Page 88 of Deserving Maisy
Jack chuckled. “You’re good,” he said firmly. Then hewrapped his hand around her nape and pulled her toward him, kissing her forehead. “Proud of you,” he whispered.
His words made Maisy tingle from head to toe. She hadn’t done anything but walk into a bank and sign a piece of paper, but knowing Jack was proud of her meant the world.
“So, the plan’s still the same?” Tiny asked after a moment.
They’d talked about how to proceed at the house last night at dinner, but Maisy understood Tiny was just reaffirming what they’d already decided.
“We’ll drive around the block, get the lay of the land. Then we’ll park a few houses down, Maisy will use her key to get in. No knocking. If her brother had the locks changed, we’ll go around to the kitchen door, break one of the windows and go in that way,” Brick said.
“You still want to do this? We could still go to the police first and have them get a search warrant to get the pictures and your diary,” Jack said.
“I thought there was a chance it wouldn’t be approved if we did it that way?” Maisy asked. “Something about it being my word against his and not enough proof.”
Jack didn’t reply, simply held eye contact, and she knew she was right.
If possible, Maisy fell more in love with him right then and there. It was obvious he didn’t want to go back to her house. Didn’t wantherthere either. Definitely didn’t want Jason anywhere near her. But he was willing to go with her because it was something she needed to do.
“I need to make sure he’s punished for what he did to Martha. And if he did have anything to do with Mom andDad’s murder, for that too. And I need those pictures and Martha’s wallet to back up what I tell the detectives.”
“We could go in and get them for you,” Brick offered.
Maisy appreciated all of them so much. But this was something she needed to do. She should’ve done it way before now. Hated herself for letting so much time go by and letting her brother get away with his crimes. “We’ll be quick,” she told the guys in the car.
“Damn straight we will,” Tiny said.
“In, upstairs, get the stuff, and out,” Brick agreed.
Maisy wanted to remind them that she wanted to confront Jason, but the closer they got to the house, the more her stomach rolled and the worse that idea seemed. The last thing she wanted was to hear her brother’s hateful words. And she had no doubt that he’d lash out the only way he could—verbally and emotionally. He knew her better than anyone, and thus he knew exactly how to hurt her the most.
For the first time, she crossed her fingers that Jason wouldn’t be home when they got there. But her hopes were dashed when they drove by the house and she saw his car in the driveway. For some reason, he never parked in the garage, liked to pull up right outside the front door and enter that way. As if he had servants who would move the car for him…which he didn’t.
Tiny pulled over a few houses down and turned off the engine.
“Let’s do this,” he said firmly.
Some of his confidence seeped into Maisy. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. This was her house too. She could go in if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, she tightenedher fingers around Jack’s as she climbed out of the backseat.
They walked toward the house as if they had every right to be there—because they did. They didn’t slink around, didn’t cross through yards like burglars. Maisy held the key to the house tightly in her hand and tried to slow her heartbeat as they neared the front door. Holding her breath, she pushed the key into the lock and breathed a sigh of relief when it turned.
They stepped into the house, and Brick shut the door behind them. The house was eerily quiet. It was still early, at least for Jason, and because he’d gotten rid of Paige and the other women who worked in the house, no one was around. There was no smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen, and even in the few weeks she’d been gone, the lack of a housecleaner was obvious. There was dust and trash everywhere. Takeout bags lay discarded on the floor, as if whoever had dropped them assumed someone else would pick them up. The house smelled a little funky too, as if Jason had thrown a party, alcohol had been spilled, and no one had cleaned it up.
“Come on, Maisy, let’s find this evidence,” Tiny said in a barely there whisper.
Nodding, Maisy pointed toward the stairs. As they climbed, she glanced over at Jack. The muscle in his jaw was ticking again, and she knew this house held some not-so-great memories for him too. True, he didn’t know he’d been kidnapped for most of the time he was here, but that wouldn’t matter.
They walked silently past Jason’s room toward hers. When the door swung open, Maisy couldn’t stop the gaspthat left her mouth at seeing the destruction in front of her.
Not one item in the large room had been left untouched.
Drawers were opened and their contents strewn all over the floor. The bedding and the mattress itself had been shredded, stuffing spilling out and joining the other stuff on the floor. The carpet was stained with what Maisy assumed was red paint, but the effect was creepy because it looked like blood. The clothes that had been in the closet were torn down and tossed everywhere.
Stepping into the room, Maisy walked in a daze toward the bathroom. Her toiletries had been emptied all over the counter and floor. Toothpaste, shampoo, even the small bottle of perfume her mom had given her when she’d turned thirteen had been emptied.
She knew without a doubt Jason had done this. In a fit of rage, he’d come in here and destroyed everything.
Instead of getting upset, Maisy was furious. He’d had a temper tantrum like a toddler because he hadn’t gotten what he wanted—money that wasn’t his to begin with. He’d kidnapped Jack, lied to him, treated her like shit, andhewas mad!
For the first time, Maisy realized what a lucky escape she’d had. If he hadn’t kidnapped Jack, if he hadn’t been such a greedy asshole, she probably would’ve joined Martha under that slab sooner rather than later.
