Truth Is Found (29 page)

Yeah, the unconscious man had been found.

Well, damn it!

     
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

When he finally came to, someone was standing above him. Julian got ready to fight for his life.

Then he heard it.

“Shhhh. I just found you here. What the hell, Julian?” asked Roman Remington, trying to keep his voice down.

Julian struggled to sit up. “I was patrolling the house, and I saw someone by the heating and cooling unit. The next thing I knew, someone hit me.”

Roman pointed his phone’s light at Julian’s head. “You have a lump. Someone hit you good and hard.”

“Yeah, I know. I have the headache to prove it,” he muttered.

He shook his head. “We have to get you back inside.”

“What are you doing out here?”

“I was creeping around the crypt. Something was bugging me about it.”

Yeah, Julian too, but his head hurt too much to think.

“I need to get back to that air conditioner.”

Roman held out his hand. “There’s safety in numbers. Apparently, I’m not the only one who now knows you’re here working.”

He was well aware, and he didn't like it--
at all.

“How do I know it wasn’t you who clocked me in the noggin?”

Roman laughed. “Dude, you’re suspicious of me? Come on. We’re partners in this. I saw the sheriff questioning the maintenance guy. Was that your doing?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Maybe he knocked you out. If you pointed the cops at me, I would be inclined to do it too.”

Julian ignored him as they moved through the dark. This was the last thing he needed. He’d blown his cover twice in less than twelve hours, and his wife was going to kick his ass.

“Look,” he stated, pointing toward the unit. “I beat him back,” Julian stated, yanking the rag from the space it was shoved into.

“We’re lucky. I smell gas,” stated Roman. Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a storage bag. “Here.”

“You’re handy.”

“Well, you never know what you’ll find. I was once a Boy Scout.”

Julian bagged it.

“I’ll check it out in the morning. We should get to our rooms. If the person who hit me is wandering around, who knows if he’ll resort to a gun?”

“I hope you still have yours,” stated Roman.

Julian reached behind him and was relieved. “He didn't search me.”

“Great. Now let’s get inside. I’m weirded out by being out here in the dark. I like my brain in my skull.”

That was something Julian could agree on himself.

As they headed upstairs, he stopped the man. “Hey, thanks for that out there.”

Roman nodded. “You’re welcome. I told you I’d keep my eyes open. I know you don’t trust me, Mr. Littlemoon, but I don’t break a promise.”

Julian was damn glad the man had, and he was starting to believe it. While he wanted to be wary, the guy was growing on him. That was rare that he could say that about some reporter.

Then again, he was a PI.

They had a horrible reputation, and he hated when people judged him too.

“See you tomorrow,” he stated, slipping down the hall. Julian waited until he heard the door open and close, before he went into his room.

Tonight, he was sleeping with the lights on.

There was no way he was taking a chance.

One close call was more than enough.

CHAPTER Fourteen

Thursday Morning

Before Dawn

There was talking going on inside his brain, and it was making his head throb. When he finally opened his eyes, Justin realized that he was still in his brother’s apartment, and the conversation was actually going on in the kitchen. The voices sounded familiar, especially the one.

It was his wife.

Well shit!

Tori must have called her there, and now he was going to have to face the music of what he’d done. He’d betrayed Vivian, and she had every right to be angry. No, there hadn’t been another woman, but there was a mistress--
booze
.

It had been a long time since he’d slipped, and all he could hope was that the woman he loved would forgive him. If not, he’d crawl. The talk with Tori last night had opened his eyes.

He didn't want to die alone.

He didn't want random hookups.

He wanted the life he and Vivian created.

Justin had known that the second he’d seen her on that crime scene, and even when he pushed her to marry him.

Tori was right.

He couldn’t let her down.

It wouldn’t be fair.

Getting off the couch, he stumbled his way to the kitchen, only hoping the screaming would be kept to a minimal.

While he may have deserved the fighting, his brain couldn’t handle it--not this morning.

When he entered the kitchen, they didn't see him. It was probably a good thing. His wife looked horrible. Why hadn’t he noticed before that moment?

Why was he so blind to her pain?

Vivian’s lavender eyes were clouded with misery, and her hair wasn’t its normal tousled sexiness. Instead, she looked like she’d been running her hands through it wildly as she stressed over him.

And then there was her body.

Jesus!

She was rail thin.

All the pregnancy curves were gone, and she looked like a walking skeleton. It was apparent that she hadn’t been eating the last two weeks, and stress had consumed what little weight she’d gained while carrying their child.

This was on him, and he knew it.

He’d dropped the ball on this one big time.

“Vivian?” he said softly.

Both women turned their heads at the same time the second he spoke.

Justin didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn’t what happened next.

“Oh, Justin, honey,” she said, her eyes filled with tears. Instead of keeping her distance, she ran toward him.

Immediately, his arms opened, and he welcomed her touch. While she looked sick, and felt thin, she was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

How could she not be?

This was his other half.

Before he could apologize, she spoke, “I love you! I’m so glad you’re safe. I’ve been worried sick, Justin. God! I thought you were dead somewhere. I didn't know who to call, or what else to do.”

“I would have been if Tori didn't step in and dragged me back here.”

She held him tight, breathing in his scent. Her heart stopped pounding, and there was peace.

“Viv, I’m so sorry. I didn't mean to abandon you and hurt you. I just got scared, angry, and…”

She cut him off. “Shut up, Justin.”

He was surprised.

“I love you more than anything in this world. What happened to us was bad, but we’re stronger than that. We’ve lived through worse, and we’ll get to the other side of this. Our family is here for us,” she said, jerking her head toward Tori. “This is no one’s fault but the man who got behind the wheel. It was fate, and we’ll get through this.”

She was so right. He only wished he’d seen it earlier. Maybe then, he could have saved his stomach lining.

“I love you too, but you’re not leaving me? Not after this royal screw up?”

“Never.”

“But I did horrible things.”

“Did you cheat on me, Justin, with another woman? Is that what you’re saying?” Vivian tried to stay calm, even when the sentence made her sick.

“Never! I wanted to die. I would never hurt you that way, Viv. You’re my wife.”

“Then we’re fixable. There’s nothing else you can do that would make me give up.”

“I didn't protect you. I should have been there to keep you safe, and I wasn’t. I can’t live knowing that.”

“Justin, we’re here to protect each other. This isn't the end. This is still the beginning. We have a lot to do to work it out, but we will. I have faith.”

Tori cleared her throat. “If I were you two, I’d pack some bags, head to the Rez, and stay at your place for a while, Justin. You need to tell Vivian everything I told you. She needs to know about Bethany’s message. It’s time you both healed.”

Vivian glanced over. “She told you something? Something about us?”

The curtains in the kitchen began waving, and the window wasn’t even open.

They all glanced over as the sink turned on.

“Yeah, yeah, they know you’re here, Bethany. Knock it off, please.”

Just as it started, it stopped.

“To answer your question, Viv, yes, she did. Justin knows, and he’ll share it all. Go heal, and take as much time as you need, but take it together. That’s an order, Justin. Do you hear me?”

He nodded, his wife wiping his cheeks with her thumbs.

Well, Tori’s work here was done.

As Tori went to head out of the apartment, she heard her name. Justin was following, so she waited for him in the living room.

“Army?”

“Yeah, Marine?”

“I love you. Thank you for having my back,” he offered, pulling her into an embrace. “Thank you for sitting up with me all night and giving me hope. I’ve been an asshole toward you for the last few weeks, and you didn't deserve it. I don’t deserve your love.”

She hugged him back. “Justin, you’re my brother--not my brother-in-law or some soldier buddy. You’re blood to me, and I love you very much. Of course, I’m going to have your back. It’s like what you did for Beau and me. You stepped in and took the heat, even when you knew the outcome might be sketchy. That’s love.”

He dropped his forehead to hers. “I’m so damn glad my brother found you. Vivian and I wouldn’t be the same without you in our lives.”

“Amen,” she said from the doorway, smiling at them.

Tori set him free. “I have to get back to the vineyard. Jules is there by himself, and who knows what the hell he’ll get into without me guarding that sexy flank of his.”

Vivian laughed for the first time in a long time. Crossing to her sister-in-law, she hugged her. “Thank you, Tori. I love you.”

She patted her cheek. “Go see Clarissa. She’ll feed you until you explode,” Tori stated. “Eat some cake for me.”

“I will.”

Heading out, she turned at the door as she recalled one other thing. “Justin, clean this shit mess up, replace your brother’s beer, and anything else you absconded before you lock up. We’ll see you when you’re back.”

With that, she headed out.

Justin took Vivian’s hand in his. “We have a lot to work out and discuss. How long have you known about Bethany?”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Since Tori came back after Kentucky. She told me everything.”

“Well, she has a message for us.”

“Let’s clean this up. I want to head to the Rez. I wonder if Julian will mind if we take the horses out?”

“He won’t, and you’re right. We have to fix us. I hate feeling like I’ve lost you.”

“You haven’t, Justin. You never will.”

For that, he was damn glad.

       
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

Darkwood Monastery

Ninety Minutes Later

When he heard the door click, he was ready for it. All night, Julian barely slept. Maybe it was the fear of concussion, or the possibility that someone was going to come in and steal his life. So, it was a rough one all around.

When he heard the door creak, he sat up in bed, gun pointed at the intruder.

Only, it was his wife, and she looked just about as shocked as he did.

Then she saw his forehead.

“Holy bloody hell, Jules! What the heck happened to you?” Tori asked, placing the two cups of coffee down to rush toward him on the bed. She didn't hesitate to climb up next to him. Immediately, her fingers began running over the goose egg on his noggin.

“Babe!”

“I know. I know. I had a little trouble last night.”

She stared at him openmouthed.

“We need to talk.”

“You think?” she asked. “We don’t need to talk, you do. You better start spilling your guts!”

“Yeah, and I need your help.” Hopefully, he’d be able to calm her down before his wife flipped her lid.

“Julian Trenton Littlemoon, you could have died. That is a wicked bump.”

He was aware.

“What happened?”

Julian told her everything. He didn't leave anything out. The story started at the old chapel crypt, and it covered everything from Roman Remington, the sex the Nelms had, and included the air conditioner. When he told her that the reporter was the one who found him, she had that suspicious look on her face.

Yeah, he thought the same thing too.

“How do we know we can trust him?”

“We don’t, and that’s why I want to track the footprints from where I was knocked out to where I came to. If there are three sets, mine, Roman’s, and then the killer’s, we can hopefully see where they lead. The soil here is soft. I was dragged there. It’s going to leave marks.”

“Okay. Let’s get moving. No one is up yet, and I want to have a doctor check you out.”

“I’m fine, honey.”

“You won’t be when I beat the hell out of you and dance around your body.”

He swallowed.

“Between you and your brother, I swear you’re trying to outdo the craziness.”

Julian laughed. “How did
‘Operation Rescue’
go over? I hope I didn't get this for no reason,” he teased. “That would really suck.”

“I found him in a bar, and I brought him home.”

“That’s it?”

It was her turn to laugh. “No. He took two swings at me, and I knocked him on that ass of his. He’s fine today, so no worries.”

He stared at her as if she was crazy.

“Wait! What?”

“He wasn’t happy to see me, so he swung at me a few times. He didn't hit me. It’s easy to miss when you’re shit faced drunk.”

“Stop.”

She did.

Julian had that look on his face. He was about to have one hell of a freak out. It was funny how this went from him nearly dying to her.

When did she lose control?

“He really swung at you?”

“Yeah, and I kicked his ass in a room full of men. Trust me…he’ll never be able to go back there again.”

“And you’re mad at me? You got into a barroom brawl with my twin. For all we know, the media could have gotten wind of this and thought it was me.”

She never thought about that, but once she did, it was funny as hell. “I can see it now.
‘Julian Littlemoon tries to beat on his woman’
. Wow, you’re a horrible man.”

He stared openmouthed and in horror.

Tori patted his cheek. “Relax. No one recorded it, and I had Kane with me. Justin never had a chance. You went out in the dark and got clocked with something in the head. One of us took chances, and the other was in total control. Do you want to guess which is which, Jules?” she asked, pointing first at his head, then hers.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. You win, honey.”

She smiled in triumph.

“I also talked to Bethany. She’s going to get the girls’ names. I’ll need to make a visit today to her.”

“You played ghost whisperer without me?” he asked. “Really, Victoria?”

“She had a message for your brother. I was just getting it delivered.”

Tori told him everything, and the worry lines actually abated. He was carrying stress over his brother and Vivian too.

“Why didn't you get the names then? It would have been less stressful on your body.”

“Bethany said it would have been worse had I tried then. Something about energy, yada, yada, yada, and her needing to be in close proximity to the dead.”