Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1)

by Lauryn Michaels

  She took another long breath, desperate to keep her feet on the ground. “Would you tell me what reasons you couldʼve had to get rid of Carrie? Why would the police suspect you, besides the fact that you had an appointment with her around the same time she might have been killed?”

  “Theyʼll find all the reasons they want, Sara. For one, Brent knows about the file, since he was with us at the restaurant when we talked about it. Heʼll probably think I didnʼt want Carrie to show it to him tomorrow or something.”

  “But it makes no sense!” Panic rang in her own ears as she clung to his arm. “Had this just been about that darn file, why would you have waited until the night of the appointment to steal it?”

  Jack didnʼt answer, but his eyes went softer as he raised a hand and stroked her cheek with his knuckles.

  “No!” she protested, pushing his hand away. “Donʼt distract me, Iʼm trying to think. First, we need to call Brent. We have to explain―”

  He pressed his fingers to her lips. “Itʼs too late, babe. No matter what you can and want to do tonight, nothingʼs going to change what happened. Thereʼs nothing we can do right now, not until I get my memory back and have a better understanding of this whole mess.”

  Sara swallowed hard. “I wonʼt let you go back to jail, Jack. I just wonʼt.”

  Desperation broke her voice, and he gave her another long, silent look. Then he sighed. “Letʼs go to bed. Itʼs late, Iʼm exhausted, and I donʼt want to think about this anymore.”

  “But—”

  “All I want to think about right now is us.”

  “But Jack—”

  He cupped her face with both hands and tilted her head back to brush her lips with his. “Please. I donʼt want to think about it anymore. Not tonight.”

  Sara stared into his pleading eyes and knew she was lost. “Fine,” she conceded—and knew that it was the right decision when Jack rewarded her with that sexy, dimpled smile of his.

  “Thatʼs my girl,” he whispered, leaning into her.

  ***

  It was almost noon when the Starville police cruiser pulled up Saraʼs driveway. Brent and Nicky were the first ones to get out. From their dark faces, Sara realized that what Jack had been trying to tell her the night before was true: they had really come to take him away.

  A gasp of dismay broke from her lips. This couldnʼt be happening!

  Jack gave her hand a silent squeeze before he walked down the porch steps to meet the officers. Brent and Nicky didnʼt even have time to utter a sound before the sheriff moved forward and stopped right in front of him.

  “Jack Turner, youʼre under arrest for the murder of Caroline Ward,” he announced with unconcealed satisfaction. “Turn around and put both hands on the car.”

  Without a word, Jack slowly obeyed and leaned against the police vehicle. Brent clenched his fists impotently as Lacrod patted him with sure, smooth movements. Saraʼs incredulous gaze kept shifting from Jack to him and Nicky, staring at them as if they were the most horrible creatures sheʼd ever seen.

  Nicky ran up the porch and stopped beside her. “Honey,” she muttered―but she took a step backward. An instant later, the metal click of the handcuffs resounded like a bomb in the quiet driveway.

  “You have the right to remain silent,” Max started, but his words sounded muffled in Saraʼs ears, drowned out by the deafening pounding of her heart.

  As desperate as she felt to say or do something, she found herself unable to move or speak as she stared at Jack. He stood quiet and rigid against the police car, and her breath choked in her throat when he slowly turned his head to look at her. Gosh, sheʼd never seen him like this before. His eyes were so cold, so distant, so emotionless.

  Her head started spinning. Her knees buckled, and she had to hold on to the porch railing for support.

  “You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you,” the sheriff finished reciting. “Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?”

  Jack nodded. “I do.”

  “Good.” Lacrodʼs satisfied grin widened. “Take him away, Hayden.”

  Brent and Nicky reluctantly left Saraʼs side to go back to the cruiser. Nicky hated leaving Sara like this, looking totally dazed and shocked. She wished there was anything she could tell her to reassure her and help her cope with what was happening…but there wasnʼt. She wasnʼt even sure that Sara would appreciate it, anyway—not when she seemed to hate her.

  With a deep sigh, she followed Brent back to the cruiser.

  “Letʼs go, buddy,” she heard him say as he helped Jack inside the car.

  Without a word, Sara turned around and walked back into the house as they drove off.

  Chapter 25

  Nicky walked early into the sheriffʼs office and headed straight toward the office she shared with Brent. “Hey.” Evidently focused on the papers in front of him, he jumped and snapped his head up. Nicky gasped as his bloodshot-red eyes met hers. “Crap, Hayden, you look awful.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Did you not go home last night?”

  He shook his head. “I didnʼt feel like leaving Jack alone,” he admitted with a weary sigh, taking a sip from the coffee mug on his desk.

  Nicky couldnʼt blame him. “Did you talk to Sara?”

  “I never managed to get ahold of her.”

  “Me neither. I tried to call her until midnight, but she never picked up. When I drove to her house, the lights were off and her car wasnʼt in the driveway. Maybe she got tired of getting phone calls like we did and decided to spend the night somewhere else.”

  Brent nodded unconvincingly. “Weʼll try again in an hour or so.”

  “Howʼs Jack?”

  “Heʼs with Lacrod right now. He wanted to ask him a few questions.”

  Nickyʼs mouth fell open. “You left Lacrod alone with Jack? Brent, how could you―”

  “What was I supposed to do?” He set the mug down with a hard thud and rubbed his face with both hands. “Heʼs the sheriff, for Godʼs sake! I canʼt stop him from talking to the suspects.”

  She let out a sigh. “How long has he been in there?”

  “Almost three hours.”

  “Is there a lawyer with them, at least?”

  “Yeah, the one Jack was appointed by the department. Some pipsqueak terrified by both Lacrod and Jack himself,” he said with disgust, glancing at his watch. Then he jumped to his feet. “All right, thatʼs it. I canʼt wait any longer. Iʼm going to make sure everythingʼs fine,” he blurted.

  Nicky nodded dully as he dashed out of the office.

  ***

  “For the millionth time, I do not remember what happened last night, but I did not kill Carrie Ward. And keeping me here is not going to help you catch the real murderer.”

  “Do you think Iʼm an idiot, Turner? You can fool your friends, but not me. And if you expect me to believe in your oh-so-convenient memory loss, then you’re fooling yourself, too.”

  Jack inhaled sharply, trying to contain the rage that had been building up in the pit of his stomach for the past…what, two hours? Three? “I don’t give a damn whether you believe me or not. I don’t remember anything, and that’s it.”

  The sheriff abruptly stopped his nervous pacing back and forth through the small room to give him a dark, wild stare. “From the very first time I saw you, I knew youʼd be trouble, and I was right. But I wonʼt let you destroy the peace Starville has finally achieved. I wonʼt let you ruin everything again.”

  The handcuffs around Jackʼs wrists clanked as he leaned back against the metal chair, his gaze searching the older manʼs face with curiosity. “Why do you hate me so much, Max? What did I ever do to you?”

  “You should never have come back here.” Fury, along with something else—something not quite decipherable—flashed in the sheriffʼs eyes. “You should have stayed away. If that little slut hadnʼt rescued you…” His stopped mid-sentence as Jack shoved back from th
e table, jumping to his feet so abruptly that his chair toppled over behind him with a loud bang. In an instant, he was towering over Max, his face mere inches from the other manʼs. “Say that again and youʼll be sorry.”

  The sheriff held his gaze but swallowed hard. “Sit down.” As Jack didnʼt flinch, he fumbled in his waistband and pulled a semi-automatic. “I said, sit down.”

  “Really, Max?” Jack cocked a brow, a sarcastic smile rising to the corner of his lips. “Need a gun to face a handcuffed man?”

  “Sit. Down. Now.”

  “Go on, pull that trigger—we both know youʼre dying to.”

  “Donʼt tempt me.”

  Jack stepped forward until his chest pressed against the metal barrel. “Just do it, Max. Finish what you started on that road.”

  “Son of a bitch!”

  Jack was half expecting the blow that followed, yet he did not see it coming the way it did. When the sheriff abruptly raised his arm and hit him across his head with his gun, all he could do was stagger backward until his back crashed against the wall behind him. Dazed, he blinked as his vision blurred, then blacked out all together. He hardly felt himself sliding down to the ground, nor did he hear Maxʼs curse as the door flew open and Brent burst inside the room.

  “What the hell is going on here?” he shouted in horror at the sight of Max holding his gun and Jack half sitting on the floor. His head hung low, but he could see that his eyes were closed. A deep cut slashed diagonally from the outside corner of his right eye to his ear…and there was no sign of the damn lawyer!

  “What the f— Max, have you lost your mind?” Brent asked the sheriff, crouching down beside Jack. “What the hell did you do?”

  “He provoked me!”

  “I donʼt give a shit what he did. Heʼs handcuffed, for Godʼs sake! Get out of here right now!”

  Lacrodʼs gaze turned to ice. “Donʼt you talk to me like this, young man. I donʼt take orders from you.”

  “Save the bullshit, Max,” Brent cut him off coldly, staring right into his eyes. “I donʼt need to remind you that I could press charges against you for this―and no, I donʼt give a damn that youʼre the sheriff. Now, Iʼll give you five seconds to reconsider leaving this cell before I make a call to Judge Hatkins.”

  The sheriff held his steady gaze for a few seconds, his tension only given away by his hands, fisted into hard balls at his sides. Finally, he shot both Brent and Jack one last murderous look and ran out of the cell, slamming the door hard behind him. The loud noise seemed to startle Jack, who let out a groan.

  Brent cursed as he turned back to him and carefully tilted his head back. “Hey. You all right?”

  When Jack didnʼt answer or even acknowledge his presence, he jumped back to his feet and pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Sinclair, bring some water to the interrogation room, please,” he said as soon as Nicky answered. Then he sighed. “And call Doc.”

  ***

  “Howʼs he doing?” Brent urged Doc as soon as he walked out of Jackʼs cell.

  The doctor shrugged. “He hasnʼt said a word since I went in there. The blow was really hard, and that worries me, considering his previous head injury. I gave him some painkillers, but I need him to come to the hospital for a CT scan.”

  Brent nodded. “Iʼll arrange for that myself.”

  “Good, good. Is he still here?”

  “Who, Max?” Nicky interjected. “No, he left a while ago. He looked mad as hell, and I doubt heʼll be back for a while.”

  “He better stay away from me today,” Brent hissed with disgust.

  Doc frowned. “What on earth got into him, anyway? Max may not be the nicest person in the world, but Iʼve never seen him act like this before.”

  “He hates Jack, Doc, really hates him. You should have seen the fury in his eyes—Jesus, he would have killed him with his own hands if Iʼd let him! Saraʼs right, there are too many people here who would rather see Jack dead than accept his return.”

  “But…wasnʼt his lawyer supposed to be there?”

  “Yeah, well, there was no sign of him when I walked in there.” Brent sighed. “Iʼm going to contact the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and file a report with Judge Hatkins. I swear Iʼll make sure that bastard isnʼt allowed to be alone with Jack anymore.” He cursed again, slamming his fist against his desk. Then he gave Nicky a mortified glance. “Sorry.”

  She shrugged. “Itʼs all right. I feel like throwing something against the wall myself. Something very similar to Lacrodʼs head, preferably,” she added, and a faint smile appeared on Brentʼs lips.

  “Well, you guys let me know how everything goes. Iʼm going back to the hospital to make the arrangements for Jackʼs CT scan.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” Nicky watched the doctor as he walked out of the office. On impulse, she then grabbed the phone and dialed Saraʼs number. It took a few rings, but this time she heard her hesitant “hello?” on the other end of the line. Taken aback, as she hadn’t really been expecting to hear her voice, for a moment she couldnʼt even reply. Brent perched on the side of the desk and quickly pressed the speaker key.

  “Sara!” he said with a sigh of relief. “Weʼve been trying to call you since yesterday―are you all right?”

  “Iʼm fine. Is Nicky there?”

  “Sheʼs beside me. Youʼre on the speaker,” Brent informed her, and thatʼs when Nicky finally found her voice.

  “Where have you been? I drove by your house last night, but your car wasnʼt there.”

  “I spent the night in Dallas.”

  Her friends traded a surprised look. “Dallas?”

  “Yes. Iʼve been looking for an attorney willing to defend Jack,” Sara explained after taking a big breath. “Look, guys, thereʼs no use fooling ourselves here. Jack is in big trouble.”

  Brent nodded, his thoughts on the young, frightened guy whoʼd been appointed to represent Jack and whoʼd fled before the official interrogation had even started. Hell, heʼd sue that dumbass, too, while he was at it. “Have you found anybody?” he asked Sara.

  “Yes. It took me all day, but I did find someone.”

  The satisfaction in her voice made Brent smile. “Let me tell you, hon, Iʼm very proud of you for keeping your head up during this whole mess.”

  “I didnʼt have much choice, Brent. Not with Jack being locked up in jail with such an awful accusation.”

  “Iʼm sorry, Sara,” Nicky said contritely. “I hope you know that arresting him was the last thing in the world we wanted to do.”

  “I know.”

  “I was afraid you wouldnʼt want to have anything to do with us after what happened.”

  She hesitated before replying. “Well, I admit that I was mad at you guys at first. Furious, actually. Then I just felt numb, almost as if I were inside a bubble, where nothing could touch me and hurt me anymore. I donʼt think I truly realized what had happened until dozens of journalists from the local news media started bombarding me with phone calls―and thatʼs when my bubble burst and I got mad at you guys all over again.” She sighed. “But I know it wasnʼt your decision to make; you just did your job.”

  “Yes, we did. But still, Iʼm sorry.”

  “Thank you, Brent. So, have you seen Jack? Howʼs he doing?”

  Brent and Nicky exchanged another long look. “Actually, he, um, heʼs not very well,” he finally admitted in a whisper. “He hasnʼt really said much since we brought him in, and…he had a disagreement with Lacrod.”

  “A disagreement?” Saraʼs voice was filled with panic. “What did that asshole do? Oh gosh, he beat him up, didnʼt he?”

  “It will never happen again,” Nicky promised, mortified. “Brent is pressing charges against Max, and we wonʼt let him anywhere near Jack.”

  There were a few seconds of tense silence, then Sara let out another deep sigh. “Can I talk to him? Or see him?” she asked, hopeful.

  Brent hated destroying her hopes. “Iʼm afraid not, honey. In a few days, maybe.” When Sara didnʼt comment, he deci
ded to change the subject. “So, this lawyer you found… Who is he? Is he reliable?”

  “I hope so. His name is Frank Something. Apparently, heʼs already Jackʼs personal attorney in Chicago, and heʼs supposed to call me today to discuss the details of everything.”

  “How did you find this guy?” Nicky asked, surprised.

  “I got in touch with Raymond Miller, the VP of Jackʼs company. A very nice man, considering that I woke him up in the middle of the night.”

  Brentʼs eyes widened. “You what?”

  “Well, when I called him, it was past two a.m.,” she admitted, embarrassed. “But what was I supposed to do? I couldnʼt wait any longer after wasting the whole afternoon.”

  “I donʼt even know what to say,” Nicky commented with a chuckle.

  “Good,” Sara said firmly. “Save your energy now, because youʼre going to need plenty of it the next few weeks.”

  ***

  Jack struggled to get his eyes to open. He blinked in an effort to focus his gaze and gave a slow, cautious look around. Reality crashed down on him at the sight of the gray, gloomy walls around him. He was in jail.

  He tried to sit up, but a sudden stab of pain made him stop in mid-motion. Shit, his head felt as it were about to split in half. With a weary sigh, he raised his hands to his face, wincing as his fingers came into contact with his right cheekbone. It throbbed so much he could barely keep his eyes open.

  Sara. He needed to focus on Sara. But then his gut twisted at the memory of the sickened expression on her face when heʼd been shoved against that police car, handcuffed and humiliated. Nausea rose to his gullet. Shit.

  The cell lock suddenly clicked, a low sound that echoed through his head like a gunshot. As the door cracked open, Brent peered inside and hinted at a smile at the sight of him awake and sitting up.

  “Hey. Howʼre you doing?” he asked, walking in and shutting the door behind him.

  “Like a herd of angry buffalos ran all over me.”