Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Jackson

I clenched my fist and counted to ten inside my head. All I wanted was to wipe the smirk off the man sitting across from me. I’d brought him in after I’d found his ten-year-old son hiding out in the woods, covered in cuts and bruises.

The kid wasn’t talking. The dad’s story was that the kid had run away earlier that morning because he was mad about being grounded for bad grades. The bruises and cuts must have happened while he was attempting to create a shelter in the woods.

Which, admittedly, was plausible based on what I’d seen.

But right now, all I could see was this guy’s smirk. His arrogance. His complete lack of concern for his son.

In other words, all I could see was Russell.

I reached ten and took a deep breath. “Let’s go over it one more time,” I said before my phone vibrated. “Just a minute,” I said, grateful for an excuse to step out and gather myself. “Hello?” I answered, as I closed the door of the room behind me.

“Detective Ford?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s Beverly.” Her voice was hesitant. “I feel stupid calling you about this, but…”

“What’s going on?” I asked as I started moving toward the door. Somehow I knew, even before she said it—Allison was in trouble.

“Dr. Bell has a meeting tonight with Dr. Johnson.”

“Right, I know,” I said. “She texted me about it a few minutes ago.”

Beverly sighed. “Listen, I don’t know how to say this, but I know you two are involved. I think you should know there was a rumor going around that Dr. Bell slept with Dr. Johnson to get this job. I had changed my mind about her, but then she asked me to schedule this meeting with him for tonight. Right after I did, he sent her roses. She got all starry-eyed over them and wouldn’t admit who they were from. Then tonight, I offered to stay for the meeting, but she sent me home, and, well, they’re alone at the office together…”

I froze as puzzle pieces from the past started sliding together in a way I had never expected.

“Beverly, where did you hear that rumor?”

She didn’t answer.

“Beverly,” I said more forcefully. “I need to know where you heard that rumor.”

“From Penny, Dr. Johnson’s wife,” she finally admitted. “Dr. Johnson had an arrangement with Dr. Bell’s mom years ago. When the announcement was made about Dr. Bell coming to take over the clinic, Penny was furious. Said she shouldn’t have been surprised—all Bells were the same, and for some unknown reason, Dr. Johnson couldn’t get enough of them.”

I closed my eyes as what Allison had told me about her mom lined up with everything else.

The poker games.

Russell’s jokes about my mother not being as valuable as Allison’s.

Jokes about how he wished Brent owed him as much money as he owed the doc.

His warning to me about how Allison was already spoken for.

The way Penny had treated her at the town dance.

The letter that said Allison had always been his.

My eyes opened again. Russell had been at the dance. I thought he had been there for Allison, but what if he had been meeting Dr. Johnson instead? What if the “doc” he had referred to so often in my childhood wasn’t Doc Rogers, like I’d always assumed, but…

What if Dr. Johnson had used Russell to do his dirty work all along?

“Where are you?” I demanded, motioning to the front desk that I had an emergency and had to leave.

“I’m at home,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not, but you’re a nice man, and well, you just don’t deserve a woman who cheats on you.”

“Allison didn’t sleep with him,” I almost yelled. “She’s in trouble. I’ve got to go.”

I hung up the phone and jumped into my truck, praying I wasn’t too late.

I raced to the clinic, cursing when I saw there was no longer a patrol vehicle out front. Their shift would have just ended, but surely a replacement was coming.

Or not, since everyone would have expected Allison to be back at Greg’s by this point.

I pulled my truck up onto the sidewalk, threw it into park, jumped out, and ran to the door.

Locked.

In an instant, I flashed back to the worst day of my life—the day I’d lost Allison.

I wasn’t going to lose her again.

One solid kick and the old door gave way. I pushed through and ran toward Allison’s office, feeling the same terror and loss I’d felt so many years before when I’d run toward her bedroom and discovered she was really gone.

No. Not again. I couldn’t lose her.

When I threw her office door open, I almost vomited.

They were gone.

I heard the sound of a door opening in the back and took off, running past the exam rooms. I turned the corner and saw what had to be a nightmare. Allison’s body was crumpled on the floor, her eyes closed and her face drained of all color, as Dr. Johnson dragged her by her wrists toward the exit that led to the alleyway. He dropped her immediately when he saw me and turned to run, but I was faster.

I flew toward him and grabbed his shirt, pulling him to the ground. Then I jumped on top of him and slammed my fist into his jaw, knocking him unconscious with a single punch.

I stared at him, seeing his face, but also more—I saw the doctor who’d screwed up Allison’s life in Memphis. I saw her lousy ex, who’d thrown her away and then harassed her to take him back. I saw Willa’s ex, who’d abused her in horrific ways. I saw the man who’d tried to kill Daphne and take her away from all of us. I saw the face of every single bad guy I’d ever taken down.

And I saw Russell.

And I knew I was going to kill him.

Every bit of rage I’d shoved down my entire life seemed to well up in a single moment with a single target. Russell had finally gotten what he’d always wanted. The Sharp blood had awakened in me, and for the first time in my life, I was so angry I felt like I could kill this man with my bare hands and not feel an ounce of remorse for it. I grabbed his collar with one hand and pulled my other back in a fist, ready to end this once and for all.

But then Allison groaned. Her hand fluttered toward me as she fought to open her eyes. “Jackson,” she mumbled. “You came. I knew you’d come.”

I dropped Dr. Johnson and went to her, pulling her weak body into my arms. She forced her heavy lids open and gave me the sweetest smile before her eyes shuttered again. But in that one look, I saw everything that really mattered. Her. Our future. The life we could build together. The children that would never have to be afraid to come home to us. The love and joy that would fill our home and our lives.

And in one astonishing moment, I realized Russell was wrong. That I wasn’t the same as him at all. Because all that love, all that goodness—it was a thousand times stronger than the hate I had just felt. Our future meant a million times more than revenge. And I’d walk away from Dr. Johnson in a heartbeat if it meant having all that with Allison.

“I’m here,” I said, tenderly stroking her face. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be okay. Whatever he did to you, we’ll fix it. I promise. You’ll be okay. You have to.”

She managed a nod. “Don’t worry,” she murmured, slurring her words slightly. “Just sleepy meds. Not dangerous.”

Thank God. My eyes filled with tears. “I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

“You won’t,” she managed to whisper before squeezing my hand.

“I love you,” I said. “More than anything. More than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. I love you so much, Allison.”

“I love you, too.” She smiled as she said the words. Then she opened her eyes and met my gaze for just a moment before slipping back into her sleepy haze.

Dr. Johnson moaned as he began to regain consciousness. I gently laid Allison back down, then went to deal with him. No revenge this time, just procedure. I flipped him onto his stomach and cuffed him, rattling off his rights as I did. Then I called Greg and let him know what had happened, asking for backup and an ambulance.

With Dr. Johnson secured, I went back to the love of my life and held her as we waited, knowing I was never going to let go.

One week later

It didn’t take long for that night to seem like nothing more than a bad dream. Allison was safe and we were whole in ways I’d never expected to be. And when our chosen family gathered for a Fourth of July picnic, I knew there was only one thing that could make the night better.

“More tea, Jackson?” Janet asked, filling up my glass before I could even answer.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling as I lifted the cold drink to my mouth. It had been a scorcher of a day, but this time of year usually was. We’d brave the stifling heat anyway, hoping it cooled off at least a little when the sun went down and the fireworks began.

“Will Allison be here soon?”

I checked my watch. “Any minute.”

“Actually, I’m already here,” said the sweetest voice in the entire world before she plopped down beside me on the quilt and passed Janet a bottle of champagne to add to the spread.

“Hey,” I said, leaning over to kiss her—and marveling at how every kiss felt both normal and extraordinary at the same time.

Emerson elbowed Cole. “The fireworks haven’t started yet. You owe me ten bucks.”

“I didn’t take that bet,” Cole replied, rolling his eyes.

Daphne spoke up. “I know it’s a party, but since this is the first time we’ve all been together since everything happened…” She trailed off, glancing between me, Greg, and Allison. She obviously hoped one of us would volunteer the scoop.

I had to laugh. Daphne couldn’t help herself. She loved a good story about a bad guy getting what was coming to him.

I glanced at Allison, unsure how much she wanted to share. After all, it was mostly her family history. But she surprised me by launching into the story without a bit of embarrassment at all.

“Basically,” she said, “what everyone in Rosemary Mountain seemed to know—except for me and Jackson, apparently—was that my father made my mother pay off his gambling debt to Dr. Johnson. Although some people thought it was an affair and didn’t realize my mother wasn’t exactly a willing participant.”

“Oh.” Daphne cringed. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Allison said quietly. “Mama and I have had a lot of good talks about it, and I understand her more now. It’s helped me have empathy for why she was the way she was and why she pulled me out of Rosemary Mountain in the middle of the night.”

“I can certainly relate to that,” Daphne said, exchanging glances with Janet.

“Anyway,” Allison continued, “my dad had apparently signed something agreeing to give me to Dr. Johnson when Mama refused to continue. And when Mama found out, she left to protect me.”

I squeezed Allison’s hand. As much as it had hurt for her to disappear like that, now that I knew the truth, I was so grateful her mother had taken her away. And in a lot of ways, it had saved me, too. With her gone, Russell hadn’t had the same leverage over me. It was something I’d never really thought about, but looking back, I could see how getting Allison away from his reach had changed the course of my life for the better. I needed to thank Allison’s mom the next time I saw her.

“Dr. Johnson never gave up though,” I added. “In fact, I think Allison leaving made it more of an obsession for him. He watched her career from a distance and kept tabs on her. It seemed innocent—a family friend who was rooting for a young girl to succeed. But in reality, he had these crazy fantasies about her still belonging to him, and when he saw an opportunity to get her here, he made it happen.”

Willa shook her head. “That’s awful,” she murmured. “Are you okay, Allison?”

Allison nodded, then glanced up at me. “Yes, thanks to Jackson. Dr. Johnson started stalking me, but I didn’t even realize it was him.”

“He used Russell to do his dirty work,” I explained. “Paid him to spy on Allison. Dr. Johnson wanted to know everything—if she was seeing someone, what her hobbies were, what movies she watched, everything. He wanted to know her daily routines. He was gathering information, trying to figure out how to play it. I think at first, he was hoping to seduce her. He delivered flowers to her when she first arrived in town, though she assumed they were from the rental agency.”

Greg jumped in. “What he didn’t realize was that Russell had an agenda of his own.”

“What do you mean?” Daphne asked.

Greg looked at me and I nodded, letting him know I was fine with him sharing all the details.

“Russell was angry at Jackson. He realized the assignment wasn’t just a paycheck. It was a way to get back at the person he blamed for destroying his livelihood. He knew he was at the end of his life and didn’t care about keeping a good working relationship with Dr. Johnson. He just wanted revenge. When he saw how close Jackson and Allison had grown, he decided to kill her. Dr. Johnson realized it and killed him instead.”

Emerson’s eyebrows shot up. “Russell was murdered? I thought it was an overdose.”

“It was,” I confirmed. “Dr. Johnson switched out his meds to ones laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl. The pills looked exactly like legit pharmaceuticals. Dr. Johnson knew that, even if we sent the body to the crime lab and discovered the cause of death, we would go looking for Russell’s heroin suppliers—not suspect legitimate prescriptions.”

“So how did you know it was Dr. Johnson?” Daphne asked, those curious eyes of hers all lit up.

“After Jackson arrested him—ever so gently”—Greg coughed behind his hand—“Dr. Johnson wasn’t talking. Lawyered up right away, even though he’d been caught literally red-handed. Jackson’s gut told him to look for a connection with Russell’s death, so he tested the pills. Confronted Dr. Johnson, who then decided to make a deal.”

“Wow,” Daphne said, shaking her head. “So what was the deal with Mike? Was he not stalking you at all?”

Allison glanced my way, knowing I still got annoyed at hearing Mike’s name. “Not exactly, no. He was trying desperately to get me back—for all the wrong reasons.” She rolled her eyes.

Willa shuddered. “Men like that are bad news. I have to tell you, I ran into Beverly at the grocery store yesterday. She was singing your praises. I guess you won her over.”

Allison nodded, smiling. “Yeah, we’re good now that she knows the whole story. We’re developing a solid working relationship. And I have a new nurse, so things are going much better at the clinic.”

“A new nurse?” Janet asked, popping the champagne and pouring glasses for everyone.

“Yeah. Danny quit when I tried to hold him responsible for his job performance.” Allison shook her head. “He has some major growing up to do. Everyone always let him get away with whatever because of his connection to Doc Rogers. He wasn’t interested in working for someone who expected him to actually do his job.”

“Well, I’m glad everything is going better.” Daphne leaned against Emerson, letting him wrap his arms around her.

“Me too,” Allison said. “And I’m sorry to have brought so much drama with me to Rosemary Mountain.”

Daphne and Willa looked at each other and started giggling.

“Welcome to the club,” Daphne said.

After the sun set and the dark sky lit up with fireworks, Allison leaned against me, tucking her arm underneath mine.

“Freedom,” she whispered. “I think we finally found it.”

I kissed the top of her head. “I think you’re right. But does any part of you still want to go find it in one of those places you always dreamed about? New York or San Diego?”

She looked up at me. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious. I know you’re under contract here, but after that, would you ever want to try somewhere new?”

Her eyes got dreamy and she smiled. “Maybe. But maybe not. I’ve visited a lot of those places, and I have to say—none of them are quite as pretty as Rosemary Mountain. What about you? Do you want to try somewhere new?”

I looked around at the people surrounding us—our chosen family—and knew I was exactly where I wanted to be. “I love it here,” I said. “But I love you more. You’re my home now. All that really matters is that we’re together.”

“That’s exactly how I feel,” she said.

I cleared my throat. “Hey, let’s make a pact.”

She looked up at me and smiled. “Another one?”

“Yeah.” Nerves fluttered as I gathered up courage for what I needed to ask.

“Okay. What pact is that?”

I slipped a hand inside my pocket and pulled out the diamond ring I’d bought that morning. “A pact to love each other forever. Allison, will you marry me?”

Her face lit up, brighter than the brightest firework in the sky. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes. I can’t wait to be your wife. Forever.” She kissed me.

“Forever.”