Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (36 page)

Brent cursed as he turned back to him and carefully tilted his head back. “Hey. You all right?”

When Jack didnʼt answer or even acknowledge his presence, he jumped back to his feet and pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Sinclair, bring some water to the interrogation room, please,” he said as soon as Nicky answered. Then he sighed. “And call Doc.”

***

“Howʼs he doing?” Brent urged Doc as soon as he walked out of Jackʼs cell.

The doctor shrugged. “He hasnʼt said a word since I went in there. The blow was really hard, and that worries me, considering his previous head injury. I gave him some painkillers, but I need him to come to the hospital for a CT scan.”

Brent nodded. “Iʼll arrange for that myself.”

“Good, good. Is
he
still here?”

“Who, Max?” Nicky interjected. “No, he left a while ago. He looked mad as hell, and I doubt heʼll be back for a while.”

“He better stay away from me today,” Brent hissed with disgust.

Doc frowned. “What on earth got into him, anyway? Max may not be the nicest person in the world, but Iʼve never seen him act like this before.”

“He hates Jack, Doc, really hates him. You should have seen the fury in his eyes—Jesus, he would have killed him with his own hands if Iʼd let him! Saraʼs right, there are too many people here who would rather see Jack dead than accept his return.”

“But…wasnʼt his lawyer supposed to be there?”

“Yeah, well, there was no sign of him when I walked in there.” Brent sighed. “Iʼm going to contact the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and file a report with Judge Hatkins. I swear Iʼll make sure that bastard isnʼt allowed to be alone with Jack anymore.” He cursed again, slamming his fist against his desk. Then he gave Nicky a mortified glance. “Sorry.”

She shrugged. “Itʼs all right. I feel like throwing something against the wall myself. Something very similar to Lacrodʼs head, preferably,” she added, and a faint smile appeared on Brentʼs lips.

“Well, you guys let me know how everything goes. Iʼm going back to the hospital to make the arrangements for Jackʼs CT scan.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Nicky watched the doctor as he walked out of the office. On impulse, she then grabbed the phone and dialed Saraʼs number. It took a few rings, but this time she heard her hesitant “hello?” on the other end of the line. Taken aback, as she hadn’t really been expecting to hear her voice, for a moment she couldnʼt even reply. Brent perched on the side of the desk and quickly pressed the speaker key.

“Sara!” he said with a sigh of relief. “Weʼve been trying to call you since yesterday―are you all right?”

“Iʼm fine. Is Nicky there?”

“Sheʼs beside me. Youʼre on the speaker,” Brent informed her, and thatʼs when Nicky finally found her voice.

“Where have you been? I drove by your house last night, but your car wasnʼt there.”

“I spent the night in Dallas.”

Her friends traded a surprised look. “Dallas?”

“Yes. Iʼve been looking for an attorney willing to defend Jack,” Sara explained after taking a big breath. “Look, guys, thereʼs no use fooling ourselves here. Jack is in big trouble.”

Brent nodded, his thoughts on the young, frightened guy whoʼd been appointed to represent Jack and whoʼd fled before the official interrogation had even started. Hell, heʼd sue that dumbass, too, while he was at it. “Have you found anybody?” he asked Sara.

“Yes. It took me all day, but I did find someone.”

The satisfaction in her voice made Brent smile. “Let me tell you, hon, Iʼm very proud of you for keeping your head up during this whole mess.”

“I didnʼt have much choice, Brent. Not with Jack being locked up in jail with such an awful accusation.”

“Iʼm sorry, Sara,” Nicky said contritely. “I hope you know that arresting him was the last thing in the world we wanted to do.”

“I know.”

“I was afraid you wouldnʼt want to have anything to do with us after what happened.”

She hesitated before replying. “Well, I admit that I
was
mad at you guys at first. Furious, actually. Then I just felt numb, almost as if I were inside a bubble, where nothing could touch me and hurt me anymore. I donʼt think I truly realized what had happened until dozens of journalists from the local news media started bombarding me with phone calls―and thatʼs when my bubble burst and I got mad at you guys all over again.” She sighed. “But I know it wasnʼt your decision to make; you just did your job.”

“Yes, we did. But still, Iʼm sorry.”

“Thank you, Brent. So, have you seen Jack? Howʼs he doing?”

Brent and Nicky exchanged another long look. “Actually, he, um, heʼs not very well,” he finally admitted in a whisper. “He hasnʼt really said much since we brought him in, and…he had a disagreement with Lacrod.”

“A
disagreement
?” Saraʼs voice was filled with panic. “What did that asshole do? Oh gosh, he beat him up, didnʼt he?”

“It will never happen again,” Nicky promised, mortified. “Brent is pressing charges against Max, and we wonʼt let him anywhere near Jack.”

There were a few seconds of tense silence, then Sara let out another deep sigh. “Can I talk to him? Or see him?” she asked, hopeful.

Brent hated destroying her hopes. “Iʼm afraid not, honey. In a few days, maybe.” When Sara didnʼt comment, he decided to change the subject. “So, this lawyer you found… Who is he? Is he reliable?”

“I hope so. His name is Frank Something. Apparently, heʼs already Jackʼs personal attorney in Chicago, and heʼs supposed to call me today to discuss the details of everything.”

“How did you find this guy?” Nicky asked, surprised.

“I got in touch with Raymond Miller, the VP of Jackʼs company. A very nice man, considering that I woke him up in the middle of the night.”

Brentʼs eyes widened. “You
what
?”

“Well, when I called him, it was past two a.m.,” she admitted, embarrassed. “But what was I supposed to do? I couldnʼt wait any longer after wasting the whole afternoon.”

“I donʼt even know what to say,” Nicky commented with a chuckle.

“Good,” Sara said firmly. “Save your energy now, because youʼre going to need plenty of it the next few weeks.”

***

Jack struggled to get his eyes to open. He blinked in an effort to focus his gaze and gave a slow, cautious look around. Reality crashed down on him at the sight of the gray, gloomy walls around him.
He was in jail
.

He tried to sit up, but a sudden stab of pain made him stop in mid-motion. Shit, his head felt as it were about to split in half. With a weary sigh, he raised his hands to his face, wincing as his fingers came into contact with his right cheekbone. It throbbed so much he could barely keep his eyes open.

Sara
. He needed to focus on Sara.
But then his gut twisted at the memory of the sickened expression on her face when heʼd been shoved against that police car, handcuffed and humiliated. Nausea rose to his gullet.
Shit
.

The cell lock suddenly clicked, a low sound that echoed through his head like a gunshot. As the door cracked open, Brent peered inside and hinted at a smile at the sight of him awake and sitting up.

“Hey. Howʼre you doing?” he asked, walking in and shutting the door behind him.

“Like a herd of angry buffalos ran all over me.”

“Pretty close―except that it was just one buffalo. A very mean one, though.” Brent chuckled, shaking his head. “Doc left some painkillers on the table for you. Take them if you need them.”

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“No, thanks.”
I need Sara!
Jack wanted to scream.

Brent sat uncomfortably beside him. “Iʼm sorry, man. For everything. If thereʼs anything I can do to help you, Iʼll be happy to do it.”

“Thanks, but—” 

He shook his head to stop him. “Jack, I intend to testify for you regarding what happened at Carrieʼs hotel two nights ago. I was there with you when we entered her room; I was with you when we went out on the balcony, and I was with you when we found Carrieʼs body.”

“But you werenʼt with me when she was killed,” he finished for him. “You werenʼt with me when I got to the hotel and looked for her everywhere.”

“No. No, I wasnʼt. In fact, why donʼt you tell me exactly what happened?”

Jack scoffed a cold laugh. “Why donʼt you ask your boss? I spent at least three hours repeating everything over and over to him.”

He sighed. “Iʼm ashamed of what Max did, but I promise it will never happen again. Iʼm pressing charges against him, and Iʼll do everything I can to get him off your case.”

“Well, I did provoke him.”

“I donʼt care. He was out of line and has to pay for it.” He hesitated before continuing. “Layla came by my office this morning. She wanted to talk to you, but I told her you couldnʼt see anyone yet.”

Jack turned to him with a frown. “Layla wanted to see me? Why?”

“She wanted to apologize for what her father did to you. She asked me to tell you that sheʼs ashamed of him and completely disassociates from his behavior.”

“Wow. That was nice of her.”

“Sheʼs a good friend.” Brent took a deep breath. “Look, Jack, I know that ten years ago you felt abandoned by all of us, and Iʼm sorry. But I hope you know that itʼs not going to happen again. Youʼre not alone this time. We wonʼt let you be.”

Jack blinked in surprise. Something indecipherable flashed in his eyes—something Brent couldnʼt quite put his finger on, as his face stayed carefully neutral―but his entire body had tensed at his words. For a moment, he wondered if heʼd pushed too far, but then a light smile started tugging at the corner of Jack’s mouth.

“Well, hell. Thanks.”

Brent swatted his words away with a hand. “Now, tell me what happened. Everything, as if youʼd never told anybody before. And just so you know, Iʼm asking as the friend, not the cop.”

Jack nodded. When he finished talking, they both sat quietly for several minutes, the ticking of the clock on the wall the only sound in the cell. Brentʼs heavy sigh broke the silence. “I still canʼt believe sheʼs gone.”

“What time did she die?”

“Weʼll have to wait for the results of the autopsy to know for sure.”

Jack swallowed thickly. “Iʼm in deep shit, arenʼt I?”

“Yes.”

“I didnʼt do it, Hayden. Whether you believe it or not.”

“And I trust you, whether you believe it or not. Donʼt ask me why, but I do.”

Jack scanned his face, and Brent returned his quiet scrutiny. Had he not started to know him so well, heʼd have thought that the twinkle of emotion that flashed in his eyes was just a figment of his imagination.

“I need a lawyer,” Jack finally said in a whisper, rubbing his face with both hands. “And Iʼm not talking about that scrawny little mouse who showed up this morning.”

“I know. But donʼt worry, Sara took care of it already.”

His head snapped up. “Sara?”

“Yeah. She spent the whole day in Dallas yesterday looking for a lawyer willing to represent you. When she couldnʼt find any, she decided to call the VP of your company in Chicago and found out that you have your own personal lawyer there. Apparently youʼre a big shot,” Brent joked with a chuckle.

Jack barely heard him. His heart was pounding so hard it echoed in his ears. His entire body went stiff.
Sara.
Sara had spent an entire day looking for a lawyer for him. “Did you talk to her? Howʼs she doing?”

“Sheʼs shaken up, of course. She would like to see you as soon as youʼre allowed to receive visitors.”

Fuck, no.
Hell would freeze over before heʼd let Sara see him like this!

A sudden metallic click announced the opening of the cell door, then Nicky appeared on the threshold, an uncertain look on her face. “Sorry to interrupt. How are you feeling, Jack?”

He looked back at her just as uncomfortably. “Better, thank you.”

“Good.” Nicky turned to Brent. “Judge Hatkins is on the phone, he wants to discuss…what happened with Lacrod.”

He mumbled a curse and rose to his feet “Gotta go. Iʼll see you later, Jack.”

Jack nodded. As the door closed behind them, he stood and looked around the small cell, studying what was going to be his home for God knew how long. He sighed at the depressing thought and continued his inspection. Shook his head with disgust as his gaze fell upon the pills resting on the small table. He was done with that crap. He needed to stay focused. He reached out a hand to grab them, his mind set on flushing the damn things down the toilet―but he stopped in mid-motion as a thought slammed into him with a force that knocked his breath out of his chest.
The pills!

He had only taken them twice since Doc had given them to him. Both times his mind had blacked out to the point he had no recollection of his actions…and both times someone had died.
Been murdered
.

Jack staggered backward and fell heavily onto the cot. “Oh, God…” He buried his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees.

What had he done?

***

Sara dully crossed the living room to answer the door. She took a startled step back when a tall, dark-haired man in his fifties appeared at the door. His eyes were black as a starless night as they studied her with attentive curiosity.

“Hello. Iʼm looking for Sara Milano.”

“Thatʼs me. And you are?”

The man finally hinted at a smile. “Frank Devereaux―Jack Turnerʼs lawyer. Iʼm…” His words trailed off as Sara flew into his arms. “Well, nice to meet you, too,” he joked with a chuckle.

Embarrassed, she pulled away and stepped to the side to let him inside the house. “Iʼm sorry. Iʼm just so happy to see you! Please, come in. Can I offer you something to drink? A coffee, perhaps?”

“No, thank you,” he declined, sitting on the couch and placing his briefcase on the coffee table in front of him. “Iʼm sorry for showing up like this. Raymond told me to call you first, but I was already at the airport back from a business trip, so I decided to take the first available flight and come here immediately instead.”

Sara nodded. “Iʼm glad you did, Mr. Devereaux.”