The Innocent Liar (26 page)

Chapter Forty-Six

“H
i, Brynn. I’m Mark Everly. I’m a lawyer out of Cheyenne. Your father retained me to help fight your extradition.”

“Hi.” She reached for the man’s hand. She already knew to expect him, and she already knew what information he either was or would be made privy to. Not knowing left her feeling anxious, not to mention nauseous.

“How are you holding up?”

“Okay, I guess.” She wasn’t okay at all. She was terrified. She had one job in the whole world, and it consisted of nothing but waiting. Waiting to be extradited, waiting to have her charges dropped, waiting for her worst enemies to be arrested, waiting for someone to get to her and silence her, though there was little she really wanted to say.

“Tomorrow we’re going to reject the extradition, and we’re going to force Salt Lake to get a governor’s warrant if they want you back. You can rest easy because you’re not going anywhere anytime soon. The governor’s warrant will take time, and that time will keep you safely in Jackson—”

“But when can I go home?”

He looked at her sadly. “I’m sorry, Brynn. I really am, but right now our only goal is fighting the extradition and keeping you here.”

She could feel her face falling, and her eyes filled with tears for the hundredth time that day alone.

“Listen to me. Eli gave me the disc, and I’ve watched it—”

“Did he?” Even though she’d interrupted the question it wasn’t with any sort of strength to back it up. Her voice was whisper quiet, and she could barely breathe.

“No. He wouldn’t watch it. He stayed in his bedroom the entire time I reviewed the video.”

She inhaled a shaky and deep breath, and she nodded.

“But I have to ask, how did you manage to record what they did to you?”

“I didn’t. They did. They got some perverse pleasure from forcing me to relive it later. I just managed to get the disc when I was leaving with Sam.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. Can’t say they’re the wisest of all criminals out there, commemorating their crimes on video, but I’m guessing, given what I saw on that disc, they were too coked out of their minds to think about that. Their stupidity is our gain. But I want you to know just how sorry I am that you endured such a nightmare. What was done to you is a crime, and we’re going to see to it that Salt Lake City PD handles—”

“But what if the people you talk to protect them?” Her hands were suddenly shaking and her throat was painfully dry.

“You don’t need to worry about that. We hold the evidence. We also have some influence over how the federal agents investigating them for other crimes will handle this. I don’t want you to worry about this for one more second. Tomorrow you’ll be in court, but it’s just procedural. Your father is arriving tomorrow as well, and he and I will be in communication with the agents assigned to the federal investigation against your husband and these men. We have some bargaining power right now, and we’re going to put it to good use. Your job is to sit tight and let us do our job. Can you do that?”

She nodded. She didn’t actually feel like she could handle sitting tight for one more second. “When can I see Eli?”

His face fell, and his brow furrowed. She wasn’t going to like his response. “You’re technically in holding, so you’re not allowed visitors. That’s typical when you’re being held for extradition. Please just be patient.”

She nodded again, and she once again felt like what he was asking her to do was impossible. Be patient? Yeah right. But she didn’t have a choice.

When Mark left, she stopped him. “Will you tell Eli something for me?”

“Of course.”

“Tell him I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have to deal with any of this.”

“I’ll tell him, but try to remember, you shouldn’t have to deal with any of this either. He knows that. I’ll get you back to him. I promise.”

She was back in her cell after that. It was an oddly quiet place to be. Apparently, there just weren’t too many women getting in trouble in Jackson, maybe few men too, and as she nibbled on a bland dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans, she stared at her walls. She’d gone from being relieved to be alive on the workshop floor to dreading her life in the blink of an eye, and it was exhausting to just think about. Eli seemed so far away at the moment, and because she didn’t have a clue what was going on in his head, that distance felt insurmountable.

Chapter Forty-Seven

“Y
ou listen to me, Agent Greenly, you are either going to move on these men, or we will. We have all the evidence we need to have all four of them charged with sexual assault, and—”

“We’re not going to let you interfere in our investigation. This goes far deeper than just these men. Don’t you get that? It’s why we
haven’t
moved on them. We believe they’re sitting on a shitload of cocaine, and we want to see where that pipeline leads.”

Eli was sitting silently in his office with Mark and Sam, listening and saying nothing. It was the day after Brynn’s arrest, and she was now safely fighting extradition with Mark representing her. He didn’t have to worry about her being dragged off at any moment, but it didn’t mean they weren’t under the gun to resolve this fucking thing.

His night had been nearly unbearable. He hadn’t slept even one second of those damn long hours. All he could think about was her there alone without him. She might be safe, but she was a caged animal, and he didn’t trust the cage.

“This is my daughter we’re talking about. And I’m not going to sit by while those men walk free because you want to give them more time to fuck her life up. Now, I know full well you have what you need to make a case against them, and frankly, I don’t give a shit where your pipeline leads. You’ve had someone on the inside feeding you information for months now, and you now have custody of Lars Kitritch. You get
that
man to talk, you get
him
to make your case for you, but you stop waiting for them to make a move because the longer you wait, the more chance they have of hurting my daughter.” Sam was yelling. He was livid that the federal government was more interested in their drug trafficking case than his daughter’s safety.

“Mr. Caval, I understand you have some friends in the bureau, and that’s the only reason we’re even having this conversation, but if you think—”

“Shut the fuck up, you spineless piece of shit!”

Eli choked at Sam’s words as he took a sip of the beer he’d been nursing for the past fifteen minutes.

“You get those men off the street and you get my daughter’s charges dropped, or I’ll be going to Salt Lake with my evidence and demanding it be done myself. Then you can fight with them over your jurisdictional bullshit. You wanna sit on your investigation longer and see what new piece of shit you can flush out from the underbelly of life? Try closing it when your four suspects are sitting in jail.” Sam’s voice was a flurry of rage. He spoke a mile a minute, and he barely took time to breathe. “Your men are going to jail, whether I put them in jail or you do. You’ll have a lot less bureaucratic bullshit to wade through if you oblige and end this thing.” His voice was impressively controlled, but the fury was an obvious threat that he was making clear could be unleashed at any moment.

“Try to understand, Mr. Caval, we have bigger goals than catching four idiot fucking cops out of Salt Lake. Your daughter just happens to be collateral damage in this investigation. We’re talking about—”

“What did you say?”

Sam’s hand clamped down on Eli’s arm as Eli fought to even keep his ass in the chair he was sitting on. His words had erupted without him even giving his mouth permission to respond. “Collateral damage? Who the fuck are you to—”

“Eli!” Sam’s fingers gripped harshly into his arm, and Eli stilled.

“Eli Hunter, I take it? This is an investigation that we’ve been invested in for over a year. Your girlfriend’s situation is unfortunate, and I’m sorry. But it doesn’t change anything.”

Sam stood then, walking to the phone that was currently on speaker. “We have nothing further to say then. Brynn’s lawyer is here, and he’ll be headed to Salt Lake City next Tuesday with the video evidence of the crimes committed against that unfortunate collateral damage you’re so willing to disregard. I suggest you make your move now if you’re going to. If not, have fun dealing with Salt Lake City.” He disconnected, not giving Agent Greenly a chance to respond. Sam stared at the phone, breathing deeply as he stood in a stupor.

When Mark stood, he clapped a hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Well played. Let them stew a while.”

Sam nodded, still staring at the phone.

“I don’t understand what we’re doing.” Eli was almost angry for some reason. Did he actually expect them to save Brynn’s neck by phone? “Why are we not just taking the fucking video to Salt Lake now? Why are we waiting? She doesn’t have time—”

“She does have time.” Mark’s face was calm, almost calm enough to make Eli want to punch it. Eli was not calm, and he didn’t want to
be
calm.

“Bullshit!”

Sam put his hand on Eli’s arm again as he stilled Eli once more.

“Listen to Mark, Eli.” Sam still looked a bit devastated, but he was imploring Eli.

Eli threw his hands up in the air. When he turned to Mark, the man still looked calm and cool.

“This is what she wants.”

Eli started shaking his head. He had to clamp his mouth shut to keep himself from arguing with that, but if Sam had to grab his arm one more time, he was worried the man might just start yelling.

“If Brynn’s video comes to light, they’ll be arrested—that we can be fairly certain of. What we can also be certain of is court proceedings that will take up the next year or two of her life and will revolve around a video that shows things she doesn’t ever want seen. She will be victimized all over again. It’s unfortunate, but that’s just the way it is.”

“They don’t deserve to get away with what they did to her.” Eli’s throat was tightening at even the idea that they could.

“She. Doesn’t. Care.” Sam’s words were poignant and sure. “All she wants is a life with you. They don’t deserve to get away with it, but she doesn’t deserve to be put on the stand while the defense tries to destroy her, and trust me, defense lawyers are real damn good at it.” Sam’s eyes flashed to Mark who remained impassive. “It’s just the way life is. It’s unfair. It isn’t right. One of the greatest crimes against women is as much the cruelty and degradation they receive from the courts as they do men.”

Eli could feel the heat at the back of his eyes. It burned and seared, threatening to leave him in tears. He could stand beside her no matter what. There was no question of it at this point, but he could never force her or even encourage her to put her neck on the block and endure that.

“Eli, I know you’re worried about her.” Mark was being calm again as Eli tried to match his uncanny ability to speak as though Brynn’s life wasn’t being threatened. “If we can convince the feds to stop stalling, then she gets to go back to her life with you while the federal government locks those men up for the rest of their lives. She’s safe, her threats are all safely behind bars, and you have a life together that can start now and not after some nightmare of a trial.”

“Will they make a move?”

Sam shrugged, staring at the desktop. “In all honesty, I wouldn’t. I get it. They’re in the midst of an investigation, and sometimes that means sitting and waiting for someone to make a move. Their investigation is their concern, not freeing one innocent casualty. They’re not allowed to make their investigation about her. They’re just not.” Sam looked up, catching whatever hellish look was plastered on Eli’s face. “It doesn’t mean we have to fall in line. We have every right, hell obligation, to report the crimes against Brynn. We just need to give them some time to weigh their options. They can fight Salt Lake for jurisdiction later, and they may well decide to, hoping they can mount a better case even with four key suspects sitting in jail. Then again, and this is what we’re hoping, they might decide it isn’t worth it, and they can’t gain much more with them in jail, and they may as well cut their losses and take these four down, hoping they can put enough pressure on them to turn on some other key players in their investigation.”

Eli nodded. It made sense. All of it, except the fact that the men who hurt her in ways he could only imagine would never be held accountable. Sure, they’d sit in prison for the rest of their lives, and apparently, that was supposed to be enough. If it was enough for her, it was going to be enough for him too. He just wanted her back.

His life became consumed with waiting after that moment. Waiting took over every second, every aspect of his life. He stared at his ceiling all night long again, finally falling into a fitful sleep when the sun started to rise. His parents and Brianna arrived the next day, and the women cried when they saw him. He ended up caught in a hug sandwich by two women who couldn’t seem to stop the tears for longer than two minutes. Brianna was simply devastated about what her daughter was enduring, not to mention what she’d had to encounter on her closet floor after returning to Denver. She was going through hell, and she was coping by staying as close to her daughter as possible. Having his mom there too was actually quite a good thing. Donna was good with the emotional overloading parts of life.

Donna and Brianna took a long walk, disappearing for hours as Sam and Tom talked about Brynn’s situation. Eli abandoned them, tired of hearing about it. He left, arriving at the police station fifteen minutes later. The chief was out, and that meant he had to try to talk his way into the jail. Brynn was still in holding status at the jail, and that meant no visitors. She was considered a temporary resident, and that was just the name of the game. He tried being nice; hell, he even tried flirting with the intake clerk. What it all amounted to was a whole lot of nothing. When he tried being a dick, he just got himself kicked out.

Rather than returning to his house of tears, he went to the warehouse, pulling the crime scene tape down as he moved into the large expansive shop. The tape was nothing more than another reminder of the crimes against her that would never see the light of day. The feds were more concerned about their drug trafficking charges against him than Lars’s attacks on his wife. But apparently she didn’t care if he were to believe Sam. He believed Sam. He knew her well enough to know she didn’t need retribution. She needed to be safe and happy, and it had been her goal from day one when she’d walked into this place, meeting the meanest boss she’d likely ever encountered.

She’d been desperate the first morning he’d met her. He’d seen it in her expression instantly. Sure it made sense that she was fearing for her life. She was running from monsters, but it was more than that. He hadn’t understood that about her at first. Her desperation went far deeper than just that, and he could see it so clearly now. She was desperate for life—a life of her own that didn’t hurt, didn’t leave her trapped and terrified, a life that was built on her choices and her freedom. He was going to give that to her.

He ran up to her loft and spent the next two hours packing her life up into a few boxes and putting the open loft back into hibernation. When he got home, he busied himself moving her into his bedroom. He put her clean clothes away in his dresser, hung some of her clothes in the closet, and made room in his bathroom for her girl stuff. He loved her girl stuff—the smell of her shower wash, her wide flat hairbrush that she used to keep her thick dark locks in order, hell even her pink razors all reminded him of her, and seeing her stuff in his space made it so real for him—even if he couldn’t make her materialize at the moment.

Mark had gone home to Cheyenne for the New Year’s holiday. He wouldn’t be returning until the drop-dead day, Tuesday, and by the time New Year’s Eve rolled around, Eli was treading on thin ice with Jackson PD. He was more depressed than he realized he was capable of being, and he was sick and tired of the hens clucking about in his house. They didn’t stop talking, or crying for that matter. He’d have thought they were lifelong best friends, and they spent hours just gabbing, commiserating, and then crying some more. Eli was starting to think they actually enjoyed crying.

They tried to perk him up that evening. The women cooked, the men watched TV and dug into his wine cellar, and after they all ended up drunk, he sneaked away to his bedroom to stare out the window. He’d spent so much of his time avoiding attachment to people who could hurt him, and in the end he’d found himself so attached he no longer knew where he ended and she began, and he didn’t want it any other way. He was going to get her back, and he didn’t care what hurdles would come with her return. If it was just her, finally free and clear of her ghosts, he’d be relieved. If it was a yearlong drawn out trial, then so be it. So long as it was her, he’d be just fine.

He turned from his place on the chaise to the door when there was a light rap. Brianna entered, looking hesitantly around. “Hi.” He smiled. He knew it was weak, but it was just how he felt at this point.

Brianna walked to the chaise as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side and facing her. When she sat beside him, he got nervous. He already knew her mother worried they were rushing into this relationship, and while he didn’t question it, he’d be a lot happier if she didn’t either.

“You miss her.” It wasn’t a question in the least.

“More than anything.”

“You know, I wasn’t sure this was a good idea at first—Brynn being involved with a man so soon after finally breaking free of Lars.”

“I know.”

“And you can be intense, difficult to read. It worried me at first.”

“You’re not the first person to think so.” He smiled at her.

“But I can see you now.” She took his hand, squeezing it gently in both of hers. “And there’s no doubt she does too.” They sat in silence. She was sniffing back her tears, and he was letting the warmth at the back of his eyes settle there, not even trying to stifle the emotion.

She stood after a minute, and she left him in silence. He didn’t bother rejoining them, and he fell asleep early. He didn’t wake until the sun was high in the sky. He spent the next hour fantasizing about Brynn. He’d never, in his life, been so attracted to someone, and it was made more infinitely satisfying because he’d never loved someone so much either. He caught himself sighing out loud as he rolled over just imagining what it would feel like to touch her skin again, touch her warmth, kiss her lips. The sound he made was aroused and painfully needy, and when he finally crawled from bed, he was hard and frustrated. He stood in the bathroom, staring at his naked, testosterone driven body, and he shook his head. “Pathetic.” He muttered at himself before climbing in the shower.

He ignored his erection. He had no intention of coming until he could do it inside her. Call it stubborn stupidity, but he just wasn’t going to. If the feds were going to make this hard, they were going to have to deal with one sexually frustrated prick of man with a bad temper and an even worse attitude.

When he emerged, the women were gone on one of their epic long hikes and the men were planted as usual on the couch. They were getting lazy in their old age, and Eli chuckled as he peeked in on them. When Mike and Beth showed up midday, Beth pulled him into a hug—he’d never been hugged so much in his life.