Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
His phone rang in the middle of the night, waking Clay. His first thought was for Darby and that something was wrong. He snatched it up, but the caller ID showed it wasn’t from Darby.
Cooper.
He rubbed sleep from his eyes as he answered the call. “Hey, Cooper, it’s four a.m. What’s up.”
“I did it. I found the link.”
His mind was still mush and he couldn’t push through what Cooper meant. “You did what? What are you talking about?”
“The shooter—the one they arrested for shooting into the motel room and killing Darby’s ex.
I followed the money he was paid for the job, and after digging through several shell companies, it led me to a dummy corporation connected to Rushton.
Once I had that, I traced other payments made through it.
We have what we need to link him to the attacks against Darby. ”
Clay sat up, suddenly wide awake. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’m on my way to Sheraton. I’ll be there in two hours.”
“Meet me at the police station. I’ll alert Chief Dean to get his team ready. I want to arrest this guy before he flees town.”
He let out a relieved sigh. Rushton was the one putting Darby’s life at risk. Thank goodness they finally had the evidence they needed.
He woke Darby to share the news then called Dean too as he headed to the police station. Dean met him there just as Cooper arrived. He explained the link and went through the evidence he’d uncovered as Dean and his team listened.
Once Cooper was done with his presentation, Clay turned to look at the chief. “This should be enough to arrest him. I can get an FBI team here, if that’s what you prefer.”
Dean shook his head. “He’s responsible for the murder of one of our citizens and arranging the abduction of another. I want him to face a Sheraton jury.” He turned to one of his officers in the meeting. “Is Rushton still at the Regency?”
The officer nodded. “Yes sir. I’ve had a patrol car on the hotel and his vehicle since he left here yesterday evening.”
Clay was surprised to hear that but grateful that Dean had made that call to keep an eye on Rushton.
It didn’t seem smart on his part that he was still in town.
If he’d have thought he was going to be arrested, he’d have been halfway out of town by now.
It only showed the man’s arrogance. Clay couldn’t wait to see him in cuffs.
Dean acknowledged the information then turned back to Clay and Cooper. “I’ll gather a team to arrest him.”
“I’m joining you,” Clay told him and Dean agreed without pushback.
Later, in the locker room as they geared up, Dean approached Clay.
Already wearing his vest, Dean looked ready to go.
He shoved an earpiece into his ear then took a seat on the bench beside Clay as he was lacing up his boots.
“I hope once this is over and Rushton is in prison, you’ll leave Suzanne alone and stop thinking she’s guilty. ”
So his main concern was for his girlfriend. Interesting. “We were just following the evidence, Chief.”
He sniffed loudly. “No evidence ever pointed toward Suzanne. This was all about a vendetta against a business rival. I hope both you and Darby will leave us alone for good after this.”
Clay knew Darby would be glad to leave Suzanne behind if only the other woman would follow suit. Only knowing her behavior had nothing to do with these attacks against Darby meant her harassment would likely continue unless the chief could persuade Suzanne to be the one to back down.
He stood and turned to Dean on his way out. “And I hope you’ll remind your girlfriend of that too. Let’s end this rivalry now.”
Darby hadn’t had an easy life here in Sheraton, and Clay hoped she’d choose to leave this small town and all her troubles behind once this was over. She deserved better than Sheraton had ever given her.
Clay hopped into Cooper’s SUV and rode with him as they lead the team of Sheraton police officers to the Regency Hotel.
Once there, Clay led the group through the lobby then up the stairs as Chief Dean got a key from the front desk, in case Rushton had to be brought out by force.
He didn’t. He opened the door at Clay’s knock then surrendered when Cooper showed him the warrant he’d obtained for his arrest on charges of conspiracy to commit abduction and murder.
Clay handcuffed him then led him downstairs and to the police cars waiting there. He maneuvered Rushton into the back of one of them while Cooper, Dean, and his team searched Rushton’s room and vehicle per the warrant.
“I want to call my lawyer,” was all Rushton said as Clay opened the car door and slid him into the back of a cruiser.
He nodded then closed the door. Rushton would have the opportunity to make that call at the station once he was booked and processed.
He turned as Cooper walked out with Rushton’s electronics—a laptop and cell phone. He would use those to gather further evidence against Rushton to corroborate the evidence he already had against him.
More evidence to make certain this man would never get out of prison. Never be able to harm Darby again.
He couldn’t wait to tell her.
He didn’t have to. She was waiting at the police station when Clay and Cooper walked Rushton in. She stood and watched as he was led inside in cuffs. Rushton didn’t acknowledge or even look her way. He held his head high like a man who felt justified in his wrongdoings.
Clay handed Rushton over to an officer for booking procedures then ordered him into an interview room. They would take another run at him to try to convince him to confess. It was doubtful he would. Because he’d asked for his lawyer, they couldn’t question him until the attorney arrived.
It would be a long day of deciding which jurisdiction would take precedence.
Clay wanted the FBI to take prominence, only because he didn’t trust Chief Dean to put the full force of the department behind these attacks against Darby.
Even if they didn’t, the FBI still had the conspiracy and abduction charges, since they’d crossed state lines.
Clay stopped to speak with Darby. “I’m going to be here a while.”
“It is true, Clay? Was it really him?”
He nodded. “Cooper found the evidence we needed to tie him to the threats against you. He was the one. It’s over, Darby.”
He saw her shoulders give and her head lower. When she lifted her eyes back to him, they were glistening with tears. Tears of relief.
He pulled her into a hug. “You’re safe, Darby. It’s over.”
She touched his face. “I’ll wait for you.”
“It’s going to be a long day. I’ll meet you back at the hotel.”
It would take hours to deal with this arrest at the police station, and he didn’t want her spending them on the station’s hard chairs. Plus, he didn’t want her to run into Suzanne again. She might show up at any moment.
Darby reluctantly agreed but they both felt something pulling them. Hope.
“It’s nearly over,” he whispered to her. “Just a few more hours to wrap this up.”
He walked her to her rental car and opened her door then watched her drive away.
A few more hours and she would no longer need his protection. She wouldn’t need him. But—dare he hope—she would still want him?
Dean walked to his office exhausted but hours from being able to go home.
He rubbed his eyes. He’d spent four hours grilling Grant Rushton about his involvement in the attacks on Darby’s life.
As far as he was concerned, he was the man behind the money, so he bore the blame.
But Agents Walker and Cooper wanted more.
They wanted all the names of the men who’d agreed to do the job, insisting that Darby wouldn’t be safe until all of them were in custody.
He walked into his office and found Suzanne sitting in a chair, flipping through a magazine. She’d propped her feet on his desk, which irritated him. It was disrespectful and he’d asked her not to do it.
She noticed his glare and pulled her feet down then tossed the magazine aside as Dean slid into his chair behind the desk.
“You’ve been in there a long time. I’ve been waiting for over an hour. Are you finished?”
He shook his head. “There’s still work to be done to make the case.”
She walked to him and placed her hands on his shoulders, her fingers digging in to massage his muscles, eliciting a moan of both pain and pleasure.
“Is he guilty?”
Dean nodded. “Absolutely. The feds have proof that he hired multiple people to try to kill Darby in order to get money she inherited.”
“How much money are we talking about?”
“Over $500,000.”
Her hands stopped for a moment then got back to work. “She inherited that much money, and she’s still worried about her precious cleaning business?”
“I’ve seen people do worse for much less money.” He stopped her hand by covering it with his. “Suzy, I want this feud between you and Darby to end. It doesn’t matter anymore. Promise me. It’s over.”
“It should be over. With that kind of money, she shouldn’t have to continue working.”
“Whatever she does, it doesn’t matter to us.” He turned to look at her, pressing her for an answer. “Promise me.”
She frowned but then nodded and planted a kiss on his forehead before making a gesture over her heart. “Cross my heart. All I care about now is building my own business and taking care of my man.”
She kissed him, lingering on his lips the way he liked, before pulling away and reaching for her purse. “Call me when you’re done. I’ll come over to your place later.”
He watched her go but his irritation wasn’t satisfied. She’d given that promise too easily to mean it.
He rubbed a weary hand over his face. What was she up to now?
Darby spent the day mostly alone except for Hercules, anxiously waiting to hear from Clay.
He’d sent her a text, letting her know they’d arrested Rushton and had him in custody.
She had plenty to do—call both her homeowner’s and auto insurers to file claims, make certain her employees’ paychecks were processed, and figure out what the future held for her business.
Whatever she did, her thoughts were never far from the future and what the end of this nightmare meant for her. Clay would be leaving once this case was wrapped up and she was no longer in danger. Back to his life … away from her.
She recalled the feelings he’d professed to her and hoped he meant it. She surely meant it when she’d told him once this was over, they could figure out if there was something between them.
She didn’t have to think on it for long. There was.
Clay had become her rock during the past days, when everything in her life had been falling apart. She would have never made it through without him.
It was growing dark outside when the knock came at the door. She opened it to Clay. Her immediate urge was to throw her arms around him, but she hesitated, waiting for confirmation that it was really over.
He assured her it was. “Once Cooper got ahold of your uncle’s laptop, he had more than enough evidence to prove Rushton responsible for the threats against you.
He gave up everyone. He’s going to prison.
He can’t pay anyone else to hurt you. Cooper is running down all the other leads to make sure there are no further threats against you but, yeah, it’s over. You’re safe now.”
She blinked back tears of relief then threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his.
She’d meant it to be a quick thank-you kiss, but it quickly turned into much more as he leaned in to her and his arms tightened around her.
She too fell into the kiss, his lips demanding and strong… just like her protector.
The kiss ended and he cupped her face, his eyes probing and full of desire. “Darby, I’m sorry it took so long.”
“I’m still alive,” she reminded him. “That’s only because of you. I owe you, Clay. David and I both owe you our lives.”
“When do you pick him up?”
“Two days. He’s going to be so disappointed about the house, but I’m going to try to make sure he has a good Christmas.” She glanced around the room. “Maybe we can get a Christmas tree and lights in here.”
His face lit up at her suggestion. “That’s a great idea. There’s a Christmas tree lot down the street.” He hesitated obviously remembering their previous conversation. “Oh wait, you both have allergies. That’s okay. We’ll find a home improvement store and get an artificial one.”
She kissed him again for the suggestion then grabbed her coat and followed him outside to his truck.
She’d had a full tree at the house, but they found a small one that wouldn’t overwhelm the hotel room.
Then they grabbed lights and ornaments. It wasn’t the same as the tree she’d had at home, but it would be good to have something for David when he returned.
Having him back would be the best present.
Then, after Christmas was over, they could make plans for their future.
She didn’t know what would happen to her. She hadn’t checked her messages, but imagined she had a ton of voicemails waiting for her. The dogs were back with their owners, and her business had been irreparably damaged.
It was probably time to leave this town and start over. She wasn’t certain what she’d do, but she knew one thing: wherever they went, whatever they did, she wanted Clay to be a part of her future.
He carried the tree into the corner, and they strung the lights around it. Then Clay pulled up a chair, stood on it, and hung them around the ceiling. It looked nice for what it was.
Clay had one more surprise. He pulled a swig of mistletoe from his pocket and held it over her head.
She laughed then nodded her agreement at his silent request for a traditional kiss.
As his lips pressed against hers, she melted under his embrace. “Merry Christmas, darlin.” He touched her face again. “I love you, Darby. I’ve fallen completely in love with you.”
She held her breath at the impact of his words. It might be too much too soon, but she wasn’t overwhelmed to hear them. Her heart soared at his confession because she shared the feeling. “I love you too, Clay.”