[When SEALs Come Home 04] - Heated (21 page)

“Did you?”

He couldn’t really blame Rio for his question, although he resented it. He also knew the other man would take his word for what had happened. That was part of being on the same team. They’d give each other shit, would step in when the situation warranted it, but at the end of the day, it was them against the rest of the world. Rio would have his back. It was, after all, why he was here in the hangar, giving Joey a heads-up. So he looked the other man in the eye and shook his head.

“Hell, no. I didn’t ride all night.”

Rio cursed. “Well, someone did, and he drove like a demon, so every cop in town is headed this way right now because you’ve got a date with the sheriff to do some explaining. Can someone vouch for where you were last night?”

Oh. Hell.

***

M
ercy flicked through the preliminary report on her tablet. The investigation had barely gotten underway, but the bare bones were right there in black and white. Calvin Jackson and his wife, Rae Jackson, had blown a tire on the mountain highway early this morning. He’d managed to pull the car over, and then he’d got out the jack and the spare and tried to fix things. His wife had been sitting in the car because, as she’d explained, he wanted her to be safe.

That had been a good call on Mr. Jackson’s part.

A black motorcycle ridden by a large, leather-jacket-wearing man had shot around the curve going at least eighty miles an hour. There were no skid marks on the road, no sign that the biker had even spotted Mr. Jackson before the bike’s front fender had hit the man and sent him flying. Too much speed. An inconvenient blind spot. And just like that, the motorist had gone airborne. Mrs. Jackson, from her safe spot in the front seat, had seen it all. It turned out that she’d already had her phone out and had been calling 4-1-1 for a tow assist when her husband had hit first the guardrail and then the ground. Despite her shock, she’d given them a barebones description of the bike and the rider. It wasn’t detailed, but there was only one local who rode the highway like a midnight madman.

A midnight madman who loved her.

She could understand the accident, but leaving a man down? Joey didn’t do that—look at the way he’d held onto Will Donegan. So how could Tegan believe the driver had been Joey? Had Joey lent his bike to someone else, and had that person been driving it while Joey had been at her house? Considering the possibilities made the drive to Donovan Brothers’ hangar both impossibly long and miraculously short. When they arrived, she scanned the parking lot. Rio Donovan’s truck was parked close to the door, next to Joey’s motorcycle.

Sheriff Tegan jerked a thumb toward the Ducati. “That’s his bike right there. I’ll have one of the techs start going over it.”

“You don’t need a warrant?”

“Not when he’s parked the damn thing in a public lot. I just happen to be walking by and notice something.”

Sheriff Tegan had ordered her into his car for a reason. He’d wanted to make his point: Joey Carter had come to grief, and he’d have taken her with him if she hadn’t broken things off. Part of her was relieved that Tegan apparently didn’t know that she’d still been seeing Joey. The other part of her wanted to say so and let the chips fall where they may and tell Tegan the truth.

“You really think he did it?” Joey had gone outside last night, had come back cold. Wherever he’d been, however, he hadn’t had enough time to ride off and cause this particular accident.

“If I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t be here. If you can’t do this, you tell me now.”

Sheriff Tegan didn’t think Joey was innocent. She stared at his back, but no magic solution came to mind and she had a job to do. She followed her boss inside.

Rio Donovan looked up as they came in, sitting side by side with Joey. Figured. The Donovan brothers and their guys were a team. They presented a solid front to the world, whether they were fighting fire—or accusations. Another day, with another guy, and she’d have appreciated the sentiment. Right now, however, her stomach churned.

Sheriff Tegan didn’t hesitate, getting right down to it. “Joey Carter. You and me need to talk.”

“So Rio here tells me.” Joey unfolded himself, standing up.

“There was an accident last night on the highway. A motorcyclist hit a motorist who was changing a tire.”

She gave Joey credit. The first words out of his mouth were “Is the motorist okay?”

“Mr. Jackson’s in a world of hurt, but he’s not dead and that’s something. Another ten feet and he’d have gone over the guardrail, and we’d have a different outcome to deal with.”

There was a pause while they all thought that over. Hit-and-run was bad enough, but a murder charge would have been in a whole different league of bad. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Joey fought. He defended. He wasn’t the kind of man who would mow someone down with his bike and then keep right on riding. He stood there, confident and sure, meeting the sheriff’s hard-eyed stare with a level gaze of his own. Like his world wasn’t imploding around him. Around them.

“And you think I was the guy riding the bike.”

Sheriff Tegan didn’t bother with the bullshit. “I do.”

Joey nodded. “My bike’s out there. Feel free to take a look at it. If I’d hit the motorist, there would be damage to the front end.”

“I’ll do that.”

“I didn’t ride last night.” His gaze never wavered from Tegan’s. And he didn’t meet her eyes. Tension radiated off him, though, like he wanted to be somewhere, anywhere else, and she’d bet he was itching to get on that bike and ride like the demons of hell were after him. She moved a little closer, wanting to tell him that she believed him. He drove too fast, lived too large, but he was a good man.

A good man who wouldn’t look at her and who was standing across the room from her while she stood on the opposing side.

“Sheriff—” She wasn’t sure what she intended to say, but Tegan cut her right off.

“You got someone who can confirm your whereabouts last night at half past one in the morning?”

Her head started pounding, echoing the frantic thump-bang of her heart. There was only one person who knew where Joey had been last night, and that was her. She’d been wrapped around him, naked and riding him like a cowgirl when the motorist had gone flying.
Open your mouth. Tell Tegan
.

“No,” Joey said. “There’s no one who would tell you where I was.”

***

F
uck this. He wasn’t a criminal, and he was damned tired of being treated like one. He liked speed and he liked his bikes. Those weren’t felony offenses, and he’d never failed to own up to his mistakes.

Except that once.

Yeah, he didn’t need the voice in his head chiming in on this one. It was bad enough having Mercy standing there with Tegan when he needed her by his side. So okay, she’d made her thoughts on
them
clear. He was her dirty secret, her midnight lover, or whatever other crap label she could come up with. What he wasn’t was the guy she’d admit to seeing in public. He’d been okay with that too.

Right up until he wasn’t and he’d told her he loved her.

She hadn’t said anything then and she sure wasn’t saying anything now.

He met her gaze and couldn’t read a goddamned thing on her face. She looked calm, collected, and every bit the professional. He was torn between wanting to applaud her and kiss her for all the wrong reasons. Reasons that included marking her as
his
, and that was a public no-no. Being in love sucked. Frankly, he had no idea what his honeymooning sister or any of the married smoke jumpers saw in it. Because if he
hadn’t
loved Mercy, he could have explained where he was and what he’d been doing when he was allegedly violating all notions of personal decency and running down innocent civilians.

He shoved to his feet. He was done here. Rio came to his feet too, laying a hand on his arm.

“Think first,” Rio said. “Act second.”

Been there, done that, got the postcard. He shook Rio’s hand off.

“I’ve done nothing but think. Apparently, you all have done plenty of thinking and have voted me most likely to kill someone and ride off into the night. Frankly, I’m tired of it.”

Tegan had never liked him. And if he was being honest, the man had good reason for his dislike. Joey had been a wild child and Tegan’s ranch had been the site of more than one prank gone awry. The man had run out of patience long before Joey had turned eighteen and joined up with Uncle Sam and straightened out his life. It didn’t make Tegan’s jumping to conclusions any easier to accept, however.

Rio wasn’t going to let it go. “You didn’t ride your bike last night.”

“No.” He’d been tempted, but he’d refrained because he’d had Mercy waiting for him and he hadn’t wanted to disappoint her. Turned out that had been a mistake.

“And, to the best of your knowledge, no one else rode your bike last night.”

He took a good look at Tegan’s face. The man’s sour puss was better than his only other option, which was looking at Mercy, because she knew exactly where he’d been. Unless she believed he’d gone riding when he’d stepped out for some air? 
Jesus
. Right now riding seemed like his best option. Just throw a leg over his bike and ride until he ran out of gas or out of road.

“No,” he snapped. “I spent the night in Strong and in bed. I did not go for a midnight ride on the highway. I did not hit Jackson, and I sure as hell did not ride away and leave him lying on the ground.”

He wasn’t that kind of man anymore. He just hadn’t realized he’d be asked to
prove
that.

“Good,” Rio said. “Then we’re perfectly clear. Sheriff, do you have any more questions?”

Tegan opened his mouth. Joey knew the old man wouldn’t be satisfied with a few denials. He finally had his opportunity to prove Joey was the criminal Tegan had always accused him of being, so he wouldn’t back down easily. This was going to get ugly.

“Prove it,” Tegan said, meeting Joey’s gaze like he’d acquired mind-reading abilities with his badge and knew what Joey had been thinking. Yeah. The guy wasn’t letting this go. “You don’t have an alibi.”

He wouldn’t look at Mercy. He
wouldn’t
.

“I’m done here. My bike’s in the lot if you want to take a look.”

Rio grimaced. “Joey—”

Too bad. He headed for the door. He needed some fresh air. Some space. The highway peeling away beneath his tires. Anywhere but here worked for him.

***

“J
oey Carter and me have a date with the county jail.” A whole lot of satisfaction filled Tegan’s voice.

Damn it. She couldn’t let this happen.

Rio grabbed his phone and started thumbing through his contacts like he was expecting incoming. Or preparing for the worst. “Are you planning on arresting Joey?”

Definitely planning on the worst.

“You bet,” Tegan said, turning toward the door.

Rio made a sound of disgust. “On the grounds that he’s male, owns a bike and a leather jacket, and spent last night alone? Because I can name a half dozen guys who fit that profile.”

“Sure.” The sheriff held up a finger. “And because the man has been pulled over multiple times for excessive speeding. He’s a hazard. Always has been, always will be. This has been a long time coming.”

“He’s a good guy,” Rio said.

He was. Mercy had no idea how Tegan could be so blind to the truth. Or maybe she’d just been privileged to see a side of Joey that not too many people got to see. Like Joey looking after his sister’s cat. Planting roses for her in the middle of the night. The gleam he got in his eye when he tore up the highway. Sure, he was trying to outrun demons, and he had a serious addiction to speed, but those were just part of who he was. A good guy.
Her
guy.

Damn it, she loved Joey Carter. She hadn’t seen that coming.

“It seems to me that you’re judging Joey by his past,” she said, stalling for time.

Tegan grimaced. “He was no choirboy.”

Rio shrugged. “None of us were. I have a motorcycle. How come you’re not asking me where I was last night?”

“You telling me you
weren’t
home with that pregnant wife of yours?”

“Are you asking?” Rio’s hard gaze met the sheriff’s, making Mercy glad it wasn’t trained on her. The man was a former SEAL, and it showed.

Unfortunately, Tegan wasn’t cowed.

“No one knows where that boy spent the night,” he said.

And... there it was. The moment she had to put up or shut up, the moment she had to choose. It was easier than she’d expected.

“I do,” she said.

Two words. So simple. If she was lucky, she’d get to say them again in a whole different setting.

“I do,” she repeated. “Joey spent the entire night with me.”

Tegan glared at her. “And
he
said there was no one who could verify his whereabouts.”

“He was protecting me.”

“This is going to be good,” Rio said, dropping back down into his chair.

“Are you sure you want to alibi him?” The unspoken warning came through loud and clear. Tegan wasn’t happy, and she’d just spoiled his best chance of settling whatever grudge it was he held for Joey. She ran through Joey’s arrival and departure times, laying out the timeline for Tegan. Joey’s dark o’clock break for fresh air she kept to herself. If he asked, she’d mention it but otherwise it was one secret she’d be keeping.

“Why wouldn’t Joey say something?” Rio asked when she finally stopped talking.

“Because he believed I’d lose my job if the truth came out.”

Tegan nodded. “Officers of the law can’t consort with convicted felons.”

“He’s not a convicted felon,” she pointed out. “Only someone you don’t like or trust.”

Then she turned and went outside, leaving Tegan spluttering behind her. He’d get over her relationship with Joey, or she’d find another job. She knew it was easier to say than to do, but just thinking the words to herself made them easier to accept. She’d chosen. Whatever happened next, she was in the driver’s seat. Somehow, somewhere she could find another job, but Joey was one of a kind.

He was standing outside by the edge of the parking lot, staring off into the woods. He hadn’t gone anywhere, though. He looked up when she crunched across the gravel toward him.