The Mighty McKenzies

Because he was right.

“Give me a reason not to arrest you.”

She slowly shook her head, no longer able to hold back the tears. “I can’t. What I did today was wrong. I know that. But it was automatic, without any rational thought behind it. I’d probably do the same thing again if I had a do-over. Protecting my family is as ingrained in me as breathing. Can’t you understand that?”

Every muscle in his body seemed to tense, as if he was debating what to say but didn’t trust himself to speak.

She brushed the tears from her cheeks.

He swore softly and turned away, his ground-eating stride quickly taking him across the room to one of the groups of officers talking by a window.

Sniffing, she breathed deeply, willing the tears to stop. And all the while, she watched him, unable to look away. Her gaze caressed his profile the way her fingers once had. She knew every angle of his chiseled face, had traced the stubble across his jaw to his hairline, had kissed the barely there mustache. He still maintained that same look, like a man who hadn’t shaved in three days. But where she’d loved and adored the boy, she didn’t know what to make of the man. He was a stranger, with the power to destroy the fragile new world she’d created. And she couldn’t even give him a reason not to.

He nodded at something one of the men said, then strode back to the desk. “Get up.”

Her face flushed hot with embarrassment. She stood and smoothed her jeans and blouse into place before holding her wrists out in front of her.

He frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Hoping you won’t make me put my hands behind my back to put the handcuffs on. This is humiliating enough as it is.” When he only stared at her, she lowered her arms. “Aren’t you arresting me?”

“That depends on whether you’ll give me what I want.”

She drew in a sharp breath, his words awakening memories of the two of them together. His mouth, hot against her neck. His tongue tracing the valley between her breasts. His teasing smile as he slid down her body and hooked his fingers into the top of her jeans.

His breath hitched. “Don’t look at me that way, Peyton.”

She shivered and ruthlessly fought back the erotic images that had goose bumps breaking out all over her suddenly hypersensitive skin. Trying to pretend ignorance, she asked, “What do you mean?”

His eyes narrowed. “Like you’re remembering how good it was between us.”

She swallowed, remembering exactly how good it had been.

His blue eyes darkened, but not with passion. “The past, what you and I shared, died the day you left Gatlinburg without so much as a goodbye. A lifetime of growing up together, four years of dating, of sharing everything two people supposedly in love can share, and you couldn’t bring yourself to answer any of my calls, respond to even one of my texts. Well I got the message from you, loud and clear. And nothing could ever make me go down that road again.”

Her face flamed at his cruel, unnecessary rejection. She cast a surreptitious glance around the room before sinking back down into the chair so she could put some space between the two of them. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying any attention to her and Colin at the moment. They were all too busy making plans to go after her only sibling.

Wait. Phone calls? Texts? What was he talking about? He’d never called her, not once. “Colin, I don’t understand. What are you—”

“What I want is to make a deal with you. Your cooperation in exchange for your brother’s life.”

She pressed a hand against her throat, unable to reconcile his shocking words with the man standing before her. This wasn’t the Colin she remembered, not even close. Had she ever really known him at all? Or was this hard, unyielding man the result of what she’d done?

“You’re seriously threatening to kill him if I don’t cooperate? How could you be so heartless and cruel?”

His eyes narrowed again, his brow wrinkling with anger. “Don’t accuse me of contemplating murder as if you have some moral high ground to stand on.”

She gasped with outrage. But before she could respond, he leaned toward her, arms braced on the desk, crowding her back against her chair.

“Unlike your cop-killing brother,” he said in a furious whisper, “I’m not a murderer. I wasn’t saying that I was going to harm Brian. Look around you, Peyton. I’m not the threat. Everyone else is. They’re all fired up to hunt him down. Once the trackers get here, his chances plummet to near zero.”

Alarm skittered up her spine. “Trackers? Chances? What are you saying?”

“Your brother murdered a law-enforcement officer. He—”

“No. He didn’t. He wouldn’t.”

Colin made a frustrated sound in his throat before grabbing a chair from beside a nearby desk and rolling it in front of her. He plopped down and moved close, his knees almost touching hers.

“They’re bringing in bloodhounds to hunt down your brother and the other escapees.” He kept his voice low, barely above a whisper. “Police officers and federal agents are lining up in neighboring counties, demanding a chance to help with the search. They’re going to find them, Peyton. A cop killer isn’t going to escape, not around here.”

“Stop saying that. My brother’s not a killer.” She let out a ragged breath. “Please, Colin. Stop.”

Something shifted behind his eyes, like clouds tumbling through a darkening sky. He drew a slow, deep breath and glanced around the room as if to get himself under control. When he looked at her again, some of the anger seemed to have drained out of him. In its place was a sense of urgency and frustration, visible in the tense set of his shoulders, the firm line of his jaw.

“What I’m trying to tell you is that Brian’s life is in danger. Not because anyone is going to purposely try to kill him. But because everyone is hyperaware that someone who’s shot one police officer won’t hesitate to pull the trigger on another.”

“But—”

He held a hand up to stop her. “What you don’t seem to understand is that whether or not Brian’s the one who pulled the trigger doesn’t matter. The officer was killed when Brian and three other criminals escaped. Under the law, all four of them are guilty of felony murder.”

Muscle memory had her reaching for his hand before she even thought about what she was doing. To her surprise, he took it, and entwined their fingers together. In spite of his anger, in spite of everything that had happened, or maybe because of it, Colin McKenzie was holding her hand. And just like that, she was able to pick up the pieces of her crumbling world and glue them back together.

It had always been that way between them. A simple look, or the warmth of his touch, grounded her, calmed her when things were going wrong. How odd that it would work today when he was part of the reason that her world was falling apart.

“What does felony murder mean exactly?” she whispered, barely able to force the words past her tight throat. “Does it mean...does it mean Brian could face the death penalty?”

He nodded, his hand tightening around hers.

“Oh, dear Lord. What am I going to do?”

“All you can do for now is help me try to save his life. Worry about the trial, about possible penalties, later. The entire law-enforcement community is on edge. They feel like their uniforms make them a target for a man who’s already killed one of their own. They’ll be quicker than normal to pull the trigger, out of self-preservation. That makes for an exceedingly dangerous situation, all the way around.”

His words rang true. The room was bursting with anger, nervous energy. Soon they’d be searching for her brother with that dangerous mix of emotions fueled by fear and adrenaline, while heavily armed. Brian was in a world of trouble, even worse than she’d realized.

“What kind of a deal are you offering?”

“I won’t lie and pretend that I can guarantee your brother’s safety. But he has a better chance of making it out of the mountains alive if I’m the one who catches him.”

She blinked. “You? But you...”

“Have more reason than most to want to catch him? You’ve got that right. But out of respect for your parents, whom I once thought of as my own family, I’d like to capture their son alive and give him a chance in the courts instead of against a hail of bullets. If you cooperate fully, help me figure out where he might be hiding, then I’ll hold off on arresting you for now.”

His implied threat had her tugging her hand free. “Hold off? For now? What does that mean?”

He flexed his fingers and sat back, his face an unreadable mask. “I reserve the right to arrest you and charge you with a felony for that stunt you pulled at your family’s house today. If you don’t legitimately help me figure out where he is, I will put you in jail and bring you up on charges.”

“You’re forcing me to choose again? Between you and my brother?”

He arched a brow. “What would be the point? We both know how that would turn out.”

She jerked back, his words stabbing her like a hundred daggers straight to the heart. But it wasn’t the words that hurt the most. It was the pain that leached through his tone, pain he was obviously trying to hide beneath a veil of rage. His pain was so much worse to bear than his fury, because she was the one who’d caused it. She’d taken a sweet, kind young man and twisted him into this bitter, angry person in front of her.

She wrapped her arms around her middle and closed her eyes, shutting out the ugliness of everything that had happened, everything that was still happening. Somehow, she had to get a handle on her swirling emotions, without relying on her former childhood sweetheart to help her. She had to find the inner strength to do this on her own. If she gave in to her emotions, she’d slide onto the floor in a boneless puddle of anguish and self-disgust. And that wouldn’t help anyone.

“Peyton?” His voice was laced with impatience now.

Breathe. Just breathe. Pull yourself together.

“Peyton? Are you okay? Do I need to call an EMT?”

The genuine concern underlying his tone had her eyes fluttering open. The truth was there, in the way he was watching her so intently. In spite of everything, he still cared. Maybe she hadn’t destroyed him after all. Maybe there was still some goodness left inside. Maybe, just maybe, she could trust him to help Brian.

She straightened, drew a bracing breath. “No, I’m... I’ll be okay. Thank you.”

He frowned, seemingly unconvinced. But he gave her a curt nod and motioned toward the groups of officers scattered around the room. “You can play the odds and wait and see if the makeshift posse shoots first and asks questions later. Or you can work with me to increase his odds of being brought in alive. That’s the offer that I’m making. It’s your choice. But you have to make a decision. Right now.”

“What happens if I say yes, that I’ll try to help you?”

“Since your house is still being processed as a crime scene, we go back to my place and you answer my questions there. You tell me everything he’s told you through the years, in every visit you made to the prison or every letter or email you exchanged. We make lists of places he mentioned, places he talked about visiting again one day, any people still in this area whom he might turn to for help. And we make a plan to lure him into a trap.”

A trap for Brian, just like the trap closing in around her. She shivered even though the air-conditioning wasn’t all that successful in keeping out the brutal summer heat.

“If I don’t help you, my brother could be killed and I go to jail. If I do help you, he could still be killed, but you’ll do your best not to kill him. And even then, he faces the possibility of the death penalty. In return, I have no guarantees that I won’t go to jail at some point too. Do I have it right? That’s the so-called deal you’re offering?”

The fight seemed to drain out of him, leaving him looking tired, almost defeated. “That’s the deal. I know it’s not much. But it’s the best I can offer.”

“Okay.”

His eyes widened. “Okay? Just like that?”

“I’m not an idiot, Colin. I can see for myself that you’re right about the danger that Brian’s in. And I can’t help him while sitting in a jail cell. I’m going to have to trust that the Colin I once knew is still inside you somewhere—the man with honor, integrity and mercy. I’m putting my faith, and my brother’s life, in your hands. We have a deal.”

Chapter Four

After conferring again with some other officers, Colin returned to the desk. “The police are gathering in the main conference room to ask you some questions,” he told her. “They’ll let us know when they’re ready.”

Peyton followed his gaze to a door on the other side of the room. “The police? You make it sound like you aren’t one of them.”

“I’m not.” His eyes hardened like brittle chips of ice. “Guess I neglected to formally introduce myself given our past...association.” He pulled an ID badge out of his pants pocket and held it up. “Deputy US Marshal Colin McKenzie. At your service.”

She ignored the gibe about their past, and his sarcasm, even though it was hard to keep absorbing his barbs without lashing out. That wouldn’t do her or her brother any good. Still, she secretly admitted that the shiny silver circle with a five-point star in the middle that said United States Marshal made her proud. He’d followed his dream, kept his family legacy alive by going into law enforcement like his prosecutor mother and federal judge father. The Mighty McKenzie must be very proud of his third-born son. She wondered if his brothers had pursued similar careers.

“I didn’t realize there was a US Marshals office in Gatlinburg.”

“There isn’t.” He slid his badge back into his pocket. “Knoxville’s the nearest field office. But that’s not where I work most of the time. Usually, I’m on taskforces throughout the state. Last week I started a new assignment here, working out of the Gatlinburg police station as a liaison, tracking down fugitives with outstanding warrants. Cold cases, basically.”

That explained why she hadn’t seen him around town since she’d gotten back. She’d both hoped for and dreaded bumping into him at some point.

“And you’ve been assigned to hunt down Brian?”

“No. A team of marshals was assembled out of Memphis to recapture him and the others immediately after the escape. The only reason I’m involved is because when I heard Brian was spotted heading toward this area, I decided to check out your place, just in case he went home. I was surprised to find that he had.”

“No more surprised than I was.”

His jaw tightened. “Your interference allowed him to get away.”

“I’m—”

“Sorry. Yes. I know.”

An uncomfortable silence settled between them until an officer opened the conference room door and waved at them.

“That’s our cue. Chief Landry is ready to talk to you.” Colin motioned for her to precede him. “It’s a full house. Given the need to pass along any useful information to the search teams as quickly as possible, the team leads are all in there, as well as detectives. That’s why they’re in a conference room instead of one of the smaller interview rooms.”

She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms against her jeans and headed toward the open door. But ten feet away, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you know where Brian’s hiding?”

“No. I don’t. I swear.”

He nodded. “All right. We’ll talk later, in private, and try to figure out where he might be holed up. But if you do have any ideas and are asked about him in that room, tell the truth. Deal or not. Lying will only get you in more trouble.”

“But I don’t want Brian hurt. Won’t telling them put his life in jeopardy?”

“Tell the truth,” he repeated. “The second you feel like you know where he might be, I’ll be the first one out the door trying to find him. I’ll do everything I can to protect him. You have my word.”

“Why? Why do you even want to help him, or me? And don’t tell me it’s because of my parents.”

His brows raised. “You and I may be over, but I loved you once. If nothing else, for the sake of what we once were to each other, I feel obligated to keep you both safe. Is that so difficult to understand?”

“After everything that’s happened, yes. It is. You’re a far better person than me, Colin. In your place, I don’t know that I could be so accommodating.”

He frowned and started to say something but the officer who’d waved at them earlier motioned at them again.

Peyton didn’t move. “Should I be asking for a lawyer?” she whispered.

He turned his back to the officer. “Probably. Are you asking for one?”

She considered her meager finances and the staggering cost of Brian’s continued legal bills that had crippled her entire family financially. It would take her years to pay off her portion of his lawyer fees. Adding more legal costs on top of that would be devastating. “No. I’ll just wing it, I guess.”

He frowned. “If you can’t afford one, I can take care of—”

“No.” She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “No, but thank you for offering. That’s very...nice of you, especially considering...” Her voice trailed off. The air between them seemed to thicken with tension. She glanced at the white lines on his hands. How he could have gone through what he had and offer to help her was beyond her comprehension, in spite of his insistence that he felt obligated because of their past.

It felt a thousand ways wrong.

She could never take his money, even though she knew he’d never miss it. Money had never been a concern for any of the McKenzies. They’d become wealthy the old-fashioned way. They’d inherited it. Colin didn’t work because he had to. He worked because he wanted to. But that wouldn’t make it right for her to take advantage of his generosity.

He studied her, as if deciding whether or not to argue the point. Then he shrugged and led her to the conference room.

It took a supreme effort of will not to turn around and run when she saw the people waiting for her inside. A dozen men and women went silent at her approach. Each of them had a legal pad or an electronic tablet on the table in front of them. And every one of them was watching her like a scientist observing a particularly nasty insect through a microscope.

“Over there.” A lean, middle-aged man with skin the color of an old saddle waved toward two empty chairs directly across the table from him.

She took one of the chairs. Colin took the other.

The man who’d motioned them to sit down gave her a smile that was polite, but far from warm. “I’m Chief Landry. Obviously, you already know Deputy US Marshal McKenzie. Everyone else in this room is either a regular police officer or a detective working for me. Miss Sterling, I want to make it clear that you’re not under arrest. I’m going to ask you some questions and, hopefully, you’ll do me the courtesy of answering them. You’re free to go at any time. Do you understand?”

She glanced longingly at the door but nodded. She understood more than he realized. The legal system wasn’t exactly a stranger to her given her family’s history fighting the charges against her brother. By not arresting her, the chief didn’t have to tell her about her legal rights or remind her that she could have an attorney present. She probably should go ahead and ask for a lawyer, in spite of the cost. But she didn’t want to prolong this any more than necessary. She’d just see how things went. Although how they could look worse than they did right now was beyond her.

A stack of folders sat to Landry’s right. He took the top one and set it on the table in front of him. He flipped it open, revealing an ugly window into the past, half a dozen color photographs that he methodically lined up in the middle of the table.

The burned-out hull of a building, smoke rising as fire fighters doused the embers.

The dance hall with scores of students clustered in small groups, being questioned by the police.

The ambulance taking Colin away.

Beside her, Colin tensed in his chair.

“Brief history for those in the room unfamiliar with Brian Sterling’s case.” Landry pulled a sheet of paper from the thick folder and ran a finger across a bulleted list. “The only son of Molly and Benjamin Sterling, Brian was suspected of setting five separate fires as a juvenile but was never convicted, mainly because no one was hurt, the damage was minimal and his parents agreed to make restitution to the property owners as well as take their son to a therapist. That all changed when, at the age of nineteen...” He frowned and flipped the page as if looking for something else. “This doesn’t look right. He was a senior in high school? At nineteen?”

Peyton’s chest tightened. She hadn’t known about the fires. That hadn’t come out at the trial. It must have been part of a sealed juvenile record that the chief had convinced some judge to let him access. Her parents, and her brother, had hidden that information from her. Why? To keep her from doubting her brother’s innocence? If whatever had happened in his past was relevant in any way to the accusations against him when he was nineteen, the judge at his arson trial would have unsealed the records. Her parents should have trusted her to understand that, and to know that she would continue her support and faith in her brother. She knew him better than anyone. She loved him. Unsealed records thrown at her in a room full of police who wanted to hurt him didn’t change that. She drew a shaky breath and forced herself to answer the chief’s question.

“Brian had...difficulties in school. He was held back a year, so he was a senior the same time I was even though he’s a year older than me.”

“Thank you, Miss Sterling. Says here that a few weeks before graduation, Gatlinburg–Pittman High School held a dance at a place called The Barn, a combination restaurant and dance hall on a nature preserve just inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Toward the end of the evening, Brian poured accelerant on the dilapidated original barn that was no longer used for dances, and set it on fire.”

“Wrong.”

He glanced up at Peyton. “Excuse me?”

“My brother didn’t set the fire.”

“Twelve jurors disagree with you and sentenced him to fifteen years in prison.”

“Juries wrongly convict innocent people all the time. I’m sure you’ve heard of DNA exonerating people after they’ve spent years in prison for crimes someone else committed.”

He sat back and glanced at Colin before continuing. “I can only deal with the facts as they stand right now. Your brother is a convicted arsonist. There were two people in that barn—”

“No one was supposed to be inside. No Trespassing and Danger signs were posted outside.”

“Yes, well, that doesn’t change the fact that a pair of randy teenagers snuck away from the chaperones at the dance and hid inside the barn for a make-out session.”

Her mother had been one of those chaperones. Why couldn’t you have kept a better eye on them, Mom?

“When your brother set the fire—” He held up his hands to stop the denial she’d been ready to make. “When the structure went up in flames and the couple was overcome by smoke and trapped by those flames, Deputy US Marshal McKenzie, at the time a senior at the same high school, rescued those people at no small cost to himself, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“Yes.” She swallowed hard. “I’m well aware.”

Colin rested his forearms on the table. “Thank you for that history lesson, chief.” His droll tone said that he was anything but thankful. “What you all need to know is that Brian Sterling is a convicted arsonist with a complete disregard for human life.”

Peyton stiffened.

“You should consider him armed and dangerous. Approach with extreme caution. And be aware that if cornered, he could resort to setting a fire in order to escape. Now, Chief Landry, I believe you had some questions for Miss Sterling that might assist your teams in narrowing the search area?”