Lawson & Jill: Romantic Suspense (Night Storm Legacy Book 1)

by Caitlyn O'Leary

  Law quickly overrode the system, which effectively cut the motion detectors and—thank the Lord—the speaker. This had to be Kane McNamara’s work, because he was only supposed to be connected to the alarm headquarters and the police department.

  The phone in his hand vibrated but he ignored it again, then heard the distinctive sound of an incoming Zoom call coming from his home computer. He double-timed it to his office.

  Kane and Asher’s faces were on the screen as soon as he joined the call. He saw part of a shoulder and figured it was Cullen. Ash had the same ‘worried grandma’ look Law had been seeing for a month. He couldn’t get any kind of read off of Kane.

  “What is so goddamned important it couldn’t wait until morning?” Law snarled.

  “It is morning. It’s six o’clock,” Ash answered.

  “In Virginia,” Law said sarcastically.

  “I’m eighty-four percent sure I’ve found Jill’s friend Angela.” Kane McNamara said.

  “You found her?” Jill asked excitedly.

  Law had heard her as she came into his home office. He turned and saw that she was wearing her dress. How she’d managed to get out all the wrinkles from laying on the floor all night was beyond him. But she was sporting swollen lips and sex-hair. Law was definitely keeping her off-camera.

  He reached out his hand to her so that he could draw her to his side, while at the same time tilting his monitor to the left.

  “Let him explain how he tracked down her last name and where she came from first,” Asher said.

  “You did?” Jill asked Kane excitedly as she moved in front of the damned monitor. Law saw Asher checking her out in the same way he had looked Eden over when he’d first met her. It was assessing, making sure she was good enough. He needed to stop it.

  “I ran a couple of searches. The chances were good that Angela hadn’t changed her first name, most people on the run don’t. With that in mind, I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would have used a fake name when talking about her dead son. So, I plugged in the name Angela with a dead child named Richard. Unfortunately, I got more hits than I wanted to see.”

  Law felt Jill stiffen beside him. He felt the same way. It was heartbreaking to think of all the children who had died.

  “I realized my fuckup at midnight—I hadn’t narrowed it down to Michigan, since the guy who visited Lesley said he was from there. That’s when I got a hit that fit. In Detroit, a toddler died, and the mother went missing. It even made the papers. An Angela Goshen was wanted for questioning in the beginning, then it died down.”

  “Angela couldn’t have possibly hurt her son,” Jill said vehemently.

  “You’re right, she didn’t. He died while he was under his father’s care. It was a tragic accident. But her leaving made it suspicious. I should have something this afternoon,” Kane said.

  “What do you mean it made it suspicious? I know Angela, she loved her baby. She was devastated over her son dying.” Jill leaned forward into the monitor. “I don’t know why she left Michigan, but she had a reason, and it wasn’t because she had anything to do with his death.” Law tugged her closer.

  “We believe you, Honey,” Law assured her.

  “There is definitely something fishy,” Asher said soothingly.

  “You’re Law’s brother,” Jill said. “You’re on my side. What about him?” She pointed at Kane.

  Kane threw up his hands in defense. “Hey, I’m on your side, too. I’m just trying to put this puzzle together.”

  Jill relaxed a little bit and leaned against Law.

  “What did the papers say?” Law asked.

  “Angela was out of town and arrived home from the airport to find the cops at her house on a hot day in August. Her husband Tim, a lawyer in his dad’s bigshot law firm, had left their son in the back of his car when he went inside the house.”

  Jill gasped. “Oh my God, how could you ever forgive yourself after something like that?”

  “Then Angela ran away?” Cullen Lyons asked from the other side of Asher.

  “She disappeared later that night. When she first got home and realized her baby had died, she collapsed and had to be rushed to the hospital. They needed to keep her overnight. By all accounts, she was a mess and needed care. But sometime in the middle of the night at the hospital, she just disappeared.”

  “Did someone take her?” Jill asked.

  “No,” Kane answered. “It happened about an hour after her husband came and visited her. She put on her clothes, took her purse, and walked out. The security cameras caught her walking down the city block and turning the corner.”

  “Has her husband been looking for her?” Law asked.

  “To begin with, he did. He made a big deal about it, hired a well-known detective agency and even offered a reward. Then the papers got a hold of it. There was speculation about the family, that something was really wrong, what with the baby dying and the mother missing all within twenty-four hours. Before it made national news, his family stepped in and announced that Angela had gone to stay with some distant relatives. After that, things died down.”

  “That just so isn’t true. She was living hand-to-mouth as a maid. Now that I know the kind of life she left behind, she was clearly on the run,” Jill told the others.

  “Or, she could have been so devastated by losing her baby, that she just had to start over, even if it was hand-to-mouth. Grief can do strange things to a person,” Cullen said sadly.

  Jill let out a small whimper and nodded.

  “Maybe,” Kane said. “But the police started an investigation in Detroit on all of this. I want to get my hands on that file and see what the police had to say. I’ll feel more comfortable after I read that information.”

  “For sure, Tim Goshen knew that the press release they gave out was a bunch of bullshit. He knew she hadn’t gone to relatives, she was missing. The detective agency had to have tracked her alias down to California. That led to the grief counseling group, and to you, Jill.” Law said.

  “I don’t want to tell him a darn thing. I’m not going to tell him that she went to Arizona,” Jill said emphatically. “If she doesn’t want to tell that man who let her son die where she went, then I’m sure not going to tell him anything.”

  “Actually, your friend Angela Smith, aka Goshen, isn’t in Arizona, she’s in Wyoming. Cullen has a buddy who will be talking to her soon, don’t you?” Kane looked over at Cullen.

  “Yep,” he said from off-screen.

  “How did you find her in Wyoming?” Law demanded to know.

  “A month ago, a local doctor in Casper made a request for Angela Goshen’s medical records from her doctor in Michigan.”

  “I don’t get it, why would she lie to me about where she was even going?” Jill queried.

  “Maybe she didn’t,” Law tried to make Jill feel better. “Maybe she just changed her mind.”

  “Cut it out, Thorne.” Kane’s voice was abrupt. “Jill, your friend is definitely running scared and she wasn’t taking any chances that her movements could be traced.”

  “But she gave me her cell phone number.”

  “But she never answered, did she? Was a personalized message even on the voicemail?” Kane asked.

  “No.” Jill’s voice was dejected. Law put his arm around her waist and tucked her in close.

  “So, Angela is in hiding from her husband?” Law asked.

  “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Kane said. “Cullen’s friend should have answers from Angela soon, if she is willing to talk, and that’s a big ‘if’. We need to find out why.”

  “You really don’t think it’s just because she’s mad and sad?” Jill asked.

  “No,” Law, Asher, and Cullen said at the same time.

  “Why not,” Jill asked.

  “You go,” Law nodded to Kane.

  “Why did he give Lesley a false name? Why didn’t he introduce himself as Tim Goshen? Why did he approach you as a member of the HOA? If everyth
ing was above-board and all he was, was worried about his wife, he would have been upfront. This smells to high heaven.”

  “I don’t like it. My buddy is pretty sure Angela is waitressing at a truck stop on the outskirts of Casper. He’s going to go see her in the morning. Hopefully, it will all get cleared up then,” Cullen said.

  “Until then, you need to be cautious and alert, Jill,” Asher said forcefully. He might have been talking to Jill, but his words were really meant for Law.

  “She’ll be staying with me from now on until we have this sorted out.”

  She pulled away from him. “Oh, I will, will I?”

  “Yes, you will.”

  She gave him a long look, reached over, and shut off the zoom call. “Let’s discuss this like adults—you know, where you tell me you’re worried about me, and ask me to stay with you?”

  He could see that she was almost with him. He smiled.

  “How about if I tell you that I’m really worried about you, and I really, really want you in my bed at night?”

  She wound her arms around his neck. “That works.”

  Chapter 11

  “Tell me about Jill.”

  Law had been expecting this call. He knew he was safe because this was the second night that Jill was zoned out in front of her computer trying to race through technical manuals to meet a deadline to fix someone else’s fuck-ups.

  He wiped the grease off his with the garage rag and picked up his phone and put it to his ear. Even though he was ninety-nine percent sure that Jill wouldn’t be coming into the garage, there wasn’t any reason to take unnecessary risks.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Why haven’t you copped to her before?”

  “Copped to her? What kind of expression is that? I mentioned her to you a few weeks ago.”

  “Yeah, but this is something serious, you wouldn’t have pulled in Kane if it wasn’t.”

  The Triumph motorcycle was looking good. It had taken him damn near a year to be able to pull the tarp off and start to work on it, but now he was happy. It was bringing back happier times spent with Xavier.

  “Law, are you listening to me?” Asher demanded.

  “You wanted to know how deep I’d gotten into with Jill, and if I really thought I was ready for a serious relationship. Yes, I heard that. Instead of calling you a “kettle”, I decided to admire Xavier’s motorcycle.”

  Asher sighed out a laugh. “I guess it is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black. Did you talk to Professor Roberts’ referral?”

  This time it was Law’s turn to sigh. “Yes. I did it specifically because I knew I was falling for Jill and I wanted to make sure I could come to her whole. I didn’t want to be fucked in the head with anger and guilt.”

  “That’s great!”

  “You’re really annoying, you know that, don’t you?”

  “Right back at you. So tell me about this miracle worker who got your ass in to see a psychologist. She must be special.”

  “She is. You already saw she’s gorgeous, but she’s smart as a whip, but she is clumsy as hell and she talks to her flowers when she has to work out a problem. She worked as an EMT in downtown Houston for a couple of years. She understands real life.”

  “Even though she talks to flowers?” Asher chuckled.

  “Yep,” Law grinned.

  “Do you love her?”

  “Every morning when I wake up with her beside me, the day is better and brighter. When I get to fall asleep with her in my arms I feel content. It eats at me when I don’t know where she is, I want to make sure she’s safe at all times. Is that love? Is that forever?”

  “Can you picture growing old without her?” Ash asked softly.

  “Hell no. I want her ass tied to my side. I want to make her life better, I want to take care of her. Selfishly, I want all that beauty and sparkle drenching my life.”

  “Oh Baby Brother, you’ve got it bad. Drenching your life. Did you take poetry classes in between all of your sports classes?”

  “Fuck you,” Law said without any real heat. “Does this sound familiar?”

  “Fuck yeah. Except for the drenching part. I want to have Eden’s laughter and wildness beside me forever, that’s why she has my ring on her finger.”

  “So have you set the date yet?”

  “It’s either March or June. Eden has to go to Montana to bump some heads to get things settled.”

  “What?”

  “What with Becker’s trial and all the jobs she’s been getting, she pawned some of the planning off on her two sisters. They are arguing about which is the best venue for the reception.”

  “Did you tell Eden you want March?”

  “Hell no, I’m staying out of it. Get in the middle of a sister fight? I don’t think so, my man.”

  Law chuckled, at least that was one thing he wouldn’t have to worry about.

  “But I know Eden wants to get married as soon as possible too, so I’m guessing March will win out. But we’ll see. This will tell me a lot about the family dynamics.”

  “What about her brothers?”

  “Yeah, well, that’s why I want you and some of my team to fly out to Montana early. I figure we can all get friendly before the big day.”

  That caught Law off guard. “Are you expecting trouble? For real?”

  “Nah. But this might head off any more heart to hearts with York men. I swear to God, her father put me through the ringer. He was worse than Liam McAllister used to be when we fucked up and got called into his office.”

  “You told me that he could strip paint off you.”

  “He was always fair. I only got called in once. It was before I joined Max’s team. But it left an impression. Just like Richard York’s talk left an impression. Something tells me his three boys are cut of the same cloth.”

  “I’ll have your back.”

  “So, Jill?”

  That was his brother, tenacious to a fault.

  “Yeah?”

  “You do realize you’re in love with her, right?”

  “I might not be the touchy-feely psych major, but yeah, I already figured that out like a big boy.”

  Asher laughed.

  Chapter 12

  “So, is this hot pocket, cross-legged thing a thing?” Law asked.

  Jill looked up from her position on the floor as she was about to take a bite from her pepperoni hot pocket. She hadn’t heard Law coming in from the garage, probably because she had her earbuds in and cranked up to one hundred and one.

  Come to think of it, that was not the wisest move in the world since her dad was darn near deaf. She pulled out her earbuds.

  “Did I just hear a wise-ass comment about my eating habits?” She grinned up at Law as he swooped in for a kiss.

  “Honey, a hot pocket might be a habit, but it’s not really eating. MRE’s are better eating.”

  “What’s an MRE?” Jill asked.

  “Meal-Ready to Eat. It’s the shit that the military puts into little plastic packets for us to eat in the field. It’s a hell of a lot more nutritional than what you’re eating.”

  Jill felt her smile getting bigger. It was so sweet when he proved he cared. For the last four nights, he had cooked dinner because he knew that she was on a heavy deadline. Was it any wonder that she felt the way she felt about him?

  Love. Admit it, Keiler, it’s love.

  “What?”

  “What do you mean what?” Jill asked.

  “You’re looking at me funny,” Law said. “Is something going wrong with your project? Are you going to miss your deadline?”

  She sighed.

  “Honey, you’re kind of scaring me. You’re biting your lip again.”

  She shut her laptop and untangled herself from between the couch and the coffee table and stood up. “I need another kiss.”

  “Glad to deliver.” He pulled her into his arms, and soon she was lost in the magic of Law’s touch. The man could kiss. When he finally lifted his h
ead, he gave her a long look. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

  She looked up at the ceiling.

  God, give me strength.

  “I have never met a man as good, honest, and honorable as you. Did you know that?”

  Every muscle in his body tightened beneath her touch as his eyes darkened.

  “Where’s this going, Jill?”

  “Oh, God, I’m doing this wrong.” She clasped his face in both of her hands and stared into his eyes. “This time, I’m going to break the macho code. I need you to know that I love you. Right here, right now. No flowers, no candlelit dinner. Just a cold hot pocket on a plate. I’m in love with you, Lawson.”

  She stared up at him and didn’t see one sign of a dimple.

  “It’s okay, I don’t need you to say it back. But I just had to say it to you, because you’re wonderful, and you had to know that someone just loves you to death.”

  Still no dimple. She drew back her hands and felt the need for an antacid. Maybe he was right, maybe she needed to start eating better.

  “Dammit, you’re biting your lip again. Stop it, Honey.”

  He trailed his thumb over her bottom lip and she forced a smile. What had she been expecting, after all? She took a silent breath. “Do you want to go out for dinner? Maybe that seafood place you like so much,” she suggested.

  He shook his head slowly. “I don’t think so.”

  “Italian?”

  His arms wound around her. “Nope.”

  “Uhm, Mexican?”

  He smiled. She saw two dimples. “I think maybe we’ll go out to a candlelit dinner sometime around midnight tonight. Or tomorrow night.” He drew her closer. “We absolutely have something to celebrate.”

  She sucked in more air. “We do?”

  “Absolutely. When the woman I adore tells me she loves me, I definitely want to celebrate.” He pulled her even closer and Jill melted against the hard length of his body.

  Law placed a tender kiss on her cheek, close to her ear. Then he whispered, “I love you too, Jill. I thought you knew that.”

  She shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again.