“Allegedly.”
“You’ve been hanging around lawyers too much,” Josh said. “Well, if you can bring me theallegedstolen gun, I’ll bring you everything your friend needs. Is your friend here?”
“Yes, she came too.”
“Leave her behind and come alone. Then I never want to hear from you again.” Josh gripped the phone. He didn’t trust Amber, but he could try to at least have the meeting be one-on-one. Of course, would she do what he asked? Probably not.
“Deal. After we meet, I’ll be out of your life for good.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Josh made good time back to Pinecone Junction, probably pushing his speed a little bit. He didn’t trust Amber and he probably shouldn’t be doing this. She could be playing a game, and if that was the case, then Josh wanted to intercept her.
He pulled into their driveway and Finn stood, shaking, his floppy ears making a flapping sound. “I’ll get you out, big guy, and you can nap while I go do this. Then we’ll have to tell Maya what I did and why.”
After Amber came in January and much of Josh’s past that he hadn’t told Maya about was exposed, he’d vowed to always tell her the truth. But he also needed to keep Maya safe. Josh let Finn out in the backyard while he went and found the box with the memory card and memo book.
Images of Sydney Bradford flowed back to him—both when she was alive and then the horrible night when he’d found her deceased. Sydney had been a fun, outgoing girl everyone loved. But she’d also been the life of the party, and that had caught up to her.
Sydney, Amber and Josh all grew up together and ran in the same circles. When he and Amber were engaged, Sydney had been ecstatic and thrown an extravagant party. But when his partner was shot in the line of duty and Josh was struggling, it had also been Sydney who suggested a night out with some fun “things” that could help. She’d introduced him to cocaine.
Sure, it seemed like it helped at first, but now he realized what a dangerous road she’d taken him down. It wasn’t completely her fault. After all, he’d said yes, and tried it. How many times did he wish he could go back in time and change that decision?
Then he’d lost his job.
Sydney had been worried about him and said she had some “special” stuff for him. Was it cocaine? Something else? Josh would never know. He’d shown up at their meeting spot and she was lying on the ground. He’d rushed over and discovered that she had no pulse and there were signs of strangulation. Things he knew from being a police officer, like the red spots on the whites of her eyes called petechiae and of course the obvious marks and tight scarf around her neck.
He was high at that moment and did not think clearly, but he knew he needed to call 911, stay out of the crime scene and wait for officers to respond. Then he decided to take pictures and make notes. It made him feel like he was doing something. In hindsight, he was only pretending like he was still a cop and could help his friend.
When the actual cops had arrived and seen him, they’d treated him like a suspect. Looking back, they should have. He found the body. He was high and there to buy drugs from her. Sydney was small and petite. With Josh’s size and strength he could have easily strangled her. He’d called his dad, and after that, no one bothered him except a few tenacious reporters. After a while, even they left him alone.
But his dad told him not to come around the family again, especially his sister, Bianca, until he got his act together. He needed to not drag her into his downward spiral. Josh held a grudge for that for a long time, but he understood now. He had to hit rock bottom and start getting better before he could fully comprehend what he’d done to his family. And to himself.
The box in the garage had dust that he knocked off. At one point, he’d thought about throwing this away—his past. Letting go or even burning the memo books in the fireplace. Something symbolic like that, but now he was glad he didn’t.
If Amber was telling him the truth, then maybe Sydney’s real killer hadn’t been caught, but there were going to be some problems in this prosecutor’s case. The scarf used to strangle Sydney had the guy’s DNA on it.How do you explain that?Josh was certain there was other evidence leading to the gang member. What was his name? He couldn’t remember.
But that wasn’t his problem.
He would hand over the memo book and memory card, get his stolen gun back, and, once again, try to shut this part of his life out. He’d rather focus on the future. One that included Maya. He never thought he’d meet such an amazing person and be so in love, but he was. Josh wanted to spend the rest of his life with Maya. She understood and accepted him for who he was—including his past.
It was time to move on and let go. If handing over these items helped accomplish that, then he was happy to meet with Amber. But Amber would probably never let that happen. She’d been obsessed with winning Josh back.
He sent Maya a quick text.
I need to run an errand. I’ll leave Finn in his crate. I’ll fill you in when I get home. I look forward to dinner and celebrating. I love you!
Pocketing his phone, Josh placed the notes and memory card in an envelope, put Finn away, and texted Amber a remote location where they could meet alone. It wasn’t too far out of town, but he didn’t need people to see them together and rumors starting before he could talk to Maya.
CHAPTER FIVE
The landscape went by in a blur as Elena stared out the window. Would this cop, who had to move to a small town in the middle of nowhere to get another job because of his past, really have what she needed? Amber swore he would, but she’d also learned more about how Amber’s past intertwined with this guy. Elena’s boss wasn’t happy that Josh Colten might hold the key to everything. Not only was Josh the son of former star prosecutor–turned–defense attorney Spencer Colten, but he’d also been fired from the department for being under the influence while on duty. Elena was paying for her plane ticket to Colorado on her own dime since Sydney Bradford’s case hadn’t been officially reopened. Hopefully she wasn’t being taken advantage of by Amber.
She didn’t know Amber real well. They’d gone out for a few drinks after work, that kind of thing. Elena liked her, but she’d heard from another person in the office that Amber had crossed some lines when she came to Colorado in January. Enough of a line to possibly have a temporary restraining order against her from this cop’s girlfriend. Amber was lucky to still have her job. Elena didn’t know all the details and the person telling her this loved gossip. She probably should ask more, but sometimes, she’d learned, you don’t ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.
“I need to stop by a bank on the way to Pinecone Junction,” Amber said, breaking the silence.
Elena had become mesmerized with the changing landscape. Denver International Airport was out on the eastern plains, flat and brown with tinges of green as spring came closer. Then they’d gone into an area that Amber described as foothills. There were red cliffs and some areas in the shade still dotted with snow. They were heading up a winding road towards this little mountain town called Pinecone Junction. Despite Elena’s doubts about Amber, she found she was enjoying seeing Colorado for the first time. The closest she’d ever been to any type of wilderness was a team-building weekend in college out in the Shawnee National Forest where they learned some basic survival skills. The landscape there was very different from Colorado’s rugged mountains.
