Justice Divided (Cowboy Justice Association Book 10) Read online

  It was quite a while later when he finally answered. “Aaron wants me to go see Wade tomorrow and tell him about Lyle.”

  Ava’s first reaction was hell no. Her second reaction was absolutely no.

  “That’s…ballsy.”

  She could feel Logan’s chest shake with laughter. “That’s one way to put it. He says that Wade has refused to see anyone since the trial, but Aaron thinks he will see me. Gave me some bullshit about how I’m the only one that Wade respects.”

  Ava sat up and frowned down at her husband. “He tried to kill you.”

  “That’s what I said but Aaron was adamant. He still blames me, by the way, for ruining his life. He said I should have let Wade go when I realized it was him.”

  Aaron really did have king-sized balls to say that.

  “You should have let go a serial killer just because you had the same father? He actually said that? Asshole.”

  “He said it.” Logan shrugged and shifted on the bed. “I let him know that I didn’t take kindly to it. He can hate me all he wants to but this all goes back to Wade. Hell, they didn’t have to come back to Corville. That was their choice, not mine.”

  Lyle and Aaron had moved their families out of Corville for a time, but they had eventually come back once Logan and Ava had moved. They had cited various reasons including business, but Logan had conjectured that they liked the attention. Sure, they hated it too, but they weren’t anonymous like they were when they’d moved away.

  “You aren’t going to do it, are you?”

  Even as she said it, she knew what the answer was just by looking at Logan’s face. His jaw had that determined set that she’d learned not to argue with. He’d made up his mind and she’d never change it.

  “I’m going to, although I’m not sure that Wade will care.”

  “He seemed to love his brothers.”

  “Maybe. As much as he was capable of, anyway.”

  “Then I’ll go with you,” she offered. “Mom won’t mind keeping Brianna and Colt, and they love being with their grandmother.”

  “No, baby. You’re staying here. I’m not taking my wife to a maximum security prison for men. That’s crazy talk, woman. Besides, you’d just be waiting around while I talk to him. Better to stay here and get a jump on the evidence. The autopsy should come in tomorrow, plus the ballistic report. We can find out that I was right about where the shot came from.”

  The one thing she appreciated about Logan was that he didn’t assume that she would stay behind baking pies. He was happy to have her on the investigation as long as she didn’t try to do anything dangerous. That’s when he got pissy and domineering. She’d had to remind him on multiple occasions that she had never been shot at. Logan certainly had and more than once.

  “I’m on file duty?” she asked with a heavy sigh. “You get all the interesting assignments.”

  “I wouldn’t call seeing Wade interesting…or maybe I would. I haven’t seen or talked to him in years. I would imagine prison has changed him.”

  Wade had cooperated with authorities to a certain extent, leading them to other victims from years past. There were still some open questions about his college years and Wade was playing a cat and mouse game with the FBI profilers. He kept stringing them along, telling them that there were more bodies out there but then he didn’t deliver. Since he was doing life without the possibility of parole, he had plenty of time to play mind games.

  “Don’t let him get in your head.”

  Logan tugged her back down, his arm tight around her middle. “Worried about me? I’m not about to let Wade bother me. I’ll go there, tell him about Lyle, then come home.”

  Ava snorted, tossing her hair back and out of her eyes. “Right. He’s never going to let it be that simple.”

  With Wade nothing ever was.

  “If he even agrees to see me,” Logan replied. “He might not.”

  “If he doesn’t, what then?”

  “I’ll talk to the prison officials and give them the news. They can tell him. I will have tried and that’s all I can do.”

  There was a part of Ava – a big part – that hoped Wade would refuse to see Logan. A smaller part was curious as to what Wade was like after all this time.

  “Aaron doesn’t deserve your help.”

  Logan gave her a curious look. “What about Mary? Does she deserve my help?”

  Good question but the answer wasn’t as easy. If one looked at the situation without any sentiment or emotion, the answer was no. Mary had been rather horrible to Logan and her treatment hadn’t improved over the years. Logan would have every right to turn his back on Ava’s family. But he wasn’t like that.

  “I don’t like to see any innocent person railroaded.”

  Grinning, Logan picked up a strand of Ava’s hair, rubbing it between his fingers. “What a delightful answer. Except it was an answer to some other question, not mine. You seem pretty sure that Mary’s not guilty.”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “I’m like you. I think your sister is a class A bitch but murder is a bit too far. She’d rather talk behind your back than stick a knife in it.”

  That was a decent description of Mary Hayworth Bryson.

  “Where does that leave us?”

  As fast as lightning, Logan rolled over so that he was hovering above Ava. Her pulse kicked into gear and the blood in her veins began to hum with anticipation. They were childless for an entire night. That was something that hadn’t happened since…

  Hell, she couldn’t remember the last time. It had been that long.

  “It leaves us right here in this comfy bed. Just you and me. Got any ideas of what we could do with all this free time?”

  Ava had several and they all included being naked. Every single one.

  Chapter Nine

  Ava had lost count of the number of times she and Logan had had sex over the years. Not that she’d really been counting in the first place, but in the beginning it had been several times a week. Then after the twins they’d slowed down, although not as much as others might think.

  I can’t help it. He’s just that sexy and good.

  Like many couples they’d experimented a bit to keep things spicy. Tried some different positions and even roleplayed, although Ava always felt a little foolish when they did that. There had been flavored lubricants and lingerie for Valentine’s Day. There had been padded handcuffs for an anniversary. There had even been a hardback copy of the Kama Sutra one year when Logan had come home from a particularly long business trip.

  But nothing…not one thing…was as wonderful to Ava as having the weight of her husband on top of her.

  They’d tried dozens of other positions and there were many she orgasmed in much more quickly and easily. In fact, Logan on top was one of the hardest for her to climax at all but dammit, there was something about seeing him naked above her, his larger body covering her own that was so freakin’ hot.

  It was protective. It was sensual. It was mind blowing. It was primal.

  Closing her eyes, she lost herself in Logan’s kiss as if it was the first time. She hadn’t kissed him that night in the treehouse but if she were honest, she’d wanted to. The next day when he’d cared for her so tenderly she’d been lost.

  His lips kissed a wet path over her cheek and down her neck, finding that spot he knew sent her over the moon. She moved restlessly against him, lifting her hips and rubbing against his body as her pulse sped up. His cock was hard and pressing against the denim of his blue jeans, wanting to be free. She reached down and pulled his shirt from his waistband and started on his button fly.

  Chuckling, he got into the spirit as well, leaning back on his haunches and tugging his shirt over his head before tossing it away. His pants went next and then those talented fingers started in on her garments.

  His heady male scent mixed with the aroma of freshly cut grass and the smell of citrusy body wash. She breathed in a lungful as he tossed her bra away, his lips going direct
ly to one rosy nipple while his finger plucked at the other until it was pebbled and tight. His teeth scraped at the sides of the bud before his tongue followed to soothe the small hurt.

  “Now, Logan.”

  Her voice sounded thready and desperate, but then that’s what she was. Her body, knowing what pleasure her husband could bring was ready and waiting, and any delay was maddening. She needed him now.

  He nipped at her belly, popping open the button of her shorts and slowly pulling the zipper down.

  “You’re always in such a hurry, baby.”

  She lifted her head so she could look him in the eye. “You are such a liar, Logan Wright. You know what I say about lying.”

  Laughing, he pressed a kiss to her inner thigh that made her wriggle on the mattress. “You always say that if I lie my dick won’t get hard, but I must be telling the truth this time.”

  He dug his hard cock into her leg with a grin and then slid her shorts and panties down, the cotton gliding against her fevered skin.

  Tossing them onto the growing pile of clothes, he sat back and surveyed her, his gaze raking from head to toe. At first this had bothered her a little, wondering what he was thinking when he was doing this. But as time had passed, she’d realized Logan was a visual man and the only thing he was thinking was that he wanted to have sex. Specifically with her.

  “I’m just in a hurry this time. Not all the time,” she said with a hiss as he pressed his lips to the instep of her foot. It was an erogenous zone for her and he knew it, the smug bastard.

  Taking his sweet time, he pressed open-mouthed kisses up her leg all the way to the top of her thigh before moving to the other limb and doing it all over again. His five o’clock shadow rasped against her skin sending tingles through her veins. By the time he flicked his tongue over her clit she was a shaking, moaning mess of a woman.

  Logan crawled up her body, his cock trapped against her belly as he kissed her deeply, his tongue rubbing playfully against hers. He nudged at her entrance and she reached down to grab his muscled ass, digging her fingers in and urging him to give her what only he could.

  He thrust in, his hips snapping forward and she groaned at the sweetness of being impaled so deeply and fully. They knew each other so well, they began their dance as naturally as breathing. Her pelvis swayed side to side with each stroke so that he rubbed her clit with every thrust. As keyed up as she already was it didn’t take long until she was teetering on the precipice, ready to tumble over any second.

  “Baby, tell me you’re close.”

  His voice sounded like bits of gravel and glass and his soft breath on her shoulder made her tremble as it skidded over her quivering flesh.

  “Just…one…more…yes.”

  The last word was said far more loudly than the others and any birds napping in the trees probably flew away in fright, but Ava didn’t care as her body shook and pleasure cascaded through her veins leaving her wrung out and limp. Logan reached his peak as well and she watched as she always did, still amazed that this was her man. He was a heap of trouble and a hell of a lot of work, but he was hers to love and care for. She’d never take that for granted.

  No matter what happened here in Corville, they were a team. They’d face it together.

  Chapter Ten

  The electronic doors behind Logan clanked shut and the lock engaged loud enough to be heard across the large room. By design, he was sure. There was no doubt that this was a prison. There were at least a half dozen locked doors between him and the outside and a phalanx of armed guards on all sides.

  Everything was gray. The tiled floor, the walls, the faces of the guards and prisoners. Depressing and drab, all the hope had been sucked from inside these walls like air from a balloon.

  The visitor’s room was chilly, over air-conditioned and dry. It smelled of sweat, desperation, and pine-scented cleaner. The pockets of happiness as loved ones reunited weren’t enough to lift the blanket of sadness that hung over the institution.

  A tall woman in a navy blue suit approached him, her hand held out tentatively.

  “Mr. Wright, I’m Dr. Marilyn Bartlett. I’m the psychologist here. May I speak to you, please, before you go in?”

  Logan wanted to get this task out of the way as quickly as possible, but it looked like there was one more hurdle to go. Did she talk to every visitor the first time?

  “Of course. What can I do for you, Doctor?”

  She nodded toward a hallway. “Why don’t we speak in my office? I promise this will only take a few minutes.”

  He followed her into a small office that was as gray as the rest of the institution despite a few personal touches. Even the plant in the corner looked listless and dry as if it didn’t want to be here either.

  Dr. Bartlett waved him into a chair while she sat down at her desk. Logan was well aware of what that move was. It was a power play. She now had the “power” as the official behind the desk. He’d used it a few times himself. Unfortunately for the good doctor he didn’t give a shit about who was the dominant dog in this conversation. He just wanted to tell Wade the news about Lyle and get the fuck out of here.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Wright. You may not remember me, but I remember you from the trial.”

  His mind raced back trying to place her but he came up blank. “I’m afraid I don’t–”

  She shook her head. “Don’t worry about not placing me. My hair was different.” Her fingers pushed back a stray strand. “I worked for the prosecution during the penalty phase.”

  Now he knew who she was. Her hair had been different. Much shorter and maybe blonder. She’d also been a spectacular witness for the prosecutor, testifying that Wade Bryson shouldn’t receive any leniency because he wasn’t capable of it himself. She’d diagnosed him as a sociopath with narcissistic tendencies. He felt no empathy and therefore couldn’t feel remorse for his crimes.

  “I remember you now. I didn’t realize you worked here also.”

  “I didn’t at the time, but I’ve moved away from private practice.” She folded her hands on the desk. “The reason I wanted to speak to you is that Wade Bryson hasn’t accepted a visitor in quite a long time, but he’s agreed to meet with you. Do you know why that is?”

  Logan had a few theories.

  “Honestly? I think he wants to mess around in my head for fun.”

  The woman didn’t even crack a smile. Okay, she didn’t have much of a sense of humor. So noted.

  “You believe that?”

  “Yes,” Logan answered frankly. “I do. I also think that Wade agreed to see me because he’s curious as to why I’m here.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “I’m here to inform him that his brother Lyle was shot and killed two days ago.”

  Her eyes widened ever so slightly and he could hear her sharp intake of breath, although her features stayed calm and composed.

  “I have concerns about that, Mr. Wright. Wade might act out after learning this news. You’ll be gone but that will become my problem.”

  “I would imagine Wade is a problem every day.”

  The doctor sat back in her chair. “Well…yes. It might be better for me to break the news in a more controlled environment.”

  “Is there a more controlled environment than a maximum security prison?”

  Not a flicker of annoyance or amusement crossed her face. She was like stone. Ballsy woman and she probably had to be to work here.

  “I’m concerned about the wellbeing of all the inmates.”

  Logan wasn’t going to push but he was here for a reason. He’d promised Aaron he’d do it and a promise was a promise. Even an unwilling one.

  “Are you asking me or telling me that you’d like to break the news yourself?”

  “Asking you, of course.”

  There was no of course about it.

  “Then I’ll do it, if you don’t mind.”

  The doctor merely nodded and stood from her chair. Logan stood as well and
followed her to the door that led to the visitor’s room.

  “Please try and not upset him, Mr. Wright.”

  “I’ll do what I can. It’s not my intent to cause trouble.”

  They had Wade for that.

  Logan pushed the door open and stepped into the large room. Along the wall were small cubicles where visitors could sit and visit with a resident. Through a thick piece of plexiglass. Face to face but not really. Logan slowly walked down the length of the room until he found what he was looking for.

  Wade.

  Settling into a chair across from the half-brother he’d put behind bars, Logan reminded himself not to get caught up in Wade’s bullshit. He’d try and play games and get a rise out of Logan.

  Not going to happen.

  Logan lifted the phone on the wall from its cradle and looked for Wade to do the same. As he’d expected, Wade didn’t pick up the receiver right away, instead making Logan wait. A play to establish dominance. If Wade wanted to beat his chest and play king of the jungle from behind bars that was fine with him.

  Wade’s curiosity though eventually got the better of him and he picked up the phone.

  “What a pleasure to see you, brother. This is such a surprise.”

  It probably was a surprise since Logan hadn’t seen Wade in years. The last time he’d spoken to his former childhood friend had been during the trial when he’d been trying to convince Wade to tell about his other victims.

  Ignoring the brother greeting, Logan wanted to get right to the point. “Aaron asked me to come here today. He says you won’t see anyone from the family.”

  Wade smiled. “I’m seeing you.”

  It was Wade’s mission in life to try and somehow convince Logan that they were alike, one and the same. Brothers in more than paternity.

  Logan wasn’t buying it.

  “There’s news about your brother Lyle and I’ve come here to tell you.”

  “So tell me.”