Justice Reborn (Cowboy Justice Association Book 8) (13 page)

Evan’s brain was putting the puzzle pieces together and a few were missing. “Wait. How did they find you? They didn’t even know your name, did they?”

Josie sighed and shook her head. “Not originally, but when I got to the motel room I turned on the television. My name and picture were on the news. There was a hunt for a person of interest – me – and so my identity was blown. Stupidly I’d used my own car as a getaway vehicle and even paid the motel with a credit card. I’m not the brightest fugitive on the block. If it weren’t for the dumb luck of exiting the bus here in town and meeting you, well, I’d have no luck at all.”

Thank heavens that she had. Who knew what someone else might do with this information? Evan was absolutely going to help and protect her, his mind already working on all the possibilities. But he needed to make sure of one thing.

“Is that everything? Do I know it all?”

Chapter Fourteen

J
osie wished with all her heart she could answer Evan’s question in the affirmative. She wanted that to be the whole story but sadly, it was only the beginning of a very sordid tale. One she herself didn’t know all the details to.

“There is more.”

He quirked an eyebrow and lifted up the bottle. “Like
let’s have another drink
more or
it’s just a little thing
more?”

“I think we better have another drink.”

This time both brows flew up but he did as she’d suggested, pouring his own quite generously since she was already one drink ahead of him.

“I want to help and protect you, Josie, if you’ll let me. But I do need to know everything. So what else is there?”

Josie rubbed her forehead and temples, the pounding becoming intensely painful. “Sex.”

“Sex,” Evan repeated dutifully. “Can you be more specific?”

“Until last night I didn’t have access to a computer. After you fell asleep, I used your laptop to see what was on the thumb drive. Thank you for not password protecting it, by the way. I was of two minds about seeing what was on it, thinking that maybe if I knew I would be in more danger, but hell, they want me dead and there isn’t much more danger than that.”

“And they want the thumb drive, I assume?”

“Probably, but perhaps they think killing anyone who knows about it is good enough.”

Evan rubbed his chin and nodded. “Okay, who is having sex?”

“I don’t know who specifically, actually,” Josie sighed. “It’s former Senator Lydell and an unidentified female doing some very raunchy things to one another. I don’t think his wife would approve.”

Rearing back, his mouth fell open and his eyes went wide with shock. Despite not having a television it appeared he was keeping up with current events.

“The guy that’s rumored to be the next Secretary of Defense? Isn’t he married with like four kids or something? Are you sure it was him?”

She heartily wished she was wrong. “You can watch it yourself but yes, I am sure. It’s him. And it looks like he’ll do anything to keep that video from going public. A video like that could ruin him completely, not to mention hurt his family who are innocent in all this.”

Taking a big gulp of whiskey, Evan scraped his hand down his face before he spoke. “How did Amy come into possession of this?”

She took her own fortifying drink, letting the heat burn all the way to her belly, the pain distracting her from the equal hurt in her heart when she thought about her friend. Amy had been such a good person and she didn’t deserve to have an end that violent and ugly. Josie was just glad she’d been there those last few moments even if she couldn’t have stayed to see that a proper burial was planned.

“I’m not sure,” Josie admitted. “Amy worked as an administrative assistant for the Department of the Interior. I can’t imagine how she would get something like this in her possession. She was so sweet and a really good person. When she convinced me to come down here she said she was going to help me find a new job as a designer. She said she had contacts with important people who had money.”

“So that part was true? You were a designer?”

Josie curled up on the chair, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top. “I tried to be as honest as possible so I wouldn’t have to keep track of the lies.”

Evan played with his now empty glass and she waited quietly until he was ready to speak. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he took in everything she’d told him tonight.

“Why did you end up staying with me? What made you trust me?”

She had to be honest even if it was scary.

“First of all, I wouldn’t say I trusted you. I didn’t
not
trust you. I was open to trying to trust you. Second, it helped that you didn’t have a television and you seemed to have no interest in the news. That was a big plus. You lived way out here all by yourself and you were willing to pay me cash. Something I desperately needed because I wasn’t exactly flush with it when I fled.”

“What was your plan when you were done here? Where were you going and what were you going to do with the recording?”

Grimacing, she hid her face again, hating to admit just how clueless she was about all this. “Honestly? I have no idea. None. Until last night I hadn’t even seen what was on the thumb drive. I was thinking about heading to Dallas where I have an old college friend in journalism there. I was hoping he could help me but I hadn’t decided to go for sure. The fact is nothing in life has prepared me to be on the run from bad guys and the law, Evan. I don’t know what to do. I only knew I couldn’t go to jail for a crime I didn’t commit and that I needed to keep a low profile to stay away from the people who want me dead. Oh, and I needed money and a roof over my head. That’s about as far I’ve gotten in the last week. I know that sounds pathetic but there it is. I’m not a good felon and I don’t think well on my feet.”

He seemed to ponder her words, rubbing his chin as several expressions flitted across his features – none of them anger and disgust, although one of them looked a great deal like frustration. But then he wasn’t the first person to feel that way around her. Not in the least.

“Actually, for a civilian I think you’ve done pretty well. You did the right thing coming here to Cypress Corner, which is out of the way, and then getting a job to make more money while you figured things out. You told me just enough truth not to be tripped up by your own story. You kept yourself safe and that’s the most important thing. But now I’m here to help you and that means we do what I say and follow my rules. I can help and protect you, Josie, but you have to help me. From now on you have to be one hundred percent honest with me no matter what. Can you do that?”

It kind of sounded like he didn’t think she had been honest. She’d told him the awful truth and every bit of it.

“Of course I can,” she said a bit defensively. “I just did. Do you not believe me? I didn’t kill my friend, Evan. I would never do that to Amy. She was my best friend in the whole world. I didn’t hurt her no matter what the police think. I’m innocent.”

If he didn’t believe this one fact then she would have to leave right then. Because if he thought she was guilty there would be no doubt he’d call his old law enforcement cop buddies and her ass would be sitting in some dank cell somewhere while she waited for her court-appointed lawyer who wouldn’t believe her either.

Because she looked guilty. She’d been there when Amy died and even the thumb drive didn’t clear her. A good attorney could make it look like a reason to kill.

“I believe you. I don’t think you could murder anyone, honey. But I can’t help you if you don’t trust me.”

“I wouldn’t have told you the truth if I didn’t trust you.” Josie hopped up from her chair and the room spun, making her grab onto the table for support. The whiskey had done its job quite well. “I want your help, Evan. I don’t know what to do or where to go. And I’m scared all the damn time.”

Evan stood and pulled her into his arms, pressing her cheek to his chest where she could hear the steady beat of his heart under her ear. It was oddly reassuring and she relaxed in his embrace despite all the worries on her shoulders.

Or maybe it was the booze.

Either way it felt good to have someone hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. Except…wait…he hadn’t said that. Shit, he’d said he would help her but he hadn’t said he could keep her out of jail. She probably should have brought that up first thing.

“Hey…are you going to turn me in?” she asked, the words sticking in her throat and a shudder running through her body. She wasn’t prison yard material. She was more the My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake type.

His hand rubbed her back in circles, drawing a small sigh from her lips that she couldn’t hold back. “No, honey, I’m not going to turn you in. I don’t think the greater good would be served by doing that. But we do need to be careful because I can’t speak for everyone else we might come into contact with.”

“Thank you,” she said, her words muffled by the cotton of his t-shirt. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

“We’ll do everything we can to keep that from happening. Now first things first. I need to see that recording. We also need to investigate this Lydell guy. Find out if he has any weaknesses other than pretty young women. If I were a betting man I’d say that he does.”

Almost dizzy with relief, she finally allowed herself to lean on someone else, even if only for a few minutes. Evan was always solid and dependable but now he was also smart and resourceful. He knew what to do and she would follow him anywhere.

Just not to prison.

Chapter Fifteen

W
atching a sex tape never had the potential to be the most comfortable and enjoyable thing Evan had ever done and he’d dragged his feet about doing it, instead spending his time on the laptop digging up anything he could find about the former senator. Eventually he couldn’t put it off any longer and he’d popped the thumb drive into the port and sat back and cringed, grimaced, and winced as the smarmy senator seduced the pretty young girl into the sack. Apparently, Josie had watched no farther because the last five minutes of the recording showed the kinky asshole smacking the crap out of the young woman when she wanted to leave and he wanted her to stay when it was all over.