Lockdown Read online

  Lockdown

  Book Three in the Brant County Heroes Series

  Cher Carson

  Copyright © by Cher Carson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, including photocopying, graphic, electronic, mechanical, taping, recording, sharing, or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the author and / or publisher. Exceptions include brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Persons, places and other entities represented in this book are deemed to be fictitious. They are not intended to represent actual places or entities currently or previously in existence or any person living or dead. This work is the product of the author’s imagination.

  Any and all inquiries to the author of this book should be directed to

  [email protected].

  Lockdown © 2012 Cher Carson

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  About the Author

  Other Books

  Chapter One

  Jessica Carlton stepped through the door of her friend Ava’s bookstore and heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank God for air conditioning.”

  Ava looked up from her computer and smiled. “What’s wrong? Is the unit at your mama’s travel agency on the fritz again?”

  “No, I’ve been standing in line over at Mavis’s.” She rolled her eyes. “I swear that woman still has the first dollar she ever made. She refuses to spend one dime improving that place, and Earl is after her about it all the time. Honestly, the way that linoleum is peeling up, somebody’s gonna trip and break a leg.” She set a brown paper bag down on the glass counter. “Then she’ll be sorry.”

  Ava laughed. “Knowing Mavis, she’d find a way to blame the customer for being so damn clumsy.”

  “You’re probably right.” Jessica set her hands on her hips as she surveyed the newly renovated store. “I still can’t get over how great this place looks, Ava. I swear that fire was the best thing that could have happened to you.” She winked. “Not only did you get the insurance money to gut this old place, but you also managed to snag one of the sexiest bachelors in town.”

  Ava closed her laptop. “He won’t be a bachelor for much longer. I can’t believe we’ll be getting married in just a few short weeks.”

  Jessica unpacked the tuna and chicken sandwiches. “You need anything, just let me know.”

  “That’s sweet, thanks.”

  “Hey, what are maids of honor for, right?”

  Ava grinned. “Be careful. I just might take you up on that offer.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes. “Please, put me to work. Any distraction would be welcome.” She took two bottles of water out of the bag and passed one to Ava.

  Since the two women worked next door to each other, they took turns bringing lunch but usually ate at the bookstore since Ava worked alone and Jessica had her mother to take over while she took a lunch break.

  Ava frowned as she accepted Jessica’s offering. “What’s wrong, hon? You haven’t been yourself for a while now. I’m getting worried about you.”

  Jessica felt guilty for burdening her friend with her problems. She had enough on her plate as it was, planning the wedding, running a business, and finishing the house Ava’s fiancée, Craig, hadn’t bothered to decorate when he renovated.

  She pulled a stool up to the tall counter. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just bored, ya know?”

  Ava chuckled. “I wish I could say I knew how you felt. Hell, I’d give anything to be bored right about now. It seems there aren’t enough hours in the day for me to get everything done.”

  Jessica added dressing to her tossed salad as she asked, “Isn’t Craig helping with the wedding plans?”

  “He just tells me that he wants whatever I want. According to him, it’s my day. He’ll just show up at the appointed time.”

  Jessica giggled. “Yup, that sounds like Craig.”

  Jessica had known Craig most all her life and Ava since they were teenagers, but she had never seen either of them happier than they had been since they became a couple. She’d give anything for what they had.

  Ava pointed her plastic fork at Jessica. “Don’t think I’m gonna let you off the hook that easily. We’re not talking about me right now. We’re talking about you. I want to know what’s wrong. You’ve been out of sorts for months.”

  It was true; Jessica was in a funk, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to shake it. “I just feel like I need to shake things up, ya know?” She bit into her sandwich, taking a moment to formulate her thoughts before she continued. “I’ve lived in this same small town my whole life. Went to the little local college with most of the same people from high school. I’ve worked for my mama ever since I graduated college.” She rolled her eyes. “I still have the same bedroom I did when I was four. How pathetic is that?”

  Ava smiled as she patted her hand. “Hey, you’ll have a down payment for that condo before you know it. That’s something to look forward to, right?”

  Jessica wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. It was a wonder Mavis had included them without being asked. They must cost at least a penny a piece. “Yeah, and I’m looking forward to that, but…”

  “But what, honey?”

  “But I always thought when I bought my first place, it would be with my husband… or at least my boyfriend.”

  Ava laughed. “Like your conservative parents would ever let you live in sin with a man.”

  Her friend was right. Her father was the mayor of their small town, and he was diligent about maintaining a wholesome image that included church followed by family dinners on Sunday nights. Not even her brother, the local police chief, was exempt from their requisite get-togethers.

  “I could always move to a big city and get lost in the rat-race.” She smiled. “That would really get my daddy fired up now, wouldn’t it?” She loved her parents, but sometimes living in their house and under their collective thumb was suffocating.

  “You’ve mentioned that before, moving away. Are you really considering that?”

  Jessica couldn’t deny that she’d thought about it, but she’d never made it past surfing the Internet and packing her virtual bags with designer clothes she’d never be able to afford in real life. “I don’t know. It’s nice to think about, but…”

  “Hey, does this have something to do with Jake?”

  Jake McCoy… the damn man was the bane of her existence. He was also her brother’s best friend and deputy chief. And the only man she’d ever loved. “What makes you think this has anything to do with him?”

  “He and his wife split right around the time I thought about moving to Brant, remember?”

  How could Jessica forget? She spent years silently praying he would come to his senses and leave that airhead. Then she repented for her errant thoughts every Sunday in church because Jake had a child with that woman and she didn’t think the Lord would look too favorably upon her mean-spirited musings.

  But finally the day came when Jake’s little missus decided she was ready for a change in the form of a burly construction worker who worked in a neighboring county. Jessica was happy to see her go, but she took Jake’s son with her, and that left a huge hole in his heart. The last eighteen months, his sole focus had been negotiating the divorce and custody agreement so he could spend more time with
his boy. Not that Jessica could blame him. Jake was a good father, but he was also a man and men had needs, didn’t they? Needs she would be only too happy to satisfy if only he would stop treating her like the flat-chested tomboy who used to follow them around after baseball practice.

  “Jake has nothing to do with my sour mood,” Jessica said before taking a bite of her sandwich.

  “Liar.” Ava laughed. “It’s written all over your face every time you look at him. Just like when you were in high school; no one could ever measure up to Jake in your eyes.”

  Jessica couldn’t deny her friend was right. That’s why all of her relationships had fizzled and died after a short time, because none of those men were fit to tie Jake’s boots. He was everything she wanted, sweet and kind, always the first one to help a neighbor in need, but he also had a tough side, which she’d seen a time or two when he was called on to break up bar fights or apprehend a suspect. And every time she saw him with his son, she fell in love with him all over again.

  “I don’t get it. Why don’t you just tell him how you feel about him?”

  If he didn’t know how she felt about him by now, he was more clueless than she thought. “Please, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. He doesn’t deserve me,” Jessica said, knowing it was a lie. Any woman would be damn lucky to call Jake McCoy her husband, and if Bimbo Barbie couldn’t see that, it was her loss. But Jake seemed to have lost something in that divorce too—a piece of himself.

  “I ran into Jake at the post office yesterday,” Ava said. She brought a forkful of salad to her lips. “He didn’t look too happy, either. Could he feel the same way you do, kind of lonely and out of sorts?”

  Jessica squared her shoulders. “Did I say I was lonely? It so happens I had two dates last week.”

  Ava giggled. “Yeah, you told me about them: Kelvin the driving instructor and Daniel from the feed store.” She rolled her eyes. “Like either one of them could make you forget about Jake.”

  She didn’t want to forget about Jake, that was her problem. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” She re-packed her half-eaten sandwich and put it back in the paper bag. She’d eat it later, when her mid-afternoon hunger pangs had her rummaging through her desk for her stash of chocolate.

  Ava wiped her hands on a paper napkin. “Okay, let’s talk about what you’re going to do to spice things up, then. You mentioned online dating a while back. Were you serious about that?”

  Jessica threw her head back, laughing. “Online dating? Come on, you can’t possibly think it’s come to that.”

  Ava narrowed her eyes. “Name one man who interests you in this town, aside from Jake.”

  “Um, there’s, well…” True, their town only boasted a few thousand people, but there had to be someone, anyone. She snapped her fingers. “I know. How about Billy Cavanagh?”

  Ava wrinkled her nose. “Is that the sweaty gym teacher you went out with last month?” She covered her mouth with her hand, trying, unsuccessfully, to mask her laughter. “The same one who showed up with a bunch of wildflowers that still had roots attached to the stems?” She laughed harder, bending at the waist. “Yeah, he’s a real class act.”

  The bell above the door rang, indicating Ava had a customer.

  Jessica turned ten shades of red when Ava’s customer, who’d obviously overheard their conversation, shared in her laughter. “What the hell is so funny, Jake?”

  His laughter reduced to a smirk, but the twinkle in his dark eyes told her he was still amused. “That’s what you get for datin’ all these losers, Jess. I keep tellin’ you that.”

  Ava opened her computer with a wink and a smile at Jessica.

  Jake kept telling her she was dating the wrong men, but he didn’t seem willing to recommend the right one, so he could just keep his unsolicited opinions to himself, as far as Jessica was concerned. “I saw old man Farley wandering around on Church Street again. Do your good deed for the day; track him down and take him back to the home.”

  “See, Jess, this guy would be perfect for you,” Ava said.

  Jake scowled. “What guy? What the hell are you doing over there, Ava?”

  Jessica slipped in behind the counter, looking over her friend’s shoulder. “Wow, are you serious? You can meet guys who look like that on dating sites? Where does he live?”

  Jake folded his arms across his massive chest. “It doesn’t matter where he lives. You’ll go out with him over my dead body.”

  Jessica set her hands on her hips and glared at Jake. “What gives you the right to tell me who I can and can’t go out with? I’m a grown woman, and I’ll go out with anyone I damned well please, thank you very much.”

  He stalked over to the counter and braced his hands on the glass top. “Is that so? I think your brother and your daddy might have something to say about that.”

  He had a pair; she had to give him that. “I don’t care what they think, or you either for that matter.” She tapped Ava on the shoulder. “Step aside; I want to contact this guy.”

  Jake pointed a finger at her. “Don’t even think about it.” He ran a hand through his short dark hair and released a gusty sigh. “What in the hell is the matter with you, girl? Don’t you watch the news? Don’t you know you can meet all kinds of psychopaths and predators online?”

  Ava bit her bottom lip, looking concerned. “Maybe he’s right, Jess. This may not be the best way to go about meeting someone.”

  “You’re damn right it’s not,” he muttered. He gestured his hand toward Jessica. “She’s going to get herself raped or killed or…” A visible shudder moved through him. “For Christ’s sake, Jess, please, don’t do this.”

  Wow. He almost sounded like he cared about what happened to her and not just because she was his best friend’s little sister or he was an honorary member of the Carlton clan, but because he didn’t want to see her get hurt. She mocked her romanticized fantasies. Of course he cared, he was a cop sworn to uphold law and order. How would it look if he let her fall victim to a predator when he could have prevented it?

  “Thanks for your concern, Jake, but I can take care of myself.” Jessica claimed the swivel chair her friend had vacated.

  “Uh, I think I’ll leave you two alone to sort this out,” Ava said, taking a step back. “I’ll be in the back room unpacking boxes if you need me, Jess. Call me if any customers come in.”

  Jessica glared at Jake. “Why did you come in here? Was it to buy a book, or did you see me sitting here and thought you’d come in and harass me on your lunch break?”

  “I came in to get a book for my son, but it can wait.” He pointed at the computer screen. “This can’t.”

  “You’re right,” Jessica said, turning toward the computer. “It can’t wait. A guy that hot will get snapped up in no time. I’d better not waste any more time talking to you.”

  Chapter Two

  Jake was a fraction of a second away from wringing her pretty little neck. “Turn that goddamn computer off now.” He crowded in behind her, bracing his hands on the back of her swivel chair.

  She nodded her head, causing her high blonde ponytail to shift with the movement. “Not gonna happen.” She motioned toward the door. “Go on back to work; keep the good citizens of Brant safe for another day.”

  “What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” he said, barely forcing the words past his clenched teeth. He knew his response had nothing to do with his job or his best friend or even his loyalty to the Carlton family. The idea of something horrible happening to Jess when he could have prevented it made him feel sick.

  She laughed. “Last time I checked, online dating wasn’t a crime, McCoy.”

  “Maybe it should be.” He watched her enter personal information on a profile page. He hated feeling so damned helpless. This was like watching a runaway train heading straight for him knowing he’d never be able to get out of the way in time. “Fuck, what do I have to say to get you to forget about this shit?” This little lady had always been ab
le to push his buttons, but this latest ploy to get his attention was extreme, even for her.

  “There’s nothing you can say.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m getting tired of waiting for my life to begin, Jake. I’m ready to take action.”

  He frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Was that her way of telling him she was over him? The thought hit him like a drop kick to the gut. Jess had been in love with him ever since he could remember. Everyone in town knew it. He thought it was cute for a while, when she was starting high school and he was finishing college, but as the years went on, Jessica blossomed into one of the most beautiful women in the county and her childish crush on him got harder to ignore.

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  She spun her chair around so she faced him. “I want a man, a real man. Someone who knows how to kiss me…” Her eyes drifted to his lips. “Who knows how to touch me…” She ran a hand up her smooth, bronze thigh as she licked her lips. “Who knows how to fuck me, hard and fast…”

  He staggered backwards, shocked speechless. Jess had never been so blunt with him before. Hell, he’d never even heard her use profanity. She was a good girl, a sweet girl; at least, he thought she was. Maybe Jess had a side he’d never seen. Was that even possible after all these years? He knew she didn’t have a reputation for being promiscuous. Of course, if any of her dates had ever bragged to him about sleeping with her, he wouldn’t have hesitated to shove the foul words back down his throat. Anyone who knew Jake understood he was protective of Jess, and he didn’t know a man with enough courage to suffer his wrath if they crossed that unseen line.

  She braced her hands on the counter behind her, thrusting her lush breasts out. “What’s wrong, Jake? Shocked, appalled…” Her eyes fell to the front of his pants and she smiled. “Or maybe you’re aroused?”

  Jesus, he couldn’t hide it. The thought of fucking Jess was turning him on, big time. He cleared his throat as he tried to rein in his raging libido. This was crazy. Jess was his best friend’s little sister. She was too damn young, too damn innocent for the likes of him. “I…” Shit, he couldn’t even form a coherent thought when she looked at him that way. She was actually undressing him with her eyes, and God help him, it was hot.