Delivering Justice

by Barb Han

  “I’m more than happy to reimburse you for the expenses,” she offered.

  “It’s not that. He sounds like a decent man and I hated lying to him,” he said.

  Their worlds had never felt so different. She and her sister were running from the law while Tyler’s best friend was the sheriff. He was a good person who stepped in to help when most would run the other way. Would she do the same for a stranger? She liked to think she would, but then she’d never been asked to dodge bullets for anyone before.

  But that was for her blood, her sister. No matter how crazy things got, Tyler stayed the course and offered his life to help. She thought about how much she’d been asking of him, forcing an honest man to lie to the people he loved, and a hard knot formed in her stomach.

  “You can take me to the sheriff’s office to file a report and leave me there. You’ve done enough for my family,” she started, but his hand came off the steering wheel long enough to stop her.

  “Don’t push me away.” His fingers closed around hers as he temporarily steered with one hand.

  Was she?

  “Every time we get close, you tell me to leave,” he continued. “There’s only one thing you need to know about a Texan—we don’t quit when life gets tough.”

  Those words, his support, wrapped around her, bathing her in warmth. She couldn’t deny his point. Every time they got close and she started opening up, she found a reason to shut down. He’d never left her side. “I don’t know how to let go of the feeling that you’re going to walk away at some point.”

  “I can’t promise forever, but I do know that I’ve never felt like this about anyone before,” he said.

  “Me, too. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

  “Can you take a step back once we get Jenn back and life returns to normal and see where this leads?” he asked as he pulled into an area that finally looked familiar.

  “I don’t know,” was all she could say. He deserved the truth.

  “Do me a favor,” he said.

  “If I can.”

  “Don’t make any decisions right now.” He pulled into the garage, turned off the engine and held on to the key. He didn’t make a move to get out of the SUV. “Not while everything’s turned upside down.”

  For her own protection, she needed to tell him that was impossible. That she’d already made her choice...to go home and try to forget everything that had happened these past few days. And yet it would be impossible not to remember last night.

  Before he could say anything to change her mind, Jessica opened the door and stepped out of the SUV.

  They came from two different worlds, knew very little about each other, and trying to convince herself they could somehow magically make it all work would be foolish.

  “The door’s unlocked,” he said, moving from the driver’s side.

  She walked in and forced her thoughts away from the feeling that this was home. It wasn’t home. Home was with her parents in Shreveport.

  He grabbed her elbow as she crossed into the kitchen, spun her around and pinned her against the wall.

  “I get that you’ve lost a lot and that you’re scared. But give us a chance.” His steady gaze, those dark eyes—she could lose all sense of time. Even forget how messed up her life was right then.

  The doorbell rang.

  He didn’t move and she didn’t speak.

  “I’ll take that to mean you’re at least thinking about what I said.”

  She looked away. No way could she look into those eyes any longer with what she was prepared to do.

  An urgent knock sounded at the front door. No doubt it was the sheriff. She’d most likely be arrested for lying to an officer of the law. Would Tyler still want to have anything to do with her then? He wasn’t thinking clearly.

  He kissed her anyway, slow and sweet. She molded against him.

  “Tyler, I saw you drive in,” the sheriff said through the door.

  Tyler pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

  The next thing she knew, he’d gone into the other room and opened the door. The sheriff walked in first, followed by three men who looked related to Tyler, and a woman.

  “I’m Stacy,” she said, offering a hand.

  Jessica took it and then the tears came.

  Stacy pulled her into a hug. “It’s going to be okay, you hear me? These men will find your sister and bring her back safe and sound. They’re good men and they’ll look out for you.”

  Those words were soothing, and a sense of calm radiated from Stacy.

  “Thank you,” Jessica said softly. She took a fortifying breath and straightened her shoulders.

  Thankfully, the men had moved into the kitchen, gathering around the granite island and passing out mugs of coffee.

  “These are my brothers, Austin, Ryder and Joshua,” Tyler said.

  “Dallas is on his way and Colin must be out of cell range,” one of the men said. She recognized the voice as the one on the phone, so he had to be Austin.

  “Nice to meet everyone.” Each shook her hand and it was easy to guess who the twins were based on the fact that they looked so much alike.

  They huddled around the coffeepot as Tyler moved to her side and took her hand.

  No one made her feel the way Tyler did. And a big part of her didn’t feel worthy of that kind of love. Wow. Was that why she took care of everyone around her? She didn’t feel like she deserved real love?

  Before she could talk herself out of holding Tyler’s hand, he put his arm around her and she leaned into his strength. It was time to bite the bullet and own up to her fraudulence. “I haven’t been completely honest with you, sheriff. My name is Jessica and I’ve been covering for my twin sister, Jennifer.”

  “I know,” Tommy said, and she almost thought she didn’t hear him correctly. She must’ve shot him one wild look because he put his hand up. “I didn’t at first, but I started piecing things together and when I dug into your sister’s background and found you everything snapped into place.”

  “I understand if you need to arrest me or something,” she said. “But I’d appreciate it if you let me help find my sister first.”

  The sheriff made a face. “Arrest you? For what? Being a witness to a crime?”

  Tyler squeezed her and she’d never felt more safe in someone’s arms. But her sister was out there with a crazed man who had nothing to lose.

  “Tell us what you know,” Tyler said to the sheriff.

  “We’ve been able to ascertain that James Milton owes Randall Beauchamp a large sum of money. His interest in the Infinity Sapphire is twofold—clear his debt and get enough money to start fresh somewhere else. He’s been studying for a real estate license in Nevada, so my guess is that he’s been planning his exit from Baton Rouge for a while.”

  “So, we know that he’s involved and that Jenn was set up. Why does everyone think she knows where the necklace is?” Tyler asked.

  “Because she does,” Jessica said. “She might not even know it, but she does. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  “What do you mean?” Tyler asked, clearly confused.

  A picture was finally emerging. “Jenn said that Milton kept asking about the box. Maybe Ashton asked her hide something for him but she may not have known what it was.”

  “It would also mean that she trusted the person who gave it to her,” Tyler said. “And we already know she was having an affair with Ashton.”

  One of the brothers set up a laptop on one side of the island and plugged in a thumb drive. “This is the footage from the hospital.”

  It was grainy, just as they’d been told, but it was so obvious that the person walking out was not James Milton. “That’s Ashton Brasseux.”

  “How can it be? He and his wif
e, Emma-Kate were kidnapped,” Tyler said, and then it dawned on him. “Or so he wanted everyone to think.”

  Jessica sipped from the mug she’d been handed earlier.

  “Local police did some digging and found out that the Brasseuxs were having a little money trouble. Ashton and Emma-Kate were separating and she believed that he was seeing someone else,” the sheriff said.

  “My sister,” Jessica said quietly. Jessica turned her full attention to the sheriff. “I know how this looks. All evidence points to Jenn taking the sapphire or at the very least being involved in stealing and hiding it. Other people seem to believe the same thing, bad people, but I know in my heart that my sister would never do that. She was in love with Ashton Brasseux and he set her up.”

  “I have to follow the evidence,” the sheriff said. “But I promise to look at all the facts and keep an open mind.”

  She smiled, nodded. Under the circumstances, he was being generous. “Thank you.”

  “What’s our next step?” Tyler asked. “We know that Jenn is in danger and we need to find her.”

  Tommy nodded.

  “Do you know anything about the person who has been asking around for me?” Tyler asked.

  “I tracked him down and he was an investigator for the Brasseux’s insurance company,” the sheriff said. “We just need to make sure he stays out of the way.”

  “Any chance that necklace is here on the property?” Tyler asked.

  The doorbell rang.

  Tyler excused himself and answered the door. “Janis, come in.”

  “I brought food,” she said, carrying a full basket of muffins and pastries.

  “Let me take that,” he said, and she seemed to know better than to argue.

  Janis followed Tyler into the kitchen. Her gaze moved around the island, stopping on Jessica.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Templeton,” Janis said. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  Jessica shot Tyler a look. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  Janis stared, openmouthed. “You were here a couple of weeks ago with your husband.”

  “I’m afraid that I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Jessica said, but the light went on at the same time Austin turned the laptop around.

  “Who’d she come with?” Austin asked.

  “Her husband,” Janis said, confusion knitting her eyebrows. “But I must be mistaken.”

  “Does Mr. Templeton look like this?” Austin asked, angling the screen toward Janis.

  “Why, yes. It’s a little blurry but that’s him,” she said emphatically.

  “Which means that Jenn and Ashton came here, and Milton must’ve known she would come back to a place where they’d already been,” Tyler said, and the sheriff nodded.

  Tyler poured another cup of coffee. “Do you remember any details about their booking?”

  “It’s been a couple of weeks. Let me think,” Janis said as he handed her a mug.

  Hope blossomed for the first time since this whole ordeal started. If Jenn had been taken by Ashton, surely she’d be safe. If he loved her, he wouldn’t do anything bad to her. Would he?

  The man stole a family heirloom from his wife and gave it to his mistress to hide, promising her they’d be together forever. The short-lived burst of hope immediately died.

  “If he gets the necklace, he’ll hurt her,” Jessica said. “We have to find them first.”

  * * *

  “IS THERE ANYTHING specific you remember about the couple?” Tyler asked Janis.

  “They stayed in their room most of the time. Didn’t book a hunting trip, I remember that for sure because I thought it was odd this time of year,” Janis said. “I remembered thinking that they must be honeymooners.”

  Reality hit Tyler harder than a ton of bricks. “She hid the necklace in the main house.”

  The sound of bar stools scraping across tile echoed as everyone stood at the same time.

  “I can check the registry and tell you which room they stayed in,” Janis offered, and they were already making a move toward the door.

  “We’ll tear the place apart if we have to,” Austin said.

  As soon as the group left, Jessica said, “They won’t be on the property. We might find the necklace, but with security here he’s not stupid enough to risk coming straight at us. He’ll take her somewhere else until he comes up with a plan.”

  “First, let’s get the necklace. That’s the best thing we can do to ensure your sister’s safety. He won’t do anything to her if he thinks she’s useful.”

  She followed Tyler to the garage where he fired up the SUV and backed out.

  The drive to the main house took ten minutes. Denali was on the front porch waiting.

  “Hey, buddy,” Tyler said as the chocolate lab trotted over to greet him.

  “I’ll just check the registry,” Janis said.

  The main house was set back, but they could see the road from the porch. An older model, white four-door Mazda pulled up in front of the gate, someone was pushed out and the car sped off.

  “It’s her,” Jessica shouted. “It’s Jenn.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tyler darted toward Jenn as the guards in the shack bolted outside. “She’s clear. She’s with us.”

  Most of the house emptied, with all the boys running close behind Jessica, and she had never felt so protected and secure in her life.

  “Jenn,” she said as she dropped down beside her sister, who was folded onto her side. She wore a jacket over her shirt, which was odd considering the weather had warmed up.

  “Go,” Jenn whispered, looking too weak to move. She made a grunting noise before repeating the word.

  Sheriff Tommy knelt next to Jenn, his gaze sweeping over her. “Everyone back away.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Jessica said, just as she noticed sweat beads on Jenn’s forehead. She wiped them away. “It’s okay. I’m here now and I won’t let those men hurt you.”

  Jenn winced as she shook her head. “Go.”

  Her sister was weak and clearly not thinking straight. Jessica had no idea what those jerks had done to her sister but she hoped they rotted in jail for their crimes. She vaguely heard the sheriff in the background giving a description of the vehicle that had sped away.

  “Everyone needs to step away,” he said, unzipping Jenn’s jacket to reveal a bomb strapped to her body.

  Tears fell freely as Jessica held on to her sister’s hand. “I’m not leaving you.”

  There was a piece of white paper sticking out of her jacket pocket. Jenn angled her head toward it.

  “Sheriff—” Jessica started but was cut off.

  “I see it. Everyone needs to get back,” the sheriff demanded, leaving no room for doubt that he was serious.

  The brothers did as instructed, except for Tyler. He didn’t budge.

  “I have protocol to follow, Tyler,” the sheriff said.

  “And I have my loyalties,” Tyler retorted.

  “If you’re not going to make this easy, then scoot over so I can take a closer look,” the sheriff said. He took out a pair of something that looked like tweezers and put on rubber gloves. He removed the folded piece of paper and peeled it open.

  “It’s easy. We get the necklace or she goes boom. You have one hour to leave it where you found her sister. No cops.”

  “He used the term we,” the sheriff said. “We’re dealing with a network.”

  “Which one of these guys has experience with explosives?” Tyler said.

  “Chemical engineer,” Jenn managed to say. “Ashton.”

  Everyone reacted to the news.

  “She needs medical help.” Jessica fought back tears as she whispered reassurances to Jenn.

 
The sheriff leaned back on his heels and evaluated the situation. “Ashton must be our guy. He’s in charge.”

  Heads bobbed in agreement.

  Tyler glanced up at his brothers and shooed them back into the house to search for the piece of jewelry.

  “They must think we already have the necklace,” Tyler said. “We’d have to hightail it to drive to Diablo’s Rock in an hour. I can get there on Digby in forty-five minutes.”

  “Someone needs to show up whether we have the necklace or not,” the sheriff said. “It’ll be our best chance to nab them.”

  “They’ll be watching for police,” Jessica said. “We mess this up and they’ll push the button.”

  “They can do that anyway once they get the necklace,” Tyler warned, and he was right.

  “This looks like pretty standard material.” The sheriff rattled off names that didn’t mean much to Jessica, then said, “They’d have to be using a wireless trigger mechanism.”

  “Cell phone,” Jenn said through a coughing fit.

  Both the sheriff and Tyler stiffened until she calmed again.

  “So, if they need a wireless connection to detonate the bomb, then what happens if I take her out of cell range?” Tyler asked. “There are so many dead spots on the property, it would be easy to take her somewhere there’s no signal. In fact, Diablo’s Rock is a dead zone.”

  “We need to be careful moving her,” the sheriff said.

  “I’ll get the SUV,” Tyler said as Austin burst out the front door.

  “Found it stuffed between the mattresses,” he said, holding out the Infinity Sapphire. The brilliant stones caught the light just right, leaving sparkly streaks in the air.

  “You’re going to be okay,” Jessica soothed, brushing Jenn’s hair from her face. “You’re here and we’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

  “So stupid,” Jenn managed to say. “Thought he loved me.”

  “I know, sweetie,” Jessica said. “But he’s not good enough for you. And we’re going to make sure he spends the rest of his life in jail.”

  Jenn nodded and a tear streaked her cheek.

  “Move her carefully,” the sheriff said as Tyler moved to the other side of Jenn.