“That’s the deal. I know it’s not much. But it’s the best I can offer.”
“Okay.”
His eyes widened. “Okay? Just like that?”
“I’m not an idiot, Colin. I can see for myself that you’re right about the danger that Brian’s in. And I can’t help him while sitting in a jail cell. I’m going to have to trust that the Colin I once knew is still inside you somewhere—the man with honor, integrity and mercy. I’m putting my faith, and my brother’s life, in your hands. We have a deal.”
After conferring again with some other officers, Colin returned to the desk. “The police are gathering in the main conference room to ask you some questions,” he told her. “They’ll let us know when they’re ready.”
Peyton followed his gaze to a door on the other side of the room. “The police? You make it sound like you aren’t one of them.”
“I’m not.” His eyes hardened like brittle chips of ice. “Guess I neglected to formally introduce myself given our past...association.” He pulled an ID badge out of his pants pocket and held it up. “Deputy US Marshal Colin McKenzie. At your service.”
She ignored the gibe about their past, and his sarcasm, even though it was hard to keep absorbing his barbs without lashing out. That wouldn’t do her or her brother any good. Still, she secretly admitted that the shiny silver circle with a five-point star in the middle that said United States Marshal made her proud. He’d followed his dream, kept his family legacy alive by going into law enforcement like his prosecutor mother and federal judge father. The Mighty McKenzie must be very proud of his third-born son. She wondered if his brothers had pursued similar careers.
“I didn’t realize there was a US Marshals office in Gatlinburg.”
“There isn’t.” He slid his badge back into his pocket. “Knoxville’s the nearest field office. But that’s not where I work most of the time. Usually, I’m on taskforces throughout the state. Last week I started a new assignment here, working out of the Gatlinburg police station as a liaison, tracking down fugitives with outstanding warrants. Cold cases, basically.”
That explained why she hadn’t seen him around town since she’d gotten back. She’d both hoped for and dreaded bumping into him at some point.
“And you’ve been assigned to hunt down Brian?”
“No. A team of marshals was assembled out of Memphis to recapture him and the others immediately after the escape. The only reason I’m involved is because when I heard Brian was spotted heading toward this area, I decided to check out your place, just in case he went home. I was surprised to find that he had.”
“No more surprised than I was.”
His jaw tightened. “Your interference allowed him to get away.”
“I’m—”
“Sorry. Yes. I know.”
An uncomfortable silence settled between them until an officer opened the conference room door and waved at them.
“That’s our cue. Chief Landry is ready to talk to you.” Colin motioned for her to precede him. “It’s a full house. Given the need to pass along any useful information to the search teams as quickly as possible, the team leads are all in there, as well as detectives. That’s why they’re in a conference room instead of one of the smaller interview rooms.”
She wiped her suddenly sweaty palms against her jeans and headed toward the open door. But ten feet away, he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.
“Do you know where Brian’s hiding?”
“No. I don’t. I swear.”
He nodded. “All right. We’ll talk later, in private, and try to figure out where he might be holed up. But if you do have any ideas and are asked about him in that room, tell the truth. Deal or not. Lying will only get you in more trouble.”
“But I don’t want Brian hurt. Won’t telling them put his life in jeopardy?”
“Tell the truth,” he repeated. “The second you feel like you know where he might be, I’ll be the first one out the door trying to find him. I’ll do everything I can to protect him. You have my word.”
“Why? Why do you even want to help him, or me? And don’t tell me it’s because of my parents.”
His brows raised. “You and I may be over, but I loved you once. If nothing else, for the sake of what we once were to each other, I feel obligated to keep you both safe. Is that so difficult to understand?”
“After everything that’s happened, yes. It is. You’re a far better person than me, Colin. In your place, I don’t know that I could be so accommodating.”
He frowned and started to say something but the officer who’d waved at them earlier motioned at them again.
Peyton didn’t move. “Should I be asking for a lawyer?” she whispered.
He turned his back to the officer. “Probably. Are you asking for one?”
She considered her meager finances and the staggering cost of Brian’s continued legal bills that had crippled her entire family financially. It would take her years to pay off her portion of his lawyer fees. Adding more legal costs on top of that would be devastating. “No. I’ll just wing it, I guess.”
He frowned. “If you can’t afford one, I can take care of—”
“No.” She cleared her throat and lowered her voice. “No, but thank you for offering. That’s very...nice of you, especially considering...” Her voice trailed off. The air between them seemed to thicken with tension. She glanced at the white lines on his hands. How he could have gone through what he had and offer to help her was beyond her comprehension, in spite of his insistence that he felt obligated because of their past.
It felt a thousand ways wrong.
She could never take his money, even though she knew he’d never miss it. Money had never been a concern for any of the McKenzies. They’d become wealthy the old-fashioned way. They’d inherited it. Colin didn’t work because he had to. He worked because he wanted to. But that wouldn’t make it right for her to take advantage of his generosity.
He studied her, as if deciding whether or not to argue the point. Then he shrugged and led her to the conference room.
It took a supreme effort of will not to turn around and run when she saw the people waiting for her inside. A dozen men and women went silent at her approach. Each of them had a legal pad or an electronic tablet on the table in front of them. And every one of them was watching her like a scientist observing a particularly nasty insect through a microscope.
“Over there.” A lean, middle-aged man with skin the color of an old saddle waved toward two empty chairs directly across the table from him.
She took one of the chairs. Colin took the other.
The man who’d motioned them to sit down gave her a smile that was polite, but far from warm. “I’m Chief Landry. Obviously, you already know Deputy US Marshal McKenzie. Everyone else in this room is either a regular police officer or a detective working for me. Miss Sterling, I want to make it clear that you’re not under arrest. I’m going to ask you some questions and, hopefully, you’ll do me the courtesy of answering them. You’re free to go at any time. Do you understand?”
She glanced longingly at the door but nodded. She understood more than he realized. The legal system wasn’t exactly a stranger to her given her family’s history fighting the charges against her brother. By not arresting her, the chief didn’t have to tell her about her legal rights or remind her that she could have an attorney present.