The Justice Agency

“Your sister,” she said pointedly, strength still in her voice even if it had left her body.

He smiled at her tenacity and pounded on the door.

“You can put me down now,” she said.

“You’ll stay warmer this way.” Surprisingly she didn’t struggle but rested her head on his chest again. He figured she really had to be wiped out to do so.

The door opened and, though his sister Dani’s mouth dropped open in surprise at the sight of them, she didn’t ask any questions. Not that Cole routinely brought home women in distress, but their family did run a private investigation agency dedicated to helping people who had nowhere else to turn. She was used to seeing people in need.

“Alyssa, meet Dani.” He turned his attention back to Alyssa. “Can we go in now?”

When her lips tipped in a charming smile, he had to draw in a breath at the stunning beauty.

“Get some blankets, Dani.” He crossed the threshold and headed for the sofa. “And lock the door.”

Dani turned the dead bolt then ran down the hallway. She returned with blankets as Cole gently set Alyssa on the sofa. Dani shook out a blanket and wrapped it around Alyssa’s shaking shoulders.

“Thank you.” Alyssa smiled again, her lips trembling.

Dani handed another blanket to Cole but he tossed it on the sofa. She looked up at him, her gaze filled with questions.

He telegraphed an I’ll-tell-you-later look and went to the lamp. “We need to turn off the lights until I’m sure we’re secure.”

Dani didn’t question him. He turned off the lamps, and she went for the wall switch.

He nodded at the bank of windows on the far side of the room. “Blinds next.”

He grabbed the remote and set the blinds in motion on the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the ocean. The motor whirred, slowly bringing down the blinds but not before he caught sight of the two men trudging along the beach far too close to the house for comfort.

Cole glanced at Alyssa sitting wide-eyed on the couch, the blanket doing nothing to stop her shivering. He’d taken on the responsibility of protecting her, but was he up to the task if he couldn’t put behind him the loss of his buddy in Iraq? A loss that was all Cole’s fault.

Shake it off, he warned himself as he’d done when he needed to finish out his last tour after Mac died.

“Take Alyssa to the hallway,” he barked at his sister. “If we have a breach, take her out the garage door and evacuate.”

Dani didn’t hesitate but hurried to Alyssa and lifted her by the arm.

“What’s happening?” Alyssa’s voice rose in alarm.

“The men who were following you are heading toward the deck.” Cole didn’t have to say any more. The look on Alyssa’s face said it all.

If he didn’t somehow stop these men from getting inside and figuring out she was the one who overheard them, her life would be at stake—and his and Dani’s, too.

TWO

Once in the long hallway, Alyssa shook off Dani’s arm and peered around the corner. Framed in a shaft of light seeping through the small window from the outdoor security light, Cole stood at the ready. Alyssa could only gape at him.

He had a gun. A gun, for goodness’ sakes! Apparently, he’d had it with him all this time. While he’d held her. While he’d carried her and she’d rested her head trustingly on his chest, he’d been armed like the men chasing her.

“Stay here.” Dani shot across the room, surefooted even in the dim lighting, and joined her brother. She swooped down and pulled a weapon from an ankle holster, the grace and ease of the movement proving she’d done so many times before.

Seriously? Both of them had guns?

“Who are you people?” Alyssa asked, surprised at how shrill her voice sounded.

“All you need to know right now is that we’re here to help you.” Cole kept his intense focus on the window in the door.

Should she have blindly trusted a strange man on the beach? Had she traded one set of killers for another?

Neither of them looked like killers, and Cole had said he used to be a U.S. Marshal...but then Nolan was a cop and now she had reason to believe he’d murdered Todd.

Unbelievable!

How could she ever imagine when she’d set off tonight that the man who’d cared for them since Todd died was the one who’d ended Todd’s life? Now she didn’t know what or who to believe. Who to trust.

“Looks like they’re moving down the beach,” Cole said, grabbing Alyssa’s attention. “Head upstairs, Dani, and keep an eye on them until they’re out of sight.”

Dani gave a clipped nod and Alyssa stepped back into the main room. Dani jogged to the open staircase on long legs that took her up the steps in a flash.

Cole lowered his gun, but kept it gripped between both of his hands and his focus on the door. Silhouetted by the outside light, his long-sleeved shirt clung to his body, molding to muscles she knew were rock hard from when he’d carried her to the house. He was tall—well over six feet she figured. She had to look up at him and she easily cleared five-eleven without shoes. Chestnut-colored hair covered his collar and had a slight wave as it started to dry.

“We’re clear, Cole.” Dani’s voice came from upstairs, and Alyssa pulled her focus from him to watch Dani run down the stairs. “Go ahead and have a seat, Alyssa.”

“Now would be a good time to tell me who you are and why you have guns.” Alyssa directed her comment to Dani, who hadn’t asked a single question of Cole. If Alyssa had a brother who brought home a soaked stray, she’d be peppering him with nonstop questions.

Dani just smiled, lighting up a beautiful face surrounded by natural blond waves. She clicked on a lamp, flooding the room with light. Alyssa blinked until her eyes adjusted; by that time Cole was joining her. His lips tipped in a warm smile. Instead of making Alyssa feel welcome the way Dani’s had, it surprised her when her heart started beating a little bit faster.

She dropped onto the sofa and adjusted the blanket to hide her surprise.

“You okay?” He sat on the table facing her and set his weapon next to him.

“Yes.” She looked into sharp blue eyes that missed nothing yet were kind. She felt a warm connection. Not an earth-shattering, startling sizzle—just a feeling that he was a good and honorable man.

“Alyssa,” he said, breaking the spell and making her jump, “whatever’s going on with you, we can help work through it. That’s what we do and we’d gladly accept you as a client.”

She watched him, searching for duplicitous motives. She found only kindness laced with something that resembled sorrow.

“A client?” she asked.

“Remember I told you I used to be a marshal?” Cole’s gaze didn’t waver. “Well, all of my brothers and sisters used to work in law enforcement, too. Now we operate a private investigations agency in Portland. We’re a nonprofit agency that specializes in providing free services to people who are in need but can’t afford quality investigators.”

Private investigators? Maybe they could help her find out if Nolan killed Todd.

“Wait.” Dani came forward and those questions that hadn’t been asked earlier lingered on her face. “Alyssa’s not a client?”

“Not yet,” Cole said. “We just met on the beach, but it seems like she’s a good candidate for our help.”

“No wonder you were freaked out by our guns.” Dani grabbed a laptop from the table and plopped onto the sofa. She typed for a few moments, then swiveled the screen toward Alyssa. “Here’s our company Web site. This tells you a little about our family. Just so you know we’re legit.”

Thankful Dani seemed to be a mind reader, Alyssa focused on the About Us page on a professional Web site for The Justice Agency. The page contained no photos but held bios for each of them. Five siblings. Three men and two women. She scanned the page, aware that Dani and Cole were both watching her, but she wouldn’t hurry and miss a single word. If she was going to consider letting them help her figure out if Nolan really had killed Todd, she had to be sure they were trustworthy.

She read the short family bio. Interesting. All of them were adopted, which explained how Dani could be blonde and fair-skinned next to Cole’s swarthy complexion and darker hair. But they all did have law enforcement backgrounds, as Cole mentioned. Dani and Ethan Justice were experienced FBI agents. Kat and Derrick were former Portland police officers. And Cole was a former U.S. Marshal, like he’d said.

There were testimonials from clients gushing about the Justice family’s ethics, compassion and top-notch abilities. All services were provided for free, assuming the client met their needs assessment.

Could her luck be changing? Had God heard her prayers and led her to a family who could help her?

“I’d really like to think you’re good guys.” Alyssa tried to put strength she wasn’t feeling into her tone.

“But something’s stopping you,” Cole added.

“It’s just—” She paused to formulate her sentence so she didn’t come off sounding ungrateful for their offer and didn’t share too much about her situation until she was sure she could trust them. “The men chasing me are police officers, and unless I misunderstood what I overheard, they’re drug dealers, too. So the fact that you once worked in law enforcement might be a big selling feature for potential clients, but not for me. Law enforcement backgrounds don’t prove you’re honest or trustworthy. Plus it can’t be a good sign that all five of you left that line of work.”

“We weren’t kicked out, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Cole chuckled, a cute dimple piercing his cheek.

Dani sat forward, her usual smile missing. “Our parents were murdered a few years ago and the police couldn’t find the killer. We each took a leave of absence to find who was responsible. We discovered we liked working together, so we formed our agency.”

“I’m so sorry about your parents,” Alyssa said sincerely. She knew how hard it was to lose parents. Hers had died in a car wreck during her last year of college.

“Turning our focus on helping people in need has made the loss easier to handle.” Dani closed her computer. “I don’t know what’s going on with you yet, Alyssa, but we’d be glad to help if we can.” She squeezed Alyssa’s hand.

After spending nine years married to a police officer and hanging around others in the profession, Alyssa had developed a discerning ability to weed out the fakes. At least she thought she had before Nolan revealed his secret tonight. Could she trust her instincts anymore?

Still, these people didn’t appear to be fake. They seemed good, strong—amazing. Starting with Cole, who risked his life to bring her here, and extending to Dani, who let a stranger into the house without question. Tears threatened to flow as a result of their kindness, and she swallowed hard to hold them back.

She looked at Dani and kept her tone light. “How can I turn down help from a woman who reacted so calmly when her brother dragged in a strange woman off the beach?” Alyssa forced out a chuckle to lighten the mood and glanced at Cole.

Abruptly he grinned, exposing that dimple in his left cheek again.

Oh, wow, she thought. Wow.

He was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous and would have women falling all over him. And that included her. The memory of being carried up the beach flashed into her mind. She’d felt safe and secure, like nothing could harm her. That was even more attractive than his smile.

How long had it been since she’d felt safe and cared for? Cherished? Had she ever truly felt that way with Todd? Not really. Not even before the night two years ago when in anger he’d hit her and she’d asked him to move out of the house, basically ending their marriage.

Dani cleared her throat, and the memory washed away like the mighty waves pounding the shore. The feeling of safety ebbed away with it.

This couple might want to help her, but she still wasn’t cared for. She’d known that since she and Todd split up, especially after he started hounding her at all hours of the day, wanting to get back together. She needed to keep remembering the way he’d failed her so this pair of amazing blue eyes still fastened to her didn’t make her forget what she knew with a certainty.

Men couldn’t be trusted.

No matter the first impression, no matter the connection, they all disappointed when it came to the important things of life. She just had to keep remembering Nolan’s most recent betrayal, and she’d be able to avoid any man. Even this one who set her heart beating faster than it had in years.

* * *

Cole watched Alyssa. Something shifted in her eyes, making them dark and unreadable. It’d been a long time since he’d connected this strongly with a woman. Not since he’d received the Dear John letter in his first tour of duty two years ago. On his thirty-first birthday, no less. On that day he’d said goodbye to a potential wife and family. After the daily worry over his safety in Iraq, Laura said she couldn’t handle having the same angst when he returned to his job as a U.S. Marshal, putting him in danger every day.

Now he was out of practice when it came to women. But not so out of practice that he didn’t recognize interest when he saw it. Her eyes had heated up and flashed an awareness of him for a brief moment. Of that he was certain.

Now she just looked sad. Wounded. So wounded. And he wanted to help her. To find out what made her tick. To ask why she’d shut down so fast. But Dani was scrutinizing his every move the way a parent would watch a baby needing to be coddled. He didn’t need more of that kind of scrutiny from his family. They’d had him under a microscope since he’d come home from Iraq. Maybe waiting for him to crack up and fall apart.

He would keep things professional and settle for finding out why Alyssa ended up on that rock with him in the middle of a winter storm. “If we’re going to help you, we’ll need to know what happened tonight.”

“It’s a long story,” she answered vaguely.

Not unusual. Getting a client to share what was frequently an emotional topic—or at the least very personal—was often the hardest part of helping them.

He sat back to give her more space and make her feel more comfortable. “We have time. Start at the beginning and be honest with us. No matter what the problem is, we won’t judge you.”

She looked warily at him and pulled the blanket tighter as if she felt a need to protect herself. He glanced at Dani. She’d already noticed Alyssa’s uneasiness and had reached out to squeeze her hand.

“We’ve all made mistakes,” Dani said. “Or have things in our lives we don’t want to share with others. What you tell us stays with us and the rest of our family.”

Alyssa squared her shoulders and that steely resolve he’d seen at the beach returned to her face. “I guess it started when my husband died.”

A husband, huh? Unexpected.

No way Cole would’ve missed seeing a wedding ring, but he glanced at her hand to be sure. Just like he’d thought. Her finger was bare and didn’t have a telltale circle from recent wear, meaning her loss happened a while ago.

“He was a police officer,” Alyssa continued. “He was found murdered in his patrol car. A bullet to his chest and a stash of meth in his possession. The sheriff’s department investigated and when his tox screen came back positive for meth, they dug deeper. They discovered he’d worked as part of a drug ring. His role was to tell the rest of the organization when a bust was coming so they escaped arrest.” She ran a hand over her face.

“That must’ve been hard to find out.” Dani patted Alyssa’s knee.

“It was, but then tonight I overheard his former partner, Nolan Saunders, basically admit to killing Todd and framing him with the drugs.” Her tone was cool again, like the freezing rain that had pelted them on the beach, and she calmly recited the events. As if his death was of no consequence to her. But he saw the tremble of her hands and the pain in her eyes that she was trying desperately to hide.

“His partner?” Dani asked, a compassionate look on his younger sister’s face. “Had you suspected him before?”

Alyssa wearily shook her head. Dani squeezed Alyssa’s hand again.

Cole was grateful Dani was here. She was such a comforter, always ready to help others, and she was making this easier on Alyssa while he had to ask the hard questions. “How long has it been since your husband was killed?”

“Two years.” Alyssa clasped her trembling hands together. “That’s when Nolan really got involved in our lives. He said he’d promised Todd he’d look after me and the kids.”

“So you have children,” Dani said.

Alyssa’s smile softened, her expression melting with love. She wasn’t at all the detached woman she’d tried so hard to portray tonight. “Twins. A boy and girl. They’re seven. They’re at home with my friend Paula.” Alyssa shifted on the sofa. “I really should call her to tell her I’m running late.”

Dani grabbed a notepad. “Give me her number, and I’ll let her know you’re with us so you can keep telling Cole about what happened.”

Alyssa rattled off the number, and Dani stepped a few feet away to call.

“You were saying that Saunders helped you and the twins out,” Cole said, hating the thought of a killer anywhere near this woman.

She nodded. “I only worked part time when Todd was alive. When he died, he left behind a mountain of debts, and after the investigation his death benefits were denied. We weren’t left with much, but we had enough for me to renew my real-estate license.” Her back went up again as if she needed to prove she could be strong. “We lived in one side of Nolan’s duplex, and after Todd died Nolan let us stay there rent free. He also helps with the kids. He picks them up from school and watches them when I have to show properties outside school hours.” She looked up and tears glistened in her eyes. “Now I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Cole fisted his hands. He couldn’t wait to investigate this Nolan guy and see that he paid for his crimes and for the way he’d hurt Alyssa. “So you believe Saunders is involved in the drug trade?”

“Yes. He was arguing with another officer, Frank Gibson, who wanted out of their operation. Nolan said if Frank bailed on them, he’d end up a homicide statistic like Todd.” She shivered under the blanket and tugged it tighter.

It wasn’t hard to see how afraid Alyssa was of Saunders, but this statement by the officer wasn’t proof that Saunders had killed her husband. Saunders could simply be using the homicide to build his street cred.

“But he didn’t actually say he killed Todd,” Cole clarified.

“No. It was implied. As much as I don’t want to believe he killed Todd, I think he did. Plus Frank sounded upset. Like he was worried they’d kill him, too, if he tried to bail on them.”

“So how did they end up chasing you?” Dani asked as she rejoined them.

Alyssa looked at Dani. “Is Paula okay with me being late?”

Dani nodded. “She’ll stay as long as you need.”

“So about the men, how’d you see them?” Cole asked, bringing them back.

“I’m a runner. I don’t usually run in the evenings, but I overslept this morning. I had a stressful day and I called Paula to watch the kids so I could run it off. I decided to take the scenic trail overlooking the beach to tire myself out before bed. That’s when I heard them arguing on the path below me. After I heard what they’d said, I tried not to make any noise as I headed for my car. But I fell and that alerted them that I was there. When they came after me, I ran.”

Cole thought about the men at the beach and their conversation. They never mentioned specifically looking for Alyssa. Not even looking for a woman. They’d just used the words “person” and “anyone.” “And did they know it was you?”

“When Nolan told the other men to chase me, he said get him, so I don’t think he knows it was me.” She shivered. “Now I don’t know what’s going to happen to us. I mean, what do I do? I can’t report what I heard to the police department. Nolan’s father is the police chief. The whole department could be involved in this for all I know.” Her teeth started chattering.

Police chief? Well, that raised the stakes and made this even more complicated. Cole wanted to keep questioning her, but he had enough information to begin a preliminary investigation, and she should get home to her kids and out of her wet clothes.

“You don’t need to do anything, Alyssa.” Cole made eye contact with her, making sure she knew they were here for her. “We’ll investigate both Todd’s murder and Saunders’s connection to any drug activities. As a bonus, we might even be able to clear Todd’s name and get his death benefits reinstated.”

“That would be great,” she said.

“The best thing now is for one of us to take you home. You’ll have to act like everything is normal and pretend nothing happened.”

“I need to get my car first.” Alyssa suddenly looked exhausted. “It’s in a public lot downtown.”

An alarm bell rang in Cole’s head. “Any chance that could lead them to you?”

“I suppose it’s possible, but if Nolan asks, I can always say I was meeting a client to show a house.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” Cole offered. “We’ll get your car on the way to your house. And on the drive we can talk about what to say in case Saunders asks any questions about tonight. Okay?”

Alyssa simply answered with a resigned nod.

“We can’t have you going home looking like that and claiming you were showing houses.” Dani stood and pulled Alyssa to her feet. “Let’s get you into some dry clothes first.” Dani gave Cole a pointed look and tugged on his shirt. “You might want to clean up, too.”

As they left the room, he realized how cold he was. When he’d given his coat to Alyssa, the rain had soaked him through, yet he’d never really felt the chill. Not until now. Until she’d left the room, giving him time to think about what had occurred tonight.

If he hadn’t been on the beach searching for the way out of his funk, these men might’ve found her. Or she could’ve died from exposure. Either way there was a potential killer out there who had law enforcement training and skills. Skills that could help him figure out he’d been tracking Alyssa tonight. And skills that would allow him to take her life just as he had her husband’s.

THREE

Cole sat at the kitchen counter and waited for Alyssa and Dani to return. When he’d gone to his room to change, he’d heard the guest shower running. Likely at Dani’s insistence. He smiled when he imagined his tenacious sister directing Alyssa to take a quick shower to warm up even though she wanted to get home.

He’d considered a short shower himself but decided against it and simply slipped into dry clothes as he was eager to take care of his first order of business. He needed to run a background check on Nolan, Todd and Alyssa. As a former police officer, his brother Derrick was the perfect person to do it.

He dug out his phone and dialed Dani’s twin.

“So you are alive,” Derrick answered, his tone filled with sarcasm.

Cole felt a moment of guilt. The family had decided he needed to take time off and work through the baggage he still carried from his two tours in Iraq. Miffed at their interference, he’d taken off to the beach and hadn’t reported in for a few weeks. As the mediator of the family, Dani was dispatched here yesterday to make sure he was okay.

“I figured Dani would’ve called you all by now,” Cole said.

“She did, but there’s nothing like hearing your voice to prove you’re still alive.” This time Derrick’s voice held brotherly concern instead of sarcasm.

Cole felt bad for making them worry. He just didn’t know how to get a grip on the emotions he still battled. When the family had interfered, it had made him mad that he wasn’t strong enough to shake it. In the end, he’d made things worse. “Look, man, I’m sorry. You know.”

“I know,” Derrick said. “So what’s up?”

As Dani joined him in the kitchen, Cole told his brother about Alyssa’s problem. “I need you to drop everything and do a background check on them. I’ll text you with their info.”