Chapter 17
His cell wasn’t big, but it was clean and, Jay guessed, had everything he needed for a short stay or somewhere to sober up, which often happened in Lyntacky.
He balanced the pizza box on his knees, grease seeping through the cardboard. Pepperoni. Double cheese. The coffee sat on the floor beside him, steaming faintly, and the ice pack Sybil, the administrator, had pressed into his palm earlier had dulled the ache in his jaw to something manageable.
Honestly? He didn’t hate it in here. For once, no one could interrupt him. No one could demand anything from him. The locked door gave him something he rarely had—time away from his laptop.
Time to think about Blue.
How to make sure she and the baby had everything they needed without turning into the man who tried to solve emotional problems with money. Jay was scared, uncertainty did that to him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to be involved from the start.
How long do women work when they were pregnant? Months? Weeks? Up until the end?
He took a bite of pizza and chewed slowly, staring at the wall like it might offer answers. He could learn most things online these days, but he wanted to ensure he learned the right stuff. Like supporting Blue through this.
“Well now,” a familiar voice drawled. “This is a sight I never thought I’d see.”
Jay glanced up as Asher Dans appeared through the doorway, uniform crisp, expression mild. He hadn’t been in the station earlier. Jay would’ve noticed. The man had a way of commanding a space without trying.
“Me either,” Jay said evenly. “Want a piece of pizza?”
Asher pulled out his keys and unlocked the door. He left it open when he stepped inside, a small but deliberate choice. Jay knew it meant I trust you.
“My nephew thought this was funny,” Asher said, settling onto the edge of the bed and claiming a slice. “Said the only time you do anything wrong is when you’re with them, drinking too much.”
Jay snorted. “I’m sure the news that I’ve rebelled will be all over town by morning.”
“Oh, it already is,” Asher said pleasantly. “But you’ve been rebelling in your own way for years, Jay.”
He bit into the pizza like they were just two men killing time.
“How come he gets a piece and not me?” Dan complained, wandering into view.
“I like him better,” Jay said without missing a beat.
Dan scowled, then leaned against the bars, arms crossed.
“So,” Asher said lightly, wiping his hands on a napkin. “You’re having a baby. And Blue Jay McAllister is the mother.”
“Correct,” Jay said. “And we’re not dissecting it. It happened. I’m fine. We’ll work it out.”
Dan didn’t speak, which told Jay everything. He was leaving the talking part—for now—up to his uncle.
Asher Dans didn’t interrogate like a cop. He interrogated like a man who waited you out. He’d ask something and then sit back for as long as it took you to answer. At least that was how it went with friends and family. Those who weren’t friendly weren’t treated so politely.
“Is this you being good?” Asher asked.
“I’m thinking,” Jay said.
“I didn’t even know you and Blue saw each other away from here,” Dan muttered.
“We didn’t.”
That earned him a look.
Jay took another bite of pizza. They couldn’t make him talk.
“I’ll bring Mom in,” Dan said casually. “Make her sit in front of you until you crack.”
Jay sighed. “That’s just cruel.” Robyn Duke could dismantle him with a single raised eyebrow.
“I never pushed you,” Dan said, frowning now. “You always seemed like you had your shit together.”
“I do.”
“Not so much, as it turns out. So what’s the deal, Jay? Here’s your chance to tell me what you haven’t. Or you stay in there,” Dan added.
Jay looked at Asher. The man simply took another bite.
Fine, he’d talk, but only about the Blue stuff, not the rest.
“I was being dropped at my hotel,” Jay said slowly. “Blue was passing. We talked. One thing led to another. End of story.”
He didn’t mention the box in her arms. Or the look on her face. That wasn’t his story to tell.
Asher studied him for a long moment. “I know a bit about what you do, Jay.”
Jay nodded.
“I know people, plus there’s the private jet and black Escalade that have become legendary in these here parts,” Asher continued in his calm voice. “Some of my old friends went on to higher places.”
“Which means what? You asked about me?” Jay kept his cool. His job was important to him, and he didn’t talk about it with anyone. Those closest to him here in Lyntacky knew some things, but nothing important.
“Don’t get defensive. We’re all friends here, remember?” Dan said, eyes narrowing at Jay’s tone.
“Sorry,” Jay muttered. “You know I work in national security because I told you.”
“I do, but there is a lot more to it than that, I suspect,” Asher said.
Jay nodded but didn’t add anything.
“Who is the highest-ranking person you’ve met? Military or politician?” Dan asked.
“Secretary of Defense.”
“Of the United States?”
“No, the Hershey Company. Of course the United States,” Jay snapped.
Dan whistled.
Asher nodded. “What I’ve noticed about you—even as a kid—is that you keep everything locked inside. You watch before you make a move and never put yourself in a position of vulnerability, unless one of my idiot nephews drags you in there, which I know has happened more than once in your lifetime.”
Jay shifted, an itch burning between his shoulders at the words. He was never comfortable talking about himself.
“Dan, I need you!” Sybil yelled.
“I’ll be back,” Dan said. “Say nothing until I do.”
Asher ignored his nephew’s orders.
“I know some of your childhood, Jay,” he said quietly. “Know it was tough. Even here with your aunt was hard.”
They’d never discussed it, but he knew Asher had to have read his files after finding him that day in his aunt’s house after she’d died. He’d been fourteen.
“Thank you for not telling anyone.”
“It’s not my story to tell, Jay, but I think you need to speak to someone about it. Secrets, no matter how dark, can affect you if you let them fester.”
Jay nodded. He’d spoken to a therapist once, but he only went a few times because digging up the past had been too hard.
“I also think you should talk to Dan. You know he’s up for it, Jay. He can help you through this if you don’t want to see a therapist. My nephew is a good listener.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“I’m not sure you can move on if you don’t. And now there is more than just you to consider.”
He looked at Asher then and saw the worry in his eyes. He was right, of course. Before he’d learned about Blue’s pregnancy, it had just been him to worry about. One day, he’d have a kid to add to that. The thought was terrifying.
“I know, and I’ll think about it. I promise.”
They heard raised voices then, and Asher left Jay to hurry out to the reception. Curious, Jay followed, as the cell door was still open.
Two men and a woman were there. The men wore tailored trousers and button-down shirts. The woman also wore a suit plus heels. All three had that slick look about them, the kind you rarely saw walking down the main street in Lyntacky.
“A speeding ticket was issued to me,” one man stated, his voice carrying a sophisticated mix of American and British inflections. “A speeding ticket here, in this town,” the man added in a tone that suggested he was surprised there were even speed limits in Lyntacky.
“He was going thirty over the legal limit when he entered the main street,” Braden, the newest of the Lyntacky deputies, said from behind the reception desk. “I told him the fine could be paid here, or we’ll send it to him.”
Not overly tall, Braden was built like a heavyweight fighter, with no neck and wide shoulders. He wasn’t someone Jay wanted to mess with.
“What brings you folks to Lyntacky?” Sheriff Dans asked, joining the two other men and Sybil, who was listening avidly to every word.
“That’s no business of yours,” the man who had done all the talking so far said.
“Unless you plan to do anything illegal, you have a point. So pay the fine, and you can be on your way,” he added calmly.
No one as yet had looked Jay’s way, but he knew that the people behind the desk were aware of his presence.
“Your deputy was revenue collecting, I was not speeding,” the man said.
“Want me to show you the proof, sir?” Braden offered.
“Podunk locals,” the other man muttered.
Jay watched Dan smile. “That may be, but you’re still paying the fine, and if you don’t, and you keep throwing around those insults, there’s a nice comfy cell with your name on it.”
The man actually spluttered.
“You’re not in the big city now, sir,” Asher said. “We have different ethics.”
The man pulled out his wallet and paid, slapping the money on the counter, then threw “You’ll be hearing from our lawyers” over his shoulder as they all left.
“We could have asked them how to find Blue,” the woman said before they exited.
“I really hate those types of people,” Sybil said. “Make me madder than a hornet in a beer can.”
No one argued with that.
“I wonder why they want Blue?” Dan said.
“Someone should go after them and ask,” Jay said. “They could be trouble, and—”
“They didn’t look dangerous to me, but then, it takes all sorts,” Asher said. “I’ll go have a wander around soon and see where they’ve ended up.”
Dan looked to where Jay stood. “And you need to get back in your cell. Because you haven’t yet served your full sentence.”
Jay raised both middle fingers and walked back to his cell, wondering who those people were and what they wanted with Blue.
He wouldn’t have anyone hurting her. She was the mother of his child, and while things were all over the place between them, she was now someone under his protection, even if she had no wish to be.