Unforgiven--Includes a bonus novella Page 6

  I arched an eyebrow. “Runs in the family.”

  I grunted when the toe of her boot connected with my shin under the table. Bending down to rub the spot she kicked, I asked, “Anything else about that visit stick out in your mind? I’ve got to be honest, we aren’t having much luck tracking down anyone who knows Conrad’s whereabouts before the murder. Your dad was good at playing it close to the vest.” When cops had secrets they wanted to keep buried, it was damn near impossible to dig them up without help.

  She rapped her nails on the side of her mug as she thought. After a moment she shook her head. “There really was nothing special about that day. Dad was surly and rude as usual. The farm and the house looked the same. He pissed me off without trying, just like always. I was so mad at him I almost took out one of his neighbors on my way back into town.”

  I set my mug down and leaned on the table. It was a long, barren dirt road leading up into the hill country to get to Conrad’s property. There was very little traffic out there, so the fact that Kody had passed someone was highly suspicious.

  “Was it a neighbor you recognized? A vehicle you were familiar with?” It was a battle to keep the spark of excitement out of my voice. I didn’t want to pressure her. The memory was fleeting, and if she lost it right after finding it, I was back at square one.

  Kody pushed her coffee away and lifted a hand to push her hair back. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and I felt her watching me intently. “No. I don’t know his neighbors. He always kept us isolated out there on the farm. You know he didn’t like anyone poking their nose in what was going on in our house. He had an image to keep up. I just figured it was a neighbor since they were out on the road in the middle of the day.”

  I nodded and asked, “Do you remember what kind of car it was? Did it have Texas plates?”

  She stiffened, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head. She closed her eyes briefly, and I watched as her breathing slowed as she concentrated. A moment later she brought her hand up to her mouth so she could tug on her lower lip.

  “It was a Tesla. I remember thinking I was going to be super screwed if I did run into it, because there’s no way I could afford to fix something like that. I can’t remember if it had Texas plates or not, but I do think I remember the driver being a woman.” Her eyes flew open and her palms hit the table, rattling both our cups and the untouched silverware. “I can guarantee none of Dad’s neighbors drive a Tesla. No one in Loveless does. A car like that would stick out like a sore thumb. People would be talking about it for days.”

  She banged her hands on the table again and came up out of her seat. “Are you telling me I drove past my father’s killer and didn’t even know it?”

  Heads started to turn in our direction, and the waitress stopped near our table to ask if we needed anything. I offered up a weak grin and reached out to forcibly pull Kody back into her seat. “We’re fine. You can drop the bill anytime.”

  Once she was gone and Kody’s breathing evened out some, I leaned across the table and told her, “You don’t know that. We don’t know who was in the car, or if the car was even headed to the farm. But you finally gave me a lead to follow. If a car like that came through Loveless, someone was bound to notice.” It was also certain it would pop up on any one of the surveillance cameras from the shops around Main Street, which would lead to a license plate number. “No use getting worked up until we have the facts.”

  She growled at me and jumped to her feet. Her palms landed on the table once again, making some of the leftover coffee in her mug splash out.

  “Don’t tell me not to get worked up. I’m not a heartless robot like you, Gamble.” With a flip of her hair, she stormed out of the booth, leaving practically everyone in the diner staring after her. Whispers erupted as soon as she was gone, and I had to bite back a groan as attention turned my way.

  She knew how to make an exit, that was for sure.

  The accusation that I was cold and unfeeling was nothing new. But the words hurt, and they weren’t true. I was far from being a robot where she was concerned. I felt too much. Always had, and that was the problem. The more she’d called me, heartbroken and heartsick, when Aaron was going through a rough patch, the more I’d struggled to keep my feelings for her in check. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to save her—from my own brother, which made me feel guilty as hell. I had to pull back before I did something I regretted. Yet here I was, years later, and I still wanted to save her, to hold her and tell her that everything would be fine. I wanted to chase after her, wanted to explain why I’d behaved the way I had all those years ago, but I stayed in the booth, my eyes focused on my cooling coffee as my heart twisted itself into painful knots. She still blamed me for what had happened to Aaron, and I couldn’t dispute that I should’ve handled things better. Maybe if I’d been honest about how I felt, she would have understood why I had to walk away. But it was too late to turn back the clock, no matter how desperately I wanted a do-over.

  Slurping down the rest of my coffee and smothering a yawn, I told myself I could sleep as soon as I tracked down any footage I could find of the Tesla. Hearst was going to be pissed when I called and told him we were looking at another all-nighter.

  Chapter 5

  Kody

  The weather on the day of my father’s funeral was beautiful. Bright and sunny. Hot as hell, without a cloud in the sky. It was almost as if the universe were mocking what was supposed to be a sad and somber occasion. The temperature also made dressing in head-to-toe black seem ridiculous, so I refused to do it. I didn’t own very many dark, single-colored garments as it was, and there was no way I was making a special trip into Austin to buy something new in order to say goodbye to the man who had ruined my mother’s life and made mine a living hell. I settled on a long maxi dress striped with varying shades of gray and light pink. It wasn’t as in your face as most of my outfit choices, but it was still vibrant enough that I didn’t feel like I was toning it down to appease the busybodies and curious onlookers who were bound to show up for the viewing.

  Initially I’d planned on skipping everything having to do with the funeral. None of us really understood his instructions to leave him for eternity on the land that had been in the family for generations, instead of next to my mother in the cemetery on the outskirts of town. I, for one, was grateful my mother’s eternal peace wasn’t going to be tainted by her having to share her resting place with the man who had made her living days miserable. But I also wanted nothing to do with the property if my father was going to be forever a part of it. Last night over too many beers, Crew drunkenly mentioned that was probably the old man’s plan all along. None of us had any good memories of that farmhouse, and we wouldn’t want to keep it in the family. But how could we get rid of the property if our father was buried there? The man was always just as clever as he was mean.

  However, when Aspen mentioned how hard the day was going to be for my brothers, especially Case, I realized I couldn’t take the easy way out. Case and Crew had both gone above and beyond for me whenever I needed them to. I couldn’t justify hiding away from the rest of the world because I was uncomfortable with my feelings. Luckily I wasn’t required to play hostess. Della and Aspen slipped into the role easily enough, having no trouble faking smiles and accepting false condolences from the nosy townsfolk. My brothers picked the women they were going to spend the rest of their lives with wisely. When the time came for Della and Aspen to protect their men from the outside world, they didn’t hesitate to do it. If those loving, protective instincts had been operating under any other circumstances, I would have been glowing with pride. Our family was growing in the best way possible.

  “Here.” I looked up at Crew when he suddenly appeared by my side. While both my brothers resembled our father, Crew had an easy, careless charm about him that he’d clearly inherited from our mother. He was the risk-taker in the family. The daredevil. And up until he met Della, he was the one I worried about the most. Now he was th
e one worrying about me as he stealthily passed me a small silver flask he’d had hidden somewhere in his dark gray blazer. I wasn’t the only one who refused to wear black.

  “Thanks.” I took a sneaky drink and tried not to wheeze as the whiskey burned on the way down. Clearly our father’s funeral didn’t call for the top-shelf stuff.

  “Who are you waiting for?” Crew took the flask back and tucked it away just as Aspen cut us a curious look from where she was hovering protectively between Case and Hayes.

  Surprised, I turned to face him. “What? I’m not waiting for anyone. I’m anxious for this circus to be over so we can get on with our lives.”

  Crew arched a black eyebrow as he tucked his thumbs in the front pockets of his dark jeans. “Oh. I noticed you keep looking at the door whenever someone new comes in. I thought maybe you invited that biker friend of yours.”

  I blinked in surprise. “Shot? No. I didn’t ask him to come today.” He’d offered, but I’d firmly told him not to come. While riling my brothers up and pushing all their buttons was typically my most favorite pastime, I knew today wasn’t the time for it. There were too many emotions running high and far too much testosterone in any scenario involving Shot and my brothers for it to end well. “I guess I’m wondering if Hill is going to show up. Don’t you think that would be part of his investigation? Doesn’t the killer usually show up at the victim’s funeral?”

  Crew gave a soft chuckle so as not to be overheard by the lurking busybodies. “I think that only happens on TV. He’s been out of town for the last few days. I know Case has been trying to track him down for info on the investigation, but it’s been tricky. Sounds like he’s working himself to the bone on this case.”

  I reached up to tug on my lower lip, remembered the way he’d stumbled and fallen in front of his motel the last time I saw him. Hill had had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he hadn’t slept a full night in weeks. Somehow concern for his well-being got buried under the alarm at my visceral reaction to seeing him shirtless in the small room. The sight of all those rippling back muscles, some marred by very visible and prominent scars, made me forget why I’d absently followed him into the room in the first place. He’d always been too good-looking for my peace of mind, and now I knew for certain it wasn’t just his artistically carved face, with its sharp cheekbones and chiseled jaw, that had aged with superiority. The man was built like a professional athlete, big, strong, and capable. I had to get out of that room before I did something stupid like reach out and touch him.

  “He’s not going to do anyone any good if he burns out at the start of this case.” I muttered the words, which were eerily similar to the ones he’d said to me when he picked me up off the floor of the bar.

  Crew shrugged. “Hill’s been doing this a long time. I’m sure he knows his own limits. I know all of us will breathe a little easier once he has a suspect. Case is practically chomping at the bit to butt in. You know it’s got to be torture for him to watch the investigation from the sidelines.”

  I nodded absently in agreement as the door to the viewing room opened once again. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until an unknown woman entered the space. I let it out in a whoosh as the stranger looked around, slowly making her way into the room. I guess I’d been waiting for someone after all. Only I hadn’t known it until each new arrival had proved to be someone other than the grouchy Texas Ranger.

  “Who is she?” Crew’s voice was louder than called for, causing several heads to turn in the direction of the new arrival.

  The woman was probably around my age, dressed in a sharp black suit and a pair of sky-high heels. She was carrying a designer purse, the kind I couldn’t afford even if I saved for a year, and her strawberry-blond hair was pulled back in a chic twist at the base of her neck. Even though she’d come into the viewing room, she’d left on a pair of very dark sunglasses that covered half of her face. She looked like one of the executives who worked for Della at her cosmetics company. She definitely wasn’t a local, and almost as soon as she crossed the threshold, whispers and low murmurs started up. Apparently Crew wasn’t the only person wondering who the woman was and where exactly she came from.

  “I have no idea who she is. Should we go ask?” I took a step forward, only to be brought up short by Crew’s hold on my elbow.

  “This is a funeral. Don’t start shit today, Kode. If she’s someone we need to worry about, we’ll find out sooner or later, but there’s no need get worked up over it today.” He shifted his hold so he could pat me on top of the head, much like he had done when we were little. “Let’s find a place to sit down and get this show on the road. The sooner this is over, the better.” He tilted his chin in our older brother’s direction. “Case is about to grind his teeth into dust. I’m going to tell the funeral director to move things along before he ends up needing dentures.”

  I nodded and made my way to the rows of chairs. We didn’t expect much of a crowd. Sure, half the town had come to poke their heads in and offer quickly spoken words of condolence, but the number of people sticking around for the actual service was minimal. Which was why I found it odd that the redheaded, well-dressed woman unobtrusively took a seat toward the back. My father had made a lot of enemies in his time and burned a lot of bridges. I supposed she could be one of the victims of his shortsightedness and corruption. It wasn’t much of a reach to imagine the folks he’d screwed over wanting to hang around and wish him a speedy trip to hell, but something about this woman made me uneasy. I wanted her to take her sunglasses off so I could at the very least meet her gaze head-on.

  I jumped in surprise when I was suddenly surrounded by my family. Crew and Della sat on one side, Case, Hayes, and Aspen on the other. Before I could tell my brothers I was fine, each grabbed one of my hands and held on tight. It took me back to all the times we’d hidden in the dark when our dad came home in a foul mood. We’d huddle together, quiet as we could be. Back then they’d hold on to me like this and promise me everything would be all right.

  I swallowed back against the emotion crawling up my throat and blinked at the moisture collecting in my eyes. God forbid anyone mistake the tears for signs of sadness over the loss of the old man. That simply wouldn’t do.

  The funeral director droned on about our father’s legacy and the perceived good things he’d done for the town of Loveless. He mentioned Conrad being survived by us, and how his kids were his greatest accomplishment. With so few people in the room, Case’s loud snort of disgust echoed. I had to bite down on the tip of my tongue to keep a laugh back and felt Crew’s hand tighten on mine. All in all the service was short, but filled with enough bullshit about Conrad Lawton’s accomplishments to fertilize several football fields. When the funeral director asked if anyone had any memorable stories or anecdotes to share about our father’s life, it was no surprise absolutely no one came forward. My brothers and I had been trained from birth not to share what happened inside the farmhouse walls with anyone. Our stories about growing up under Conrad’s thumb weren’t the kind to be shared. They were the kind we’d survived…barely.

  I was glad when it was all over. And if the deep sighs both my brothers exhaled were any indication, so were they. Now all that was left was to move Dad to the farm and lay him to rest.

  When I got to my feet and looked around the room, I noticed the well-dressed redhead was gone, but a new addition had snuck in during the time the funeral director was talking.

  Leaning against the back wall dressed in black jeans and a black button-up, with his Stetson in his hand, was Hill. He was standing next to another man, one who was younger, probably Crew’s age, and who also just happened to be ridiculously attractive. He didn’t look like a guy from small-town Texas. He had slicked-back hair and wore skinny jeans with a hole in the knee, a light pink V-neck, and a pair of Air Jordans. He looked like he should be onstage as part of a popular boy band, not standing next to the glowering, grumpy-looking Texas Ranger.

  Strangely en
ough, some of the tightness and unease locked in the center of my chest felt like it loosened when my eyes met the soft gray of Hill’s. Why I could breathe easier when he was around was a mystery. One I didn’t plan to investigate too thoroughly because I knew the answer would scare me to death.

  We filed out of the chairs and all slowly made our way to the back of the room, where Hill was waiting with the other man.

  Hill nodded at us and said, “This is Johnny Hearst. He’s the special agent heading up Conrad’s case.” Handshakes went around as I studied Hill.

  He looked even more tired than he had a few days ago. The whites of his eyes were lined with red, and the skin under his scruffy silvery-blond beard was pale, with alarming shadows making his eyes look sunken in and his cheekbones gaunt. Someone needed to put his ass to bed and keep it there.

  I flushed at the heated image the thought brought to mind and pulled myself together when it was my turn to greet the Texas Ranger in charge of finding my father’s killer. The younger man had an easy, charming smile that I would have appreciated under different circumstances.

  “Did you find out who the driver of the Tesla is?” I didn’t mean to sound so snappy and abrasive, but I was holding on to my composure by the skin of my teeth. I wanted this day to be over with, and for things to go back to normal as quickly as possible.

  The younger guy with the slicked-back hair gave a quick nod. “We did. I think we’re both cross-eyed from watching endless hours of surveillance footage. Tracked the owner to a small suburb of Austin, but she hasn’t been home, and according to her neighbor she took a leave of absence from her job a few weeks ago. Still trying to pin her down. But it puts us one step closer to getting some answers.”

  Hill put his cowboy hat back on his head and stifled a yawn behind his hand. “We can save all the updates for later. Y’all go ahead and finish laying Conrad to rest. I just wanted to stop by and pay my respects.”