Brute Justice (Justice Series) Read online

  For this to work properly, it’s got to look like Jade’s alone. I hope this goes as smoothly as Sam thinks it will.

  “Wait!” Clint yelled as he saw Jade reach for the door handle. “Remember, keep your mind open for Sam to give you instructions. And do your best to get her to think through all she knows about Crain, if she knows him.”

  “I know, Clint.”

  “And get in and out of there as quickly as possible.”

  “Okay, okay. Let me go now, so we can get this done!” They were gone before he could protest further.

  Jade rounded the front of the vehicle and Clint gingerly placed his head against the seat and raised it just high enough so his left eye could peer out of the window. He watched her walk up the front path and push the doorbell.

  It felt like an eternity watching her stand there, waiting for the front door to open. Clint didn’t realize his face was so close to the window until his shallow breathing started to fog his view.

  I hate waiting here, not knowing. I wish I were in Sam’s truck. At least he could tell me what he was seeing, hearing.

  He heard Sam project into his head. “Calm down, Clint. She’s coming.”

  Is she alone?

  “Yes. It’s fine.”

  Just then, the front door opened and a petite blonde stepped out through the storm door.

  She doesn’t look very old. Maybe mid-thirties. What’s she doing with Crain?

  Still wishing he could hear what Sam could, Clint watched Jade talk to Sara, who was shaking her head. Jade gestured to the other houses in the neighborhood, but Sara looked like she had no idea of who Jade was looking for. She just shrugged her shoulders and continued talking to Jade with a confused expression on her face.

  Well okay, then. She doesn’t know Crain. That much is obvious.

  Then everything happened at once, but it felt like slow motion. Sam was yelling into everyone’s heads. “Get out! Get out! Jade, Lexi – get back to the car now!”

  What?! What is it?

  Clint scanned the subdivision through his peek hole. His eyes landed on the black Mercedes as it rounded the corner.

  Oh shit.

  His head whipped back up to see Jade at the driver’s door. She climbed in and pulled her sunglasses on, her ball cap down just a bit lower. She didn’t even appear ruffled.

  As she put the keys in the ignition, Lexi slid silently into the back seat, grabbed Clint’s hand and extended her transparency onto him. Relieved by the cloak, he sat up and pulled her to him. She leaned over him to peer out his window with him.

  The Range Rover was already in motion before Crain pulled into Sara’s drive. They passed the sedan on the street. Crain looked up into the cab of the truck. His expression showed nothing.

  “That was close,” Clint pulled Lexi to him. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, fine.”

  “Jade?”

  “Sure, no problem.” She looked back in the rear view mirror, though she still couldn’t see either one of them. “It’s a good thing Sam was able to warn us. A few more seconds and we would have passed him on the sidewalk, not the road. Do you think Sam saw him coming?”

  “Yeah, he must have. He was screaming before Crain turned onto the street. By the time I saw him, you guys were back here.” He kissed the top of Lexi’s head, still feeling the tingle of her invisibility. His arms wrapped around her tighter.

  “Ow, Clint,” she elbowed him playfully. “Not so tight, muscles. You’re going to break my ribs!”

  “Sorry. I just…” He paused, at a loss for words.

  “It’s okay,” she looked up and reached for his arm. “We’re fine. It’s over.”

  Jade glanced back into the back seat again. “Sam just said he and Leesha are going to hang back a few minutes and keep an eye on the situation. He told us to head back to the house and they’d meet us there shortly.”

  “Perfect. Get some distance between us!” Clint smiled down with a spark of mischief in his eyes.

  “Hey, are you two making out back there?” But Jade already knew the answer as Lexi’s muffled giggle responded.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “Hey you!” Sara smiled as he climbed out of his car. “This is a treat! What are you doing here?”

  “Just checking in on my girl,” he leaned in to kiss her. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to say hi.”

  “Well, hello handsome,” her voice got husky.

  He opened the passenger door and reached in for a big bundle of yellow roses, tipped with red edges. “And to bring you these.”

  “What are these for?” she looked surprised and flattered. “They’re beautiful!”

  “Oh, I just feel bad that I work so much. I wanted to try and make up for not being able to spend as much time with you as I’d like.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Carl. It’s okay. I understand, really. It’s hard being in sales right now.”

  He smiled, looking up at the corner where the truck had just left. “I could take them back.”

  “Don’t you dare!” She already had her nose in the flowers. “Come in. I’ll put these in water. I’ve got to leave in a bit for work, but I’ve got a few minutes.”

  “Okay,” he followed her into the house. “Hey, who was the girl?”

  “Who? Oh. Some delivery person. Wrong address.”

  “Ah. Okay.” He didn’t want to make a big deal of it, but he had a bad feeling he couldn’t shake.

  “Are you hungry? I can make you something.” Before he could answer, Sara was already puttering in the kitchen, pulling out makings from the refrigerator.

  He smiled and settled into the little kitchenette table. Of all the places he had been in the world, this felt the most familiar, the most like home.

  True, Sara knew nothing about his work life and what he truly did. She thought he was a pharmaceutical salesman, an occupation which was easy to fake, given all his medical knowledge. It also explained why he was on the road all the time, or so she thought.

  “So how late do you work tonight?” he asked as she set a plate in front of him. “Do you want to go out to a late dinner?”

  Sara looked at him, puzzled. “You never want to go out. What’s going on with you?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing. I just thought you might enjoy a night out for a change.”

  “I would… I wish I could, but I’m back on four-tens. I don’t get off work until eleven. Do you want to come over tonight? I could get take-out food.”

  He smiled. She was always so accommodating, which might have explained why he had grown so fond of her. She was good for his ego, that much was certain. “Let’s play it by ear. Why don’t you call me towards the end of your shift, let me know how tired you are.”

  “Okay.” She smiled and sat down next to him.

  They chatted while he ate. He marveled at how easy it was to be around Sara. If he hadn’t had larger ambitions, and such a complicated past and web of lies to cover it, he might have been content settling down with her, getting married, starting a family. But that kind of life just didn’t appeal to him. It wasn’t exciting enough, didn’t offer the power he so longed for.

  Relationships just weren’t his thing. He had once hoped to be able to develop a bond with the special kids he helped create, but knew now that wasn’t an option. They weren’t interested in working with him.

  To add insult to injury, he had learned the hard way that relationships could be a danger to his work – and his safety. Charlie certainly had compromised the integrity of his work when he shared his information with the teens. Before that, it was his first research partner, Lieutenant Connor Jennings, who had reported him to their superiors. He was done trusting people with the details of his work.

  He focused his attention back to Sara, who was bubbling with chatter, excited about the impromptu visit from Carl. He was glad he hadn’t involved her in any of the details of his past, his present. He enjoyed having her around, and she di
dn’t pressure him for more.

  “So anyway, I told her to forget it, I was tired of doing her work for her,” she said, clearing his empty dishes. He smiled and nodded like he’d been listening intently the whole time.

  “Good for you, Sara. Way to stand up for yourself.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So I guess I should get out of your way. You should be going soon, right?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I suppose.”

  “But call me tonight when you get close to the end of your shift, okay?”

  “Will do,” she said as she walked him to the door. She reached up to kiss him goodbye.

  The nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach hit him again. He turned around. “Hey, who was that delivery person looking for?” He tried to sound nonchalant.

  “Um… A Dr. Crain, I think. Ronald? Donald? I’m not sure. It didn’t ring a bell.”

  His face showed nothing, but he could feel the flush of burn climb the back of his neck and reach the base of his skull.

  “Why?”

  “No reason, just curious. I just wondered why they would have your address, that’s all. Just trying to make sure it wasn’t someone trying to take advantage of you.”

  “You’re so sweet, Carl!” she smiled and kissed him again. “Thank you. I’ll call later tonight, okay?”

  “Yep.” He gave her a half-hearted wave as he stalked back to his car and got inside. As soon as she shut the front door, he pounded his fists against the steering wheel in fury.

  It had been ages since he’d checked the surveillance footage at Sara’s. He didn’t think he needed to. Trying to remember back, he knew he hadn’t recognized the white SUV she drove, and didn’t think he recognized her face, but she had worn sunglasses and her hair in a cap. He was fairly certain it was a girl.

  His tapes would show her, and he’d find her. He had to know why she was looking for him at Sara’s. What did she want from him? He stomped on the gas and raced for home.

  Chapter Thirty

  “Jade, can’t you just do your magic?” Clint pleaded. “Convince Sam that Lexi and me being together is not a bad thing.”

  Lexi just rolled her eyes and shook her head. They had just pulled into the Dixon driveway.

  “First of all Clint, yes I could convince him of that, but only temporarily. Once I get far enough away, he’s back in control of making up his own mind.”

  “Oh. Oh, right.” He paused a second. “Was there a second point?”

  “Yes. Secondly, and more importantly, who cares what Sam thinks? Lexi, how many of your boyfriends has Sam approved of?”

  “None.” She rolled her eyes again and turned back to Clint. “He doesn’t make my decisions for me. You need to quit worrying about him, really.”

  “But I feel like he and I were friends first. Don’t I at least need to get his blessing?”

  “No, you don’t. You need mine, which you’ve got. Sam will get over it.”

  “What if it gets in the way of our mission?”

  “Do you want to wait until we’re done with our work?”

  “No… We don’t exactly know how long we’ll be working on this.”

  “Do you want to keep sneaking around?”

  “No!”

  “Fine. Then I’ll take care of Sam.”

  “Lexi…”

  “Forget it. He needs to be put in his place. I’ve got plenty of experience in that area.”

  Crap, I love her. Wait… Did I just think that? Get a grip!

  “Let’s head inside and let Mom know we’re back. I’m sure she’s been pacing since we left.” Lexi picked up her phone and read a text. “Sam and Leesha are on their way back. Should be here in five.”

  Once the whole group was settled downstairs, they started recounting the interaction with Sara, step by step.

  “So I told her I was there to deliver the package to Dr. Donald Crain and could I please get a signature?”

  “She looked kind of puzzled at first,” Lexi added. “Sam, could you read her mind? Was she covering anything?”

  “Not that I could tell. Jade, were you trying to persuade her to keep her mind open and honest?”

  “Yep. And when she told me I had the wrong address, I asked her if she knew where he lived.”

  Sam and Lexi had heard all of this first hand. They were mainly recounting the details for Leesha and Clint, plus for the sake of talking through all the options as a group.

  “What did she say?” Clint asked. “Did she act like she knew him?”

  “I couldn’t tell from talking to her. Sam, did you pick up anything from her thoughts?”

  “Nope. Nada.”

  “Okay,” Leesha stood to pace the room. “I think it’s safe to assume she doesn’t know him as Crain, which means she knows nothing of his present work.”

  “We already know she knew him in prison,” Sam added.

  “How much of the criminal information do you think she had access to?” Clint asked. “I mean, she worked in the infirmary. Would that mean she could access the criminal records?”

  “Good question,” Sam said. “Maybe she didn’t, and since the military sealed the records, she may have no idea why he was really in there. Unless he told her. I’m betting he hasn’t.”

  “There’s really only one person who might tell us the truth to that question,” Clint added. “Sara.”

  “So what now?” Jade asked. “Do we need to go back and talk to her?”

  “We may need to. To level with her,” Leesha said. “Ask her directly.”

  “Wait!” Lexi said, remembering. “What happened after we left? Did she say anything to Crain about the delivery?”

  “Not much,” Sam answered. “He asked what it was about. She told him it was a package with the wrong address.”

  “How long did you guys stay?” Clint asked.

  “Ten minutes or so. Not long. They went in, he ate lunch. It was pretty normal stuff, so we hustled back here to get some work done.”

  Oh no. The cameras. “The cameras-” Clint blurted, right after his mind remembered.

  “Don’t worry,” Leesha smiled. “There just happened to be a few strategically placed icicles hanging right in front of the camera lens. I remembered right before Jade got out of the car.”

  He sighed. “Good. Thanks. And the one over the garage entrance?”

  “Not an issue. You guys never cleared that side of the house. We’re covered.”

  “That’s a relief,” Clint said. “At this point, Jade is the only face he hasn’t seen. We may still need that advantage.”

  “You’re not thinking of sending her in to him, are you?” Lexi sat upright.

  “Well, no-”

  “Actually, I think we should.”

  The other four heads whipped around to face Jade.

  “What? Why?” Leesha looked horrified.

  “Who better to question than Dr. Crain himself? I mean, we already think Sara’s a dead end… How much can she possibly know?”

  “But we still need to ask her, and she’s a much safer person to approach than he is,” Sam tried to reason with her.

  “She may be, but when she doesn’t have the answers?” Jade countered.

  “What exactly did you have in mind?” Clint asked.

  “I was thinking I should make an appointment to see Dr. Crain.”

  All four faces looked puzzled.

  “As a patient. You know, a teenager with a little problem that I need to consult him about.”

  “You can’t just walk into his office!” Leesha came up out of her chair. “You haven’t seen what he’s done! What he’s capable of…”

  “I’m not scared of him. What’s he going to do in broad daylight, with staff and other patients around?”

  “Besides, she doesn’t have to go in there alone,” Lexi said, smiling in agreement. “I think it’s brilliant!”

  She’s not scared of anything. This girl’s gonna drive me nuts.

  “Thanks Lexi. Okay, s
o first thing Monday morning, I’ll call and make an appointment for a consult. I’ll tell him I don’t want to tell my parents anything until I know for sure. Blah, blah, blah… Haven’t had my period-”

  Ew!

  “We don’t need all the girly details, Jade.” Sam’s nose was scrunched in agreement.

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Leesha said.

  “Oh, it’ll be fine. Just like any other snooping mission. Lexi can go in with me, if you feel I need protection. You, Sam and Clint can run surveillance from the other side of the wall, in the car. No big deal. Like I said, what’s he going to do in broad daylight? Besides, I’ll convince him I’m telling the truth.”

  “And what happens when he finds out you’re not pregnant?” Leesha countered.

  “Then he’ll see the happiest, most relieved teenager in the world. Trust me, I can pull off a stellar acting job! He’ll buy it. Now, what do I need to ask him?”

  “What if we don’t ask him anything directly,” Lexi pondered. “Rather, tried to dig through his staff. Ask them about his credentials, his experience.”

  “That may work,” Leesha was finally coming around. “That way he doesn’t get defensive or curious. We might be able to get just as much out of his support staff.”

  “I still don’t like the two of you going in alone,” Clint shook his head.

  “So come with me,” Lexi said simply. She smiled at him. “There’s no reason why we need three of you in the car watching. You can come along, so if we need muscle, you’re right there.”

  “Okay. Yeah, that works for me,” he smiled back.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  They pulled up to the pharmacy next to Crain’s office in Jade’s Range Rover. After much discussion about one car versus two, they decided it was smarter to drive one in case something went wrong and Sam needed to pick them up at the door for a fast getaway.

  Jade was driving, but she left the keys in the ignition as she exited the car. Sam was going to move the vehicle to a spot as close to her exam room as possible so he and Leesha could watch and listen from the other side of the brick wall.