The Bribe: Calamity Montana - Book 1

by Nash, Willa

I blinked up at him, replaying the words. “You’d come with me?”

  “Lucy, from the moment I found you facing off with a buffalo, I knew you were special. Every day, you become more precious to me. I don’t care where life takes us as long as it takes me with you.”

  A sheen of tears filled my eyes. That special moment I’d been waiting for? This was it. “Duke, I—”

  “Don’t you dare say it first.” He put a finger over my lips. My heart stopped. Even though I knew what was coming, I held my breath. “I love you, Lucy Ross. Jade Morgan. Whoever you need to be, I love you.”

  “I love you too.” I surged into his arms, molding my lips to his.

  God, why had I waited to say those words? The moment they were free, I was cloaked in beautiful peace. This sense of belonging I hadn’t had since I was eighteen, watching my father twirl my mother around the living room while I played them my latest song on the guitar.

  Tears flowed down my cheeks, clinging to his. Did he even know how much I loved him? How much I needed him? How much I’d fight for this, for us, every day of my life?

  If he said the word, I’d give up singing immediately. I loved him even more because I knew, bone deep, he’d never ask.

  “What’s this?” He broke away, drying my tears with his hands. “Why are you crying?”

  I sucked in a deep breath, pulling myself together. “Because I’ve been so lost. Since my parents died, I’ve been wandering around, searching for a family. I don’t even think I realized how much I needed one. Now I have you and it just feels . . . like maybe I’m not so alone.”

  “You’ll never be alone,” he promised. “As long as there is a beat in my heart and breath in my lungs, you’ll never be alone.”

  I smiled and another sob broke loose so I buried my head in his shoulder as he held me, crying the tears I’d been holding in for far too long.

  The shelter I’d craved for years was right here in his arms.

  Duke held me until I had control of my emotions, then he shifted so his chest was pressed against my back and his big, strong body was wrapped around mine.

  “I don’t know where to go from here,” I confessed. “I don’t know how to unravel the truth and meld my old life with the new one.”

  “We’ll start by making sure you’re safe,” he said. “That’s priority one. I’ll check in with Blake tomorrow and see if he’s found anything yet. Once it’s safe, we’ll start taking down the wall. We’ll let the truth come out and take it one step at a time.”

  “Okay.” I relaxed, happy to let him dictate the next steps.

  Blake had been in Nashville for two days. He’d finally wrapped up his other assignment in California and had flown to Tennessee. We hadn’t heard from him since he’d arrived but he was working.

  Foolish as it was, I had hope for the first time in months. Duke’s faith in Blake’s skills was contagious. Even though I’d put faith in Detective Markum, after months and months and months with no leads, I’d given up hope.

  But maybe, just maybe, we’d end this for good.

  Then I’d clean up my mess.

  “Do you think it was childish for me to run away?” I asked.

  “No.” Duke’s breath whispered across my cheek. “Not childish at all. You were freaked. You got the hell out of there.”

  “I was scared. Maybe if singing hadn’t become so hard, I would have pushed past the fear. But there wasn’t enough to make me stay.”

  The joy from singing had been too far removed. Even now, the anger at Scott and the label for not taking the stalker seriously seethed close to the surface. The frustration that people had wanted me only for my money and talent. The sadness that artists like Everly would never get their due. And the despair that it was out of my control. Hell, I hadn’t even been able to choose my own backup singers.

  I’d needed to come to Calamity. I’d needed to start down the path of putting the negative emotions aside. Maybe there’d been a better solution than creating Jade Morgan, but as I lay in Duke’s arms, I couldn’t regret it. Had I stayed in Nashville, I wouldn’t have found him.

  I wouldn’t have fallen in love with Calamity.

  “I want to live here.”

  Duke’s arms tightened, like my statement surprised him. “What about singing?”

  “I’ll find a way to sing. Even if it’s just with Andrew and Joe and Gary at the bar. But I don’t want to live in Nashville again.”

  “You sure?”

  I spun in his arms so I could see his face as we talked this through. “Absolutely.”

  “Let’s pick a roof. No more back and forth. This place or mine?”

  “Yours.” I wanted to share his home. I loved the farmhouse but it had always been a temporary home. His was permanent.

  A grin tugged at his mouth. “Call Kerrigan. Tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Can I tell her the truth? She feels like a friend. I want her to know my real name.”

  His eyebrows came together, pondering the decision, but he nodded. “All right.”

  “And Travis.”

  “I trust Kerrigan. She’s an adult and if you explain the situation to her, she’ll understand and keep it to herself. Like Jane.”

  “But—wait, Jane? She knows? Shit.” I slapped a hand to my forehead. “Maybe I shouldn’t have done my own songs tonight.”

  “She’s known since I introduced you the first time we went for burgers. She won’t tell.”

  “Phew.” I sighed.

  “Now, back to Travis. You know I love that kid. But I don’t think he should know. Not yet. He’s a teenage boy. Not exactly the breed of human known for keeping shit quiet.”

  I giggled. “Okay. Not Travis. But soon.”

  “Soon.” He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. It was something he’d been doing more of lately, fixing the pieces that wouldn’t stay out of my face.

  “Will you still love me if I’m blond?”

  “No.”

  I smacked his shoulder.

  Duke shifted to his back, laughing up at the ceiling. It gave me the perfect view to appreciate his white smile. And wow, it was something. Powerful and pure, it came from deep inside his chest, like he held it close, waiting for the special moments to set it loose.

  This moment was mine.

  I loved this man with my entire being. If that meant sacrificing my superstar career so he could stay here, where he belonged and was happy, then I’d make that choice. I’d choose him every day, because it didn’t really feel like a sacrifice.

  One day soon, I’d be Lucy Ross, Duke’s girlfriend. Maybe one day, Duke’s fiancée, then wife.

  And maybe if I wasn’t in Nashville, the stalker who’d tried so hard to tear me away from that life would feel like he’d won.

  Fine. I’d admit defeat in that battle.

  Because as Duke pulled me into his arms, ending his laughter with a kiss, I knew I’d already won the war.

  “What do you want to do today?” Duke asked, sipping his morning coffee.

  The two of us had slept in late, having stayed up through most of the night. By the time we’d both finally worn off the adrenaline from the bar, it had been nearly three in the morning.

  My voice was hoarse and my throat sore. My vocal cords were not in shape and diving into a performance with no warm-up or rehearsal time had been rough. I sounded like a lifelong smoker at the moment and it wouldn’t surprise me if I couldn’t speak by the end of the day.

  They’d recover, and it had been worth it.

  “I’m going to call Kerrigan and tell her I’m moving out but I’ll still pay through my lease,” I said, sipping my own coffee. “Then I want to start moving into my new house.”

  He grinned. “Good answer.”

  I laughed and opened the fridge. “What do you feel like for breakfast?”

  “How about we head down to the café for a big breakfast? Then we’ll come back and start packing up.”

  “Sold.” I pushed the refrigerator closed. “I’m st
arving. And I need to pick up my car.”

  I grabbed my mug, ready to head out, when the doorbell rang.

  The two of us shared a look before Duke strode through the house, making sure to block the view as he unlocked and inched open the door.

  “Hey there. Remember me?”

  I gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth.

  I knew that voice.

  “Barely recognized you without the bear spray.” Duke chuckled, letting me shove him aside to fling the door wide open.

  Everly.

  Her eyes were shaded by enormous sunglasses. A backpack strap hung from one shoulder and her suitcase rested by her feet.

  “Ev?” I wrapped my arms around her for a tight hug. “What are you doing here?”

  “I told you I had paperwork from the label. I decided to deliver it myself.”

  “Come in.” I let her go, moving out of the way so she could step inside.

  Duke grabbed her suitcase and set it in the foyer.

  “Nice place.” She looked around, taking in the living room as she walked deeper into the house. “It’s even better than the pictures.”

  When I’d been searching for a place to rent in Calamity, she’d been doing the same. We’d been on the couch in our apartment, both with a laptop balanced on our thighs. She’d actually been the one to find this farmhouse first.

  “I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “Me neither.” She set her backpack down and took off her sunglasses. There were dark circles under her eyes and she’d lost weight that she hadn’t needed to lose. Her shoulders were hunched forward, weary, like she’d been awake all night and was seconds away from the crash. “I’ve been up since three so I could get the earliest flight out. Getting to Calamity before noon isn’t easy. And the Uber driver who brought me here from Bozeman seriously needs to lay off the cheap body spray. Two and a half hours of that stench. Blech.”

  I laughed. “Want some coffee?”

  “Is my name Everly Christian?”

  I took Everly’s hand and led her to the kitchen with Duke following behind.

  “How long are you here?” I asked, pouring her a mug.

  She shrugged. “Nashville sucks. Especially without you around. Mind if I stay awhile?”

  I shared a smile with her, then Duke. “Stay as long as you want.”

  Maybe I wouldn’t have to leave the farmhouse empty after all.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Duke

  “Hey, Duke.” Carla gave me a puzzled look, then glanced at the calendar tacked to the wall beside her workstation. “What are you doing here?”

  “Thought I’d get caught up on paperwork.”

  “Oh. I thought you’d be spending your day off with Jade.”

  “Nah. She’s got a friend in town. Giving them some space. What’s happening here?”

  “Nothing.” She lifted a shoulder. “Not a single call. Not even a speeding ticket.”

  “Good.” When you were a cop, a boring day was a good day. We all liked it when things were slow. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  She smiled and went back to the game of solitaire laid out on the desk in front of her.

  Carla was the type who took initiative without having to be told. When she’d started, she’d spent months alphabetizing and reorganizing our filing system. She’d rearranged and decluttered the storage room to make more space. If she’d resorted to cards, things really were slow.

  I’d have to dream up a project for her soon so she wouldn’t go crazy.

  Before heading into my office, I swung by the break room and filled myself a cup of coffee. I yawned, taking it with me to my desk and sitting down with a sigh.

  Last night had been a blast, both at the bar and in Lucy’s bedroom, but I wasn’t used to staying up like a guy in his twenties. Coffee was going to get me through today and then I was going to bed early.

  I pushed up the sleeves of my zip up, one I kept in my small stash of clothes in Lucy’s closet. I didn’t look at all official today, in jeans, boots and ball cap—since Lucy had stolen my favorite, I was auditioning replacements. But if I could get ahead on some office work, I’d take an extra day off next week and get Lucy moved.

  Even with Everly visiting, I didn’t see a reason to delay. We wouldn’t do it today, but there was no reason we couldn’t be living under the same roof by Monday. Everly could stay at the farmhouse or she could take one of the guest rooms at my place.

  Our place.

  I shook my mouse, waking up my computer, and slugged back my coffee as I worked through the lunch hour and into the early afternoon.

  I’d left Lucy and Everly smiling and laughing and practically clinging to one another in the kitchen at the farmhouse. Lucy had missed her friend more than I’d noticed. So while I was here working, they were catching up. I’d promised to bring over pizza and beer for dinner.

  “Hey, Duke.” Carla poked her head into my office as I was finishing up the last report on my to-do list. “You got a call on line one. Some cop from Nashville?” She looked at the yellow sticky note in her hand. “A Detective Markum.”

  My heart stopped. Oh, shit.

  “Send it through,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  “You got it.” She nodded and turned to leave.

  I stood and quickly shut the door to my office. What the hell did Markum want? How had he even known to call me here? Had Blake reached out to him?

  I stared at the phone, waiting for the call to buzz through. On the first ring, I snatched the handset from the cradle. “Sheriff Duke Evans.”

  “Hi, Sheriff Evans. My name is Detective Brandon Markum. I’m with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.” He sounded younger than I’d imagined and there was a panicked edge to his voice.

  “What can I do for you, Detective?” I did my best to keep my voice calm through my racing heart.

  “Well, Sheriff, I’m trying to locate a woman who I believe might be in Calamity at the moment.”

  “Okay.”

  Fuck. We’d known this was going to happen, right? Eventually, we were going to have to talk to the Nashville cops. But after last night, I’d wanted just a little more time with Lucy for myself.

  “Her name is Everly Christian.”

  I blinked. Why was he looking for Everly and not Lucy? “All right. The reason?”

  “Ms. Christian has been working with me closely over the past month or so. She’s been in protective custody for the past five days after an attempt was made on her life. Late last night, she slipped out without telling the officer stationed to protect her and we’re trying to track her down. We’ve pulled credit card records and found an airline ticket she purchased yesterday to Bozeman along with an Uber charge this morning to Calamity. That and the fact that her phone records show a number of calls to your area.”

  What. The. Fuck.

  My jaw clenched and a red haze coated my vision. Everly had promised Lucy that nothing had happened. She’d sworn she hadn’t gotten a single email or phone call or text. But that had all been bullshit.

  “Detective Markum,” I said, “I hope you’re sitting down. Because we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

  To say he was pissed that I hadn’t reached out to him about Lucy would be an understatement, not that I blamed him. By the time I finished explaining how I’d met Lucy and Everly, how Lucy had told me about her stalker and the email she’d received, he was muttering a string of curses into the line.

  “I’ve been working Lucy’s case for nearly a fucking year,” he snapped. “You didn’t think letting the authorities in Nashville know her whereabouts was prudent? What the hell kind of show are you running there, Sheriff Evans?”

  “Listen, if I were in your shoes, I’d be angry too. But this was Lucy’s decision. Right or wrong, I wasn’t going to betray her on this. She’s been safe. I’ve made sure of it personally.”

  “Wait, are you screwing her? You are, aren’t you?”

 
“Watch yourself, Detective. Or this phone call is over.”

  He blew a deep breath into the phone. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I just . . . Lucy disappeared and we’ve been worried. I’ve been worried. I’ve been working her case for a long damn time and I’m mad that she didn’t come to me first before falling off the face of the earth. Is she okay?”

  “She’s fine. She’s safe. And yes, the two of us are in a relationship.”

  “And Everly?”

  “Arrived this morning. And as soon as I hang up with you, I’ll be having a word with her about keeping this from Lucy. But before then, I’d like to know more about what’s happened this past month and what you know about the stalker.”

  “I’ve worked numerous stalking cases here. This one . . . the guy is a ghost. Never makes a mistake.”

  “Are you sure whoever came for Everly is the same guy stalking Lucy?”

  “Positive. It’s the same pattern, though more aggressive. When Lucy disappeared, I suspect the stalker moved on to Everly in the hope of driving Lucy out of hiding.”

  Which it almost had. Thank fuck I’d shown up at the farmhouse the night she’d been packing her suitcases.

  “Any idea who it is?”

  “Unfortunately, no. We’ve got an entire team trying to narrow down a suspect list. But like I said, he’s good. And he’s off his rocker. I knew it when he killed Lucy’s dog. But this attempt on Everly was extreme.”

  “What happened?”

  “He shot twelve rounds through her balcony door from the building across the street.”

  “Fuck.” It must have come from the same place where he’d taken that first photo of her and emailed it to Lucy.

  “We suspect he’s been breaking into that apartment across the street since Lucy and Everly moved into theirs. He’s smart. He knew when the place would be empty. Didn’t leave a trace behind. The tenants never suspected someone had been in their house all day.”

  “You’ve got a suspect list, though, correct?”

  “We do. It’s a mile long. It includes everyone at their record label. Everyone who was on Lucy’s staff. Everyone who worked for the tour stage crews. We’ve looked into them all and have no leads.”