Jude’s eyes bulged. “What? What for? I-I didn’t do anything.”
“Tell that to the judge.”
Two of the officers grabbed Jude’s arms and hauled him up from the chair. “Put your hands behind your back.”
Olivia returned to the doorway. She gripped the wood to steady herself, then marched into the room. “What are you doing?”
“Making an arrest, ma’am,” Officer Jennings said.
“You’re arresting my son?” Her chin went up. “On what charges?”
“Conspiracy to commit armed robbery and assault. Though I’m fairly sure there’ll be more.”
The cuffs locked into place with a click. Jude swallowed. “Mom . . . ?”
Olivia stared at the policemen down the length of her nose. “At least give him time to put on some decent clothes.”
Officer Jennings glanced from mother to son and nodded. One of the other officers leaned down and unlocked the cuffs.
“We’ll be right out in the hall,” Jennings warned.
Olivia’s gaze swung to Jude. “Don’t worry, dear. Our attorney will have you out of there in a couple of hours.” Leaving Jude to dress, Olivia walked out of the room, with Gage and Abby behind her. As soon as the door closed, she whirled on Abby.
“You! You’re responsible for all of this. You had King wrapped around your little finger. You blinded him to his duty to the rest of his family.”
“King has nothing to do with this. Jude wanted something that didn’t belong to him, and he was willing to break the law to get it. Ask him about his friend Boyd McGrath. McGrath’s dead because of Jude. Whatever happens to your son is exactly what he deserves.”
Gage set a hand at her waist. “Time to go,” he said, urging her firmly out the door and down the stairs before the argument could escalate. Neither of them spoke until they were out of the house and Abby was settled in the Rover.
Gage slid in behind the wheel. “That’s one problem solved.”
“What will they do to him?”
Gage cranked the engine. “I don’t know, and I don’t care.”
Abby looked back at the house. “When we were kids, I used to feel sorry for him. He never had many friends. The ones who did hang out with him just used him for his car and the fat allowance his parents gave him.”
“Put it behind you, Abby. Family or not, you don’t need people like that in your life.”
Gage was right. She had learned to take care of herself long ago. She didn’t need any of them.
She glanced at the man behind the wheel. As long as they were together, she could count on Gage to be there for her. Her heart squeezed. For now, she could depend on Gage, but sooner or later, their affair would end, and Gage would go on with his life.
Her throat tightened. Sooner or later, Abby would be left alone.
She took a deep breath. She would survive as she always had. The time would come, but not now. Now she was in the middle of a grand adventure. She intended to see it through.
As the car rolled along, she relaxed back in her seat. “You’re right, Gage. Jude’s troubles are no one’s fault but his own. We have our own set of problems to deal with.” She checked the time on her phone. “The bank’s open.”
Gage’s jaw tightened, but he stepped on the gas, heading the Rover toward the nearby Wells Fargo branch. Time to tackle the next hurdle—persuading Gage to keep searching for the Devil’s Gold.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
IT WAS LESS THAN A TEN-MINUTE DRIVE TO THEWELLSFARGO ONBroadway. Gage pulled up in front of the impressive glass-domed structure, parallel parked, and fed the meter; then he set a hand at Abby’s waist and they went inside.
Though he knew the morning had upset her, she’d handled the arrest of her no-good cousin with her usual courage and strength. She was moving forward. Gage was proud of her.
He thought about what had happened in his office earlier that morning. He still couldn’t believe it. After the incredible night they’d shared, how could she possibly believe he’d grown tired of her? Abby thought he’d had enough of her luscious body and passionate responses?
