Unforgiven--Includes a bonus novella Read online

  She sucked in a deep breath and rubbed her hands up and down her thighs. “My mom was dead a few days later. She’d been sick a long time. I knew it was coming, but no one could really explain why she’d taken such a bad turn overnight. Something wasn’t right about it.”

  “Hold up.” Hearst lifted a hand and shook his head. “Are you telling me you think your mother was murdered?”

  The doctor shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. When I spoke to a colleague in the ME’s office they said the results of her autopsy were perfectly normal. I really felt like I was going out of my mind. But then I found out about Conrad, and as soon as I made contact with him, he also ended up dead. I can’t help but wonder if it’s all because of me.”

  She pointed a shaking finger in the direction of the gun. “I saw that and knew I wasn’t crazy. Someone has been gaslighting me. Someone is trying to set me up for murder. I was planning on taking it to the police, but then Ashby got hurt and I realized everyone around me is in danger. I don’t know the Lawtons, but that doesn’t mean anything terrible should happen to them because they’re suddenly related to me.” She dropped her head, her chin practically touching her chest. “I honestly don’t know what to do anymore.”

  Hearst let out a low whistle. “That’s some story.”

  The woman sighed and put a hand to her chest like she was trying to hold her heart in place. “It’s true. I don’t make mistakes. And I didn’t kill Conrad. I have no idea why he changed his will, and I’ve never seen that gun before it showed up in my car today.” She let out a bitter-sounding laugh. “I think in the back of my mind I was hoping maybe Conrad could help me since he used to be a cop. That’s how desperate I was. I wanted to rely on a stranger to fix things and I may have gotten him killed.”

  I grunted. “Conrad wasn’t the kind of cop who helped. Did you get around to telling him what was going on with you? Did he know you felt like you were in danger? Did you mention something was strange about your mother’s death?” That might have been enough to get him to head to Austin that night.

  She paused but shook her head. “No. Like I’ve said, I told him who I was and explained about my mom keeping my father’s identity and the blackmail a secret my entire life. I offered to pay back the money and he turned me down. The conversation was short.”

  I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes slightly. “When we looked into you, we couldn’t find any known enemies. Do you have any idea why anyone would be doing all these things to you? Who would benefit from you going away for Conrad’s murder?”

  The doctor sighed heavily and slowly started to rub her temples. “I don’t know. I’m kind of a loner and keep to myself. I’ve worked on some very high-profile homicide cases in my career, so I suppose it could be tied to that. It was always just me and my mom, so I honestly don’t know who would benefit from my downfall.”

  I cleared my throat. “No scorned lovers or angry ex-boyfriends with an ax to grind?” Love, when it was bad, really did make people act all sorts of unpredictable ways.

  She shook her head again. “No.”

  “What about competition at work? You said you were recently offered a pretty big promotion. Who gets the job if you’re suddenly out of the running?” Hearst started to take pictures of the weapon with his phone, careful to make sure he didn’t contaminate the evidence in any way.

  Presley sat up straighter and narrowed her eyes. “My best friend, the one who nearly died today. Ashby Grant. We went to medical school together. We both decided to work for the medical examiner’s office at the same time, instead of going the more traditional route when it comes to medicine. We’ve been friends for years. She’s my rock. I don’t know what I would do without her. I’m absolutely sick she’s lying in a hospital bed because of me right now.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

  “I understand why you thought the best option was to run, but I think you need to let us help you. If people are dying around you, there has to be a reason behind it. Also, if someone really went as far as to plant a murder weapon on you, I doubt you’ve seen the end of this scheme, no matter how far you run. Come back to Loveless with us, let us talk to our boss and see if we can put you in protective custody.” Hearst was giving her the hard sell, and I could tell she wasn’t really buying it.

  I turned in my seat and gave her a steady, even look. “You have family in Loveless. If you honestly think they’re in danger, you should tell them that and explain why. Like it or not, you’re all connected from here on out.”

  Her gaze shifted between me and Hearst, hesitation clear on every feature of her face. “Do you really think you can help me?”

  I nodded. “We can do our best.” I didn’t bother to mention that if she was lying and actually had something to do with Conrad’s murder, I’d lock her up so fast her head would spin. “I don’t think this is a problem you can solve on your own.” Regardless of how smart she was.

  It was a damn shame she’d gotten off on the wrong foot with the Lawtons. There was no one better to have your back when you were facing the kind of fight this woman was facing. I just hoped things didn’t go from bad to worse for her when they found out there was now concrete and irrefutable evidence tying her to what happened to Conrad. No matter how questionable the origins of the evidence might be, the gun was very damning, and enough to blind the Lawtons to anything other than justice for their father.

  Chapter 13

  Kody

  I hooked up with Hill last night.”

  The words burst out before the door to Aspen’s office shut all the way. I saw her paralegal lift her eyebrows and heard her secretary giggle as it swung closed behind my not-safe-for-work announcement.

  Aspen sat back in her leather chair and waved me over. I’d asked her secretary if she was busy before barging in. Since it was close to lunchtime I’d thought I might catch her in between clients. I was right. Aspen appeared to be eating a sandwich at her desk. Well, she had been before I burst in and dropped the bomb about me and Hill.

  Aspen wiped her hands on a napkin and delicately cleared her throat. “Okay. Let’s talk about it. How are you feeling?”

  I flopped into one of the chairs across from her fancy desk and kicked my feet up so my boot heels were resting on the edge. “I’m freaking out.” More about him telling me he’d had a thing for me all those years ago than about the sex stuff. I felt like Hill had been much better about keeping his feelings hidden than I had. I’d never had a clue he was as torn up over me.

  Aspen chuckled and leaned forward so her forearms were resting on the desk. Her dark eyes felt like they were trying to pry every secret I had out of my soul.

  “Freaking out because you regret it? Or freaking out because you finally realized you have real, honest feelings for him—feelings he clearly returns?” I hated how calm and composed she sounded.

  “Freaking out over everything. Hill and I are not a good match.” I curled my hands into fists and knocked them against my thighs. “We have chemistry. He’s always been the forbidden fruit I shouldn’t want to take a bite of, but that makes my mouth water. It can’t go anywhere.” Right? Especially while I was still tied into Shot’s gambling operation. If Hill found out about that, it wasn’t going to end well for anyone. Talk about a disaster waiting to happen.

  Aspen made a humming sound and tilted her head to the side as she considered me silently for a long moment. “Why won’t it go anywhere? What’s keeping you from moving forward? Is it Aaron?”

  I opened my mouth to tell her of course it was Aaron, but the words got stuck in my throat. For the longest time it had been easiest to tell myself—and anyone who dared ask—that I hated Hill because of the way things had gone down with Aaron. I’d convinced myself Hill should’ve been able to save his brother somehow, that he should’ve been there to save me from heartbreak. I’d convinced myself he was supposed to show up when I needed him the most, even though I was the one constantly pushing him away.

&nb
sp; In a quiet, shaking voice I was finally honest with someone about the real reason I’d kept Hill at arm’s length for so long. “He left. I thought he was always going to be there no matter what, but he left me. He pushed me away.” Aaron had fed into all my worst habits and enabled my destructive side. I needed Hill’s unwavering strength in order to keep myself together. When he took it away, I really started to spin out of control, taking Aaron on the emotional ride along with me. I felt like there was no one left to lean on.

  Aspen nodded, expression grave, as if she’d been expecting my admission from the get-go.

  “Kody, I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to think about the answer. Really think about it.”

  I dropped my feet from her desk and sat up straight in the chair. “Okay.”

  “Why do you think Hill left the way he did? And kept away all these years? What could have possibly caused him to keep his distance, from both his brother and you? What was big enough, powerful enough to cause that divide?”

  I stared at her, my mouth slowly falling open as I gaped at her in shock. It’d taken a lot of years for the pieces to fall into place. I’d always assumed he’d run away from me. It had never occurred to me that he might have run away for me.

  “Love? You think he’s in love with me…has been in love with me?” The mere thought of it lifted goose bumps on my arms and raised the tiny hairs on the back of my neck. He hadn’t used that word last night, but his hands had touched me with love, and his eyes had practically glowed with it.

  Aspen’s dark eyebrow darted up. The expression on her face was clearly calling me out for being obtuse. “It’s not about what I think. It’s about what you think.”

  Was it possible? While I was busy deciding it would be better to fall in love with Aaron, had Hill fallen in love with me? Could a guy like him, controlled, concise…and, more importantly, honest and law-abiding, even have feelings for someone as messy and reckless as I was? Hill’s entire life had been about serving and protecting other people, mine had been about exploiting them and keeping them at arm’s length.

  “No. You’re wrong. There’s no way someone like Hill could love someone like me.” I pounded the side of my fist on the side of her desk to emphasize my point. “The reason Aaron and I clicked is because we were both creatures of chaos. He never had any kind of expectations of me. I was always good enough for him the way I was.” And I’d loved him regardless of his erratic ups and downs. Hill and I were on different levels, practically from different planets. We’d never had any kind of common ground, other than our shared concern for his brother.

  But that wasn’t really true when I broke it down and looked at things closely. Aaron was the reason we stayed in touch at first, but our conversations quickly evolved into something more personal and intimate. We could talk for hours about anything, and every time I hung up the phone, I was already looking forward to the next call. It’d taken me months and months to stop reaching for the phone when Hill cut me off.

  And now that I’d kissed him and he’d taken me apart with his talented touch, I knew I’d never felt as connected to anyone as I did to Hill when all the barriers were dropped between the two of us.

  Aspen sighed and threw herself back in her chair. “I imagine Hill saw that. He saw the way you clicked with his younger brother, watched you both fall in love, and did what any good big brother would do in that situation. He backed off, regardless of what he wanted. He put his own needs aside so his brother could be happy, and gave the girl he was in love with exactly what she wanted. Even someone as strong as Hill is no match for a broken heart.”

  “No.” I denied it again, but the truth was getting harder and harder to ignore. She was right. It would’ve taken something major to get Hill to step away from both me and Aaron the way he had. Not a crush. Not lingering feelings of fondness and friendship. He wouldn’t have done it if there were any other option. I’d hurt him.

  Aspen smiled at me, but this smile was full of sympathy and understanding. “I hate to tell you this, but the way Hill feels about you is disgustingly obvious. He’s never wanted you to be anyone you aren’t. We all know he would prefer you make smarter, safer decisions, but everyone who loves you feels that way. Including me. Anyone with eyes can see he has his heart set on you, and Case has been bemoaning the fact that you’re blind to it since I met him. You’re the only one who thinks the two of you aren’t a good match. You’re the only one who believes he can’t love you.”

  Moaning at my own stupidity and stubbornness, I bent forward and let my forehead hit the edge of her desk. “I’m an idiot.”

  Hill was my first crush, the first boy who caught my eye, but I’d let my own insecurities and issues overrule any of the soft, sweet feelings I’d had toward him. I’d convinced myself I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, strong enough…and if that didn’t just make me want to puke. If watching my mother constantly getting beat down and demeaned by my father while growing up had taught me anything, it was to know my own worth. But the first chance I’d had to stand by that, I’d failed.

  I heard Aspen get up and felt her move next to me. A moment later her hand landed on the center of my back and she patted me soothingly. “Love makes us all do dumb things. I loved your brother for most of my life even though I knew he hated me. It was far from the brightest thing I’ve ever done.”

  I banged my head on the desk again. “I have no idea what to do with this information.”

  She laughed and lifted her hand to stroke my hair. “I’d say make good choices from here on out, but it’s you, so…”

  I cranked my head to the side so I could glare at her, which only made her laugh harder. “Talk to Hill, Kody. I’m not saying you’re in any way obligated to be with him, return his feelings, or that you have to try and make a relationship with him work. But you do owe him some honesty. He should know how you really feel, even if you feel like the two of you really have no future together.”

  Before walking into this office, that was exactly how I’d felt. Now, I wasn’t so sure.

  “As much as I love you and want to be here for you, my next client is going to be here in about fifteen minutes, and I would like to shove the rest of my lunch in my face.” Her gentle touch turned into a tug that brought my head up.

  I climbed to my feet and wrapped her in a hug, squeezing her until she squealed from the pressure. “I’m so glad my brother got his head out of his ass and brought you into our family.” I was also really happy she had never given up on Case when that was exactly what I would’ve done.

  Aspen hugged me back and whispered, “Me too. No matter what happens, or who you decide to love, I am always on your side. No matter what, you deserve the best.”

  I didn’t want to tell her I wasn’t so sure about that.

  I waved goodbye on my way out of her office, snickering when Aspen’s paralegal loudly whispered, “Get it, girl. Hill Gamble is hot. He was my biggest crush in high school.”

  He was hot, and he made it hard to think straight. But Aspen was right. I needed to be honest with him, and I needed to give him the opportunity to be honest with me for once. I had to stop hiding behind Aaron’s ghost.

  Once I was sitting in my Jeep, I thought about shooting him a message to see if he was at the motel. I assumed he’d been up most of the night like I had. If he was back, I figured he was more than likely catching up on some much-needed sleep. Catching up on some sleep and getting my thoughts in order was what I should be doing as well. Instead I felt like I was vibrating with energy. I was like a watch wound up too tight, ready to break from the tension.

  As if I’d somehow summoned the man through the sheer force of my thoughts, my cell phone dinged with a new message from Hill.

  Are you around this afternoon? I need to talk to you about something.

  I stared at the screen, wavering on what to do. We did need to talk. However, I suddenly wasn’t sure I was ready. Tapping my phone on the steering wheel, I decided to bite the bulle
t and get this showdown over with sooner rather than later. I had no clue how things were going to play out between the two of us, but anything was better than this push and pull we’d been engaged in.

  I’ll come to you if you’re at your motel. I’m already in town. Stopped by to see Aspen.

  He replied that he’d just gotten back to the motel and he had to meet with Hearst for a few minutes, but should be free by the time I got there. I almost sent him a text telling him to be sure he had a shirt on when I showed up, but refrained. I didn’t know how our conversation was going to go, so why would I deprive myself of the enticing view of Hill Gamble half-naked whenever I got the chance?

  My anxiety and indecision grew exponentially as I drove to the motel. It felt like I was taking a huge step…off a cliff. I parked next to Hill’s truck and made my way to his room. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there trying to get up the nerve to knock, but it must’ve been a while, because Hill sent another message asking where I was. Clearly he was hovering close on the other side of the door, because when my phone went off, he yanked the door open and looked at me quizzically as I stood frozen on the spot.

  “What are you doing out there? Come in.” He took a step back from the doorway, but I couldn’t make my feet move.

  He was dressed this time, though his light blue button-down shirt was untucked and the sleeves were rolled up his muscular forearms. It was also unbuttoned to a point below his breastbone, showing off a tanned sliver of skin and hard pecs.

  How was I supposed to have a serious conversation with him when all I wanted to do was throw him down on the closest flat surface and lick him from head to toe?

  “What are you doing?” One of Hill’s hands shot out and latched on to my wrist. He gave a little tug and pulled me into the room. “Get in here.”