by Janie Crouch
Tanner needed to see Jeter with his own eyes. He’d been there when Jeter had been arrested, but things between Tanner and Bree had been tentative then.
They weren’t tentative now. Tanner was about to ask Bree to marry him. To be his forever.
He looked down at her asleep next to him from where he sat on the bed. He stood and walked over to his jacket and took out his mom’s ring. Soon to be Bree’s ring. He slid open the box and looked at it.
It didn’t belong in his pocket anymore. It belonged on her finger. Noah had been right all along, he’d been overthinking it. The important part wasn’t in the how or where Tanner asked her to be his bride, not for Bree.
The important part was that she understood that there was nothing in this world that could tear him away from her. That no matter what decisions they had to make—they would figure it out.
Together.
Michael Jeter also needed to understand that. That Bree was no longer alone. Would no longer need to run. Would no longer face any challenges that came her way with no backup.
Tanner would be right there standing between her and whatever danger thought it could get to her. So if Jeter had something planned, he should be aware of that.
Tanner had already put a text into Whitaker. He was going to hang out with Bree at the station in a few hours, so Tanner could go to Parkland Hospital. He wasn’t trying to keep his meeting with Jeter a secret, but neither did he want Bree to feel like she needed to come with him.
He closed the ring box and slipped it back into his jacket pocket. He knew he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him in a hotel in the middle of Dallas when they were both exhausted.
He lay back down on the bed beside her. She didn’t stir as he pulled her into his arms, just fit against him the way their bodies had learned to do instinctively.
As soon as he got her back onto the ranch, he’d be down on one knee.
A few hours later Tanner awoke to Bree’s bright smile. After spending an hour giving them both even more reason to smile, they packed up and headed to the station.
Bree was excited to be going home, but was more than happy to make sure Penelope understood the details of what she’d done to help stop the killers. Detailed reports would help make prosecuting the case that much easier.
Penelope and Leon were both looking a lot more relaxed, although Tanner doubted either of them had gotten a chance for much rest yet. But just knowing the worst was over was enough for now.
Whitaker walked up to shake Tanner’s hand as he entered control central—now being returned to just a normal set of conference rooms—to a scattering of applause for Bree, which did nothing but make her embarrassed.
Jeremy was back and immediately had questions for Bree. She was obviously glad to have someone who understood and could appreciate what she’d done with the case, since she immediately turned and walked to the terminal with Jeremy without a word to Tanner or Whitaker.
Both men let out a chuckle. The behavior was so typically Bree that neither of them could be offended. The woman had a one-track mind. That had just saved four people’s lives, so no point getting bent out of shape about it now.
“I called Sheriff Duggan and let her know we’d be on our way home today. Thankfully all has been quiet on the home front,” Tanner said to Whitaker. “I know you like this sort of big-city action, but I think I’ll stick with Risk Peak and our small-town stuff.”
The other man clasped him on the shoulder. “Me too, brother. I’m glad we could help out here, but I think I’ll stick with small town too. Although, we’ve had our share of action over the last few months.”
That was the damn truth. “Hopefully we can have some excitement of a different type from here on out.”
Whitaker raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Got something in mind?”
Tanner grinned. “Seems like wedding planning could be dangerous enough. I just need to get that woman home and out of danger long enough to ask her.”
“A feat in and of itself.” He chuckled and held out his hand to shake. “Congratulations. I knew you two were perfect for each other from the moment I tried to arrest you both for murder.”
Now Tanner chuckled. “I’m just glad that didn’t stick. Thank you for keeping an eye on Bree today. I just want to double-check on the Jeter situation myself while I’m in town.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? I think it would take more guts than even Jeter has to try to get to Bree in the middle of a police station.”
Tanner shook his head. “But if anyone would try, it’s him. I won’t take a chance with her safety. You’re the only one I can trust to take this threat seriously. Until we know for sure Jeter is firmly locked away in prison, I consider him an outright threat to Bree.”
“I’ll be sure she’s safe. But you watch your back too. Jeter is not just a danger to her.”
Tanner would much rather him be a target than Bree, but he knew the truth. Bree was Jeter’s obsession. Especially now after she’d put him in prison. Tanner was of no interest to the other man.
Bree was still deep in conversation with Jeremy, so Tanner said his goodbyes to Whitaker and headed to the hospital.
He wasn’t able to get any information about Jeter at the hospital front desk, even after showing his badge. That was actually a good thing. It meant someone was doing their job right. Finally, Tanner asked for a representative from the US Marshals, the law enforcement group in charge of transferring prisoners, to meet him there at the front desk. He had to wait nearly fifteen minutes before a man in his early fifties, hair cut short, with a hard, cynical look in his dark eyes finally approached him.
“You the fellow looking for information about Michael Jeter?” the man asked, fingers never far from the holster at his waist.
Tanner gave him a brief nod and slowly reached for his badge. “I’m Deputy Captain Tanner Dempsey out of Grand County, Colorado.”
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re one of the arresting officers in the Jeter case.”
Tanner nodded. “That’s right. I’m a little surprised you know that.”
“When I found out it was Michael Jeter my men and I were responsible for guarding, I made it my business to know. I’m Aaron Pinfield.” The man held out his hand and Tanner shook it. “You’re a long way from home, Deputy Dempsey.”
“Tanner, please. I was in town with my friend Bree Daniels, consulting on a completely separate case.”
Pinfield nodded again. “Bree Daniels is in Dallas? That’s an interesting coincidence. I read a lot about her too.”
“Then you can understand why it was important to me to come over here myself and check out the situation. Jeter has a lot of powerful friends. Or did. We’re not entirely certain exactly who or what he has left now.”
“But no matter who it might be, Jeter is much less secure in this hospital than he would be in a prison.” Pinfield finished for Tanner.
Tanner nodded, relieved the older man not only shared Tanner’s concerns, but wasn’t offended or threatened by them. “Bree Daniels has suffered a lot at Jeter’s hands. Much more than what is written in any report. I have no doubt he is still obsessed with her and will do anything to get her back under his control.”
Pinfield gave Tanner a solemn nod. “Well, that’s just one more reason to make sure we don’t let him out of our sight.”
“I’d like to talk to Jeter. I’m taking Bree back to Colorado later this evening. I’d like to be able to tell her I saw Jeter with my own eyes. Reassure her a little bit.”
Pinfield raised an eyebrow. “And I’m sure you might have a couple of things you’d like to say to the man while you’ve got eyes on him.”
Tanner shifted a little bit, uncomfortable. Yeah, he damn well definitely had things he wanted to say to Jeter concerning Bree. “I’m not trying to disrupt your operation in any
way—”
Pinfield held out a hand. “I’m not going to stop you from saying anything you have to say. If that bastard had hurt my woman, I’d also want to make sure he understood that wouldn’t be happening again.”
Pinfield pointed down the hall and they began walking. “Well, I can get you in the door to give your message, but the truth is Jeter is not in much shape to hear anything. The burns on his face, neck and chest are pretty severe. We’ve been told by the doctors that this will be a long-term assignment. They expect Jeter to need all sorts of skin grafts and surgeries.”
Tanner winced. “No offense to you or your team, but that’s not the news I wanted. The longer Jeter is out in the open, the more people involved with his recovery, the more of a chance there is somebody working to break him out.”
“No argument here. But we are aware of the situation and we’re going to be on top of it the entire time.”
“I would consider it a personal favor if you would keep me posted concerning any changes or concerns you have. I have friends in law enforcement throughout the country, both state and federal. We are willing to help out any way we can.”
Pinfield reached up and squeezed Tanner’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m committed to making sure that man spends the rest of his life in prison. That bastard lying in that hospital bed is not going anywhere. I’m going to make damn sure of it.” He then stopped outside the door that had two guards stationed at it.
Tanner nodded and reached for the door. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for getting Jeter here in the first place. I’ll give you a few minutes to say your piece. Like I said, I don’t think he can hear you. But everything in this room is recorded anyway, so I’d be more than happy to play it back for him later.”
Tanner walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Immediately he could see why Pinfield had warned him that Jeter wouldn’t be providing Tanner any sort of discussion.
The man lying in the bed was barely alive. He had so many tubes and monitors attached to his body it was almost impossible to notice the restraints that kept both wrists attached to the bed. Honestly, the cuffs seemed like overkill. The idea that Jeter could inflict harm on others was almost ludicrous. In this state he didn’t look like he could even get out of bed.
Tanner reached into his pocket and pulled out the small fingerprinting kit. Greg Lightfoot said he had watched the officers do it, but Tanner couldn’t see any harm in doing it himself to be sure.
It took him less than a minute to manipulate the fingers of the unconscious Jeter into the formation he needed to get the prints. And less than another minute after that to be comparing them to the set he’d brought with him. He even used a magnifying glass.
It was definitely a match.
Tanner wiped off Jeter’s fingertips and folded the set of prints he’d taken and put it in his back pocket. Maybe they would reassure Bree. In some ways he wished he’d brought her. Seeing Jeter like this—so hopeless and pathetic—might help heal something in her.
Jeter let out a groan like somehow even under all the drugs he was still in pain.
However much pain he was in, it wasn’t enough.
“Did you ever give her anything when she was in pain, you son of a bitch? When you broke her bones or cut her or didn’t let her sleep for days at a time?”
Jeter didn’t answer. Tanner hadn’t expected him to. “I hope part of you can hear me, although I’ll still get Pinfield to deliver the message later just to make sure. Bree—Bethany—she’s not yours anymore. She’ll never be yours.”
Tanner’s hands balled into fists. “She’s not alone and she’ll never be alone again. If you want her, you’ll have to go through me. And that’s not happening. So I hope you live a nice long life in your prison cell. Not for what you did as a terrorist, but for what you did to her.”
He stared at Jeter’s unconscious form for a long minute.
There was more he wanted to say but he realized that he’d rather get back to Bree and start their future than spend time here fighting ghosts of the past.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me,” Tanner whispered. “I’ve got the ring right here. She will never be alone and defenseless again. So remember that if you decide you’re coming for her. People have her back now.”
He turned and walked out the door. Pinfield was still standing outside.
“Say everything you needed to say?”
“Yep. I suppose I should feel bad about what shape he’s in. But I don’t, not even the smallest bit.”
“I assume you fingerprinted him with that kit you had in your pocket?”
Tanner raised an eyebrow. “You don’t miss much.”
“That would be why I am a US Marshal. And also, this.” Pinfield pulled out a file and handed it to Tanner. He opened it and found multiple sets of fingerprints, which had been taken by hand and run against a master set that was attached to the inside of the folder.
“We take fingerprints at the beginning of every shift, after any sort of medical procedure where Jeter is taken out of this room, or if anybody just gets the heebie-jeebies. We’re all aware that the first thing someone trying to assist Jeter would do is change his fingerprints in the system. So we always use the hard copy. Those fingerprints have not changed since that prison bus accident. And we’re going to make sure no one tries to switch them out under our watch.”
Tanner shook the man’s hand. “Thank you. Thank you for taking this seriously. Thank you for making it so that I can sleep a little better at night.”
Pinfield smiled. “Just doing my job.”
Tanner left the hospital feeling much better than he had when he’d arrived. He shot a text to Whitaker letting him know that he was on his way back.
Pinfield had this under control. Tanner wasn’t sure there was anything he would be doing differently if he was in charge.
But more important, it was good news for Bree. Soon Jeter would be in prison where he belonged.
He opened his car door and got inside. They still had a few hours before their flight. Maybe he would see if Bree wanted to come back here. She hadn’t gotten her closure on the stand like she wanted. Maybe this could be the next best thing.
He was about to pull out of his parking spot when a knock on his window stopped him. All Tanner could see were the scrubs of a doctor. He rolled down his window a little.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m sorry. I’m Dr. Arnold. Are you Tanner Dempsey? Deputy Tanner Dempsey?”
Tanner rolled his window the rest of the way down. “I am. Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes. I just wanted to see...”
The doctor shifted and Tanner felt a sharp pinch at the side of his back. He was reaching for his weapon as everything began to blur.
The doctor leaned down so that he was now gazing directly into Tanner’s window and Tanner could see his face.
“You...” His voice sounded distant and foreign to his own ears. The fingers reaching for his sidearm wouldn’t seem to work.
“What were you just saying about how if I wanted to get to Bree I was going to need to go through you?”
Michael Jeter’s face without any burns at all smiled out at Tanner.
And then everything faded to black.
Chapter Twenty-One
Tanner knew he was in trouble as soon as he woke up. He was in a box, not unlike the ones Rory Gresham and his cronies had used on their victims.
But this one was wood. Basically a plain coffin, just not yet closed.
“Don’t worry, Tanner. I can call you Tanner, right? Deputy Captain Dempsey seems so formal.” Jeter waved from a few feet away. “Either way, don’t worry, I’m not going to drown you. You had enough drowning excitement for one week, right? Plus, who has time to figure out all those details about how many drips of water it will take. That’s just
nuts.”
Tanner blinked, trying to clear his mind. “Who is that man in the hospital and how does he have your fingerprints?”
How was it possible that Jeter was standing here right now without a scratch on him?
Tanner’s hands were tied at the wrists and resting on his chest. He tried to move his legs but they were restrained also inside this casket-shaped box.
“I’m going to be honest with you, and this might make you think I’m a bad person, but I honestly don’t know the name of the guy in the hospital. Believe it or not, I’ve been prepared for something of this measure to occur for the last ten years. That man lived a wonderful life of luxury and all he had to do was be roughly my same height and build, have the same blood type as me and have his fingerprints removed and mine lasered onto his fingers.”
“He’s your double.”
“Yes, exactly! But honestly, I didn’t even come up with the idea myself. You’d be surprised at how many political leaders have doubles in case their death is the only option for escaping a situation, and yet they don’t actually want to die.”
Tanner shook his head, still trying to shake away some of the cobwebs. This couldn’t be happening.
“I know, right?” Jeter said. “It’s all such cloak-and-dagger craziness. Hard to believe it’s true.”
“So you’ve been planning this from the beginning,” Tanner said. He kept his eyes on Jeter but glanced up behind him and around whenever he could. “I can’t believe you don’t have a whole army here.”
Jeter threw his arms up. “I have been around people—so many damn people—every day for months. I needed time alone for a while. But don’t worry—I still have my loyal followers I’ll band together eventually.”
Tanner followed Jeter with his eyes as the man walked around. Why did this place look familiar?
“Between you and me, I’m not cut out for prison. The man taking my place will do much better, plus his family will live in complete luxury for the rest of their existence. But me? I have other, better things to do than sit in a cell every day. I need to be able to move around. Some people aren’t meant to do nothing, you know what I mean, Tanner? I can’t be someone who does nothing.”