Jackson's Sub [The Doms of Club Mystique 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 14

  Jenna watched as he got out of the car, walked around the back, and then opened her door. She scooted forward until her booted feet were on the pavement then tried to stand up. Falling back once, she heard him curse her before he grabbed her arm and jerked her out of the car. Tears filled her eyes as the cuffs cut deeper into her wrists and she couldn’t stop the cry of pain that burst from her mouth.

  “What’s your problem?” he asked her, shaking her arm then laughing when she cried out again. “Cuffs too tight? I thought women like you liked pain. Joan loved it. Getting her ass swatted got her all hot and stirred up. Course she didn’t like it when I used my fists.”

  Jenna’s head came up. “Joan? You mean Jackson’s mother?”

  As if he realized suddenly he had said too much, he jerked on her arm, pulled her into the station, and thrust her toward the counter where another officer stood waiting. “Book her for me. A&B and resisting arrest. If she gives you any trouble, throw the book at her.” Laughing, he jerked on her arms then forced her to bend until her chest was pressed hard against the counter before he patted her down, then unlocked the cuffs and peeled them from her wrists.

  Jenna stayed down, letting her arms drop to her sides, and fought the need to gag from his touch as tears filled her eyes. Her fingers tingled and stung as the blood rushed back into them. Standing, she brought her arms around in front of her and rubbed at the deep impressions on her wrists that were already turning black and blue.

  The officer at the counter pointed to a place on the wall and told her to stand there. She posed in front of the camera as he snapped her picture. As soon as that was done, he fingerprinted her then finished booking her as she tried to rub the black ink off with a scratchy paper towel.

  “How soon can I be out of here,” she asked him. Glancing at his name tag, she added, “Officer Watts.”

  “That’s up to the Chief.”

  “I thought that kind of thing was pretty standard. Don’t I get a phone call?” she asked, curious about how this was done and who made the decisions.

  “Chief decides.”

  “You’re not very friendly,” she said.

  “I’m not paid to be friendly.” He took her arm and shoved her into a nearby holding cell.

  Jenna looked around, sniffed the air, and cringed. It was filthy and stank and appeared to have already been occupied several times that evening. There was a metal bed frame attached to the back wall with a filthy mattress on it. She moved along the front of the cell, keeping her hands off the metal bars and feeling her feet sticking to the floor. When she reached the corner, she examined the wall then allowed herself to lean against it, thankful she had worn a shirt with sleeves. “Hey, officer, can I have a chair?”

  “Sit on the bed.”

  “Would you want your girlfriend or your sister to sit on that bed?

  “Neither one of them would ever find themselves in a position where they had to sit on that bed, lady.”

  “Can you put me in a cleaner cell?”

  “No. That’s the only cell we have for women.”

  “Does it matter that I’m innocent?”

  Laughing, he told her, “They all say that.” Then he winked at her and walked away.

  “Well, I’m happy I could give you something to laugh about today.”

  Officer Watts waved at her over his shoulder as he disappeared through a door. When the scent of coffee reached her, she figured he was in the break room. Wishing she had a cup with lots of cream and sugar, she looked around the cell then wondered where Jackson was and when he was coming to get her.

  Promising herself when she got out of here she was going to take the world’s longest, hottest shower, she leaned against the wall and thought about what the chief had said about Jackson’s parents. It sounded like he had really hated Jackson’s dad. Addison was right about the affair, too. From the way he had said Joan’s name, she thought he might even have loved her. In his own crazy way, of course.

  The clock had just hit the two o’clock mark when the doors of the station opened and Jackson, Cade, and Zane walked in. Zane slammed an expensive briefcase on the counter and a moment later Officer Watts appeared from the break room.

  “Officer, I’m Zane Ramsey. I represent Jenna Parnelle. I’m here to bail her out.”

  “Chief hasn’t decided that yet.”

  “Ms. Parnelle has never been arrested before. Not even a traffic stop. The person who started the fight at the Hard Time Tavern is Chief Baume’s cousin, Barbie, and she was not arrested. I have a copy of the security tape from the tavern showing Barbie throwing the first punch. Now, you can release Ms. Parnelle or I can call Judge Webber and he can tell you to release her.”

  Jackson stepped up to the counter. “Officer Watts, you’ve been an officer here for a long time and you’ve always been a fair man to deal with. You really don’t want to be a part of this.”

  “No, I don’t, but I’m six months from retirement and I’ve got a sick wife at home who needs the insurance the town provides to its retirees. That man in there can ruin that for me.”

  “I’ll guarantee you that we won’t allow that to happen,” Zane told him as he handed him his cell phone. “The Judge wants to speak to you.”

  Nodding, he took the phone. “This is Officer Watts,” he said. “Yes, Your Honor, I can do tha—” Pulling the phone away from his ear, he looked at it. “I guess he hung up,” he told Zane as he handed it back to him. Reaching beneath the counter, he grabbed a ring of keys then walked over to Jenna’s cell and opened the door. “You’re free to go, Miss Parnelle.”

  “Thank you, Officer Watts.”

  Jackson grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. “You okay, angel? Did Baume hurt you?”

  “Let’s go home, Jackson,” Jenna grimaced then clung to him. “I need a shower—right now.”

  A growl of anger left Jackson as he looked at her wrists. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

  “Not tonight you’re not. Tonight you’re going to take me home and take care of me.”

  Picking her up, he carried her out of the station and set her on the backseat of the truck. Before he could climb in behind her, Jenna stopped him and held out her feet. “Whatever was on that cell floor is all over my shoes now.” She shuddered. “Just throw them away, Jackson, please.”

  Grimly, Jackson pulled the shoes off Jenna’s feet then chucked them into a public trash can. He slid onto the seat next to Jenna as Cade got into the driver’s seat and Zane took the front passenger seat.

  “Where’s Addison?”

  “We left her at home. Logan, Luc, and Judge Webber are playing poker with her.”

  Laughing, Jenna asked them, “The Judge knows her dad was a world champion poker player and he taught her to play, right?”

  “No. We didn’t tell him,” Zane laughed. “He’ll learn soon enough that that little Irish redhead never loses.”

  Jenna snuggled into Jackson’s side, happy to be away from the jail and looking forward to a shower. Then, snuggling in bed with Jackson, she told herself, wanting just to be held all night. Her tummy growled and she giggled.

  “Hungry, angel?”

  “Yes. Starving.”

  “When we get home I’ll make you a sandwich, and I know Jane put some vegetable soup in the fridge earlier today.”

  “Any pie?” Cade asked and Jenna laughed, remembering what Jackson had said about Cade and pie and Addison.

  Jackson glanced at her then smiled as he told Cade that Jane had left a couple peach pies on the counter. A few minutes later they drove through the ranch gates and Cade parked the truck in front of the house. Jenna slid out of the truck and into Jackson’s arms. Together they turned and looked at the house. Every window was ablaze with light, and they could hear soft music coming from the open front doors. Cade moved in front of them and held the screen doors open as Jackson escorted Jenna into the house, his hand warm on her lower back.

  The murmur of voices drew them to the large
family room. As they entered, Logan had just finished telling Luc a joke and Logan was laughing while Luc appeared slightly amused. “Hi, jailbird,” Logan said.

  “Hi, yourself. Where’s Addison?”

  “She said she was tired so she went to bed when Judge Webber left.”

  Jenna laughed. “Didn’t take her long to clean you guys out.”

  “She lost,” Luc said.

  Jenna saw Cade stiffen then turn and walk out of the room.

  “She’s probably already asleep,” Luc called after him then shrugged and turned back to Logan. “Something’s wrong. Addison never loses at poker.”

  Logan patted Luc on the shoulder, treating him like a proud parent. “Bro, you just showed some emotion. Way to go.”

  Luc nodded then mumbled something about trying to figure out what was wrong as he wandered out of the room followed by Logan.

  Jackson lifted Jenna’s wrist, gently ran his finger over the marks on it, and then told her, “Let’s go eat. After we take a shower I’m going to put some ointment on your wrists.”

  Giving him a suspicious squint she asked him, “Do you have to go out to the stables to get it?”

  Grinning at her, he nodded. “It will help. Trust me.”

  “I hate when you Ramseys say that because after you do, something always goes wrong. Even Addison says it now.”

  Laughing, he picked her up, carried her into the kitchen, and set her down on the center island. “Food, shower, bed. Then tomorrow we’ll all meet and figure out our next move.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Okay, everyone, settle down.” Cade looked around the room and saw his brothers, Thor, Ben, and Mac slouching on the chairs and couches. Jackson was snuggling Jenna next to him on an oversized chair while Addison sat on a rocking chair next to his desk. “First, Addison is aware that I’ve told all of you the truth about our biological parents and that our mother, Joan, was an alcoholic. In return, Addison has agreed to tell us what she’s heard from her sources.”

  Snorting, Jenna laughed then tried to remove the smile from her face when Cade and Jackson frowned at her. “Well, really, calling them sources makes them sound like some kind of secret agents when they’re really just big old gossips.”

  Addison lifted a reddish-gold brow. “Actually, those guys could learn a few things from us,” she said before taking a sip of juice from the glass she held. “Since I’m not sure what you all know, I’ll start at the beginning of what I know.” She looked in Cade’s direction, keeping her eyes directed at the top of his desk. “Did you know your father, I mean John McLeod, had a sister named Helen McLeod who lived in California?”

  “I vaguely remember meeting her once when I was very young,” Cade said. “I haven’t thought about her in years. How do you know about her?”

  “Helen and your dad, er, John McLeod.” Dropping her shoulders, she stopped talking and swirled the tip of her finger in her juice then sucked the drops off it. “This is confusing. I don’t know whether to call them your mom and dad or John and Joan?”

  Cade watched her, feeling his cock respond to her innocent gestures, then looked at his brothers, nodded, and told her, “Call them John and Joan.”

  Nodding, Addison took another sip then continued. “John and Helen were very close but Joan and Helen didn’t like each other. Since John was gone so much that left Joan in charge and she refused to let Helen see you and your brothers. That’s why you didn’t know her very well, Cade.”

  “What’s this got to do with Chief Baume,” Logan asked impatiently.

  “It’s a long story, Logan, but I think it’s important,” Addison told him without looking up. “Helen worked for an international charity so she was out of the country for long periods of time, too. By the time she returned to the US and found out John was dead, you and your brothers had already been adopted by Jake and Katherine. When she went to the courts to try to get you back, the Judge ordered her to stay away from you until you reached age eighteen.”

  “So, she just went away and forgot about us,” Zane muttered.

  “No, actually, she quit her job, sold her home, and moved to Long Valley. She and Maggie are best friends and I’ve known Helen for years. I just never knew she was your aunt until recently.”

  “How recently,” Cade asked suspiciously.

  “Um, a few years,” she told him then quickly added, “You promised not to punish me if I told you everything I know. About your family.”

  Frowning, he nodded. “I’m beginning to regret that decision but go on.”

  Taking a deep breath, she told them, “About a week before John died, he contacted Helen and told her he’d had enough and he was going to take the five of you and leave Joan. Helen told him she was going out of the country but he could call her if he needed her. They also made arrangements for John to take all of you to live in her house in California while he got a divorce and found a job and got you settled there. But, of course, before he could do that he and Joan died.”

  The men in the room sat forward, every instinct telling them that Addison was building up to the most important information.

  Thor gave Addison an encouraging nod then frowned when she ignored him and turned back to Cade. He watched her for a moment then lifted a questioning brow and saw Cade send him a barely noticeable shrug.

  “Joan was having an affair with a police officer.”

  “Cade told us about Joan’s affair with Earl Baume a while back,” Jackson said.

  Addison nodded. “They had a really sick relationship. Lots of drugs, alcohol, and abuse.”

  “Go on,” Cade said.

  “The last time John went to find Joan, he intended to tell her he was leaving her. He found her with Earl Baume at his cabin out by Cypress Springs. There was a big argument and John told Joan he was taking the five of you and leaving. Then he left, but he left Joan with Earl Baume.”

  “How do you know all this, Addison? John and Joan died that night in the same car.”

  “Helen told me. She said John stopped at a gas station to fill up the gas tank and he called her. He said he had left Joan with Earl Baume and that Baume had threatened to kill him.” She lifted the glass, intending to take a sip, but it shook so much she had to set it back down. “He said he was going to get all of you and leave that night with whatever you could grab to take with you. He said that both Joan and Earl Baume had sworn to him that they wouldn’t let him take you out of Texas.”

  “Oh, my, god,” Logan groaned. “That’s why the car burned up. He had just filled the tank.”

  Addison managed to take a gulp from the glass then set it down on her leg, feeling the frost from it soaking through the thin material of her dress. “The wreck happened on an isolated stretch of road that was a shortcut to the house you lived in. The rest of this is what Helen, Maggie, and Sheila Miller have figured out.”

  “Who the hell is Sheila Miller?” Luc asked.

  “She was the clerk-dispatcher at the Long Valley Police Department back then,” Addison told him. “And, she’s Jane’s cousin.”

  “Our housekeeper Jane?” Logan asked.

  “Yes,” Addison told him then continued. “Sheila said Earl used the radio in his private car to call for an ambulance that night and she thought she could hear a woman screaming in the background. She said it sounded like the woman screamed ‘you killed him’ but she couldn’t be sure, so she never told anyone.” Addison glanced at the brothers then looked back down at the glass in her hand. “She said the next day when Earl showed up at work his knuckles were scraped up real bad. He told everyone he hurt them when he tried to get your parents out of the car but Sheila said that wasn’t true. The scrapes on his knuckles weren’t burns. They looked like he’d been in a fistfight. Also, Earl’s personal car just disappeared and he told everyone he had traded it in on a new truck but the new truck never showed up.”

  “Go on,” Jackson said.

  “Sheila, Helen, and Maggie think that Earl Baume ran John off the road
. They think that while John was hurt and couldn’t defend himself, Earl Baume killed him. They think seeing her husband killed in front of her freaked Joan out so he hit her too hard and killed her. They think he put her body in the car and set it on fire. They think he was already mentally disturbed but killing the woman he loved pushed him over the edge.”

  “Oh, my, gosh, that explains what he said to me last night,” Jenna said as she grabbed Jackson’s arm, clinging to him. “He asked me if I got off on being cuffed and spanked. He said Joan did. He said she didn’t like it when he used his fists though. He said he showed your dad who was the boss. He’s dangerous and he hates all of you.”

  The room was silent for a few minutes while the brothers analyzed the new information and came to their own conclusions. Cade cleared his throat then looked at Addison. “Anything else, baby?”

  Nodding, Addison told him. “Helen would really love to meet all of you. She’s really nice and I think you’ll all love her.”

  “Maggie will be here next weekend so invite Helen to dinner Saturday night, baby.”

  “I’ll make the arrangements for you.” Addison stood up then smoothed her skirt over her hips. “I have some things to do now.”

  Jenna waited until the door closed then told Jackson, “Addison and I need to have a talk.”

  Cade sat forward and shook his head. “No. She has to trust me enough to tell me what’s bothering her.”

  “Cade, sometimes a woman just needs another woman to talk to,” Jenna said. “She’s been like this for over a week now. If she hasn’t told you by now she isn’t going to tell you.” Seeing the stubborn look on his face, she leaned back. “Okay, this started the night we went to Club Mystique. When you found out she was there, what did you do?”

  “That’s really none of your business, Jenna.”

  “Fine, if you don’t want my help then I think I’ll go swimming.” Standing, she bent and gave Jackson a little kiss then whispered, “Come out and join me as soon as you can. We can pretend you caught me skinny-dipping in your pool without permission and I need to be taught a lesson.”