The Truest Thing: Hart's Boardwalk #4

by Samantha Young

  Jack’s lips pursed at the action, but he didn’t mention it.

  “Is this about Rebecca?”

  The polite thing to do would have been to offer him a drink, but I didn’t want to give him the impression that he was welcome to stay.

  Jack nodded. Sitting forward, he braced his forearms on his knees. “I’ve been lied to, Em.”

  From there Jack told me the tale of what really happened the night that changed his family’s lives. My heart ached for Rebecca and all that she’d been through, and I sensed Jack’s confusion and turmoil over discovering a side to Stu he hadn’t realized existed. I heard the conflict in his tone as he tried to reconcile the man who attacked Bailey with the man who had tried to protect Rebecca.

  “It’s not all black and white, Jack,” I reminded him as he fell silent. “Stu wasn’t all bad. That much is clear. But he still stood by and allowed your lives to be ruined to protect himself.”

  “And Becs.” Jack sat forward. “He knew Ian would set her up for the murder instead—and me as her accomplice.”

  “How? The fingerprints on the weapon were Stu’s.”

  “He’d plant hers instead.”

  I nodded thoughtfully. “Your father really is the phlegmy mucus on the pile of shit that lives on hell spawn, isn’t he?”

  Jack’s lips twitched with amusement. “That is the most colorful insult I’ve ever heard. And yes, he is.”

  “I’m sorry. You can’t feel guilty for any of it. All you did was try to protect your sister. And now you don’t have to anymore. You must be so proud of her for having the courage to come forward.”

  “I am.” His voice was gruff and he lowered his gaze to the floor. “She could face time for this, and she’s at peace with it.”

  “And what about you? What will Ian do?”

  “He won’t want to sully the family name any more than it has been. He’ll let Stu take the rightful blame for the murder.” Jack looked up now, his expression hardening. “But I’m going to take Ian down, Em. I have evidence.”

  My heart stuttered. “The kind of evidence that might implicate you too?”

  “I’ll only offer my cooperation in exchange for immunity.”

  I relaxed. “Good.”

  “Does that mean you still care what happens to me?”

  I sucked in a breath. “Jack … I will always care for you.”

  He leaned toward me and licked his lips as if nervous. Which seemed strange because Jack was never nervous. “Em … when this is over, I’ll be free. I … there wouldn’t be a reason for us not to give this a shot.”

  Suddenly I understood his nervousness.

  I wanted to throw my arms around him. The urge stemmed from a piece of me that clung to the hope of something developing between us. But he’d cut me to the quick last summer. I’d opened myself to him in ways I hadn’t been sure I’d ever be able to again … and he’d rejected me. And then continued sleeping with Bailey’s sister. And other women. Like the brunette at Winter Carnival.

  His rejection and defection, no matter his reasons, hadn’t just stung.

  It had sliced me deeply enough to scar.

  I used to trust Jack with my heart.

  I couldn’t explain why. I just had.

  I … I didn’t trust him like that anymore.

  And without trust, what was the point?

  “Em?”

  “What happened to you not wanting anything permanent?”

  “We both know I just said that to push you away. To protect you.”

  I lifted my gaze to meet his and something dark flashed in his eyes at whatever he saw in my face. His head jerked back a little, like I’d hit him. “I’m sorry, Jack. I’m happy that you’ll finally get out from under your father’s machinations. But our … this isn’t the relationship you should try to mend. We’re past that. I’m … I understand why you did and said the things you did. But I was left humiliated and rejected. Again. And it was clearly easy for you to forget me, as noted by the plethora of women you’ve been with throughout all this.

  “I don’t trust you with my heart. I’m sorry.”

  He looked away, the muscle flexing in his jaw as he clenched his teeth.

  Seeing him struggle hurt.

  “Go to Cooper.” I stood abruptly, needing him gone. “Please go to Cooper and talk to him. Tell him everything.”

  Jack stood slowly with an angry storm in his eyes. “You think he’ll forgive me when you can’t?”

  “Yes,” I answered honestly. “You and Cooper have a history that goes beyond anything you and I had. Don’t look at it like telling him is a chance for you to get something out of it—look at it for what it is. Cooper deserves the truth, whether or not he forgives you. He deserves to know why you did what you did. As much as losing him hurt you, don’t you think it wrecked him? Don’t you think he wonders every day what the hell made you do that to him?”

  Bright emotion gleamed in Jack’s eyes. After contemplating me for what seemed like a painfully lengthy time, he nodded sharply.

  “Good luck, Jack.” I strode to my door and pulled it open.

  Bracing myself, I held my breath as he walked toward it. He didn’t look at me.

  Just when I thought he’d leave without saying goodbye, he stopped beside me.

  Our eyes held, like two magnets clicking together.

  A shiver skated down my spine.

  “I’m sorry I broke what was between us,” he said, voice gruff with feeling.

  Pain lashed across my chest. “It was just attraction, Jack,” I lied.

  He gave me a mocking, anguished smirk. “Sunrise, we both know it was something far deeper than that.”

  Then he left, striding quickly out of the house and down the porch steps.

  I closed the door, locking it.

  As I listened to his car pull out of my drive, I let the tears fall and promised myself it would be the last time I shed them over Jack Devlin.

  17

  Jack

  They found the body and the dumbbell. His father and Stu hadn’t buried them in Hartwell at all. They were buried in the woods somewhere between Jimtown and Arabian Acres.

  By some miracle, the sheriff kept the news of the find quiet.

  A few days later, the forensics came back. Stu’s prints were all over the weapon. They charged Rebecca for aiding and abetting, and Jack paid her bail.

  That was the extent of the privacy of the investigation. Word was that the local paper caught wind of the story—it would be all over the front pages by morning.

  Jack had spent the last few days ignoring Ian’s phone calls and consoling his mother and Jamie. He felt bad not giving them a heads-up about what he was about to do. But he couldn’t chance Ian finding out.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?” Detective Sullivan asked. He sat on the edge of his desk, like he was preparing to move at any second.

  They were in the detective’s office. Jack hadn’t stated this was official business when he’d asked to speak to the cop.

  “A hypothetical,” Jack replied casually, as though his heart wasn’t racing a mile a minute.

  Sullivan tensed ever so slightly. “Okay.”

  “For instance, if someone were to come to you with years of evidence that proved one of your citizens was guilty of multiple counts of racketeering, blackmail, fraud, and assault, but was perhaps complicit in those activities … would you grant them immunity for their cooperation?”

  The detective’s eyes sharpened. Then he took a deep breath before he crossed his arms over his chest. “How it’s supposed to work is that we’d need the district attorney to grant that person immunity. But we’d have to start proceedings first. That person would have to hand over what evidence they have without knowing whether we have granted the immunity.”

  Fuck.

  “But … if a police officer were to offer the promise of immunity to the witness, then the prosecutor would be forced to uphold that promise.” He smirked ever so sligh
tly.

  “Are you saying that’s a promise you would make?”

  Sullivan’s expression turned hard with solemnity. “That’s a promise I would definitely make.”

  Taking a deep breath—and one of the biggest leaps of faith in his life—Jack reached down to his feet where he’d put the leather folder with three USBs and some paperwork in it. He picked it up and held it out to Sullivan. “There’s enough shit in there to put my father, Ian Devlin, and my brother, Kerr, away for a long time. And you’ll have my testimony in court.”

  The detective took the folder. “Then we better take this to an interview room. We need my promise of immunity officially recorded.”

  Jack at once relaxed and tensed. There was something reassuringly genuine about Sullivan. His gut instinct told him he could trust the guy. That didn’t mean he wasn’t apprehensive as fuck to get the ball rolling on putting Ian away for good.

  He left the sheriff’s station about two hours later, feeling drained.

  They would arrest his father immediately.

  After calling Rebecca to let her know and to warn her about the story in the newspaper tomorrow, Jack drove to Cooper’s Bar. It took him fifteen minutes to talk himself out of the car, another five to open the door to the bar, only for Kit, one of Cooper’s bartenders, to tell him Coop was at home because the doc was sick.

  Jack worried about what sick meant.

  Also, he didn’t want to go near Cooper’s house because the last time he’d been there, he’d been screwing Dana.

  Shit.

  The memory still made his stomach roil.

  He couldn’t do this.

  “Don’t look at it like telling him is a chance for you to get something out of it—look at it for what it is. Cooper deserves the truth, whether or not he forgives you. He deserves to know why you did what you did. As much as losing him hurt you, don’t you think it wrecked him? Don’t you think he wonders every day what the hell made you do that to him?”

  As Emery’s voice filled his head, Jack felt the sweet sharpness of it. She was right. His Em was awfully wise.

  Wise enough to not want anything do with him anymore.

  Getting into his car again, he distracted himself with thoughts of Emery Saunders and why it didn’t feel like his chest was caving in knowing she didn’t want to start a relationship with him. He pondered that thought all night until he realized the truth. He wasn’t drowning in a bottle of whisky over Emery because he didn’t really believe it was the end for them.

  Jack had waited nine years to be with her.

  He’d wait however long it took now to get her to trust him again.

  Worrying over how he’d do that, Jack pulled up to Cooper’s house. That familiar wave of nausea rolled right over him again.

  Forcing himself out of the car, he heard Coop and Jess’s dog barking from inside the house. His strides were slow as he walked along the drive, past Coop’s truck and up the porch steps.

  Just as Jack reached the porch, the door opened and Jessica stood there in her pajamas. Her skin looked pale and clammy.

  He realized how goddamn selfish it was to have come here after being told Jess was sick.

  “I’ll leave,” he said.

  The doc’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you here?”

  “I … uh … I came to talk with Cooper, but if this is a bad time …”

  Suddenly, the dog, a huge golden retriever, bounded past Jessica and ran straight for Jack. He chuckled as the beast threw himself at him, his paws landing on Jack’s gut as he stumbled back under the force of the dog’s enthusiasm.

  “Louis, down,” Jessica said weakly.

  “You okay?” Jack asked, patting the dog as it tried to lick every inch of his hands.

  “I’m fine. Cooper’s upstairs running me a bath.”

  “I should—”

  “Come in.” She stepped aside. “Clearly you have something to say, so you should come in.”

  “He might not thank you for it.”

  “He won’t get mad at me right now, so your timing is actually kind of perfect.”

  “Should I be worried about you?” Jack frowned as he passed by her and into the house.

  It looked different.

  Back when Coop was married to Dana, the furniture was sparse and modern. There wasn’t clutter.

  The house was earthy and cozy now, filled with photographs from Coop and Jessica’s wedding. There were a lot of books lying around.

  Jack smiled to himself.

  This was definitely the kind of home Jack imagined for his best friend.

  “Would you be worried about me if something was wrong?” Jessica asked as she closed the door.

  “Jess! Who’s here?” Cooper’s voice called from upstairs.

  “A visitor for you!” she called back.

  “I’d be worried,” Jack answered honestly when her gaze came back to his.

  She smiled slightly. “I think I already knew that about you. But the evidence has been conflicting.”

  Jack nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”

  Jessica raised an eyebrow. “Well then … I think I’ll go take that bath and give you some privacy. Louis, come with me.”

  The dog followed the doc to the staircase, and that’s when Jack noticed the slight swell of her belly in the tight pajama tee she wore.

  “Doc …”

  She looked back at him. “Yeah?”

  He swallowed thickly, feeling a ton of emotions for his ex-best friend. “Congratulations.”

  Her eyes widened ever so slightly and she glanced down at her belly. “Shit.” She gave a huff of laughter. “I’ve been wearing looser fitting clothes when I’m in public.” Her expression turned wary. “We didn’t want anyone but close friends to know. Until we’re past the twenty-three-week mark.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “It better fucking be,” Cooper growled from the stairwell.

  Jack had been so busy looking at Jess, he hadn’t even noticed Cooper appear.

  “Uh … I’m going to take that bath.” Jess hurried past her husband, giving his arm a squeeze as she went.

  Cooper offered her a frustrated but loving look. “You call if you need me.”

  As soon as the doc and Louis were gone, Cooper walked down the remaining stairs and strode toward Jack.

  Jack braced himself.

  His stomach was a riot of nerves.

  “You want to tell me what the fuck you’re doing in my house?” Cooper asked casually. But his expression was anything but casual.

  Jack exhaled slowly, forcing himself to hold Coop’s steely gaze. “Rebecca has been charged with aiding and abetting in the murder of a man named Caruthers.”

  Cooper flinched back in surprise. “What?”

  “A few weeks … fuck, I don’t even know where to start.” Jack dragged a hand down his face. “I don’t know where to start, Coop.”

  There was a moment of silence and then something seemed to dawn on Cooper’s face. “Are you here … are you here to tell me why?”

  He swallowed hard. “Yes. I’m not looking for anything from you. I … just … I’m in the position to tell you the truth now, and you deserve the truth.”

  A muscle ticked in Cooper’s jaw but he didn’t respond.

  Jack took that as permission to continue. “I’ll start at the beginning … Dana.”

  His best friend’s expression hardened.

  “She’d been coming on to me for a while. Then one day she called me up and said she needed to talk about you. That she was worried. So, I came over and she gave me all this shit about how you were blaming her for not getting pregnant.”

  Cooper let out a huff of aggravation.

  “I knew that shit wasn’t true. You know I never liked her.”

  “And yet you fucked her.”

  Jack looked away, the memories of the past dancing across his eyes. “She grabbed my crotch. Tried to initiate sex. I got the hell out of there. I was on my way to te
ll you when Ian called. He said that Rebecca had killed a man who’d tried to rape her. And Stu helped her bury the body. She was only seventeen.”

  Cooper’s features slackened with shock. “What the fuck?”

  “You know she isn’t his, Coop.”

  He was one of the few people in town who knew Rebecca wasn’t Ian Devlin’s daughter.

  “He didn’t give a flying fuck about her. But he knew I did. So he sent her away to school in England and blackmailed me into giving up my entire life and falling in line.”

  “Blackmailed you how?”

  “He said he’d give Rebecca up to the police and plant evidence that it was me, not Stu, who helped her bury the body.”

  “Jesus Fucking Christ.” Cooper stumbled to his couch, slumping down on it, his head in his hands. “Fuck, Jack. Fuck!” He glared up at him, outrage written all over his face. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?”

  Seeing and hearing the rage in Coop’s voice, Jack’s throat closed with emotion.

  Emery was right.

  His defection had wrecked Coop as much as it had wrecked him.

  “I couldn’t do that to you. I couldn’t have this secret hanging over your life. Do you know what it was like for me, driving around this town, wondering where that fucking body was, wondering when the anvil would come crashing down to ruin Becs, me, my mom. And if you knew … you’d be complicit, Cooper, and it would take you down with us. I couldn’t have that.”

  “So, what did you do?” Realization dawned on Cooper. “Huh? Say it.”

  “You kept asking me what was wrong. You kept pushing.” Jack found himself getting agitated as he remembered. “You knew it was fucked up that I’d sold my company, started working for a man I hated. You wouldn’t let it go. I knew you wouldn’t stop. The only way to keep you safe was to push you out of my life. And Dana … I hated that you had no clue what a disloyal, conniving bitch she really was.”

  “So you showed me.”

  Jack flinched at the underlying rage in his ex-friend’s voice. “I did what I thought was best for you.”