Taking Aim At The Sheriff

“He’s your son.” There wasn’t a shred of doubt in Jax’s voice. “How long have you known?”

“A couple of hours.” That alone said plenty, but his brother deserved a whole lot more, especially since Jax knew the emotional wringer he’d been through over the years with Laurel and her father. “Herschel’s trying to get custody.”

Jax didn’t look surprised, just as disgusted as Jericho was. “By trying to eliminate Laurel and you?”

“It looks that way. Herschel has dirt on Laurel to have her arrested.” Jericho handed Jax the notepad with the time line and names. “I need that faxed to Levi so he can try to help with the threat of Laurel’s arrest. But Herschel also has fake dirt to have her committed to the loony bin. Laurel wants me to marry her so she can transfer custody of Maddox to me.”

His brother didn’t say anything for several moments. “So, you’ll marry her?”

That question just hung in the air, and before Jericho could even attempt an answer, he heard voices in the squad room. Loud ones.

“Wait here with Laurel,” he told Jax, and Jericho drew his gun.

Bracing himself for another attack, Jericho hurried out of the break room and down the short hall to the squad room. But there was no attack. Their loud-talking visitors—a tall, bulky-shouldered man and a gray-haired woman—didn’t appear to be armed. However, one of the deputies, Dexter, was frisking them, and neither seemed especially happy about that. The unhappiness went up a significant notch when the man’s gaze landed on Jericho.

“Sheriff Crockett,” he said like venom.

Jericho didn’t recognize the guy, but venom like that was almost certainly personal.

“Theo James.” Jericho put some venom in his voice, too.

“We want to see Laurel now,” the woman demanded. And there was no doubt that it was a demand.

“And you are?” Jericho made sure he sounded like the sheriff when he asked that question.

“Dorothy James. Theo’s mother.”

Of course.

He didn’t see much of a resemblance. Maybe because of the woman’s slight build. She looked on the frail side, and her skin was as thin and white as paper. Unlike her son, who towered over her and had a tan despite it being the dead of winter.

Jericho knew that Theo James was a lawyer, like Laurel, but he could have passed for a bouncer. A well-dressed one, though. Jericho figured that suit had come with a big price tag. Ditto for the haircut. And it looked as if he’d had a manicure. As a general rule, he didn’t trust men who had manicures.

Of course, he hadn’t needed a manicure to feel that way about Theo James.

And Jericho was certain that jealousy wasn’t playing into this.

Almost certain, anyway.

“Why do you want to see Laurel?” Jericho pressed.

Dorothy wasn’t the sort of woman to hide her emotions. She huffed, glared and generally looked ready to run right over him to get to Laurel. “We heard about the attack, and I want to make sure she’s okay. She’s my son’s fiancée.”

“Ex-fiancée,” Jericho corrected.

Oh, that did not please either Theo or his mom.

“The breakup is all just a misunderstanding,” Theo answered. “And a temporary one. Once I speak with Laurel, we can sort it all out—”

“I doubt that. What do you know about the attack?”

“I don’t like your tone,” Dorothy snapped. “Are you implying we had something to do with it?”

Jericho stared at her. “Did you?”

“No!”

Man, the woman could yell, and all in the same breath, she belted out a denial and a threat to slap him with a defamation-of-character lawsuit. However, Theo wasn’t denying much. That’s because he had his attention nailed to the hall. More specifically, to the doorway of the break room where Laurel was standing.

“Laurel,” Theo said on a rise of breath, and he started toward her.

He didn’t get far because Jericho latched onto his arm. Yeah, the guy was big. Strong, too. But Jericho shoved him back.

“Stay put,” Jericho warned him.

“Theo just wants to go to his fiancée.” Dorothy again. The woman turned her attention to Laurel. “Are you going to come out here and stop this asinine interrogation of the man you love?”

“No. She’s not.” And Jericho gave Laurel a warning glance. She didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t stay put. Not exactly a compromise since he didn’t want Laurel in the same general area as the pair.

“Laurel, we need to talk,” Theo said. He threw off Jericho’s grip but didn’t go closer. “Alone.”

“Then talk. But it won’t be alone,” Laurel added. “Whatever you have to say, you say here.”

Laurel took the words right out of Jericho’s mouth. Except he’d intended to glare more than she had. Theo sure added some glare and snarl though—he aimed it at Jericho—before turning back to Laurel.

“Certainly you must know by now that calling off the engagement was a mistake,” Theo said to her. “You’ve upset your father. Us. And yourself.”

“Upset?” Laurel threw her hands in the air. “Gunmen attacked Jericho and me. That’s why I’m upset.” She walked toward them. “If you know anything about those gunmen, tell us.”

“Of course we don’t know anything,” Dorothy insisted. “Now, get Maddox and come home with us. We’ll make sure you’re both safe.” The woman paused. “Where is Maddox, anyway?”

“He’s already safe,” Jericho assured her.

Partly true. Jax was back there with Maddox, and a gunman would have to break into the back exit or come through the front to get to them. Still, Jericho wasn’t about to share that with these two.

A staring match started between Theo and him. Dorothy joined in on it, but Jericho pretty much ignored her and focused on Laurel’s ex.

“You think Theo here could be in on the attacks?” Jericho asked Laurel. He knew the question would rile mother and son. And it did.

Dorothy made a sound of pure outrage. “Theo had nothing to do with this. He loves Laurel. He only wants to marry her and be a father to Maddox.”

“Maddox already has a father.” Laurel’s voice was hardly more than a whisper, but it was obvious Dorothy heard it loud and clear. She jerked back as if Laurel had slapped her.

“It’s true,” Theo said, his voice quiet, as well. “We’ll discuss it later, Mom.”

Okay, so Dorothy didn’t know about Maddox’s paternity, but like Jax, she had no trouble putting two and two together. Except in Dorothy’s case, there was more disapproval than Jax had shown.

A lot more.

“Later,” Theo warned his mother when it appeared she was ready to launch herself at Jericho. He gently took hold of his mother’s arm. “Laurel’s tired and upset,” he repeated, as if making a point. “I can talk to her in the morning when her head is clearer.”

Jericho tapped his badge, pulling the lawman card, and he put his gun back in his holster. “You’ll talk to me. And not in the morning. You’ll do it right now. Is Herschel behind the attacks?”

“Of course,” Dorothy answered without hesitation. “Who else?”

Jericho was thinking the who else could apply to the woman asking the question. And her hulk of a son. “If you disapprove of her father so much, then why insist Laurel marry Theo?” he asked.

Dorothy gave him an isn’t-it-obvious? huff. “Because they’re right for each other, that’s why. And besides, even if Theo isn’t Maddox’s biological father, he’s been a father to him. He deserves to raise that little boy.”

“Theo’s hardly seen Maddox.” Laurel went to Jericho’s side, stared at Dorothy. “For that matter, Theo’s hardly seen me over the past six months.”

Six months? The more Jericho learned about this unholy union, the less he liked it. Soon, very soon, he’d want to know why Laurel had gotten involved with the guy in the first place.

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