If I Didn't Care

by Kait Nolan

  “The police? They fucking let this animal out of his cage with no regard to you. You think they’re going to get you justice?”

  “An error I intend to rectify,” Judd called. “Drop the gun. This is the police, and you’re surrounded.”

  Ethan and Spence’s teams emerged from the trees, weapons at the ready. Autumn’s head whipped in his direction. Her eyes closed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. But they weren’t out of this yet. None of his men were close enough yet to get between Autumn and Cauffield.

  A muscle ticked in Cauffield’s jaw. “Cooper,” he spat. “Always fucking Cooper.”

  Judd signaled for the others to stay put and stepped out from behind the SUV, keeping his focus and his gun on Cauffield. “You okay, Firefly?”

  “No permanent damage.”

  “How long have you been out there?” Cauffield asked.

  “Long enough.”

  “It doesn’t matter. This isn’t about you. It’s about her and who can protect her best. I can do what you never could. I can take him out of this world, where he can never hurt her again.”

  “You think I haven’t thought about that a thousand times over the years? You think the thought didn’t cross my mind when I got notice he was being released?”

  “And yet he’s still standing here. Still breathing. I think he’s gotten to do that long enough.”

  “If you do this, if you kill him, you’re no better than Manigault,” said Autumn.

  Manigault? Judd tried to remember what she’d told him of her plot. Manigault was her ultimate big bad guy. Who had Cauffield cast in that role in his delusion? Whoever it was, the barrel dipped down a few inches.

  “Listen to the lady,” Judd called out. “You haven’t hurt anybody yet. Don’t make a mistake you can never come back from.”

  Cauffield turned to look at him then, eyes full of hatred and madness. “Do as you say and not as you do? I expect mistakes are something you know a helluva lot about.”

  What the hell was he talking about? “Everybody makes mistakes. Smart men learn from them.”

  “It’s too late, you know. Your involvement is already documented, already out there. It’s only a matter of time before they come to take you away.”

  Behind Cauffield, Ethan and his team slowly edged closer, spreading out in front of Autumn in a fan.

  “Take me away for what?”

  “Oh, you’re gonna play dumb in front of your buddies?” Cauffield turned toward him, and Judd tensed as the barrel of the gun swung in his direction. “He’s been selling you out. Manipulating investigations, falsifying evidence, all in the name of a tidy little payday from his boss.”

  This wasn’t in the book. Not in the version Autumn had told him about. Judd’s gaze flickered to her, looking for answers.

  Cauffield took a quick side step, blocking him, the gun still aimed somewhere at Judd’s knees. Judd kept his service weapon steady on center mass.

  “Is that why you’re here? To finish what Manigault started? Of course it is. The accident didn’t kill her, so he sent you, his pet FBI agent.” His mouth pressed into a grim line. “I won’t let anyone hurt her ever again.”

  The rifle snapped up and Cauffield fired.

  Chapter 22

  All around Autumn gunfire exploded. She didn’t even have time to scream before someone tackled her to the ground, covering her body. Terror ripped through her, a rabid animal. No, no. Not again. Not now.

  Judd.

  She needed up, needed to see, needed to breathe.

  In the booming silence, she struggled against the man shielding her. “Judd,” she gasped. The weight above her shifted, and she sucked in a breath. “Judd!”

  “I’m all right!”

  At the sound of his voice from behind her, she went limp with relief, pressing her face against the ground as her chest loosened for the first time in hours. He was safe. She hadn’t lost him.

  “Ethan, keep her over there.”

  “Got it.”

  The man—Ethan—sat up, keeping himself solidly between her and whatever was behind him. Death. She knew that much. Could smell the blood in the air.

  “You okay?” Ethan asked. “Did I hurt anything when I tackled you?”

  “Nothing that wasn’t already hurt.”

  Autumn rolled, and Ethan helped her into a sitting position. Past his shoulder, she saw a single, jeans-clad leg outstretched, unmoving. Mark. He’d tried to fire his weapon at a cop. She knew protocol. Knew there was no possible way he’d survived. And she didn’t care about all the questions she’d never get answered, because it was over.

  Judd rose from a crouch, murmured some orders, and then he was coming for her, long legs eating up the ground. He dropped to his knees and, at last—at last—his arms were around her. Autumn couldn’t stop the tears, didn’t even try as she sobbed into his shoulder, letting loose all the worry and fear of the past two days. He held her tight, rocking them both, while the other officers went about the business of processing the crime scene.

  “You came.”

  “Always.”

  “How did you find me?” she asked.

  “We’d already figured out it was Mark who had you, but we got a call from one of your readers. I got your message.”

  “God, I can’t believe that actually worked.”

  “That was clever, using our old code.”

  “I figured, if he found it, he’d just think it was a formatting error. I didn’t know if he’d really uploaded the book or not.”

  “How did you convince him to do that?”

  “Because he finished it. The version from my old laptop. He had some kind of break with reality and put us both in the story. He fully believed he was Fletcher and I was Darcy, and the books were some kind of big exposé like Wiki Leaks. So I played into the whole thing.”

  Judd pulled back, stroking his hands along her face. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No. No he never hurt me. He…as Fletcher, loved me in his own way. But I don’t know how things would’ve turned out if you hadn’t shown up when you did. My leaving him wasn’t part of his fantasy.”

  “He wanted to protect you from Jebediah.”

  “And Jebediah was trying to save me when Mark got back. We might have made it if I hadn’t fought him about it. I owe him a thank you for that.”

  Judd’s expression turned grim, and she knew that Mark hadn’t been the only casualty. “How?” she asked softly. “Did he get caught in the crossfire?”

  “He jumped in front of Mark’s gun.”

  Stunned, Autumn stared at him. “What?”

  “He took the bullet meant for me. I was wearing a vest, but he maybe didn’t know that.”

  “Why would he…?”

  “I guess it was his way of making amends. And going out on his own terms.”

  Autumn had no idea how to feel. She’d hated her father most of her life, been terrified of him, terrorized by him. He’d been the source of the worst memories of her past. And he’d just sacrificed himself for the man she loved. There was a kind of circularity to that. Closure.

  “We’re free,” she whispered.

  “Yeah. Yeah we are.”

  “Judd?”

  They both looked up as Spence Whittaker, one of Livia’s many cousins, strode over. “Listen, we’ve got all this taken care of if you want to get her out of here. Happened in the county, so most of the details are ours.”

  “You sure?” Judd asked.

  “Yeah. Go take care of your woman.” He flashed a smile at Autumn. “Glad we got you back.”

  “Thank you.” She raised her voice. “Thank all of you.”

  There was a chorus of acknowledgments around her.

  Judd got to his feet, then scooped her up. “Hospital. You’re getting a full workup. And we’ve got to call Mom and tell her you’re okay.”

  “Want a ride?” Ethan stood, car keys in hand. “Since I’m not exactly here in an official capacity, I’m not real helpful at this stag
e.”

  “I’m sorry, who are you exactly?” Autumn asked.

  “Ethan Greer, U.S. Marshal Service, ma’am.”

  She looked at Judd. “You called in the Marshals?”

  “Actually no. Ethan’s interviewing for the position as Chief, and he volunteered to help.” The look Judd shot him was full of respect. “Thank you. And a ride would be much appreciated.”

  Judd made the call to his mother as soon as cell service kicked back in. But, of course, assurances that Autumn was okay weren’t sufficient. Neither were Autumn’s own assurances when she took the phone. The entire family was waiting at the ER on their arrival. There were tears—Patty’s and Autumn’s and even a couple from Eli, though he denied it—and hugs all around. Dr. Phillips, the attending physician, was somewhat taken aback and banished everyone but Judd and Patty to the waiting room during the exam.

  “Well, Miss Buchanan, you’re remarkably lucky. You sustained a mild concussion, assorted minor lacerations and contusions. The ankle is the worst of it, but it’s not broken. Keep off it for the next several days, and you should be walking normally in a week.”

  “Then you’ll be up and around for the family reunion,” Patty announced.

  Autumn stared at her. “I’m sorry. The family reunion?”

  Judd slipped onto the narrow exam bed and put an arm around her. “She and the rest of the family needed to do something to help. So I had them plan a family reunion.”

  “He needed us out from underfoot,” Patty said, but there was no heat to her words.

  “I wanted to celebrate your safe return,” Judd corrected. “The entire Hamilton clan. Aunts, uncles, cousins, the works.”

  “For when?”

  “I’d suggested this weekend, but apparently that wasn’t quite enough time. It’s in two weeks.”

  Autumn never imagined she could laugh so soon after what she’d just been through. “I love y’all so much. I will happily be there with bells on.” It would be good to be surrounded by family after everything she’d been through.

  “Good. Cause Nanna’s making all your favorites.”

  “Just mine? Because I’m pretty sure the hero of the hour deserves to get anything he wants.”

  He gently tugged her closer. “Already have it. I’ve got you back safe.”

  ~*~

  “Taking a break?” Judd stepped out onto the pier.

  Autumn looked up from her book and smiled. “It feels so good to just be outside, not looking over my shoulder, not jumping at shadows.”

  He stepped around Boudreaux, scooped her out of the Adirondack chair, and settled in it himself with her across his lap.

  She snuggled in, resting her head against his shoulder. “Amazon sent out the notice we crafted to let my readers know that the book they bought wasn’t actually mine, and the listing was taken down. A good thing, too. The reviews were lousy. Readers were seriously pissed at the idea of Darcy ending up with Fletcher.”

  “Did they give you any trouble about it?”

  “Who? Amazon? Well, I’m pretty sure it’s one of the strangest reasons for a take down request they’ve ever received, but sending them a copy of the police report cleared that right up. I sent out a newsletter to my readers explaining, in minimal detail, what happened, so all that’s left to do on that front is finish the real version of the third book.”

  “And then what?” Judd asked. “When you started writing in the first place, it was for a reason that’s no longer relevant. And the books brought Mark into your life.”

  “Actually, they didn’t. He’d been a patron of the library for about two years. Long before I rewrote the first book, before I published it. I don’t know if the books triggered or exacerbated his obsession or even how he stumbled on them and connected them with me. We won’t ever know that, but I’m not going to pin it on my work.”

  “Good. I’ve seen how happy writing makes you. It’d be a shame to let that go because of all this.”

  “I don’t intend to. I don’t miss the library at all, other than seeing Livia on a regular basis. I love what I do and I want to make a real career out of it.”

  “Will you stick with this pen name? There’s a lot of notoriety attached to it now, and it’s certainly no secret.”

  “I’ve realized that the whole notion of a truly secret pen name is a thing of the past. Modern technology pretty well ensures that anybody determined enough can figure it out. The fact is, scandal sells. My name, Rumor’s name, is making a splash in the media right now. It’s certainly not how I’d prefer to build a brand, but it’s there. I’m not going to give up that platform out of fear. Because I can use it. I want to use it to write fiction that will empower women. That’s been the absolute best part of this whole crazy ride—all the messages and emails from women who took that away from my work and used it to better their lives. I didn’t set out to do that deliberately when I wrote it, but I want to, moving forward, because I think it’s a meaningful use of my abilities.”

  Judd kissed her brow. “I’m proud of you. For finding your passion and following it. For making it a part of your plan for the future.”

  “The future’s a long way off, but it’s nice to have a destination in mind.”

  The future Judd wanted was right now.

  “What about you?” she asked. “The threat is past. You aren’t bound to the path you’ve been on for all these years.”

  “That’s actually why I came out here. I need to run into town and take care of some things.”

  She leaned back and studied his face. “You’re going to talk to Sandra.”

  “I’m going to talk to Sandra,” he confirmed, though that certainly wasn’t his only business in town.

  “Good. It’s the right decision. Do you mind if I stay here? Now that the technical crap has been taken care of, I think I’m ready to dive in and push toward finishing the third book.”

  The non-job related part of his errands were much better accomplished solo.

  “You sure you’ll be okay on your own?” It had taken several days to deal with all the formalities. The Wachoxee County Sheriff’s Department, as well as Wishful PD did their best to leave Judd out of it so he could be home with Autumn while she recovered. He hadn’t left her completely alone since her rescue.

  “Yeah, I think so. Boudreaux and I were going to set up on the porch. He has some hard-core napping to do, and I’m hoping to knock out a couple of chapters by dinner.”

  “If you’re going that head-down in the work, I’ll grab take out. What do you want?”

  “Surprise me.”

  Oh, I intend to.

  Judd started his parade of errands with City Hall. How much had changed since he last climbed these steps. What a difference a week made.

  He knocked on Sandra’s open door.

  She looked up, instantly rising behind her desk as she saw him. “Judd, please, come in. Sit down.”

  “Mayor Crawford.” Judd took a seat in one of the visitor’s chairs, feeling too big for the space and eager to get this conversation over with. “Thank you for seeing me.”

  “Of course. I wanted to speak with you, too. How’s Autumn?”

  The first couple of days home had been rough. But the nightmares had already stopped, and she seemed to be at peace with her father’s death. Once his body was released, he’d be cremated. She was, as she’d already demonstrated, focused on the future instead of the past.

  “She’s a remarkably resilient woman.”

  Sandra came around the desk and sat in the other visitor’s chair, facing him. “I owe you an apology. On behalf of the entire City Council. I’m sorry we questioned you. You were right and Autumn was hurt. When I think about what could’ve happened—”

  “Don’t,” he said. “It didn’t.”

  “It didn’t because you did your job, and you did it well, despite or maybe because of your personal connection to the situation. You’re an excellent cop and a good man, Judd, and you’ve done a good job as Chief
of Police. We’d like you to keep the job permanently.”

  “I appreciate the apology and the offer, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m tendering my resignation.”

  “As Chief?”

  “From Wishful PD entirely.”

  Distress flickered over her face. “Judd, no. I know you took the job under stressful conditions, and you’ve had to cope with things that no one ought to have to cope with, but don’t let that drive you away.”

  “I’m not. The fact is, y’all accused me of using departmental resources for personal reasons. And I absolutely did. My entire career as a cop has been for one purpose, and one purpose alone: To keep Autumn safe whenever Jebediah got released. Now, I stand by my use of those resources because she was legitimately in danger, albeit not from the quarter I expected. But the fact is, my reason for being here doesn’t exist anymore.”

  “But you’re so good at it.”

  “I’m good at being a cop. I’m good at investigation. And that’s why I’ve accepted a position as Investigator with the Wachoxee County Sheriff’s Department. So I’m here to officially resign and give my full support to Ethan Greer’s candidacy for Chief of Police.”

  “Why him?”

  “Because he offered up his help to find Autumn when he didn’t have to. He used the resources he had to assist in the investigation. He’s got a good mind, a good head on his shoulders, and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the good of this town. And he’s better at all the liaising and politicking than I’d ever be. I don’t know who your other candidates are, but he’s my pick, for whatever that’s worth.”

  “It’s worth a lot. And much as I hate to lose you, I can see your mind is made up, so I’ll wish you well in your new job.”

  Judd left her office feeling lighter than he had in years.

  Today felt like the first day of the rest of his life. As he hit the sidewalk outside City Hall, there was a spring in his step and a smile on his face. The family reunion was less than a week away. If he was going to take the next step of that life there, he had about a million details to sort out. Time to get busy.

  Epilogue

  For all she’d been in and out of the Hamilton household all her life, Autumn wasn’t sure she’d ever truly known how many of them there were. It was one thing to objectively know how many cousins Judd had. It was entirely another to see them all in one place. Owen was one of Pop and Nanna’s three children. Each of them had also had three children. And that didn’t even begin to cover the extended family brought in by Pop’s brother and sister and their progeny.