Jack tilted his head in question.
“My daughter’s sick. She hit the genetic lotto but in all the wrong ways and she’s needing more and more care to keep her from hurting. We’ll be moving her into a facility soon and I needed the extra money to pay for it. I ran a check on Carson to see if there was any history of domestic violence and nothing popped so I bought his story that he just wanted to try to get his wife to return some old family heirlooms and serve her with divorce papers.”
Kaeden shook his head. “Jane said he wasn’t physically abusive so there might not have been any calls to the police or anything. But even if there were, it’s possible he got a friendly cop who didn’t file anything. From what I understand, Turner Carson owns that town, literally and figuratively.”
“That’s what it looked like when I was there,” Evan agreed. “People in that town see him as some sort of God. I guess he’s responsible for most of the jobs in town. People don’t see what they don’t want to.”
They talked for a few more minutes before leaving. Kaeden wasn’t surprised when Jack told the man to send his hotel and expenses and things to Jack to pay since Turner Carson probably wasn’t going to do it. Evan had tried to argue but Jack wasn’t hearing it.
Kaeden didn’t know why it had taken him so long to see that the people he worked with were different. That he could count on them.
“Hey Kaeden?”
“Yeah Jack?”
“About that promotion.”
Oh hell, Kaeden had forgotten about that with all that had happened. It’s funny how that didn’t matter at all to him right now. What mattered was Jane and her safety. Her mom. That she’d gotten her life back. That’s what mattered.
“Uh, yeah?” he said, but his mind was half on the question of what he and Jane would do from here. He would guess she’d want to settle in New Jersey here near her mom.
Connecticut wasn’t too far. He could travel to visit her.
“Did you hear me?” Jack was asking as they stepped into the elevator.
“Sorry, no. What did you say?”
Jack was grinning at him. “I said you got the promotion if you want it.”
Kaeden nodded. Did he?
Chapter 34
After giving their statements to the police, Jack and the others went back to Breckenridge to join their families for the final few days of the vacation.
Kaeden stayed with Jane and her mom. The hospital wanted to keep her mom for observation another night.
Evan Willows had come by to see Jane’s mom, who had cried and told him she could never pay him back for all he’d done to try to help her. He was flying home to his daughter that day. Jane’s mom had made him promise to video chat with them sometime so she could meet his wife and daughter.
“Do you think she’ll want to stay at the home she’s in?” Kaeden asked quietly.
He and Jane were sitting in her mother’s hospital room while the other woman slept. They’d gone into the police station that morning to make their statements, but Jane didn’t want to leave her alone long and Kaeden didn’t blame her.
Turner Carson was already out on bail.
Jack had hired a lawyer to seek an emergency protection order for her, but Jane was understandably worried Turner wouldn’t worry about something like the law telling him what he can and can’t do.
“I don’t know. She loved it there, but I think she’s worried about the security now. Evan was able to get onto the grounds several times to talk to her without anyone stopping him. They aren’t really set up to deal with piece of shit husbands who want to hurt their wives.”
Kaeden squeezed her hand. He doubted many care facilities were set up with the security to handle that.
He wanted to tell her to move to Connecticut with her mom. That they could find a home for her mom there and see where this thing between them would go.
But he didn’t want to freak her out. They’d known each other less than two weeks. How do you tell a woman you thought you might be falling in love with her after that short a time?
He brought their joined hands up to his mouth and kissed her hand. And then he simply sat with her as her mom slept and she worried about the future. He just sat with her because that was all he could do for her now. Just be with her.
Chapter 35