Damsel in Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 1)

by Olivia Jaymes

  “I got it.” She looked up into the man’s kindly eyes as her vision blurred and the dark spots showed up again. “I got the number.”

  Brinley tried to keep her eyes open but the effort was simply too much. She let the blackness take over, shutting out the pain and fear, not wanting to even contemplate what she’d have to face when she woke up.

  Things had gone from bad to really and truly awful.

  *

  Adrenaline pumped through Jason’s veins as he launched through the emergency room entrance and straight up to the front desk. Since receiving West’s phone call fifteen minutes ago, Jason had been in panic mode. Someone had tried to kill Brinley and had almost succeeded.

  He hadn’t been there to protect her and that was his fault. He’d heard her moving around this morning and getting ready for her ride but he’d stayed in bed like the coward he was, not wanting to deal with the issue hanging between them.

  Brinley was right. He was a chicken-shit.

  He’d been using his past as a shield because he was afraid of love and committing to one person. Hell, she hadn’t even asked him about the future but he’d been miles ahead of her on that one, already worrying about something that might never even happen.

  His gaze darted around the waiting room and landed on Logan who had been leaning against a wall, but on seeing Jason straightened and came to his side.

  “Just relax. She’s going to be okay. West is back with her getting a statement. I told him I’d wait for you out here.”

  His heart was beating so fast he thought it would jump out of his chest. He needed to see she was all right with his own two eyes. He needed to touch her and tell her he was a total asshole who didn’t have a clue.

  “Can I see her?”

  “We can go back. The doctor is done and she’s just waiting on discharge papers.”

  Jason followed Logan back amongst the bustling nurses and orderlies. Each patient area was curtained off and it offered a modicum of privacy, but he’d be glad to get her home and tucked up into bed where he could take care of her.

  “She’s in here.” Logan pushed aside a curtain and gave the woman lying on the bed a big smile. “Didn’t I tell you he’d break every speed law in this county to get to you? And here he is in record time.”

  Jason didn’t expect much of a reception after what had gone down between them last night, so he was surprised when she gave him a trembling smile and held out her hand. He reached for it and then hesitated. Both of her palms were wrapped in white gauze and he didn’t want to hurt her. Again.

  Instead he gently reached for her arm, careful not to put any pressure on the delicate skin that was already turning purple and blue. Someone had tried to kill her and when he got his hands on that someone he was going to…

  “Jason?” Brinley prompted, interrupting his thoughts that were becoming more pissed off as his gaze swept her head to toe, cataloging the injuries.

  In addition to the bandaged hands, her right wrist and ankle were both wrapped in those stretchy bandages for support. Her skin looked like someone had taken a handful of rocks and rubbed them all over her body, gouges and cuts up and down her limbs and one high on her cheek. Anger churned in his gut and he vowed to make whoever had done this pay for their actions.

  A hand landed on Jason’s shoulder and he turned to see his brother West, a cell phone in his hand. “Your lady did good, brother. She got the license plate of the guy who did this. I’ve got a cruiser en route to the house the vehicle is registered to. We’ll get him.”

  Everyone was waiting for Jason to say something but he couldn’t seem to push words past the lump in his throat. Terrible images of an injured Brinley kept running through his mind, giving him a more horror-filled nightmare than being down in that cell. Losing this woman would be far worse.

  “That’s good.” He finally managed to get his voice to work. “How did this happen? I mean, what happened? I only got a few details on the phone.”

  “That’s because I only knew a few when I called.” West shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Do you want to tell him or shall I?”

  Brinley took a deep breath and patted the mattress next to her. “I’ll tell him. Jason, why don’t you sit down for a minute? You don’t look too good.”

  He didn’t feel too good either, the acid in his stomach mixing with the coffee he’d been drinking when West called. He eased onto the side of the bed, trying not to jar her after everything she’d been through.

  “Tell me. I want to hear every detail.”

  Then he wanted to find this guy and rip him limb from limb. Slowly.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  ‡

  Brinley pressed the off button on the television remote and leaned back into the soft pillows on Jason’s bed, exhausted and sore. Every square inch of Brinley’s body ached although her right side had taken the brunt of the fall. She’d sprained her ankle and her wrist, wrenched her hips and back, and abraded her skin until it felt like sandpaper. She’d whimpered and cried when the nurse had dug into her cuts to clean out the dirt and gravel, not just from the pain but from the overwhelming realization that the person who wanted her dead was still out there.

  This whole nightmare wasn’t over. As soon as they caught this crazy killer she was going to put that damn house up for sale. It was the cause of all of this heartache and it no longer felt like much of a dream home, other than it had led her to Jason. Now that was something good.

  He’d carried her from the hospital to his truck and then into the house as if she was made of glass. He’d gently combed the dirt and snarls from her hair and brought her juice to wash down her pain pills. She’d napped on and off during the day, but used to being more active she’d quickly become bored.

  She’d even managed to convince Logan to bring up the additional paperwork that Lita George had found of Anita’s regarding the Barnes murder. There was no guarantee any of it would be helpful but it needed to be reviewed. Jason had talked about going back to the beginning and looking at the evidence again so she might as well help since she was laid up for the foreseeable future.

  “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

  Jason stood in the doorway with a fresh glass of iced tea and a grilled cheese sandwich on a plate.

  “I’m tired of sleeping. If I sleep all day I won’t sleep tonight.”

  He strode in and set the plate and glass on the bedside table. “I bet you will. Those pills will see to it. Don’t be a hero. You’re in a lot of pain and the medication can help with that.”

  She reached for the glass with her left hand, wrapped in gauze, but he shook his head and carefully placed her hand back down on the mattress. He lifted the glass and held the straw to her lips so she could sip at the cool liquid, ambrosia to her dry throat.

  “I made you some grilled cheese. West supervised so I think it’s edible. You should have something in your stomach.”

  He wasn’t going to let her lift a finger, instead hand feeding the toasted sandwich to her although she only nibbled at first. By the time she’d eaten half of it her stomach growled in hunger.

  “This is good.”

  “You must be hungrier than I thought if you say that. I can bring you more if you want. Anything you want I’ll get.”

  From the way he avoided her gaze she was pretty sure they needed to clear the air about last night. Near death experiences had a way of putting things into perspective. She only wished her head wasn’t so fuzzy from the medication, but on the bright side it lowered her inhibitions.

  “I’m not angry anymore.” She swallowed the last bite and let him feed her more iced tea to wash it down. “I had time to think this morning before I was hit and I’d decided to back off and let you figure things out for yourself. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m just not going to put any pressure on you to declare feelings you’re obviously not ready for.”

  “Jesus, I don’t deserve you.” Jason set the glass on the table and softly cupped her face wit
h his large hands, setting her heart into overdrive. It was always this way with him. One touch and she was lost. “I had some time to think too. I was a gigantic asshole last night. You were right about me being scared and using what happened to me as an excuse. I do have some issues that I have to work out. The nightmares. The sleeping. But that’s no reason not to beg you to love me. Because I do love you.”

  Awash in love and tenderness, her vision blurred with tears and her hands shook as her fingers ran down a stubbly cheek. She hadn’t known him long and the words shouldn’t have been that powerful, but they’d turned her world upside down. Her heart ached with emotions so strong she couldn’t even begin to name them; she only knew they were good and right.

  “Thank you for saying it.” Her voice was choked but she managed to smile through the few tears that were falling down her cheeks. It had been too emotional a day and she was feeling the effects. “I would have waited, you know.”

  “I’m sorry you had to wait this long. I’m just sorry for acting stupid, saying shit to push you away. You’ve made the last few weeks the happiest I can remember in a long time.”

  “I’m not pushing here.” She needed to make him understand. “Let’s take this as slow as we need to. There’s no hurry. We’ve both come with baggage and we haven’t known each other long. I want you to know I have no expectations.”

  Jason chuckled and gave her a wide grin. “Really? Because I do. I expect that I’m going to screw up more than once and you’re going to have to forgive me again.”

  “I think I can do that. Are you coming to bed? Where’s Logan and West?”

  “West went back to the office.” Jason’s smile fell. “The license plate you saw was on a stolen vehicle, so that was a dead end. But we’re going to get this guy, honey, don’t you worry. You – and your house – are going to have round the clock protection. In fact, Logan’s over there now settling in for the night.”

  Brinley pressed her fingers to her throbbing temple, disappointment making the tears start all over again. She should have known it was too good to be true and that the killer wouldn’t make such a trivial mistake.

  “I feel so badly that he’s been away from his wife for so long.”

  “She’s finishing up a book, so when he’s done here they’re going to take the twins and head to Seattle for some fun. He’ll make it up to her.” He lifted her chin so she was looking into his eyes. “Are you going to be okay? I’m not talking about your cuts and bruises, honey.”

  “I’m fine. Really, I am.”

  She wasn’t quite but she would be. This case wasn’t going to beat her. They would find who was doing this and put them behind bars. She’d overheard Logan and Jason talking when she was supposed to be asleep and they’d said that the brazen attempt on her life meant the killer was getting desperate. Desperate men made mistakes and that was a positive development.

  Jason stood and picked up the dishes. “If you’re sure. I’m going downstairs for a few minutes to clean up. I’ll be back with your pill and then maybe we can watch a movie or something.”

  He leaned down and dropped a kiss on her forehead, the only place that wasn’t scratched or bruised, before bounding down the stairs. Brinley reached for the thick file folder of Anita’s papers and idly paged through them. She couldn’t begin to move forward with her life until this case was solved.

  After all, it was her ass on the line.

  *

  Jason shifted the file folder on his legs and stretched his back and shoulders, careful not to wake the sleeping woman beside him. Brinley had dozed off in the middle of the movie thanks to a couple of pain pills, but as usual he was having trouble falling asleep. To pass the time he’d started examining the file that Lita had found in her apartment. West had retrieved it but with the incident with Brinley yesterday no one had been able to give it much time.

  Brinley had started to but she’d been so tired she hadn’t been able to keep her eyes open long enough to make a dent in the paperwork. She’d said it was pretty much a repeat of what they’d already seen.

  There were copies of the statements from the police file from all the relevant players – Wendell, Gail, and Damian. When Anita recovered, Jason would have to ask her how they got their hands on these.

  There was an interesting drawing that perhaps Anita or Roger had made of the crime scene depicting where the body was located and then another of the surrounding area where Wendell was found by the police, complete with estimated driving times from the house to the lake and back.

  Wendell could have easily committed the murder. He had ample opportunity and motive, plus the strange act of recreating his life with Linda – perhaps out of guilt. Love and hate were strong emotions and closely related enough for Wendell to have acted in a frenzy of passion.

  That’s what the case came down to. Supposition. Hunches. Theories.

  None of that was going to protect Brinley’s life.

  He wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight so he might as well go downstairs and make a pot of coffee. He’d spend the hours until morning reviewing every piece of evidence they had. Slowly he levered up from the bed, trying not to shake the mattress although Brinley was deeply asleep and probably wouldn’t stir even if he made a racket. He picked up the file from the bed and tiptoed across the bedroom, cursing when a scrap of paper fell from the folder and fluttered to the floor.

  Snatching it up, he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee and settling at the island. The small piece of paper was still in his hand and he flipped on an overhead light to examine it. The half sheet looked like it had been torn from a yellow legal pad and had a note scratched in black pen. Slipping on his glasses, he was able to make out the words more easily.

  Need to talk to D. Barnes and friends.

  Cop said alibi seems solid.

  Jason read and re-read the note, something he couldn’t put his finger on bugging him, niggling in the back of his brain, the word “seems” jumping out at him. That’s how everyone’s alibi started out. They all seemed plausible. It was up to the investigator to make sure it was bulletproof. Beyond question. At least until the criminal was caught. A shaky alibi didn’t mean someone was guilty, but it also didn’t mean they could be omitted as a suspect either.

  Had the cops twenty years ago simply assumed Damian Barnes’s alibi was strong? Because he was a kid? Anita and Roger couldn’t have talked to the investigating officer because he had passed away five years ago, so they could only be working off of the reports.

  Jason reached behind him for the police file stacked on the kitchen table and plopped it down, flipping through it looking for Damian’s statement. He’d been at the movies with his friends. That seemed conclusive.

  There was that word again.

  The detective had a short report where he’d talked to the teenagers and they’d confirmed the four of them had all seen the seven-fifteen Braveheart. It was the film’s opening night and they’d been talking about going for weeks. They’d even waited in line for almost two hours and the theatre had been packed.

  Jason had been at college at the time but he and his friends had also gone to see Braveheart on opening night in their own city. He too had waited in line and the theatre had sold out. When it came time to find a place to sit, the group of ten young men had to split up because the seats left were only singles and a few doubles. After the movie, they’d regrouped in the lobby and headed out for pizza and beer.

  Son of a bitch. Had anyone bothered to ask those boys if they had all sat together for the entire three hours plus previews? If Damian Barnes had sat separately he would have had plenty of time to slip out, commit the murder, then slip back in to see the end of the film and meet back up with his friends.

  Jason needed to talk to those young men and a quick glance at the clock on the wall told him that it would be indecent to phone this late at night. Shit. He’d have to wait until morning. The one decent idea he’d had in days and now he had to sit on h
is hands for the next seven to eight hours.

  Wait. Jared had sent him the current phone numbers and addresses of Damian’s friends. Jason hopped off the bar stool and waded through the files on the kitchen table until he found the right one. A quick check to confirm his memory and he was grinning like an idiot. Fred March had moved out to Hawaii after graduation to manage a hotel.

  Adrenaline surged through Jason’s veins and that little voice was telling him this meant something. His gut agreed.

  And it was only eight o’clock in the evening in Honolulu.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

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  “I don’t like this one bit,” groused Jason as he, West, and Jared took up their designated places in Brinley’s home. “She could get hurt.”

  “She’s not going to get hurt.” West settled next to Jason in the entryway closet, the door partially open so they had an unobstructed view of the living and dining room. “We walked her in the front door and then snuck her out the back under the cover of darkness and into the garage where Logan is keeping her tucked up and safe until this is all over. Hopefully we won’t have to do this every night for a week.”

  They’d already staked out Brinley’s house for the last two nights waiting for Damian Barnes – at least they assumed it was going to be Damian – to show up. After Jason had talked to Damian’s friends from the movie he’d found his hunch was correct. The boys had been forced to separate and Damian had sat near the back, all alone. He’d had plenty of time to leave, shoot his stepmother, and then return to the theatre. The boys had answered the cops’ questions honestly; they simply hadn’t been asked the right question.

  Jared had also dug up financial information that gave Damian a clear motive to getting rid of Linda Barnes. She was spending his inheritance and Wendell had changed his will so that if he died Linda would get a cut of the estate right out from under Damian.

  Add in the fact that he disappeared a few weeks ago just before Roger Gaines’s murder and he was looking good as a suspect. A murderer who wanted the woman Jason loved dead.