Bad Boy's Revenge: A Small-Town Romantic Suspense (18 page)

Josie bore the insult to her grandfather’s debts with more poise than I did. She didn’t back down. “You’re going to accuse Maddox of vandalism…
why
?  Just because he’s in town?”

“It’s a serious crime when a politician is targeted,” Nolan said.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Maddox didn’t do this.” She pointed at me. “Tell them.”

“I didn’t do it,” I said, for all the good it’d do.

“Josie.” Chief Craig edged between her and Nolan, just as a precaution. “You might want to do Maddox a favor and call his parole officer and lawyer.”

“He didn’t do it,” she said. “Why would he jeopardize his parole?
When
would he have done this? What evidence do you even have?”

The chief hid his smirk. “Maddox was on Mayor Rhys’s property.”

“No, he wasn’t!”

Son of a
bitch
. Why did it take me this long to see through Nolan? He wouldn’t piss on his own campaign just to toss me in jail overnight. They’d never get enough evidence to prove it was me, and that worked for him. He wasn’t after me.

He struck at Josie.

Nolan took too much enjoyment from this. I’d have broken his damn neck if he smiled any wider at her. “Maddox was at my barn yesterday.”

“I don’t believe you.”

This hurt more than getting cuffed and slammed into a cell. “Sweets, I was there. I was doing a job.”

If it were any other gig, I would have tried to impress her with my work ethic. Anything, no matter how small, was worth it if I could prove to her I wasn’t a complete deadbeat with a record who couldn’t hold a job unless he was holding a gun.

I hadn’t told her about Nolan because I didn’t want to piss her off.

Ironies of ironies.

“You’re
working
for Nolan?” Her voice caught somewhere between disbelief and rage. “Why?”

Nolan answered for me. “I hired him to rewire my barn lights. He did a job and was paid for it.”

“Why would you hire him?”

“Oh, well, before his arrest, I paid him to do all sorts of odds and ends for me.”

It was a strange feeling to watch another man break my girl’s heart. Nolan did it masterfully. Deliberately. He watched as every passing second struck her like a slap to the face.

“You’ve worked with him before?” Josie whispered to me. “Even
now
? You…you
helped
him?”

“I needed the work, Sweets.” Wasn’t that the same excuse every asshole gave to justify his ends? “I figured I’d fix his barn and get some…extra money.”

Chief Craig raised an eyebrow. That bastard knew exactly why I took the job, and he practically salivated over the thought of another grand in his pocket. And why not? Either he got money from me or he got his dick sucked by a woman too doped up to realize when she was getting abused.

“I didn’t set the signs on fire,” I said. “I was in and out of his property during the day. I came back home. Stayed in.”

“This happened during the night,” Chief Craig said.

“So?”

“Where were you last night?”

Nolan listened too intently, imagining why Josie squirmed. That little fucker meant for her to admit it aloud. He had warned me to stay away from her as part of our
agreement
for my parole. He treated her like she was his property, like she belonged to him and I trespassed. Now he’d shame her and make her explain where she spent the night.

That was easy. She stayed in my arms, in our bed.

Having orgasm after orgasm as she rode me throughout the night.

But I doubted she wanted him to know that.

“I was at home,” I said.

Chief Craig cleared his throat. “Is anyone willing to…substantiate that claim?”

Josie lowered her gaze. She had no reason to look so humiliated. So
scared
.

“He was with me.”

“All night?” Nolan interrogated her behavior more than mine.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure? You couldn’t know where he was at all times. What about when you slept?”

“She said I was there,” I said. “I have an alibi.”

“Josie, are you certain?” The chief ignored me.

She sucked in a desperate breath. “We…weren’t sleeping the whole night. He didn’t leave the house.”

Hardly left the bed. 

Nolan’s stare burned through me. I could practically smell the gasoline he used to ignite his own campaign property.

“Could have just asked me, Nolan,” I said. “Saved yourself the dirty work.”

Nolan regained his composure. “If Josie says he was with her
all night
, then I suppose he’d have no reason to leave her. The vandals might be one of the Braddock’s kids, some sort of practical joke.”

Chief Craig moved slow, disappointment threading his motions. He’d have to try harder to land my ass back in jail, and I was sure he’d try.

“Fine. You’re free to go, Maddox. But don’t give me a reason to haul you in here again.” His voice lowered. “Don’t want anything to happen to those you leave behind.”

Asshole
. Nolan threatened Josie, and the chief harassed my sister. No one was safe in this godforsaken town.

And it was about to get worse.

Josie didn’t wait for me. The station’s chime twinkled as the door slammed behind her.

Fuck
.

I knew it was possible that she’d find out about my jobs for Nolan sooner or later, but I’d hoped it’d stay a secret. She’d never forgive me for taking a job from him. Nolan was more than an obsession to her—he was the cause of everything evil in the town. She didn’t care that other men had the same reasons to burn her shop, and she ignored every logical explanation that proved Nolan wasn’t the arsonist. He was just a lecherous bastard who’d never torch a building that would have benefited him financially.

But she wouldn’t forgive me for my desperation.

I had to try.

Nolan stopped me before I chased her, stepping in front of the door. I wasn’t in the mood for threats, and murder would be too damn noticeable in the middle of the police station.

“I told you to stay away from her.” He buttoned his suit. “This should guarantee it.”

“You really think you can keep us apart? Are you that pathetic that you’d burn your own damn signs just to humiliate me?”

“They were misprints. This way I can order a new batch with the insurance money.”

“Glad you could break her damn heart to stretch your campaign budget.”

“You never did tell her you were my errand boy, did you?”

She had a good idea now. “Doesn’t matter. She’ll forgive me.”

“Are you so sure?”

“Josie’s mine.” I leaned closer. “The sooner you realize it, the safer you’ll be.”

“Another threat?”

“Unlike yours…my threats are guaranteed.”

Nolan raised his eyebrows. “Do you think she’s worth it?”

What kind of question was that? I didn’t answer. He shrugged, passing from the door to let me chase after her.

“It just seems strange a love that strong wouldn’t last through prison,” he said.

“What the hell do you know about—”

“I know she never visited you in jail. Never wrote. Never called. Maybe you ought to ask her why she deliberately ignored you in prison…even after you saved her life.”

Ice shredded my veins, and doubt planted deep in my mind, in that dark and unsettling place I knew existed but fought to suppress. Nolan left me to assist the chief on another lead.  

Son of a bitch.

I wasn’t playing his games anymore, and I’d make sure he paid for humiliating Josie.

First, I’d find her, explain myself, tell her
why
I slept with the devil to give my angel her halo.

Then, I’d get to work.

Three men threatened Josie, but one just wormed his way to the top of my shit list. I didn’t care if Nolan was responsible or not. Once I was through with him…he wouldn’t need his damn campaign signs.

Dead men didn’t get elected.

Chapter Thirteen – Josie

My phone rang for the tenth time.

This ended now. I was done ducking calls, done simmering in anger, just
done
with Maddox.

How was I supposed to trust a man who would betray me, who would
work
for a man like Nolan? I sacrificed so much to try to protect Maddox, and he walked right into the lion’s den.

He
helped
the bastard who burned down my shop!

I answered the call and tried to sound anything but heartbroken.

“Maddox, I mean it. Stop calling. I will not talk to you—”

“
Uh…Josie? This is Larry from Willowbend Health Care Center...”

I dropped my bowl of cookie dough. I had been too depressed to even bake the damn cookies.

“Larry? I’m sorry! I thought you were…is everything okay?”

Larry’s heavy sigh froze the half batch of cookie dough sitting in my stomach. “It’s Matthias. There was an accident.”

This wasn’t happening. Not now.

“Is he okay? Is it his lungs?”

“He’s okay, Josie. He accidentally took too much of his medication.”

I stood too fast, knocking over my drink and the TV remote. I tripped over the coffee table in a search for my shoes. “I thought…don’t you handle his meds?”

“We oversee his medications, but Matt was capable of administering the prescriptions himself. He always handled it…you know him. But today he took a large amount of the wrong pills. He probably confused them because they’re in a new container.”

“Is he…?”

“He’s okay. A doctor was on-call and checked on him. We’ll watch him close tonight in case he needs a transfer to the hospital.”

I didn’t remember if I answered. I changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and rushed around the apartment, grabbing anything that might have helped the care facility. All the paperwork was already there though. I had nothing but a platter of cupcakes to offer.

Would Granddad even be awake to eat one?

I bolted to my car and sped to the care facility, racing my tears and the passing minutes. The nursing staff waited for me at the entrance—and even Tina Raynos, one of the meanest girls in my high school class, offered to park my car so I could rush inside.

Larry met me at the doorway to Granddad’s room. He gave me a hug.

“We’re out of the woods, but he’s probably going to be sleeping. Which is good—he was pretty cranky when we helped him.”

“Sounds like Granddad.” I wiped away another tear and offered Larry four very smooshed cupcakes. “Can I…?”

“Go on in.”

I nodded, but I didn’t move.

I wasn’t proud that I hesitated before approaching the bed. It was just…

The instant I saw him, life would change. Again.

It would be one of those moments we were helpless to stop, the kind of revelation that destroyed an already broken family. At least nothing could be worse than the first time I almost lost a loved one.

One year ago, I woke in the hospital after the fire and learned Granddad was hurt. The smoke had damaged his lungs, and the doctors weren’t sure of the full extent of his injuries. They had told me to wait and see.

So I did. I remembered stepping into his hospital room. Everyone warned me he’d look tiny in the bed. They were wrong. He had looked like my granddad. Not sick, not weak. Just…him, and I had no idea what to do or say or feel.

The memory still hurt. I had wanted to comfort him, but even that turned awkward and confusing. Our family and the doctors looked to me like I knew what we had to do, who to talk to, how to get the information I needed from the hospital and insurance and the police and fire marshals…

No one gave me the instructions for what to do when the child became the caretaker. Suddenly, I was taking more and more responsibilities away from Granddad so I could
manage
his health. The only advice I had from friends and family were the choices that infringed on Granddad’s privacy. The ones that hurt his pride. But it had to be done. I made those decisions, and I lost my grandfather.

Nobody deserved to be reduced to their ailments, but Granddad had nothing left. He hated being on oxygen. He couldn’t do the things he used to do, see the people he used to see, and most of our family was dead and buried long ago. How was I supposed to comfort a man who lost his best years and saw the remaining as a death sentence?

At least I had cupcakes this time. The Davis household prepared for the worst with baked goods now. It helped. At least our sorrows could go to our thighs and be worked off like everything else.

I forced a smile and went to his bedside.

He was asleep, which relieved me. Wasn’t sure what I’d say except the same things I said every time I visited.
I love you. How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?
The platitudes lost their impact when he no longer loved himself. He never felt
well
, and I could give him nothing to help him through these hard times.

Admitting that he was sick was hard. Knowing I couldn’t give more help because we had no money that wasn’t tied to his gambling debts was even worse.

His oxygen pumped harder than usual—ten liters. It hissed too loud, and it’d be uncomfortable for him. Usually he sucked on cough drops since the oxygen made his throat scratchy. I forgot to buy him a new bag. Too much happening and not enough attention on the things that mattered.

Family.

The man who raised me.

The one who tried so hard to instill good values, morality, and kindness in me…even when he suffered from his own vices.

Well, it was changing. And this time I meant it. Every time his health deteriorated I swore I’d do something different—more visits, different doctors, a new plan. It never worked, but this time wasn’t like before. I let myself get distracted. Gave my heart to a man who cared so little for me he’d work for the bastard who caused Granddad’s illnesses.

He needed the money, Maddox said. Didn’t we all? Couldn’t selling my property buy better treatments for Granddad? Clearing his debts would let me rebuild my shop. A little luck could turn everything around.

“Granddad?” I took his hand. He felt cold, but he always did. Said he busted the nerves when he was shocked one too many times doing electrical work. “How are you doing?”