Page 35 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)
Deke stood at the head of the conference table. Everyone was still reeling from Zara’s update: Kent Wycoff, shot in the head, his SUV set ablaze on a lonely mountain road. Murdered. There was no question about it.
Ronan paced back and forth, his boots thudding against the polished floor. “So the prime suspect in Jade’s case just got himself taken out,” he said, voice tight with anger. “Anyone else think this timing’s a little too convenient?”
“No argument here,” Deke replied, his gaze drifting to Jade.
She stood against the wall, arms folded, trying—and failing—to hide the tremor in her fingers.
Only a week ago, she had been finalizing tax documents without any inkling of money laundering or crime families.
Now she was in the midst of a homicide investigation. No wonder she seemed shell-shocked.
The hush that followed turned the group’s focus to the burning question: the storage unit. It was the last known link in Wycoff’s chain—maybe the last lead they had. Axel arched a brow. “We gotta get in there and see whatever’s hidden, before these people torch that place too.”
Ronan nodded. “Logical step, but we can’t just barge in,” he said, shooting Maya a look that clearly sought confirmation.
She inclined her head. “No way we have any business breaking into that locker now. It’s part of a homicide investigation. We need to let local law enforcement handle it. We can’t risk tampering with potential evidence.”
“Only they don’t know it exists yet,” Jade pointed out.
Deke grunted. “Point taken.”
Kenji, slouched in a swivel chair behind a bank of monitors, let out a dramatic sigh. “Which means dealing with Chief Frazer. He’s not exactly our biggest fan, especially after that one … slight mishap.”
“Mishap?” Zara echoed, a wry smirk tugging at her lips. “Kenji, you impersonated a county IT official and claimed their server was riddled with ‘digital termites.’ Of course, he’s mad.”
“Hey, at least they upgraded their systems,” Kenji retorted, though his grin wilted. “Still, Frazer isn’t gonna love that we’ve known about this storage unit and said zilch until now.”
Zara jerked back, eyes on her monitors again. “Interesting. Guys, the initial responders on scene are reporting a handful of twenty-dollar bills blew out of the vehicle when they got the driver’s door pried open.”
Maya set down her mug. “I bet they find more. Satchels or duffels or suitcases.” She caught Deke’s eye. “The guy was probably running with the money.”
If Wycoff was behind the threats to Jade, that was a good thing. Which made checking that storage locker even more imperative.
Ronan stopped pacing and tossed Deke a crooked grin. “So, who’s calling the chief? I vote for Captain Smooth Talk over here.” He jabbed a thumb at Axel, the team’s usual diplomat in tense scenarios.
Axel folded his arms, shaking his head. “Not it. My charm can only do so much after we’ve withheld evidence for days.”
Deke drew a slow breath, ignoring the clamp of tension on his chest. “I’ll do it,” he said. Jade was his responsibility. If that meant eating some crow with Cory Frazer, so be it.
He stepped aside, fishing out his phone to call Frazer’s cell. The rest of the team quieted, blatantly eavesdropping. The phone rang three times before a gruff voice answered, “Frazer here. Go.”
“It’s Deke Williams, Knight Tactical.”
A beat of silence, then a low growl. “Figured I’d hear from you. Bet it’s not good news.”
“That depends on your point of view. I think we have a lead for you on the Wycoff thing.” Deke cleared his throat, ignoring the thin line of sweat forming at the back of his neck.
“We confirmed Wycoff leased a storage unit at Hope Landing Self-Storage. We suspect it’s related to his murder—possibly containing evidence. We?—”
“Hold on,” Frazer cut in. “You’re telling me about this key piece of evidence now? After the man’s been found dead?”
Deke forced down a sharp reply. “We were investigating ourselves, but with homicide in the mix, we need your people to handle it officially.”
“You think?” Frazer snapped.
Across the table, Kenji offered Deke an over-the-top thumbs-up that earned him a scowl in return.
“Listen,” Deke said, voice rigid. “We don’t want to compromise your case. Jade’s safety is my only concern. If Wycoff had an accomplice, Jade could still be in danger.”
Frazer’s frustration crackled through the phone. “Noted. I’m still not letting your people near that unit. I’ll keep you updated—unofficially. Understood?”
“Understood, Chief.”
A pause, then Frazer grumbled, “And call me the second you find anything else. No more delays. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Chief. Copy that.”
The line went dead. Deke exhaled and turned back to the team, who watched him like spectators awaiting a verdict.
“Well?” Jade asked, hugging her arms to her chest.
“He’s mad, but he’ll handle the storage facility,” Deke replied succinctly. “No chance of us getting a foot in. Forensics only.”
Kenji, always the comedian, folded his arms in mock sternness. “At least we’re not in handcuffs for withholding evidence. So … small victories?”
Yeah. Really small. “What now?”
Ronan took a seat behind one of the monitors and tapped at the keyboard, pulling up local traffic cam feeds. “We should reconstruct Wycoff’s last hours,” he said, throwing Jade a sympathetic glance. “If we find anything, maybe Frazer owes us one.”
Deke shot Jade a look. The news had shaken her. Badly. Of course, it would.
She looked drained—more than anyone should after mere days of stress. In the past week, she’d gone from dealing with routine accounting tasks to blackmail, homicide, and the looming threat of organized crime.
When her eyes met his, he read the silent plea for stability. And now, after her confession, he realized just how important that stability was to her.
The only remedy he knew was action.
“We’re not done yet,” he said gently, stepping closer. “The police might crack open that storage unit soon, but we’ll keep looking for clues. No harm in more eyes on the data, right?”
She nodded, swallowing hard. “Thanks. I … I hate waiting. Feels like the longer it goes, the worse it’ll get.”
“I hear that.” He rested a firm hand on her shoulder, then gave a meaningful glance to the team. “But there might be a silver lining.”
Ronan arched a brow. “You mean Wycoff’s death?”
Deke nodded. “Like Maya said. He was clearly fleeing with a chunk of money—money he must’ve been laundering. That’s likely what the storage unit was for: safe stashing of large amounts of cash. If he was the mastermind behind Jade’s threats, she might actually be safe now.”
“But what if he had partners?” Jade asked. “Or what if he was working for someone else?”
Maya nodded. “He most likely was. Laundering ops move huge amounts of currency. Wycoff might be wealthy, but to have enough cash on hand to risk using a storage unit means a big-time operation. If he was laundering money, there’s no way it was a one-man situation.
But without him, the bigger fish won’t bother going after Jade.
It’s risky and unnecessary. They silenced Wycoff. Her investigation ends here.”
Axel released a slow breath, relief edging his features. “So she’ll be off their radar.”
“That makes sense,” Deke confirmed, turning to Jade. “Wycoff was worried you’d figure out his scheme. That’s why he or an accomplice tried to scare you off. Now that he’s gone, the danger to you died with him.”
Jade’s posture shifted, a trace of hope in her eyes for the first time that day. “That ... that’s good news.” She looked around the room. “But he was still murdered.”
Silence settled over them, acknowledging the gravity of the situation. Finally, Deke inclined his head. “We should say a prayer for his soul, no matter what he did.”
All heads bowed briefly, Jade’s included. Deke murmured a soft prayer for the man who had caused so much turmoil—and whose violent end had stunned them all. When they straightened, the air felt a little clearer, although the sadness lingered.
Jade let out a shaky breath. “So maybe ... maybe I’m safe.”
“Looks like,” Deke said, though he knew neither of them would feel truly at ease until the evidence confirmed it. “We’ll keep investigating, and confirm Gillian Wycoff’s story at the very least, but for now, my guess is no one’s got any more reason to target you.”
Maya stood behind Ronan, hands on his shoulders as she studied the monitors in front of him.
“First thing we need to do is confirm that Gillian Wycoff wasn’t involved in either her husband’s death, or whatever scheme he was involved in.
She’d be one person I could see who would still find Jade a threat. But that should be easy to clear up.”
A hollow ache settled behind his ribs. The need to protect her was rapidly evaporating. And he sensed that any deeper involvement—personally—would only mean more complications for them both. It wasn’t her past that stood between them, though she’d never believe him if he admitted it.
It was him. DJ, partly, sure. But mostly, just him. He couldn’t be Knight Tactical agent, a dad and a true partner. Not the kind of all-in partner Jade deserved. Not now. Maybe not ever.
But for the first time in … forever … it sure was tempting to try.
He reached out, giving her shoulder another gentle squeeze. The contact only sharpened the awareness that once this ended—once she no longer needed protection—he had no place in her world.