Love & Accusations Read online

  Love & Accusations

  Book One of the Caprice Chronicles

  Selena Page

  Love & Accusations

  Copyright © 2016, Selena Page

  Copyright © 2016, Selena Page

  First electronic publication: June 2016

  Selena Page

  www.selenapage.com

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Caprice Chronicles

  Love & Accusations

  Smoke & Longing – Coming July 2016

  Find Selena Page online at www.selenapage.com or e-mail her at [email protected]

  Join the Family and stay up to date with the latest news from the Caprice Family! Visit http://eepurl.com/b6LeNH for new release dates, sneak previews, and more!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 1

  Another small town grocery store, another half-frozen bean and cheese burrito. Carmina Caprice grabbed a stack of paperwork as she shoveled the vile fast food in her mouth, her eyes scanning the papers once again. Even though she had memorized it weeks earlier, she still found comfort in going through the information.

  On the surface, Jackson Lane was someone she rarely saw in her line of work. Intelligent, well-liked, gorgeous. An English teacher at the local high school. An all-American, apple-pie kind of guy if she’d ever seen one. And, of course, her former high school sweetheart. She hadn’t told her boss that little detail; this was more than a job for her. This was personal.

  It wasn’t quite the vision she had when she thumbed through pictures of the victims. One of her special talents was a small touch of post cognition—sometimes, when she read police reports like these, she could see what had happened. Every time it was the same, a clear image of Jax choking and beating the women, a dead look clouding his brilliant blue eyes. Four dead women, with two more hospitalized. No witnesses, but both of the surviving women swore up and down it was Jackson Lane. Of course, he had skipped town before the investigation could really get rolling. A clear indication of guilt, in her experience.

  This wasn’t the kind of case she usually worked. She liked to stick to the non-violent offenders, guys who had jumped bail over fraud or theft. Easier to bring them in, and since the job didn’t offer health insurance, less risk that she would be paying out of pocket for a broken arm or worse. It didn’t always work out that way, and she’d seen her share of hospital rooms while out in the field, but this case was something special.

  Carmina tossed the papers into a pile, leaning her head back against the opulent leather seat of her car, sighing heavily. The Jax she knew would never hit a woman, let alone beat one to death. In eight years of knowing one another and three of dating, he had never been anything but a perfect gentleman. When the other guys were wolf-whistling at girls and making snide remarks about their tits, Jackson was telling them to stop being scumbags. It didn’t make sense, and it infuriated her that such a seemingly kind and mild-mannered guy could do something so horrible. Carmina had to admit she felt betrayed by her memories, her stomach twisting as she thought about Jackson’s smile and his infectious laughter.

  It didn’t help that there were massive holes in the narrative of this case. Jax swore he didn’t do it. He even had an alibi for two of the murders. No fingerprints on any of the women, nothing that could forensically link him to any of the scenes. But the confirmation from the victims that it was him was pretty damning. Particularly since one of them happened to be his ex-wife. The cases presented in an identical manner, so it wasn’t a huge leap of logic to assume he was guilty.

  It had been two weeks of trying to chase him down, and Carmina was no closer to finding him than she had been the first day. On the upside, no one else had found him either. But the longer he was gone, the more likely it was that he wouldn't be found. And there were few things she hated more than losing her mark.

  She had arrived in Bartlett, New Hampshire the day before. A tiny town known for its outdoor recreation, and a few miles down the road from Hart’s Location, a villa where Lane’s great-uncle owned a derelict hunting cabin. As far as she could tell, it had fallen out of use when the man had died, although it remained in the family. After weeks of driving around the North East and hitting every likely place, this was her next best lead. And if this turned out to be a bust, it would be hitting cheap-ass motels and slipping them a twenty to tell her if they’d seen him. Although her expenses would eventually be reimbursed, it was still an expensive, time consuming, and all too often fruitless way of tracking someone.

  Carmina had a map to the cabin, courtesy of Jackson’s mother, Andrea Lane, who was anxious to have her son back, guilty or not. Andrea had been thrilled to hear from Carmina, and Carmina had a small pang of regret over cutting off contact with Jax and his family. Now all she needed was a bit of luck that he’d actually be there, and that he’d be willing to come quietly. She didn’t want to have to shoot her ex-boyfriend, but she would if he forced her hand.

  Four years as a bounty hunter hadn’t prepared her for this. She had seen all manner of scum in her time, but never someone she knew as intimately as Jackson. The thought of seeing him again under these circumstances made her stomach twist—she almost hoped she wouldn’t be the one to find him, even if the paycheck for this job would be enough to let her live comfortably for months.

  Carmina inhaled deeply, a shiver running down her spine as she felt a pulse of power surround her. There was something else in town with her, and it wasn’t entirely human. She was familiar with the feeling, and she had learned it wasn’t something to be ignored. Whenever there were other supernatural creatures around her, things inevitably went south quick. And by the feel of it, whoever it was had significant strength and age on its side. All the more reason to find Jackson and get the hell out of town as quickly as possible.

  For a brief moment, she entertained her baby sister’s parting words. Mia had told her not to go, to stay home, to forget she had ever heard about Jackson Lane. The baby of the family had practically begged her, telling her that something didn’t feel right about it. She almost wanted to do just that, to forget she’d ever heard about Jackson Lane’s murder spree, but the faces of the brutalized women were seared into her brain, and she knew she couldn’t drop it. Not if there was a possibility of bringing this guy down before he hurt anyone else.

  The power surge faded, and Carmina allowed her muscles to relax, scanning the parking lot of the grocery store. She had a feeling that whatever had caused the spike wouldn’t be standing right in front of her, but it didn’t hurt to look.

  As sh
e watched, a car pulled in and circled once before gliding into a spot. From where she sat, she could see a man in the driver’s seat. The make and model of the car was right. She watched as Jackson Lane slowly climbed out of the car, casting his eyes around the parking lot before he turned and strode into the store, adjusting the ball cap on his head.

  She smiled and chuckled to herself as she crammed the rest of the tepid burrito into her mouth. Maybe this job wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  Chapter 2

  There was something wrong. He felt it as he pushed the cart out of the store, a tingling at the back of his skull. Jackson slowed his pace as he approached his car, eyes darting around the parking lot. Nothing seemed out of place, but he had learned to listen to his intuition, and it had rarely steered him wrong. He unlocked the trunk and tossed in the bags of cheap junk food and cleaning supplies. Time to go home and lay low until he could figure out his next step.

  Jackson felt someone approaching from behind, moving towards him quickly. Their mind tingled at the edge of his consciousness, intent on their mark. He slammed the trunk shut, whirling to meet his stalker. He was damned if he was going down without a fight. He knew what would happen if he let anyone take him before he could prove his innocence.

  The woman stopped in her tracks, dark eyes widening as she looked up at him. Jackson’s mouth went dry, his palms itching as he looked down at the petite woman. She was dressed in simple jeans and a bulky leather jacket, but he could tell some of that was from whatever she wore underneath. At least she came prepared.

  Dark, expressive eyes stared at him with something close to rage, and a familiar mouth that he knew could curve into a beautiful smile was set into a thin line. She had her hair pulled back into a tight braid, every muscle in her body rigid as she waited for the altercation. She was just as beautiful as he remembered.

  In the back of his mind, he could feel her. There was a hard shell covering her emotions, but he could feel the doubt, the worry. The sheer power locked inside her mind.

  “Cari?”

  Her hand darted out, connecting solidly with his chest and pushing him up against the trunk of his car. She hissed at him, “Not a goddamn word, Jax.”

  Jackson’s chest burned where she touched him, and he could feel power crackling from her fingertips. The pain was followed by something deeper, something much more pleasant, a familiar stirring.

  The intense surge between them surprised her as much as it had him, and he watched as she scrambled back a step with wide eyes, rage replaced by confusion. Her voice was little more than a whisper, “What the hell are you?”

  Jackson hesitated for a moment before climbing toward the driver’s side door. He didn’t bother looking around as he started the car and threw it into drive, peeling out of the parking lot.

  Chapter 3

  Carmina slammed her palm against the dash, feeling as much anger toward herself as she did for the man she was hunting. She had never lost control like that, with her power swelling to the surface unbidden. She had no idea what he’d done to her.

  She could still feel him lurking in the corners of her mind, a warm, heavy presence that seemed to not know he was even there. She had no idea what he was or what he was capable of. And it was a pretty good bet that he didn't either.

  “Fuck! God dammit.” Carmina snatched her phone from the passenger seat, punching at the screen. She was halfway through dialing her partner’s number before she threw the phone away from her. If Jackson was something other than human, she couldn’t risk bringing in anyone else and putting them in harm’s way. She couldn’t risk anyone discovering that there was more to the world than they thought. No, she couldn’t call backup. Not until she knew exactly what he was capable of.

  He was far enough ahead of her that she had lost his car, but it didn’t matter. She knew he was going back to his cabin. He felt safe there; he thought that he could hide. She couldn’t read his mind—not exactly—but she could glean that much at least. Panic and anxiety leaked from his thoughts, and she felt his adrenaline seeping into her limbs. She slammed the dash again, feeling a dark swell of satisfaction when it cracked beneath her fist, which helped to center her.

  As long as he stayed put for at least an hour or so, she would find Jackson, and she would bring him in. If he was too dangerous, she would deal with him.

  Carmina rarely used her gun when she was on these adventures. Most of her targets were minor infractions, and she found that the gun often escalated a situation unnecessarily. But in this case she would make an exception, and if Jackson Lane tried to do anything to her—like that bizarre trick with the electricity rushing through her body—she would shoot him in the knee and claim self-defense.

  She tried to ignore the warmth in the pit of her stomach. The years had been kind to her old flame, and his eyes were the same deep blue. She couldn’t deny he was an attractive man, but she wasn’t going to let a pretty smile pull her from the task at hand. It didn’t help that seeing him again had brought up memories of their time together—stolen kisses at the movie theater, flooding his parent’s basement while they were working on a science project, the way he made her feel cared for when he touched her and told her he loved her.

  One thing was certain, she wasn’t going to let him escape again.

  Carmina could still feel him in the back of her mind when she pulled off the road into a small copse of trees, slamming the car into park. She was fairly certain he’d made it back to the cabin; he was starting to calm down. She pulled her bag from the backseat, checking it once before strapping it on.

  Inhaling deeply, she tilted her head back, allowing distractions and worries to flow from her mind. The bewildering mind of Jackson Lane was pushed down into a tiny box and locked with a key. She had learned at a young age how to push her emotions away when she had to, how to lock the distractions in her mind until she was ready to deal with them. Although she felt him there, at least she could ignore him for the time being. She never knew when she might need to draw on his thoughts, but for now, it was best to keep him at a distance. Power from the earth and air seeped into her limbs, pushing aside the adrenaline and helping clear her thoughts.

  “Cari! Don’t leave me here! Please... help!”

  The voice of her brother reverberated through the air, but she ignored the ghost of her past, focusing instead on the latent magical abilities attuned to her soul. She didn’t use her magic; not anymore. But this was different. Anyone with a speck of magical ability could do this, if they were willing to clear their mind and let the natural energy of the world flow through them. It wouldn’t stop bullets, but at least she was more aware of her surroundings. This little trick had kept her out of more than one bad situation.

  Carmina cracked her knuckles and opened her eyes. The colors around her were sharper, more intense. Birds rustled in the trees, and playful creatures scurried through the underbrush. Carmina closed her eyes and focused. She knew Jackson’s energy; she knew the way he smelled, and the way his body disturbed the natural area around him. In the distance, she could hear the steady thrum of his beating heart. She turned in that direction, moving silently through the woods toward her target.

  Chapter 4

  It watched as the woman slid through the woods effortlessly, her movement aided by the magic of the world around her. It could feel the power rolling off her, even though she seemed oblivious to her abilities. If it had possessed the ability to laugh, it would have cackled with glee at the way its plan was taking shape. Everything was falling into place perfectly.

  Initially, it had planned to use the man as long as it could—manipulating his powers and drawing them into itself. And then the woman appeared, the perfect target. A Caprice, one of the many families that had bound it so long ago.

  It would have revenge, and it would bathe in the blood of the witch and the little puppet.

  Chapter 5

  His heart finally began to slow once he’d hidden his car with a pile of downed branches. It
wasn’t perfect, but he had to hope that she didn’t know where the cabin was actually located. For now, he’d ride it out and hope she wouldn’t find him, until he could think of somewhere else to go. If he was lucky, she’d think he was passing through, and she would be out combing the neighboring towns for him. If not, well, he knew Cari well enough to know that she wasn’t going to stop until she found him.

  He was pretty sure she wasn’t a cop, otherwise he was certain he wouldn’t have escaped that parking lot. Likely a bounty hunter of some kind. It fit, she’d always been concerned with justice. One thing was certain, she wasn’t someone he wanted to have hunting him.

  Jackson spared a glance for the shotgun leaning next to the front door. He had no intention of using it on anyone, let alone his ex-girlfriend, but he might be able to drive her off with it. If the damn thing still fired.

  Jackson sat down heavily in the ancient wooden rocker, rubbing at his face. He wasn’t quite sure how to explain what had happened in the parking lot. He had never felt someone like that. He’d always been empathic, understanding what people were going through and feeling their pain more keenly than others. It was one of the things that had made him a good teacher—he always knew when a kid was struggling and how he could fix it. But this was different, he’d never felt someone’s mind like that; he’d never been able to practically read someone’s thoughts. Hell, a month ago, he would have said that no one could do anything like that. The thought that maybe the gift of reading people that had always made him such a good poker player was something more insidious sent a shiver down his spine, and he found himself hoping this was all just a nightmare.

  She was still there in his mind. He couldn’t read her like he had when they touched, but he could feel her. There was no questioning who it was—determination and fortitude, surrounded by the faintest hint of jasmine. It had always been her scent, the thing that stuck in his mind most about her; the way she smelled. Her presence was like a single ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Even though Jackson knew his outcome was bleak, and even though Carmina herself was hunting him, he couldn’t help but feel empowered by her presence. Though he knew he should be trying to push her as far away from his mind as he could, he couldn’t help but feel like she was meant to be there.