Expert Witness: A Romantic Suspense Novel (31 page)

Chase blew out a breath and contained the anger threatening to bubble out of him. He didn’t bother to reply. He’d make damn sure Derek never got anywhere near Jordan again.
 

Police sirens reverberated into the night. The shrill, piercing sound escalated as his backup filtered in to the main level of the parking garage. He shouted out his location to the officers searching the halls.
 

Handing Derek over to the police brought him genuine closure. The niggling doubts he’d harbored since he’d left her to return home dissipated. This time there were no awkward pieces they were trying to shove into the puzzle so it would look complete. No, this time each jagged edge fit, and the image was clear—it was one none of them had seen or had wanted to. He lengthened his stride through the halls, wanting to see Jordan and make sure she was okay.
 

The living area was filled over capacity when he walked in. A first responder peppered Jordan with questions, but her eyes darted over to his. Though she didn’t speak, he read the question in her gaze. He gave her an encouraging nod, and her posture relaxed.
 

After she declined medical attention, they were separated and questioned as to what had transpired. They both gave their accounts, with Chase confirming the details and supplying the conversation he’d heard while outside the window. The officers would relay their initial reports to Detective Larson for investigation.
 

Hours later, the interviews were complete, and the officers gradually filed out.
 

For the first time that night, Chase had a chance to pull her into his arms. The thick cords in his muscles began to slacken. “You had me so worried.” He closed his eyes and held her tight against him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever let go.

§

 
Jordan leaned into Chase, drawing from his strength.
 

He let out a ragged breath. “Damn, I couldn’t believe how I’d missed it—that it was him.”

 
“Don’t feel bad. He had me fooled, too. I feel like I should’ve caught on to something, but I guess that’s what makes people like him what they are.” A shudder ran through her at how close Derek had been to her. Plotting his revenge and watching triumphantly as each act had driven her further and further into desperation.

“You mean subhuman?” he said dryly.
 

“That’s probably a fitting term. Psychopaths like him don’t have the same emotions we do, but they can do a hell of a job of mimicking them. It can make them hard to identify at first. And I guess we didn’t have enough time before all of this to figure out who Derek was. Though what are the odds? It’s nothing any of us would’ve been watching for.” She paused for a second, wrapping her arms even tighter around him. “I’m just glad you got here when you did.”

He let out another breath into her hair. “Me, too. When I realized what was happening, it felt like Robert all over again. That my feelings for you had put you in danger.”

Jordan tipped her head back to look at him. “Don’t go there. You got here in time. If we’d hired anyone else, I’m not sure I’d be standing here with you now.” Her eyebrows furrowed. “How did you figure it out?”

Chase looked down at her. “Well, I was telling Mike about us.”

Her eyes widened. “Mike knows now?”

 
“Yeah. He’s cool with it.” He grinned. “As long as I’m good to you. Otherwise, I’ve been fairly warned.”

She chuckled. “He’s always been like the older brother I never had.” A comfort-filled warmth slipped over her. She felt immensely blessed at that moment. To have the friends she did, to have made it through everything okay, and to have Chase right here with her. But she was still confused as to how he’d known to come back. “So, how did your admission to Mike lead you back here?”
 

He shrugged. “It was a hunch at first. Derek used the same wording in his message on your flowers as the perp had in the letter we found at your house. And then Karen was talking about how he’d unexpectedly left the office in a hurry. Both could’ve been a coincidence, but it was enough for me to check him out. And that’s when everything came together.”
 

Jordan’s eyebrows rose. “Wow, you have some wicked intuition. You may have to charge me for consults in the future,” she responded lightly, but her appreciation was apparent in her tone.

He kissed her on the top of her head. “We’ll see about that.”

“So, what’s your intuition telling you now?” she asked.

 
Chase stared directly into her eyes. “Oh, that’s an easy one. No payment necessary. Well, maybe not a monetary one.” He leaned down, pressing his lips firmly onto hers. “It’s telling me to keep you close.”

“How close?” she murmured, her voice throaty. She could feel tingles running from her lips down through her body. Damn, she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of this guy. She hungrily eyed his lips, wanting a repeat.
 

 
“Really close.” This time he kissed her with more force, parting her lips with his tongue and delving into her mouth until she was breathless. He pulled back for a moment, cupping her chin in his fist while his thumb ran across her lips. “Like not-an-inch-of-space-between-us close.”
 

Her stomach pirouetted at his words. “What did I tell you?” She winked at him. “Wicked intuition.”

“Admit it. You like it,” he teased back.
 

“Not quite,” she said. Then she paused. “I love it.” This time, she initiated a kiss that had them both lost in a passion neither had known before one another.
 

Epilogue

Six Months Later

“Jordan, you have a call on line one. It’s a Mr. Keith Lancaster. Would you like to me to put him through? Or I can take a message?” Nancy asked.

“You can put him through. Thanks, Nancy.” Jordan wondered why Keith was calling. “Hello, Mr. Lancaster. What can I do for you?”

“Hello, Dr. Clayton. Look, I know you’re busy, so I won’t take up a lot of your time. I’m really just calling to apologize,” he said, sounding contrite.
 

Jordan considered his words. His petition for guardianship had been denied by the judge. Though it was clear to the evaluators that his father was suffering from some type of condition, her evaluation had shed light on his depressive symptoms, the most likely origin of his cognitive deficits. She hadn’t heard anything more about the case since.
 

He went on before she could respond. “I wasn’t ready to hear what you had to say…about my father’s depression. I was wrong.” He hesitated a moment. “I’ve always thought of depression as being a sign of weakness. And my father is anything but weak.”

His explanation resonated with her. She’d dealt with similar sentiments before, on numerous occasions. “I understand your concerns,” she said. “There are some misconceptions surrounding mental health conditions, and you aren’t the first to oppose a family member’s diagnosis.”

“Well, like I said, I was wrong. My father’s been attending the group therapy sessions you recommended. And I can’t tell you what a difference it’s made. I feel like I have my father back now. The way he was before. I hated to think about how lucky we were that you picked up on it when I know I acted like a complete jerk in your office.” He cleared his throat. “I shouldn’t have listened to Buckman beforehand. And I’m sorry for what he put you through. I had no idea he was serious about the stuff he was saying. If I’d known, I’d have said something sooner.” Regret tinged his pronouncement.
 

“It’s okay.” She attempted to reassure him. He wasn’t responsible for what she’d endured. “You gave the detective what you knew. And in the end, it all worked out.”
 

“Yeah, I guess so. But it’s a mistake I won’t make again.” He blew out a breath. “Thanks for hearing me out today.”

“I’m glad you called. And Keith, I’m happy to hear your dad’s doing well.” She was heartened to learn of the elderly’s man progress. It was clear he’d benefit from the counseling recommendation, but hearing Keith relate how helpful the sessions had been was moving.
 

Hanging up the phone, her insides warmed at the sound of Chase’s familiar voice coming down the hall. She listened as he wrapped up his conversation with Mike before entering her office. They were both chuckling over something. There was no telling with those two.
 

“Hey there,” he said, bending down to give her a kiss. “You ready to get out of here for a while? I’m taking you to lunch. And before you ask, I already checked with Nancy. You’re free for the next hour.”

Jordan tipped her head back to take him in. “Me? Turn down lunch with a handsome date? That’s not going to happen.”
 

Chase’s grin—the sexy one that made her stomach flip—widened. “And I hope that it’s due to the overwhelming appeal of said handsome man and not because he comes with an offer for food.” He winked.

Jordan laughed. Then she closed the window on her computer screen and stood up. “While the offer of lunch is enticing—” she looked at him, her eyes sparkling, “—the handsome man in front of me is irresistible.” She put her arms around his waist and drew him to her.
 

She still couldn’t believe how much her life had changed since he’d come into it. Just as he’d planned, Chase had stepped back from taking protection assignments and, instead, had gone on to assume an instructor’s role in his business. His schedule was filled with training engagements on different aspects of security and self-defense that never took him away for long.
 

For her part, she now had much more balance in her days. Her passion for her practice hadn’t changed, but she was much better at leaving her work at the office door. She’d learned the hard way that life was precious, and she wouldn’t regret not having worked harder in the end. The relationships mattered most. So, in place of late evenings with records spread out over her desk, her nights were largely filled exploring the town with Chase or simply hanging around together, enjoying the tranquility that came with knowing that her stalker was incarcerated and no longer a threat to her.
 

Despite Derek’s revelation that he’d left no evidence behind, the police department had been able to put together enough DNA evidence that, combined with the witness testimony, had made for a strong case and a straightforward conviction. She, Karen, and Mike had yet to fill the space he’d left in their practice staff, but after what had transpired, they were in no hurry to do so. She had a feeling their next hire would be someone they knew well. Nepotism did have its advantages.
 

Chase broke away from what had become a heated kiss. “Keep that up and we may have to do lunch at your house,” he said huskily. “Besides, there’s something I want to show you before we go.” He tugged her toward the door.

Curious as to what he wanted, she allowed herself to be pulled down the hall. She glanced at him uncertainly when he stopped at the conference room.
 

He threw the door open, and they walked in. She was greeted with the chorus of a loud “Surprise!” from everyone inside. The room was adorned with several colorful streamers. In the center of the conference table was a huge bouquet of flowers.
 

She was momentarily speechless. Firstly, she had no idea what they were all supposed to be celebrating. Secondly, she was stunned to see her parents mixed in with her friends.
 

She turned to ask Chase what they were celebrating, but he was down on one knee in front of her…and then she knew. Tears sprung to her eyes.
 

“Jordan.” He gazed up at her intently. “When I first met you, I was completely taken aback. You were beautiful, kind, passionate—and I’ll tell you now, as crazy as it sounds, I felt an immediate connection when I touched you. It threw me off guard, because I’d never believed in chemistry like I had with you right from the start.” He paused, took a deep breath, and then went on. “But as I got to know you…despite my resolve not to—” he looked at her sheepishly, “—I realized that those traits were only the surface ones, and though they were great alone, the qualities I admired didn’t stop there. Your compassion, intellect, humor, and…patience with me—” he smiled, “—had me falling completely in love with you.”
 

A round of chuckles circled the room at his comment, and Jordan didn’t even try to stop the tears now streaking down her cheeks.

His eyes grew serious again. “When I couldn’t find you that night at the beach, I was desperate. I couldn’t imagine not having a chance to explore our future together—to build on what we’d started. A young man who helped me back then told me I should keep you close. What I didn’t tell him was that I had no intention of doing anything else.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a black velvet jewelry box.
 

After opening the lid, he held out the most radiant diamond ring she’d ever seen. With his other hand, he gently grasped her trembling fingers.
 

“Jordan, I want you by my side for the rest of my life. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

At first, she just nodded. She was speechless. Finally finding her voice, she let out an unquestionable, “Yes!”