by Chloe Lang
Brandon rushed through the front door without knocking. “Justin, I’ve got a job for you.”
Justin stood. “No you don’t, bro. You tell us what happened in Elko first.”
She downed the beer, praying for it to work magic on her frayed nerves. It didn’t, of course. “Please, Brandon. Whatever it is, I’ve got to know.”
He sat down beside her and grabbed her hands. “Tell me the truth. Did you or didn’t you attack Lucille Sunday?”
She jerked her hands away. “I already told you the truth.”
“What the fuck are you doing, Brandon?” Justin’s face darkened and his eyes narrowed.
“I believe you,” he said, taking her hands in his once again. “Sorry, Shelby. I’ve known you were innocent since you gave me the five dollars. I can get carried away with my own shit being an attorney sometimes. It’s bad, Shelby. Really bad. Lucille regained consciousness for a moment and implicated you as her attacker.”
Her jaw dropped. “No. That’s not possible.” Her pulse pounded in her head, hammering hard against her skull. “I was here in bed. I never saw her again after Saturday night.” Panic shot through her like bullets from a machine gun. Her breathing was shaky and shallow. “How did this happen?”
Justin sat down on the other side of her. “He’s the best, baby. Brandon knows what to do.”
“What can he do? Lucille said I did it.” She turned to Brandon. “Did she say my name?”
“No. That’s good for our side.”
“Our side? I didn’t know I was on a side in this. Oh God, how did this happen?”
Justin stroked her hair, and Brandon squeezed her hands.
Brandon’s kind eyes eased some of her worry, but only some. “Shelby, you’re not under arrest yet. Byrd doesn’t have enough evidence to do much. We just have to act fast before he comes with his warrant.”
“Warrant? Am I going to jail, Brandon?” She was terrified by the prospect of that.
“Only for a few hours and only after he finds you,” Brandon said.
“What do you mean by that?” Justin asked.
“I’m taking her to our family cabin. Byrd won’t know to go looking there. I doubt he knows it exists since it is in this county and not Elko.”
“Good idea, bro.”
“This isn’t breaking the law, is it?” she asked.
“Breaking? No. Bending? Maybe. As far as I know, Byrd still doesn’t have a warrant for you.”
“You can trust Brandon,” Justin told her. “He won’t let you down.”
“It’ll only keep Byrd at bay for a little while but hopefully long enough for us to get our ducks in a row.” Brandon turned to Justin. “I need you to go find Trixie. She might know what really happened that night when they met Shelby and Alex—and maybe even who Lucille’s real attacker is.”
“Great plan, bro.” Justin touched her cheek, urging her to look at him. “I told you he was the best.”
Shelby was beginning to believe him, though her mind was racing with images of what it would be like standing behind bars. “What about Alex?” she asked. “Is he still in Elko with Lucille?”
Brandon’s cell buzzed. He looked down at its screen. “You must have a sixth sense, Shelby. It’s a text from him right now.”
“What does it say?” She saw him frown. “Please, Brandon. Tell me.”
He put his cell away.
“Answer her,” Justin said, clearly frustrated as much as she was at being left in the dark.
“Bad just turned to terrible,” Brandon said. “Lucille is back in surgery. Alex is trying to save her.”
She couldn’t believe this was happening. “That poor girl.”
“We’ve got to double our efforts,” Brandon said strongly. “If Lucille doesn’t make it, this case won’t be a matter of just an attack. It will be about murder.”
“Oh God.” Shelby felt her world crumbling under her feet.
Chapter Eleven
Brandon opened the door to the family cabin for Shelby, the woman who had turned his world upside down. In his deepest voice, he said, “Welcome to Champion Getaway, Shelby.”
“It’s a nice place.” She walked in, and he followed behind, unable to move his gaze from her perfect, curvy ass.
What was it about her that made his jeans suddenly too small and his mind too crazed? Keep your head in the game. She’s on Byrd’s shit list. I’m only her attorney. Nothing else.
The truth was Shelby impacted him more than anyone had in a very long time. Why else would he cancel all his appointments for the next few days? She was in trouble. She needed him. She was the best sugarcoated treat he’d ever seen in his life. When he’d seen her at the ground breaking ceremony, he’d been intrigued. At the diner, interested. Back at her home, fascinated. Here at the cabin, completely and utterly captivated. He felt a possessive streak exploding inside him.
“Justin lives here?” she asked.
“Now he does.”
The place looked exactly the same as it had last year during the annual pilgrimage he and his brothers and dad observed. Justin was living here now during his sabbatical from rodeo. Otherwise it would’ve been filled with dust and cobwebs like it was whenever they came on their mother’s birthday. They’d started the practice after her death and had continued it every year since. He wondered if his dad would come this year.
Brandon believed he was treading water in quicksand just being alone with Shelby. One misstep and he would drown. “I’m sure Justin has packed the fridge and cabinets. He’s not one to miss a meal.”
“I’ve seen that firsthand,” she said meekly.
She’d been with Alex. That had already come to light. Had Justin gone back to the old sibling foolishness and gotten in her pants already? Knowing his little brother’s rep, he bet he’d at least tried.
Brandon’s mind brought up an image of that terrible day when Ashley had broken things off with him. It wasn’t his brothers’ fault that his relationship with her had ended. They’d stopped the old antics once they knew how serious he was about Ashley. What had killed things between them had been his fault alone. He’d cared for Ashley. It might’ve been enough had he been able to say those three words every woman deserved to hear. He couldn’t after she’d told him how she felt about things between them. Her confession that she still found other men attractive had given him the out that he needed. He had never loved her. Not really. Not like his pop had loved his mom. How could he have lied to Ashley by saying that he did? Their breakup had been more like a sigh of relief than anything traumatic. She’d left Elko for a job in Destiny, Colorado, shortly after the relationship ended. He hadn’t seen her since.
“Make yourself at home.”
“You’re quite the host.” Shelby walked around the cabin in an apparent daze. She was clearly still reeling from the news that Lucille was in surgery. He wanted to assure her that things would be okay, but with Dirty Byrd on the case, he was worried how things would turn out.
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asked.
“Mind if I just sit?” She was shaking slightly. “I’m really not hungry or thirsty.”
“Is it too cold in here?”
“It’s fine, Brandon. Thank you.” She sat on his mother’s rocking chair. God, Shelby looked so suited here. “How long has this cabin been in your family?”
“Dad’s granddad built it. Probably almost a hundred years.”
“I’m surprised it’s in Silver County and not Elko.” Her gaze moved around the space. “It’s beautiful, Brandon.”
“Mom always loved it,” he said, moving to the armchair closest to her. “The reason it’s in Silver is Pop’s granddad worked in the mine.”
“Your great-grandfather was from Wilde?” She smiled.
He shrugged. “I suppose he was. I never thought about that before.”
“I bet you haven’t.” She started rocking back and forth. “Bad blood between Elko and Wilde.”
“Not as much
as you would think. High school rivalry has caused much of that,” he told her, as a part of his mind began working on his next legal step for her. He hoped it wouldn’t be long before Justin found Lucille’s friend. The dangerous fog surrounding Shelby might be lifted by what Trixie knew. “I don’t know much about my ancestry. Apparently he died in a cave-in.”
“I bet that’s when the Champions left Wilde and moved to Elko.” She blinked her long lashes, and he felt his hunger for her grow inside him. “What about your mom’s family? Where are they from?”
“Somewhere in Philadelphia, but I never knew any of them.” He stood up, needing to put a little space between him and her, pronto. He needed to quell his lust and fast. “They didn’t approve of Pop, but you had to have known my mom. She wasn’t about to let them dictate who she married.”
“I think I would’ve liked your mother.”
“She would’ve loved you, Shelby. I’m sure of that.” He looked down at the beauty mere inches from his fingertips. Damn, her curves were just the way he liked a woman’s body to be. “I’ve got to eat. I’m starving. I can scramble eggs like a top chef. Bacon? It’s hit or miss.”
“It sounds wonderful. The last meal I remember was at the diner. What time is it?”
He looked at his iPad. “Almost midnight.”
“No Dirty Byrd yet.” She sighed one of those sighs that reached into him and grabbed at his heart.
“It’s going to be fine,” he lied but knew that was what she needed to hear at the moment.
“I can tell you’re concerned. Why else would you rush me up here to the Wilde woods to your family cabin? You think Byrd has a case, don’t you?”
“Not yet, he doesn’t. We just have to wait for Justin to get to Trixie.” He got out a pan, hoping his act of nonchalance would help her to relax. God knew his insides were churning and his mind was whirring. He had to figure this out for her. He had to protect her. She didn’t deserve this. Not one fucking bit. “Hard scramble or soft?”
He turned around and opened the fridge. It was fully stocked, as he knew it would be. Justin would not be short on provisions. He pulled out what he needed for their meal.
“Hard, please.”
“And your bacon?”
“Crispy.”
“Just like me.” He placed the bacon in the pan and listened to the crackling. “I’ll have our meal ready in no time.”
“Don’t you have other cases to work?” she asked. “I don’t have to have round-the-clock supervision, do I?”
“You might. The real killer is still on the loose, plus Byrd isn’t going to stand down until someone is fingered for this crime.”
She nodded and neither of them said a word for a bit.
He brought out the plates of food and they ate their meal in silence. How was he going to protect her from Byrd? “Until we get this all worked out, you need to stay here.”
“That might take forever. I have a job, a life.”
He stood up and knelt down in front of her, grabbing her hands. “Whatever it takes, sweetheart, I’m going to make sure we find the true killer and prove your innocence.”
She leaned forward and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Brandon.”
Her lips on his skin and her scent in his nostrils sent him over the edge. He grabbed her and pressed his lips on her full mouth, relishing the taste of her. It didn’t quench his thirst one bit, but instead increased his desire for her even more.
Damn it! This isn’t right. She’s my client. But I want her.
An image of Shelby behind bars with a sneering Byrd holding the keys to her cell floated into his mind, helping him to quell his lust.
“Sorry about that,” he said, coming up on his feet.
“Nothing to be sorry about,” she said sweetly, capturing him with her big blue eyes. “So be honest with me, counselor. What are my chances?”
He broke free of her stare and glanced down to her hands, which she was wringing in her lap. “Shelby, we will beat this. I will beat this for you. I am the best.”
“Are you? What if I’m the one case that mars your record?”
Before he could answer, his cell buzzed.
Shelby stood, her anxious gaze on his phone.
He looked at the caller ID. “It’s my dad.” He brought the iPhone up to his ear. “Hey, Dad.”
“Son, how’s Shelby doing?”
“As good as can be expected. What’s the news? How’s Lucille?”
There was a pause on the other end. “She didn’t make it, son.”
He never had been fond of Lucille, but she didn’t deserve to go out that way, gunned down in her own home. Shelby’s situation had gotten a whole lot worse. This was now a murder case. “Where’s Byrd?”
“Still at the courthouse. Since it’s so late, the judge has yet to show up. Byrd is about to learn that Lucille passed away. Alex sent a nurse to tell him. Even with the bad blood between Byrd and the judge, he’ll get his warrant after this. We’ve run out of time to get to the bottom of things, son.”
“Pop, you taught me not to give up, and I’m not giving up. Shelby deserves our best.”
“What is it? What does your dad know?” Her panic cut him like a knife.
He put his arm around her, and whispered,” Hold on, sweetheart.”
“You’re right, Brandon. She does. What’s your plan?”
“I sent Justin to find Trixie. I’m hoping she might have something that can help us.”
“Good. Alex is wrapping up his paperwork, then he plans on heading back to Wilde. He’ll be on the road in ten minutes or less. He’s anxious to get back to Shelby.”
“What about you?” he asked his dad.
“I’m going to stay close to Byrd. I’ll keep you informed.”
“Dad, you’re an officer of the law now. Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Shelby’s innocent. You and I both know that, right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Byrd is guilty as hell of a lot of things. You haven’t told me where you are, so I don’t know. No law broken, right?”
“Right.”
“You’re my son. We talk on the phone every day about what is happening in our life.”
“I get you, Pop.”
“Keep her safe, son.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Do better than your best. Make it happen. Shelby must be absolved of all of this crap. Whoever shot Lucille needs to be found before it’s too late.”
“We’ll prove her innocence, Pop. I swear it.”
* * * *
Justin came around to the back of Trixie’s little house. He’d knocked on her front door until his fist ached. Her car was still in the driveway. The only friend in the world to Trixie was Lucille. She might be hiding inside, unsure who was pounding on her door at this hour.
He was about to walk up her stairs to the back porch when he caught a glimpse of something by Trixie’s woodpile. He turned and saw the woman he’d come to talk to, lying facedown in the dirt. He ran up to her, placed his hands on her neck to check for a pulse. Nothing. He tilted her head to see if she was breathing. Again, nothing.
He rolled her over onto her back, thinking he would give her CPR when he saw that half her head had been blown off by a gun. He retched at the sight of poor Trixie. Lying right beside her was a pistol. This was Elko County. Byrd’s county. Justin needed to know who the owner of the gun was before he called this in to the dispatcher in town. How? It wasn’t like Nevadans used label makers to identify their weapons.
He peered down at the pistol and felt his head start to pound.
Shelby had told him about her gun that first day back at the Wilde Silver Mine offices. She’d said that she never let her grandmother’s pistol out of her house. Ever.
He gazed at the murder weapon that had taken Trixie’s life and likely the same one that had been used on Lucille. Though the handle was splattered with blood, he could tell it was either the twin of Shelby’s gu
n or it was one and the same.
It had a pearl handle.
Fuck! This is a fucking disaster.
Justin got his cell out and called Brandon. After he told his brother everything, then he would call 911.
Chapter Twelve
“What did Justin say?” Shelby asked Brandon as he clicked off his cell. His kiss had given her hope, but the current grim look on his face after talking to Justin made her heart tighten in her chest. “Did he find Trixie?”
“I’m afraid it’s very bad news, sweetheart.” Brandon put his arms around her and pulled her into his massive frame.
The news had to be really bad. “Spill it. Please. Don’t leave me guessing.”
“Trixie is dead.”
Her jaw dropped and her belly twisted into a knot of despair. “How?”
“Same as Lucille. Gunshot.”
Shocked by this news, she felt her legs weaken. If Brandon hadn’t been holding her, she would’ve certainly fallen to the cabin’s floor. “I can’t believe this can get worse but it keeps getting so much worse.”
“You’ve only heard part of the worse, Shelby. You’re still not off the hook on this one.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Justin told me about your gun. The one you mentioned when he was in your office the other day.”
“What about it?”
“Justin found one matching the description you gave him of your gun at the crime scene.”
“My gun is at my house, Brandon. I swear. The gun Justin found can’t be mine.”
“Let’s go to your house and retrieve your gun, Shelby. That will be your get-out-of-jail-free card with Byrd.”
Thirty-five minutes later, they were in front of her house in Brandon’s Mercedes. She bolted from the car and up to the porch. She could hear his footsteps right behind her. Before she could open her front door, it swung open.
Lily stood in front of her. “About time you came home, Shelby. Mom was getting worried.”