Make Me Melt(45)

She was unprepared when Jason hauled her into his arms and hugged her tightly against his chest, his face buried in her neck.

“I’m glad.”

* * *

JASON DIDN’T WANT to leave Caroline alone, but he was anxious for any news about the break-in at the beach house and if the subsequent inspection of the property had yielded any clues. But there was no way he was letting her out of his sight, even to make some phone calls.

There was a new intimacy between them, and he was aware that her eyes followed him when she thought he wasn’t looking. For his part, he just wanted to keep her locked in the hotel room until an arrest was made, and maybe even afterward. He wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.

After their shower, they dressed and Jason ordered breakfast from room service. She had been adamant that he review the files on the medical malpractice cases and that he have the FBI look into the families involved. As a U.S. marshal, Jason had certainly seen people do violent things in the name of love, but his gut instinct told him that the shooter was either connected to Eddie Green or Conrad Kelly. Both men were formidable in their respective spheres. They had connections and could easily have ordered the attack without fear of reprisal. But he agreed that they would follow up on the malpractice cases.

“So what do we do now?” she asked. She sat on the bed, the pillows propped behind her as she reviewed yet another case file. She’d retrieved a narrow pair of reading glasses from her overnight bag, and they sat perched on the end of her nose as she simultaneously ate a fruit parfait and read through the documents. With her hair down and wearing a loose pair of pajama bottoms and a camisole, she looked incredibly sexy.

“Since when do you wear glasses?” Jason asked, sipping a mug of strong coffee as he scrolled through the messages on his smart phone.

“Since forever,” she replied absently. “See...there’s something you don’t know about me. I even wore glasses back when I was in high school, or at least I was supposed to.” She flashed him a mischievous smile. “I didn’t think they were sexy, so I refused to wear them.”

There was a knock at the door, and Deputy Black called Jason’s name through the door. Slanting a look at Caroline, he opened the door and let the deputy in.

“They made an arrest last night,” Colton said. “Two men have confessed.”


Caroline threw the files to one side and climbed to her feet, yanking her reading glasses off. “Are you sure? Who was it?”

Colton looked at Jason as if for permission. Jason nodded curtly.

“After the break-in at the Santa Cruz house, the police received an anonymous tip that two men were seen in the vicinity of the Sea Cliff residence on the night of the shooting.”

“Go on,” Jason said.

“Who called it in?” Caroline interrupted. “Are they sure they have the right men?”

Colton looked at her, his expression serious. “My understanding is that the police just brought them in about ten minutes ago, and they’re still being questioned. But one of the men did admit to the shooting.”

Caroline turned to Jason. “We have to get down there. I want to see these guys for myself.”

“Do they have names?” Jason asked.

Deputy Black nodded. “Yeah. They’re two of Sanchez’s men.”

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”

“He’s the Mexican drug lord who wanted to serve the remainder of his sentence in Mexico?” Caroline looked at Jason for confirmation.

He nodded absently. “Yes, but it doesn’t make sense. Why would his men confess?”

“My understanding is that whoever called in the tip was able to provide a tag number for the car they were driving. The police went to the address and found the men. Someone had worked them over pretty good. From what I hear, they practically begged the police to take them in.”

Caroline frowned. “But they did confess.”

“That’s correct.”

“So then it’s over?” Caroline turned to look at Jason again.

He didn’t want to crush her hopes, but the news just didn’t make sense to him. If the men had been beaten, it was because they had botched the job, or someone with even more influence than Sanchez had intimidated the men into confessing.

“Deputy, I’m sending you over to the police department to oversee the questioning. I’ll bring Caroline over to the hospital. Until we have solid proof that these are our guys, we’re not doing anything differently.”

“But, Jason—”

“I’m not taking any chances,” he said, forestalling whatever argument she might have presented. “I don’t know who these guys are or if they really are part of Sanchez’s gang or why they would confess to the shooting. They must know that if they implicate Sanchez, he’ll have them killed. Being in prison won’t keep them safe.”

Caroline sighed heavily and walked over to the far side of the room, hugging her arms around her middle. Jason’s eyes lingered on her for several seconds, and then he turned his attention back to Colton.

“Get over to the station and check it out,” he said. “If anything seems out of place with their story, let me know.”

Colton nodded and looked over at Caroline. “What will you do?” he asked quietly.