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“I lied. Aiden never went to Texas,” she admitted. “I haven't talked to your brother since he enlisted.”
She lied?He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why would you lie to me?”
“You’ve always felt so responsible for Aiden. I didn’t want you to worry about him anymore. You’ve given up too much already. Every time you called, you would ask about him. It broke my heart to admit he’d cut us both out of his life.”
Chase fought down his annoyance rising in his throat. “That wasn’t your call to make.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I'm pretty sure I saw him at the hospital earlier tonight. I called out to him, but he didn't turn. By the time I caught up to see if I was right, he’d disappeared then after what Jacquie said, I knew I had to call you.”
Chase couldn't wrap his mind around her words. “You're saying you think Aiden is in Granite Falls, and purposely avoided you? Worse, you think he might be involved with what happened to Jacquie and Sylvia tonight? Are you certain?”
“No. I’m not certain of anything. I don't want to believe he is involved in anything this horrible. All I know is I thought I saw him.”
Chase pulled on his pants. “Then maybe it’s all a huge misunderstanding.”
“Maybe. It's been a long time since I’ve seen him, but it sure did look like him at the hospital tonight.”
He opened his closet door and pulled out a duffel bag and set it on the bed. “All right, Mom, I'm on my way. Don't say a word about this to anyone until I get there.”
“Thank you, Chase. I’ll feel better with you here.”
“See you soon.” He ended the call and threw a couple days’ worth of clothes into the bag. It had been a lifetime since he'd been back to Granite Falls, and just as long since he'd seen Jacquie.
He’d really thought if he stayed away from his hometown, the past might stay buried and he’d never have to deal with it again. Once was enough for any lifetime. Hadn’t he already lost enough because of that town? He should have known his brother wouldn’t be able to leave well enough alone.
Did he have to return to Granite Falls of all places? After what happened with their father, he didn’t think Aiden would ever go back. Dad's death had completely derailed both their lives. They left town, joined the Army, and made a vow to put the past behind them and never look back.
Now, Chase was going to have to return home to bail his brother out of trouble once again. When would things ever change? He called the last number he had for Aiden, but the line was disconnected. No surprise there. He and his brother didn’t talk.
He sat at his desk and logged into his company's website. Running one of the best security agencies in the state did have its perks. He was immediately able to access the state trooper's police report of the incident earlier that evening involving Jacquie and Sylvia. What he read stunned him.
Drug mules. Attempted murder. On the highway to Granite Falls?
These kinds of big-city crimes, the kind that made it to the papers, didn’t usually happen in the small mountain town. Sins of drunken fathers inside the walls of their homes weren't talked about, and certainly not written about. This crime would be—Sylvia a drug trafficker? Hard to believe. Could Aiden really be involved?
His brother might bend a few rules and color outside the lines, but he wouldn't cut open a girl he once planned to marry. While it was true he hadn't seen Aiden in a few years, there was no way he believed Aiden would hurt anyone, or try to overdose Jacquie.
Jacquie—the girl he once loved and had to leave behind. He had never gotten over her, but had loved her too much to drag her down with him. Granite Falls was her home. Her future. She never wanted to leave, and he couldn’t stay. Not after what happened to his dad. They were lucky Sheriff Donovan let them go. Lucky he understood what they’d had to deal with all their lives.
Lucky he knew what a bastard drunk their father was.
Chase took the time to read as many police and sheriff reports from Granite Falls and the surrounding areas as he could find. There had been a lot of recent drug activity. Even BobbyDearbornhad beenmurdered by his wife and a friend. Big-city crime was finding its way into the mountains. Not surprising since Granite Falls got its start with bootleggers distilling and running moonshine. They still made some good shine in those backyard barns, only now it seemed they were making and running meth, too.
Chase jotted down Josh Halloway's number, then pulled up the website for the Granite Falls Inn. Thankfully they were open twenty-four hours. He might have to return to Granite Falls, but he wouldn't sleep under the roof of the house he grew up in. Those memories were better kept buried.
“I need a room,” he said when a sleepy-sounding clerk answered the line. “For tonight. I'll be there in a few hours.”
He stood, pulled on his jacket, and walked out his front door as he finalized the arrangements. Once he was in the car and on the road, navigating the empty highways, he called Jacquie's brother, Josh. “This is Chase McKenzie. I know it's late, but would you mind filling me in on what happened tonight?”
Josh couldn't tell him everything, but he said enough. Chase's stomach tightened with each word. Sylvia wasn't out of the woods yet, and Jacquie came real close to losing her life—twice. All because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His mother hadn't been exaggerating.
“Have you heard from Aiden?” Josh asked him the question Chase was waiting for.
He wondered how much Josh knew about their father's death, and why he and Aiden had to leave town eight years ago. How much had Sheriff Donovan shared with his successor?
“Not in a long time,” Chase admitted. “Do you think he's involved?”
“Jacquie thought she saw you in her room tonight, and we both know how much you two look alike. Plus, there has been talk Aiden has been seen around town with Sylvia.”
