Jackson considered that, his gaze steady on her. “Yeah, maybe. Or maybe he used that as cover.”
Avery sighed, rubbing her hands over her face. “I just can’t believe he’d risk everything like that.”
Jackson looked at her, his voice quiet but sure. “Believe it. People will do just about anything when the right incentives are on the table.”
His phone buzzed on the table, and he picked it up. Noah’s reply came fast.I’ll get it done.
A moment later, another text followed, then a second and third in quick succession. Jackson read through them, his chest tightening a little more with each line.
“The horses are fine,” he said aloud, glancing up at Avery. “Noah’s got them moved to his place. He says they’ll be looked after.”
Relief flickered in her eyes, but it faded when she saw the hard set of his jaw.
“What about your house?” she asked.
He looked back at the screen. “Gone. Nothing left.”
The words landed like gravel in his throat. He’d already known it, but seeing it written out made it real.
He kept reading. “CSIs combed the area but came up empty. No footprints, no shell casings, no sign of who fired those grenades.”
Avery pressed her lips together. “They covered their tracks.”
“Yeah,” he said. “Standard practice for the Brotherhood.” He scrolled down to the next message. “Sheriff Arden Chase is trying to bring in Charlotte and Darian for questioning. Their lawyers are already pushing back.”
Avery’s eyes flashed with anger. “Of course they are.”
“Noah says the sheriff’s confident she’ll get through the roadblocks,” Jackson went on, “but without hard evidence, she can’t make an arrest.”
That wasn’t a newsflash. Again, it was standard practice not to leave anything behind that would tie back to them.
With the exception of murdering Evan, that is.
Haver had shot and killed Evan in cold blood and had made the number one mistake of having a witness. A witness he hadn’t managed to kill.
Avery stared at the table, her hands curling into fists. “The Brotherhood just walks away from that grenade attack while we hide.”
“For now,” he agreed. “But that won’t last.”
He meant it.
He’d seen too many men like Darian Locke and women like Charlotte Barker think they could control the game.
And sooner or later, they all made a mistake.
Jackson thumbed a quick reply to Noah,Thanks and tell Garrett and Cal good work. And another line about the horses. He hit send and set the phone back down.
Avery watched him, her eyes raw. “Can Sheriff Chase bring Warren in?” she asked. There was hope in her voice.
He shook his head. “There’s a couple of problems with that. Jurisdiction for one. It depends on where Warren sold you out. Also, if Noah names his source inside the Brotherhood, that blows the source’s cover. It could get him killed.”
She swallowed hard. “So what do we do? Sit and wait?”
“No.” Jackson pushed his plate away and rubbed his jaw. The anger was still there, low and slow, useful. “There might be a way around it. We need proof that Warren sold you out without Noah having to name the informant.”
“How do we get proof of that?” she asked.
“We find an angle. Something small Warren did that links him to the Brotherhood. Maybe a payment trail, an email, a meeting. Something he thinks is buried. After dinner, we go through everything you have on him. Bank records, travel, interviews, anything.”
