“I’m sure. She’s going to need some counseling, Ross. Make sure she gets it.”
“I can promise you I will. That’s non-negotiable.” There was a racket out front and Ross heard a familiar voice. “I’ll take care of this.”
Tank was standing in the main office area, and he looked like he was about to pop an artery. “What the fuck is going on? Is Carly okay?”
“Yeah. She’s fine, at least physically. Emotionally, not so good. I guess you heard.”
“The whole fucking town’s heard. Is it true? They’re all dead?”
Ross nodded. “We’re back there with a Texas Ranger and FBI agent from San Antonio right now. They’re already all over this.”
“Have they found the little motherfucker?”
“No. They’re looking, though. The first step is to find out who he really is.”
“What?”
“Yeah. Fake name and identification information. Some guy who’s been dead for a few years.”
Tank seemed to shrink before Ross’s eyes, and he slumped down in the nearest chair. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s not even who he says he is?”
“Not even remotely.”
“Jesus. Are they … Do they … God, Ross, how do we keep her safe from somebody we don’t even know the first real thing about?”
“I don’t know, but if the FBI, Texas Rangers, and Texas Highway Patrol can’t help with that, we’re totally fucked.”
“No doubt. Can I see her?”
“Sure. Come on.”
As soon as Tank stepped through the conference room door, Carly flew into his arms, crying. Ross, Cruz, and Dax watched as the big man smoothed his sister’s hair and crooned to her, “Oh, honey, it’s okay. It’ll be fine. Ross and these guys will take care of you. So will I. Don’t cry, Carly. It’ll all be okay.”
“You didn’t see them, Tank! You didn’t see what that animal did to them! He shot their dog! He’s a monster! How could I ever have been married to a person like that, Tank? How?” she wailed.
“Baby, if a person doesn’t want you to know who they really are, they can hide it, and he did.”
“But I’m a deputy! I should’ve been able to see through him!”
“Even Chuck didn’t see through him. Oh, I’m sure he knew how rotten Eric was, but I’m betting he didn’t know Eric wasn’t Eric. He wanted to fool all of us, babe. An entire town. And he did. Why would we have questioned him? He said he was Eric Cross, and we had no reason to doubt him. You couldn’t know. Nobody could’ve.”
“I feel so stupid, Tank. So stupid and useless. I feel like I failed the entire county by not protecting them from this monster. I’m a total failure,” she cried as she wept.
“You’re not a failure, honey. You did your job to the best of your ability, and I know for a fact that Chuck threw up roadblocks every time you turned around.”
“He’s right, Carly,” Ross added. “You know that’s true.”
Tank nodded. “He was determined you wouldn’t find out who Eric was. Hell, I don’t think he realized there was a problem. He just didn’t want his secret coming out.”
She sniffled and looked up into her brother’s face. “You knew?”
“No, but a lot of us suspected something was afoul there. I mean, the guy came to town a nobody and in less than two years, he was the county attorney. And in the same time period, Chuck was elected sheriff. It was all too coincidental, especially the way they hung onto each other. We all knew they had a secret between the two of them. We just didn’t know what it was. He paid off Chuck, didn’t he?”
“In a manner of speaking, yeah.”
“I knew it. That’s what I suspected.” Tank looked around the room at the other three men. “This is my baby sister. I expect her to be protected.”
“She will be, Mr. …”
“Reardon. Sherman Reardon. If anything happens to her, I’m coming looking for all three of you. Do you understand?”
Dax nodded. “Yes, sir. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure she’s safe.”
“Good. Babe, I’ve gotta get back to work. Let Ross take care of you. I’ll give you a call this evening to check on you. Maybe bring you some meatloaf?”
That brought on more tears. “O-o-o-o-kay. I love you, Tank.”
“I love you, cricket. I’ll see you later. Bye.” He gave his sister a peck on the forehead and headed out, Ross right behind him. When he reached the door, he spun and glared at Ross. “I mean it. She’d better come out of this without a hair on her head disturbed.”
“I’m doing everything I can to see that’s the case. You know that. I love her more than life itself. If it comes down to me or her, I’m going down every time.”
“Good. I’m going to hold your ass to that, McEvers.”
“You can. You have my word.”
“Good. Later.” Without another word, the big man strode out of the office, the bell on the door tinkling as it closed.
He got back to the conference room door just in time to see Cruz on the phone. “Yeah. Okay. Got it. Thanks.” The agent turned and saw Ross there. “Hey, get my laptop out of the back seat of the SUV?”
“Sure.” Cruz tossed his keys to Ross, and the firefighter jetted out the front door of the office. When he opened the SUV, he was stunned.
The dash was awash in all kinds of technical equipment, most of which he couldn’t even identify. It was crazy-looking in there. Plus there were weapons everywhere—shotguns, rifles, handguns, and loads and loads of ammunition. He’d never seen anything like it. As soon as he spotted the laptop, he grabbed it, slammed the door closed, and set the locks again. Lord, if those weapons got stolen because he’d failed to set the alarm on the vehicle, he’d be a goner for sure.
As soon as he handed it to Cruz, the agent flipped it open, punched around a bit, and spun it with the screen facing Carly and Ross. “Eric Cross.”
“Yep. That’s him,” Carly whispered as Danvers dragged in bags of food and started passing everything out.
Cruz spun it back around. “This is one Richard Harlan. Other aliases include the Cross name, Richard Hamilton, Frank Hamilton, Roger Cross, and Roger Crockett. Was born in Chicago and lived there until he was eighteen, at which time he got out of juvie there and began a crime spree that’s never ended.” Danvers stopped dead and stared at the screen too.
“Holy shit,” Ross muttered.
“Holy shit is right. He’s actually only thirty-five years old.”
“I was right. He looked younger because he was,” Carly said in astonishment.
“Exactly. Rap sheet as long as your arm. Let’s see … Breaking and entering, burglary, felony charges for armed robberies, numerous assault charges, mostly against women, terroristic threatening, tampering with evidence, perjury, terroristic threatening of elected officials, and,” he said with a sigh, “two murder trials. One was during a robbery, and the other was a guy on the street. Apparently a stranger. This guy has anger management issues, if nothing else.”
“I’ll say,” Dax said, staring over Cruz’s shoulder. “Jesus, they’ve got a dozen pictures of him, and he looks different in every one of them.”
“How the hell did he get off on two murder convictions?” Ross asked. That didn’t make sense.
“Good attorney. Looks like the guy might actually be his brother, which would explain how he could afford representation,” Cruz pointed out. “Claimed the shooter in the robbery was the other guy, not him. Court couldn’t prove that wasn’t the case. The other one, he claimed the guy had threatened his life. Again, court couldn’t prove that untrue. Both of those were before he was even twenty-eight. Looks like he probably came here a year or two after he got off on the last charges. Tried to come here, start his life over under a different name, but was up to the same old antics.” Cruz sat back in his chair. “And here we are.”
Carly was finishing up her burger when there was another commotion in the front, and Ross could hear a woman screaming
. “My son! What happened to my son and his family? I want to know! Somebody owes me that! Where’s Deputy Cross? They said she’s the one who found them! I want to talk to her!” Carly began to sob, and Ross realized it was Chuck’s mother.
Cruz hopped up out of his chair and pointed toward the rear of the building. “Take her out the back door. She doesn’t need to deal with this. We’ll send forensics over for that bag of evidence. Guy named Clay Smithson. Ask for his ID.”
“Got it. Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.” Hand on her arm to guide her, Ross led Carly out back, followed by Dax. The ranger made his way around the building and in seconds, he was back with the SUV. He deposited Ross at his truck, and Ross followed while Dax drove Carly home. As soon as they were inside and safe, Dax left and they were there alone.
Carly didn’t say a word, just ran down the hallway. Ross could hear her throwing up in the bathroom. God help her, she had to be dying on the inside, and he could feel it right through her skin. Her whole world was upside down, and he and Tank were the only things still normal for her. He hoped Tank brought that meatloaf. She needed something familiar.
The sound of a phone vibrating yanked Ross out of his head and he turned to find Carly’s phone blinking silently. The number was unfamiliar, but the screen said Mom and he knew enough by then to know that he’d better answer. “Hello?”
A soft female voice asked, “Is this Ross?”
“Yes, ma’am. It is.”
“Ross, this is Lorna Reardon, Carly’s mom. Is she okay?”
“No. She’s not. I’m worried about her. I got her some lunch, and she just threw it up.”
“Yeah. She does that when she’s upset. I didn’t know if I should try to talk to her or not. I don’t want to upset her more.”
“I think she’d welcome talking to you, Mrs. Reardon.”
“Please, that’s Lorna to you. I’d love to talk to her, and Bree wants to come over and sit with her for a bit, if that’s okay?”
“That’s perfectly okay. Here. Let me get her.” Ross tapped on the bathroom door. “Baby, somebody wants to talk to you.”
Her face, pale and drawn, appeared at the door. “Who is it?” Instead of answering, Ross just handed her the phone. “Hello? Mama! Oh, god, Mama, it was horrible!” She started to cry again, and in seconds she was a blubbering mess. But that was okay. Ross really thought it was probably good for her to hear her mother’s voice.
An hour later, someone knocked at the door, and Ross opened it to find a smaller, younger version of Carly standing there, a basket in her arms. “Ross, right? I’m Bree,” she said and leaned in to hug him. The hug felt just like the ones Carly gave him, and he was comfortable with her immediately. “Your aunt and my mom sent some food. Tank sent his meatloaf. I was wondering if it was okay to spend some time here today. You know, with Carly?”
“Of course. She’d love that. Come on in, and thanks. We really appreciate it. She’s in the bedroom, and I’d be surprised if she’s asleep.”
“I’ll just go back there if you’ll put this stuff away.”
“No problem.” He watched Bree as she made her way down the hallway. As soon as he got everything in the refrigerator, he headed that way and stopped just outside the door.
Both women sat on the foot of the bed, clutching each other, and Carly was sobbing. She needed her family. Could he ever pull her away from them? Would that be fair? A knock at the door sent him back to the living room, and he opened it to a young guy with a ponytail holding up a credentials wallet. “Ross McEvers?”
“And you are …”
“Clay. Cruz said he told you I’d be by.”
“Yep. Come on in.”
Five minutes later, the bag of documents was gone, taken out of the house by the young forensic expert. There was nothing there for Eric to want except Carly, and he sure as fuck wasn’t getting her. Ross pulled his Taurus Millennium Pro PT145 out of his bag, slammed the magazine in, and racked a round in the chamber. If Richard Harlan, aka Eric Cross or whatever-the-fuck he wanted to call himself, showed up there, he’d be dead in an instant. Ross had always been a “talk first” kinda guy, but this was a “shoot first, ask questions later” kind of situation.
Oh, who was he kidding? With Carly’s life on the line, it had all shifted, because if there was one thing Ross knew to be true, it was the old saying that it’s much easier to get forgiveness than permission. He’d heard it all his life.
Well, this time he sure as hell wouldn’t need permission from anybody to shoot Harlan. If the guy showed up there, it was open season on assholes, and if Ross killed him, he didn’t give a shit about forgiveness. All he cared about was Carly.
Chapter 16
Carly took the next day off—Ross insisted on it. Late that evening, she got a phone call from Louie asking if she’d be back the next day. He didn’t want her to go, but she insisted, and he wondered why they were asking so soon.
When they went to bed that night, he pulled her into him and kissed her forehead. “I love you, my little armadillo. No matter what, you’ve always got me in your corner.”
“I know you don’t want me to go back to work tomorrow, but I feel like I have to. They’re going to be naming an interim sheriff until the next election, and I think it’ll be me, so I have to be there. I have to show them that I can do the job so they won’t question the appointment.”
“You really think they’ll appoint you? I mean, Louie is the chief deputy, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, but do you know how long it’s been since he cracked a case? Forever. I hate thinking that I might actually get ahead in my job because of what happened to Chuck, but if that happens, I sure won’t turn it down.”
“It makes sense to me, but don’t they usually follow rank?” He knew that to be true, and if she got her hopes up and they were dashed, things would really be rough for her.
“Yes, but in this instance, I think they’ll be smart enough to see the truth.” Silence fell on the two of them for a few minutes until she whispered, “Ross? Make love to me. Please?”
“You sure about that?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’ll help me sleep.”
Hey, I don’t mind being her sleeping pill, he thought as his hands roamed her body. “Nothing rough. Just sweet and slow.”
“Yes. That’s what I want.”
That was exactly what he gave her. He made sure the orgasm he gave her came on unhurried and peacefully, and slowed the stroking of his finger when she was close. It paid off with a gasp and a shudder, and he was inside her in a heartbeat. “Oh, babe, you’re so fucking perfect. I love you, Carly. I love you so much. You just can’t know, girl.”
“But I feel it, Ross, I do. I know you love me. Please, slow, slow? Make it last. I love you, Ross, only you. Oh, oh …”
Her hips bucked against his pelvis and Ross relished her orgasm, the tightening around him, the heat of her body. As they both stilled, he held her snugly against him and let her drift off to sleep. When he knew she was thoroughly relaxed, he let himself relax too.
A bright light filled his vision, and he could see clearly. The room was pale green, and little pink bunnies were everywhere, stuffed ones, on the curtains, on the chair cushions, all over the place. Two little boys ran around, laughing and playing, and one stopped in front of a woman. “Tell your sister hello,” she told the child, and he pressed his ear to her belly.
“Hi, little baby! When you get here, we’ll play!”
“Yes. You will. You’ll be her big brother, and she’ll love you. Honey, did you bring in the things I bought from the car?” She turned, and she looked straight into his eyes.
It was Carly.
Somewhere in his subconscious, Ross knew it was a dream, but it didn’t matter. The very thought of a life like that with her was exactly what he wanted. He was trying to grasp at it, keep it going, see what was going to happen. Pink bunnies? Did that mean a girl? Where was that house? What were the boys’ names? As it slipped away, he was sad.
Why wouldn’t it last? Did that mean something in and of itself? He hoped not.
Morning light filtered in around the curtains when he woke. She was still sleeping, and he hoped she’d wait until her shift started to go to the office. But before he could even make it to the bathroom, her phone rang. He watched her struggle to sitting, reach for it, and give whoever it was a sleepy, “Hello?” She rubbed her eyes and brushed her hair back from her face as she listened. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll be there. Thanks for calling me. Bye.”
“Who was that?”
“It was Louie. He said the county judge wants everybody at the office at ten o’clock. He’s making some kind of announcement, and I’m sure it’s about the interim position. Texas Highway Patrol is going to send a car over to follow me. Guess I’d better get up and get ready to go.”
Ross didn’t want her to go. He didn’t want to know what was about to happen. If she didn’t get the position, she’d be even more upset. If she did, he’d never get her to go back to Kentucky with him. Either way, he was screwed.
“What’s up?” she asked as she strolled in at nine thirty.
“Coulter’s going to name the interim sheriff.” Danvers grinned. “I’m betting it’s you.”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t be so lucky. Besides, that’s kinda morbid. I don’t know if I’d even want it.” I don’t even sound convincing to myself, she grumbled internally.
She busied herself cleaning out her desk, a chore she’d been putting off forever. Boy, she’d collected a bunch of junk in the time she’d been there. A ton of stuff went into the trash, but she kept everything any child had ever given her. She’d spoken at schools, churches, scouting gatherings, anywhere they’d asked, and she loved interacting with the kids. They were the best.
Fighting For Carly Page 16
