Chapter 34 Nash
NASH
My footsteps slowed, but I kept hold of Maddie’s hand. We came to a stop a few feet from The Brew. The sun shone brightly, making the lake sparkle in the morning light. You never would’ve known that such darkness had surrounded those depths only hours before.
I wrapped my arms around Maddie as if that alone could keep her safe. “You sure you’re up for working today?”
She laid a hand over my heart. “I’m sure. I’ve got a little bit of a headache, that’s it.”
There was a little bruising near Maddie’s hairline, but that was the only sign she’d been attacked. Her dark locks disguised the worst of the lump. But that didn’t mean she should be on her feet so quickly.
Maddie leaned forward, brushing her lips against mine. “I’ll text you if I’m feeling out of sorts. I promise.”
My gaze narrowed on her. “I’ll know if you’re lying.”
She chuckled. “Normal is good right now. I need it.”
I understood that. Maddie had fought hard to get back to this slice of normal, and it had become her respite amid all the craziness happening around her. I gently pressed my lips to her temple, just shy of her injury. “Call me if anything seems out of the ordinary. And don’t go anywhere—”
“Alone,” she finished for me. “I won’t. Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson there.”
A heaviness settled in my gut at those words. I hated that it was something Maddie had to think about at all. “I’m sorry,” I whispered against her skin.
Maddie’s hand pressed against my chest. “You have nothing to be sorry about. This is on whoever hit me, no one else.”
My mouth curved. “I like it when you get all bossy.”
She snorted it. “Good, because I’m about to do it again.” She stepped out of my hold. “Go to work. Write some speeding tickets. Scare the bejeesus out of some shoplifters.”
I didn’t miss how she left the more serious cases off her list. But I’d let her have that. “Don’t forget the most important duty.”
“And what’s that?”
I grinned. “Eating donuts.”
Maddie shook her head. “Such a cliché.”
I chuckled. “Sometimes, things are a cliché for a reason. And donuts are damn good.”
“Well, they aren’t going to eat themselves, so get to it.”
I dipped my head to meet her gaze. “After you’re inside.”
She huffed out a breath. “Yes, Officer Overprotective.”
Maddie turned and headed inside the café. I didn’t walk away until I saw her talking with Aspen. She was safe. She’d have people around her all day long, and Aspen would have her back.
I still waited a few more beats. Turning to walk away felt wrong on every level, but I did it anyway. I headed back toward the station. Main Street wasn’t crowded this morning, but it wasn’t empty either. A handful of people were out and about, a mixture of tourists and locals.
My gaze caught on a single familiar figure headed in my direction. I fought the groan that wanted to surface.
A smirk played on Dan’s mouth as he approached. “Hey, Hartley. Heard you ran into a little trouble with the mayor.”
Don’t rise to the bait. I said it over and over in my head. Lawson would kill me if I got into it with this joker. “Not sure what you’re talking about.”
Dan’s smirk faltered, then he forced it back. “I guess they don’t tell cops when they’re under investigation.”
I shrugged like it was no big thing and not potentially career-ending. “Or there’s nothing there that anyone would ever be concerned about.”
A muscle in his cheek ticked. “You’ll get what’s coming to you.”
“I certainly hope it’s donuts.” I didn’t give Dan a chance to say another word. I simply side-stepped him and headed into the station.
I waved at our newest officer behind the desk. She nodded at me. “Chief Hartley wants you to meet him in his office.”
Great. Lawson had psychic radar when it came to me getting into trouble. He probably knew I was two seconds away from decking that jerk.
“Thanks, Smith.” I wove through the sea of desks as I traded hellos with other officers and staff.
Lawson’s door was closed, and I gave two quick knocks. He beckoned me in a second later. As I stepped inside, my brows rose. “No one looped me in on this meeting of the Hardy boys.”
All three of my brothers filled the small office space. Roan sat on the couch, the seat most removed from everyone else, Lawson was behind his desk, and Holt occupied one of the chairs. I crossed to the other seat and lowered myself into it.
Lawson leaned back. “I didn’t call them in. They came on their own.”
Holt scowled at our eldest brother. “And Law hasn’t been very forthcoming with information on Maddie’s case.”
“You’re not law enforcement,” he defended.
Roan cleared his throat. “Excuse me?”
Lawson sent him an exasperated look. “Is this a poaching case?”
Roan shrugged. “You never know how cases could be connected. Never hurts to have another set of eyes.”
Holt leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “This would be a hell of a lot easier if you just brought me on as a consultant. I already work for county emergency services. My background check is on file.”
Lawson groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You guys are trying to send me into an early grave.”
Law might’ve been frustrated, and I understood why. He played by the rules. It helped him feel like his world would stay safe and orderly. But to me, my brothers butting in where they definitely shouldn’t was nothing but an act of love.
I looked over at Holt and Roan. “Thanks. Both of you.”
Roan just nodded, looking a little uncomfortable. Holt slapped me on the shoulder. “I’ve got your back. And if brother dearest over there brings me aboard, I’ll share with the group what I’ve found.”
Lawson’s eyes narrowed on Holt. “Are you bribing me?”
Holt shifted, reclining in his chair. “Call it what you want, but teammates share information.”
Lawson grumbled something under his breath but opened a drawer and rifled through the contents. A second later, he pulled out a sheet of paper, handing it to Holt. “Sign this.”
Holt scanned the page. “You already had this contract drawn up.”
“I had a feeling you’d continue being a nosy bastard now that you’re back. Congratulations, you’re being paid exactly one dollar for every case you consult on.”
I choked on a laugh, and even Roan’s lips twitched. “You’re brutal,” I muttered.
Holt scrawled his signature across the paper. “Whatever. I just want to be in the loop when I need to be.”
I turned to face him. “What’d you find out?”
The humor fled from Holt’s face. “All the numbers that have been texting Maddie are associated with burner cells purchased at three different convenience stores outside Atlanta.”
Tension wound around me like a boa constrictor. “Bastard.”
“That’s not all.” Holt scrolled through something on his phone. “Adam Westchester has a high-end private investigation firm on retainer.”
A muscle beneath Lawson’s eye twitched. “And what the hell does the CEO of a charity need a P.I. firm for?”
Shadows swirled in Roan’s eyes. “To make sure all the skeletons stay hidden.”
None of this said good things. We already knew that Maddie wasn’t Adam’s first victim, but this spoke of something darker.
“Do you have any idea what he’s using them for?” I asked.
The corner of Holt’s mouth kicked up. “For a bunch of PIs, they really need to invest in better cyber security.”
“I didn’t hear that,” Lawson mumbled.
Holt rolled his eyes. “Say it came in as an anonymous tip.”
“Because that always holds up so well in court,” Lawson shot back.
“Both of you shut up.” I motioned at Holt. “What’s going on?”
“I can’t shut up and tell you what’s going on.”
“Holt…”
Roan grabbed a rubber band from Lawson’s desk and shot it at Holt. “This is about Maddie. Do you really want to explain to Wren why you came home with a black eye? Because Nash will punch you.”
Holt winced. “Sorry.” He scrolled a little more on his phone. “Adam Westchester is currently keeping tabs on ten different women—Maddie included.”
A cacophony of curses filled the air as fresh rage pulsed through me. “And this company didn’t consider that there might be a less-than-ethical reason someone might do that?”
Holt tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. “They have some notes in the file. When he’s in a relationship with the women, his reason is always that they may be a target due to his wealth.”
I scoffed at that. “And after the relationship ends?”
“To make sure they don’t get any ideas about trying to get money out of him.”
“This guy is a piece of work,” Lawson muttered.
“It’s a lot worse than that,” Roan said quietly. “This is serial. Obsessive. The fact that he tracks them after the relationship ends? It’s not good.”
“Roan’s right,” Holt said. “The firm delivers dossiers on each woman to Adam every month.”
I realized what this was. “He gets a thrill out of knowing he has overpowered them. Even the two who pressed charges. He still got away with it. Maybe he had to pay one of them some money, but it never hurt him.”
“I want this asshole out of my town,” Lawson gritted out.
“What’s his alibi for last night?” I asked.
“He was on a work call with someone in Australia. I talked to that colleague, a woman by the name of Corina Saltzman. She swore up and down that they were on the phone at the time of Maddie’s attack, but he could be paying someone to cover for him.”
“Or it could be a new woman he’s got on the hook,” Holt added.
“That, too,” Lawson agreed. “We need to consider other suspects. I need to talk to Jimmy Byrne—”
“I’m coming with you.” I needed to see the look on Maddie’s father’s face, read if he was lying.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Lawson protested.
Holt straightened. “Roan and I are coming, too.”
Lawson pinched the bridge of his nose again. “A consultant and a Fish and Wildlife officer can’t question a suspect in a Cedar Ridge PD investigation.”
Roan studied our brother. “We can wait in the car, and Nash can just happen to have his phone on speaker.”
My lips twitched. “I butt dial people all the time. It’s a real bad habit.”