Dangerous Lies (Badge of Honor #2)

Chapter 27

TWENTY-SEVEN

One week later

Jax adjusted the sling supporting his injured arm, wincing as the stitches in his shoulder pulled. He’d stopped taking painkillers after leaving the hospital a few days ago. The doctors had warned him it would take weeks to heal and that physical therapy would follow.

But he was alive. God had seen him through.

Across the living room, his parents sat close on the sofa, hands clasped together. His mom’s eyes were red-rimmed but dry. His dad’s expression was drawn, grief etched deep in the lines of his face. Wesley, quiet and still, had wedged himself into an armchair, his massive frame too big for the seat. None of this would be easy for them to hear, but they had asked for the details.

Jax began. “Oliver wanted out from underneath Zeke’s thumb, and I suppose he thought the best way to achieve that was to shut down the entire operation. He was working as an informant for the sheriff’s department, turning over evidence to prove that Bodybuilders—the gym owned by Zeke and Cody—was a front for an illegal fighting ring and drug business.”

“He was trying to do the right thing.” Wesley’s voice was hollow. He met Jax’s gaze. “I didn’t know. He didn’t tell me.”

“He didn’t confide in any of us. Maybe Oliver was afraid that he wouldn’t be successful. There were drugs in his system when he died, but it gives me some measure of comfort to know he was moving in the right direction.”

Valentina nodded. “What happened next?”

Jax’s gaze flickered to his father. Greg’s jaw was clenched tight, but he gave a stiff nod, signaling Jax to continue.

“Somehow, Zeke found out what Oliver was doing and threatened him. Oliver hadn’t been confiding in us, but he had been telling Douglas what was going on. Things were getting dangerous, so Douglas lured Zeke to the barn and killed him. I think, in his mind, he was protecting Oliver. But it backfired. Oliver freaked out, and they fought.”

A forensic team had discovered his brother’s jacket in a corner of the barn. Blood spatter proved Oliver had been present when Douglas shot Zeke. No wonder his brother was so frantic when he called Megan.

“Oliver escaped the barn but, in his panic, must’ve gotten turned around in the forest trying to find his car. By the time he did, Douglas had already slashed his tire.” Jax could easily imagine his brother’s terror. “Oliver called Megan for help and then hid, waiting for her to come. When she arrived, he got in her car, but Douglas caught up to them. He was desperate to stop Oliver from telling Megan about Zeke’s murder, so he ran them off the road. He didn’t intend to kill Oliver—or so he says—just talk to him.”

“But you think he would have killed him?” Wesley asked with the bluntness of a man who’d been to war and back.

Jax hesitated and then nodded. “Oliver wouldn’t have kept Zeke’s murder to himself. There’s no way to know for sure how Douglas would’ve reacted, but based on his obsession with our brother, I believe he would’ve seen it as the ultimate betrayal.”

Greg frowned. “Then why didn’t he kill Megan that night?”

“He thought she died in the accident. When he found out she survived—but didn’t know about Zeke—he figured he was in the clear. That Megan left town shortly thereafter also helped. Honestly, it probably saved her life.”

Jax hated that Megan had suffered the judgment of townsfolk and the weight of survivor’s guilt, but he was glad she’d had the strength to know her limits and seek a new life elsewhere.

“Douglas blamed Megan for Oliver’s death,” Jax continued. “It was easier to be angry with her than to accept responsibility for his actions. When she moved back to Knoxville, it reignited Douglas’s rage. He was obsessing about her, planning to make her suffer, and then I reopened the investigation into the accident.”

Jax winced. He’d unknowingly forced Douglas’s hand. “Douglas became worried that we’d uncover Zeke’s murder during the investigation. So he formed a plan to kill Megan and frame Wesley for it. He broke into her car and attacked her, but when things went sideways, he went to Plan B. And C. And D. Douglas even recruited his patient to help him.”

Quinton had been found in the woods by Noah and Dawson. He’d been armed with a rifle and a shotgun, ready to use both should Megan and Jax escape the barn. During his confession, it was clear he’d been manipulated into helping Douglas. It didn’t excuse what he did—Quinton made his own choices—but the court would take his circumstances into account during sentencing.

Wesley scraped a hand down his beard. “Why frame me?”

“Because Douglas blamed you—actually, our whole family—for letting Oliver down. He wanted us to suffer.”

He’d almost succeeded too. Douglas hadn’t caused the cracks in the family's foundation, but his actions had drawn sharp attention to them. From the haunted look in Wesley’s eyes, his brother had come to the same conclusion.

“How does Cody fit into all of this?” Greg asked.

“He’s guilty of fraud,” Jax answered. “Cody and his mom believed Zeke ran off to avoid being arrested on charges of drug trafficking. They sold his vehicle to a chop shop, but the sale was never registered with the state, which is why we believed he still owned the Explorer. Cody signed Zeke’s disability checks and cashed them every month. He split the money with his mother. Neither of them ever reported Zeke missing because they didn’t want the checks to stop. It seems neither of them knew Zeke was dead.”

Jax believed they suspected it, but he had no way to prove it. And, in the end, he wasn’t sure it even mattered.

“Douglas heard through the grapevine that Cody had threatened Megan and me,” he continued. “He had Quinton monitor Megan’s house. When we left in the middle of the night during the storm, he figured Megan was trying to piece together what’d happened during the accident. That’s when he put his plan in motion. He kidnapped Cody, drove to the accident site, and set up his ambush. He intended to kill Megan. Then me. Then Cody. After that, he was going to burn the barn to the ground.”

Valentina covered her mouth with her hand in shock. “I still… It’s horrific to think how…”

“I know, Mamacita.” Jax also didn’t like to remember those last moments in the barn. There was a second ladder leading down from the loft behind Douglas, which was how Megan got behind him. Her bravery had likely saved them all. But it had also put her at great risk. If Jax hadn’t tackled Douglas in time, he would’ve shot her.

By God’s grace, she’d walked away from the incident unharmed.

Jax adjusted his sling again. His arm throbbed. “This morning, Douglas confessed to everything in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. There won’t be a trial. It’s over. Chief Garcia will hold a press conference in an hour to share the news.” He locked his gaze on his parents and then shifted to his brother before returning to his dad. “Megan will be officially cleared of any wrongdoing. It’ll be part of the announcement.”

Silence filled the room. No one spoke. No one met his eye.

Nerves twisted in Jax’s gut, but he forged ahead. “There’s more. It’s not my intention to cause you pain, but I need to be honest. I’m in love with Megan.”

Valentina gasped. Greg’s jaw tensed. Wesley just looked stunned.

Jax was tempted to stop talking, but his heart wouldn’t allow it. His family mattered to him. Deeply. But they’d been hiding from each other for far too long.

“She’s going to be a part of my life,” he continued, his voice firm. “A big part, I think. I know it may take time to get used to the idea, but I hope—and I pray—that one day you’ll find it in your hearts to welcome her. What happened the night Oliver died wasn’t her fault. She was only trying to help him. She was a good friend, and nearly paid for it with her life.”

Tears spilled down Valentina’s cheeks. She turned toward Greg, but he was already rising from the couch. His steps were stiff as he moved to the window, hands braced on his hips, shoulders rigid. He stared out for a long time.

“Losing Oliver broke me.” Greg turned. “I was drowning in grief and anger. Blaming myself for what happened. Your mother—” He glanced at Valentina, his expression softening. “—tried to get me to attend counseling with our priest, but I refused. And then we had that argument in Chief Garcia’s office.” His gaze settled on Jax. “Your question haunted me.”

Jax swallowed. He knew which one. “Is this what Oliver would have wanted for us?”

Tears shimmered in his dad’s eyes. “He was such a loving child. Always happiest when we were all together. And I realized I was dishonoring his memory by letting my anger and my hurt drive a wedge between us.” He laid a hand on Wesley’s shoulder but kept his gaze locked on Jax. “I’m sorry, boys. I was so lost in my grief that I didn’t take the time to think about what either of you was going through. As your father, it’s my job to guide you. We should have faced this tragedy together.”

Wesley’s jaw clenched, his throat working as if he was fighting back tears. Jax felt his own emotions rising, stinging his eyes.

Valentina wiped at her tears and then straightened, her voice firm. “So, from here on out, we act like a family.” She pinned her sons and her husband with a stern look. “Sunday—church. Then lunch afterward.”

Jax and Wesley nodded in unison. “Yes, ma’am.”

A warm smile broke across Valentina’s face, chasing away the sadness like sunlight through storm clouds. “Jax, this Sunday, it should just be us. But I’d like for you to bring Megan the following week.” She reached for Greg’s hands as he rejoined her on the couch. “We have an apology to make. I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive us.”

Jax’s heart swelled. It was more than he had hoped for. “I’m pretty sure she already has.”

The meeting ended with tight embraces and quiet I-love-yous. When Jax stepped outside into the afternoon sunshine, he felt lighter than he had in years. Birds chirped from the branches of the old oak tree. A squirrel darted across the grass.

Wesley followed him onto the driveway, halting beside Jax’s rental SUV. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his worn blue jeans. “So you and Megan, huh?”

Jax leaned against the rental. His vehicle was likely totaled, riddled with too many bullet holes to be salvaged, but the insurance company would make the final call later this week. “Yeah.” He exhaled, glancing at his brother. “Listen, Wesley, I’m sorry?—”

“Don’t.” Wesley shook his head sharply. “I’ve been thinking a lot since the meeting in Chief Garcia’s office, too. You were right.” He hesitated, as if the admission cost him something. “Since I got home, I’ve been distant. I don’t feel… like myself. I don’t know if I ever will. But that shouldn’t stop me from being part of this family.”

Jax’s posture softened. “We care about you.”

“I know.” A ghost of a smile flickered across Wesley’s face before he threw a playful punch at Jax’s uninjured shoulder. “You realize that once you bring Megan home for Sunday lunch, Mom’s gonna start planning your wedding. She can’t help herself.”

Jax laughed, but his heart thumped a little harder at the thought. A wife. Kids. It had always felt far off in the distance. But now… he could almost see it. Still, he didn’t need his mother dropping hints every five minutes. “Let’s not jump the gun. We still have to get through the first Sunday lunch.”

Wesley shrugged. “It’ll be fine. Later, bro.” He started toward his truck, but Jax called after him. Wesley turned back. “Yeah?”

“There’s an informal veterans’ support group that meets regularly. I think you know some of the guys—Jason Gonzalez?”

“Yeah, I know him.”

“It might be good to go. Talking with people who’ve been through the same things you have could help.”

Wesley stared off into the distance for a long moment. “I’ll think about it.”

It wasn’t a yes, but it also wasn’t a no. Jax would take it.

He lifted a hand in farewell as Wesley climbed into his truck, then slid into his own vehicle. For the first time in years, he felt something close to peace.

Then, finally, he let the excitement settle in—the realization of what he truly wanted. He was in love. He wanted a future with Megan. And after this conversation with his family, for the first time, it seemed possible.

It was time to set things right with the woman of his dreams.