Deceived (Free Indeed Book 2), page 21
Cara watched as Allie’s body stiffened and a stubborn look crossed her face. No way was she going to be ok with that. And Cara couldn’t blame her. If she had siblings, there’s no way in hell she’d let them go into foster care. Even though the kiddos weren’t her flesh and blood, just the fact that they were her stepsiblings made her protective hackles rise. If nothing else they all shared surviving life with Gideon in common, and that could bond anyone.
Just as Allie opened her mouth to obviously protest, Jason cut her off. “We’ll take them.” All eyes around the table whipped to face Jason at his outburst. “We’ll take custody of them and raise them at my place.”
“Jason—” Allie sputtered as her jaw dropped open in shock, “are you sure?”
“That ranch was made for a big family. There’s more than enough room for your brothers and sisters. And I’m not about to let the people you love grow up in a group home or foster care.”
Ok, this guy her stepsister found was definitely a keeper. Cara approved of him completely.
Apparently, Allie was thinking along the same lines because she couldn’t keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. A sob escaped her throat as she threw both arms around Jason’s neck and held on tight.
Sheriff Donaldson nodded his head in approval. “I’ll contact CPS in West Virginia and notify them that you’ll both be on your way. You’re their only living next of kin and you’ve got a big house, lots of land, jobs, and not to mention the support of the entire town behind you—” the sheriff’s face finally broke into a smile, “don’t you worry, we’ll make sure they’re released to you without a problem.”
“Thank you so much for all your help, Sheriff.” Allie pulled her face out of Jason’s neck to murmur gratefully.
“No problem,” he stated. “Since I’ve got some calls to make, I’m going to take my leave and see you all later.” With a simple goodbye nod, he stood to his feet and walked out of the diner.
Jason and Allie both turned their gazes to Cara who was still sitting in the booth just quietly observing.
“I have something for you.” Cara finally spoke up as she reached into her purse that was sitting on the seat next to her. After rummaging around for a moment, her hand finally emerged with a silver chain softly dangling from it. A gasp burst from Allie’s lips when she saw her locket swinging gently back and forth in front of her. Cara grinned as she handed it across the table, and Allie grabbed hold of it gratefully.
“Oh my gosh, thank you so much!” Allie exclaimed. It obviously meant a lot to her to get it back. Cara was so glad that she was able to return it to her.
A warm smile spread across Cara’s lips at the happiness evident on Allie’s face. “You’re very welcome. The files your father was after were on an SD card hidden behind one of the photos inside. It was turned over to the proper authorities earlier this morning, and they cleared the necklace so I could get it back to you.”
“What was so important that he needed it back so desperately?” Allie asked.
A funny look crossed Cara’s face as she paused for a moment. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell her right now. It wasn’t like she could just drop it out there, Hey I’m your stepsister, and I messed up by hiding something in your necklace which made you a target when all you wanted to do was escape this screwed up mess. Well, she could just blurt it out, but somehow she thought a little bit more tact along with maybe waiting for a better time would be more considerate.
“I’m not sure how much of your father’s business you were aware of, but he was embezzling the funds received from the members of Free Indeed as well as other sources and then laundering the money through several different sources. The SD card contained all of the information regarding his activities, along with his contacts, and account numbers both here in the US as well as internationally.” Compassion crossed her face as she took in Allie’s shocked face, “He really had quite a scam going.”
Both Allie and Jason remained silent as they pondered her words. Finally, Allie asked the question at the forefront of her mind. “I just don’t understand how or when the card got inside the necklace in the first place. I rarely ever took it off, and it was almost always in my possession.”
“That’s kind of a long story,” Cara grimaced. Not to mention the fact that it was all Cara’s fault, but they didn’t have time to get into that discussion right now. “But after everything settles down if you have some time and still want to know, I’d really love to get together with you and talk about it.”
“I’d like that very much.”
They both smiled at each other from across the table. Cara could already tell she was going to wind up liking her stepsister very much.
“So where do you go from here?” Jason asked.
Cara’s eyes lit up with excitement at the question, “Actually, I’m thinking of staying around. There’s not really anything left for me back east, and I kind of like it here. Serenity’s growing on me. I just need to find a place to stay.”
Jason and Allie looked at each other and grinned. “I think we can help with that,” Allie said.
“Annie,” Jason flagged the waitress down as she passed by, “this is my friend Cara. She’s new to town and looking for a place to rent. Any chance the studio is still available?”
“Why I do believe it is, darlin’,” Annie grinned broadly. “Let me just get George to cover me, and I’ll take you right up and show you around.”
“Thank you, I really appreciate it,” Cara smiled. Well damn, talk about a stroke of good luck. It was as if moving here was meant to be.
“George,” Annie bellowed, “get out on the floor and take over while I take care of Cara.”
“Who the hell is Cara?” George shouted from the kitchen.
“She’s our new tenant.”
There was a brief pause of silence before, “Another one?”
“Yep, now get out here.” Annie turned to Cara with a big grin, “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” Cara laughed as she stood to her feet. With a quick wave goodbye to Allie and Jason, she turned to follow Annie out of the room. They walked out the front door and turned left to head towards the side of the building.
“There’s a stairwell off the side of the diner leading up to the second level,” Annie explained as she led the way. “So you’ll have your own private access. The apartment itself is a studio with an attached bathroom. It might get a bit noisy being above the diner and all, but we tried to make up for that with coziness.”
“It sounds perfect,” Cara smiled at her. It did too. She didn’t need a lot or a big fancy place. All she needed was a place she could call home and settle down.
Just as they turned the corner, Cara heard fast advancing footsteps behind them. Cara’s head swung around to see who was approaching. To her surprise, Jake popped up right next to her with a big smile on his face.
“Hi,” Jake grinned.
Cara’s jaw dropped open in surprise at the man standing next to her. “What in the world are you doing here?” she sputtered. “You’re supposed to be in bed resting. You just got shot for Pete’s sake.” She glared in disapproval in his direction, but his grin just got bigger at her chastising look.
“As I recall, you’re suffering from a gunshot wound as well, darlin’,” he drawled with that sexy, irritating little smirk of his.
“I happen to have an extra couple of days recovery on you, buddy,” Cara retorted. “You were shot yesterday—heck, you were shot last night! There’s no way you should be up and walking around.”
“I had important business to see to.”
His eyes started to twinkle with a sexy mischievousness that distracted her from the fact that she was pissed off frustrated at him. No, that wouldn’t do at all. Distractions were bad. She needed to stay upset at him for his own good. She opened her mouth to continue her stern reprimand when a soft meow interrupted her. For the first time, she noticed he was carrying a small cat carrier. Cara looked down to see a cute little brown and black face staring back up at her from inside.
“What—”
“I just picked her up,” Jake explained at the bewildered look on her face. “Dory says she’s on the mend and doing very well considering how malnourished she was. Honestly, she should recover faster than either of us anyway. But since we were all injured around the same time, I thought it’d be good therapy if we all recuperated together.”
Cara couldn’t even speak. Her jaw just hung open as her gaze darted back and forth between Jake and Zoe. She couldn’t believe Jake had gotten Zoe for her. The cat that she fell in love with and bonded with in the short amount of time she lived here. Tears started at the corners of her eyes, and she had to blink quickly to stop them from falling. A smile slowly spread its way across her face as her eyes locked onto Jake’s.
“Thank you,” she whispered happily.
“You’re welcome,” he simply replied. His gaze fluttered to Annie who stood behind her as he asked, “What are you up to with the best damn pie maker this side of the country?”
Annie literally beamed with pleasure at his compliment. “I’m showing her an apartment for rent,” she explained. “It just happened to become available since Allie’s decided to move in with Jason.”
“Good for Allie.” If possible, Jake’s smile got even bigger as he threw Annie a little wink. “I’m proud of her for stepping away from her fundamentalist roots.” His expression sobered as his face turned back to face Cara. For a moment he just stared as if sizing her up, then he spoke, “So you decided to stay?”
“I told you I might,” Cara replied quietly. Even though he didn’t say it in an accusatory manner, the words still managed to pierce a piece of her heart. Disappointing him was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Don’t you think it would have been nice to confirm it once you knew for sure?”
Ok, that was a little accusatory. And honestly, he was right. The problem was she just couldn’t bear the thought of telling him goodbye. What was a girl supposed to say to that?
“I always liked the Pac-12,” was what came out of her mouth.
One of his eyebrows raised in a slightly incredulous look. Ok, so he didn’t believe that one. She couldn’t imagine why not. Women happened to like football too.
“Go Ducks.” Cara raised one hand in a slightly raised, somewhat unsure fist pump in support of the local college team.
Now the accusation was officially gone from his eyes and replaced with a twinkle of amusement. Damn. That wasn’t any better. That twinkle turned her insides to mush and made her want to jump in his arms and do whatever he said.
Jake turned his attention back to Annie as he asked, “How many units do you have?”
“Just the one,” the motherly woman replied.
“Hmm, we’ll just have to make do then.”
Cara’s head snapped back in his direction. “What do you mean, we?”
“You’re ok with a roommate, right?” Jake grinned that sexy smirk in her direction like it was a rhetorical question.
If it were possible, Cara’s mouth dropped open even further. “But—what—”
“I’ve decided to stay in Serenity,” Jake explained as if that settled the matter.
“But your job—”
His shoulders shrugged, “After spending the last year with Gideon and his followers, I needed to make a change. I’ve been speaking with Sheriff Donaldson, and he says there’s a deputy opening available in town. Apparently they only have one right now, and he only got the job because he was the mayor’s son. He’s hopeless and has no idea what he’s doing so they could really use a second one. Besides, I gotta say I’m liking the idea of small town living.” His gaze flickered over to Annie, “Not to mention the best damn pie on the planet.”
Annie beamed in happiness at his words. “Well, we’ll be right pleased to have you around, deputy.”
“Well, don’t you think it would have been nice to confirm it once you knew for sure?” Cara threw his own words back at him.
He grinned that sexy smile in her direction and leaned in until he was invading her space. “What can I say...there’s this girl I really, really like and I just can’t imagine leaving her right now.”
“Oh.” Yeah, that was what she said being the big eloquent talker that she was. It was kind of all she could squeeze out right now considering her throat was locking up from all the emotion welling up inside of her.
He wanted to stay. And he wanted to stay with her. God, she loved him. Her heart swelled so much to the point she thought it was going to burst. Unable to stop the words from pouring out, she blurted, “I love you, Jake.” As she watched, his eyes softened as his hands reached out to grab her waist and pull her close. “I—I just wanted you to know,” she stammered.
“Oh, I know,” he replied as he leaned forward until his forehead rested against her own. “I love you too,” he whispered just before his mouth met her own in what was most likely the most wonderful kiss of all time.
God, she loved him. So much. Unable to keep the happiness contained inside, it tumbled out in an overflowing giggle as their kiss deepened.
Cara pulled back just enough to gaze up into his eyes, “So you’re still going to be Deputy Badass after all,” Cara stated, one corner of her mouth quirking up in amusement.
He laughed softly, “Well, when one has an awesome nickname like that, there’s no point in losing it.”
“It’s awfully presumptuous of you, though...trying to move in on my apartment.” Cara tried to pull off her best pissed off look, but it was hard to do when her heart was thudding in her chest threatening to burst in excitement.
“True. However, it does come with benefits,” he teased leaning forward to softly nudge her nose with his own.
“Oh really? Maybe you should explain these benefits.”
“This roommate happens to have absolutely amazing coffee skills and has every intention of keeping your chocolate stash stocked at all times.”
Cara couldn’t stop the laughter from bursting forth at his comment. It felt so good to laugh after everything that had happened. “Well, how could I ever say no to that?”
Jake stepped forward into her space and leaned his head down toward her. “That’s kind of the idea.” His left hand reached out, and his fingers trailed down her arm. When he reached her hand, he laced his fingers through her own and held on tightly.
“I was afraid you were going to leave, and I’d never see you again,” Cara whispered almost afraid to believe what he said was true.
“I’d really like to stay around, if that’s ok with you?” His eyes stared deeply into her own to the point she felt like she was drowning in his coffee-colored gaze.
“I’d really like that.”
His eyes started to sparkle with happiness just before he leaned the rest of the way and pressed his soft lips to hers. Cara reached up with both hands and cupped the sides of his face, pulling herself as close as possible to his lean, hard body. She drank him in and kissed him back with all of the emotion that had been bubbling up since she heard his sexy voice pop up from behind her.
Finally remembering that they had an audience, Cara forced herself to pull back and unthread her fingers from his hair. A soft blush covered her cheeks as she looked over her shoulder at Annie who didn’t look upset at all at the interruption. In fact, she looked thrilled as could be at the turn of events. Almost like she wanted to pull out a bowl of popcorn and keep watching.
“Sorry, Annie.”
“You don’t be sorry at all, darlin’. The apartment’s not going anywhere. You just take as long as you need with your Deputy Badass.”
Jake and Cara’s eyes met again, and they both laughed. “Let’s go show Zoe her new home,” Jake said clutching her hand tightly in his own. At her happy nod of approval, they turned and followed Annie to their new apartment.
Yes, there were still things to talk about and things to work out. She still needed to go back to West Virginia and settle her mom’s estate, and Jake would need to report in with his superiors and take care of closing out his last case with the FBI. Then there were sure to be hundreds of questions and follow-ups in regards to Gideon, not to mention Paul who had escaped and was somewhere out there. But they’d deal with all of that when the time came. Now that they had each other, the upcoming days no longer seemed so overwhelming. She actually had something to look forward to. A new family with step-siblings that she never knew she had. A life and home with the man she loved. And promises of daily supplies of coffee and chocolate, what more could a girl ask for?
THE END
Also By Jenesse Bates
Free Indeed
Entangled
Deceived
Evie (Coming Soon)
Read on for a sneak peek of
Free Indeed Book 1: Entangled
Available Now on Amazon
Entangled Chapter 1
“Allie,” a soft, tiny voice drifted timidly up from behind her. Alethea turned from where she was washing the evening dishes to see her little sister standing behind her looking unsure in her rumpled passed-down nightgown.
“What’s the matter, Abby?” Allie asked as she grabbed the towel lying on the counter and dried the soapy water from her hands. Considering her five-year-old sister was already supposed to be asleep in the bedroom she shared with one of their other sisters, she was surprised at the interruption. Good thing father wasn’t here to see that she was still up. Otherwise, she would have been punished for being out of her room after bedtime, for sure. And then after watching her sister being beaten, her father would most likely turn on Allie next for letting it happen in the first place.
It wasn’t easy acting as mother to all of her six siblings while also taking care of the home. Since their mother passed away five years ago while giving birth to Abby, their father had expected Allie to take over all of the motherly duties around the house. That included everything from keeping the house running smoothly to wiping little, runny noses. Now at twenty years old, when all of her friends were long since married with children, she was still taking care of her father’s household.
