Page 80 of Home for Justice
Tyler woke slowly, the warm weight of Justice curled securely in his arms, giving him a peace he hadn’t felt since hearing of John’s threats. Soft rays of sunlight filtered through the blinds, bathing the room in gentle hues of yellow. He drew in a deep, calming breath, savoring the scent of her hair, the rhythm of her breathing, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest against his own.
They’d spent the night at her house, a decision driven by Jack’s understandable need to keep his daughter close, coupled with Justice’s unwavering concern for her father’s health after the terrifying events of the previous evening. Tyler hadn’t cared where they stayed as long as he was holding Justice safe and secure, reassuring himself that she was unharmed.
Justice stirred softly, a small sigh escaping her lips as she opened her eyes, blinking sleepily up at him. Her gaze was filled with quiet wonder, and Tyler felt his chest tighten at the sheer depth of love he saw reflected there.
“Good morning,” she whispered, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips.
“Morning,” he murmured, brushing a gentle kiss against her forehead.
She nestled closer, tracing idle patterns along his chest. “Last night, you walked up to us like some kind of dark avenging angel.”
Tyler exhaled a slow breath, recalling the chilling moment when he’d seen her in danger. “Never scare me like that again, Justice.”
“Me?” she protested softly, tilting her head back to meet his gaze. Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the fear still lingering beneath the surface. “I was terrified the whole time.”
He cupped her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “All I know is that I can’t lose you. Ever.”
She leaned into his touch, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, her voice barely audible. “You won’t.”
Breakfast was a quiet yet comforting affair, marked by the reassuring presence of Jack, who appeared both relieved and still slightly shaken by the events. Midway through the meal, a gentle knock sounded at the door, and Gwen stepped inside hesitantly, her eyes wide with genuine concern. She had watched the proceedings from the kitchen window after Jack had ordered her to stay inside, but left soon after the deputies had taken John away.
“Oh my goodness, I was so worried,” Gwen said softly, taking in the peaceful scene before her with visible relief. Her gaze softened warmly when it settled on Jack. “Hope I’m not intruding,” she murmured, her voice filled with tentative warmth.
Jack quickly stood, his expression easing into one of clear appreciation and genuine pleasure at seeing her. “Never an intrusion, Gwen,” he assured her, stepping over to guide her toward the table with a welcoming hand at her back. “In fact, after everything last night, I think I owe you more than just thanks. I owe you a nice dinner out sometime soon.”
A delicate blush spread over Gwen’s cheeks, and she smiled shyly, looking up at Jack with quiet delight. “I’d like that very much,” she replied softly.
Justice watched the exchange closely, her eyes sparkling with amusement and approval. Catching her father’s gaze, she gave him a playful wink and a bright smile, clearly delighted by his newfound affection and happiness.
Tyler’s phone vibrated, and he glanced at the ID before saying, “It’s Cory.” He stood and walked out onto the back deck. “Hey, man.”
“Everyone okay this morning?”
“Yeah. Took a while for us to settle last night, but we’re all good. Justice is keeping a close eye on her dad, but I swear, his holding a weapon on someone threatening his daughter, even if it was on his nephew, seemed to bring a spark back to Jack’s eyes.”
Cory chuckled. “Good, good. The reason I’m calling is to let you know that we turned over our investigation evidence to the detective. Obviously, he’ll have to go through the proper channels to use any of it, but since John admitted his part, I don’t think they’ll have too much trouble. According to him, Jordy and Debbie were involved as well.”
Understanding dawned. “And that’s why you’re telling me so that I can decide what and when to let Jack know his brother was part of their scheme.”
“Exactly,” Cory said with a sigh. “Seems that as soon as Anthony started finding the place he wanted to build, the rumors around town were that the McClays and your grandfather weren’t going to sell, and that made the townspeople happy. But it also let Jordy and his wife know that if Jack did sell, he’d get a windfall of money, and they wanted to share in that.”
“And it didn’t matter that it was always Jack’s and never belonged to their father’s inheritance.”
“Yep. According to what John said, he had invested his part of the inheritance and was doing well. Then his parents started in on him to help them out. He gave a little at a time over the years, and then they wanted more. At the same time, his company in Chicago downsized when it was bought out, and he lost his job about three months ago.”
“Dammit! Why didn’t we find that out when we looked into him?”
“We were looking at his bank statements. He was still getting a severance package, but it would have stopped in the next month.”
Tyler dropped his chin to his chest.
“When Jordy and Debbie told him the name of the developer, they got in touch with each other. John said he couldn’t remember who contacted who first. But Anthony paid him upfront with more to come as soon as Jack and you signed the sale papers. He got desperate. Jordy and Debbie weren’t able to convince Jack to sell. He had to step in, or he’d lose his money and not be able to help his parents. From what he said last night, he didn’t care about helping them, but he had no choice… they were his parents.”
“What a fucking mess,” Tyler said, shaking his head. “I was so pissed I wanted to drop him in his tracks.”
“What stopped you?”
“The look on his face. He was no killer. The gun was dangling in his hand, pointing at the ground. He didn’t even have his finger on the trigger. Hell, I’m not sure he knew where the trigger was.”
