Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

Jackson

I was in heaven. There was no other explanation.

But as the woman next to me rolled over, snuggling in even closer, all I could think was, if this was heaven, I was fine with dying. Because this had been the best damn afternoon of my life.

Allison and I had swam for what felt like hours, exploring the lake even as we explored each other, eventually shedding what remained of our clothes and enjoying a first time together that I’d never forget in my whole life.

Then we left the water, grabbed a blanket from my truck, and did it all over again on land.

Now we were cuddled up on that blanket, letting the sun warm us as we napped the day away. It was paradise, and I never wanted to leave.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you thank you for the flowers,” Allison murmured beside me.

“What flowers?” I traced a finger down her arm, marveling that we were here and this was real. All my dreams had come true, wrapped up in one beautiful soul that had chosen me.

“The roses.” She sat up on her elbows, leaning over and kissing me softly, her damp hair brushing the side of my face. “They were beautiful.”

I frowned. “What are you talking about? I didn’t send you roses.”

She gave me a blank look. “At the clinic. Yesterday. A bouquet of roses with a card…” She trailed off, turning pale. “Those weren’t from you?”

“Not me. Though you can be sure I’ll send you the next set. What did the card say?”

“‘Devotedly yours.’” She looked confused and slightly worried.

I frowned again. “That’s weird. Mike, you think?”

“Probably.” She shivered.

I pulled her into my arms again. “You’re cold. Maybe we should head back.”

But she was silent.

“What is it, sunshine?” I could almost feel her smile, even though I couldn’t see it.

“Sunshine,” she repeated. “I like that.”

“It’s how I’ve always thought of you. Like you were the sunshine in my life.”

She sighed. “That’s sweet. And the last thing I want to do is ruin today by dragging any nastiness into it.”

My muscles tensed. “What nastiness?”

She covered her face with a hand. “I didn’t tell you this, but the day of Russell’s funeral, I noticed that Mike had gone through my underwear drawer while he was at my house.”

A fierce protectiveness rose up in me. “What the hell? That’s creepy.”

“I know. I made him stay at a hotel and never even invited him upstairs, but he must have poked around while I was taking a call or something.”

I held her tighter. “You’re too nice. You should have slammed the door in his face. After all, you’d already told him you didn’t want to talk to him. For him to show up and demand your time after that was out of line.”

She sighed again. “I know. I hate confrontation. I’m too weak for it.”

“You’re not weak. You’re one of the strongest women I know.” I kissed her on the forehead. “And you’re mine. So you don’t have to fight any battles alone anymore. Now should we get you home and warm you up?”

She traced a finger down my chest. “Why would we do that when you can warm me up again right here?”

Another hour passed before we managed to get back to my truck. We drove straight to Allison’s with a plan to clean up and then go to dinner. But when we turned into her driveway and saw two county vehicles there, we exchanged looks, knowing our plans were about to change.

She grabbed my hand. “What do you think happened?”

“I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”

I was as relieved to see Greg standing on Allison’s porch as I was irritated to see Miller with him. As soon as we got out of my truck, I took her hand in mine and we headed up together. I didn’t miss the look the men exchanged at the sight of it.

Greg held a hand up and stopped us from coming up the porch. “I tried calling you both but couldn’t get an answer. We were starting to get worried.”

“Sorry,” I explained, with a stab of guilt. “We were at the lake. Left our cell phones in the truck.”

His face was grim. “I had an update on Russell. When I couldn’t get you on the phone, I drove to your apartment. Came here next when you weren’t there. The front door was open. Someone left a message.” He glanced at Allison. “You sure you want to see this?”

“We’re sure.”

He nodded and moved to the side. “Looks like we’ve got a stalking situation going on here.”

We walked up the steps into the house. Allison’s face turned to shock when she saw the ugly display in her entryway. Pictures of us, from just hours before, making out in the lake. Her roses, chopped to pieces. Torn lace. And a note.

Greg picked up the letter with his gloved hand, holding it out for us to see.

You’ve been naughty, Allison. You belong to me, and you always have. You’ll regret it if you ever let that man put his hands on you again.

“Mike,” Allison said, shaking her head. “It has to be. But I didn’t—I don’t—” She looked like she was going to be sick.

I put my arm around her, practically holding her up for support. “She needs to sit down,” I said in a tone that didn’t leave it up for discussion.

Greg nodded, gesturing toward the living room. He and Miller followed with dark expressions on their faces.

“Tell me more about this Mike,” Greg said, taking the seat across from the couch where Allison had sunk down the minute we got inside.

“He’s my ex,” she said. “He cheated on me and I broke up with him right before I moved here. He wants me back. He’s sent flowers and called my mom and even showed up here last weekend.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand. He’s always been a little different. But I didn’t know this side of him. When we were together, he didn’t seem to care what I did. Now that we’re not, he’s become obsessive.”

“You’ve met him, right?” Greg asked, directing the question to me.

“I have.”

“Your thoughts?”

I glanced at Allison, not wanting to hurt her by saying too much. “I’m not a fan. He’s territorial. Sleazy. It was clear when I met him that he was possessive over her, even though they weren’t together.”

“You think he’s behind this? Were we wrong about Russell?”

“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “Mike’s been harassing her for sure…”

“But?”

I shook my head. “Russell was a slam dunk for the previous break-ins. But he has no connection with Mike. Plus, Allison, Mike was fine with you sleeping with Dr. Barkley to get that job, right?”

“Right,” she confirmed, realization dawning on her face.

“So he’s harassing you and wants you back, but he also has a history of pretty loose boundaries. Hard to believe he’d fly off the handle about us kissing. Unless something’s changed.” I mulled it over. “A switch that drastic would require a trigger of some sort. If that’s true, we need to find out what that is. And it still doesn’t explain Russell’s involvement.”

Greg tapped his pen, setting his mouth in a firm line. “Hold up. Before we go down that path, what’s the story with this Dr. Barkley?”

Allison explained, blushing as she recounted what had happened with him. Greg took careful notes, taking down the whole story, then exchanged glances with Miller again as they stood up to leave.

“What are you thinking?” I asked, even knowing he wouldn’t answer. It was killing me to be on the outside on this one. Everything in me needed to be bouncing ideas off of Greg, working together the way we normally did. Trusting Allison’s safety to someone else—even the man I’d trust with my own life—was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

“I think you two should stay with me and Janet tonight,” Greg said, giving me a pointed look. “Allison’s a target, but you are too now.”

This time, Allison and I were the ones exchanging looks. “Okay. Thanks,” I finally said.

“Good. ’Cause I don’t want you staying here or even in Jackson’s apartment,” Greg said flatly. “This guy has eyes on you, and he could be dangerous. Get what you need. Miller and I will be outside waiting.”

While Allison went upstairs to pack some fresh clothes, I stepped out to talk to Greg and Miller. But they went quiet the moment I joined them. It burned like acid, even though I knew they were completely in the right. This wasn’t my case. It couldn’t be.

But I also couldn’t stay away.

“What are we thinking?” I asked.

Greg gave me a look of empathy this time. He, too, had once been on the outside of a case involving the woman he loved. He knew what it was like.

“I don’t know what to think,” he confessed. “But you know we’re going to track down every lead we can. Miller’s going to find out where Mike is right now, and we’re going to dig back into all the other people you and I talked about before we thought it was Russell.”

I stared off at the trees. “Maybe it was Russell.”

Greg cocked his head. “How do you figure?”

“We’re fairly certain Russell was here, right? And that he was targeting Allison to get to me.”

“Right. That’s where the evidence pointed.”

“One of Russell’s favorite games was to manipulate people. I mean, you know what he went to prison for.”

Greg nodded. “Yep. Convincing his friends to play Russian roulette. Guy died, it looked like a suicide, and Russell almost got away with it.”

“Exactly. Sometimes Russell likes—liked—to get someone else to accomplish his end game.” I thought it over more and more. “Mike’s always been an ass, but Allison wouldn’t have dated him if he treated her like this before. If Russell did his research and found Mike, he may have manipulated him into this kind of anger and possessiveness. Or…if it isn’t Mike, Russell may have manipulated someone else.”

Greg glanced at Miller. “You’ve still got Russell’s cell phone, right? Double-check to see if there’s a connection to Mike there. In fact, get me a list of everyone he was talking to in the weeks before his death.”

Miller nodded. “On it.” He walked off to make a call.

“You never told me what the update was on Russell,” I said.

Greg cleared his throat. “The report’s back from the crime lab. We’ve got an official cause of death. Looks like we were right about an accidental overdose. He died of fentanyl poisoning.”

The news wasn’t surprising. Fentanyl was dirt cheap and nearly one hundred times stronger than morphine. And since drug producers had started lacing their products with it, it was also the cause of nearly 70% of drug overdoses.

“Are you going after his supplier?”

“Yeah.” Greg nodded. He stuck a hand on my shoulder. “But right now, Allison’s my top priority.”

“What can I do?” I asked, sticking my hands in my pockets. I felt completely helpless, being unable to do what I normally did.

“Stick with Allison like glue. Come stay with me and Janet, even though I know it sucks to leave your own place as a grown man—especially in the beginning of a new relationship.” A hint of a smile crossed his face.

“I love her,” I confessed. “I haven’t told her that yet, but…”

“We’re going to find out who’s behind this, Jackson. We’ll get him.”

I nodded. “I’m trusting you.”