Stitched Up Heart (Combat Hearts Book 1) (23 page)

“Shit. I thought she’d call you.”

“About what? What’s going on?”

“There’s been another murder. The Chief asked her to come in for questioning.”

He pushed back his chair and grabbed his keys from his desk. “Questioning for what? Do they think she’s a suspect?”

“No, but we’re concerned. The note left on the body was addressed to her. We need her to come in and answer some questions for the record.”

“Are you with her? Of course you’re not with her, you wouldn’t be calling me. Does she have a lawyer?”

“I don’t know, man.”

“I’m on my way. Don’t let her leave before I get there. Hog tie her if you have to.” Jase pocketed his phone and stormed out of his office. “Ms. Carol, I’m out for the rest of the day. I’ll be on my cell if you need to reach me.” He marched out the door and all but ran to his truck.

His mind raced. Why hadn’t Bree called him? Maybe it wasn’t allowed. Had she forgotten her phone at work? Was she scared? Visions of interrogation scenes from
Law and Order
filled his head on the short drive. By the time he arrived at the police station, he had convinced himself Bree had already been arrested and charged with murder.

The desk sergeant recognized Jase and waved him through. Jase stormed over to his brother’s desk. “Where is she?”

Tim held up a hand as he finished his phone call. “She’s still being interviewed,” he said after he hung up. “She has a lawyer, and her grandmother is here as well.”

Jase glanced around, looking for an elderly lady. “Is her grandmother in the restroom?”

“No, she’s in with Bree,” Tim explained. “You didn’t tell me her grandmother is Vivianne Coffee.”

Jase started. The Coffee family was the closest thing Haven Springs had to royalty. They’d donated several million dollars over the years to the schools, revitalizing downtown, and to the police department. “I had no idea. She told me her grandfather left her some money, but she never referred to her grandparents by name. Hell, her last name is Marks.”

“That answers whether you were keeping that from me.”

“First I heard of it. What happened?”

“Same as last time. Body. Note. I don’t know what this one said exactly, but from what I gather, it’s along the same lines as the first.”

A door across the large, open office opened and Bree walked through, accompanied by two officers, another man Jase didn’t recognize, and an older woman. Her silver hair hung in a sleek, shoulder-length bob, and she was dressed in walking shorts and a sleeveless top. Watching her, he’d never have guessed she was in her mid-eighties - nor that she was worth millions. She stood next to Bree with one arm around Bree’s waist. Bree’s arm was draped loosely across her grandmother’s shoulders, but he could see the tension lines on her forehead from where he stood.

She glanced in his direction and some of the tightness left her face. She gave him a small smile and said something to her grandmother, who looked their way. In profile, the resemblance between Bree and her grandmother was evident. They shook hands with the two officers, then with the man Jase assumed to be the lawyer. They crossed the open expanse between the interview room and Tim’s desk. It took all his control not to pick her up and carry her out of there, but he crossed his arms across his chest and waited for them to get to him.

“Gran, this is Jase and his brother Tim.” Bree indicated to each of them in turn.

Tim stood and walked around his desk, holding his hand out. “Ma’am. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.”

“That’s alright. I understand things have to be done a certain way.” Her soft voice carried a cultured, southern lilt that made Jase think of formal teas and cotillions.
Had Bree been presented to society
?
Did they still do that?

“Ma’am,” Jase said, holding out his hand. She turned to him, and he accepted her outstretched fingers and gently shook her hand.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you, Jase. Bree has spoken of you quite a bit in the last few days.”

“Gran.” Bree’s cheeks pinkened.

“Is that so?” He quirked an eyebrow, feeding her embarrassment. It was the least she deserved after not calling him.

The man in the suit joined them. “Vivienne, I’m going back to the office. I’ve instructed the investigators that if they need to question Bree again, they are to contact me first.” He turned his attention to Bree. “You are not to talk to them without me or one of my associates present.”

“I want to help if I can.”

“You can help them while you have legal representation. Vivienne, I’ll give you a call later.”

“I’m going to head home, dear. I’ll call you later after I deal with all the gossips at the old folks’ home,” her grandmother said.

Bree kissed her grandmother on the cheek. “It’s not an old folks’ home.” She watched Vivienne walk away before turning back to Jase. “What are you doing here?”

He frowned. “What am I doing here? My brother called me and told me you were taken in for questioning about another murder.”

“I wasn’t taken in. I was asked to come in to help identify the victim and try to figure out why someone is leaving notes addressed to me.”

“That’s not the point, Bree.” His voice rose.

She crossed her arms. “Then what’s the point? Why are you getting angry?”

“My point is, I shouldn’t have had to hear it from Tim.” He pointed in his brother’s direction. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“It didn’t occur to me.” She broke eye contact with him and uncrossed her arms.

He took a deep breath. Something in his gut hardened. “It didn’t occur to you?”

She threw her hands up. “Cut me some slack, Jase. I called Gran because she knew who to call to get a lawyer. I’m not used to having to inform anyone of every little thing that happens to me.”

He leaned close. “I’m only interested in the things that end with someone killing people and leaving notes on the body addressed to you!”

Tim stepped in between them, making a T with his hands. “Can you two please take it outside? You’re making a scene.”

Jase glanced around to find almost everyone in the office looking at them. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. “Where did you park?”

“Down the block. In front of the old general store.”

He turned right out of the police station and walked briskly down the sidewalk. He used the short walk to burn off some of his anger. How could it not occur to her to call him? What did she think was going on? Didn’t their conversation last week mean anything? He thought he’d been pretty clear on where he stood.

He had never been in a real relationship with a woman. He’d been a kid when he’d joined the Army. He’d dated and had girlfriends, but never anything serious. When he got out, women were an outlet. Like alcohol. He wasn’t proud of how he’d been, but he’d never made anyone any promises. Never let it get to the point where promises were expected. After Tony killed himself, he’d stopped partying. Stopped getting drunk all the time. Started talking to someone at the VA. Started his company and put his focus into making it successful. Now here was Bree, not expecting promises when he was willing to give them. The irony could choke him.

He spied her SUV parked in one of the metered spaces and slowed his pace. He needed to make sure she understood exactly what he wanted from her. He caged her between him and the driver’s door. Her blue eyes held his gaze, her unspoken question evident in their depths.

“I know this is new. For both of us. I get the sense your ex didn’t treat you the way you should be treated.”

“Jase—”

“Let me finish. He was a fuckwit who didn’t appreciate what he had. Didn’t protect it like he should’ve. I’m grateful he fucked up because it means I got a shot at you. I know what I have. I see it in everything you do.” He took a breath. She needed to understand what he saw. “How you get excited about a scared little dog. How you talk about the folks at your gran’s retirement community. When you ask me questions about what I do and I know you’re asking because you’re trying to figure out which of your patients might be interested.” He brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “More importantly, I know what we can have together. I’m going to do everything I can to protect it. I need to know if you’re willing to do the same.”

Bree dropped her gaze. She raised her hand and touched the hollow of his throat before running her fingers up to his jaw. She ran her thumb over his bottom lip as her eyes followed the movements of her hand.

She finally looked up. He could see the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes and braced himself. “I haven’t been serious about a guy in a long time. I’m not counting fuckwit because I never actually intended to get serious with him. The whole time we were together, I was ambivalent. About him. About our relationship. It would never have occurred to me to call him about things, good or bad.” She swiped her fingers under her eyes. “I’m scared of everything I’m feeling,” she ended on a whisper.

He kissed her forehead. “We talked about this.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that this is a lot. You and me. Someone leaving bodies addressed to me. I have to compartmentalize things and when I do that—” she took a breath and looked back down at his throat. “—when I do that, some things get left out. I can’t help but think I compartmentalized Chad out of my life. I’m worried I might do the same with you.”

“That’s what your scared of?”

“I’m freaking the fuck out.”

He tilted her chin to get her to look at him. “Bree. I will fight for this. I will fight to be in every compartment you create. But I need to know you’re going to fight too.”

She nodded a few times and sniffed. “I’ll try.”

“That’s all I’m asking.” He kissed her. Sweet. Gentle. Undemanding while sealing their promise to each other.

He raised his head and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Your place or mine?”

“Dogs,” she said.

“Yours. I’ll follow you.” He stepped back to give her room to open the door and get in. He knocked on the window and motioned for her to roll it down. “If I’m not right behind you, wait for me before you go in the house.”

“Okay.”

He stuck his head in the window and kissed her. He jogged around the corner to his truck and started it before he had the door closed. She was still in the parking spot when he drove down the street. She backed out when he stopped a few cars behind. He watched his rear and side view mirrors on the drive to her house, unable to shake the unease that had settled over him when he had left her at her car. He wanted answers. He wanted Bree safe.

J
ase parked beside Bree minutes after she turned her car off. She sent Denise a text to let her know she was okay. Denise texted back that she was on her way and Jase could just deal with the company. Bree didn’t think Jase would mind. It would also save her from having to tell the story twice.

She’d been with her second-to-last patient when Cindy told her she had an urgent call. One of the techs had finished the treatment for her. She’d surprised when it was Tim on the phone. He’d shared only that the investigators wanted her to go to the station to make an official statement. When she got there and learned there had been another murder, she immediately called her grandmother for the name and number of their lawyer. Not that she had anything to hide, but she’d learned to always have a lawyer present when dealing with any official business. Up to this point, that had applied only to issues with the foundation.

She hadn’t been expecting Gran to show up with the main partner of the top law firm in the area. The detectives had definitely sat up and taken notice. She’d gotten the feeling they were much more solicitous to her because of her grandmother and the lawyer.

She finished her text to Denise and got out of her car. Jase met her at the hood of her car and took her hand. He led her to the side entrance. She unlocked the door and the dogs trotted in to greet them. Jase bent and gave them each a scratch on the head.

“Stay here while I check the house.”

“Jase—”

He grabbed her hips. “Please. Stay here.”

Bree sighed. After not calling to tell him she was at the station, she was willing to let him have this. “Fine, but I’m letting the dogs out.” She followed him into the kitchen. The deadbolt on the patio doors was still locked.

“All clear?” she asked when he came back into the kitchen.

“Yes. What did they ask at the station? Do you know who was killed?”

“Slow down, Perry Mason. Denise is coming over and she’s going to have the same questions you do. I’d rather do this once.”

“How long until she gets here?” He pulled a glass from the cabinet.

Bree opened the refrigerator and grabbed the pitcher of tea. “Not long enough for us to have sex.”

“Why, Dr. Marks. What a dirty mind you have.” He wiggled his eyebrows and smirked. “That wasn’t what I was asking at all, but now that you bring it up—” he sauntered over “—do we have time to make out?” She walked backward until she hit the counter.

“Maybe.” She set the pitcher down. “Depends on your definition of making out.”

“How many definitions are there?” He pushed close, resting his hands on the counter behind her. His body pressed against hers from chest down to her knees. He bent his head into the crook of her neck and scraped his teeth along her sensitive flesh.