Burned by Her Devotion (Rogue Vows Book 2)

by Melinda Leigh

  Seth holstered his weapon. He knelt on the floor next to her, cradled her face in his hands, and kissed her hard on the mouth. The love in his eyes could only be described as fierce.

  Carly froze, as if her body didn’t know how to respond to being rescued.

  “Can you get her, Phil?” Seth nodded toward Cyndee, still facedown under Carly.

  “You bet.” Phil reached for his handcuffs and stalked toward Cyndee. He secured her hands and hauled her toward the door.

  Seth helped Carly to her feet.

  Carly’s legs wobbled. The energy that had fueled her fight with Cyndee abandoned her. “Toby needs an ambulance.”

  “On the way.” Seth steadied her with a hand under her elbow.

  The sound of humming froze Carly’s blood. “Where’s Alex?”

  She’d lost track of the girl during the scuffle.

  Her head swiveled and her stomach went arctic. Alex stood on the other side of the room, humming the theme song to Detective Alex Gunn, a lit match in her hand. With a cold smile, she dropped it. The flame hit the wood and ignited the gasoline puddle.

  “That’s my girl!” Cyndee’s high-pitched laughter floated through the doorway as Phil dragged her outside.

  Seth shoved Carly toward the exit. “Get out. I’ll get Toby.”

  Then who would get Alex?

  The girl stood just behind the fire, watching in rapt fascination as the flames traveled toward the propane canisters under the unconscious Toby. Seth leaped over a burning floorboard. Toby’s hands weren’t bound, nor were his feet. Seth untied the rope around Toby’s chest, stooped, and dragged the limp man across his shoulders fireman style.

  Which left Alex in the burning cabin.

  Carly couldn’t let the child burn, no matter what she’d done. She raced around the fire and took hold of the girl’s arm. But Alex struggled to get out of Carly’s grip. Thankful that she was tall and strong instead of cute and tiny, Carly wrapped her arms around the child’s waist and picked her up off her feet literally kicking and screaming. All that heavy farm work built muscle. She carried the girl out the door into the warm night. A fuel canister ignited with a pop. With a great whoosh, fire engulfed the cabin. The heat seared Carly’s back.

  Outside, Carly gulped fresh air. Alex bucked in her arms, throwing her weight from side to side and kicking Carly’s shins with the heels of her tennis shoes. Carly’s knees nearly buckled. She tightened her grip.

  They’d made it.

  Ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars filled the clearing and the narrow road that led to it. Firemen unloaded equipment with practiced efficiency.

  Seth deposited Toby on an ambulance gurney and hurried back toward her, gesturing for a deputy to follow him.

  The deputy lifted Alex from Carly’s arms. As she released her grip on the child, Carly’s limbs began to tremble, as if relinquishing her responsibility was a signal to her body that she could relax.

  Is it really over?

  She felt oddly detached and shaky.

  Seth took her by the shoulders, his intent gaze traveling from her face to her feet and back.

  Carrying hoses, firemen rushed past them toward the building.

  “That was quick.” Carly was stunned at all the activity in the clearing. Inside, her attention had been so riveted on Cyndee, she hadn’t head the vehicles arrive.

  “Everyone was already mobilized for the manhunt. It was just a matter of getting them over here.” Seth turned her chin toward an overhead light. “Does that hurt?”

  “Does what hurt?” Carly reached up and touched her temple. “No. I’d forgotten she hit me. I don’t think it’s serious.”

  A strange numbness blanketed her. Shock?

  “I have to go to the hospital with Toby anyway. We’ll get it checked while we’re there.” Seth wound his arms around her. “But just let me hold you for one minute.”

  “Agreed.” As her mind accepted that the danger had passed, her body responded. Her muscles sagged, and her bones shook harder. Her head began to ache. She suddenly felt every spot on her shins where Cyndee had landed a boot. Her legs were going to be black and blue tomorrow.

  “It’s the adrenaline.” Seth whispered in her ear. “It’ll pass.”

  She nodded. He tucked her close to his side as they walked toward the road. She leaned into him, grateful to borrow some of his strength.

  “Wait! Kenny is—”

  Seth squeezed her shoulders. “Kenny is over there getting into an ambulance. We found him at the clearing.”

  “Thank God.”

  Deputies took charge of Cyndee and Alex. They were both handcuffed and secured in the backs of separate police cars. Carly and Seth stepped onto the road. They passed Andrew Reynolds as he stood watching the firemen extinguish the cabin.

  “It’s only one cabin,” Seth said.

  “Bright side, right?” Andrew shook his head.

  O’Rourke’s seemed to be plagued with bad luck.

  Andrew turned back to the fire, a stubborn set to his shoulders. “No matter. I’m not leaving Solitude.”

  Seth put Carly into the passenger seat of his car. She stared down at her hands. Under her broken nails, blood had dried to a rusty brown. Cyndee’s blood. That should bother her, but it didn’t.

  “I bashed Cyndee’s face into the floor much harder than necessary. I just couldn’t control myself.”

  Seth nodded. “Adrenaline.”

  But Carly knew the truth. It had been anger, plain and simple. She had no regrets, and she had a little more respect for Seth’s self-control. She knew he was always fighting his instincts when it came to protecting her.

  Seth drove her to the hospital.

  “I know you can look after yourself, but I don’t want to leave you,” he said as the nurse arrived to escort her to the triage bay.

  “You have to do your job.” Carly touched his cheek. “I’m all right now, thanks to you.”

  “It looked like you had things under control when I arrived. You’re amazing.”

  “Back atcha, big guy. I’ll find you when I’m done.” Carly let the nurse lead her away.

  Three stitches closed her small cut, mostly because the ER doctor wanted to minimize the scar. When she was finished being treated, she checked on Kenny. The doctor had diagnosed a concussion and ordered a CAT scan, but Kenny was coherent and alert. Satisfied that he was all right, she left the ER and searched for Seth.

  After asking a few nurses, she found him in the surgical waiting room. He rose and crossed ten feet of carpet in two strides. His gaze raked over her face. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” she said. “How’s Toby?”

  “I’m waiting to find out.” Seth brushed a strand of hair off her check. “I—”

  “Detective Harding!”

  A small crowd of people clustered in the doorway. A blond man stepped forward. “I need to talk to you.”

  Reluctantly, Seth looked past Carly to the four people filing into the waiting room.

  Couldn’t he get five minutes alone with the wife he’d almost lost tonight?

  Josh led the pack. Spider and Jenny came through the doorway next. Jenny leaned on Spider. Brandon hovered at the back, but Spider put a hand on the boy’s shoulder and brought him close.

  Josh held an electronic tablet in his hand. “It’s important.”

  “All right.” But Seth kept his arm around his wife’s waist. He needed her in his sight—and touch—for a while yet.

  “Jenny bailed us out,” Josh explained. “But I was in the sheriff’s office long enough to sober up. It was the first time I hadn’t been drunk since Chase died, and I started thinking about Toby’s confession and how it just didn’t make any sense. Why would he kill Chase? I mean, we were all mad at him, but there’s no way Toby would hurt anyone.” He turned on the tablet.

  Seth leaned forward. The case had been nagging him from the beginning. Toby had never projected the level of aggression necessary to kill a friend with his
bare hands. But if Toby hadn’t killed Chase, then who had? And why would Toby confess to a crime he hadn’t committed?

  Josh swiped through a few screens. “Then I remembered all those questions you asked me about Chase’s money and who had access to his accounts.”

  “You said only you and Chase could withdraw money.” Seth’s interest was piqued.

  “That’s right.” Josh turned the tablet so Seth could see the screen. “No one was taking any unauthorized money out of Chase’s accounts. But he wasn’t getting all his deposits.”

  “What?”

  “Tierney’s firm collects Chase’s money, takes his commission, and then pays Chase.” Josh’s jaw tightened. “Chase never wanted to be bothered with doing math or chasing the studio for money. He let Tierney do it all. And so did I.” Josh lowered the tablet, remorse clear in his bloodshot eyes. “I should have been on top of Chase’s business. It was my job, but I was lazy. And I let my girlfriend’s pregnancy distract me.”

  “Tierney was stealing from Chase,” Seth said.

  Josh nodded. He tapped the tablet. “I have all the documentation. Tierney had been holding back money for a long time.”

  “How much?” Seth asked.

  “Millions,” Josh said. “I even have multiple e-mails from Chase’s accountant asking about discrepancies. I hadn’t even read them.” His shoulders drooped as if shame was heavy.

  “Chase was still Tierney’s main source of income,” Seth reasoned. “What would Chase have done if he found out Tierney was stealing from him?”

  “Chase had his faults, but he valued relationships and loyalty. Tierney wasn’t the best agent in town, but he’d taken a chance on Chase. He’d given him his start. Chase kept us all around him because he knew he could trust us. If he found out that Tierney had betrayed him, he would have gone after him at full tilt. He would have ruined Tierney’s career.”

  The drive from Los Angeles to Oregon took about fifteen hours. Long enough for Tierney to have driven up to Solitude and killed Chase. He would have had to drive through the night to get back to LA the next day, but it wasn’t impossible. With the assistance of caffeine and adrenaline, Seth had been awake for thirty-nine hours, and he was still functioning.

  “I’m still questioning why Toby would have confessed to a crime he didn’t commit, but let me see what I can find out.” Seth reached for his cell. “Time to find Tierney.”

  He spent the next few hours on the phone. Aiden Tierney was picked up at the Portland airport.

  Tierney had likely driven to Oregon to avoid leaving flight records, but it was almost impossible to completely escape surveillance. He’d used his FasTrak toll account and had been recorded going south over the Golden Gate Bridge twelve hours after Chase was killed. Seth was sure further research would find more evidence of Tierney’s murderous journey to Oregon and back.

  Seth reviewed Chase’s cell phone records. He’d called Tierney from Solitude the day before he was killed. Since Chase and Tierney spoke on the phone weekly, the call itself wouldn’t have been flagged. But Seth wondered if Chase had called to give his agent notice.

  A surgeon in green scrubs walked into the room. “Detective Harding?”

  Seth stood. So did Josh, Spider, and Jenny. Brandon scooted forward on his chair.

  “We set his leg with pins. He has a concussion, but the CAT scan didn’t show any bleeding in his brain. He should make a complete recovery.” The doctor swept a hand over his bald scalp on his way out the door.

  Spider wrapped an arm over Jenny’s shoulders, and she leaned into him. Josh hugged Brandon.

  Seth was convinced that Tierney had killed Chase. Normally Seth kept his objectivity, but he wanted Toby to be innocent.

  The five of them were family. As long as they had one another, Seth had a feeling they were going to be okay.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Seth rolled out of bed late on Monday morning disappointed that Carly wasn’t in their bed. Patsy had kept Brianna overnight, and Seth had hoped for some alone time with his wife. But she was the earliest of risers. He stepped into a pair of jeans and walked out into the kitchen. No Carly. But the coffeepot was full, so she’d been awake for a while.

  He brushed his teeth and checked the time. Seven a.m. Carly usually rose by five, but he’d thought that after yesterday’s stress she might sleep in. Apparently not.

  When his phone buzzed, he almost ignored it. He leaned over the counter. Sheriff Walker.

  Seth answered the call. “Harding.”

  “I know you’re not working today, but I just finished talking with Toby Black,” the sheriff said. “He admitted that his confession was false.”

  “Why?” Seth hadn’t been thrilled with handing the case off, but eventually everyone had to recharge. He’d dotted as many i’s and crossed as many t’s as possible before he’d come home the night before. At some point his family had to come first. Almost losing his wife had hammered that home.

  Carly had shown she could handle herself, but deep inside he wished the world were a place where she didn’t have to.

  “He thought his brother, Josh, did it. He didn’t want his brother to go to prison, because Josh’s girlfriend is pregnant.” The sheriff’s tone rang with disgust. “Also, the fingerprints found on the belt around Chase’s neck matched Tierney’s. And we got two shots of Tierney’s car on surveillance video that show him getting gas just over the Oregon border.” Walker paused. “I don’t want to interrupt your day. I just thought you’d want to know that you were right. Tierney killed Chase Ryan.”

  “Where are Cyndee and Alex Sykes?”

  “Cyndee is at the county jail,” the sheriff said. “Alex is in isolation at the juvenile detention center. They’re both undergoing psychiatric evals. At minimum Cyndee will be charged with multiple counts of attempted murder, arson, kidnapping, and assault. Crazy or not, that woman is a menace and has to be kept off the street.”

  Cyndee would probably end up medicated and incarcerated in state prison.

  “What about Alex?” Seth asked.

  “It all depends on the psych eval. In my opinion the kid’s nuttier than a jar of Jif. Last I heard she was talking up a storm. She was angry that their plan was halted and proud of her role in it.” The sheriff paused, and Seth could picture him shaking his big head.

  “At least she’s away from her monster of a mother,” Seth said.

  “God knows the girl needs psychiatric help,” the sheriff agreed. “Now maybe she’ll get it.”

  “Thanks for the call.”

  “Don’t rush back, Seth. Take some time to decompress.”

  “Yes, sir.” Years ago Seth would have objected, but now he’d already planned on taking a few days off and spending them with his family.

  The call ended.

  Feeling more awake, Seth tugged on a T-shirt, stuffed his feet into a pair of boots, and wandered into the barn. Excited, high-pitched voices warned him that the barn was full.

  In the barnyard James and his wife, Debra, held their two little boys’ hands as they stared through the open double doors. Patsy, Carly, and Bruce clustered at the barn’s entrance. Just beyond them Brianna groomed a sedate, plump pony in the aisle.

  “You’re enrolled at the police academy?” Carly squared off with her younger brother.

  Bruce crossed his arms. “Just what I said. I applied for a job in the sheriff’s department. I have a spot at the academy in August.”

  “But you always wanted to be a musician,” Patsy said.

  Bruce shook his head. “It’s not enough. Not now.”

  They all knew he was talking about his girlfriend’s murder back in December. Amber Lynn had been the first girl he’d been serious about. Her death had profoundly changed him.

  “I’m sorry if I’m disappointing you, Mom.” Bruce studied his running shoes. “Just because I’m going to be a cop doesn’t mean I can’t play music. Carly, James, and Stevie all do it and also manage to hold down a job in public service.”<
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  “Honey, you could never disappoint me.” Patsy put her arms around her youngest child. Stepping back, she wiped a fingertip under one eye. “I suppose public service runs strong in the Taylor blood. Your father would have been proud.”

  Carly hugged her brother. “I think you’re going to be a great deputy.”

  Seth had no doubt of it. Civic duty and law enforcement were embedded in the Taylor DNA. He was proud to have joined the family.

  He walked into the barn and offered Bruce a hand. “Welcome to the sheriff’s department. Glad to have you on board.”

  The handshake turned into a shoulder-slapping man hug.

  “Daddy,” Brianna called. “You haven’t seen my pony.”

  Seth turned and scratched the pony’s chestnut neck. The pony’s only indications of neglect were his tangled mane and tail and overgrown hooves.

  “Meet Maximus.” Brianna’s grin was her whole face.

  “He doesn’t seem to be malnourished.” Seth rubbed under Maximus’s thick mane.

  “He’s about eighteen years old and sound.” Carly stepped to his side. “Needs his feet trimmed and his teeth floated, but otherwise he appears to be in good shape.”

  Seth ran a hand over the rounded girth. There were ribs under there somewhere. “And maybe some exercise.”

  “He’s perfect.” Brianna wrapped her arms around Maximus’s neck and hugged him tightly.

  James’s four-year-old slipped his hand free and darted toward the pony. James lunged after him but missed. Misjudging his speed, the boy bumped into the poor beast. The adults emitted a collective gasp, but Maximus barely cracked an eyelid.

  Seth exhaled. “You’re right, Brianna. He’s perfect.”

  He joined Carly by the wall. He kissed her lips. “Morning.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  “Like a corpse,” he said. “You should have woken me.”

  “You were up all Saturday night and worked late last night. You needed the sleep.”

  Patsy spread her arms and herded them out of the barn. “It’s your anniversary. Bruce and I will keep an eye on Brianna, though frankly, the pony seems to be bomb-proof.”