Alaskan Courage: Silenced Part 30

Angela stood on the dock, watching. Weren't they sweet, huddled over her husband's case files.

This was going to be even better than Jake's wife and unborn child. He'd been too young then to truly realize what he had.

Now . . .

She s.h.i.+fted the binoculars to rest on Kayden's face. He'd soon know the depths of what he'd lost, and it would be exquisitely painful.

Jake refilled Kayden's ice tea, pretty sure he'd never been happier in his life. The time alone with her had been amazing, even if the time had been spent looking through files of the case that had nearly broken him.

Was this G.o.d's way of giving him a second chance? Was catching Angela this time going to finally lay his demons to rest? Could he rise from the ashes and begin again with Kayden? It seemed too good to be true, and until it actually happened, he wouldn't dare believe it.

"So how did you know she was involved?" Kayden asked, lifting Angela Mark.u.m's photo.

"I didn't, at first." Jake sat back, resting his hands behind his head. "Not until Joel Mark.u.m killed himself."

"How did that change things?"

"It showed us that someone else with strength and ingenuity was involved. If Mark.u.m was too cowardly to stand trial, I questioned whether he had been in it alone."

Kayden stretched beside him. Her neck was stiff, hurting, tired from bending over case files for the past two hours. He could tell by her tentative movements.

"Here." He gently placed his hand on her neck, praying she didn't bolt. He started rubbing as she started to protest, and she fell silent after a moment, leaning into his ma.s.sage.

Jake focused on taking care of her and the tightness in her neck, not on the sensations or emotions racing through him.

"You were saying?" she asked.

"Right." He tried to refocus his thoughts. "Angela Mark.u.m. I took some time away from the case after Becca's . . . death. And when I returned, we were close to proving the alibis Angela had provided for Joel for both the night of Candace's murder and Becca's. .h.i.t-and-run were false. Joel must have learned we were closing in and decided to take his own life rather than face the consequences.

"When we arrived to arrest him and found him . . . let's just say the maid showed more distress than Angela. Her lack of compa.s.sion and emotion led us to reconsider whether Joel would have been solely behind the ingenious burial location and the strategic moves that followed the murder-and suddenly it all pointed to her. Luckily the evidence did too."

"How'd she react when you arrested her?"

"She was cold and calculated. Very calmly swore she'd get revenge."

Kayden s.h.i.+fted to face him. "And now she's back."

He scooted back. "Yeah."

"And this time?"

"She wants to take away everyone I love."

Kayden swallowed. "Because she blames you for her husband's suicide?"

"Maybe. But more likely, because she thinks I destroyed her perfect life, she's bent on destroying mine."

And Kayden, whether she knew it or not, had become his life.

He looked at the clock. "It's late. I'd better get you home." He needed to keep her safe.

"Piper dropped me off. I'll call her to pick me up."

"No need. I can take you." Jake grabbed his keys.

"It's no problem." Kayden reached for her cell.

"No problem for me to take you." He jangled his keys.

She relented. "Okay. Thanks."

Jake watched with frustration and pride as Kayden made it to his truck by herself and climbed inside.

He drove her the ten miles home and escorted her to the door.

"I had fun tonight," she said, clearly without thinking. "I mean, going over the case files was interesting."

He exhaled. "Right."

"I can tell you were a really good detective. Still are."

"I don't know about that." Back then he'd been arrogant and c.o.c.ky, and his job had gotten his wife and child killed.

"The way you caught Joel Mark.u.m and his wife. That was brilliant."

Had Kayden just complimented him twice? He slipped his hands into his pockets, fighting the urge to reach out to her. Now that he'd held her during the dance at Cole and Bailey's wedding, held her in his arms, he never wanted to stop. The urge to pull her into an embrace was always there. "You better get some sleep. It's been a rough week."

"I'm-"

"Fine." He smirked. "Trust me, I know."

A smile tugged at the corners of her full lips, but she held it in check. "Good night, Jake."

"'Night."

She shut the front door and he moved back to his truck, every fiber of his being alive and tingling.

"You two kids have fun?"

Jake whirled around with gun drawn to find Gage standing ten feet away.

Gage lifted his hands. "Easy there, cowboy."

Jake holstered his weapon. "You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that." Especially not him.

"I a.s.sumed you heard me coming. You always hear me coming."

"I was . . ."

"Distracted." Gage grinned.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying at Cole's while he and Bay are on their honeymoon. With everything going on, I felt better staying closer to the girls."

"Good idea." Cole's cabin sat on the other side of the tree line, only a few hundred feet away from the girls' place.

"Piper said she dropped Kayden off at your place hours ago." Gage leaned against the grill of Jake's truck, his grin still beaming. "That's gotta be a first."

He and Kayden had been experiencing a lot of firsts lately. "Yeah. She came over to go through the case files with me."

"Uh-huh. I saw the way you two were looking at each other on the porch, all googly-eyed."

That was the second time Gage had said "looking at each other." Was there a chance Kayden really was interested in him? Might she love him the way he loved her? It would be too good to be true. But the last time he'd been in that position, he'd lost everything.

"So?" Piper met Kayden at her bedroom door.

Great. "So?" She stepped inside her room and dropped her purse on the bed.

"How'd it go with Jake?"

"Fine. We went over his old case files."

Piper followed her in. "And?"

"And they were very interesting."

Piper smiled. "Must have been for you to have stayed so late." Her eyes narrowed. "What happened to your chin?"

Kayden fingered the Band-Aid Jake had applied, remembering his a.s.sertiveness and tenderness, the combination a reminder of the amazing strength and gentleness her dad had displayed when it came to those he loved.

Kayden leaned her stupid crutch against the dresser and pulled out her PJs.

Piper plopped on the bed. "Earth to Kayden. What happened to your chin?"

"Oh. I tripped. No big deal."

Piper shook her head. "If you wouldn't be so stubborn."

"If you wouldn't be so smothering."

"It's called compa.s.sion."

"It's concern, and in this case it's unwarranted. I'm fine."

"Well, that's a first," Piper mocked.

If they were still kids, now's right about when she'd pummel her sister with a pillow. "Well, thanks for the chat, but it's late."

Piper crossed her legs Indian-style. "We both know I'm not going anywhere until you give up the deets on Jake."

Kayden set her PJs on the dresser with a shake of her head. "You're impossible."

"I prefer persistent."

Kayden sighed and moved to sit beside her sister on the bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Kayden laughed. "Fat chance. I'll answer one question. One," she reiterated before Piper could argue, "but then you have to let me get some sleep."

Piper mulled it over a minute. "Fine. One question." Her smile returned.

Kayden braced herself.

"Are you in love with him?"

Of course Piper would go for the big one.

"Well?"

They both looked over to find Gage leaning against the doorframe.

"Gage!" Piper scowled. "She's never going to answer now."

"Please . . ." He stepped from the doorframe into the room. "She wasn't going to answer you."

"What are you doing here?" Kayden asked, thankful for the reprieve.

"Jake said you took a spill earlier. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

"Of course you are."

"Okay. Enough. Both of you out." She stood and scooted Piper with her crutch toward the door.

"Not until you answer my question," Piper said, stalling against her forward motion.

"Good night, you two." She gently shoved Piper into Gage and both of them into the hall, closing the door behind her with a huff.

"Gage, your timing stinks," Piper said from the other side of the door.

"Oh please, like she'd ever answer that question," Gage retorted. "Besides, she didn't have to. Her face said it all."

Kayden let the door support her weight. Great. Now her siblings knew. Did Jake know too? Could he read it on her face? He had an uncanny knack for reading her.

A mix of embarra.s.sment and excitement drilled through her as she flopped onto the bed. This, as Gage liked to say, was ungood.