by Dobbs, L. A.
My letter opener. My commendation letter opener.
Chase’s heated blood froze to ice. Now he knew what really happened to it. Shane hadn’t pawned it for money, like he’d led Chase to believe that day in his apartment. No. He’d used it to let Chase take the fall. Again.
Moore's words came back to him. She'd said they had proof he was in Bryant's office. She must have been talking about the letter opener and it probably had his fingerprints all over it.
Pain and betrayal, worse than he’d ever experienced before—not when their dad left, not when their mom kicked them out, not even when Shane let him take the responsibility for his drug wrap—seared his insides, eating up what joy he had left.
“See.” Katherine shoved the phone back in her coat pocket, her smile smug. “There you go. Your own pathetic kin couldn’t even care less about you. All of you Evans boys are nothing but worthless trash. Less than worthless. Purely expendable, really.”
Chase forced words past his tight vocal cords. “That’s why you pinned this on me?”
“Of course.”
“But how could either of you know I’d even get the job at the casino?”
Katherine shrugged. “Educated guess. With your past conviction, and your ties to Blake Rockford—which your brother so eagerly provided, by the way—it made sense. All I had to do was request a bodyguard and boom, there you were. Only thing I didn’t expect was for you to run out that first night. Figured a hard-up ex-con like you would pounce on the first woman who offered him nookie. I’d planned to keep you in my bed until after the murder, but you went and screwed up that plan.” She tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder and studied her perfectly manicured nails. “Oh well. It all still worked out in the end, didn’t it?”
Her smiled was cold enough to freeze ice.
“You won’t get away with this.” Chase clenched his hands at his sides to keep from choking her.
“Already did, thanks.” She looked up at him and batted her heavily-mascaraed eyes. “See, this is how things will go down. You’ll confess to Warren’s murder and you’ll say you did it for your whore of a girlfriend up there, or else I’ll give this video to the cops.”
“I won’t implicate Shelby in this mess.”
“No?” Katherine snorted. “Not even to save your beloved little brother? He’s the only family you’ve got now, Chase, sad excuse for a man that he is. You were his hero five years ago. He told me so.”
A choice he’d never, ever wanted to make.
The woman he loved or the brother he’d sworn to protect.
A choice he couldn’t make.
“No. I’ll confess, but I won’t tie anyone else to the crime. Take it or leave it.”
Katherine frowned. “Dammit. You are a stubborn, noble thing, aren’t you? Fine. Whatever. I don’t care how you confess, only that you do. It won’t be as convenient for me, money-wise, but I’ll deal.”
“Deal how?”
“Don’t worry, Chase.” She backed into the shadows once more. “I always have a plan.”
Numb, he stumbled to the car and climbed into the passenger seat. He didn’t recognize the guy driving, but it was just as well. With his mind spinning a billion miles an hour, he couldn’t really talk anyway.
The future. The hopes he’d had. The dreams.
Gone. All gone. With one choice. A choice he had no option but to make.
No more freedom. No more family. No more Shelby.
19
The IT room at Rockford Security buzzed with activity when Chase walked in half an hour later. He spotted Blake near the far corner of the room and headed over. The shock from his encounter with Katherine had worn off, leaving in its wake exhaustion and resignation.
These would be his last few hours as a free man. He should be out enjoying them, not stuck in some dreary computer lab. But Blake had put himself on the line more times than Chase could count over the past couple of weeks and damn if he’d let the guy down again.
“Hey.” He walked up to the cubicle where Blake stood, hunched over the shoulder of one of the techs, pointing at something onscreen. He did his best to school his features into bland indifference, but if the concern in Blake’s eyes was any indication, he’d failed. “I’m here.”
“I see that.” With a sharp order, Blake cleared the room, leaving the two of them alone in the department. The air hummed with the whirr of machines and the stench of regret. Blake waited until the door closed behind the last tech, then hung his head. “I’m sorry about this, Chase. Really I am.”
He played the footage. The same footage Chase had witnessed on Katherine’s phone—same syringe, same scenario, same betrayal. He’d figured seeing it a second time would’ve lessened the impact, but it still hit like a sucker punch to the solar plexus.
The video onscreen ran its course then went to fuzz.
Chase squeezed his eyes shut and looked away.
Blake clicked a few keys then faced Chase once more. “I expected more of a reaction.”
Chase shook his head and stared at the bland beige wall across from him.
“You knew, didn’t you?” Blake scowled, arms crossed. “For how long?”
After a deep breath, Chase answered. “Not long. About a half hour.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, like that might erase the memory of a gloating Katherine. “Found out just after you called.”
He felt the weight of Blake’s stare on him even though he didn’t look at him. “I’m going over to the police station in the morning and confessing. After I say goodbye to Shelby.”
“Confessing?” Blake sounded flabbergasted. “Why?”
“C’mon, man. I can’t let Shane go to prison. He’d never survive and I owe him. After everything we went through, I owe him big time. It was my fault. All of it. So I’ll do this for him, not because I’m guilty, but because it’s the right thing to do, okay?” He faced his boss and held up a hand when Blake tried to interrupt. “Don’t. Just don’t. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do exactly the same thing for any one of your siblings, because I know you would. In a heartbeat.”
Blake closed his mouth.
“Yep. That’s right.” Chase cursed and turned away. “You do for family. Period.”
A few moments later, Blake finally spoke. “That’s what happened last time too, isn’t it?”
There was no longer a point in concealing the truth. “Yeah, it was.”
“I thought so.”
“You did?” Given Blake’s nearly preternatural instincts where people were concerned, Chase supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Yeah, you probably did. Listen, thanks for giving me the job when I got out and taking me under your wing and into your family. You all really helped me when I needed it, and I’ll never forget your generosity.”
“Don’t do this, Chase. Please.” Blake stepped toward him.
“I have to, man. You know that.” Blinking hard, he started for the door. “I gotta go.”
“Do you love her?” Blake called from behind him.
That stopped Chase in his tracks. “I do.”
“Then maybe you should fight for her. Fight for that life.”
Resigned, Chase hunched his shoulders and continued toward the exit. “Family first.”
“Shelby could be your family too.” Blake’s words echoed through the empty office space, mirroring what Chase had thought too—before his universe imploded. “If you let her.”
There was no car waiting this time when Chase stepped out into the chilly late-October night. Buses didn’t run in the area at that hour either, so he walked in the direction of Shelby’s apartment, several miles away. The exercise would do him good anyway, give him time to think, time to come up with a plan to implicate Katherine and make sure she did time for her crimes as well.
* * *
A knock at the door awoke Shelby and she squinted into the pre-dawn darkness. She’d fallen back to sleep after Chase had gone outside for his phone call and now felt completely disorient
ed. The bedside clock showed four a.m. Had it really been that long since Chase had left her side? Was he locked out? Had he been pounding on the door this whole time?
Snickerdoodle whimpered from near her feet and she got out of bed, throwing on an old robe before padding across the room. Through the peephole, she gazed out to see Chase on the landing.
With one foot holding back the dog, she opened the door. “Have you been out there this whole time?” She rubbed her eyes with her free hand. He was fully dressed and the look on his face was awful. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Shelby stepped aside to let him in, her heart in her throat. “What’s happened?”
“I was at the Rockford offices.”
“You were?” Nose scrunched, she flipped on the lights then headed into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. “I didn’t even know you’d gone. I thought you locked yourself out when you took that phone call.”
Chase waited until she pushed the Start button on the coffeemaker, then came up behind her. He didn’t touch her, just stood there, with his hands in his pockets and his expression somber. “They found the footage from your father’s office. From the night of his murder.”
“Oh.” Hands trembling, she gripped the edge of the counter. She’d always known this moment would come, she just didn’t expect it to happen so soon, or so early in the morning. An odd mix of elation and dread filled her stomach. Whatever had been on those tapes must not have been good, if Chase’s demeanor was any indication. “Who was it?”
Jaw tight, Chase stared at the floor, his words terse. “My brother, Shane.”
“What?” All the air rushed from her lungs and Shelby’s head spun. She reached for him, but he flinched away. “Oh, Chase. I’m so sorry. I—”
“Stop, please.” He raised a hand and inhaled sharply. “I came to tell you myself, before… Well, before everything happens.”
The finality of his tone sent a shiver of fear through her. “Before what happens?”
“I’m going to the police station from here to turn myself in.”
“B-but you didn’t do it.” Her words sounded as jumbled as she felt. “Why would you do that, Chase? Why?”
“It doesn’t matter if I did it or not, Shelby. If I don’t confess, Katherine will give her copy of the footage to the police. I can’t let that happen to Shane. He’d never survive prison. I would. I have. I will again.”
Horror prevailed as the full ramifications became clear in her mind and her old insecurities resurfaced. Of course he’d leave her so easily. Abandon everything they had together. Why not? Everyone did. No one truly wanted Shelby Bryant around. She’d been a fool to think this gorgeous, brave, honorable man would be any different. Outrage flared hot and bright inside her. No. She might not be rich or beautiful or popular, but she was worth something, dammit. Worth the world to her animals and her shelter, and to Chase once too. He’d taught her that, if nothing else. Posture stiff and chest aching, she clutched the front of her robe closed like a shield. “So you’re choosing your brother over me.”
“Goddammit, Shelby. It’s not like that. You’re an only child. You wouldn’t understand.”
The coffeemaker beeped loud like a clarion call.
“Maybe I don’t have brothers and sisters, but I do have common sense, Chase. You think your brother will learn something from this new sacrifice of yours? He won’t. He obviously didn’t after the first time you went away for his crimes. You can’t keep doing for people and expect things to be different. I learned that the hard way and it looks like you need to as well. He’ll never stop, Chase. Never stop taking advantage of you. He will never take responsibility for his life or his actions until he’s forced to. Why can’t you see that?” This time, she grabbed his arm before he could move away. Stepped closer and put her arms around his waist, pulling his tense form closer. “Please don’t do this. Please.”
He removed her hands and walked into the living room, increasing the distance between them. “Don’t make this harder than it already is, Shelby. I’ve made my decision.”
Anger and panic clogged her throat despite her resolve to stay calm. “Dammit, Chase, I thought we had something special. I-I thought—”
“We do.” His voice sounded gruff and low. “We did.”
“Then why, Chase? Why?” She bit back a sob, refusing to let him see her tears. Not this time. Not this way. “Why won’t you stay with me?”
“I can’t. I’m sorry. I wish more than anything in this world I could stay here with you forever, but I can’t. I owe Shane. Owe him more than I can ever repay. But maybe sacrificing my happiness and future is a start.”
Shelby shook with the effort to suppress her angry tears and turned away.
“Please, baby. Don’t cry. Please…”
She heard the weight of his footsteps across the tiled floor then the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. It was the endearment, though, that was too much to bear. Inconsolable now, she wrenched free and into the corner of her tiny kitchen. “Don’t touch me. Go. Just go and leave me alone.”
Eyes squeezed shut, she waited—waited for the door to close behind him, for life as she knew it to end. Instead, she heard the rustle of plastic and her dog’s satisfied woof.
“Here you go, boy,” Chase said, followed by the chomp of Snickerdoodle eating something solid. “Enjoy.”
Several more seconds passed, but Shelby refused to turn around, refused to look at him, refused to let him see just how much destruction his leaving caused her poor, scarred heart.
At last, she heard the door open amidst Snickerdoodle’s high, lonesome whine. “Goodbye, boy. You be good for your mama now, okay?”
The sounds of distant traffic drifted in along with the cool night breeze. Then, just as suddenly as Chase Evans had entered Shelby’s life, he was gone. The door clicked shut behind him with the resounding finality of cancer.
Legs shaking and pulse pounding, Shelby slid down the cabinets to the kitchen floor, her head in her hands and her tears now flowing freely. Snickerdoodle padded over to her and nuzzled her temple while she hugged him tight.
The dog was her only comfort now, her only friend.
Same as always.
20
By the time Chase arrived outside the Las Vegas Police Department headquarters, it was just after sunrise. The sky above was streaked with bright pinks and golds, and he did his best to savor every second, knowing this would be the last time in a long time he’d have the freedom to enjoy it.
Breaking up with Shelby had been the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life. Harder than raising Shane on his own, harder than standing trial for a crime he didn’t commit, harder than going back to prison.
Back to prison.
The words didn’t bother him as much now as he thought it would. Hell, at least he knew what to expect this time around, how to act, who to associate himself with for the maximum benefit. Head down, he took a deep breath and stalked toward the entrance to the station, his heart heavy and his pace determined.
Within two steps, he collided hard with another body.
“You’re an idiot.”
Liv? What the hell?
Stunned, Chase looked up to see Blake’s sister glaring at him. Apparently, the guy had called out the reinforcements. Wouldn’t work, though. He’d made up his mind and nothing would change it now. He tried to step around her, but she blocked his path again.
“No.” She jabbed her finger hard into his chest, her tone hard as diamond. “You’re going to listen to what I have to say, Chase Evans.”
“Can’t. Sorry. Places to go, people to see.” He moved to the side again, but she blocked him. Exhaling, he shook his head. “Look, I get what your brother’s trying to do here, but it’s too late, okay? It’s decided. It’s none of his business anyway. Or yours. I don’t work for you anymore. I quit.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Obviously.”
Hands on hips, she glanced around then lowered her voice as several offic
ers arrived for duty. “Listen to me, Chase. Don’t do this. Don’t confess.”
Again with the guilt trip. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. Did none of these people understand loyalty? He prayed for patience and walked on ahead despite her blocking his path. “I have to. He’s my brother.”
“Well, he’s a damned shitty one. Always has been.” She kept pace beside him.
“That’s my fault too.”
“How, Chase? How in the world could that possibly be your fault, huh?” She cut him off again. “Shane’s an adult now. At some point his behavior stops being your fault and starts being his responsibility. You weren’t his parent. Hell, you were barely an adult yourself when you had to take over raising him. You did the best you could. He’s the one who decided the law didn’t apply to him.”
Chase forced his tense shoulder to relax. “You don’t understand. I should’ve—”
“Should’ve what? You’ve already given up five years of your life for him, Chase. Don’t make the same mistake twice. Besides, you both came from the same home, the same environment and you didn’t turn out to be some drug-dealing killer.”
He stared off into the horizon, where the sky shifted from pastel shades to bright blue, Katherine’s bitter words slicing through what little self-respect he had left.
All of you Evans boys are nothing but worthless trash. Less than worthless. Purely expendable, really…
“I was lucky. I had Blake and you guys to help stabilize me. Shane didn’t.”
“And that’s my point.” Liv threw up her hands. “We’re your family now, Chase. All of us Rockfords. Your true family, connected at the heart. Shane’s only connected by blood.”
He wanted to believe that more than he wanted anything in the world, except maybe Shelby. The wounds on his tortured soul bled anew. What he wouldn’t give to hold her again, comfort her again, love her and make her his own. But that was all a dream now, had to be.
Chase side-stepped around Liv and stepped up onto the curb in front of the station. Shane might only be his family now by blood, but he was still family. “Look, I appreciate everything you all have done and for you being here today.”