Chapter Seventeen #3
Scott cleared his throat, and Rowland swung his gaze in Kieran’s direction. “I didn’t mean to insult you. No one would’ve replaced the thrill Alvarez got from boosting cars. Not even the gambling addiction he developed.”
Kieran nodded. “No offense taken.” In fact, the truth was liberating in a way. He told them about Ritchie’s demeanor changes, the secretive calls, and the date with Cash scrawled on a napkin in the trash.
“It wasn’t a date,” Cash replied. “I want to be very clear about that, and I’m truly sorry you thought otherwise.”
“I saw you together,” Kieran admitted. “Then, I couldn’t be objective, but with perspective, I realize you didn’t react when Ritchie flirted with you.”
Cash smiled. “You sent the text message that made him end our night abruptly.”
Kieran smiled. “It was our anniversary, and I wanted him to know I’d caught him.
” He paused before continuing because he hated how weak he’d been.
“Ritchie had convinced me nothing was going on and that I was just paranoid. We made up, celebrated our anniversary for real the following evening, and the cops arrested me for stealing the Jaguar a few days after.”
“I still don’t understand why none of you listened to Kieran when he explained why he was in the car,” Finley said angrily. “He was the connection to Ritchie you needed.”
Agent Rowland dropped his gaze to the ground, and Agent Scott ran a hand over the lower half of his face.
“That’s on me,” he said. “Operation Silver Fox was rogue and completely off the books. I risked losing my job if it got back to my superiors. The car Kieran was driving was a luxury vehicle, but the theft wasn’t the same MO as the previous cars.
And though Ritchie seemed ready to play, he was more interested in helping Cash out of his clothes than helping him locate a vintage Aston Martin. ” Scott winced. “Sorry.”
Kieran waved him off. “CSPD handled the investigation, so if one of them was covering for Ritchie, they steered the case in a different direction.”
“Yes and no,” Scott replied. “The initial investigator did interview Ritchie, his employees, and your coworkers. Ritchie said he didn’t know you, his employees said they’d never heard of you, and your coworkers at the bar said they knew nothing about your personal life.
The original detectives from the first rash of stolen cars took over your case, and they’re the ones who convinced the prosecutor you were guilty. ”
“His employees were all blood relatives, so they never would’ve gone against Ritchie,” Kieran said softly.
“We never officially moved in together, so there was nothing tying me to his address. I’ve never been one to hang on to a lot of possessions, so it would’ve been easy to erase my existence.
” But he’d already figured out that much. “How’d we get to this point, though?”
“I’m guessing more stolen cars,” Finley said.
“Yep, but not until right after Kieran’s release from jail,” Rowland said.
“That son of a bitch was trying to set you up again,” Finley snarled.
Kieran’s stomach churned with acid. He hadn’t known until this point if his arrest had been dumb luck or an actual setup.
Rowland’s candor hammered home what had really happened.
Eventually, the truth would set him free, but right then, it anchored him in resentment.
Then Finley slipped his hand into Kieran’s and infused him with his warmth and goodness.
“I’m not a fan of Alvarez, but I have to interject at this point and say that the timing of the latest car theft is a coincidence.
Ritchie’s gambling addiction has put him into serious debt with very dangerous people who’ve banned him from the casinos in Black Hawk.
” That explained why he was in Last Chance Creek.
“He’s boosting cars to pay off his debt. ”
“What about Kieran’s arrest? Was that a coincidence too?”
“We think so,” Scott replied. “I looked through dispatch records and Crime Stopper tips and there’s no indication that Ritchie sent you out in a stolen car then phoned the police.”
“Fair enough,” Finley said. “Sorry for the detour.”
“No problem,” Rowland said. “Scott had received a promotion by this point and he went for gold. He tapped me to do the undercover work since Silver Fox over there had only ended up with dates.” Cash flipped him off, causing the big man to guffaw.
“It took me months to wear Ritchie down enough for him to trust me, and you two nearly blew my case with your amateur-hour stakeout.”
Finley cringed, but Kieran narrowed his eyes. “Why are you being so forthcoming with information? Aren’t you guys normally stingy with the details?”
“Very,” Rowland agreed.
“And now Cash owes me another favor,” Scott said, grinning from ear to ear before he composed himself. “There’s a lot we can’t tell you right now because there will be several trials and—”
“Trials?” Kieran and Finley said together.
Scott and Rowland looked at Cash. “You didn’t tell them?” Scott asked.
Cash threw up his hands. “You told me I couldn’t, and when would I have found time?”
“He makes a valid point,” Scott told Rowland. “Do you want to do the honors, or should I?”
Rowland held up his hand to deflect. “This is your baby.”
Scott produced his cell phone from his jacket pocket and tapped on the screen. A moment later, he turned it around so Kieran and Finley could see the headline on a newspaper article.
“Leader of multimillion dollar auto theft ring arrested after evading capture for four years,” Finley read.
“In the article, they reveal that Ritchie’s new boyfriend is the younger brother of Detective Snyder, who we believe misdirected and deflected the original investigation and Kieran’s case. That might take longer to prove, but he’s currently on suspension until further notice.”
Kieran found it impossible to breathe as he stared at the caption below the headline. It showed Ritchie and his boyfriend being led away in handcuffs. “It’s over?” Kieran whispered. He sat up straighter and looked at Finley. “It’s really over?”
Finley’s eyes swam with tears, and damn, Kieran wanted to dive into the jade depths. “It’s over.”
“Not yet,” Cash said firmly, pulling everyone’s attention to him. “It won’t be over until Kieran’s conviction gets overturned.”
“We’ll need to obtain a confession from Ritchie that he orchestrated the theft or find a credible witness,” Rowland said.
“That’s a big hill to climb, but if Ritchie possesses a single ounce of self-preservation, he’ll come clean and turn State’s witness.
They won’t honor an agreement to place him in WITSEC if he doesn’t confess to everything, though.
I think you stand a good chance of getting your name cleared, but don’t hold your breath.
The wheels of justice don’t always turn fast.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Kieran said.
“The hell it doesn’t,” Cash replied.
“We’ll do our best to help you,” Scott said, “but you should really hire an attorney with experience in getting postrelease convictions overturned. It’s not as easy as Cash thinks.”
“Consider it done,” Cash said.
Kieran’s face heated with embarrassment because Cash had ignored the elephant in the room. “I don’t have the means to hire a lawyer right now. I’m not sure how long it will take to save that kind of money.”
Cash leaned forward and pinned him with his icy blue gaze.
“You have me, and I have a fuckton of money. It will happen, Kieran. Not only that, but you have an excellent chance of winning a civil suit against the police department. By the time we’re through, you’ll have enough money to build whatever life you choose wherever you want to do it. ”
“How much is a fuckton?” Rowland whispered to Scott.
“More than you or I could imagine,” Scott replied.
Kieran ignored them to focus on Cash. “But why? I’m nothing to you.”
“Can Kieran and I have a private moment?” Cash asked without breaking eye contact.
Finley leaned over and kissed Kieran’s cheek. “See you soon.”
He and the two agents got up and left Cash and Kieran alone.
“Did you know who I was all along?” Kieran asked.
“No,” Cash replied. “I didn’t make the connection until I’d already decided you’d be a good fit for the ranch.
That’s when I did my due diligence and saw you’d been arrested for stealing a car.
I don’t know what made me do it, but I asked Agent Scott to do a deeper dive on you than my typical PI would perform.
I just had this weird feeling I couldn’t shake.
He could’ve knocked me over with a feather when he reached back out after reading your file.
I told Nick—Agent Scott—that you didn’t do it and hounded him until he promised to look deeper.
” Cash smiled and said, “He kept his word, but couldn’t manufacture proof out of thin air.
I wish I could’ve done something sooner and gotten you released from prison.
It would be my honor to help you clear your name. ”
Kieran tilted his head. “Because you feel guilty or because I remind you of someone?”
Cash chuckled. “Dug through my files, huh?” When Kieran just shrugged, Cash said, “You are familiar to me because I was you. I also had no family and nowhere to go after my release from jail. I applied for jobs all over the city, but no one wanted to hire me. The hardware store owner mentioned a rancher who was looking for help and pointed to an ad taped to a bulletin board near the front door. I hitched a ride out here, and Durrell and Lavonda took a chance on me. They changed my life forever by giving me a job, a family, and a purpose.”
“And you want to do the same for me?”
“Absolutely I do,” Cash replied. “I hear the skepticism in your voice, and I understand it better than you think, Kieran. All I ask is for a chance to help you tap into your real potential.”
“What’s in it for you?” Who would take care of the man who took care of everyone else?
Cash held his gaze for a long time. “I get a soul-deep satisfaction that money can’t buy when I help people. You don’t have to give me an answer right now. You must feel overwhelmed by everything you’ve just heard. Think it over, okay?”
Kieran nodded and rose to his feet.
“And Kieran,” Cash said before he took the first step. “Men like Finley Ashe are rare and precious. Many of us could live multiple lifetimes and never find one. Don’t waste your gift. If you decide you can’t stay here, don’t leave him behind. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Thank you for everything, Cash,” Kieran said before exiting his office. There was so much more he could say, but Cash wasn’t the person who needed to hear it.
Kieran found Finley in the kitchen with his sister. Harry was trying to engage him in conversation, but Finley’s focus was on the laptop in front of him. He must’ve commandeered his sister’s computer to make sure his photos were there.
“Oh,” Harry said breathlessly. “That’s a gorgeous picture of Kieran and Loretta. I see you didn’t just inherit Grandpa’s skill with horses.”
Finley must’ve sensed his presence because he snapped his head up. He didn’t look like the same man who’d cuddled against him the previous evening or flirted with Kieran that morning. And he understood. Finley thought this was goodbye for them.
“Harry, could we get a rain check on our conversation?” Kieran asked. “I really need to talk to your brother.”
“It won’t take long,” she replied hastily.
Harry placed a hand over her heart as her bottom lip quivered.
“I’m truly sorry for my role in Finley’s intervention yesterday.
I was just so worried about him.” She smiled over at her brother before meeting Kieran’s gaze again.
“I guess some habits are difficult to let go, but I’ll try harder to stay in my lane. ”
“No harm done,” Kieran assured her.
Finley removed the flash drive and dropped it into his pocket before pulling Harry into a hug. “That Michael guy didn’t stand a chance. He didn’t even like dessert.”
Harry released him and shuddered hard. Her gaze darted between Finley and Kieran, and she smiled sweetly. “Looks like we don’t need to worry about Mom trying to set you up again.”
Finley chewed on his bottom lip, and Kieran swore he could hear his heart pounding from across the room.
He shot a wink in his sister’s direction and rounded the island.
Finley hit his usual stride and pulled ahead of him, but Kieran reached out and grabbed his hand.
He didn’t let go until they reached the porch, and that was just so he could hoist Finley off the ground and toss him over his shoulder.
Finley squeaked and slapped at Kieran’s ass. “What are you doing?”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Kieran growled. “So get it out of your gorgeous head.”
“Cash is right. You’re probably going to receive a nice settlement. You’ll get a fresh start and a clean slate anywhere you want to go.”
“I’m not like the others, Fin.”
Finley relaxed in his hold, making it easier to carry him. They passed the rest of the crew, who were heading to the house for breakfast. The guys tipped their hats and greeted them with cheerful “good mornings” like Kieran carrying Finley off to his cabin was an everyday occurrence.
“That will give them something juicy to talk about,” Kieran said proudly. “And I better not hear about them placing a single bet on us.”
Once alone in the cabin, Kieran tossed Finley onto the bed and pulled off his boots. He bent over Finley’s body and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Ask me to stay again now that you know I’m awake.”
Finley blushed, but joy danced in his eyes. “It was a statement, not a question.”
“Fine,” Kieran said. “I want to hear it again.”
Finley cupped his face and pulled him closer so Kieran’s lips hovered above his. “Stay,” he whispered.