by Dylann Crush
“Why so many questions? You wearing a wire?” Wade closed the distance between them, grabbed her wrist, and wrenched it back.
Pain shot through her arm. “Ow. No, I’m not wearing a wire. Let go. You’re hurting me.” She struggled against him. The man outweighed her by a good 125 pounds. It was like a mouse taking on an elephant—or a Chihuahua taking on a giant pig.
Josh got out of the truck. Jinx caught a glimpse of the gun in his hand as she brought her boot down on Wade’s foot.
“You bitch!” Wade backhanded her across the cheek.
Jinx went down, breaking her fall with her injured hand. She’d pushed too far too fast. Wade veered toward fight mode—she should have known better than to bait him. She needed to figure out an exit strategy stat. “Fine. Take what’s left.” She flung the brown paper bag toward him. The shiny plastic gift cards scattered in a wide circle around his feet.
Josh immediately fell to his knees, trying to retrieve the cards.
Wade advanced on her, clawing at her jacket, trying to get to her chest. “Where is it?”
“Get off me.” She scrambled backward, but he straddled her, squeezing her ribs together between his massive thighs. She struggled to take in a breath.
His hands groped at her chest. “Where’s the fucking wire?”
She’d taken one of Cash’s button-down plaid flannel shirts as a keepsake. Wade popped the buttons, ripping it apart. With her navel exposed, he must have realized she didn’t have a mic taped to her chest. He paused, probably trying to figure out his next move. He’d never been a quick thinker, something she should be able to use to her advantage.
“I told you I wasn’t wearing a wire, you sad sack of shit. Get off me.” Jinx levered herself up as far as she could and spat in his face. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.
At first, he didn’t react. Then he calmly reached up to wipe the spittle off his cheek. A cold glint shone in his eyes: dangerous, venomous, lethal. “You’re going to regret that.”
“I doubt it.” She pushed up and did it again.
Wade wrapped his meaty paws around her throat. She clawed at him, trying to get him to let go. “I knew you were trouble when I first met you, Jinx. Hell, who wouldn’t with a name like that.”
“Let me go,” she rasped. “You got what you came for.”
“Not yet. Where’s your phone?”
She forced the words through her constricting throat. “I lost it.”
He squeezed. She coughed, trying to grasp a breath. Her legs kicked out, and her hips bucked, anything she could do to give herself a chance to catch her breath.
Josh nudged Wade on the shoulder. “Yo, come on. Let’s roll.”
Wade gave a final squeeze. Jinx tried to blink away the gray fuzziness that threatened the edges of her vision. He let go, rising to his feet. Then he fumbled through her jacket pockets until he found her phone.
“You won’t be needing this anymore.” He stood over her, dropped her phone to the gravel, and stomped on it, crushing it to pieces under what she now recognized as fake cowboy boots.
Jinx rolled to her side, the fight drained from her. Her hands rubbed at her neck, attempting to ease the pain. She tried to yell, but her voice came out as a croak. “I hope you rot in hell.”
“Oh yeah?” Wade turned and took two giant steps toward her. “I’ll be sure to save you a seat.”
She curled in on herself, letting the tears come.
* * *
Cash watched the paramedic close the doors of the ambulance. The lights came on, the sirens blared, and the driver pulled away from the manger with Charlie, Beck, and baby Sully safe inside. Darby and Waylon had taken their kids and Kenzie back to their place. As Cash trudged across the grass to get to his truck, he turned his attention to his phone.
Dan had called five times while he’d been playing delivery nurse to his little sister. He cued up the first message to find out what was going on.
As the messages played, Cash broke into a run. Dammit. How could the drug drop be going on now? Evidently, Dan had traced Wade to the dairy outside of town. He didn’t need backup but thought Cash might want to know that they’d identified the local connection—Jinx. There had to be some mistake.
With his heart battering the walls of his chest, he threw his truck into gear and floored it out of the parking lot, hopping the curb and fishtailing through the grass to reach the road. Could she really be involved? He tried to banish the thought from taking root in his brain. This was Jinx they were talking about—the woman who’d cared for his daughter, helped his sister, brought his heart back to life.
A vision of Jinx scrambling to recover those gift cards flashed across his mind. He’d been suspicious of her at the start, but she’d proven herself to him and everyone else. What if he should have listened to his gut? He’d gotten so caught up in the idea of having her around that he’d silenced his intuition. Hell, he’d probably put Kenzie at risk, maybe even his entire family.
Guilt wrapped around him like one of those plastic tarps they used out at the ranch, suffocating him, making it hard to take in a breath. What if something had happened to one of them? What if something had happened to Kenzie? He’d never be able to forgive himself if a break in his guard had resulted in his little girl getting hurt.
He’d let Jinx get under his skin, let her infiltrate his heart. He should have known better.
* * *
Jinx struggled to get up. Wade and Josh scurried around the lot, scrambling to pick up the scattered gift cards. She had to stop them. Her throat burned.
She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. The truck engine started. Two doors slammed. She’d been so stupid. Why hadn’t she left when she’d had the chance? She’d led Wade straight to Holiday. Right to Kenzie and Cash. The screech of tires made her open her eyes. Cash’s truck sat at an odd angle, blocking the exit from the parking lot.
No! She tried to warn him, call out that Wade and his buddy were armed. Her voice wouldn’t work. From her vantage point on the ground, she saw everything in slow motion. Wade revved the truck. Cash pulled his gun from its holster. Josh leaned out the passenger window, took aim, and fired.
Cash went down.
Jinx got to her hands and knees, trying to reach Cash. Gravel bit into her palms. Her leggings ripped on the sharp rocks. The pain didn’t matter. She had to get to him. He had to be okay. She should have known something like this would happen. It always did. Everything she ever touched turned to shit.
* * *
Cash dropped to the ground as the gun went off, rolling out of the way of the black SUV. A quick pat down reassured him he was still alive. He popped up on his elbows and fired off a few rounds, tagging the SUV in the back two tires. It swerved out of control and crashed into the edge of the old brick building.
He let out a ragged breath as he collapsed. Dammit. He had to find her. Maybe they could still sort this mess out. She couldn’t have been playing him all along, scoping out the whole town for the best place to do the drop. He hoped beyond all hope that she wasn’t responsible for what had just happened. His heart thundered, sending blood whooshing through his veins, pounding in his ears. He’d seen her bike when he drove by the lot. She had to be here somewhere.
Flashing lights bounced against the building as the lot filled with squad cars. Cash staggered to his feet.
“Walker, you okay?” Dan clapped him on the shoulder.
“Yeah. It was touch and go there for a few, but I’m fine.”
“Nice work. Do you mind if we take it from here?”
“Be my guest. But can I have a word with Jinx first?”
“I think that can be arranged.” Dan pointed to the far side of the parking lot, where Jinx was leaning against the back of a squad car.
She must have stolen his shirt. It hung open, exposing the hourglass tattoo on her r
ib cage. The one he’d traced with his tongue on more than one occasion. She’d told him it meant something along the lines of this too shall pass—that time kept slipping away whether she wanted it to or not.
One of the DEA agents had cuffed her, but she didn’t appear to be cooperating. Yep, that was Jinx. She kept gesturing toward something on the ground. The woman might possibly have played him for a fool, but he had enough decency to not let her stand in the rain with her shirt falling off around her. He shrugged out of his jacket as he approached.
“Cash, thank God you’re safe. I thought…I thought you were dead.” Her voice cracked. He couldn’t tell if she’d been crying or just standing in the rain too long. At that point he wasn’t sure it even mattered.
“Nope.” He shrugged. “Looks like I’ll live another day.”
She tried to reach for him, but her hands were cuffed. “It’s not what you think. I swear, I—”
“Then what is it?” His stomach twisted. He wanted to reach out, smooth the wet strands of hair away from her face and have her deny everything. He needed to know the truth. “Do you know Wade Boyd?”
Jinx’s gaze dropped to her boots. “Yes, but I—”
“Was it all a setup to you?” Her admission sawed through him like a steak knife. His vision fuzzed at the edges. “All of it? Your bike breaking down? Kenzie? Me?”
Her head jerked up. Tears flowed down her cheeks. “No, of course not. What I felt, I mean feel, for you and Kenzie is real. You’ve got to believe me.”
“I want to, I really do. But you put my kid in danger…my family.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Please, Cash. I should have come clean with you earlier, before things got so out of control.”
He ran his hands down his cheeks. “Were you even going to say goodbye?”
The look she gave him pierced through his heart. He almost staggered from the sheer physical pain.
“I want to explain.”
The agent behind Jinx gestured toward a squad car. “You can explain it to the judge.” He nudged his chin toward Cash. “Time to take her in.”
Cash nodded, then draped his jacket over her shoulders and pulled her shirt closed, snugging it around her midsection.
Jinx tried to lean into him, but he moved away. “I’m so sorry. I just wanted to—”
“I can’t. I just can’t.” He’d wrapped all his hopes and dreams up in that hundred-pound package. Her admission that she knew Wade shattered him. Filleted him like a fish she’d yanked out of the lake and left gasping on the dock. And Kenzie—how was his daughter going to react when she found out Jinx wouldn’t be coming back?
She didn’t respond, just stood there, letting the rain soak his jacket, plaster her mermaid hair against her head.
He took a final long look, turned his back on her, and crossed the parking lot to his truck.
Happy fucking holidays. Because of Jinx, he had no tree, no heart, and no hope for providing Kenzie with a merry Christmas. He pulled out onto the highway, leaving the flashing lights and his heart behind. He deserved a hot shower and a tall drink. The shower would wash away the tension of being target practice, and the tall drink would make him forget all about the woman who’d stolen his heart.
* * *
A half hour later, he sat at his kitchen table, chilled to the bone. The scalding shower and healthy pour of Jack had done nothing to warm him. He’d sent Kenzie home with Waylon and Darby, Charlie and Beck had made it to the hospital, and Jinx was spending the night in a cell at the sheriff’s office. He should have been glad her true colors had shone through—he’d almost made her a permanent part of their lives.
Who was he trying to kid? Evidence of her remained everywhere he looked. He eyed the bottle. Not even that seemed appealing.
He moved into the living room, figuring he’d turn on the TV to try to distract himself, when a knock sounded at the front door. Waylon didn’t wait for him to answer, just pushed the door open and let himself in.
“What the hell are you doing here? Is Kenzie okay?”
“Yeah, she’s zonked out with the rest of them.” Waylon wiped his boots on the mat—the Christmas welcome mat Jinx had bought. “Sounds like you’ve had a crazy night.”
Cash scoffed. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“You weren’t answering texts. Even tried to call. You okay?”
Ignoring Waylon’s concern, Cash headed back to the kitchen. “Pour you a drink?”
Waylon followed him. “No thanks. What happened? You want to talk about it?”
“Nope.” Cash set his glass in the sink. “I’m fine. You can go on home. No need to babysit me tonight.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Waylon pulled a chair out from the table. “Mind if I hang out for a while?”
Cash crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter. “Suit yourself. Darby send you over?”
“Nah.” Waylon wiped his hand across his thick beard. “Just wanted to talk, that’s all.” The Walker brothers spent a lot of time together—playing pool, working the ranch, and drinking beer. Talking wasn’t their thing.
“Something bothering you, Big Bro?” Cash asked.
Waylon shifted in the chair, resettling his bulky frame.
“What’s going on?”
“I heard about what happened tonight.” His fingertips tapped on the table, and his eyes roamed over the perimeter of the room.
“Of course you did.”
“You really think Jinx is involved in some drug ring?” Waylon raised a brow.
Cash chewed on his lip, trying to figure out how to answer. He let out a long sigh. “If you had asked me yesterday, I would have threatened to sue you for slander. But now…” He stepped away from the counter and took a seat across from Waylon. “She was there. Why else would she be meeting her ex at the confirmed drop location if she wasn’t involved? What other proof do you need?”
“She sure doesn’t seem like the type.”
“Yeah. I don’t know how I missed it. I checked her record right after Charlie hired her. She didn’t have any priors.” He funneled his hands through his hair. “That’s what confuses me the most.”
“What?”
“It seemed like I could trust her. I should have been able to tell. That’s what I do for a living…I read people. If I can’t trust my gut anymore, then I—”
“Then what?” Waylon held his gaze. “What if your gut wasn’t wrong? What if she’s innocent?”
Cash pushed back from the table. As much as he wanted to believe that, the facts didn’t stack up. “And what if Santa really did cram his fat ass down the chimney? Jinx being innocent is about as likely as good ole Saint Nick showing up with a pecan pie for me and a bag full of presents for Kenzie.”
“You could find out pretty easy, couldn’t you?” Waylon pressed.
“What, how deep she’s involved in this?” Cash pondered that thought for a moment. Yeah, he could call Dan for an update. The DEA agent didn’t owe him anything, but he might feel like being generous with some information. But why bother? The sooner he worked Jinx out of his heart, the sooner he could get back to normal. And normal meant no lingering feelings for a woman who was all wrong for him.
“You know, I never thought Darby was the right woman for me.” Waylon pulled on his beard.
“Look, I don’t need some heart-to-heart from—”
“Would you let me finish?” Pissed-off blue eyes dared him to speak.
Hell, if his big brother wanted to try to impart some wisdom before he took off, Cash wouldn’t be able to stop him. He shook his head. “I’m all ears.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” Waylon cleared his throat. “As I was saying, I never thought Darby was the right woman for me. When we got married, she was barely nineteen. But we—”
“An
d she was three months pregnant. I don’t see how this line of conversation relates to me.”
Waylon pushed back from the table, knocking the chair over backward. “Would you shut the hell up for once?”
He’d poked the bear. His brother usually kept his cool, kind of like Cash. Better to hear him out. “Go on.”
“Yes, she was pregnant. And come hell or high water, I was going to do the right thing. But I’d planned on asking her to marry me anyway. Folks never would have put us together. We’re like oil and vinegar. She’s sunshine, and I’m a cloudy day.”
Waylon spoke the truth. None of them could understand what drew Darby and Waylon together in the first place.
“Once that woman got under my skin, I was a goner.” Waylon set his chair upright and took a seat. “She wasn’t what I was looking for, but I thank God every day she found me. Can you imagine what I’d be like if we’d never gotten together?”
Cash let out a laugh. “Yeah, you’d be an even bigger asshole than you already are.”
Waylon matched his grin. “You’re right about that.”
Neither spoke for a long moment. Cash pondered what his brother had shared. He couldn’t imagine Waylon without Darby. They’d seemed an odd couple from the start, but they were made for each other—no one would argue that fact.
Waylon pushed back from the table. “I’d better head back.”
“Yeah, thanks for stopping over.” Cash trailed him to the door.
“Think about what I said.” He pulled his coat over his shoulders. “Or don’t, and be a miserable jerk for the rest of your life.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.”
His brother pulled him in for a half hug. “Make the call.”
Cash clapped him on the back. “See you tomorrow.”
He stood in the doorway while Waylon trudged down the walk to his truck. Wouldn’t take much effort to make one call. He’d find out he was right, that Jinx was up to her earrings in drug money, and he’d be able to sleep like a baby knowing he’d done the right thing.
Or, a little voice in his head taunted, he’d find out he was wrong, and he’d be up all night trying to figure out what the hell to do about it. With his fate in the hands of a stranger, he dialed the number.
