Page 84 of Her Rugged Guardian

Malcolm dropped his hands, the evil look I’d seen on his face punctuated by a sneer. While blood dripped from his nose and I had no doubt the man’s lip would swell, he wasn’t worse for the wear. “I’m calling the sheriff. You’re going to prison for assault.”

“Fuck you, Malcolm. If you dare come near Tangerine Sunset or bother Cassandra ever again, I will kill you myself.”

“Stop,” I said under my breath even though I knew Jake wouldn’t listen to me.

Malcolm kept the grin on his face, immediately pulling out his phone.

“Just go, Jake,” the first man said under his breath. “Get out of here. Okay?”

Jake flitted his eyes at the man, nodding only once. “Sure, Wally.” He took ahold of my elbow, leading me around the truck to the passenger side, using the fob to unlock it. His tension remained, the anger more intense than I’d experienced with the man.

I glanced at Malcolm again and shook my head. “Do you really think he’s calling the sheriff?”

“I’ll deal with it if he is.”

“You can’t solve everything with violence.”

“Try and stop me, Cass.” Jake didn’t take his eyes off Malcolm as he pushed me to climb in.

While I did, another series of shivers coursed down my spine. We’d played into whatever treachery Malcolm was attempting.

As soon as Jake jumped in, he started the engine, revving it for a full thirty seconds before throwing the gear into drive, able to pull forward. When he floored it leaving the restaurant’s parking lot, I placed my hand on his arm once again to try to calm him.

“Please. Just stop it. He didn’t do anything but try and intimidate me.”

“He needs to be stopped!”

“I know that but it’s not going to happen this way. Just slow down. Please?”

He shot me a look and said nothing but eased his foot off the gas. “Did he hurt you in any way?”

“If you mean physically, no. But what he said bothers me.”

“There was no suspicion raised with your mother’s death.”

“Which means there was no autopsy. I get it.”

“You could exhume her body.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back. “I don’t know, Jake. What good would that do? It’s been over a month.”

“If she was poisoned, there would be traces left.”

God. The thought of doing something so extreme would be torturous. “I’ll think about it. I believe he was using that to frighten me.”

“Maybe.” Jake glared into the rearview mirror, his fingers firmly planted around the steering wheel.

The darkness of the evening seemed more oppressive as he continued driving. Most businesses were already closed, only a few cars on the street. The quiet settling between us was as unnerving if not more so than what had just occurred. In trying to make sense of Malcolm’s point, my mind drifted from what I’d heard about the murders to the accusation the jerk had leveled against Jake.

“You mentioned the fire before. What happened, Jake? Why would that man think you had anything to do with a girl’s death?” I slowly turned my head to watch his reaction. “That’s what has really been eating you alive. Right?”

He didn’t say anything at first, his eyes remaining locked on the road. But as he slowed down for a red light, he lowered his gaze to the console then slowly to my face. “Because it’s true. A little girl is dead because of me.”

CHAPTER 23

Jake

I’d always known the past would collide with the present. I just hadn’t intended it to happen this way. Still, it was something I needed to deal with, especially since I’d promised her the truth. She deserved no less.

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