Bound to the Past (Starville Series Book 1) (51 page)

“Hi, guys.”

Startled, Sara looked up at Layla with surprise. “Hey, Lay. Sorry, I didnʼt see you.”

“I just got here. Grab one of these cocktails, theyʼre out of this world,” she said, pointing at the colorful drink in her hand.

Sara shook her head. “My, uh, stomachʼs been a little upset lately, so I think Iʼll pass. Thanks, though.”

Jack squeezed her knee and stood with a wink. “Iʼll get you some water.”

“Iʼve got to get some more of this, itʼs really good,” Layla said, following him to the drink stand. Sara watched them leave with a smile. Jack had become super attentive and even more protective of her since heʼd learned about the baby. Not that she was complaining. In fact, she loved seeing him like this.

She was still looking in his direction when he came out of the house and walked toward her with a bottle in his hand, only to be intercepted by Layla again. Sara nearly rolled her eyes in amusement. Why, yes, she knew that women would always look at Jack with desire, but she didnʼt care anymore. He was hers and hers only. That thought warmed her heart so much that she kept smiling even as she saw Layla put a hand on Jackʼs arm.

“Having fun, sugar?”

“Itʼs a beautiful party,” Jack answered, his eyes flicking back and forth between the bottle he was holding and Sara.

“The Haydens know how to entertain their guests,” she agreed, following his gaze. “So, itʼs true, huh? You and Sara really got back together.”

“Yeah, weʼre giving it another shot.”

Layla smiled conspiratorially and nudged his shoulder with her own. “Honey, from the way youʼre looking at her, Iʼd say youʼre giving it a little more than a shot.”

Her words forced his attention back to her. “Yeah, well, weʼre taking things one day at the time for now,” he said with an embarrassed shrug.

“I always thought you guys made a beautiful couple, you know—a little unusual, maybe, but beautiful nonetheless. Kinda like…the devil and the angel.”

He couldnʼt help chuckling at that. “Iʼll take that as a compliment.”

“It was.” She gave him a long look, then sighed dramatically. “So, I guess my plans of winning you all for myself will have to be abandoned now.”

Jack shook his head, still smiling. “Were there ever such plans, Lay?”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, of course Brent would always be my first choice, but youʼre not too bad, either.”

“Gee, thanks.” Before he realized what he was doing, he caught himself tugging at a strand of her red curls, just as he used to do when they were kids. It was hard to believe that the scrawny, freckled little girl who followed him everywhere and whose long red braids heʼd always loved to tug, had turned into the gorgeous woman standing in front of him now. Long-forgotten memories started flashing through his mind in a chaotic blur, and for a moment, he felt almost disoriented.

“You all right, hon?”

“Yes, I…” Jack took a deep breath to regain control. “Layla, I should have told you this a long time ago, but Iʼm sorry about your father. I know Max and I didnʼt have the greatest of relationships, but I never would have wanted him to go that way.”

A dark veil of sadness fell over her blue eyes. “Thank you, Jack. It means a lot to me.” Layla flipped her hair back with a weak smile. “Well, Iʼll let you go back to your princess now. Iʼm going to call Brent and see what’s holding him up.”

Jack nodded as she pulled her cell from her pocket and headed toward the house. In a few long strides, he crossed the distance to Saraʼs chair. “Here you go,” he said, handing her the water.

“Thank you.” She grabbed the bottle but kept her amused gaze on him.

His brow quirked. “What now?”

“Apparently even famous models canʼt stay away from you, Turner.”

A smug smile flickered over his lips. “Told ya, itʼs not my fault Iʼm handsome and smart, and women―”

“Fall at your feet. I know, I know,” Sara finished for him, rolling her eyes.

He chuckled as he offered her his hand to help her up and gathered her in his arms. “Do you want to try the maze?”

“Tonight?” The way Saraʼs wide eyes looked at him, youʼd think he’d asked her to dance naked in the moonlight.

“Come on, I promise Iʼll protect you from the big, mean bugs.”

She shuddered at the thought. “Thanks, but no, thanks. Tomorrow morning, yes. In fact, Iʼve been through the maze in daylight before, and itʼs pretty awesome.”

“Spoilsport.” Jack shook his head and kissed the tip of her nose. “Are you cold? Itʼs starting to get dark.”

“Nope. I have a very hot fiancé to keep me warm.”

“Is that right?” Jack brushed her lips with his. She sighed with pleasure as his mouth moved to her neck, and tilted her head to the side to let him nip at it.

They both jumped at the low, embarrassed cough that came from behind them. Sara forced her eyes open, and her confused gaze met Richard Haydenʼs smiling one. Jack flushed like a schoolboy, and she thought he was adorable.

“Mr. Hayd—uh, Richard. Sorry, I didnʼt hear you coming,” he muttered.

“I figured that much,” he older man joked. “I was hoping I could exchange a word or two with you, if you donʼt mind.”

Jack looked at Sara for a long moment before nodding. “I wonʼt be long.”

“Take your time. I need go to the bathroom, anyway.” At his worried frown, she gave him a reassuring smile. “I just need to freshen up a bit.”

Sara planted another quick kiss on his lips and walked to the Haydens’ house, heading toward the bathroom located on the ground floor. She felt better after washing her hands and splashing her face with fresh water, though her stomach still felt queasy. She had no idea how she was going to go through with the entire Thanksgiving dinner without letting everyone figure out that she was pregnant.

Sheʼd just walked out the door when she realized sheʼd forgotten her purse in the bathroom. “Darn pregnancy brain,” she mumbled, turning around to go retrieve it. She stopped with a hand on the doorknob at the sound of a troubled voice coming from the side of the house.

Laylaʼs voice.

She was talking on her phone, struggling to keep her tone low despite her obvious agitation. Not wanting to eavesdrop on her private conversation, Sara hurried to open the door and started walking inside the house, but the womanʼs anxious voice stopped her again. She sounded scared. Almost panicked.

“Honey, listen to me, you need to calm down. Nobody needs to know about this. Please, Brent… Iʼll help you any way I can. Iʼll take care of everything. Nobody will ever know, I promise.”

Every muscle in Saraʼs body tensed upon hearing Brent’s name. At that point, she couldn’t keep from paying closer attention to Layla’s words, so she carefully peered out the door.

“Stop saying that! Everything will be all right,” the woman was saying. Then she sighed. “Brent, honey, you know I love you. Iʼll do everything I can to help you through this, but you have to stay calm.
No!
Jail is simply not an option, you hear me? I promise I wonʼt say a word to anyone—just like I kept my mouth shut about Charlene and the journalist. Please, trust me.”

Sara’s blood froze. It took her a few seconds to make sense of what she’d just heard, but the instant she did, nausea attacked her all over again.

Brent.

Her head started spinning. Her legs wobbled so much that she nearly fell to her knees and slumped against the wall beside her.
Ohmygosh
…
Brent?
Brent was involved in the murders?

No, she must have heard it wrong. It was impossible. Brent was one of her best friends. No way could he be responsible for the brutal death of all those innocent people. No way could he have lied to everybody for years and let Jack go to jail for a crime he hadn’t committed!

Jack
, she thought confusedly. She needed to talk to Jack…

“Hello, Sara.” Layla’s icy voice behind her almost gave her a heart attack. A cold shiver ran along her spine as she slowly turned around to look at her.

“Hey,” Sara exclaimed with a smile, trying to sound natural despite the wild hammering of her heart. “I’m looking for Jack. Have you seen him?”

The other woman scanned her face intently, as though trying to read her mind. “I thought he was with you.”

“I left him a few minutes ago to use the bathroom. Anyway, heʼs waiting for me, so I'd better go.”

“Not so fast, honey.”

Saraʼs breath caught as Layla grabbed her left arm, keeping her from leaving. When she opened her mouth to scream, the woman opened one side of her jacket and pulled out a small gun. Sara raised her head to give her a shocked look but winced at the cynical grin on her beautiful face.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Layla said. “You and I never really had a chance to talk, and I believe it’s time we do.”

Chapter 35

Jack watched Sara walk away until she disappeared inside the house. Only then did he turn to Richard. He shook his head when the older man offered him a cigar.

“Thanks again for inviting us, Richard. I know you guys must have been busy this week,” he said, shoving both hands in his pockets. As much as he liked and respected Brentʼs father, he still felt strangely uncomfortable around him.

“Itʼs always kind of hectic here during the holidays, but itʼs also fun. Would you and Sara like to try the maze after dinner?”

“Sara wonʼt do it at night, but Iʼll be happy to give it a try,” he answered with a smile, then looked around. “Whereʼs everybody?”

Richard rolled the cigar between his fingers. “Nicky just took a phone call, and I believe Martha is checking on our dinner. Look, son, the reason I wanted to talk to you is because I have a proposal for you. A business proposal,” he started—but Jack wasnʼt listening to him anymore.

His full attention was focused on Nicky, who was running toward him with a grim expression on her face. He ran to meet her halfway. “Whatʼs wrong?”

“Whereʼs Sara?”

Jackʼs stomach clenched at her anxious tone. “In the house. She needed to use the bathroom. Why?”

“Brent just called me.”

He frowned, confused. “And?”

“I donʼt know, he…sounded weird,” Nicky explained, her gaze fixed on him even after Richard joined them. “He must have been driving, because the connection was terrible; his voice kept cutting out. I didnʼt get much, but he seemed frantic and kept repeating something about Sara—something about danger. The line dropped after that. I tried to call him back, but his phone is going straight to voice mail.” She took a deep breath. “I donʼt like this, Jack..”

Jackʼs blood turned to ice. He looked around quickly, trying to assess the situation, then moved his gaze back to Nicky. “Stay here and keep calling Brent. If he still doesnʼt answer, call for backup,” he ordered. “Do you have your gun with you?”

She nodded. “Itʼs in my car.”

“Go get it.” He turned to Brentʼs father. “Richard, please, wait at the front gate in case your son is heading—”

“Heʼs here, already,” Martha interjected, striding toward them with a worried expression on her face. “I just saw his car parked in the driveway, but I have no idea where he is. What is going on?”

Jackʼs jaw tightened as he grabbed Nickyʼs wrist and glanced at her watch. Ten minutes had gone by since Sara had left. Nicky swallowed loudly. When her gaze met Jackʼs, he knew that they were thinking the same thing:
Brent
.

Brent had always resented the bond between Jack and J.T. and had suffered when the older man had pushed him aside to favor his adoptive son. He had a reason to kill J.T. and let Jack take the blame for his murder. He was also the only one, beside Jack, Sara, and Nicky, who knew about Carrieʼs file and the appointment she’d had with Jack the night she was killed. But then, what role might Max have had? Could it be possible that he and Brent had been acting together?

Nicky jumped back, her face drained of all color. “Jack, no! You canʼt think Brent—”

“Iʼm going to look for Sara,” he cut her off, his voice deceivingly calm as he scanned his surroundings. “And when I find her, Brent better have a damn good explanation for this.”

***

Sara tried her best to keep her cool as Layla forced her toward the Haydensʼ huge corn maze.

“Whatʼs going on, Lay? Where are you taking me?”

The woman squeezed her arm and kept pushing her forward, her gun pressing against the small of her back. “Don’t make things harder than they are, Sara. Just keep walking,” she said, her tone sharper than a knife.

The analogy made Saraʼs skin curl.

She didnʼt know how long they’d walked, but her legs were starting to ache, and she almost tripped when Layla suddenly stopped and looked around with satisfaction.

Sara followed her gaze. Panic filled her at the realization that they must be standing in the middle of the maze. They were surrounded by nothing but darkness, the dim moon the only light illuminating Laylaʼs tense features. She couldn't even see the Haydens’ house anymore, and she could hear nothing but the wind blowing through the thick cornstalks that rose all around her.

“I know you heard my conversation with Brent.”

Layla’s voice snapped her from her thoughts, and Sara turned to look at her. “Yes. Yes, I did,” she admitted with a long sigh. There was no use denying it.

“I really wish you hadnʼt, Sara.”

She swallowed hard. “Layla, listen to me. I know that Brent is your friend and you love him. I love him, too. But please, you
have
to tell the truth to the police.”

The womanʼs blue eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Don’t tell me what I have to do. You know nothing about me.”

“I understand that you want to help Brent, but think about Jack. What happened is not fair to him, and—”

“He deserved it!”

Layla’s words sounded so full of hatred that Sara almost thought she’d imagined them. “What…” she started confusedly, but her words broke off in mid-sentence as the womanʼs hysterical laughter filled the air.

“You’re so naïve, Sara. You think Jack loves you, but he doesnʼt love anyone but himself. He’ll use you as long as he needs you, then he’ll toss you away like an old, useless doll.”