Dangerous Lies (Badge of Honor #2)

Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

Firelight flickered across the living room, casting warm shadows along the floor. Megan curled her legs beneath her on the couch, her untouched tea cooling at her elbow. Instead of drinking it, she ran her fingers over the scrawled letters in the margins of her father’s Bible.

You are never alone. God is always with you.

Her gaze drifted to the window. Jax was out there, walking the perimeter. They hadn’t spoken much since returning from the police station. Noah had told her Wesley was cleared of all suspicion, so she’d expected Jax to be relieved. Instead, he’d been distant. Whatever had been said in the chief’s office had hurt him deeply, and she didn’t know how to help. So she prayed.

“Megan.”

She looked up to see Nana standing in the arched entryway, her hair in curlers, her nightdress and robe swallowing her petite frame. In her hands, she held a cup of tea. “I’m going to bed, sweetheart. There’s fresh coffee on the stove and a plate of sandwiches in the fridge for the Special Forces boys on duty tonight.”

Megan nodded. Her grandmother shuffled across the room on slippered feet and brushed a kiss against Megan’s head. The move made her feel small. Tears she hadn’t known were banked rose to the surface. If Rose was startled by them, it didn’t show. Instead, she set her tea down and gathered Megan in her arms. “Oh, sweetie.”

“I don’t know why I’m crying.” The tears fell fast and hot.

“Well, you’ve been through the wringer these last few days.” Nana pulled some tissues out of a box on the side table before handing them to Megan. “But if I had to guess, I’d say these tears might have something to do with a certain tall, handsome detective.”

She blotted her face, a flush rising in her cheeks. “Is it that obvious?”

“Sweetie, a blind, deaf mule would realize the two of you have feelings for each other.”

Megan let out a watery laugh, but the weight pressing on her chest remained. “I kissed him. We haven’t talked about it, and things have been weird ever since. Then today, his family saw us together at the police station and…” She bit her lip. “I’m not responsible for Oliver’s death, but I was there when it happened. That’s a history you don’t just move past.”

Nana sat beside her, taking her hands in her own. “No, you don’t move past it, honey. But you can move through it.” She gave Megan’s fingers a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to pretend those memories don’t exist, and neither does Jax. The past is part of who we are, but it doesn’t have to define where we’re going. You know that better than anyone.”

Megan nodded. She was a firm believer that your past didn’t determine your future. People could make different choices. Better ones. “So, you think I should be honest with him?”

“Yes. Love, even when it’s complicated, even when it’s messy, is still a gift. If Jax is meant to be in your life, you’ll find a way. And if he’s not…” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Megan’s ear. “Then you’ll still be okay.”

Megan swallowed past the lump in her throat and hugged her grandmother. “How do you always know the right thing to say?”

Nana chuckled. “It comes with age, along with the creaky joints and the gray hair.” She rose and collected her tea, kissing Megan one more time. “Goodnight, sweetie.”

“Night.”

Nana shuffled out of the living room, leaving Megan alone with her thoughts. The fire crackled in the hearth, the flames licking at the logs, twisting and flickering in an almost hypnotic rhythm. She stared into them and her mind drifted, as it often had this week, to the night Oliver was killed. A rush of fear came instinctively, but this time, she didn’t fight against it. She let it wash over her. Let herself become immersed in the memories.

The dark country road. The blur of the forest flying past.

Oliver, jumping out from behind a tree, wild-eyed and frantic.

The slam of her brakes.

When he’d climbed into the car, he’d smelled of hay and sweat, his hands trembling as he gripped the dashboard.

Drive. He’s going to kill me. Drive!

His panic had been overwhelming. Megan tried to remember everything he’d said, but it was a jumble. Still, there was something—something buried deep in her memory. A crucial detail just out of reach. She could feel it, hovering on the edges of her consciousness, but no matter how hard she tried, couldn’t pull it free.

A hand landed on her shoulder.

Megan screamed, springing from the couch like a startled cat. She whirled to face her attacker with fists raised.

Jax stepped back, his palms facing outward in a pacifying gesture. The firelight flickered along the hard planes of his face. “It’s just me.”

She pressed a hand to her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Good grief, Jax. You scared the daylights out of me.” She forced her other hand to relax. “I almost punched you.”

His lips twitched. “I noticed. All those self-defense lessons have paid off.” He tilted his head. “I called your name three times. What were you thinking about?”

Her shoulders slumped. “The accident. There’s something about it I can’t remember, and it’s bugging me.” Megan bent to retrieve the Bible that had fallen to the floor, along with the blanket, when she’d launched off the couch. “I was watching the fire and didn’t hear you come in at all. Sometimes flames can have a hypnotic effect.”

Jax took the Bible from her, smoothing out a creased page. He smelled of the cold outdoors and something distinctly him. Water droplets peppered his hair, darkening the strands.

Belatedly, Megan heard the rain hitting against the window panes. She shivered, thinking of the men guarding her property. “Walker and Logan are on duty tonight. They don’t need to stay out in the rain. I’ll tell them to come into the kitchen.”

She moved to go around Jax, but he caught her hand.

“Don’t. They're okay. They brought clothes for the weather.”

His touch sent a shock wave of heat through her system. When he didn’t let go, Megan stepped closer, tilting her head up to look at his face. He was breathtakingly handsome. She studied each strong line, from the masculine curve of his upper lip to the sweep of his cheekbones. And then his gaze clashed with hers. The stormy blue held a mix of emotions she couldn’t decipher.

Without a word, he cupped her face. His thumb traced her cheek and then his fingers slid into her hair. He tilted his head until their foreheads touched. “Megan…”

“Shush. I know.” She stepped closer into the circle of his arms. Jax didn’t need to explain. She’d already figured out that he cared, but his family hated her. He didn’t have any more answers than she did.

And right now, for just this one second, she didn’t care.

She wanted to forget about everything. The threats on her life. The accident. The men guarding her property in the rain and her grandparents sleeping in the next room. Instead, she focused on the beat of her heart and the feel of Jax’s hand on her waist. His breath whispered against her lips. She tilted her face toward his and, a second later, was lost.

This was not the kiss in the trees, a brief runaway moment of recklessness. This was something else entirely. Jax’s mouth claimed hers with a slow, deliberate intensity, like a man who had finally stopped fighting what he wanted. His lips were warm, his touch sending waves of heat through her. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. Only raw, unfiltered need wrapped in something deeper—something that stole the breath from her lungs.

Megan pressed closer. She felt the rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. It pounded in time with hers. Jax kissed her like she was something precious. Something he couldn’t bear to lose. And she answered with everything inside her. The longing. The hope. The quiet fear that this moment might be all they ever had.

It shocked her. The depth of their connection. When the kiss ended, Jax looked as stunned as she felt. He swallowed hard, but didn’t release her. “That wasn’t smart.”

“No.” Her breath was ragged. “But it was honest.”

His lips curled into a shadow of a smile before pressing against hers once more. Then he pulled her into his arms. Megan rested her head against his chest, her eyes closing as she soaked in the warmth of his embrace. His shirt was soft beneath her cheek, and the way he cupped the back of her head—cradling her like she was invaluable—made her heart ache in the best way.

It’d been a long day. A confusing one. But Megan couldn’t let it finish without saying what was in her heart. “I care about you, Jax. I might…” She breathed out. “I might be falling in love with you.”

His body tensed for the briefest moment before relaxing. He exhaled, then pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. “I can’t go against my family, Megan. Right now?—”

“I know. It’s okay.”

Silence settled over them, broken only by the crackling fire. Megan didn’t want the moment to end, but knew it had to. With God all things were possible, but it would take a miracle for her and Jax to find a way forward. She pulled away. “It’s late. I should go to bed.”

Jax nodded. It looked like he wanted to say something, but then he tucked his hands in his pockets. “Night.”

Megan turned and started up the stairs, but an idea struck her mid-step. She paused on the landing. “Jax.” Her voice was a whisper, but he still heard her and came around the corner. “The accident. I’ve been trying to remember everything that happened, but can’t. Whatever it is, I know it’s important.”

The police suspected Zeke was the one who ran them off the road, but Wesley had been responsible for the threats against her. Now that Wesley had been cleared as a suspect, it left them floundering. Who was trying to kill her, and why? Was it Zeke? Or someone else?

Jax had always believed the cases—Oliver’s death and these attacks on her—were connected. Megan did too. Figuring out what happened that night would require her to be brave and face one of the worst experiences of her life. But it was the only way to unlock her memories.

Rain beat against the roof. The storm wouldn’t last. Megan knew they had a small window to put her plan in motion. “I have an idea.”