Jake went on. “If it’s any consolation, my friendship with Bill—and with you—is genuine. And you do have a choice. If you don’t want to be here, you’re free to go, no harm, no foul.”
Connie shook her head, exasperated. “I really can’t leave. Lewis will be here any minute. I doubt he’ll tell you much without me here. And as much as I don’t want to be a part of this, I need to see Deal brought to justice. He’s held my family hostage for too many years.”
“Hostage?” Jake leaned in, hoping the mic was catching everything. He’d told Connie their conversation would be recorded, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself by plopping a recorder on the table, so he’d wired up.
Connie looked past him as the front door opened and a shortish, stocky man in jeans, a green-and-black-checked flannel shirt over a gray tee and Stetson walked in. She gave him a chin lift as he approached the table. “You’ll see what I mean.”
Jake recognized Deputy Lewis Broggart Junior from his file. He stood and offered his hand. “Thanks for coming,” he said as the deputy clasped his hand. The guy had a decent grip and his calloused palm showed how much work he did around the modest ranch he’d inherited, more facts Jake gleaned from the file. “I’m Agent Jake Collins, but Jake will do.”
“Lewis’ll do as well,” he answered, his voice pitched higher than Jake expected. He sounded more like a teenager than a guy in his mid-to-late twenties. Jake noticed a fine sheen of sweat on his brow below the Stetson’s brim. “Hey, Connie.” Lewis stole a glance at his cousin as he sat down. She nodded encouragement.
Denise came to the table and Jake studied Lewis as she took his order. Smooth rounded cheeks that probably never needed shaving. A nervous smile and eyes that didn’t quite hold Denise’s gaze as he spoke. He stuttered an apology when he realized he hadn’t removed his hat and stumbled through taking it off. He blushed when Denise winked before walking away. This guy was hardly the picture of the good ol’ boy Midwest deputy Jake had formed in his mind. He altered his plan of attack.
Lewis and Connie exchanged pleasantries while waiting for Denise to return with his beer. After she left the table again, Jake decided enough with the bullshit, it was time to get down to business. “Connie’s told you why I’m here?”
Lewis nearly choked on his beer. “She said it had to do with Mr. Deal. Agent Collins, I hardly never see the guy. I think you’d best talk to Sheriff Stevenson instead of me.”
“Your boss is the last person I want to talk to, Deputy. But rest assured, I’ll get to him. Right now, I want to give you the chance to come clean, before it’s too late and you get swept away with the rest of the criminals in this investigation.”
Lewis’s pink cheeks went pale. “What do you mean?” His eyes shifted back and forth between Jake and Connie. “I’m clean, I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Jake held up his hand. “Not saying you did. This would have been way before your time as a deputy even. But, I think you do have some information that would be useful in this case, and by withholding it, well, think of how that’s gonna look.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.” Lewis started to stand. He reached for his hat and Connie placed her hand over his on the brim.
“Lewis, wait. Don’t you think it’s time?”
The deputy narrowed his eyes as his jaw tightened. Maybe he meant to look fierce, but all Jake saw was a scared boy putting on an act.
Connie’s smile held both warmth and sadness. “I know I’m tired of the family secrets, and I’m not even in on most of them.” She squeezed his hand. “Here’s your chance to let them go, Louie. Wouldn’t that be a relief?”
Damn, she’s good, Jake thought as he watched Lewis sit back down. The deputy nodded, all pretense of toughness drained from his face. He was a little boy again, sad and scared and eager to tell his story.
“What do you want to know, Agent Collins?”
Jake smiled and sipped his beer. “Let’s start with what your dad told you about Linda Deal and a USDA inspector named Tom Smiley.”
Twenty-Two
Rachael spent her workday walking on a cloud. She moved through the plant shielded in a bubble of self-confidence. Crazy how one night of love and freedom could give her so much strength and bravery. Of course, not having to worry about Hank sneaking into her office to threaten her helped. Elena noticed Rachael’s new attitude first, and the two of them texted back and forth, Rachael filling Elena in with the deets. Any lingering concerns her friend had about Jake vanished by the afternoon, when Elena left early to pick up her daughter from school. She’d gotten a call saying Tina wasn’t feeling well, and with the girl’s diabetes, Elena didn’t want to chance anything.
When the assholes who usually harassed Rachael started in, she had no time for their bullshit. She coolly dismissed them with a better insult and a look that said she’d only fired a warning shot—come closer and you’d get both barrels in the crotch. She couldn’t help but notice Jake watching her with pride in his eyes, and that warmed her belly and inspired her to keep her head held high.
She banked the fire in her belly for later that night, when she’d show Jake exactly how much she appreciated his love and support. Just thinking about being with him again—his hard body, the clean smell of his sweat, the taste of salt on his skin, the way he filled her perfectly, and his voice groaning her name as he came for her—had her squirming in her seat all day.
Rachael never expected to feel this way about a man. But Jake was The One. The one she wanted to trust with all her secrets, even though the thought of telling him about that long-ago night turned her bones to water. He’d seen the best of her, now she had to show him the rest and let him decide if she was still worthy of his love.
His hazel eyes, so full of love and pride, told her that answer would be yes.
Just two things left, and the rest of her life could begin.
First, get past the blackbirds in her head so she could come clean with Jake.
Then find the accounting book with the real numbers in it. The book that would give her leverage against her father, prevent him from ever coming after her again. Hank must have hidden it in the plant—handing it over to Larry Myers whenever he needed it, or else the accountant would have birthed kittens by now—then hiding it again at the end of the day. It sure wasn’t back in the safe—Rachael checked multiple times. She’d turn the plant upside-down if she needed to, now that she had so much to gain.
Rachael looked at the clock. Just one more hour and she’d be out of there and on the road headed for the motel where she and Jake made love the night before. Her tote sat on the floor under her desk—Elena would give her shit if she knew that; she never put a purse on the floor because she believed all the money luck would drain out into the ground—but Rachael wanted the comfort of her tote pressed against her leg. Jake asked her to bring her songbook and photos of her mom to show him. He knew they were her most treasured possessions and he wanted her to share them with him tonight.
They’ll give me strength when I tell him the truth.
