Damsel in Danger (Danger Incorporated Book 1) (27 page)

“Greg! What are you doing here?” Brinley grabbed Jason’s arm in panic. “This isn’t Damian Barnes—this is Greg Henry. That guy that cancelled dinner and who wouldn’t leave me alone.”

Brinley was stiff with shock at the thought that some guy she’d had coffee with had broken into her house. Greg must have lost his mind entirely to do something that stupid.

Jason’s brow shot up and his head swiveled to Greg and then back to her. “This is Damian Barnes, Brinley. I saw a picture of him in his office.”

Logan came to stand next to her, his arms crossed over his chest as her muddled brain tried to process Jason’s statement. “And he’s also Greg. I saw him the day he came visiting here, trying to get in the house. Want to tell us about that, Barnes?”

Damian Barnes or Greg or whatever the hell is name was appeared to not be a happy man. His normally handsome features were twisted into something ugly and angry, although not near as menacing as she’d imagined a killer could be.

It turned out evil looked just like everyone else.

What a frightening fact.

Damian Barnes pressed his lips together as if talking was the very last thing on his mind, but then his skin flushed a darker red and he jerked his arm away from the uniformed cop that had been standing next to him.

“I asked you out so I could get into the house. I didn’t want you. I wanted to get in here to get the gun and the jewelry. That’s why I brought you the coffee and the wine I’d drugged. I wanted you to fall asleep so I could retrieve my stuff. The gun and jewelry were safely tucked away under the floor until you moved here. Where are they?”

Barnes took a step toward her and she hastily retreated still stiff with shock at finding out Greg was Damian and Damian was Greg. Jason easily blocked the handcuffed man’s path, his wide shoulders and back filling her view. “You mean the gun and jewels I found three days ago when I figured out it was you that killed your stepmother? They’re in the crime lab and the gun is covered in fingerprints. I’m guessing they’re yours.”

The angry man’s mouth fell open. “How–how did you find them? How did you know they were there?”

A smile played around Jason’s mouth and Brinley was sure she’d never seen him look as calm and confident as he did in this moment. Solving a crime looked very good on him indeed.

“I can thank my time in captivity for that, actually. Sitting in a cell alone for weeks heightens your sense of hearing. I walked over that spot on the floor and knew something wasn’t right.”

West shook his head at Barnes who appeared to still be in shock. All this time the killer had been right there in front of her eyes and no one had known. She was elated that she’d never fallen for his bullshit line and charm act.

West was jotting notes in a notebook. “So you snuck out of the movie theatre and came back to the house to shoot your stepmother? How did you know your father wouldn’t be home?”

“They were arguing when I left. It was pretty much their pattern that they fought and then Dad went for a long drive and was gone most of the night. I knew I’d have plenty of time.”

“So you shot her and hid the gun and jewelry?” Jason asked. “Why jewelry? Were you trying to make it look like a robbery?”

Damian’s jaw jutted out and his eyes were cold. “Those belonged to my mother, not Linda. Dad would have let her keep them but that wasn’t right.”

“Why did you kill her?” Brinley heard herself asking before she could stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. “And why did you kill Roger Gaines?”

“She was spending all of Dad’s money. Money that was supposed to belong to me. It wasn’t fair. The way she was going through it there would have been nothing left by the time my father died.”

“And Roger?” West held the pencil poised on the paper. “You were the one he was meeting at the hotel, right?”

Shrugging, Damian shook his head. “He called me wanting to talk about the murder. I couldn’t have him or that other girl digging up the past.”

Jason’s mouth was a grim line. “And Brinley? Why did you try and kill her? If you were worried about being investigated why didn’t you try to kill me or West?”

“I didn’t try. At first.” The man moved restlessly on his feet. “I just wanted in the house. My plan wasn’t to kill her but drug her so she’d be asleep while I did what I needed to do. But then I saw that flooring van and I knew I couldn’t wait. I had to stop her from pulling up the floors.”

“I wasn’t going to do that. I was just going to refinish them.” Brinley glanced at the gaping hole in her dining room floor. “Of course now I’ll have to have that patched.”

“The truck said they did new floors. I couldn’t take any chances. If you were dead the renovations would stop.”

Logan had been silent the entire time but he was shaking his head and scowling. “Why in the hell didn’t you buy the house in the first place when it was for sale and save yourself all the fuss of trying to get in and worrying about the damn floors?”

“I tried,” Barnes declared, a tad too loudly. “But by the time I heard Aunt Gail had put the house on the market it had been sold. She never would have sold to me anyway. Bitch.”

It was all suddenly too much for Brinley. She fell into one of her dining room chairs with a soft groan of frustration. So many people dead or injured because of one man’s greed.

“So you killed your stepmother for money, right? Then you killed Roger Gaines and tried to kill Anita Hazlitt because you thought they were closing in on you. And finally you tried to kill me for a gun and some jewelry and to stop any renovations on the house. Do I have all this clear?”

Damian said something she couldn’t quite make out but it sounded like a few rude words. Jason had obviously had enough because he grabbed Damian’s arm, and with West on the other side they escorted Barnes to a waiting squad car.

“What happens now?” Brinley slumped in the chair and watched as the police officers slowly dispersed.

Logan nodded toward the front door. “West will take Barnes to the station and book him. They’ll hold him there until he can be arraigned. They’ll also question him and get a full statement for the record. I doubt he’ll get bail, having admitted to a double murder and two other attempted murders. In fact, if I were him I’d take a deep breath of fresh air right now because I don’t think he’ll be seeing freedom for a long time—if ever.”

A thought wouldn’t leave her alone. “Do you think his father knew?”

“Hell, that’s a good question. Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t. Or maybe he knew on some level but couldn’t allow himself to say it out loud.”

Jared stepped forward and placed his hand lightly under her elbow. She’d just met him a few days ago but already she liked him as much as Logan, although he had a very different personality. Quieter. More cerebral where Logan was loud but intense.

“Brinley? Why don’t I take you back to Jason’s house and we can let Logan lock up over here when the cops are done? You look like you could use a stiff shot of whiskey.”

“Wrong. I need at least two. Let’s go.”

She let Jared escort her out of her dream home that had turned into a nightmare, through the side yard, and straight into the home of her dream man. If she had to choose between the two, she’d choose her man every single time.

‡

B
rinley had finished
her first shot of whiskey when Jason joined her in his kitchen. He pulled down a highball glass and poured himself a generous dollop of the single malt scotch before knocking it back in one gulp.

“West took him to the station and they’ll get his statement.” Jason refilled his glass and held out the bottle to Brinley and Jared but they both shook their heads. It turned out Brinley didn’t like the taste of whiskey in the least.

Jared patted her hand and then stood from the table. “Unless you need me I’m going to get on the road to the airport. I can get a flight out and be back home to Misty and Lizzie Rose mid-morning.”

Jason held out his hand to Jared. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I promised you no dangerous assignments when you partnered with me and I guess I lied. I pulled you away from your computer and into field work.”

Jared’s rich laughter filled the room as he slapped his hat on his head. “I was never in any danger. Just this young lady.” He gave Brinley a smile. “And she handled it like a champ. She’s a keeper, Anderson.”

Brinley giggled and shook her finger at Jason. “That’s right. I’m a keeper.”

Jason rolled his eyes and took another drink from the glass. “I’m well aware, honey. Believe me.” He turned back to Jared, who was fishing his keys out of a bowl on the kitchen counter. “What about Logan? Is he leaving with you?”

“I’m heading next door right now to help him lock up. Then he’s driving me to the airport before getting on the road back home. With any luck he’ll be eating pancakes with Ava and the twins in the morning. And we should all get a good night’s sleep in our own homes.” Jared slapped Jason on the back and grinned. “I think we’ve all earned it.”

Jason walked his friend and partner to the car while Brinley lounged on the couch. Now that Damian – or Greg – had been captured and the mystery solved, she and Jason had a great deal to talk about. They’d never truly discussed what the future held for the two of them.

She couldn’t stop her pulse from accelerating and a zing of excitement shot up her spine. The nightmare was finally over and she and Jason could just…be together.

He came back into the house and pulled his boots off, setting them by the door before coming to sit beside her. Tugging her into his arms, he ran his hand up and down her back, lying close and not saying anything for a long while. It felt amazing to simply be close to him.

“I’m real proud of you, honey. Jared’s right. I don’t know too many people who would have handled the pressure of all this as well as you did. You’re something else.”

“Don’t speak too soon. I might fall apart in the morning when I realize we don’t have to question suspects or comb through police files anymore.”

Brinley was pretty sure the moment when all this was going to hit her hadn’t happened yet. But it would and she hoped it wouldn’t be too bad. Maybe some crying or a couple of glasses of wine. Or several pairs of new shoes.

“School will start soon. You won’t have much time to dwell on this.”

She had to report for pre-school year activities in three weeks. It was time to move on and this was why she’d left Chicago for a fresh start.

“I still have some time off. Maybe we could go somewhere.”

Brinley held her breath waiting for his answer. He’d said the day of her accident he loved her but he hadn’t said it since and she didn’t want to assume anything. The fear thing might have returned in full force.

“I’d like that too. Just the two of us. I think I’d like the opportunity to prove to you that I was telling you the truth.”

She didn’t think Jason had ever lied to her so his statement seemed strange. “Tell me the truth about what?”

His rough fingers lifted her chin so she was looking up into those sexy green eyes. He had a goofy, mushy look on his face that made her insides tumble and dance and he brushed his lips against her own once, then twice until she thought her heart might burst with love.

“About how much I love you. I’m not sure I was convincing enough. I intend to remedy that in the next week and into the future. By Christmas I hope that you’ll know how I feel deep down in your bones.” His palm pressed against her chest. “And in your heart. You’ve brought me back to life. I was half living until you came along. I was playing it safe. It took someone remarkable to shake me up and set me straight.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck in delight and couldn’t keep the smile from her face. They were perfect for each other. “I was doing the same thing. Afraid to take chances. I think that’s why I wasn’t angry with you when you pulled away. I could see myself in you. I bet you saw yourself in me too. But we both took a wild chance and look at what we’ve found.”

“Love.” Jason leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss that said so much about how he felt. More than words, his actions spoke volumes.

“Love.” She could only agree. No arguments.

Brinley had found the kind of love she hadn’t been sure existed. All from the boy next door.

Love thy neighbor?

Don’t mind if I do.

‡

J
ason patted the
ring in his pocket for the twentieth time that day. It was another Sunday dinner with the Anderson family but today was going to be a little different. He was planning to propose to Brinley and damn if he wasn’t nervous and jumpy. Brinley loved him and he loved her so he was pretty sure she was going to say yes, but he wasn’t going to take it for granted.

In the past several months she’d become an integral part of the Anderson clan and his parents adored her. Brinley had helped his mother prepare Thanksgiving dinner. The two of them had baked cookies and pies for Christmas. They’d even teamed up to collect toys for some of the needy children so they would have something from Santa under the tree.

His parents hadn’t said a word to Jason but he could tell that they not only wholeheartedly approved of Brinley but were wondering when he was going to ask her to marry him. On Christmas Eve West and Travis had both come right out and asked him what he was waiting for.

West strode into the living room and headed straight for the bar, barely glancing at Jason and Travis who were already sipping a fine whiskey.

“Who put the bee in your bonnet, little brother?” Travis strolled over to the bar, only limping slightly now, his hip healing more every day.

“I signed the papers this morning. I did it.” West threw back the shot of whiskey and then slapped the glass down on the bar. “I can’t believe it but I did it.”

Jason couldn’t hold back the laughter at his brother’s comical expression of angst. “It’s not that bad. You’re now officially running for mayor. It’ll be great. We’ll vote for you.”

West refilled his glass. “The only reason I’m doing it is that Cavendish is evil incarnate. We have to get him out of office before he ruins this town. He’s only out for himself and his cronies.”