Outlaw Ridge: Aiden (Hard Justice: Outlaw Ridge #3)

Chapter One

There was blood on the wedding dress.

That was the first thing Deputy Lexa Mullen noticed when she stepped into the room. A crescent-shaped swath of the bright red spatter was across the ivory silk. But there were plenty of other things in the room that soon caught her attention.

Along with putting a huge knot in her gut.

The dress was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor, making it look like a headless, limbless body. The shoes were there, too. Pearl studded heels, also streaked with blood.

In fact, there were streaks and spatters everywhere in the changing room of the wedding hall. On the ceiling, the walls, the large shoulder purse sitting on a chair, and there was a plate-sized puddle of it on the floor.

What the hell had happened here?

It definitely wasn’t just a break-in that the cleaning lady, Esther Drummond, had reported when she’d shown up for duty and found the front door of the wedding venue, the Yellow Rose Manor, wide open. That’s when the woman had seen several smashed vases, crushed artificial flowers, and overturned chairs.

Thankfully, Esther hadn’t gone inside to check things out but had instead called Outlaw Ridge PD. Since Lexa was on the swing shift and on her way back from her dinner break, she’d responded solo, figuring it would turn out to be a prank by bored school kids on summer vacation.

But this was no prank.

The blood was real. Lexa was familiar with the metallic scent, a skillset she’d unfortunately acquired from being a cop for nearly a dozen years. During those first eleven and a half years in San Antonio PD, she had encountered several bloody, grisly scenes. But in a small town like Outlaw Ridge, it wasn’t a usual occurrence.

Well, it hadn’t been until four months ago when most of the town’s police force had been murdered. But that killer had been caught and was, thankfully, now dead. He definitely hadn’t been responsible for this carnage.

So who had done this?

Checking around her, she took out her phone and sent the code for backup and also fired off a text to request a CSI team. It wouldn’t take long for one of the other four swing shift deputies to show because the police station was just six blocks away on Main Street. The CSIs though might not be here for a half hour or so which meant she needed to secure the scene and check for a survivor.

And a possible killer.

Lexa put away her phone, and making sure she didn’t step in any of the blood, she made her way around the room to a tall, old-fashioned wardrobe in the corner. The double doors were open just a sliver, and while she didn’t hear anyone moving around in there, the furniture piece was plenty big enough for someone to use it as a hiding place.

Or a place to stash a body.

Keeping her gun ready, Lexa used her left hand to throw open the door, her entire body braced for an attacker. But the bracing wasn’t necessary. Because other than a dozen or so black umbrellas, it was empty.

Lexa made her way to the purse, and she could see a blood spattered wallet inside it. She yanked out a plastic glove from her pocket, snapped it on and had a look.

Her heart dropped when she saw the driver’s license.

Because it belonged to Chloe Adams, AKA the bride. Or rather the woman who would soon be the bride since the wedding was the day after tomorrow, scheduled to take place right here in this very building.

Lexa knew Chloe. Of course, that applied to just about everyone in such a small town like Outlaw Ridge. She didn’t know Chloe that well though since she’d only been in town for about six months, and Lexa herself had only recently moved back to accept the deputy position. But Lexa knew the groom, Brady Kern, since they’d graduated high school together.

Soon, she’d have to talk to him. Soon, Lexa would need to find out if Brady knew what had gone on here. For now though, she needed to wait for backup, continue to examine the scene, and more importantly, try to find the person who’d lost all this blood.

Maybe Chloe.

But Chole’s car wasn’t outside. No one’s other than Esther’s had been there, so all this blood could be from someone else. Perhaps the person who’d broken in. He or she could have had a really bad encounter with…hell, a killer. Lexa didn’t think it was her imagination that it was a fatal amount of blood around the room.

She made her way to the door, and she brought up her gun again when she heard the footsteps. And the voice.

“It’s me,” a man called out.

Aiden Brodie.

She silently groaned. Why hadn’t one of the other deputies responded? Why did it have to be him? Lexa shoved aside the uneasiness. The memories. And the unwanted swirl of heat that came whenever she was around Aiden.

“Back here,” she let him know.

She heard the thud on his boots on the old wood floor. Not cowboy boots but rather steeled toes combat ones, probably a holdover from his days in military special ops.

Because she’d read the background on him, Lexa knew that Aiden had had a decorated career as a Navy SEAL before he’d left the service and become an operative for Strike Force, an elite security company owned by hometown hero, Owen Striker. These days though Owen not only ran Strike Force but also pulled duty as the acting sheriff until a replacement could be hired.

This definitely wasn’t the first time that Aiden’s and her paths had crossed. Nope. He wasn’t local, but three years ago, they’d had an encounter .

God, what a sterile word for something that was far from sterile.

An encounter that’d happened when he’d been tracking down an eighteen-year-old girl who’d been kidnapped by her estranged boyfriend. The girl’s parents had been friends of Owen’s and had requested Strike Force’s assistance. That assistance had come in the form of Aiden in full Navy SEAL mode and Strike Force’s massive resources that had helped him locate the girl and her ex within hours.

As a homicide detective in San Antonio PD, Lexa had been on the couple’s trail, too, since the boyfriend had murdered the girl’s current guy and he was in her jurisdiction. Following her own leads and using her own resources, Aiden and she had shown up at the remote campsite within minutes of each other.

And it hadn’t gone well at all.

It had ended with a nightmare.

Lexa got a slam of those nightmarish images now and had to punch them aside again. She couldn’t deal with that now. Not when she had to do a different kind of steeling up with him.

Aiden stepped in the doorway, and Lexa cursed the little flutter she got in her stomach at seeing him. All that black hair, green bedroom eyes, and a face that had clearly gotten the best of the best in his gene pool.

She hated that quivering sensation. Hated the reaction, especially now. It seemed disrespectful in what was a crime scene. Yet, there it was, a flutter fueled by this incredibly hot guy who seemed to have her hormonal number. The yen to that yang was that he also triggered those memories. Those nightmares.

So, yeah, it was the very definition of a complicated relationship when it came to Aiden and her.

“Jesus,” he muttered, putting his hands on his hips. No uniform for him. Well, not a cop’s unform anyway. He was wearing his usual dark camo pants and a black tee.

She watched as his gaze swept around the room, taking in the dress, the blood, the still-open wardrobe, and the purse.

“Is that Chloe’s bag?” he asked. Like Lexa, he’d known the woman for the handful of months that he’d been on the force. He knew the groom, too, since they’d not only once served together, they were still friends.

Lexa nodded. “It’s Chloe’s bag. We need to look around, and then I’ll call Brady. It’s possible there’s someone injured nearby.” Nearby because she couldn’t fathom anyone getting too far after losing that much blood.

Aiden made a sound of agreement and followed her out into the hall and to the other rooms located here. They turned on lights along the way, checking the floor for blood.

And she saw some.

Not a puddle like in the changing room but there were some drops, and Aiden and she were careful not to step in them.

They came to a closed door, and according to the nameplate on the wall, it was the office for the owner, Lily Whitaker. It was locked up tight, but the next room was open. It was a large meeting area with whiteboards filled with photos that appeared to be showcasing weddings, flower arrangements, and decorations. It was very much empty, and she couldn’t see any blood in there.

“Chloe?” she called out.

No one answered, and that sense of dread that was already crawling through Lexa got a whole lot worse.

Behind her, she heard Aiden texting someone, and a couple of moments later, he whispered, “No one’s come into the ER or been admitted to the hospital tonight.”

Lexa was glad he’d checked so they could rule that out, and they kept moving. Kept looking, but Lexa didn’t spot any more blood.

They threaded their way to the main part of the wedding venue where there were a dozen rows of empty seats on each side. The fifty-something-year-old cleaning woman, Esther, was still there in the entry, right where Lexa had left her. Again, she was someone Lexa knew since her late mother and Esther had once been friends.

“Did you find the little shits who broke those vases and messed up the place?” Esther asked, clearly peeved at the vandalism.

Lexa shook her head. “Did you see or hear anyone when you got here?”

“Just that.” Esther threw her hand in the direction of the shattered glass and flower debris on the floor. “But there could be more. Is there more?” she pressed, swinging her attention between Aiden and Lexa.

Lexa went with a question of her own. “Did you know there’s a wedding dress in the changing room?”

The woman gave a quick nod. “Yeah, the boss lady told me to be careful when I cleaned in there, that she’d given Chloe a key and she was going to bring her dress over. Apparently, it’s too poofy for Chloe to sit in a car for the drive over so she’s getting ready here.”

A key , Lexa mentally repeated, but she didn’t question why Lily Whitaker had done that. It was the sort of thing that happened in a small town, and Lily was good friends with the groom’s father and late mother. Still, Lexa could question the timing of events. Had Chloe used the key to bring in the dress and then left, perhaps accidentally leaving the door open?

“What about the lock?” Aiden asked, motioning toward the door. “That’s a double-keyed deadbolt. It looks fairly new.”

“It is,” Esther verified. “The boss lady had it installed about four months ago after that shithead killed all those cops.” She stopped, muttered something that Lexa didn’t catch and crossed herself. “She got spooked about working in here alone, sometimes way late at night, and about so many people having keys to the place. So, if she locks it from inside while she’s working, no one’s getting in even if they have a key to the outside lock.”

That made sense. And Lexa hated to admit it, but she’d gotten spooked, too, about those cop murders, and she had installed a security system once she’d moved back to Outlaw Ridge.

“I gotta get this place cleaned up,” Esther grumbled, her expression going sour when she eyed the mess on the floor again. “The wedding’s in two days, and I’ve got other jobs all lined up for tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t clean.” Lexa paused, trying to choose her words carefully. She definitely didn’t want Esther gossiping about this before Aiden and she had had a chance to keep looking for a body. “There’s been some damage in the changing room, and it needs to be investigated.”

Esther’s eyes widened. “What did those little shits do?”

Again, Lexa didn’t respond to that. “Esther, I need you to drop by the police station and give a statement. I’ll contact Lily and let her know what’s going on.”

The woman’s mouth tightened. “I hope you find those little shits, lock ’em up and throw away the key. Please don’t tell me this is gonna mess with the wedding.”

“I can’t say,” Lexa answered honestly.

Cursing under her breath and tossing out liberal amounts of little shits , Esther turned and lumbered her way to her car.

“We need to check the rest of the building,” Aiden said. “There are restrooms and a kitchen on that side.” He motioned to the right. “Hayes and Jemma are getting married here in the spring, and they had me come with them to look at the place.”

No need for her to ask who they were. Hayes was his brother and a member of Strike Force, and Jemma was a fellow deputy. The two had gotten engaged a month ago.

“Do you have Brady’s number?” Lexa asked Aiden as they started toward the section they hadn’t checked.

He nodded and took out his phone again. “I won’t mention the blood,” Aiden assured her, and he hit the man’s number in his contacts. Because he’d put it on speaker, Lexa heard it ring.

And then go to voicemail.

Aiden didn’t leave a message. He hit end call and looked at her. “I don’t have Chloe’s number. Do you?”

“No. But I can go through dispatch.” Lexa started that process while she continued to listen for any sounds and look for more blood.

She was still on hold with dispatch when they reached the kitchen that gleamed with stainless steel appliances and work surfaces. Nothing seemed out of place here. Not at first anyway. But she saw Aiden make a beeline to a knife storage block.

“The butcher knife’s missing,” he muttered, checking the sink and the dishwasher. It wasn’t in either of those places.

“Call going through to Chloe now,” the dispatcher said.

There was a slight click, followed by a ring. Lexa didn’t just hear it on the end of the line though.

She heard it in the building.

Aiden’s head whipped up, and he turned in the direction of the sound that was coming from the women’s bathroom. Definitely a phone. They took off toward it, hurrying but then slowing as they approached the door. Aiden moved to one side and Lexa to the other. He mouthed the countdown of one, two, three .

And they burst into the bathroom.

Lexa took in the area with a cop’s glance. The sinks and mirrors The three open doors of the toilet stalls. The cell phone lying on the floor.

The blood.

More spatter was on the walls, but what caught her attention were the drag marks. Or maybe crawl marks. It was hard to tell, but the blood was smeared here, and she could even make out a shoe print.

The CSIs would definitely need to process this.

“Do you smell that?” Aiden asked, and she snapped toward him to see where he was looking.

Not in the bathroom but the hall to their right. A hall that led back to the entrance of the building. And, yes, Lexa did smell something.

Smoke.

They barreled out of the bathroom, both of them racing toward the kitchen, only to realize the smoke wasn’t coming from there but rather the front of the building. They went in that direction, skidding to a halt when she saw the front door was now shut. They had left it open. Lexa was certain of that.

“Gasoline,” Aiden snarled.

Lexa smelled it, too. The strong, overpowering scent that seemed to coat every bit of the air in the room. It slammed together with the smoke seeping beneath and around the door.

And that’s when Lexa saw something bad.

The blistering hot, red flames shooting against the windows.