Surrendering to the Sheriff (6 page)

Aiden mimicked the same noncommittal sound that Seth had made earlier. “Palmer had an alibi, remember. And while your stepmother’s trial is out of my hands, the attack on Kendall is all mine. I’ll find whoever’s behind this, and his or her butt is going to jail.”

She finally found her opening when they paused. “Once the kidnapper’s caught,” she added, “and an arrest is made, I’ll be okay. There’ll be no need for protective custody.”

Kendall hoped that would reassure Seth. It didn’t. He glanced at Aiden and her, and she could almost see him trying to work things out in that hard head of his.

Seth had known about her attraction to Aiden for years. Since they’d been fifteen, and he’d caught her doodling Aiden’s name in her school binder. He hadn’t exactly been pleased about that, since the gossip was still hot about Jewell having killed Aiden’s father, but Seth had let it pass.

She was betting he wouldn’t let it pass this time.

Maybe he sensed something between them. Like that stupid kiss that’d happened upstairs only minutes earlier.

Once the gaze shifting had stopped, Seth’s narrowed eyes settled on her. “What exactly is going on here?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “And does
he
have anything to do with the reason you’re selling this place and leaving?”

Since it wasn’t much of a secret any longer, Kendall decided to spill it fast. “I’m pregnant. Aiden is the baby’s father.”

It got so silent that she could hear her own breath. Her heartbeat, too, after Seth turned an arctic stare on Aiden.

“If you accuse me of taking advantage of her,” Aiden grumbled, “you’re a dead man.”

Seth gave Aiden another long, hard look. One that would have caused most men to take a step back. Simply put, Seth didn’t just look dangerous with his black hair and dark blue eyes; he
was
dangerous. Well, he could be when it came to protecting his own, and Seth considered her one of his own.

But Aiden was dangerous in his own right.

“Does he want you to leave town?” Seth asked her.

A million-dollar question, and Kendall didn’t know the answer. Maybe Aiden didn’t know the answer, either.

“It’s my baby,” Aiden said.

All right. That wasn’t exactly an answer to anything, but it sounded like some kind of declaration of war. Maybe it was. Her quiet exit out of town was already a bust, but any exit now would involve Aiden.

Maybe Aiden demanding to be part of her life.

Although it would create an even bigger rift between their families.

Seth went closer to her, took hold of her hand. “Just say the word, and I’ll stay here with you.”

It was a generous offer, but he no doubt had work. Plus, he was still looking for anything that would clear Jewell’s name despite the fact that her sister wasn’t cooperating with any of their efforts.

Kendall shook her head. “I’ll be okay.”

She hoped. And she also hoped that being okay didn’t put Aiden and her on another collision course that would lead them back to the bedroom.

Definitely no more proving-a-point kisses.

“Call me if you need anything,” Seth added, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He shot Aiden another glare before he left.

Kendall rearmed the security system and turned to Aiden to get an explanation as to what his
it’s my baby
comment meant, but his phone rang again. She saw Leland’s name pop up on the screen. Unlike with the other calls he’d gotten or made throughout the night, Aiden put this one on speaker and went to the sidelight window to watch Seth drive away.

“Jewell’s lawyer is in your office, demanding to see you right now,” Leland greeted.

Aiden mumbled some profanity. “Tell him I’ll be there soon. I’m bringing in Kendall to take her statement about the kidnapping.” He was about to hang up, but Leland spoke before he could.

“There’s more,” the deputy said, and judging from his tone, it wasn’t going to be the good news that Kendall was hoping for. “There’s been another sighting of the missing kidnapper and his SUV. It was captured on the new traffic camera just off the interstate.”

“Please tell me the guy’s not headed here,” Aiden snapped.

“No, but trust me, boss, you’re gonna want to see this.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Aiden didn’t like this latest turn of events with the missing kidnapper. The idiot had gotten much too close to Kendall again and had gone to a place that only made this mess worse: to the home of one of their suspects.

Lee Palmer.

There wasn’t much about the past twenty-four hours that Aiden liked, but the kidnapper’s mere presence at Palmer’s meant there was a connection that could lead to Palmer’s arrest. If Aiden could prove it, that is. He needed to find this kidnapper and get the investigation over and done with so he could settle some personal things with Kendall.

Well, settle one thing with her anyway.

The baby.

Aiden wasn’t sure exactly what Kendall was expecting or not expecting him to do, but there was no way he was going to let her leave without some kind of guarantee that he would be part of his son’s life.

His son.

And because that was still a little mind-numbing, Aiden pushed it aside so he could deal with the man who had demanded to see Aiden at the sheriff’s office.

Robert Joplin.

Joplin was pain in the rear number one. The second pain in the rear was on the way there to Aiden’s office, as well. Or at least he darn well better be, since Leland had ordered him to come in.

Palmer himself.

Talking to his dad’s old foe wasn’t pleasant on any day, but on this particular one, Aiden would have to ask the man some hard questions. It wouldn’t be pretty, but if what the camera footage showed was true, then that idiot who’d shot Kendall had driven the SUV directly to Palmer’s ranch.

Trust me, boss, you’re gonna want to see this,
Leland had said to Aiden when he called earlier. Leland had been right. Those images were something that could blow this case right open.

Aiden had another look at that footage that Leland had loaded on the computer in the squad room. Footage taken from a camera that’d been designed to monitor traffic on the interstate. He took his time, examining it frame by frame, despite the fact that Joplin was hollering for him to hurry up so they could talk.

Kendall watched the traffic footage, too, and she pulled in her breath when the SUV took the turn to Palmer’s place. It was a grainy image but clear enough to see the license plate. Yes, it was the kidnapper all right.

So, why was he headed there?

And since Palmer’s ranch was the only place on that entire road, then the man couldn’t claim the hired gun was just paying a visit to someone else.

“Derek and Sarah are heading out to Palmer’s place now to see if the SUV’s still there,” Leland explained.

Derek was the most experienced deputy that Aiden had, and he was glad the night-shift deputy, Sarah, was going with him for backup. Though maybe it wouldn’t be needed, and the kidnapper would surrender peacefully.

Aiden could dream anyway.

“Does Palmer know about this footage?” Kendall asked.

Leland shook his head. “I thought it was best not to hear it over the phone. But I did tell him he should probably bring his lawyer.”

Which Palmer would do. Since he was always operating just above the law, Palmer kept a team of attorneys to make sure he stayed out of legal hot water.

Leland glanced at the clock on the wall. Nine-thirty. “Palmer should be here soon.”

That was Aiden’s cue to get moving, and he turned to Kendall. “You want to get started on your statement while I talk to Joplin?”

She gave him a flat look. “Do you really think Joplin is going to leave without seeing me?”

He knew the answer to that—no. Since Kendall had worked with Joplin on Jewell’s legal defense, they were allies. Aiden had just wanted to spare Kendall what would no doubt be another confrontation. Not with her. But Joplin sure wouldn’t have any nice things to say to Aiden. He never did.

“After you talk with him and give your statement, I’ll work on getting you a real protection detail,” Aiden said.

“Maybe it won’t be necessary if Palmer confesses to everything.”

Aiden figured pigs had a better chance of flying before that happened. She’d need protection all right, and she would want anyone but him to guard her. Of course, that wouldn’t stop him from doing it, but he did want plenty of backup. That meant a protection detail.

With Kendall right by his side, Aiden went to his office, and the moment they stepped inside, Joplin jumped to his feet and hurried to her. Much as Seth had done earlier, he took her hand.

“Are you all right?” Joplin asked, not waiting for an answer. “I tried to call, but it went straight to voice mail.”

“The kidnappers took her phone,” Aiden provided. And they’d obviously taken out the tracking device on it, since the Rangers hadn’t been able to get a ping on it to find the location.

Joplin didn’t even spare Aiden a glance or acknowledge the information. “I tried your home phone, too, and it’s been disconnected.”

“Because I’m moving.” Kendall pulled her hand from his.

“Moving?” Joplin howled. “Why? Because of the attack?”

She shook her head. “Personal reasons.”

Joplin’s gaze turned to a glare, aimed at Aiden. “You’re running her out of town.”

Because Seth had already suggested pretty much the same thing, Aiden scowled at the lawyer. “I’m not running anybody out of town, but I do want you to tell me if you know anything about the attack.”

Now, that caused Joplin to scowl. Aiden wasn’t making many friends today. Not that he wanted Joplin for a friend.

“We just need to find out why those men wanted the bone evidence destroyed,” Kendall said, and her tone was a lot nicer than Aiden’s. Joplin seemed to respond to that, because his expression softened when he turned to her.

“I don’t know.” Joplin added a sigh and a head shake. “I talked to Jewell about it this morning, and she’s appalled that someone would do this on her behalf. Or appear to do it on her behalf,” he tacked on when he looked at Aiden.

“A Braddock’s behind this,” Joplin insisted.

“And which Braddock would that be?” Aiden asked, none too friendly, either.

“Your sister Shelby, maybe. Perhaps your mother.”

That was another of those accusations that Aiden didn’t want tossed around. “Nobody in my family wants those bone fragments destroyed, especially not as some kind of reverse psychology to suggest that Jewell is innocent. Because she’s not.”

But the moment he said that, Aiden got a thought. A bad one. The first he’d had of the sort.

What if Jewell truly was innocent?

Ah, hell.

This was about the kiss in Kendall’s bedroom. And the baby. He was softening, and it wasn’t a good time for that, since he didn’t want the baby or a kiss to deter him from doing his job. Because the job might be the only thing that kept Kendall and the baby safe.

“Did you know the kidnappers?” Joplin asked her.

“No.” She glanced at Aiden, who finished for her.

“But we have an identity on the one I killed. Montel Higgins. Ring any bells?” Aiden watched Joplin’s face, looking for any kind of reaction.

However, he didn’t get one. “No. Should it?”

Well, it would if Joplin had been the one to hire him. “We’re checking now to see if he has any connection to our suspects.”

Joplin didn’t ask if he was a suspect, probably because he knew that he automatically was. Instead he turned back to Kendall. “I heard there were two attackers. Did you know the other one, maybe recognize his voice?”

“Aiden’s already asked me that, and the answer’s no. At least, I didn’t recognize anything specific,” she added in a mumble.

“Too bad,” Joplin answered. Some emotion went through the man’s eyes, and Aiden hoped it wasn’t relief.

“Maybe you’re behind the attack,” Aiden said to Joplin, and he ignored the man’s howl of protest and continued. “You’re in love with Jewell. Everybody in town knows that, so maybe you made a really bad decision to use Kendall to destroy the bone fragments.”

Joplin shook his head. “I didn’t.”

But then something happened. Joplin’s gaze drifted from Aiden to Kendall’s stomach. It was just a glimpse, but when Aiden’s eyes met his again, it was clear that the lawyer knew something he shouldn’t know.

That Kendall was pregnant.

Hell’s bells.
Did everyone in town know? And if so, how?

Better yet, how had the kidnappers found out? Because they’d certainly known that the baby would be the ultimate bargaining tool to get him to cooperate.

“Who told you?” Aiden came right out and asked Joplin.

Obviously, Kendall hadn’t missed the look, either, because she stared at Joplin, waiting for him to answer.

“Carla,” Joplin finally said.

That wasn’t the answer Aiden had expected. “My mother told you?” he said with a whole boatload of skepticism.

“Carla called me yesterday morning out of the blue,” Joplin continued with a nod. “She wanted me to confirm that the baby was indeed a Braddock. I told her I didn’t have a clue, that I didn’t even know Kendall was pregnant.”

Yesterday morning. That would have been enough time for Joplin to throw together a kidnapping scheme so he could get the evidence destroyed. Of course, it would also be enough time for Aiden’s mother to do the same. A plan to make the McKinnons or the O’Neals look guilty of obstructing justice.

If
Aiden wanted to believe Carla could do something like this, he could buy it happening. But he wasn’t ready to believe that just yet.

He hoped there wouldn’t be any kind of proof to make him believe it, either.

“Did you tell Jewell about the baby?” Kendall asked, and yes, there was some concern in her voice now.

Joplin dodged her gaze. Not a good sign.

“I didn’t tell her, but she guessed,” Joplin explained.

Kendall threw her hands up in the air and then winced, no doubt because the motion pulled her stitches. “How?”

Joplin made an
isn’t it obvious?
sound. “Jewell started speculating as to why kidnappers would have taken you and not one of Aiden’s sisters. You and Aiden have always had a thing for each other, so it wasn’t hard for her to figure it out.”

A thing?
Well, it was a stupid label for this unwanted attraction between Kendall and him. More like an Achilles’ heel.

Kendall groaned. “I need to talk to my sister.
In person
,” she added to Aiden, knowing that he would suggest a phone call instead of a visit.

Yes. But the timing sucked. “After you’re done with your statement, I’ll arrange to have you escorted to the jail.” Or course, he’d be one of those escorts. He was dead serious about not letting her out of his sight until all this was cleared up.

“And then maybe you’ll come stay with me,” Joplin said to her.

Both Aiden and Kendall looked at him as if he’d sprouted hooves.

“You can’t trust a Braddock,” the lawyer added.

“But she can trust you?” Aiden fired back. “A man who’d do anything, and I mean anything, to get your old flame out of jail?”

Joplin certainly didn’t deny it. “Jewell’s innocent. That’s the reason I’d do anything to set her free.” And with that declaration he’d made too many times to count, Joplin picked up his briefcase, his attention still on Kendall. “At least consider my offer to stay with me. If not for your own sake, then for the baby’s.”

Aiden was already operating on a short fuse, and that did it. “Nobody will put as much into protecting the baby as I will, because it’s my son.”

Judging from the way the whole building suddenly got quiet, everyone inside had just learned that it was his son, too. Not that Aiden had plans to keep it from everyone. But he probably should give his sisters a call so they’d hear the news from him personally. Laine already knew and might not care to hear it repeated. She might not even talk to him, because she was now a McKinnon, and not a Jewell-loving McKinnon, either, since Laine was married to one of Jewell’s estranged sons.

But Shelby was a different matter.

Shelby would see this as a slap to her and the family. A betrayal even. She darn sure wouldn’t see her brother’s attraction to Kendall as a
thing
.

Joplin smiled, likely pleased that he’d fueled Aiden’s outburst. Or maybe he was just smiling because he was walking away scot-free after orchestrating an attack on Kendall. But if the man was guilty, he wouldn’t be on the streets for long. Aiden would see to that.

“Sorry,” Aiden said to her after Joplin left.

Kendall waved him off. “The pregnancy apparently wasn’t much of a secret anyway. Though I’d like to know who told your mother.”

So would he, and Aiden took out his phone to do something about getting that info. However, he didn’t even get to press his mother’s number before he heard yet another voice.

Pain in the butt number two had arrived.

“Where is he?” Palmer’s booming voice echoed through the building.

By
he
, Palmer no doubt meant Aiden, so he stepped into the hall. It was Palmer all right, dressed in his starched jeans, white shirt, bolo tie and cream-colored Stetson. Which he didn’t remove. Aiden had never seen the man without it, and it was nearly the same color as his hair.

Palmer was in his early sixties now. The same age Aiden’s dad would have been if he’d lived. Probably would have had the same build, too, with Palmer’s middle going soft and paunchy. Still, Palmer managed to look strong and imposing, rather than a man who was nearly at retirement age.

As Aiden had predicted, Palmer had two lawyers with him. Both dressed in suits, both sporting nervy little expressions that reminded Aiden of twitching rats.

“Go ahead and let Leland take your statement,” Aiden said to Kendall. “I’ll handle this.”

Did she listen?

No, of course not.

Kendall went straight to the computer on Leland’s desk and pointed to the screen. “Did you send that goon after me?”

“Well, hello to you, too, Kendall. Long time no see.” Palmer gave her a lazy smile that might have been genuine. From all accounts, he actually liked Kendall. Or maybe he just liked the fact that she was butting heads, legally speaking, with the Braddocks.

Kendall certainly didn’t smile. “Did you hire two men to kidnap me and try to force Aiden to destroy evidence in my sister’s case?”