Page 50 of Dangerous Lies

“Somehow, Zeke found out what Oliver was doing and threatened him. Oliver hadn’t been confiding in us, but he had been telling Douglas what was going on. Things were getting dangerous, so Douglas lured Zeke to the barn and killed him. I think, in his mind, he was protecting Oliver. But it backfired. Oliver freaked out, and they fought.”

A forensic team had discovered his brother’s jacket in a corner of the barn. Blood spatter proved Oliver had been present when Douglas shot Zeke. No wonder his brother was so frantic when he called Megan.

“Oliver escaped the barn but, in his panic, must’ve gotten turned around in the forest trying to find his car. By the time he did, Douglas had already slashed his tire.” Jax could easily imagine his brother’s terror. “Oliver called Megan for help and then hid, waiting for her to come. When she arrived, he got in her car, but Douglas caught up to them. He was desperate to stop Oliver from telling Megan about Zeke’s murder, so he ran them off the road. He didn’t intend to kill Oliver—or so he says—just talk to him.”

“But you think he would have killed him?” Wesley asked with the bluntness of a man who’d been to war and back.

Jax hesitated and then nodded. “Oliver wouldn’t have kept Zeke’s murder to himself. There’s no way to know for sure how Douglas would’ve reacted, but based on his obsession with our brother, I believe he would’ve seen it as the ultimate betrayal.”

Greg frowned. “Then why didn’t he kill Megan that night?”

“He thought she died in the accident. When he found out she survived—but didn’t know about Zeke—he figured he was in the clear. That Megan left town shortly thereafter also helped. Honestly, it probably saved her life.”

Jax hated that Megan had suffered the judgment of townsfolk and the weight of survivor’s guilt, but he was glad she’d had the strength to know her limits and seek a new life elsewhere.

“Douglas blamed Megan for Oliver’s death,” Jax continued. “It was easier to be angry with her than to accept responsibility for his actions. When she moved back to Knoxville, it reignited Douglas’s rage. He was obsessing about her, planning to make her suffer, and then I reopened the investigation into the accident.”

Jax winced. He’d unknowingly forced Douglas’s hand. “Douglas became worried that we’d uncover Zeke’s murder during the investigation. So he formed a plan to kill Megan and frame Wesley for it. He broke into her car and attacked her, but when things went sideways, he went to Plan B. And C. And D. Douglas even recruited his patient to help him.”

Quinton had been found in the woods by Noah and Dawson. He’d been armed with a rifle and a shotgun, ready to use both should Megan and Jax escape the barn. During his confession, it was clear he’d been manipulated into helping Douglas. It didn’t excuse what he did—Quinton made his own choices—but the court would take his circumstances into account during sentencing.

Wesley scraped a hand down his beard. “Why frame me?”

“Because Douglas blamed you—actually, our whole family—for letting Oliver down. He wanted us to suffer.”

He’d almost succeeded too. Douglas hadn’t caused the cracks in the family's foundation, but his actions had drawn sharp attention to them. From the haunted look in Wesley’s eyes, his brother had come to the same conclusion.

“How does Cody fit into all of this?” Greg asked.

“He’s guilty of fraud,” Jax answered. “Cody and his mom believed Zeke ran off to avoid being arrested on charges of drug trafficking. They sold his vehicle to a chop shop, but the sale was never registered with the state, which is why we believed he still owned the Explorer. Cody signed Zeke’s disability checks and cashed them every month. He split the money with his mother. Neither of them ever reported Zeke missing because they didn’t want the checks to stop. It seems neither of them knew Zeke was dead.”

Jax believed they suspected it, but he had no way to prove it. And, in the end, he wasn’t sure it even mattered.

“Douglas heard through the grapevine that Cody had threatened Megan and me,” he continued. “He had Quinton monitor Megan’s house. When we left in the middle of the night during the storm, he figured Megan was trying to piece together what’d happened during the accident. That’s when he put his plan in motion. He kidnapped Cody, drove to the accident site, and set up his ambush. He intended to kill Megan. Then me. Then Cody. After that, he was going to burn the barn to the ground.”

Valentina covered her mouth with her hand in shock. “I still… It’s horrific to think how…”

“I know, Mamacita.” Jax also didn’t like to remember those last moments in the barn. There was a second ladder leading down from the loft behind Douglas, which was how Megan got behind him. Her bravery had likely saved them all. But it had also put her at great risk. If Jax hadn’t tackled Douglas in time, he would’ve shot her.

By God’s grace, she’d walked away from the incident unharmed.

Jax adjusted his sling again. His arm throbbed. “This morning, Douglas confessed to everything in exchange for a life sentence without the possibility of parole. There won’t be a trial. It’s over. Chief Garcia will hold a press conference in an hour to share the news.” He locked his gaze on his parents and then shifted to his brother before returning to his dad. “Megan will be officially cleared of any wrongdoing. It’ll be part of the announcement.”

Silence filled the room. No one spoke. No one met his eye.

Nerves twisted in Jax’s gut, but he forged ahead. “There’s more. It’s not my intention to cause you pain, but I need to be honest. I’m in love with Megan.”

Valentina gasped. Greg’s jaw tensed. Wesley just looked stunned.

Jax was tempted to stop talking, but his heart wouldn’t allow it. His family mattered to him. Deeply. But they’d been hiding from each other for far too long.

“She’s going to be a part of my life,” he continued, his voice firm. “A big part, I think. I know it may take time to get used to the idea, but I hope—and I pray—that one day you’ll find it in your hearts to welcome her. What happened the night Oliver died wasn’t her fault. She was only trying to help him. She was a good friend, and nearly paid for it with her life.”

Tears spilled down Valentina’s cheeks. She turned toward Greg, but he was already rising from the couch. His steps were stiff as he moved to the window, hands braced on his hips, shoulders rigid. He stared out for a long time.

“Losing Oliver broke me.” Greg turned. “I was drowning in grief and anger. Blaming myself for what happened. Your mother—” He glanced at Valentina, his expression softening. “—tried to get me to attend counseling with our priest, but I refused. And then we had that argument in Chief Garcia’s office.” His gaze settled on Jax. “Your question haunted me.”

Jax swallowed. He knew which one. “Is this what Oliver would have wanted for us?”

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