Chapter 24
“This is sheriff’s department business, Sawyer,” Dan said.
“Okay, so deputize me!” he demanded, his large body taking up even more of the space in the room after he’d squeezed past Leah.
The laugh came from nowhere and drew Dan’s eyes.
“Sorry.” She put a hand over her mouth. Clearly it was hysteria. She had no reason to laugh. In fact, her life was pretty much a shitstorm in that moment, when you added in the headache still niggling and the tears making her eyes itch. Plus, there was whatever was going on down here.
“No need to apologize. I laugh at my big brother constantly,” Dan said.
“All true,” Sawyer said. “So, what are we looking at?”
Sheriff Dans reappeared. “I was just making a phone call, and you let him in here?” he accused, glaring at Sawyer.
“Right. Like I had any say in the matter. I mentioned his name, and he heard it because he was lurking nearby and took that as an invitation to come down,” Dan said.
Leah listened as the men talked, but her mind was still on what Sheriff Dans had said.
He’d spoken to her like she mattered. Not in the polite, passing way most people did, but with a steady, unflinching honesty.
Like a father should have, but never had.
His words were simple, yet they’d cracked something open inside her.
He told her she was worthy of happiness.
The truth of it lodged in her chest like a stone.
She’d never believed that, not after she and Dan had shattered, and maybe not even before.
Maybe that was the reason she’d run in the first place.
Because believing in happiness meant risking losing it…
and Leah had always been certain that, sooner or later, it would be ripped away.
“I wonder if Leah and Hudson should move out for a few days,” Sheriff Dans said.
“What? Why?” Leah got off the step.
“I’m not sure why, but none of this sits right with me,” he replied.
“Leah and Hudson can stay with us for a bit,” Sawyer said.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” The tears that had been choking her after Asher Dan’s words were gone. “It’s been seven years since anyone was down here. Why is it dangerous now?”
“I don’t know,” Asher Dans said. “But something doesn’t feel right.”
“And if he has a hunch, you need to listen to him because it’s always right,” Dan advised.
“I will find someone to stay with me, then,” Leah said quickly. “I’m not moving Hudson again.”
“Sorry, but it has to be someone who knows how to protect you, Leah,” Sheriff Dans said.
“You don’t even know if there is danger,” she said quickly.
“I could move in,” Dan offered.
“No!” She hadn’t meant to roar the word, but it had come out that way. “We don’t like each other,” she lied. In fact, she was fast realizing that she could like Dan Duke a lot.
“I like you just fine,” Dan said with a look on his face she couldn’t read.
“Dan.”
He turned as his brother spoke, and Leah could haul in a deep, steady breath.
“I’ll find someone else to move in,” Leah said before anyone else agreed with Dan moving in with her.
The tall, lanky form of Bradford, lab technician, house sitter, and plenty of other things, including safecracker, apparently, walked down the stairs. “Hey, Leah.”
“Hi, Bradford. I need someone to move into my house—”
“Nope,” Dan said. “No offence, but he’s not doing that.”
“Why not?” Leah demanded.
“Because he won’t shoot someone if he needs to. Nor will he smash his fist into their face. Bradford’s too nice for all that.”
“Thanks, Dan,” Bradford said, not in the least insulted by the words. He then crouched to inspect the safe.
“This is silly. I don’t need anyone moving in with me. We’re completely safe,” Leah protested.
Everyone ignored her.
“It’s lucky you’re a good guy, Bradford, because if you ever took on a life of crime, you’d excel at it,” Sheriff Dans said.
“I like to spend a lot of time watching videos about weird things. Safecracking has always been an interest of mine.”
“It’s an odd mix when you take in that cake you brought into the station last week. Baking, lab tech, safecracker, and those are only three of your job titles,” Sheriff Dans said.
Bradford merely smiled and got to work.
Leah felt suddenly tense at the thought of what they’d find. Her mind was working through options and discarding them for what to do about her and Hudson. Where could they move to, and would it unsettle her nephew? He’d had so much upheaval in his life, starting with the death of his mother.
“I’ll ask Beau,” Leah said suddenly, which had Dan’s head turning. “He’ll do it.”
“No,” Dan said.
“Yes. He’s a firefighter, so he’ll know how to protect us, and he always had a thing for Cassie.” Leah got to her feet and pulled out her cellphone. “He’s a friend.”
“That bastard is not moving into your house,” Dan said.
Leah knew his uncle and brother were watching. Bradford was still working on the safe.
“You don’t get to tell me what to do, Deputy.”
“In this, I do.” He moved closer, and she backed up to the next step. “It’s me or it’s no one.”
“Why?” She whispered the word, aware of their audience.
“Because I’m a cop, not a pansy-assed firefighter.”
“I’m telling him you said that.”
“You do that.” He looked a little mean and scary in that moment, and she knew this was the face criminals saw.
“Open,” Bradford said. “Good girl.”
“Are we sure it’s a girl?” Sheriff Dans asked.
“Absolutely,” Bradford replied, swinging the safe door open.
Dan turned away from her after a last hard look and bent down to see what was in the safe.
Leah followed, heart thumping. She stared over his shoulder.
“Well, fuck,” Sawyer whispered from behind Leah.
“Okay, I’m out now because I don’t know what this is about, and I don’t want to. Later,” Bradford said. He then started back up the stairs.
Money, Leah realized. It was full of bundles of money all stacked neatly on top of each other.
Dan shot her a look over his shoulder. Whatever he saw had him reaching for her. He then walked her back around Sawyer to the seat. Forcing her down, he pushed her head between her legs.
“You need to breathe in and out for me, Leah.”
She did as he asked and felt herself steady. “I’m good,” she whispered minutes later, straightening.
“I doubt that, but at least you don’t look like you’re going to fall over anymore.”
“Th-that’s so much money, Dan,” she said, feeling sick.
Coming back to Lyntacky was meant to give her and Hudson a quiet life. It wasn’t turning out that way, and just when she thought things were changing for her…. Stupid, stupid Leah. Things never turn out for you.
“Okay, so here’s what’s happening. No one can know about this,” Sheriff Dans said. “Not even family. We clear on that?” His eyes met everyone’s in the room. They all nodded.
“Is this payment for something, do you think?” Leah asked, looking at Dan.
“That’s my guess,” he said, returning to look in the safe.
“I’ve seen a lot of money before but never that much actual hard cash,” Sawyer said, still bent over and looking in the safe with his uncle.
“Not helping.” Dan elbowed him in the ribs.
Sawyer shot Leah a look. “Sorry.”
“Let’s bag this up, finish the search, and then head back to the station,” Sheriff Dans said. “Make us some coffee, Leah,” he added. “This could take a while.”
She didn’t want to stay down here looking at the money they pulled out of her father’s safe. In fact, Leah was pretty sure she never wanted to come down here again.
She climbed the stairs and then ran back to the house as fast as her legs could carry her. Hudson was sitting on the front porch with Birdie and Ally. They were inspecting the flowers he and Leah had recently planted in a long trough by the front door.
The sound of a vehicle had them all looking toward the driveway.
“Who is that?” Birdie asked.
Leah watched a white sedan take the turn toward the house.
“I don’t know, but Hudson, you stay here with Birdie, and I’ll go and see,” Leah said, shooting her friend a look. Birdie frowned but nodded.
Walking back down the steps, Leah squinted at the car, but sunlight was hitting the windshield, making it hard to see who was driving. When it stopped, she got her first look.
“No way,” Leah whispered, running to the car as the driver’s door opened. “Uncle Callum?”
The tall form of her mother’s brother got out, and he held open his arms. Leah didn’t hesitate. She ran at him. The tears came again as she inhaled his familiar scent. It felt good to have someone who loved her hold her.
“H-how is it you’re here, Uncle Callum?”
“I flew back from Peru five days ago and checked my post box. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on.
“Our sweet Cassie. I still can’t believe it,” he said into her hair.
This man had been in and out of her life since she’d been born.
He never stayed in one place and had no physical address.
Uncle Callum travelled the world doing what he loved.
When she was younger, he’d come home with exotic gifts for her and Cassie.
His visits had happened less and less after his sister passed, and Leah’s father had made it clear he didn’t want the man on his property.
He’d started spending more time with them again after Chuck Reynolds had gone to prison.
“You’ve been gone for twelve months this time.
I didn’t know how to get hold of you, so I just wrote that letter to your post box, knowing you’d get it at some stage,” Leah said.
Uncle Callum didn’t have a phone or email.
Social media were swear words, as far as he was concerned, and the destruction of society as they knew it.
He eased her back, grabbing her shoulders to study her, and she did the same.
He wasn’t tall, but he was fit. Uncle Callum was always working out and a legend at martial arts.
In fact, he’d taught Cassie and Leah how to protect themselves.
His hair was silvery gray and had been since he was in his thirties, and his eyes were blue like her mother’s had been.
Dressed in his usual uniform of cargo shorts, which he told her had the best pockets for all his needs, and a tan T-shirt, he looked exactly as he always had.
“My poor girl, what you must have been through. I suppose that waste of oxygen is still in prison?”
She nodded. “He is and won’t be getting out while he’s still breathing, from what I gather.”
“Good.” He squeezed her shoulders. “And Hudson. He’s with you permanently?”
“I’m his guardian now.”
“Good, good, and coming back here where you have so many friends and people who care about you was an excellent move. Plus, I’m here now,” he said.
“When do you fly out again?” Leah asked as they walked back to where Birdie, Ally, and Hudson waited, watching them.
“I’m not going anywhere for a while. I’ll stay right here with you if you’ll have me.”
She gulped back a sob on those words. “W-we would love that.”
“Hello, Birdie. I remember you,” Uncle Callum said, releasing Leah to hug her old friend. “How are you, dear?”
“I’m great, thank you. I have a husband and a daughter now,” Birdie said, accepting the hug. “And this is my niece, Ally.”
“Lovely to meet you,” he said, shaking Ally’s hand. He then turned to look at Hudson. “Hello, Hudson. Do you remember me?”
Leah watched her nephew nod once. Eyes wide, he was wary of most people he didn’t know well, and though Uncle Callum had been coming in and out of his life since he was born, they hadn’t formed a bond yet.
“Well, how would you feel if I stayed with you for a while? Do you have a room for me?”
Hudson nodded again.
The crunch of booted feet on the gravel then drew their eyes. Sawyer, Dan, and Sheriff Dans were walking toward them.
“Well now, this is an interesting development. Wasn’t the one in the middle your boyfriend before you left Lyntacky?” Uncle Callum said out the side of his mouth so only Leah could hear.
“We don’t need to discuss that. It’s in the past,” she said quickly.
“Oh, we’ll discuss it because I think there is more to that story, and now I’ll have time to hear it,” he said.
She remembered that about her uncle too. He could be as determined as she was, but in this, he wouldn’t win.
“Gentlemen,” Uncle Callum said, holding out his hand to greet the three men. “I am Callum Taylor, Leah and Hudson’s uncle. I believe we’ve met before.” His eyes were on Dan and then moved to the other two men.
“Good to see you again,” Sheriff Dans said. “And this is my oldest nephew, Sawyer.”
“What has you all here?” Uncle Callum asked. “Because while my niece is lovely, I’m sure there is more to it.”
“How about we go inside and talk,” Sheriff Dans said. “Are you sticking around, Mr. Taylor?”
“Callum, and yes I am.”
The thought that her uncle was going to stay for a while was a reassuring one for Leah. Having another person in Hudson’s corner was a good thing, and it also meant Dan wouldn’t have to stay because Uncle Callum would be here.
“Excellent. You know how to use a gun, Mr. Taylor?”
Her uncle’s brows rose at Dan’s words. “Callum, and yes. Why do I need to know how?”
“We’ll put the coffee on,” Birdie said. “Let’s go, kids.”
“What’s going on?” Uncle Callum asked when they’d gone inside.
Sheriff Dans told the story, omitting nothing.
“So he brings hell down on my nieces, gets put in prison where he belongs, and now he’s still causing trouble?” Uncle Callum looked ready to hit something, but unlike his brother-in-law, he wasn’t the violent type.
“We don’t have all the details yet,” Dan said.
“How much money are we talking?”
“A lot,” Sheriff Dans said. “The papers my nephew found suggest this property was used for intermediary drug distribution, but as there are no names on anything, we can’t be sure who was involved.”
“Once an asshole, always an asshole,” Uncle Callum said. “My brother-in-law will be involved.”
“Amen to that,” Sheriff Dans added.
“Well, you can be assured, Leah and Hudson will be safe with me.”
“I don’t think there will be any trouble because no one has been in that room for a while, but we can’t be sure someone isn’t aware there was money stashed here,” Dan said. His eyes then passed over Leah, and she felt everywhere they landed.
Since she’d been back, he’d shown her that he was still the good man she’d once believed in.
But old grudges die hard. Leah had hated him for too long to simply let it go, even if, deep down, she knew she might have been wrong.
Dan Duke had become the symbol of her old life crumbling, the face she’d blamed for the wreckage, even if she’d never truly had the right to.