Chapter Nine

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“Jordana and Eddie,” Nash muttered, trying to wrap his head around that.

When Ruby, Caroline, and he were in the woods with Eddie, the man hadn’t had favorable things to say about Jordana. Then again, Eddie had also claimed he’d been there to talk Bodie into turning himself in.

So, Eddie was a liar.

And apparently not very loyal to Bodie, someone he thought of as a brother, since the photo showed Eddie kissing a woman who would have been Bodie’s fiancée at the time.

“Maybe Jordana is using Eddie,” Caroline speculated. “Maybe she used sex to convince him to help her set up Bodie’s escape.”

Nash took a moment to process that and nodded. “That’s a good angle.” And it seemed more plausible than Jordana having the hots for Eddie.

But why would Eddie have gone along with it?

Would sex with his best friend’s fiancée have been enough to convince him?

Nash immediately thought of kissing Caroline. The heat and pleasure hadn’t made him a complete idiot, but it had certainly clouded his head and made him burn for her even more. Maybe it was that way for Eddie.

“I’ve already sent a copy of this photo to Detective Malley, and I’ll let you know when Eddie’s and Leland’s interviews start at SAPD headquarters,” Ruby went on. “FYI, Slade should be there at your place any minute now. And full disclosure, I temporarily pulled him off the search for Bodie in the hopes that Bodie would follow him and that Slade would be able to intercept him along the route. Yes, it was a risk—”

“A good one,” Nash interrupted. “Because if Bodie comes here, Slade and I can catch him.”

Ruby seemed to breathe a whole lot easier. “I figure Bodie knows where you live, but he could see Slade as his ticket to getting inside your place. He’s not. Slade thoroughly checked his van to make sure Bodie hadn’t stashed himself inside it. But it’s still possible that Bodie has managed to track where Slade is going and is keeping him under surveillance.”

It was especially doable if Jordana had shelled out some of her money for equipment to allow Bodie to do that. And at this point, they had to assume there was a good chance that Jordana and Bodie had hooked up and she had given him whatever he needed. Also, if Jordana had indeed helped him with his escape, then she likely would have set up a safe, off the grid place for them to go to minimize the chance of Bodie being recaptured.

“Anyway, Slade will be there soon to drop off some more items, including Caroline’s meds and some groceries. I figured you hadn’t had a chance to shop in between your last mission and getting to Caroline’s.”

“I hadn’t,” Nash said. Then, he stopped and added. “Caroline’s meds?” He looked at her for an explanation.

“Low-dose antibiotics,” Caroline told him. “I’ve been on them since, well, since the attack. My spleen had to be removed, and that means I’m more suspectable to catching stuff and getting an infection.”

Hell. He hadn’t known that, and Nash immediately glanced at the small nicks and burns she’d gotten from the explosion.

“I’m fine,” Caroline insisted, obviously noticing that he was giving her the once-over.

Clearly, she wasn’t fine if she had needed meds for all this time, but Nash didn’t press as to why she hadn’t told him about this earlier, especially since the pressing wouldn’t accomplish squat. Instead, he turned back to Ruby, thanked her for the updates, and ended the call just as he heard a series of beeps.

“Oz, security monitor on,” Nash instructed.

Within a blink, the feed from multiple security cameras popped up on the blank screen where Ruby’s image had just been. And he saw Slade’s van at the security gate. Since his brother already had the code, the gate opened and Slade drove in.

“He’ll be pissed that he hasn’t found Bodie,” Nash let Caroline know.

One look at Slade’s face and Nash had confirmation of what he’d just said. He could see Slade scowling. The scowl didn’t let up either as he used the code to open the garage and park his van inside.

Several moments later, Slade came in through the mudroom, and he was carrying several large plastic bags.

“Oz, reset all security,” Nash instructed, nodding a greeting to his brother.

Slade’s scowled managed to get even worse. “Oz? What happened to Caroline?”

Nash groaned just as Caroline gave Slade a wide-eyed stare. “Nothing else happened to me. Why?”

“No, not you…” Slade’s words trailed off when he noticed the look on Nash’s face. A look that obviously conveyed that he wished Slade hadn’t said anything about this.

“My AI app,” Nash clarified because he had to say something. “I used to call it Caroline.”

She smiled, which was a far better reaction than Nash had considered she might have. “Did it have my voice?” she asked.

Nash nodded, cursed under his breath. “I know that must sound creepy.”

Still smiling, Caroline lowered her head and shook it. “No, it sounds…promising. Like maybe you didn’t forget about me after that party.”

“I’d never forget about you,” Nash muttered before thinking that through.

He should have thought it through.

This time, it was Slade who groaned. “Okay, I don’t see any pitfalls with what’s going on here.” There was so much sarcasm in his voice. “No possible lack of objectivity. No potential to piss off the boss. No—”

“I know,” Nash interrupted, and then he did a quick change of subject. “You brought Caroline her meds?”

That caused Slade’s scowl to return, and he set all but one of the bags on the kitchen counter. He handed the last one to Caroline. “Meds and some extra toiletry items that Ruby recommended.”

Caroline looked inside the bag and sighed. “It’s hard to stay completely furious with her when she does thoughtful things like this,” she muttered under her breath. Then, she winced as if she’d said too much.

Nash was right there with her. He’d taken the too much said dive as well. So had Slade by bringing up the AI app formerly known as Caroline.

Slade checked the feed from the security cameras that was still on the monitor, and he cursed. “The sonofabitch didn’t follow me. And I gave him ample opportunity for it. I mean, if he was watching me at the grocery store, he’d likely know I wasn’t buying lavender shampoo for me. Added to that, the antibiotics script is in Caroline’s name.”

Yeah, that would have given Bodie or Jordana some clues as to where Slade would be heading with those items.

“You didn’t get a sense of anyone following you?” Caroline asked.

Slade didn’t do what Nash thought he might—grumble at her for something Slade would take as an insult. Because Slade wouldn’t have had to rely on “a sense” for that sort of thing. He would have spotted anyone tailing him.

“No one followed me,” Slade assured her. “No one put a tracker on my van. And no one got in my field of vision to alert me that I was being watched.”

“Maybe because Bodie didn’t need to watch or follow you,” Nash pointed out. “Any one at Caroline’s yesterday could likely figure out I brought her here with me. Anyone, including Jordana.”

“Yeah,” Slade agreed. “So, what the hell is the fucker waiting on? Unless his IQ has dropped to subpar level while he’s been in jail, he has to know Caroline’s not just going to serve herself up to him on a silver platter.” He shifted toward Caroline. “You’re not going to do that, right?”

“I’m not,” she confirmed and then paused. “But like you, I want him caught. If Bodie won’t come here because of the tight security, then maybe I go someplace where he thinks he can come at me. Sort of like your trip to the grocery store to buy lavender shampoo.”

Nash did some cursing. Slade, however, nodded in approval. At first anyway. He quit the nodding when he saw Nash’s reaction.

“A silver platter with a crapload of protection,” Slade spelled out. “That could work, but I’m guessing neither Nash nor Ruby will go for that.”

“I won’t,” Nash was quick to say. “I think it’s best if we stick to the plan and keep looking for Jordana and Bodie.”

Slade shrugged again, just as his phone dinged with a text. So did Nash’s.

“It’s from Ruby,” Nash relayed to Caroline. “The interview with Eddie is starting.”

He sent a reply to thank Ruby. Then, he instructed Oz to tap into the feed link that Ruby had sent him. It took only a couple of seconds for the link to load, and the feed came on the screen.

Detective Malley and another cop were on one side of the interview table, and Eddie and a guy in a suit were across from him. Eddie’s lawyer, no doubt. As standard procedure, Malley read in the date, time, case number, and the names of all of those present.

“Ruby’s already doing a run on the lawyer,” Slade let them know, though he added the name to a memo on his phone. Gary Sullivan.

Nash made note of it, too, since he wanted to do his own deep dive on the lawyer and find out who was footing the bill. And why.

“Mr. Mulcrone, I need to inform you that this interview is being recorded. And as I explained to you earlier, several people are watching, including my lieutenant.” Malley pointed to the camera on the wall. “Do you wish to know the names of those observers, and do you need me to reread your rights to you?”

“My client understands his rights,” Sullivan interjected. “And even though I would prefer to have no one listening in, my client has instructed me that he doesn’t wish to object to that matter. Therefore, he doesn’t need the names of those observers. Also, my client wishes to make a statement at this time.”

Malley kept a blank face while he nodded, and Eddie picked up a piece of paper. A statement the lawyer had likely had a big hand in creating.

“I, Eddie Mulcrone, did not assist Bodie McKenna in any way in his escape. I have no idea where he is, and if he contacts me, I fully intend to try to convince him to turn himself in.”

“Uh huh,” Malley said, not sounding the least bit convinced. “And did you try to convince Bodie when he called you and asked you to meet him in the woods near Miss Maverick’s residence?”

“He didn’t give me the chance,” Eddie readily answered. “He just asked me to meet him there.”

“And he did that so you could take him money, a phone, and a knife that you had with you,” Malley countered.

Eddie wasn’t so quick to answer this time. He looked at his lawyer, who answered for him. “Those were all my client’s personal items. He had no intentions of giving them to the escapee.”

“Uh huh,” Malley repeated. “That isn’t what your client told Ruby Maverick, Caroline Maverick, and Nash McKenna when the three of them found him in the woods.”

“My client was rattled,” the lawyer insisted, not missing a beat. “Terrified actually since those three were heavily armed and had a menacing presence. My client misspoke, but he never intended to help the escapee. That would be against the law,” he tacked onto that.

“Yeah, it would,” Malley muttered and leaned back in his chair. “So, help me with some insight here about Bodie, since you consider him like a brother and all. Is Bodie the jealous sort?”

Ah, Nash knew where this was going, but Eddie and the lawyer just looked confused by the question.

“I mean, is Bodie jealous of Jordana?” Malley spelled out when neither Eddie nor the lawyer responded.

The confusion left Eddie’s face. “No.” He sighed and leaned forward as if telling a secret. “Look, Bodie married Jordana for her money. And the sex. That’s it. But he doesn’t love her. He still has a thing for Caroline.”

From the corner of his eye, Nash saw Caroline flinch, and he automatically moved closer to her. Hell. That was not something Nash had wanted to hear.

“Caroline, the woman Bodie tried to murder?” Malley commented.

“Yeah, her.” Eddie shrugged. “I don’t get it. I mean, she’s a looker all right, but it’s like Bodie’s obsessed with her. She’s the one who rejected him and all. The one he loved, and she threw that love back in his face.”

Caroline didn’t step away from Nash. Didn’t take her attention off the screen. But this had to feel like multiple hard blows.

“So, Bodie would be jealous of Caroline but not his wife?” Malley asked.

“Absolutely,” Eddie declared with total conviction.

Malley opened a folder and took out the picture. “Then Bodie wouldn’t care about you kissing his wife.” He slid the photo toward the two men.

Every drop of color vanished from Eddie’s face. “Fuck,” he muttered.

His lawyer immediately clamped onto his arm. “Don’t say another word,” he warned Eddie.

“I like that old saying,” Detective Malley threw out there. “You know, the one about a picture being worth a thousand words. And what a picture this is. If you look real close, you can see that Jordana is wearing the engagement ring she bought for Bodie to give her.”

“It was a mistake,” Eddie blurted, and he shook off the lawyer’s grip. “A mistake,” he added. “Jordana came onto me, and I gave in. It was stupid, yes, and I instantly regretted it.”

“Jordana came onto you,” Malley remarked, again with loads of skepticism. “Why would she do that when she was engaged?”

Eddie seemed to wither some under Malley’s suddenly intense stare. “I don’t know. You’d have to ask her. Personally, I think she did it because she was jealous of Bodie and me. Because Bodie and I were so close, and I think she wanted to put a wedge between us.”

“Uh huh,” Malley reacted. “And did she tell Bodie about this, uh, one off or whatever the heck it was?”

“No,” Eddie snapped, and a few seconds later, he repeated it in a mutter. “I don’t want Bodie to know either. There’s no reason for it.”

“My client and I need a moment,” the lawyer interrupted. “Cut the camera,” he said, looking up at it. “I don’t want you or your audience listening in on this.”

Malley nodded, stood and pressed something in the keypad next to the door. The screen immediately went blank.

Nash was thankful for the reprieve since he wanted to check on Caroline. That didn’t happen though. He’d barely made it a step toward her when his phone dinged with another text. Probably Ruby, wanting to see how Caroline was doing as well.

But it wasn’t.

Unknown Caller was on the screen.

“Maybe Leland again,” he muttered, and he opened the text.

And he cursed.

“What’s wrong?” Caroline and Slade asked in unison.

Nash’s gaze froze on the words, and he wished he didn’t have to tell her. But he couldn’t keep this from her. Even if seeing it was going to cut Caroline to the bone.

He held up his phone so she could read what was written there.

“Hello, darlin’,” she read aloud, her voice barely a whisper. “Watch the attached video for an important message.”

“I can have the video screened,” Nash was quick to say. “To check it for a virus.” Though he figured Bodie wouldn’t do that since he’d want Caroline to see it.

So he could taunt her.

And terrorize her.

“Play the video,” she insisted.

Nash debated it, and hoping it wasn’t a mistake, he loaded it onto the monitor so they could all watch.

Bodie instantly appeared on the screen, and Nash tried not to react to the gut punch of hatred that he had for this bastard. Impossible not to react though since Bodie was sporting that same grin as he had in the photo that’d been left in Caroline’s bedroom.

His brother’s black hair fell nearly to his shoulders, and his easy, careless expression made him look like some kind of seasoned rock star. He still had his looks, looks that he’d obviously used to convince Jordana to marry him.

Nash paused the frame so he could study Bodie’s surroundings to try to figure out where he’d been when this was recorded. But there was nothing to study. Bodie was sitting in front of what appeared to be a white bed sheet that had been nailed to a wall.

“Caroline,” Bodie purred when the video started up again. “I have so much to say to you. I really hope you’re having a miserable time right now, what with looking over your shoulder for me.”

“You sick sonofabitch,” she muttered.

Bodie laughed, maybe anticipating a more terrified reaction from her. “Now that I’m a free man, we’ll be connecting really soon.” He held up something.

A skinning knife.

“The cops took my other one,” Bodie went on. “But as you can see, I have a new one.”

Bodie ran the blade over his tongue and then turned back to the camera. Now, he was sporting a stone-cold glare. “Can’t wait to slice this right into you,” he growled. “This time, bitch, you’ll die.”