Chapter Three #3
Jackson shook his head. “Colton, it’s not about you.
” He looked up with a mix of frustration and sympathy in his eyes that struck Colton as strange and made him question what he was missing in Jackson’s message.
“Colt, sometimes I think you forget the privilege your appearance gives you. Yes, you’re a Black man.
But we both know in the right lighting you can pass for white. ”
Fire began to boil in the pit of Colton’s stomach. It wasn’t the first time he’d had his fair complexion, light hair, and blue eyes thrown in his face to separate him from his race and community.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re getting at. But just because my hair doesn’t curl as tight as yours or my eyes and skin aren’t as dark doesn’t make me any less Black.”
Jackson lifted his hands and slowly stepped closer to Colton.
“Brother, I know that. I’m not saying you’re not Black or your experiences as a Black man aren’t valid.
I’m saying, you have the luxury of not thinking about it the way Seneca or I do.
White folks don’t automatically assign a role to you because they think you’re one of them.
Seneca doesn’t have that ability. She knows that being Black with a record means she will always live under suspicion.
Living like that means she can’t afford to place her trust in someone who could throw her back in jail whenever he wanted for any imagined offense… even when he’s Black too.”
Jackson put his hands on his waist and looked up at the ceiling before returning his gaze to Colton.
“She’s been through a system where white men with power have decided her fate based more on her race than her crimes.
She served the max for a white-collar offense.
There are murderers who didn’t serve as many years as she did.
We both know if she were white, she’d have been slapped on the wrist with community service.
” Jackson huffed, the frustration bleeding out of him, even though the sadness still remained in his eyes.
“You’re both Black. There’s no arguing that. But her experience as a Black person who doesn’t have the shield of white features means, in this situation, she doesn’t have the luxury of trusting a man with a badge so easily, even when they’re both the same race.”
Colton blew a harsh breath into the air as Jackson’s words settled in his head. He knew there was absolute truth to the racial disparities in the penal system Jackson spoke about. But did she really think he would take advantage of her?
“What am I supposed to do, Jackson? Could you walk away from Aja so easily?”
“No,” his friend answered softly. “But there wasn’t a questionable power-dynamic between Aja and me.
Not like this, anyway. As a wealthy lawyer and property owner with no record, Aja had the standing to go up against me if I tried to sabotage her.
Seneca’s reputation wouldn’t survive that kind of scrutiny if things went wrong between the two of you. ”
He really hated when his friend was right.
“I know it’s hard,” Jackson continued. “I saw how much you cared for her when we were in that waiting room trying to get answers when she was poisoned. But you’ve got to let her set the pace on this one.
No matter how contrary that feels. Trust her to know that you’re a good man. ”
Colton dropped his gaze while guilt settled in his gut and Jackson’s instincts jumped immediately to the right conclusion.
“But that’s the problem. You don’t think you’re a good man and because of that you think Seneca is never going to forgive you. It wasn’t you’re fault, Colt.”
A decade had passed, but the anger and regret inside him was still as fresh as the day was new. How could it be otherwise when his fuck-up had cost an innocent person their life.
“Whose was it then? I was in command in the field. I failed, people got hurt, and I lost everything. How does that make me a good man?”
Jackson placed a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, and Colton didn’t know whether to run from or embrace the kindness. So, in an effort to keep things on an even keel, he did what he always did, strove for balance and just stood there.
“What happened in Afghanistan wasn’t your fault. You tried to do the right thing. If you’d listened to your CO, the casualties would’ve been greater. You sacrificed your future to save lives, Colt. You don’t need to be guilty about a damn thing concerning that.”
Logically, everything Jackson said sounded right. But the weight still bearing down on the middle of his chest every time he thought of his past said otherwise.
He pulled his gaze up and walked back to the window and held a slit between the blinds. He huffed before he dropped his hand and heard footsteps enter the kitchen.
Aja Everett gave him a bright “Good morning, Colton,” before she headed in Jackson’s direction. Colton watched Jackson lean into a sweet kiss with his lady, and a pang of envy twisted in the center of his chest.
When Aja broke their kiss, she turned to Colton, offering him an embarrassed smile. Apparently, she knew they were worse than a couple of teenagers with their public displays of affection too.
“Hey, Colton. Did you happen to see Seneca on your way in?”
“Yassum. She was headed to the office,” he answered quickly.
Aja stepped away and began filling a plate with what looked like all the breakfast fixings. “Well, if she’s not coming to breakfast, I guess I should bring it to her.”
“Why don’t you wait until after Holden arrives,” Jackson responded. “He should be here any moment.”
She agreed just shy of the doorbell ringing. Jackson gave her a quick peck on the cheek and headed for the door. Her easy manner slipped the moment Jackson cleared the room. “Is Seneca all right?”
“As far as I know,” Colton replied.
She squinted, assessing him for some hint of a lie. She might not practice law anymore, but he could see why she was such a successful New York City attorney before she came to the ranch.
“Colton, you told her, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” he answered. “But can we talk about that after Holden leaves? I’d rather everyone didn’t know what an idiot I am.”
“Fair enough.”
If she was going to say anything else, she never got the chance. The sound of cowboy boots against the wood floor pulled both of their attention to the door.
“Do my eyes deceive me or are you the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen?
” Holden Eames’s personality stepped into the kitchen two seconds before the man did.
A tall and lean Black man with skin the color of red oak, with tight, lean muscles, stepped into the room followed by Jackson.
“Jackson, you told me she was beautiful, but I didn’t think she was this radiant. ”
Colton rolled his eyes as their longtime friend laid the compliments on a little thick. By Aja’s lifted brow and cautious smile, she’d apparently spotted Holden’s bullshit too. She shook his hand and thanked him for his praise before slipping to the counter where the food was.
“Jackson,” Colton called out. “Watch your woman around this man. You know he has no qualms about stealing another man’s lady.”
Holden laughed and opened his arms as he walked over to Colton, wrapping his arms around him for a hardy squeeze. “You know that’s right, brother. How you been, man?”
“I’m here,” Colton responded, still too raw from Seneca’s rejection to lie about being all right. “How have you been?”
“Good,” Holden answered.
“Gentlemen,” Aja called from the counter. “Food’s on. Grab a plate and go to town.”
The three men made quick work of loading up their plates. After Aja brought carafes filled with coffee and juice to them, she joined them with her own plate at the table.
Colton looked around, noticing they were still missing someone at the table. “Is Brooklyn joining us, Aja?”
She shook her head. “No, she’s working herself crazy trying to make sure this place is ready for inspection. She texted she’d eat something at home and get straight to work.”
She took a sip of her coffee and turned her attention toward Holden. “So, Holden, Jackson says you’ll be in Austin for a brief visit. Glad you’d drive ninety minutes out of your way to come say hi.”
“Actually,” Holden started, “I’m down here for a little bit of work on a case.”
“What’s the FBI got going on in Austin?” Jackson questioned.
“Nothing,” Holden replied between the two forkfuls of food he’d placed in his mouth. “My case is in Fresh Springs.”
“Anything you can talk about?” Colton asked and caught the silent look Holden offered in response.
Aja, again with her keen mind, caught the unspoken message before a full smile bloomed on her lips. “Holden, you got a dollar on you?”
He lifted a brow at the random question, but dug in his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and removed a crisp single from the billfold.
He slid it across the table to her. She quickly picked it up then asked the same question of Jackson and Colton.
When they each surrendered a dollar, she folded the bills and slipped them inside the vee of her T-shirt.
“You’ve each just paid a retainer for legal counsel. I am now bound by attorney-client privilege and I cannot disclose anything said in this conversation without risking my licenses to practice law.” She winked at Holden and said, “Carry on.”
Holden laughed and looked toward Jackson. “This what you working with? Man, I don’t think you’re ready for her.”
“That’s ’cause he’s not,” Colton joked as he shoved a soft biscuit in his mouth to camouflage his laughter. “Seriously, what kind of case you got going on?”
“One that has a little too much of everything in it. The FBI’s been working on a human trafficking case for the last five years.
Honestly, before two weeks ago, we’d only come up with one name through some lower-level crew members.
We’ve been combing his financials and we have a good case of extortion and grand larceny. ”
“But you don’t want this suspect for those charges, do you?” Holden smiled at Colton’s question.
“No, we think he’s the high man in this region of the ring. But we still don’t know who’s on the other end of this pipeline.”
Jackson nodded. “You’re looking to set up an operation?”
“We’ve already begun,” Holden continued as he pulled a small tablet from his blazer pocket and tapped on the screen.
“We’ve been shutting down his alternate lines of revenue, forcing him to tap the well we’re in the process of setting up for him.
We just need help from one of Fresh Springs’s locals to get it done. ”
“Who’s the suspect? Who’s the local?” Aja’s question was straight to the point. Just like Colton liked.
“Yeah, Holden. Quit your suspense setup and tell us who you’re looking for already.”
Holden laughed and waved a dismissive hand at Colton. “You’ve always been a spoilsport, Colt.” He laid the tablet out on the table so everyone could see.
Colton’s heart began to pound as he saw two side-by-side shots filling the screen.
Holden, tapping the table above the screen, barely registered as Colton fixed his eyes on the photo on the left. He’d seen it before during his own investigation.
“Sheriff Leroy Hastings is the mark, and Seneca Daniels is gonna help us catch him, as soon as I talk her into it.”
Colton locked eyes with a smiling Holden before he snatched the tablet out of the man’s grasp. Taking one more look at Seneca’s mug shot he turned the tablet off and handed it back to Holden before growling through his clenched jaw.
“The fuck you will.”