Page 1 of Loving Justice

Prologue

“Are you sure about this, sir?” The envelope burned a hole in Jinx Weathersby’s pocket and his head spun wildly. He settled himself deeper into the chair across from the desk, his gaze automatically targeting the door, feeling a desire to run.

“I asked you to do this. I wouldn’t have asked unless I needed an answer. Did you find something?” Sam Rose stared back with wise grey eyes.

With the last shred of doubt unraveling, Jinx reached into his jacket pocket, withdrew the thick envelope and set it on the desk, pushing it toward Sam. “I don’t know if it means anything, these photos.”

Sam reached for the envelope. He glared at it for four heartbeats before opening the flap and taking out the contents. As he slowly flipped through the stack of photos, he shook his head, his expression growing grimmer with each image.

On his way to Sam’s office, Jinx had changed his mind nearly a dozen times. Then he reminded himself that if he didn’t give Sam the information, someone else would.

“Tell me what you know.” Sam tossed the photos down onto the desk.

“They met in some restaurant in the Catskills, and before she made it through the first course, she left.”

Sam arched his brow. “Did they seem…”

“Involved?” Jinx stretched his legs out in front of him. He didn’t like stirring up trouble and yet here he was. “Sir, you asked me to find out if your suspicions were true. I could just as easily hit a target blindfolded than guess what type of relationship your daughter has with Downs. I didn’t get warm and fuzzy feelings if that’s what you’re asking.”

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Sam planted his palms on his desk. “Did she see you? Does she have any clue that you’ve been following her?”

“No. I kept my cover.” When Sam came to Jinx and asked him to monitor Justice’s comings and goings, his first instinct was to turn the request down. He was a simple ranch hand not a private investigator, but he understood the confidentiality required in the situation. Not only did Sam want to keep his daughter’s fraternizing with the enemy concealed but the information getting into the wrong hands could be trouble for the Rose family. They were tight-knit, but Jinx sensed there were some troubles recently that put cracks in the foundation.

Then there was the little fact of payment. The large sum of money Rose promised for Jinx’s task and his discretion would cushion his bank account.

Agitated, Sam stood and stepped over to the minibar to pour himself a whiskey. “Drink, Jinx?”

“I’ll pass.” Jinx shifted uncomfortably in the leather chair, his gaze falling to the photos scattered on the desk. His gut tightened and he felt a bit sick. For a month, he’d been watching her, following her. At first, he’d been concerned that Sam had wanted his daughter watched. Jinx had felt it was a lack of trust and respect on a father’s part, and the longer the task continued, the guiltier Jinx felt. But the money had been the enticement. Years of working as a hand hadn’t made him rich and he’d lived on beans and rice more times than he could count just to ensure he cared for his sister. He was responsible for Ilene’s future.

Jinx had been twenty-five years old when their mother passed away. After Ilene was born, their father divorced their mother, remarried, and moved to Costa Rica with his new wife. He then shifted his focus to caring for his new family—he didn’t offer a cent of support to provide for his two biological children.

Life had been challenging as they managed to simply meet their basic needs. Jinx’s mother, Izzy, worked multiple jobs to provide for the family. When Jinx turned fourteen, he started working as a bagger at a grocery store to contribute, but at eighteen, he left Catskills to seek better opportunities. By that time, Izzy was in remission from leukemia but could no longer work. Her sister, Ness, moved in to help with caring for Ilene. When Izzy's condition worsened, Jinx became Ilene’s caretaker, assuming parental responsibilities. His sister exhibited challenging behaviors, particularly now at fifteen, often testing his patience at every turn. Despite this, Jinx intended to use the money offered by Sam to fund Ilene’s college education.

What had transformed over the last few weeks had undoubtedly been unexpected. He looked forward to seeing Justice and learning her behaviors and mannerisms. The way she tucked in her bottom lip when she was super focused. The way the wind caught the end of her long, wavy hair and she tried to contain it. Her ever-changing laugh depended upon her mood and how comfortable she was with someone. When she spoke to her sisters her translucent blue eyes would sparkle, but when she talked to one of the crew, she always had her guard up. The other day, she was in the barn feeding the cats, and she seemed so happy, carefree, and happy that he felt a tug in his gut, wishing he could see that joy directed at him. He’d been brushing one of the horses and hadn’t realized he’d been staring until she made eye contact. She grinned, and he’d felt thunderstruck to the center of his bones.

She was beautiful—more than beautiful. She was radiant, yet many times, he saw a sadness in her expression that didn’t quite make sense to him. How could she be so sad when her life seemed nearly perfect?

Yet, no one had a perfect life.

When he followed her to the restaurant and saw who she was meeting, he thought he had to be imagining what he saw. And once he saw how uncomfortable she’d been—fidgety, tense, restless—sitting at the table with Downs, Jinx realized she thought he was a snake, too.

He was curious what her relationship had been like with Downs. Had they been close and simply gone sour? Had Downs hurt her?

“I’ve given my daughters everything,” Sam said quietly, drawing Jinx’s attention. “Sometimes I don’t know—” He rubbed his forehead, and his skin appeared weathered. He peered over at the portrait of his late wife as if looking for answers.

Jinx perched himself on the edge of the chair. “I can relate to a certain extent. Since my mother died, I’ve been taking care of my little sister. Talk about a revelation.” He chuckled as he shook his head wryly, remembering how many times they’d butted heads. It seemed they bickered more than they talked these days. There were days when she tried sneaking out of the house in shorts that showed off too much and crop tops. He often wondered where she bought the scraps of material. Or the time he caught her sneaking out of the house at midnight. She’d tried to say she was sleepwalking and couldn’t understand why she was grounded.

“You have a sister?” Sam dropped back down into his chair behind the desk. He looked tired—possibly weary.

“She’s fifteen going on thirty. Thinks she knows it all.”

Sam’s laughter echoed across the room. “How did I not know that about you, Jinx?”

With a shrug, he said, “You didn’t ask.”

Sam set his glass on a coaster. He reached into the handmade cedarwood case and took out a cigar. “I guess you don’t know unless you ask. That’s a lot of responsibility for someone your age. Cigar, son?”

“No, thanks. We do what we have to do. Aunt Ness has been a godsend.” The usual bitterness rose in the back of his throat. Now he wished he’d accepted the drink.