Chapter Eight

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Jace sat in his office, multitasking. Sipping his morning coffee, reviewing the report he'd just written and glancing at his horses as they grazed in the pasture.

The Palominos were an indulgence, something he'd wanted as a kid but had never had. He'd bought the pair the same day that he'd bought the house, and just looking at them was a reminder of how far he'd come. Each step, the military and then SAPD—heck, even his time in foster care and his marriage to Kit—had brought him here.

He got a different kind of reminder when he heard Kit groan and then huff. She was in the sitting area of his office, doing her own variation of multitasking. No coffee for her but her usual Coke, and instead of reports on a large monitor, she was viewing traffic camera feeds on a laptop. Trying to pin down Trevor's locations so they could possibly connect him to the person who'd been hired to kidnap and murder them.

It was a long shot since a) they didn't know who the attacker was or what he or she looked like, and b) other than the burner phones, there was no proof that Trevor was involved in the attack at Brandon's apartment or the attempts to hurt, silence or kidnap Kit and him.

Judging from those sounds of frustration that she just made, the search of the camera feed wasn't going well.

Then again, the night hadn't gone well either.

Kit had probably slept, some, but certainly not enough. More than once, he'd heard her moving around in the guest suite across the hall from his bedroom. Pacing. Probably doing a lot of thinking and worrying, too. It was a lot to process that her brother or father might want her dead.

And he hadn't helped with that.

That kiss in the SUV had muddied waters that needed no more muddying. Yeah, it'd been a damn good kiss, and at the time, it'd felt like a necessity. But he still should have resisted. Because now, the attraction was there, tossing and turning with all the other info they had to deal with.

One of those other info things was Marvin.

He still hadn't contacted Kit to tell her the name of the person that he believed was trying to kill her. And even if the man did do that, it would pose a legal dilemma for Kit. As a witness against Marvin, having a conversation with him could be construed as witness tampering. It could hurt any testimony she might give. So, if Marvin did plan on spilling about the possible killer, then it couldn't come in a direct chat with Kit.

His phone rang with a video call request, and since it was Ruby, he answered it right away. It only took seconds for Ruby's image to replace the report on the monitor.

"I hope you both managed to get some rest," Ruby greeted.

"Some," Kit muttered. Jace stayed quiet rather than verify what Ruby already suspected—that there hadn't been nearly enough sleep.

"Thank you for having my things from my townhouse brought here," Kit added to Ruby.

The clothes had indeed arrived the night before. Several suitcases of them, delivered by Jericho's brother Nash. Along with the clothes, including the jeans and green top Kit was now wearing, Nash had brought along her cosmetics and the entire contents of her medicine cabinet.

And a six-pack of Coke.

Nash had apparently seen the stash she'd had in her fridge and pantry, and then he'd deduced this was a staple for her. He'd brought some along in case Jace hadn't had any in stock.

"You're welcome," Ruby replied, "and if you need anything else, just ask, and we'll get it for you. Best not to go to your place or your office until, well, until it's safe."

Jace couldn't agree fast enough. The kidnapper would likely have both places staked out, maybe with a hired gun or with cameras that he'd set up so he could know if they arrived at one of those locations.

"Three things," Ruby started, fixing her attention on Kit when she stood and walked closer. "Did you know your brother is hurting financially?"

The surprise washed over Kit's face. "No." She shook her head. "But how? Trevor inherited six million from our maternal grandmother just two years ago."

"And he's gone through all of it with a combination of bad investments and overspending. Well, the overspending is mainly from Deanna, but Trevor hasn't reined her in any with a budget." On the monitor, he saw Ruby looking at her tablet. "For instance, they spend over 10K a month just on fresh flower arrangements for their house. And another 10K-20K a month on salon and spa treatments. Vacations and getaways are a half million a year."

Kit continued to shake her head as she sank down on the edge of Jace's desk. "I had no idea. I mean, I've always joked that they live like rock stars, but I didn't know they were burning through his inheritance this fast."

"They've burned through all of it," Ruby supplied. "And now they're tapping into the quickly dwindling principle of the few investments they have left. The salary your father pays him isn't nearly enough for Deanna and him to sustain their current lifestyle."

"The ransom demand," Kit muttered.

Yeah, Jace had already gone there, and judging from Ruby's expression, so had she.

"If Trevor did actually hire someone to kidnap Jace and you, then he would have had to shell out some cash," Ruby went on. "The tech nor I can find a record of that, nor any kind of record of the phone purchases, but we'll keep digging. And that brings me to the second update. So far, the cops haven't charged Trevor with anything."

Jace cursed, but this was what he'd expected. "Trevor denied the phones were his?"

"Oh, yes," Ruby was quick to say. "Deny, deny, deny. And he claims Kit or you planted them despite neither of you having a motive for doing that." She paused. "Ramsey has stepped up to give Trevor all the legal support he needs, which means that he's lawyered up to the hilt."

"So, we shouldn't expect Trevor to be arrested," Kit concluded.

Ruby made a sound of agreement. "Not at the moment anyway, but we could still come up with something. Maybe the cops will, too, on those phones." Though she didn't sound especially hopeful about that last part. "Now, here's the third thing, and I'll tell you upfront, you don't have to agree to this."

"It's about the meeting that Marvin wants with Kit?" Jace asked. "He called you back?"

"He did indeed, about thirty minutes ago. I was beginning to think I wouldn't hear back from him. But he finally called, and I spelled out to him what we'd already discussed. That Kit couldn't meet with him. Not directly anyway. And I suggested he could meet with you instead and that Kit could observe."

Jace looked at Kit to get her take on that. She certainly wasn't jumping at the arrangement. Probably because it was toeing the line of the law. Still, as long as Marvin and she didn't speak, then it wouldn't violate the judge's orders of Marvin having no contact with a witness.

"Marvin agreed about Kit observing, and he offered a time and place," Ruby went on. "A café in downtown San Antonio at ten this morning." She rolled her eyes. "Since it would have been next to impossible to secure a scene like that, I nixed that right away and gave him an alternative. A meeting at the Bandera Bluff's Sheriff's Office."

Jace chuckled. But he stopped when he noted Ruby's expression. "Marvin agreed to that?"

"He did. Yes, that surprised me, too," she said, studying their faces. "But I called the sheriff, Solomon Manning, and he said we could use their interview room that would allow Kit to observe through camera feed."

"I'm assuming the sheriff's office is safe, that Marvin wouldn't use this as an attempt to try to kill me?" Kit wanted to know.

"Well, it's not Fort Knox, but it is a building of cops so we can make it safe enough for a visit," Ruby assured her. "Angel will accompany you there and stay with you during the meeting."

"Could Marvin maybe manage to sneak in a weapon?" Jace pressed.

"There's no metal detector at the entrance, but everyone will be searched, and all weapons will have to be surrendered. That's their security protocol. A deputy will keep watch outside to stop anyone from charging in, and I'll have Slade check the roofs of nearby buildings to make sure there are no snipers. In fact, he's there now doing just that."

Jace knew that Ruby was being as thorough as possible about this, but there were still way too many things that could go wrong. Then again, the same could be said about tomorrow when Kit would have to go to the Bandera Bluff courthouse to testify against Marvin.

There was an irony to the location.

The courthouse was where Kit and he had gotten married nineteen years ago with the Justice of the Peace officiating with Angel and Presley as witnesses. That'd been the one and only time Jace had been in the building, but apparently Kit and he would be going back. Under much different circumstances this time.

"When is this meeting with Marvin supposed to take place?" Jace asked, forcing his mind back on the here and now.

"As soon as you can get Kit there. Angel is already on his way to you, and he'll wait at your gate for you."

"Hell," Jace muttered, and neither Ruby nor Kit questioned him.

They both knew a meeting like this came with risks. Huge ones. Because while Marvin might not be able to get a weapon inside the sheriff's office, that didn't mean he hadn't set up some kind of attack.

"We need to know what Marvin has to say," Kit spelled out. "And if this is a plot to get to me, then Slade, Angel, and you can stop it."

Kit obviously had a lot of faith in them. So did Jace. But sometimes, all the training in the world didn't stop someone from being killed. Still, Kit was right. They needed to hear Marvin out.

Jace stood, and that was apparently enough to signal Ruby that the meeting would happen. "I'll get an update from Slade and send it to you while you're en route to Bandera Bluffs," she added. "And I'll let Marvin know you're on the way."

Jace muttered a thanks, ended the call, and turned to Kit. He wanted to spell out some rules. Wanted to tell her not to take any unnecessary risks. Heck, he wanted to vent about that all of this shit was happening to her.

But she stopped him.

She walked to him and kissed him.

It wasn't one of those for show kisses either. Nor was it an anger kiss like the one that he'd doled out in the SUV. This was honest, real. And hot.

So very hot.

Then again, it was probably impossible for Kit and him not to generate a boatload of heat whenever they were kissing. Or touching.

Or anything else for that matter.

Kit's mouth moved over his. Both soothing and arousing. It instantly made him want more. But more wasn't going to happen.

Not now, anyway.

"We'll finish this later," she muttered with her mouth still against him.

She pulled back, meeting his gaze. And cursing. Yeah, she cursed, making Jace smile. Because he so understood this fierce battle she was having with herself. To give into the heat would feel incredible. But it could also be a very dangerous mistake.

"Later," he agreed, and then he shoved the kiss and the heat aside to focus on keeping her alive.

They went to the garage, got in the SUV, and drove to the gate. As Ruby had said, Angel was there waiting for them, and like before, Angel followed them on their drive.

Jace kept watch around them, and he knew that Angel and Kit were doing the same. This wasn't a high-traffic area, but there were still plenty of places for an attacker to lie in wait.

His phone dinged and a text from Ruby appeared on the dash. " Got an all clear from Slade. No suspicious activity. He'll stay in place on the roof of the courthouse just up the street from the police station to make sure it stays that way. "

Good. From what Jace had learned about Slade, the man was a good shot and kept a steady head. He was hoping though that Kit and he wouldn't need that kind of skillset.

It didn't take long, less than five minutes for Jace to reach the town, and like many of the small towns in this area, Main Street was mainly mom and pop type of businesses with the courthouse in the center.

Less than a half block away was the sheriff's office, and Jace immediately spotted a uniformed deputy who was clearly watching for them. He motioned for Jace to park directly in front of the building. Jace did and was thankful the parking arrangement meant there'd be less time out in the open for Kit.

Angel parked behind them, and hurrying, the three of them went into the sheriff's office. Ruby had set up things here, too, since Sheriff Soloman "Sol" Manning was right there, waiting for their arrival.

Jace immediately recognized Manning. When he'd first bought his house, he'd stopped by to meet the sheriff to let him know he had someone from Maverick Ops living on his turf, and now he made the introductions for Kit and Angel.

Manning kept up the quick pace by ushering them straight back to the interview room, located next to his own office.

"I gave Marvin a refresher of his Miranda Rights," Manning said. "Just in case he wants to confess to anything. You can watch from in here," he added to Kit, offering her the use of the laptop on his desk.

Jace could see Marvin on the screen. Alone. Somewhat of a surprise. Jace had thought maybe Marvin would have brought his lawyer with him.

"Angel will stay here with you," Jace told her, and he gave her a long look, one that he hoped conveyed for her to be careful, before he went next door to the interview.

Marvin jumped to his feet the moment that Jace stepped into the room. He was big and beefy, exactly as his pictures had shown. But what the pictures hadn't captured was the desperation he saw in the man's dust-gray eyes. Then again, Marvin had a reason to be desperate since he was facing a lengthy prison sentence. In fact, this would almost certainly be his last day of freedom since the trial was tomorrow.

"Where's Kit?" the man asked.

Jace pointed to the camera on the wall. "She's watching and listening. So, let's not make her wait. Give me the name of the person who wants to harm her so we can all get the heck out of here."

Marvin frowned, and that desperation in his eyes kicked up a notch. "I thought Kit would be standing in the corner of the room."

"No." And Jace made sure there was no wiggle room on that. "If she's in the room, that could be construed as you meeting with a witness." He huffed, put his hands on his hips and gave Marvin a bad ass glare. "This sure as hell better not be a way to get her testimony thrown out. Because if that's the shit game you're trying to play, I'll let the judge know, and there'll be more charges against you."

Marvin's eyes narrowed to slits, confirming that's really what this meeting was all about. If he could have managed to neutralize Kit, then he might have been declared innocent.

Jace went to the table, put his fisted hands on it and glared at Marvin. "Give me a name now. And remember, if this is a wild goose chase, the judge will know about that, too. Think of all the charges you'll be facing. Attempted bribery and intimidation of a witness. Withholding evidence. Obstruction of justice—"

"Norm Pearce," Marvin interrupted. He snapped out the name. "He's the one hired to scare her off."

Scare her off ? It seemed like a lot more than that to Jace.

"Norm Pearce," Jace repeated, knowing that Angel was already doing a background check on the name. Angel would also forward it to Ruby so she could do some digging as well. "Who hired him?"

"Don't know," Marvin was quick to say. "I don't know," he repeated when Jace glared at him.

"Then how did you find out he's the one who'd been hired?" Jace pressed.

He wasn't so quick on the response this time, and Jace thought it was finally occurring to the man that this meeting attempt was a bad idea.

"I've heard talk," Marvin muttered after several long moments.

"Gossip," Jace concluded. "Or maybe you had direct knowledge that Norm Pearce is the one because you hired him. Yeah, I'm going to be talking to the judge," Jace tacked onto that, and he turned to leave.

"Wait a damn minute," Marvin growled, and he spoke through clenched teeth. "Don't you dare threaten me."

Jace did some growling right back at him, and he was a lot better at it than Marvin. "And don't you dare waste my time like this with some bullshit attempt to get your ass out of hot water. If Norm Pearce turns out to be some name you just pulled out of a hat, then you'll be facing those extra charges." He jammed his thumb against his chest. "I'll personally see to it."

Of course, if it turned out that Pearce was a hired killer, Marvin could still be charged with withholding evidence and maybe even aiding and abetting. Jace hoped his expression conveyed that as he stormed out.

And nearly ran straight into Angel.

One look at Angel's face and Jace knew something was wrong. "Is Kit all right?" he couldn't get out fast enough.

"This isn't about Kit," Angel said in a rough whisper. He closed the interview room door and motioned for Jace to follow him back into the sheriff's office. Angel closed that door, too, once they were inside.

"Hell," Jace muttered when he saw Kit's expression. It mirrored Angel's. "What happened?"

Kit swallowed hard. "I just got a call from Deanna. Brandon's been kidnapped."

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