Under His Cover-nook (17 page)

She slid a look both left and right to make sure no one was around before she put the key in the lock and twisted. She shut the door quietly behind her and dashed to Cecily’s desk.

The lamp was still on, so she didn’t have to search in the dark.
Yes
. The files sat right on the corner. She sifted through them. Sure enough, there was a file inside for Daniel D. Davis. All those D’s. It was something she couldn’t easily forget, a parent using the letter D for each of their children’s names, both first and middle and last.

She read. Daniel D. Davis had been convicted of second degree murder ten years ago for killing his wife’s supposed lover. He’s spent the last decade at the Cummins Unit and was now, through his lawyer, asking for a pardon. She flipped a couple of pages and found the list of family members, and there it was. He had two sisters, each of their names beginning with the letter D, and one brother, Douglas Dewayne Davis.

She knew why they wanted Rhys out of the way now. Because they knew him, knew he’d never suggest the governor give him a pardon because of what he’d done. She was sure Cecily and her husband had devised a way to get him out of town for a week or so and knew that any outstanding business he left on his desk would most likely be passed along to the next in command, Senator Franklin, to handle. And what better way to get Rhys out of town than to threaten and endanger the life of his daughter?

And since Cecily handled all the outgoing correspondence, even if Senator Franklin said not to give the man a pardon, she could just as easily change it to a yes before passing the files on to the governor’s executive assistant, securing her brother-in-law’s freedom.

That was why they’d sent the letters. And when letter after letter hadn’t worked,  Jade guessed they’d grown tired of waiting.  That was why they sent the letter to the hotel and Maya’s accident happened while they were out of town.

A grin on her face, she placed the file back exactly where she’d found it in the stack and spun around to leave. Just as she pulled the door open, Cecily stood in the hallway, a smile on her face, a small silver pistol in her hand.

Jade stumbled back as her stomach rolled and a sour taste swelled in her mouth.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Cecily stepped in and kicked the door closed behind her with the deadly three-inch stilettos she wore. “Surprised to see me?”

With considerable effort, she kept the full body tremor from cascading down her spine. “Not really.”

Her eyes flitted to the door, which Cecily blocked, then behind her to the adjoining one that led to Senator Franklin’s office. If Jade could make it, she might be able to get away, but she didn’t know how good of a shot Cecily might be.

The gun was gripped tightly in her hand and never wavered. “I followed you, and I overheard you tell Rhys that you figured out who it was, but you needed to check something first. I knew you’d come up here. How’d you figure it out?”

Jade backed up some more and cleared her throat. “It was the name.”

“My husband, he’s such a people person, and so funny. He loves to tell that story to everyone he meets.” She tilted the gun to the side and lifted her shoulders.

If a gun wasn’t pointed at her chest, Jade would have almost thought they were having a casual conversation.

“But I saw it in your eyes as soon as he said it. Then you disappeared.”

Jade cursed herself for not waiting until the next morning or at least waiting until Rhys got there. She’d never been in this predicament before. Being behind the scenes of an investigation had made her too comfortable.

She’d never confronted or been confronted by anyone. She usually took a picture, developed it and gave it to the person who hired the firm. They did the confronting. This was new territory. However, one thing she knew, she had to keep Cecily talking. The longer that happened, the better her chances were of getting away and surviving. Rhys was probably on his way too. “You went through a lot of trouble just to get the lieutenant governor out of the way.”

“I knew he wouldn’t agree to the pardon. I know his record. He’s never pardoned a convicted murderer. The governor always follows his advice. We couldn’t take that chance.” She tsked. “So who are you anyway? Since you’re snooping around, you’re obviously not just a secretary. A cop? A private investigator?”

“I’m a private investigator. Rhys hired me to go undercover and find out who was sending him the letters.”

“If
only
you hadn’t been so nosy. If the lieutenant governor had left and gone to Fayetteville when he received the first letter…
oh well
.” Cecily didn’t blink one time. “Now, I’ll have to kill you.”

 Jade shook her head, tasted sandpaper in her mouth. When she stepped back, her legs hit the edge of the desk. “You can’t shoot me in here. If you fire that gun, everyone will hear it and come running.”

Cecily shrugged her shoulders. “Over all the music and voices downstairs, not likely. Plus, we’re on the fourth floor. But I wasn’t planning to kill you here anyway.” She smiled. Evil glinted in the depths of her eyes. “We’re going to take a little trip.”

Jade eased to the right, hoping to move closer to the other door but before she could even think about turning to run, a pair of strong male hands gripped her shoulders, and she stifled a scream. Where the hell had he come from? He swung her around and yanked her toward the door she’d wanted to sprint for earlier. She wouldn’t get that chance now.

“Let’s go,” Dewayne told Cecily. “I already have the car running out back.”

“You know I already called Rhys,” Jade quipped. “He’ll be here any moment and wonder where I am.”

Cecily pressed the gun in Jade’s back, the barrel biting into her flesh through her shirt. “That may be true, but once we leave, he’ll have no idea where you’ve gone or who you’re with. Remember, you told him you thought you knew who was sending the letters. I was outside the door listening. You didn’t get a chance to call him back.”

Ice cold fear slid down Jade’s spine, and she swallowed.

Hard.

She knew if she got in the car with them, it would be over. They’d kill her before anyone had a chance to look. They’d gone too far to get Rhys out of the way. If they ran over a child with a car, they’d have no problem getting rid of her.

“We need to go down the back steps so no one will see us,” Cecily told Dewayne.

The iron grip of his fingernails dug into her forearms as he led her toward the end of the hallway to the exit. A hard lump of fear lodged in her throat as they descended the last set of steps. “You don’t have to do this,” she pleaded. “I won’t tell anyone. I’ll tell Rhys I was wrong, that I made a mistake.”

Something, she thought. She had to do something, say anything to get out of this situation. Five more minutes and she was a goner. She faked a trip, losing one of her shoes as her knee hit the ground, causing a sharp twinge of pain.

“Get up you clumsy bitch. Quit stalling,” Cecily spat out.

Dewayne yanked her back up and she stumbled out of the other shoe. Neither of them noticed she was now barefoot.
Good
. As soon as her foot hit the first patch of grass, she’d make her move. No way was she getting into a car with these two. No freaking way. The risk would be worth it, especially if it saved her life. Better dead here than dumped somewhere where no one would find her.

Douglas still held a tight grip on her arm when they stepped off the concrete. Cecily was directly behind her.

Now or never.

Stumbling again, Jade kicked back hard and plowed the heel of her foot directly into Cecily’s stomach. She dropped the gun. Douglas let go of Jade’s arm.

“Shit. Cecily, what happened?”

“Forget about me,” she gushed out. “Get her,” she yelled.

Before he could turn around, Jade kicked him in the butt and sent him sprawling on top of Cecily, and she took off at a dead run. All she needed was a little distance. If she could make it around to the front of the building, it would be even better because of the party. People would be coming and going all evening. Surely then, they wouldn’t come after her.

The harsh sound of running footfalls echoed behind her, and she urged her legs to pump faster. The corner of the building was twenty feet away. She had to make it.

Six feet now, she thought, pushing through the fear of being caught. Adrenaline shot through her veins like a rocket with a wash of anger, and it propelled her forward.

Jade heard a cacophony of sound all at the same time, but each one distinct and different from the other. A pop so heavy it was like a boom of thunder, a screech so loud it sounded like a million birds were winging their way overhead, singing.

Jarring, scathing, wrenching pain tumbled her to the ground.

“Jade!”

Another shot.

Screams.

“Douglas. Oh my God, Douglas. No!”

On the ground, Jade marveled at the many stars in the sky that night. They shimmered and dazzled like diamonds, and she wondered why a bunch of tiny needles were trying to escape out of her arm.

Rhys’ face swam into view through her tears.

“Jade.
Jade.
Damn it. Are you okay? Call an ambulance. Shit. She’s bleeding. Jade, talk to me.”

He was here. He made it. “It was Cecily and her...and her...”

His hands smoothed over her face. “I know. I kinda figured that out.”

A deep pressure pumped behind her eyes, and she winced. She didn’t want to talk anymore. So sleepy. So sleepy. She closed her eyes. The grass felt so good against her back. Soft and squishy like a pillow.

“Stay with me, Jade. Open your eyes!”

Why was his voice so harsh? That was not the voice she loved. It was smooth and rich like honey. A down-turned mouth and pinched lips shadowed his face when she forced her heavy eyelids up.

“They shot me.” Her voice didn’t sound right. “They were going to...to…” Fog circled behind her eyelids. Everything she wanted to tell him muddled in her mind.

“I know, baby. I know.”

Sirens wailed in the distance. The police? An ambulance?

Then her world went fuzzy again. She remembered someone asking Rhys to move away, being put on a stretcher, an oxygen mask, an ambulance with the ringing of the siren in her ears. Rhys didn’t leave her. His calloused but soft hands gripped hers. The smell of him filled her nose as she focused on his face. It wasn’t until being rushed through the hospital doors did she remember Cecily and Dewayne. She’d solved the puzzle. They were the ones threatening Rhys and his daughter. But it was over now. It was over. 

Hours later, the hospital staff treated her and she was questioned by the police, multiple times. Rhys held her hand the entire time. When the last detective walked out, she turned to him. “What happened with Maya? Is she okay?”

He exhaled a deep breath. “Cade missed the accident by minutes. As soon as he arrived on campus he heard the sirens. A bystander told him she’d been walking across the street to the university bookstore when a dark sedan came out of nowhere and hit her. The paramedics were still on site. They told him she’d been lucky.” He shook his head. “
Lucky
. When I called Cade before my flight took off the only thing he could tell me was she was in the emergency room and she might have to have surgery depending on the severity of her injuries.”

“But she’s okay?”

“She’s good. Luckily she only sustained a broken arm and a slight concussion after the car hit her. She spent a couple of nights in the hospital, but she’s back at home now with her mother.”

“What about Cecily and Douglas?”

“Cecily is in jail and Douglas is still in surgery I think. My driver shot him when he saw him shooting at you. He called 911 after that.”

He reared up and kissed her temple. “When I saw him chasing you and he lifted the gun and you fell…my heart froze. I thought I’d lost you.”

Jade closed her eyes. “I’m just glad it’s all over.”

But what did that mean for her and Rhys. 

 Rhys took her home. The flesh wound on her arm was bandaged, and the head wound she sustained when she fell after being shot was patched. Thank goodness it wasn’t a concussion or she’d be spending the night.

The high from solving the case dissipated quickly when Rhys pulled up to her house.  Her lips compressed into a thin line as she struggled to find the right words. There was no reason for either of them to see each other again other than the occasional get together at Karyn and Zechariah’s house. She tried to tell herself that it was for the best, but her heart was heavy in her chest.

Moonlight streamed through the branches of the trees surrounding her house. As he parked, the slow hum of the engine lulled them into silence.  Her brain scrambled for something logical to say

The expressions shifting over his face made her think he wasn’t so sure what to say or do either. He looked positively delighted she said something first.

 “I’m glad Maya’s going to be okay.” God, her heart ached. Jade needed to get out of the car, go in her house and accept the inevitable. Their liaison, their business relationship, was over. She wanted to tell him how she’d fallen in love with him but she wouldn’t embarrass herself. From the beginning she’d been aware they would end up like this, going their separate ways. She just didn’t know it would hurt so much. She reached for the door. “Well, thanks for bringing me home.”

Rhys switched off the engine. “Look, Jade. Can I come in?”

Oh no. The memory of him breaking her heart in her own house? She couldn’t allow that. In this car was fine enough. “The case is solved, Rhys. We found out who was sending you the letters. It’s over. Let’s just end it here. Okay?” she said, staring down at her hands.

“What about us?”

She looked up at him, searched his face, saw something in the smoky depths of his gray eyes she didn’t want to hope for or define. “Rhys, you didn’t call me at all while you were gone. I was almost murdered trying to find out who was threatening you, and you couldn’t even bother to pick up the phone for one minute and call me to let me know how your…” There were so many other things she could, but wouldn’t, say. “It’s over. I did my job. That’s the only thing that matters. You don’t have anything else to worry about. No one is going to tell your secret.” Jade reached for the passenger side door with her left arm and struggled to pull the handle.