Forever Freed Page 6

  Evie’s eyes went to Harper. Oh God. Harper was going to die and it was going to be Evie’s fault. “Harper,” Evie said, but her voice was so soft that Harper didn’t hear her.

  “If you have any information, the FBI is asking for you to call them or email them,” a reporter said over the broadcast. Evie looked up and saw the number and email address. She quickly snapped a picture with her cell phone.

  “I wonder if they’ll listen to all the tips coming in.”

  Harper turned to her then with confusion in her eyes. “Of course they do. Why wouldn’t they?”

  “I went to the police about an issue before and no one would listen to me,” Evie said as she thought carefully about every word before saying it.

  “That’s horrible. Well, if it were my cousins handling it, they’d find the people behind this.”

  “It’s obvious you trust them.”

  Harper nodded. “With my life and the life of everyone I love. I’ll ask Jackson if he knows anything when I see him tonight.”

  “Jackson?” Evie asked.

  “My cousin who’s in the FBI. He’ll be here today, and we’re all getting together tonight to hang out. I’ll introduce you.”

  Evie nodded. She’d have an FBI agent here tonight. She couldn’t decide if she felt safer or more at risk. The Silver Alert was still out for her. Would he arrest her for that? Or notify Jon?

  She looked back up at the screen. They wanted tips. Well, maybe she could sneak a typed-out tip into this Jackson’s pocket or put it on his car’s windshield, and then he’d find it and not know it came from her. Maybe the FBI would listen to another agent more than her. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes for my shift. I just want to run to the library real quick.”

  “Okay,” Harper said absently as Evie pushed open the door and hurried down Main Street. She needed their computer and printer. She had a plan.

  Jackson drove down the tree-covered lane and into the circular drive of Bell Plantation in Shadows Landing at one in the afternoon. Timmons, the caretaker of the property, came bounding up as he tied his long hair into a messy bun on the top of his head with . . . Jackson looked closely and then shook his head. He was using a baby-blue scrunchie. Jackson opened the door of his SUV and hit the button to open the tailgate.

  “Dude,” Timmons called out as he grabbed Jackson’s duffle bag. “You’re jacked AF.”

  “Um, thanks.” Jackson let Timmons continue talking as they walked toward the main house. The door opened and out came Clark, Suze Bell, and Gage and Maggie, their two kids in their twenties. Actually, Maggie’s name was Magnum. She was named after the gun, and Gage was named after a twelve-gauge shotgun. Suze and Clark thought target shooting was cool AF.

  “Welcome!” Suze called out as she clasped her hands together. “I have the cottage all set up for you. Timmons will show you the way and get you anything you need to enjoy your couple of days here. Then if you could just tell us what you think and if there’s anything you’d change or include, it would help us get it ready for the public.”

  “Of course. Thanks for inviting me to do this. It’ll be nice to enjoy a couple of days off.” Jackson shook hands with Clark and Gage and kissed Suze and Maggie on their cheeks. Jackson’s uncles had been pushing him to ask Maggie out on a date, but he just wasn’t ready. Not after everything he’d just gone through. He needed to decompress and then he could think about his personal life.

  “I can give you a lift to the bar tonight if you’d like,” Maggie offered.

  “Thanks. I’m meeting everyone there at seven. Is that too late for you?” Jackson asked.

  “Not at all. I’ll pick you up at your cottage a couple of minutes before for the long drive into town.” Maggie smiled and Jackson couldn’t help smiling back. Her sweet Southern accent, her bouncy strawberry blonde hair, and curves that hit in all the right places made her perfect. But the icing on the cake was the Olympic medal she had in shooting. They had common ground. Yet, as much as Jackson tried, he didn’t get excited around her. He liked her, but only as a friend.

  “Right this way,” Timmons said, escorting Jackson around the side of the house, down the manicured path, past a pool, and down toward the river. A beautiful cottage, painted white with dark green shutters, it had a large wraparound deck that stood up on pylons. Under the house were a little boat, fishing equipment, and beach chairs.

  “Here you go, man. If you need anything else, just pick up the phone and call me. My number is right here,” Timmons said as he opened the door and showed Jackson the phone with a list of numbers next to it. “Have fun at your kiki tonight. It’ll be lit!”

  Timmons set down the bag and gave a goofy full smile and headed out. Jackson took a deep breath. He needed to text his younger cousin Cassidy to translate whatever Timmons had just said. Later. He’d do it later.

  Jackson looked out at the small beach and the water gently lapping the shore as it meandered by. Instead of talking, instead of visiting, instead of doing anything, Jackson kicked off his shoes, changed into athletic pants and a T-shirt, and headed down to the water. He set up a beach chair, opened a beer he found in the fridge, and just breathed. The sound of the water, the twitter of birds, the feel of his feet in the sand and sun on his face were enough to have him drifting off to sleep.

  * * *

  “Jackson?”

  Jackson’s eyes popped open at the Southern singsong voice of Maggie Bell.

  “Oh, sorry. I fell asleep. It’s been a long time since I had any time to myself. Is it already time to go?” Jackson looked down at his watch and grimaced. It was five till seven.

  “Run and get ready. I’ll put the chair up and meet you on the deck,” Maggie told him with a kind smile. A smile that told him she was interested if he was. Unfortunately, he wasn’t.

  “Thanks, Maggie. I won’t be long.” Jackson grabbed the empty beer bottle and ran up to the cottage.

  It only took him a minute to shower and he didn’t bother drying his dark black hair. He brushed it back from his face and put on a pair of worn jeans and a Keeneston long-sleeved T-shirt. Maggie was waiting on the porch swing for him when he rushed out the door of the cottage six minutes later.

  “Sorry for making you late.”

  Maggie smiled at him. “I’m not the one late. You are. But I think your family will let it slide. Just this once.”

  Jackson let out a deep breath as Maggie drove. He was here to relax. He was here to chase away the nightmares of the ones he couldn’t save. He was here to see family. The last two months had left him uneasy. He’d tried to laugh at Aniyah’s reasons for postponing the wedding due to her constantly changing plans. He smiled at his parents. He talked with his family. He didn’t tell Nikki to F-off like he wanted to when she rubbed up against him like a cat in heat. He’d smiled and laughed because that’s who they all wanted him to be.

  Even tonight he was already thinking of reasons to leave early. He loved his family. He did. He just needed to decompress. Let go of the nightmares and welcome the light. It was hard to process everything that had happened over the past two months without having any time to himself.

  It was then that Jackson realized Maggie was still talking. “So, the Olympic tryouts are soon and I have to decide if I want to try out again.”

  “I’m sure you will make the right choice. Thanks for driving me.”

  “No problem,” she said, jumping out of the Jeep. “I’m meeting some friends here tonight. Do you want me to drive you back to the cottage?”

  “No thanks. One of my cousins will.”

  Maggie nodded as he opened the door to Shadows Landing Bar for her. Immediately the noise and smell of bar food hit him.

  “Jackson!” Harper called from behind the bar. She placed her hands on the bar top and vaulted over to give him a hug. It only took seconds until Tinsley and Ellery were hugging him as well. “Do you remember Darcy?”

  “Of course. How is the museum going?” Jackson asked his cousin Wade’s new w
ife.

  “Excellent. You’ll have to stop by and see it. Oh, and you haven’t met Savannah yet. Savannah is Ridge’s new wife.” Darcy turned and Jackson shook hands with his cousin Ridge and then his pretty wife.

  “Evie!” Harper called out. “Can you bring us a round?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Jackson glanced over his shoulder at the pretty woman around his age whose appearance was the complete opposite of his. He was tall, around six foot two, and she was maybe five feet, six inches. His hair was dark as night. Hers was light, golden blonde. His silver eyes were like shadows. Her blue eyes were pure light. He felt like the Grinch and she smiled as if nothing bad had ever happened to her in her whole life.

  Jackson suddenly found himself envious of the life of a woman he’d never met before, so he turned back to the table and talked to his family.

  “Here you go.” The voice was even soft to his deep baritone.

  “Oh, Evie,” Harper said, drawing the woman’s attention as she set down a beer in front of Jackson. “This is my cousin Jackson Parker. Jackson, this is Evie Scott. We were just talking about you today after seeing the news about the bombing.”

  “Me?” Why would they talk about him? He didn’t have anything to do with that kind of investigation.

  “Yeah, Evie was saying she didn’t think the FBI even listens to the tips coming in. I told her that you and Ryan would.”

  Jackson nodded. “Well, not me. I don’t do investigations. But of course they listen. You can’t discount anything in the course of an investigation.”

  “Hey, isn’t that you?” Harper asked suddenly.

  The whole table turned to look at the television. The footage was taken at Andrews when he was carrying Gladys toward her mother. It was from the back and his face couldn’t be seen. Gladys’s face was blurred, but to anyone who knew Jackson, it was clear the man on television was him.

  “FBI Hostage Rescue Team is reported to have saved LA Mayor Thorn’s daughter, Gladys, from a terrorist cell. Details are unknown at this time, and the FBI and Mayor Thorn’s office have not responded to our request for information,” a national news anchor said into the television.

  Evie looked down at him as everyone at the table stared. Jackson took a sip of his beer as he felt his phone vibrate almost constantly as text after text and then phone call after phone call began.

  “Yes, it was me. No, I’m not saying more,” Jackson said with a sigh.

  “Can you say enough to let me know what you’d like to eat?” Evie asked, cutting through the tension. Jackson let out a little chuckle and smiled up at her gratefully.

  “I will always talk about food,” Jackson told her before placing his order. His cousins got the hint and finally his phone stopped vibrating as he enjoyed the night with his family.

  8

  Evie was tired, but she didn’t want to go upstairs to her little apartment above the bar either. There was a full moon, and she wanted to stare out at the water and think. She wanted to think about Jackson Parker. Should she tell him about Jon and her suspicions about the bombings? She had a letter typed up to sneak to him, but when Harper had blatantly pointed out Evie’s suspicions about the FBI not listening to tips, Jackson had said he doesn’t investigate cases.

  Confused about her next step, Evie locked the door to the bar and headed toward the park. There she could walk to the end of the dock, sit down while she dangled her feet over the water, and think.

  The night was chilly and felt good after running around the bar all night. As Evie walked down Main Street, she passed the ghosts of the night. That’s what she called the darkened buildings that had been built by the pirates hundreds of years before. During the day they were bright and vibrant, but at night they became haunting symbols of the past.

  Going to the dock had become something Evie did almost every night since she discovered it her first days in Shadows Landing. The movement of the water, the smell of the mud, the songs of the wildlife, and the gentle sound of the boats rocking in the nearby marina all brought her peace.

  She reached the dock and smiled as a sigh escaped her lips. It was her happy place and right now she had a lot of thinking to do. The muffled footfall of her tennis shoes on the creaking dock thumped out a steady rhythm as she approached the end. But then her heart stopped. The shadow of the pylon at the end of the dock moved. She wasn’t alone.

  “Hello, Evie.”

  Evie swallowed hard as relief almost made her faint. It wasn’t Jon. “Jackson. Hi. What are you doing out here? Didn’t you leave an hour ago?”

  Evie came forward then and saw that his feet where dangling over the edge as he leaned against the pylon. He looked completely relaxed and she was envious. That was the state she wanted to be in. She took a seat and smiled gently to herself as she let her feet kick back and forth over the water.

  “Yeah. I told Maggie I had a ride back to the cottage and then told Gavin I had a ride. I just wanted some time alone. I haven’t had any in months. And Maggie had said she’d check in on me back at the cottage so when I was walking back, I saw this dock and escaped.”

  “Until I intruded. Sorry. I’ll give you your time alone.” Evie pulled her legs up and got ready to leave.

  “No, it’s okay. Please stay. I’m guessing I’m the one who is intruding on your spot.”

  The full moon illuminated Jackson as he relaxed on the dock. Evie settled back down and they enjoyed a moment of silence together as they both took in the evening.

  “Are you from Shadows Landing?” Jackson finally asked.

  “No. I was in Texas when I saw the ad for a bartender. I looked up the town and knew I had to apply.”

  “And do you feel that you made the right choice coming here?”

  Evie thought about how to answer and then nodded. “I love it here. I had never been a small town girl, but I am now. I like how everyone knows each other. It makes you feel safe. You don’t get that in big cities.”

  “No, you don’t,” Jackson agreed as they lapsed into another comfortable silence.

  While she was silent on the outside, Evie’s mind wasn’t silent at all. Her thoughts were going a thousand miles a minute. Should she trust him? Where was Jon now? Could he find her? Would Harper and others be at risk if he found her here?

  “So, you’re from a large family? Is everyone in the FBI?” Evie finally asked. She hoped her nerves didn’t give anything away.

  “That’s right. My father used to be the Special Agent in Charge of the Lexington office. When he retired, my older brother, Ryan, took it over. I joined the FBI and then was recruited for the Hostage Rescue Team. They are recruiting my younger sister, Greer, too. She joined the FBI after spending some time in SWAT. She’s a sniper.” Evie could tell by his voice he was proud of his family. A woman sniper was impressive. Evie wished she’d had that much talent. If she did, Jon would never come after her.

  “What about you?” Jackson asked.

  “I don’t have that happy-family story. My mother was a free-loving hippie type with a drug problem who had many husbands and boyfriends before she died of an overdose a year ago. I don’t know where my father is. I imagine an overdose killed him a long time ago too. It was just me taking care of Mom until the man-of-the-month walked out on her and left behind his son. So, now I’m kind of a mother to my younger stepbrother,” Evie explained. Jackson was easy to talk to and while she wouldn’t go into too much detail, she wanted to give him an idea of who she was and maybe, just maybe, she’d see if she could trust him.

  “That’s rough. My friend’s wife came from a family involved in drugs. It doesn’t just impact the person taking them, but the whole family.”

  “Exactly,” Evie said, taking a deep breath. He did understand.

  Evie relaxed and kicked her dangling feet over the water. The moon shone off the river as she stared at its reflection.

  “Shouldn’t you be getting back to your boyfriend? I’m sure he’s wondering where you are,” Jackson said,
still not having moved from his spot.

  Evie laughed after the shock of hearing he thought she had a boyfriend. “That was so not smooth.”

  Jackson’s smile lit up the night as he laughed. It was deep, masculine, and pure. It made her smile in return. “I’m a bit out of practice.”

  Right. Not a man who looked like that. All broad shoulders and chiseled face covered with a little sexy stubble. Then there was the way he filled out a T-shirt and long muscular legs encased in jeans. This man was a walking billboard of alpha maleness, not someone who was out of practice with women.

  “There weren’t a lot of women where I was the past two months. And my job kinda makes it hard to date long term since I never know when I’m about to be sent someplace. And if I’m sent, there’s trouble. Big trouble,” Jackson explained.

  “Can you tell me about it? If you want to, that is.”

  Evie desperately wanted to learn more about him. The longer he talked, the safer she felt. And it wasn’t just because this man could rip Jon in half. It was something inherent in his makeup. He wanted to protect. He wanted to save lives and there was nothing more respectable than that. Evie sat and listened as Jackson told her of his job. Of some of the places he’d been. He told the funny parts, but Evie could feel the sadness underneath and knew he was editing the story for her.

  “And the ones you lost?” Evie asked quietly.

  “The reason I’m here in the quiet. I have to come to terms with not being able to save them,” Jackson’s lips quirked into a sad smile. “But I do. I reflect on it, go over it, determine there was no way we could have saved them, ask for their forgiveness, and then move on to the next rescue.”

  “Do you ever get tired of it?” Evie didn’t know if it was the darkness that made them freer, but she felt as if she could confess everything to him just as he was doing with her. Although, the darkness was fading and not just in her heart. She took a quick glance at the time and saw that it was almost six in the morning.