Chapter Nineteen
Kincade sat in the hard plastic chair, his arm wrapped around Cassidy as her head rested against his shoulder.
The hospital waiting room was quiet, filled only with the low hum of fluorescent lights and the occasional buzz from the vending machine in the corner.
A wall clock ticked steadily, its rhythm indifferent to everything that had just happened.
Cassidy hadn’t said much in the hour or so they’d been waiting for Travis to be examined and treated. Her breathing was soft and even, and Kincade didn’t know if she was asleep or just lost in the haze that came after too much adrenaline. Either way, he didn’t move. She needed the stillness.
They both did.
He was tired. Bone deep. But beneath that exhaustion, something else kept him upright. The sense that they had made it. That the worst of it was finally behind them. Becker was dead. The man who had haunted this case for years would never hurt anyone again.
It wasn’t the kind of justice Kincade would have chosen. He had wanted to see Becker face a judge, to answer for everything he’d done and then be shut in a cage for the rest of his life. But justice had a way of showing up in the ugliest places, and tonight it had come with gunfire and explosions.
Cassidy shifted and slid her fingers through his. He looked down at their joined hands.
They had survived. Together.
And for the first time in a long time, Kincade believed they might actually be able to move forward.
Kincade leaned in and brushed a soft kiss against Cassidy’s mouth. Her lips parted slightly, just enough to make his blood stir and his pulse climb. He was seconds away from deepening it, from pulling her closer to him and letting the relief spill out as heat and gratitude.
But the sound of footsteps snapped them out of the moment.
They both eased back as Jericho stepped into the waiting room. His boots were quiet on the tile floor, his face unreadable.
“I got an update from one of the nurses,” Jericho said, rubbing a hand across his jaw.
Cassidy’s head lifted from Kincade’s shoulder. “Travis?”
“He’s fine,” Jericho was quick to let her know. “A couple of stitches, some pain meds, but they’re releasing him soon.”
Kincade let out a breath and nodded. Relief uncoiled in his chest, and he was sure Cassidy was having a similar reaction. With the shitstorm Becker had thrown at them, Travis’s injuries could have been a hell of a lot worse.
Jericho’s expression shifted, his mouth tightening. “But Marlene didn’t make it,” he added.
Cassidy went still beside him. Kincade felt the weight of the words settle in the air between them. Marlene had made her choices. Played both sides. Tried to kill them.
And still, it was another life lost in a case full of them.
Kincade got to his feet when he heard the fast approach of boots in the hallway. Vance Harlan burst into the waiting room, his suit jacket wrinkled and his face lined with tension. Sheriff Moran trailed along right behind him.
Vance looked straight at Cassidy, then at Kincade. “I just heard. Tell me it’s not true,” he said, his voice ragged. “Becker? Was it really Becker who killed Daniel? And is he really dead?”
Cassidy nodded. Kincade gave it to him straight. “Yes. Becker hired Greer and Knox. He framed Travis. And yes, he’s dead.”
Vance let out a groan and dropped into the nearest chair. His hands hung between his knees as he stared at the floor.
“I trusted him,” Vance muttered. “He was like family. Why the hell would he do this?”
“Because he believed Daniel was going to come clean,” Cassidy explained.
“About the affair he had with Marlene eleven years ago. Alisha saw them together that night, and she wasn’t the type to keep quiet.
Becker knew if she talked, Daniel’s life would implode.
His reputation, his family, everything. So Becker silenced her.
And when Travis got too close to the truth, he tried to do it again. ”
Vance dragged a hand over his face, the weight of the truth hitting hard. Kincade didn’t feel sorry for him. Vance had spent too long protecting the wrong people.
But maybe now, finally, the truth would stay buried no longer.
Moran stepped closer to Cassidy, his expression marked with something that might have been regret. “I’m sorry for doubting you,” he said. “Becker was pushing hard. He kept insisting we arrest you for harboring your brother. He made it sound like you were obstructing justice.”
Cassidy gave a small nod. She didn’t respond, and Kincade could see the tension in her jaw, the way she held herself steady.
Vance lifted his head. “He did the same to me. Becker was relentless. He wanted you arrested and Maverick Ops out of the way. He said you were a distraction.”
Kincade felt the weight of it settle over him.
The pressure they’d felt over the last few days, the way doors had started closing, the roadblocks that had kept stacking up, none of it had been random.
It had been Becker all along, operating from the shadows, manipulating the people around him to keep the truth buried.
To protect himself.
Kincade slid his hand into Cassidy’s and gave it a firm squeeze. She looked at him, and he saw the same thought in her eyes.
They had made it through the fire. And they had done it together.
Moran stepped forward, his tone more official now. “Obviously, all charges will be dropped against Travis. And I’ll contact the prison. We’ll start the process to get Aaron Clegg released. It’s long overdue.” He paused. “We’ll also search Becker’s house and office top to bottom.”
Kincade nodded, though the tightness in his chest didn’t ease. “You really think Becker kept anything that could incriminate him?”
“We’ll find out,” Moran said. “If there’s even a scrap of paper or a buried file, we’ll dig it up.”
Kincade wasn’t so sure. Becker had been smart. Paranoid. But even the smartest criminals left threads behind. He just hoped Benji had ended up having a good life after he ran from a badge-wearing killer.
“Marlene might have left something,” Cassidy pointed out. “I don’t think she was nearly as careful as her boss.”
Moran made a sound of agreement. “We’ll look there as well.” He paused a heartbeat. “How’s Travis?”
As if on cue, Travis stepped in, bandaged but on his feet. Ruby Maverick was with him.
Cassidy moved first, relief breaking across her face. Kincade was right behind her, his own tension giving way as Travis nodded at them.
“Still standing,” Travis said, and there was some of his usual cockiness in his voice. It was damn good to hear.
And just like that, the nightmare felt one step closer to being over.
Moran went straight to Travis, the apology starting before he even reached him. “I’m sorry, Travis. I know that isn’t much, but I hope you’ll accept it and know that I’ll do everything humanly possible to make this right.”
Travis used his good hand to shake Moran’s. “Apology accepted,” he said after a long pause.
Kincade watched as Ruby stepped forward with her usual calm precision. She extended a hand to Sheriff Moran first, then to Vance.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mayor Harlan,” she said.
Vance nodded. “Thank you. I’m sorry for all the trouble this caused members of your team.”
“They’re good at handling trouble,” she assured him.
Vance gave another nod, and the grief seemed to come at him like an avalanche. Everything hitting him at once. He’d lost his brother, and he would obviously need to deal with that.
And the fact that a friend had been the killer.
Vance muttered something under his breath that sounded like a goodbye, then turned and walked out of the waiting room without looking back.
Ruby turned to Travis and gave him a once-over. Her eyes lingered on the bandage wrapped around his arm. “You’re on medical leave for at least two weeks,” she said flatly.
Travis scoffed. “It’s a scratch.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “It’s an order.”
Kincade bit back a grin as Travis gave a small, grudging nod. There was no winning an argument with Ruby when her voice took that tone. She didn’t just command operatives. She bulldozed resistance with a single look.
Ruby turned to Kincade. “You’re on mandatory leave, too. One week.”
That wiped away any trace of Kincade’s grin. “I’m not hurt.”
His boss slid a glance between Cassidy and him. “You two could use the downtime.”
Moran nodded in agreement. “Cassidy, I’ll extend your leave another week. It’s the least I can do.”
Kincade wasn’t used to being sidelined, especially not when he felt perfectly fine. But as he caught the faint smile Cassidy tried to hide, he decided he could live with it. He’d take the week. And if she was willing, he’d spend every minute of it with her.
Hopefully.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk about futures or what came next. But for the first time in a long time, the idea of a future didn’t feel so far off.
Ruby turned to Jericho next. “You’re good to go.”
Jericho raised a brow. “So I’m not on mandatory leave?”
She smirked. “No. But you can take Travis home. Make sure he doesn’t sneak back into work before those stitches even settle.”
Travis grimaced as if embarrassed by all the fuss. “It’s barely a scratch.”
Ruby ignored him and looked back at Jericho. “All of you can do your reports from home. Email them to me when you’re done.” She shifted her attention to Moran. “What do you need from them?”
Moran gathered his breath. “We’ll need to take your official statements for the county, but that can wait. It’s going to take a while to sort through everything Becker left behind.”
Kincade gave a short nod. He knew the fallout from all of this would stretch for days, maybe weeks. But at least the worst was behind them. Becker was gone. Travis was cleared. And for the first time in far too long, there was room to breathe.
Ruby and Moran wrapped up a few last words, then shook hands with Cassidy and Kincade before heading for the exit. Ruby gave him a quick nod, one that spoke of relief and trust, then disappeared down the hall beside Moran.
Cassidy turned to Travis and pulled him into a hug. He grunted, whether from the pain in his arm or the emotion, Kincade didn’t know. But he saw the way she held on, how tightly she clung to her brother.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she murmured.
Travis pressed his cheek against hers for a beat, then whispered back, “Maybe now Alisha can rest.”
Cassidy nodded but said nothing, her eyes misting. Kincade looked away to give them a moment. As he did, he made a silent promise to himself to check on Alisha’s headstone. The explosion had rocked the cemetery hard. If the damage had reached her grave, he’d see to it that it was repaired.
Jericho motioned to Travis. “Come on, one-armed bandit. I’m driving.”
Travis gave Cassidy one last hug. “Behave yourself,” he said, and then slid glances at Kincade and her. “Better yet, misbehave. A lot. Do all those things I don’t want to hear about.” He flashed them a grin and walked out with Jericho.
Kincade reached for Cassidy’s hand. She laced her fingers through his, and they followed after. Outside, Jericho helped Travis into the van and climbed in behind the wheel.
Kincade and Cassidy peeled off toward the SUV. The night air settled around them, cool and quiet. The sky above was dark and cloudless, and for the first time in days, the weight pressing on Kincade’s chest seemed to lift. The storm had passed.
The moment they slid into the SUV, the door closed with a soft click and Cassidy reached for him. Their mouths met in a kiss that was anything but soft. It was heat and promise and raw need.
Kincade pulled her closer, his hand sliding up her spine, and she melted into him with a sigh that punched him straight in the chest. The kiss deepened, slow and hungry, and when they finally broke apart, her breath was ragged.
“So,” he murmured against her mouth, “you want to go home and get started on all that misbehaving your brother suggested?”
Cassidy laughed, the sound husky and low. “Absolutely.”
She placed a hand on his chest, stopping him just before he started the engine.
“But not just that,” she added, her voice softer now. “I want more than misbehaving.”
Kincade turned to her fully, his pulse kicking up. “How much more?”
Her eyes locked on his. “I’m in love with you. So whatever mischief we get up to, it should match that.”
His smile was slow and deep, settling into his face like it belonged there. “Good. Because I’m in love with you, too.”
Kincade started the engine, the rumble filling the silence. Then he reached over, laced their fingers together, and said, “Let’s go home. And let the misbehaving begin.”
They had a lifetime to get this right.