Busted: Promise Harbor, Book 3 (33 page)

Kyle was at the curb, watching a handful of teenagers in dress shirts and pants playing road hockey. Jackson watched at a distance for a few minutes, then walked over to them.

“Keep your head up,” Kyle yelled.

“Don’t worry about it,” one of the kids called back, losing the ball to another kid who came up beside him and snatched it away.

“He’s right,” Jackson called out. He handed Kyle the bottle of water.

The kid gave him a confused look but accepted the bottle. “Thanks, I guess.”

Jackson stepped off the curb. “If you keep your head up, then you can play where the ball or puck is
gonna
be, not just where it is. That’s what separates great hockey players from the good ones.”

“Wayne Gretzky said that, right?” Brent piped up.

“Right. And you,” he pointed to a shorter kid next to Brent. “You’re not making sure the blade of your stick is lining up for your shots. That’s why you missed the last couple times.”

He held his hand out for the kid’s stick and then demonstrated the difference between the ball hitting the net and missing it. “Try it.”

The teen took the stick then and, with a self-conscious look at the guys around him, made the shot. It flew right between the goalie’s legs.

“Good.” Jackson fist-bumped the teen.

“My wraparound goals suck.”

“I can never hit the same spot in the net more than once.”

“How do you nail those guys with that right hook every time?”

The questions were fired from all directions, and Jackson laughed, taking time to answer all of them and then a few more before having them try a few other things. Satisfaction coursed through him seeing the teens laugh and encourage each other.

Matt was sitting on the steps outside the kitchen when Jackson finally walked back to the house.

“Did they chase you away too?” Jackson motioned to the women he could see through the window.

“They’re trying to figure out whose casseroles should be put out first.” Matt shook his head, moving over so Jackson could sit next to him. “Hayley still avoiding you?”

“I’m not sure that’s what she’s doing.” Maybe she was really ready for things to be over between them. His gut twisted sharply at the possibility.

“And what are you doing?”

“Truthfully, I don’t have a fucking idea.” And the worst part was that applied to more than just Hayley.

“Bullshit.”

He glanced at his friend, only half surprised by the outburst.

“Pull your head out of your ass, Jackson. Do you want to coach in the NHL?”

“They offered me the job.”

“But do you want it? You wanted to play, wanted it more than I’ve ever known anyone to want anything. Except maybe Hayley when she decided she wanted to be a cop. You said you wanted the coaching job, but are you sure that’s what you really want?”

He glanced toward the kids on the street, thinking long and hard. “I think so.”

“And Hayley…”

He cut his friend off. “She said it was fun.” Not until the words left his mouth did he realize how much her saying that had pissed him off.

“Do you care about her?” Matt pressed.

“Caring isn’t always enough.” Caring about her certainly hadn’t stopped him from leaving at the worst time possible.

Standing up, Matt scoffed. “You sound like you’re trying way too hard to convince yourself of that. Why is that?”

Maybe because it meant admitting once and for all that everything he thought he wanted wasn’t nearly as important as he’d once believed.

Matt didn’t wait around to hear his answer, seemingly satisfied that he’d made his point. Jackson still didn’t know what to do about Hayley, but the last few minutes with the Hawks had made him think of Coach and just how much the old man had done for him.

That unwavering support and belief in him mattered so much more than how far Jackson had gone with the NHL.

He wanted that for those kids, wanted it a lot more than he wanted to help NHL players manage and maintain their skills.

He caught himself smiling for the first time since leaving the harbor, feeling like he’d finally figured out what the hell he was supposed to do.

“Thanks, Coach.”

Hayley rolled over and stared at the clock on the bedside table. It wasn’t even eleven o’clock at night, and though exhaustion had made going to bed early a good idea, she couldn’t sleep.

She sat up and dragged on a pair of shorts and walked downstairs. The door in the hall slammed on her way outside, but she was so used to it by now, she didn’t even flinch.

All she wanted was to sleep. Then she wouldn’t have to think about today. Wouldn’t have to think at all. Once morning came, she could dive back into work. That would be easier than taking a couple days off and having to dodge Jackson. With another autograph signing lined up, she imagined he’d be sticking around for that, and then he’d be gone and things could go back to the way they were.

Hayley had only reached the front porch when her cell phone rang inside. It took her a minute to remember where she’d left it and another second to make sure it wasn’t Jackson calling.

She recognized the number for Cody and Kyle’s place and answered.

“Hayley? Hope I didn’t wake you. I know it’s late.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping. What can I do for you, Mr. Carmichael?”

“It’s probably nothing, but our car is missing. I didn’t want to call and report it missing in case…in case Cody took it. He’s not allowed to drive my wife’s car, but he’s been pretty upset about your grandfather. Kyle thinks he’s with Brent and that the guy committing all the break-ins took the car, but that seems less likely to me. But it’s not like Cody to break the rules either.”

“Why don’t I take a look around town and see if I can spot Cody or the car?”

“I don’t want to bother you any more than I already have—”

“I could use the distraction anyway. It’s better if I have a look for it just in case it wasn’t Cody that decided to go joyriding. What kind of car does your wife drive?”

“A dark blue Camry. A 2007, I think.” Mr. Carmichael hesitated. “If you’re sure…”

“I’ll call you back shortly.” She hung up then, after grabbing her keys and locking up behind her, she set out to look for the missing car and teenager.

An hour later and she’d been down nearly every street in town and had come up with nothing. Not until she turned down Jackson’s parents’ street did she realize she’d unconsciously left this neighborhood and this street in particular for the end. She slowed as she passed the dark house with the porch light on.

She’d spent all day avoiding him until he’d given up and kept his distance. When she hadn’t been pulled into one conversation after another to reminisce about her grandfather this afternoon, she’d spent the time wondering if she’d made a mistake acting as though it hadn’t hurt when he left town or saying it was nothing more than a good time.

But he’d left.

She had no right to hold that against him. She knew that. Leaving had always been part of his plan, but she hadn’t counted on falling in love with him. Hadn’t realized that being left behind—again—would be almost more than she could stand.

She’d downplayed her feelings out of self-preservation and then spent the rest of the day alternating between bouts of sadness and frustration about the entire situation. He’d been there for her at the funeral, hadn’t asked her for anything, but let her lean on him when she needed to, and she’d turned around and ignored him.

Any thoughts of apologizing for being so cold to him earlier would have to wait until another time. His car wasn’t in the driveway. He was probably with Matt, or maybe Josh since she heard he’d come home after spending a week on Greenbush Island. Josh’s sister, the missing maid of honor, had also turned up.

She pulled in to the driveway to turn around, barely catching a glimpse of a dark colored car down the street in the rearview mirror. She turned the truck around and parked two houses down from the Camry. The florist bumper sticker identified the car as Mrs. Carmichael’s, but there wasn’t anyone inside it at the moment.

Hayley climbed out and glanced around, mentally reviewing the addresses for the other kids on the team, wondering if Cody had come to hang out with one of the other guys. Or maybe a girl was involved.

She wasn’t about to go door to door, disturbing people in her search for Cody. She’d let Mr. Carmichael know she found the car, then she would wait for the teen or whoever came to claim the vehicle.

Decision made, she turned around to get back in the truck, freezing when movement across the street snagged her attention. If she’d been standing two feet in either direction, the house and surrounding greenery would have masked the shadowed figure dropping down over the side of a fence in the backyard.

Chapter Fourteen

Hayley only made it halfway up the driveway before the guy walking in her direction lifted his head and noticed her.

He froze, then took off.

Going on the assumption she’d just stumbled upon her thief, she knew there was no way in hell he was slipping through her fingers a second time. Hayley bolted after him, closing the distance much quicker than she had the last time. She snagged the back of his shirt, yanking hard enough to pull the hood down.

“Cody?” Shock nailed her square in the chest.

Wide-eyed, the teen stumbled away from her and jerked a handgun from the front pocket of his hoodie, pointing it at her.

“Don’t come any closer.” His gaze darted around.

He was panicking and searching for an escape route, Hayley knew, and limiting her options. She didn’t want to give him any reason to pull the trigger, but she couldn’t let him take off on her, not armed.

“What are you doing, Cody?” She kept her voice neutral, calm.

“He needs the money, Hayley.”

She frowned. “Kyle,” she guessed.

Cody nodded, his hand trembling around the weapon. “He still needs another twenty thousand for his surgery that insurance won't cover.”

“You’ve been stealing and giving the money to your brother.”

“I have it all set aside to make an anonymous donation. He needs the money more than they do.”

The people he stole from.

“That doesn’t make it right, Cody. And you’re making things a whole lot worse by holding a gun on a police officer.”

“I’m sorry about what I did to your house. I was drinking and so mad. I didn’t mean… Kyle can’t die, Hayley. He can’t.” He started to lower the gun, then looked at something over her shoulder.

He backed up, tripping as he turned to flee. Hayley lunged forward, catching hold of Cody and dropping to the ground with him.

A second later the gun went off.

Jackson spotted Hayley’s truck on the street the moment he pulled into the driveway. Grinning, he jogged up the stairs to the front door, so damn relieved that she was here he couldn’t get the door open fast enough. She wasn’t outside, so she must have let herself in somehow.

But why had she locked it behind her?

Jackson checked the side door, then walked back to Hayley’s truck, wondering if he’d mistaken someone else’s vehicle for hers. Maybe he was getting his hopes up for no reason whatsoever.

Halfway to the parked vehicle, he heard voices and glanced around in search of them. He spotted two people in the middle of the yard next door. Hayley’s blonde hair and trademark legs made her easy to pick out even though she had her back to him.

He opened his mouth to call out, snapping his jaw shut when he saw the gun. His heart punched down into his stomach, adrenaline flooding his system.

He ran toward them, wanting to yell at Hayley to get out of the way, all the while knowing it might only make things worse.

The teenager holding the gun spotted him, and Jackson slowed, recognizing Cody. Why the hell did he have a gun? And what the fuck was he doing pointing it at Hayley?

Jackson had already spooked him, though, and Cody turned to run.

Hayley dove after him, and they hit the ground together. The sound of a gunshot turned Jackson’s insides to ice. He sprinted forward, dropping next to Hayley. She reached around him, tossing the gun out of Cody’s reach. He noticed the blood on her hand at the same time she did.

“You’ve been shot.”

She shook her head, but he was already pulling her shirt up in search of the wound. “It’s not my blood. Jackson,” she grabbed his hands, “I wasn’t shot.”

They both glanced at Cody.

The teen stared up at them, fear and tears shining in his eyes. “I think it’s mine. I scraped myself climbing the fence the first time.”

Hayley told him to turn over and checked his back. The scrape on his back was still oozing blood.

“Do. Not. Move.” The authority in Hayley’s voice left no room for negotiating, and Cody was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. She rocked back on her heels, drawing a shaky breath.

Jackson yanked her into his arms. “You scared the shit out of me. When the gun went off I thought…” He drew back enough to look her over. “You sure you’re okay?”