” he answered. “But now, you can stop it. Go on with your life as a multi-millionaire.”
“How do they plan to do it? To kill me?”
Chris stared at him in the moonlight. “She’ll leave nothing to chance,” he said slowly. “Of course, you know that. She’s a methodical creature.”
Finally, Jack turned to look at him. “I want to know how, exactly.”
“She’s hired some men to break in during the night. She knows you were born just after midnight on November second. The men she’s hired will break in to your home around four or five a.m., the morning of November second—”
“To be certain there’s no problem with the time, of course,” Jack interjected thoughtfully.
Christian nodded. “And they will shoot you as you beg them not to harm your dear wife. Once you’re dead, they’ll untie her, collect their pay, and get a thirty minute head start toward home before Ashley calls the police. Of course, she’ll say it was dark, they blindfolded her, and so on.”
“Tidy.” Jack gazed into the darkness but Chris could see his mind working in the expressions on his face.
Chris’s mouth quirked. “Yes. As always. But of course, none of that will happen now.”
Jack didn’t say anything for a moment. He took a deep, steadying breath, as if he had reached a decision. “Yes, Chris. It is going to happen. Just like she’s planned, up through my death. It’s what comes after that she’ll have no control of.”
****
Jack’s mind was made up. Ashley would inherit his money, but she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. Of course, Christian was quick to point out, neither would he—being dead, and all.
None of it mattered now, except the vengeance.
“You’ll become one of us,” Christian told him as they walked back through the front wall of Zander’s house and down the steps. “You’ll spend eternity in damnation.”
“You sound like a television evangelist.”
“Jack, don’t do this. I came here tonight to help you. To let you see what Ashley was up to—so you could do something about it. I didn’t come so you’d wind up letting her get away with it.”
Jack stopped on the sidewalk and turned to face Christian. “She’s not going to get away with it, Chris. That’s the beauty of it.”
“But you’re going to die so she can collect!”
Jack turned away from the demon’s piercing gaze. “Yes.” He started walking once more, resolutely turning at the corner to head toward his house.
“You’ll feel differently by Wednesday.”
“No. I don’t think so, Chris.”
“I can’t help you once it’s all begun. There’ll be no turning back.”
Jack reached to lay a hand on Chris’s arm. There was no burn, only an unnatural warmth. It was reassuring, somehow. He couldn’t explain why. “Will you be there once I pass over?”
Chris nodded. “I—yes. But I want you to realize what you’re doing, Jack. Ashley’s just a woman. She’ll move on to Zander, and then become bored with him and move on again. You could do so much in your lifetime, if you’d just stop her and keep living. You’d have everything—including the money. You’ll find someone else—”
“No.” Jack shook his head. “I don’t know how I could ever make you understand this, Chris, but Ashley was everything to me. She was my hope for a future, for all the good things in life I thought we’d share together. Zander and I have been friends since grade school. One summer, we took our pocket knives and cut our fingers…blood brothers, we said.” He shrugged. “Now, look at us.”
“It’s nothing you did.”
“No. And maybe—maybe I should’ve done more. Maybe I should have gone with him more often for a beer. Maybe I should have stood up some to Ashley.”
“Jack—Ashley has been like this since way before you ever met her.”
Jack smiled. “Then this will change things. She’ll never do this to another man.”
“You’re willing to die for this?”
Jack shook his head. “Christian, I’m not living any more. I’ve lost everything.”
“You stand to inherit several million dollars in two days!”
“What does it mean if everything I care about is gone? I’m heartsick, Chris. Don’t you understand? I’m giving up nothing—it’s all been ripped away from me.”
Christian stepped back in shock. “I shouldn’t have come to you. It was a mistake.” He lifted a hand quickly and drew a circle in the air.
“What’re you doing?”
“Trying to take away this memory—”
Jack’s smile was sad, wistful. “You can’t. I’ll never forget this. How can I? How can you be certain I won’t remember enough to make me dangerous to myself…and to others?” He moistened his lips, feeling the heat radiating from the demon’s body. “Some things cut so deep they can’t be erased. I’m not sorry you came.”
“But what will you do?”
The odd-colored circle became a ball of mesmerizing colors that flickered and glowed. Jack looked away from it, not allowing his attention to be ensnared.
“I will let it unfold just like you’ve said. But I need to know—once I’m a demon, can I appear to her?”
“If you wish, and with some limitations. You can speak to her, but you can’t harm her. Since she has no conscience, I’m not sure appearing to her will matter,” Chris added dryly.
“Does it hurt…being a demon?”
“Physically? No. Just hurts your heart and conscience, if you ever had one.”
“You did.”
Christian’s eyes narrowed.
Jack went on softly “You did, or you wouldn’t have come to help me tonight.”
“Look what it got me,” Chris said sardonically. “Instead of helping you, you’re letting it all happen.”
“Just be waiting on Wednesday, my friend. I turn thirty, and begin my new life.”
“I wish you’d reconsider. You may feel differently by then. This is something you’ll be living with forever.”
“The darker side of goodness, you called it.” A shaft of moonlight fell across the sidewalk where Jack stood. The ball of light Christian had created had all but vanished now. “This is my version of it, Chris. I need a little guidance and—and a true friend.”
After a moment, Chris nodded. “I’ll be there,” he answered firmly. “Count on me.”
Jack turned toward home. He’d lost everything, but he couldn’t help the new sense of determination that took hold of his heart where only minutes earlier, there had been nothing but hopelessness. He’d lost…but he’d gained a new direction tonight.
Tomorrow, he’d see the attorney. There was a codicil he wanted to be sure he added to the trust papers in person...in case he should die an untimely death. It could be tricky to fix it, but he had faith in the knowledge and clarity of a good attorney’s advice. Ashley would inherit the damn money, but she would never enjoy it. She’d inherit it, all right …with the stipulation that it be spent on the children at the orphan’s home in nearby Jefferson.
The woman who had lied to him, had thrown
away their future, was about to get her hands on a king’s ransom, but only for a few moments. If she hoped to receive a yearly pittance to eke out a paltry existence, the bulk of his fortune was going to be spent on the greatest future of all—children—the “squalling brats” she’d never wanted with him, or anyone else.
Smiling, he hurried down the street, rushing toward his fate—a fate he’d finally seized control of. He had some plans of his own to make—his future awaited.
About the Author
Cheryl was born in Duncan, OK, and grew up in Seminole, OK. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and holds a B.A. in English. Cheryl lives with her husband in Oklahoma City, OK, where she has been for the past 30 years.
Writing is so much a part of her life that recently, she and long-time friend Livia Reasoner, opened a publishing house for western and historical stories.
PRAIRIE ROSE PUBLICATIONS www.prairierosepublications.com furthers the western-themed writing offerings of women.
To learn more about Cheryl and her exciting books, visit her at www.cherylpiersonbooks.com
More Cheryl Pierson
SWEET DANGER When bookseller Lindy Oliver and undercover cop Jesse Nightwalker sit down to share a pastry at the local deli, they're strangers. But as breakfast suddenly becomes a heart-stopping life-or-death ordeal, a stolen kiss changes everything between them.
Escaped convict, Tabor Hardin, blames Nightwalker for his imprisonment. With Lady Luck on his side, the brutal murderer plans to quickly gain a fortune, then make the cop pay with his life – very slowly.
Hardin's gang enters the deli in a hail of bullets, and Jesse shoves Lindy beneath a table to shield her. But as he does, he steals one hot, life-altering kiss that forms an unbreakable bond between them. Now, with someone to live for, survival takes on new meaning for both of them.
Secrets and vengeance are bound to crush any thoughts of a future between them.
Fate provides a glimmer of hope for true love, but can it last in the firestorm of this Sweet Danger? Amazon Links
ALWAYS AND FOREVER At a children's Halloween carnival, a Gypsy fortuneteller predicts a new love for both Cindy and Gage. When the two meet over a poorly carved pumpkin, love flickers to life and the stars begin to align.
But the odds of finding a new love later in life seem insurmountable and the prophecy seems too good to be true. After all, Gage has been burned before and Cindy doesn't believe in fortunes or second chances.
Will doubt overshadow their attraction, or has love already been set in motion? Can the star-crossed pair put their faith in the love that was foretold? Can they believe in each other?
A HEART FOR A HEART Kiera Leslie is all set to welcome Cory Tiger into her home as a foster child. Orphaned and with a learning disability, Cory is looking forward to living with his tutor. Until his uncle shows up...
Sam Tiger returns from military duty to find his deceased brother's son being taken in by a stranger. The boy needs his family—and Sam is it. He never expects the tutor to stand up to him and want to keep Cory. Then the worst happens—he finds himself attracted to Kiera.
It’s Valentine’s Day, and Cupid’s got deadly aim! Amazon Links
FIRE EYES Beaten and wounded by a band of sadistic renegades that rules the borderlands of Indian Territory, U.S. Marshal Kaed Turner understands what the inevitable outcome will be for him: death. But Fate and a war party of Choctaw Indians intervene, delivering him instead to a beautiful angel with the skill to heal him. Jessica Monroe has already lost a husband and a brother to the outlaws who tortured Marshal Turner. As the rugged lawman lies bleeding on her bed, she faces a difficult decision. Can she afford to gamble with her heart one last time? For when Kaed recovers, he is sworn to join the other Territorial Peace Officers in their battle to wipe out the renegade gang once and for all. When vengeance is done, will Kaed keep riding? Or will he return to claim his future with the beautiful woman the Choctaw call "Fire Eyes?" Amazon Link
THE GUNFIGHTER’S GIRL by Cheryl Pierson Men avoid meeting the eyes of Miguel Rivera, El Diablo, (The Devil) for fear of his gun. Upon returning to a town where he once knew a brief happiness, Miguel makes a foolish holiday purchase; two scarlet ribbons which he hides away.
When Catalina, his former lover, allows him to take a room at her boarding house, Miguel discovers a secret. Realizing he needs the scarlet ribbons after all, he is stunned to find them missing. Will a meeting with a mysterious priest, an unusual child, and the miracle of the Scarlet Ribbons set Miguel on a new path? Amazon Link
JASON’S ANGEL by Cheryl Pierson Two wounded Union soldiers will die without proper treatment. Sabrina Patrick realizes they won't get it at the Confederate army hospital where she helps nurse the wounded men. She does the unthinkable and takes them to her home. Jason McCain’s pain is eased by the feel of clean sheets, a soft bed, and a touch that surely must belong to an angel. But what reason could an angel have for bringing him and his brother here? Amazon Link
ONE MAGIC NIGHT by Cheryl Pierson
An Independence Day picnic... Will it prove to be more than a simple celebration? At the Independence Day picnic, Katrina Whitworth meets an interesting, but completely unacceptable man. Even though Shay Logan is a doctor, Katrina’s father would never let her see him socially—Dr. Logan is Indian. Mr. Whitworth plans for his daughter to marry Jack Thompson, an acceptable suitor, and upstanding attorney. When Katrina’s father publicly raises his hand to her, the doctor does the unbelievable—he speaks up for her and protects her. Dr. Shay Logan has returned from medical school to set up a practice he hopes will overcome racial problems, as the town badly needs a doctor. He hasn't counted on this young woman working her way into his heart and life so quickly—or the fact that he would be defending her against first her father, and then, the man she planned to marry. Amazon Link
EVERY GIRL’S DREAM by Cheryl Pierson Forced to leave home, after being shamed, Sheena McTavish is surprised by the kindness of a stranger. Callen Chandler, a U.S. Army scout, is unexpectedly stricken with compassion for the lonely, green-eyed young woman he discovers being sick behind the stage office. After Indians attack the stagecoach carrying Sheena west, an injured Cal and a terrified, but determined, Sheena find themselves thrown together in a struggle for survival. Amazon Link
TIME PLAINS DRIFTER by Cheryl Pierson Trapped in Indian Territory in 1895 by a quirk of nature, high school teacher Jenni Dalton must find a way to get her seven students back to the 21st Century. Handsome U.S. Marshal Rafe d'Angelico seems like the answer to her prayers: he is, after all, an Angel. In a race against time and evil, Rafe has one chance to save Jenni's life and her soul from the Dark One – but can their love survive? Amazon Link
WISHING FOR A COWBOY a holiday western romance anthology. Cowboys, kisses and love in the holiday air make for a special recipe in each of these wonderful new stories. Christmas miracles can happen when you're WISHING FOR A COWBOY! An exciting mix of professional award winning western writers and some terrific new talent can be found in this book. As an extra bonus there are Christmas recipes. Amazon Link
How do you capture a cowboy's heart? HEARTS AND SPURS is a collection of nine stories by some of western romance’s best—just in time for Valentine's Day! Following up their Christmas collection WISHING FOR A COWBOY, these ladies have done it again with new stories of handsome cowboys and the women who captivate them. Features 9 sensual Valentine's Day love stories of the old west. Amazon Link
THE HALF-BREED'S WOMAN by Chery Pierson U.S. Deputy Marshal Jaxson McCall tracks runaway debutante Callie Buchanan from Washington, D.C., into the unforgiving badlands of Indian Territory. But once the sparks fly between them, can he bring himself to take the beautiful young woman in to face an attempted murder charge? Callie's greedy stepfather, a powerful government official, has his own plans for her—a fate much worse than jail. Jaxson must protect her at all costs—even if it means his own death—or losing his heart to “The Half-Breed’s Woman”. Amazon Link
The Darker Side of Goodness Page 3
