by Jillian Neal
Her vows brought life breath back to his lungs. Stomping on the brakes, he pulled over on the side of the road. “Why can’t you have that? That’s exactly what I want, too.”
“Because I know my father. He’ll pay Seth off to keep him quiet in exchange for me not being with you. And I’ll let him do it because it will be over my dead body that I let you go to prison for me. And because I’m supposed to want more than to be a wife and a mom, but Seth was right, that is all I want. It’s not all I’m capable of by a long shot, but I’m not allowed for that to be what I want.”
“You’re allowed to want anything in this world, Katy, and I will do everything in my power to give you everything you’re after. If it’s money he’s wantin’, I’ll sell my land. It’s worth a fortune. I don’t need your daddy’s money. All I need is you.”
“Oh, my God, Grant, you are not selling your land. Are you crazy? I am not worth this.”
“You are worth everything to me.”
The dread he’d tried to keep at bay all evening slithered over his skin. His stomach turned. Searching the desolate road around them, Grant ordered his pulse to slow from its frantic pace, but it was no use. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck despite the cool blast of his air conditioning. Every hair on his body stood on end. Something was coming. He could feel it. His gut never lied.
Headlights bathed them in the cab of the truck as a car came over the hill. Kaitlyn shielded her eyes. Grant blinked the flare of lights from his eyes as the squad car passed them by.
“Was that …?”
“They’re probably headed to the rodeo make sure no one that’s been drinkin’ tries to get behind the wheel. Let’s just get out of here. There’s somewhere I want to take you that no one will be able to find us anyway.”
Bile churned in his stomach. He eased the truck back on the road and prayed like he’d never prayed before. But it seemed his luck was up. The squad car made a turn in the middle of the road and hit the blue lights.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“I swear I’ll figure out a way to get Daddy to get you out,” Kaitlyn repeated for the third time. Certain she was going to vomit, she tried to order her thoughts. She’d offer never to see him again in exchange for her father making this all disappear. Her father would win yet again.
“Here,” Grant thrust his phone and keys in her hands. “Call my brother. Tell him to come get you and then to come to Lincoln. Tell Dad to get me a lawyer. I love you, baby, and I swear I will figure out some way to be with you.”
“Step out of the vehicle with your hands up,” Josh’s voice echoed in the cab of the truck.
“Grant, do what he says. Don’t lose your temper. Don’t give them anything to add to your charges. I’ll make this go away, but you cannot fight with him. They have guns, and they’ll use them.”
“There’s a pistol under your seat,” Grant sighed.
“Then don’t give them a reason to search this truck. Just go.”
Kaitlyn flung herself out of the passenger side. Fury burning in her soul. “What are his charges?” she demanded hatefully. “I’m his representation. You have to tell me.”
“Get in the car, Kit-kat. You’re safe now. I saw what he did to Seth. I won’t have you with someone like that.”
“Seth deserved everything he got and then some. Why are you doing this, Josh? You know as soon as you leave I’m calling my father to undo this.”
Narrowing her eyes, Kaitlyn was certain she saw a niggle of worry twist in the blue reflection of lights in Josh’s cold black eyes. “Who do you think ordered his arrest?”
She continued to press. “You tell me exactly what he’s charged with.”
“You have the right to remain silent,” Josh ignored her completely. The clink of the handcuffs on the silent road shook through her. She had to fix this. Now.
“Get in the car, Kaitlyn. I’ll ride back there with him. You sit up front,” Josh’s partner sounded concerned.
“I would rather set myself on fire than get in that car with either of you. You can all go straight to hell. Grant, I will be right behind you. I will fix this. I love you so much,” she screamed as they shoved him forcefully in the back of the car. She saw fury burn in Grant’s eyes and prayed he’d somehow manage not to kill Josh before she got to her father.
Throwing herself in his truck, she pushed the driver’s seat as close to the steering wheel as she could get it and cranked the massive engine before touching Luke’s name on the phone.
“Luke?” she concentrated to be able to hear his brother.
“Grant? That you? Hang on I can’t hear ya.”
Kaitlyn could just make out the low murmurs of the rodeo crowd. Good, they hadn’t gone home yet. They were close. The beat of her pulse double-timed the passing seconds. She pressed the peddle harder.
“Okay, try now.”
“It’s Kaitlyn. I have Grant’s phone. He’s been arrested. They’re taking him to Lincoln. I’m on my way there. Can you meet me at the police station?”
“Of course. Deep breaths, okay? We’ll get this sorted. I thought he just got in a fight. What’d they arrest him for?”
“Because in Lincoln it’s assault, not just a fight. I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“We’re on our way. We’ll meet you there.”
He ended the call. Leaning across the seat to reach her purse, Kaitlyn almost drove the truck off the road. Jerking herself back up, she ordered herself to get it together. She was Grant’s only hope and she would not let him down. Reaching again, she successfully located her own phone and managed to keep the truck driving straight out of Pleasant Glen.
Touching her father’s name on her contact list, she debated the words to say that would make this go away. That she’d never see Grant again, certainly. That she’d do whatever her father wanted, even get her graduate degree and get a job at a law firm. It didn’t matter what, she’d do it.
The phone rang endlessly. No one answered. Rage consumed her. She touched his office number instead. No answer. She tried again with the same results. Hurling her phone in the seat beside her, she swore once she got Grant out of this, she’d never speak to her father again. “This is low even for you, Daddy,” she huffed to the ether. “Ugh, why won’t you go faster?” she shouted at the truck itself this time.
Remembering that the truck wasn’t meant to have any speed, it was meant to haul cattle, didn’t make her feel any better.
Seeing no other choice, she swallowed back bile as she located her phone once again and touched Seth’s name this time. She’d give him back the ring, sell everything she owned, give it all to him if he’d just drop the charges. But again she was denied. No one answered.
One final idea sprang to her mind. She called the precinct.
“Chief Sommerville’s office,” a woman’s voice she didn’t recognize answered. His regular assistant must’ve already gone home for the night.
“Yes, this is Kaitlyn Sommerville. I need to speak to my father, now.”
“I’m so sorry, dear, your father’s in a locked door meeting. He said not to interrupt him for any reason.”
“This is his daughter. It’s an emergency.”
“Yes, I understand, but his orders were quite clear. Perhaps you could phone someone else, or I can give him a message as soon as he’s out of the meeting.”
“Who exactly is he in this locked-door meeting with?”
“The District Attorney, ma’am.”
“You know he hit her, right? Any man with half a functioning nad would’ve beaten the shit out of him. Guess that’s not something you’d understand.” Grant couldn’t help himself. God, how the hell was this even happening? The fact that Kaitlyn was going to throw herself at her father’s mercy made him crazy. She would offer to never see him again to keep him from going to prison. He had to stop her. There had to be another way.
“Women really get off on that kind of shit don’t they?” Josh huffed indignantly.
�
��What?”
“That whole big badass cowboy that’s gonna save ‘em from whatever story they made up in their little head and ride her off into the sunset. What a load of shit. Just look where you’re sitting now. Good luck playing her hero from your cell. Those conjugal visits are a bitch.”
“Oh, I get it now. Sophie figured out what a douche you really are and told you to take a long walk the opposite direction and you’re taking it out on me and Katy.”
“Her name is Kaitlyn.”
“Shows you how much you know. Mark my words, she’ll always be my Katy Belle and she won’t go down without one hell of a fight. Strongest woman I’ve ever met.”
“What’s she going to be able to do? She can’t even hear.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kaitlyn burst through the doors of the Lincoln City Police Precinct. Grant was standing at the desk still in cuffs. Josh was arguing with the officer working the desk. He hadn’t been booked. He wasn’t behind bars yet.
“Katy, don’t do this,” he pled. When he started to walk towards her Josh grabbed his shoulder.
“You stay put.”
“Fuck off,” Grant jerked away.
“No,” Kaitlyn was in his face a moment later. “You promised me you wouldn’t give him anything to make this worse. I have to do this. I love you so much, but I have to do this. Just do what he says.”
He jerked at his restraints trying to get to her. Raw pain stabbed through her chest. She couldn’t breathe. Mentally, she stopped concentrating. He called out her name but she chose not to hear him. If she listened to him, if she let his voice carry her back to him, he was going to jail.
She shoved a cop out of her way and took the stairs two at a time.
Sprinting to the end of the corridor, she flung open the door to her father’s office. Both of her parents gasped at her entrance. “You win. Okay, you fucking win.”
“Kaitlyn, mind your language and your tone,” her father scolded. “I told you not to come back to Lincoln until I contacted you. Why are you here?”
“I’ll never see him again, okay? I’ll come back home. I’ll go work at whatever law office you want me to. I’ll do anything, just please, do not let them lock Grant up.”
“What?” Her mother appeared stunned. “Lock him up?”
“What on earth are you talking about?” her father demanded.
“Like you don’t know Josh just arrested him. I’m not a fool, Daddy. Grant’s downstairs waiting to be booked.”
“On whose orders?” Her father stood and marched towards the door.
His words brought her up short. “Wait. You didn’t issue the warrant? Why are you both in here together? What’s going on?”
“We’ll explain everything in just a minute, sweetheart,” her mother soothed. “Come on. I need to speak with Josh.”
“As do I,” her father growled.
Fury radiated from her father as Kaitlyn and her mother followed in his wake. “Where is Officer Anderson?” he shouted at a passing traffic cop.
“He’s over there arguing with Lassiter, Chief.”
Her father had Josh by the scruff of the neck and up against the concrete brick wall in the next second. “Who signed the warrant for his arrest, and far more importantly, who ordered it?”
“Uh, well, Seth said …” Josh stammered.
“Get the cuffs off of him, immediately,” her father’s roar welled inside of Kaitlyn. Relief washed through her making her dizzy. She swayed. Her mother reached and steadied her.
“It’s okay. We’re going to get everything put back together. I promise you. Your father and I owe you much more than this, and there’s quite a bit you don’t know.”
“False arrest is a very, very serious charge, Officer Anderson. Internal affairs will have a heyday with this. I could have your badge for far less. You would do well to remember who runs this department and who signs your paychecks. Being my son’s best friend growing up does not give you carte blanche approval to go about imprisoning anyone you please. If you do not have a warrant that I ordered to be issued and you had signed by a magistrate judge for Mr. Camden’s arrest, you have a great deal of explaining to do,” her father menaced.
“Seth said he hit her. I was saving her,” Josh pled.
“Yes, well it would appear Mr. Christenson wouldn’t know the truth if he tripped over it and landed on his sorry ass. In fact, why don’t you go get me Seth. I am ordering a warrant for his arrest. Judge Stevens is working tonight. He will sign the warrant.”
“What is he arresting Seth for?” Kaitlyn asked her mother. Watching Grant shake his arms out and flex his wrists broke what was left of her heart.
“You’ll see. Just wait.”
Before Kaitlyn could process that, Ev, Jessie, Luke, Austin, and Holly burst onto the scene.
“Do not say anything else,” Holly commanded her brother. “He has representation and I demand that he be released to speak with his lawyer.”
“He’s not under arrest, ma’am,” Officer Lassiter looked genuinely humored at her vehemence. Grant rolled his eyes.
“He’s not?”
“No ma’am. He’s free to go.”
“Not just yet. I’d like to see all of you in my office. I have a great deal to apologize for and to explain.” Chief Sommerville directed the Camdens upstairs.
It wasn’t until Kaitlyn raced into his arms that Grant allowed himself to believe he wasn’t actually going to prison. Folding her into his chest, he held onto his saving grace for all he was worth.
“You know what’s going on?” he finally managed to ask.
“I have no idea. All I know is Josh arrested you without a warrant and that they’re out getting Seth. I can’t believe any of this. I’m just so glad you’re not going to jail.”
“Yeah, that makes two of us.”
“I’m so sorry, Grant.”
“Stop it. Let’s go figure out what the hell is going on. My head’s spinning.”
Leaning up on her tiptoes she brushed a tender kiss across his lips. “Does that help any?”
“Maybe just a little. Do it again and let’s see if it keeps getting better.”
He swallowed her sweet giggle as he took her lips with greed, still not quite able to believe he wasn’t going to have to go years without having her in his arms.
Grant’s father cleared his throat. “All right, you two, maybe you should save that for after whatever her daddy’s about to tell us.”
“I thought you were supposed to be getting’ thrown off a bull?” Grant asked Austin as they climbed the precinct stairs.
“Man, at some point you’re gonna realize that there ain’t nothing more important to any of us than this family, and there ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for my big brother. Soon as I heard they had you, I headed this way with my checkbook in hand. Nothing I ever won is worth anything without my family. And I wouldn’t have anything at all if it weren’t for you.”
“That goes for all of us,” Luke cuffed Grant on the neck.
“Thank you,” Grant weighed the words on his tongue. The flavor wasn’t too bad. He should’ve been saying it for a long time now.
The slam of the office door jolted through him. Grant clung to Kaitlyn. The office was way too small with so many people and having spent the last two hours trying to imagine life in a cell made him desperate to be back in wide open spaces. He couldn’t breathe. He could barely think.
“I’d like to save the explanation for all of this until after Seth is here, so I’ll start with my apologies.” Her father began to pace. “First and foremost I am very sorry for my incredibly rude behavior while you were in my home. It was unforgivable. I’ve done a lot of unforgivable things the past few years.
“That probably wouldn’t even make the top ten, but I do apologize none the less. Kaitlyn, sweetheart, I owe you the biggest apology of all, save perhaps the one I owe your mother. The divorce papers she filed three years ago came across my desk maybe two minutes before two
men I’d never seen before and never want to see again marched into my office to tell me my son wouldn’t be coming home.” He shook his head. His raw explanation quelled a little of Grant’s anger. “The only thing that made sense to me in those first few hours was the way this precinct worked. I somehow stupidly allowed myself to think that if I’d just held on tighter, never allowed anyone to do anything I didn’t dictate, just the way I do here, that I could fix it all. But I couldn’t.
“And I can’t. And police precincts and families aren’t one in the same. I blamed everyone else for Keith’s death, but no one more than I blamed myself. I took it out on you and your mother because you were available and he wasn’t. Again, I am so very sorry. Your mother has been asking me for years to go with her to counseling. Every time you brought it up, I felt like you were taking her side and I acted deplorably. We will be going to counseling as often as we need to go to put this back together stronger than it ever was before.”
Kaitlyn blinked back tears. Grant wiped them away and wrapped her up in his arms. “Through hell or high water.” He whispered in her good ear. She managed a slight nod.
“I was on my way outside to tell Seth to leave when you pulled up this morning. I heard everything he said about the lawsuits, and I assure you when I saw him slap you if Grant hadn’t done what he did I would have. I realized then that my insistence that no one ever know that the Sommervilles have some things they need to work through was holding all of you hostage. When his hand came across my little girl’s cheek, it was more than I could stand. And it was all my fault. My chokehold was crushing my family, and I will never let that happen again. I can change. I just hope you’ll give me a chance.”