Dangerous Lies (Badge of Honor #2)

Chapter 26

TWENTY-SIX

Escape wasn’t possible.

Jax remained motionless, forcing his mind to process the options instead of reacting on instinct. One wrong move could get both him and Megan killed. He had to be strategic. To shut down his emotions. Relying on his training was the only way they’d survive this.

That, and prayer.

Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom I need.

Noah and Dawson were en route. Jax had lost contact with them, but they knew the location and were heading for the barn. It would take time for them to traverse the woods, and they’d have to approach with caution, but they were coming. He just had to buy them time.

His gaze swept the dimly lit storage room, snagging on a ladder in the corner. It led to a small loft space. Jax crossed the room and tested the wood with his weight. It held. He prayed the beams above were just as sturdy.

Lightning flashed, illuminating the barn in a stark white glow. A thunderous boom followed, shaking the entire structure. Rain hammered against the tin roof, a relentless drumbeat. The storm might work in his favor.

“I’m getting impatient.” Douglas’s voice still carried that unnerving playfulness, but frustration bled into the edges. “Maybe you need some motivation. Allow me to introduce my guest.”

A muffled cry echoed through the barn. Desperate. Panicked.

“Please,” Cody pleaded. “I don’t want to die. Please?—”

The sickening crack of a slap cut him off. Then Douglas’s singsong voice rang out, colder than before. “Come out, Jax. Don’t make me hunt for you. It’ll only make things worse.”

Jax didn’t want to consider how much worse things could get.

Douglas had them trapped. And now he had a hostage.

He wrapped an arm around Megan’s waist and pulled her toward the ladder, pressing her back against his chest. Bending low, he whispered in her ear, “Get into the loft. Spread out your weight and be silent. Noah and Dawson will be here, with backup, soon.”

Her head turned, her lips a breath from his. It was too dark to see her expression, but he could feel the tension in her body. “What are you going to do?”

There was no time for an argument. “Don’t worry about me.”

“I can’t.” Her voice was thick with tears. “We need to stay together?—”

“No.” His tone was sharp and harsh, but the mere thought of Megan putting herself in harm’s way… it crippled him. Jax leaned closer. Megan’s perfume filled his senses and her hair brushed softly against his cheek as he put his mouth near her ear. “I love you.”

He felt rather than heard her sharp intake of breath. Jax wished he could see her expression. He should have told her earlier—back at the house, when she’d bared her heart to him. But he’d been too tangled up in his family’s grief, still convinced that loving her was a betrayal. Of his family. Of Oliver.

He couldn’t have been more wrong.

Loving Megan had changed him. He’d been lost—drowning in guilt and anger—and she had pulled him back, showing him a path forward paved with God’s grace. Jax saw people’s mistakes. Megan saw their potential. She lived by kindness, forgiveness, and understanding.

She was everything Jax hadn’t realized he needed.

“I love you,” he whispered again. The timing was horrible, but she had to understand what was at stake. “Please, sweetheart. Do this for me. I can’t function unless I know you’re safe.”

Megan hesitated and then nodded. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed, Jax Taylor, or I’ll never forgive you.”

A ghost of a smile curved his lips at the steel in her voice. Then her mouth brushed against his. Sweet. Tender. Full of promises neither of them could be sure would ever become reality. Then, crowbar in hand, Megan scaled the ladder with the silence and precision of a trained operative. The only sound confirming she’d reached the loft was a faint rustling from the birds in the rafters.

Relief swept through him. She was safe—for now.

Jax turned on his heel, flexing his fingers around his gun to adjust his grip. He eased across the storage room, removed the screwdriver from the door, and cracked it open.

Darkness yawned beyond the threshold. Pitch-black and deadly.

Douglas was out there somewhere. Waiting.

Jax let his eyes adjust before stepping out of the storage room, gun leading the way. There was a slim chance he could sneak up on the man and end this now.

A light flickered to his left. Then it vanished.

Flickered again.

This time, Jax caught the sharp outline of Douglas’s face before the lighter’s flame dipped to a kerosene lamp at his feet. The wick caught, sending an eerie glow flickering across the concrete floor. Jax remained in the shadows, his gun trained on the man who had once been his brother’s best friend.

Douglas was ready for a fight.

He wore a bulletproof vest and a helmet. Night vision goggles dangled from a strap around his neck. He’d swapped his thick-rimmed glasses for contacts. The bottoms of his military-style camo pants were soaked from the rain, and a rifle was slung across his back.

In one hand, he held a lighter.

In the other—a handgun.

The barrel was pressed against the temple of a kneeling man.

Cody.

Zeke’s brother was soaked, battered, and shaking. A gag muffled his sobs, his chest heaving with every panicked breath. Jax’s gut twisted. The hope of sneaking up on Douglas evaporated. He had positioned himself strategically, a corner at his back, cutting off easy access.

Sticking to the shadows, using a support beam as cover, Jax yelled, “Put down your weapons, Douglas. You’re under arrest for murder.”

Douglas laughed. Cold and sharp. Then his expression darkened. “Where’s Megan?”

Jax wasn’t going to answer that question. “Why did you do it? Oliver loved you.”

“I didn’t kill your brother. Megan did.” Douglas tilted his head, voice rising as he projected his next words across the barn. “Listen to me—this can go one of two ways. Either you bring Megan out, or I put a bullet in Cody’s head.” His tone dripped with malice. “You hear that, Megan? You’ll be responsible for another man’s death. Or you can choose to save his life.”

Jax prayed she would stay put. Douglas had no intention of letting any of them leave this barn alive.

The lighter flickered again. Did Douglas plan to burn the barn down? Even in a thunderstorm, the old structure wouldn’t last ten minutes. The thought sent ice through Jax’s veins. But if fire was his plan, why hadn’t he started it already?

Then it hit him.

This wasn’t just about killing Megan. It had never been just about that.

It was about terrorizing her.

Jax clenched his jaw. Where were Noah and Dawson?

Sweat beaded on his forehead. Could he save both Cody and Megan? What if Douglas did set the barn ablaze? If the flames didn’t kill them, then the smoke would. Or the sniper waiting outside.

There were too many unknowns. He needed to stall.

Jax sucked in a deep breath, sent a prayer heavenward, and stepped into the main part of the barn. Every step sent a wave of pain through his bullet wound. Blood seeped out of the bandages, trailing down his hand. He ignored it. All of his attention was locked on the killer in front of him.

“I get it, Douglas. You and Oliver were friends. He defended you against the bullies at school and you were loyal to him. You want to avenge his death. But killing Cody and Megan will only make things worse. You shoot him, and then I’ll shoot you. It won’t end well for any of us.” He eased closer, keeping his gun pointed at the criminal. “Put down your weapon. Let’s solve this the right way. The way Oliver would have wanted.”

Douglas’s nostrils flared, his face twisting with sudden anger. “How do you know what Oliver would have wanted?” His voice rose with fury. “You left him! You betrayed him! He was hooked on drugs and no one cared but me!”

“That’s why you killed Zeke. To protect Oliver.”

“He was so stupid. I told him to just walk away from Zeke, but Oliver wanted to be the hero.” His voice thickened with emotion, but there was no remorse—only rage. “He gave information to the sheriff’s department, and Zeke found out somehow. He threatened him. I didn’t have a choice.”

Jax shifted, angling for a better position. The bulletproof vest Douglas wore left little room for error if he had to take a shot. “You lured Zeke here. Shot him.”

“I needed Oliver to understand that I was the only one who loved him.” He jabbed at his chest. “We were brothers. Oliver and me. I would do anything for him.”

“But when he found out what you did, he was scared. You tussled. Chased him through the woods, gave his car a flat tire so he couldn’t escape.”

Douglas’s eyes widened, wild with barely controlled emotion. “I just wanted him to listen! If he had just given me the chance to explain, then everything would have been fine.” His expression darkened, fury tightening his features. “But Megan showed up. She should’ve stayed out of it.”

Douglas had run them off the road to stop Oliver from telling Megan what he knew. And instead of taking responsibility for his actions, he’d spent the last ten years blaming her.

Jax edged closer. “Megan didn’t know anything. That’s why you didn’t kill her right after the accident.”

The birds above their heads rustled. Rain beat against the roof.

“She left town in disgrace. I thought it was enough.” Douglas sucked in a deep breath and leveled his gaze at Jax. “But when she came back…”

Jax’s stomach twisted. He understood. He hated that he did, but he understood.

“It reopened the wound,” he said quietly.

“Megan’s the one who should've died that day. Instead, she went on with her life. Went to college, made friends, and spent time with her grandparents. She got ten Christmases, ten birthdays, ten YEARS that didn’t belong to her. They were Oliver’s. He should be here now, not her.” His expression contorted with rage. “I’m going to make her pay for what she’s done.”

“This isn’t the way.”

“No, it’s not your way.” His grip on the gun tightened. “Enough talking. I’m going to count to three, and if Megan doesn’t come out, I’ll put a bullet in Cody’s head.”

The older man started hyperventilating, struggling against his bonds in a fruitless attempt to save himself. Jax did his best to ignore the horror scene and focused on trying to get a clean shot. The distance was still too great, the chance slim that he’d be able to take Douglas out. His heart hammered against his rib cage.

“One!” Douglas shouted. “Two!”

A shadow shifted behind Douglas. Jax’s heart stopped as Megan lifted the crowbar over her head. His feet began moving just as she slammed the metal rod down on Douglas’s head.

He roared in pain, stumbling forward.

Jax’s world narrowed to the woman he loved and the man trying to kill her. He increased his speed as Megan swung the crowbar again. The metal bounced off the body armor, ineffective. Douglas leveled his gun.

No! Megan!

Jax lunged.

A gunshot shattered the air.