by Regan Black
"That's not a word."
"Self appointed chief of the grammar police, now?" Aggravated, she tossed his hand back before checking the time. But her mind was her own, her eyes and ears only subject to the immediate irritants of the man next to her.
"If you won't dig into the Judge, please dig into the Health Chairman. He's the highest ranking official in the state."
"Leo Kristoff's clean."
"Not after dining with the Judge," she sneered.
"Hey, I've shared many a meal with Albertson." Brian held up a surrendering hand. "I know. I dug into the Judge's case file and saw your point."
She folded her arms across her chest. "But it didn't matter."
"It didn't convince me Albertson's the bad guy."
She sniffed.
He scowled. "Get up." He helped her to her feet, a bit roughly, but when she saw what he was up to she forgot to be offended.
Relief washed through her as Brian used the computer to hack into the police system. After several minutes he'd found and accessed files Chairman Kristoff had surely paid dearly to bury.
The current guru of good health had been caught during a bust of a specific back room of a mid-town restaurant. A room known to cater to the more disreputable desires of man.
"A dirty little town you run, sheriff."
"We all have a little grime under our nails."
Wasted breath to argue the truth. Before she opened her mouth, he said it for her.
"Even the judge."
"No way," she gushed.
"Way." He tapped the screen.
Her eyes widened. Only six months ago, Kristoff had been accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Except the victim wasn't under eighteen. The case was thrown out of Albertson's courtroom–after the accuser was sentenced to two weeks of injections for attempted slander of the Chairman.
"But you'll say coincidence and hang me for murder in about two weeks."
"And here I thought you knew the system. You won't swing–you'll get a nice civilized injection."
"So will you, if we're caught. Now that you believe me, log off and let's get moving."
"Hold on. I believe Albertson's meetings are questionable, I believe you think he hurt you, but–"
"You don't believe in past lives, eternal purpose or much else I have to say. Got it."
His hand landed on her arm with just enough persuasion to keep her still. "Get this. I believe in justice and in the system designed to uphold it. If Albertson's abusing his power, I want him out as much as you do."
"That's not possible," she quipped, impatient to finish her task. Even to the apparently unalterable end.
"You don't believe me?"
She didn't care for his challenging tone. "I have reason to doubt you."
"Same goes." He came to his feet, crowding her.
Three ways to take him down came to mind immediately. All of them evaporated under the assault of his lips on hers. She matched his daring and raised with her passion. Pent up from centuries of abject longing, she poured herself into him.
He broke the kiss, but his mouth hovered so his words brushed her lips. "Trust me, Jaden."
How absurd that her heart should want to leap from her chest. This was a physical ploy, nothing more. She knew it. She understood the game better than most.
Too bad she couldn't recall the rules.
Chapter Seven
Time Stamp: 1215
I sank the dagger deep into his inconsistent blubber and seethed. For he laughed at me even as his blood pooled at my feet. Then his black soul slipped free.
Alas, the deed was again fruitless. I knew it before the cold sting of forged steel severed my head. The demon still held the advantage.
My lifeless body lay twisted and foreign beneath me as my soul rose, already fashioning apology and plea. For failure served no one and meant only more pain. When would my mission be fulfilled?
Chicago: 2096
He'd give a year's salary to read her mind. Even the nastiest interrogation methods wouldn't pry open a steely mind set on keeping secrets. And Jaden clearly had secrets.
He wanted to know if that kiss had left her reeling. If her response had been as unstoppable as his instigation. He'd tried to tell himself he'd applied the kiss like a tool. A basic way to determine if a woman juiced HgH to keep up with the men. But the telltale copper taste was absent from her mobile mouth. Brian stifled a groan and thought of cold, dead, two-headed fish to alleviate the rush of hormones to his groin.
They were back on the street at her insistence, tailing a mule–girl–on her way to a night job cocktailing on Wacker Street. Brian had more appreciation for his jeans and high tops after his stint in a skirt, but he still missed the familiarity of his jacket. Following Jaden's suggestion, he'd donned a Cubs ball cap, the better to play dead by.
He slid a glance over his 'partner', now a redhead thanks to a pixie-cut wig. With her tinted glasses, flowing dress and sandals, she looked nothing like the Jaden he expected. The only give, and only someone very close would notice, was her wary, take-it-all-in way of watching the world.
People continued to crowd into the restaurant district on this sultry near-summer evening. Left to his own, this would be a night he'd grill a steak and catch the game, but he supposed those easy nights were as dead as he supposedly was. His useless reverie died when Jaden tensed beside him.
"Another headache?" he asked. She'd had several; all shorter-lived than the one she'd experienced the night they met in her place.
"No." Her eyes were set on a corner at the end of the block. "Hang back a minute. Please?"
The manners were shocking enough. But he nodded and watched her approach a lanky man and a kid. They shied away at first, then whatever she said ended in a group hug. The scene made him all the more curious about the woman and her self-proclaimed mission. Disobeying her request, he joined them.
"Who's this?" the lanky man asked.
The kid blinked huge, suspicious eyes while Jaden surprised him by telling the truth. "The recently deceased Police Chief Thomas."
The man raised a brow, but stuck out his hand. "Cleveland."
Brian found the grip firm and the message in the hard eyes clear. Cleveland wanted Jaden kept safe. An easier task with a more pliable woman, but Brian suspected this guy knew the score.
"What's the trouble?" Brian asked.
"Quinn's sister is missing," Jaden replied.
"How long?"
"Since morning."
Brian nodded, slipping quickly into detective mode. "How old is she?"
Jaden's eyes flashed with gratitude. She'd caught his optimistic use of 'is'. First please, now thanks, what next?
"Twelve," the boy said.
Brian took a knee to look the kid in the eye. "Where were you and what were you doing?"
The boy swallowed, but answered with a sturdy voice. "We were stocking fruit for Caldwell's Deli. He trades an hour's work for breakfast, but you've gotta be the first one there and you can't bruise the apples."
Brian smiled at the kid's industry and waited for the details.
"Katie went to get another crate of reds and never came back."
Brian stood and shook his head. "We can call it in–"
"It's been nearly twelve hours," Jaden protested. "Cleveland, keep Quinn at your place. We'll meet there after I take a look around."
So much for manners and teamwork. Brian tugged Jaden back a step for an ounce of privacy. "What are you thinking? We're supposed to be tailing Maria."
"She's safe enough."
"Really?" Brian crossed his arms. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"
She glared at him. "Her hair's black. Katie's a blonde and a preteen. Double jeopardy."
Brian opened his mouth but Jaden's voice came out.
"Look, he's a friend. They've got no one else. You go ahead and keep an eye on Maria. I'll get the girl back and we'll meet up later."
"No."
Her brows arch
ed over those stupid blue glasses.
"No," he repeated. "It's foolish to split up. If you say Maria's safe, we'll go for the girl. Where do we start?"
The stunned expression on all three faces made him want to bruise more than a few apples. Why the hell did being a cop make him subhuman? He settled for issuing Jaden a challenge instead. "What? Not up to a rescue in sandals?"
"Anytime, anywhere, any dress code," she countered with her normal fire.
"Good luck," Cleveland said, fading into the dim alley with the kid.
When they were out of earshot Brian asked, "Where to, Sherlock?"
"Caldwell's, Watson." She led them down the block.
"You've got a hunch."
"Uh-huh."
"Will this hunch get me killed?"
She thought it over as they crossed the next street. "It might."
"You could sound a tad more upset by the possibility."
"No I can't. I have to consider the option that you being dead would make my life easier."
So now he was some 'thing' she was using for whatever purpose she deemed fit? While that might be a fun diversion behind closed doors, here on the street it gave him pause.
"But considering everything," she continued, "I think it's important that you live."
"How reassuring."
She gave a low laugh, a sound he thought might also have a whole new meaning behind closed doors. Then her hand landed on his arm and gripped hard.
"What is it?"
"Katie's a diversion. Call Micky."
"Come again?" He looked around for whatever alerted her as he pulled his cell card from his back pocket. He spoke the order and waited for the connection to go through. The sign on the nearest door marked it Caldwell's, but she walked past it toward the alley entrance. He heard a scuffle of rats, then an irritated groan.
"Diversion from what?" he asked.
She shushed him, released her hold and closed her eyes. When she looked at him again, her determination was clear. "Is he on?"
Brian handed over the wireless earpiece and watched her give orders to Micky. At least she bossed everyone equally. "Check on your girls." Pause. "Then make other arrangements. Turn." Pause. "Two hours."
She disconnected and looked up at him. "Maria will have to wait and hang on. I'm not letting the child suffer."
"Let me call the authorities."
Jaden shook her head and walked into the darkness.
Brian followed, frustrated, but determined in his own right. He just wished he understood what they were really up against. So far she'd offered him nothing concrete to implicate the Judge, though she'd set plenty of shadows into motion in his brain.
"Oh, poor baby." Jaden's voice came from a small circle of light breaking up the dark.
When she moved to the side, he saw a young girl taped into a chair. Eyes wide, face stained with tears, Brian felt the swell of disgust for whoever put her there.
He reached for his knife, but Jaden beat him to it, preparing to slice away the child's bindings.
"Stop!" he called. Her hand stilled. "She's wired to something."
The girl gave the tiniest nod, the move filled with sorrow and defeat.
"So she is. Your pal sure loves his explosives."
"You–"
"Save it until we get her out of here."
Brian dropped to the ground and studied the wiring. In the soft plastique explosive, he saw the imprint of a unique ring and hated the doubt rising like bile in his throat. The Judge, as he knew him, couldn't be doing this.
"Easy enough," Jaden said from the opposite side of the bomb.
He jumped to his feet. "Hold on a sec."
"We don't have the luxury. I'm a security expert, remember? I've seen this before and can deal with it."
"What if it's a dummy fuse?"
"Then you don't have to sweat who recognized you in drag." To the girl she said, "Don't worry, hon. It's almost over."
Before Brian could prescribe caution, she used the dagger to separate wires from plastique. He braced, but discovering they survived, he helped Jaden cut Katie free and scooped her up. The girl's bony frame cut into him as she clung to her newfound safety.
"Where to?" he asked, willing the surge of emotion out of his voice.
Jaden reached over, lifting her dress to dry the girl's face. "Cleveland."
For a moment he thought she meant the city.
Then she snaked an arm around his waist and nudged him deeper into the alley, away from the street. "We'll take the back way."
"What about the diversionists?"
"If we're lucky, we'll bump into them."
Her voice was granite. He'd never met a woman so eager for a fight. Then again, he'd never met a woman so certain she was meant to single-handedly save the female population from an elusive predator, either.
And too bad watching her was such a turn on. The thrill might get him killed for real next time.
No thugs showed up on the way to Cleveland's place. Too bad. Jaden still itched for a fight, needing to unload the remnants of adrenaline in her system on someone or something.
"Here we are," she said, covering her finger with her dress to press the antiquated buzzer.
"Paranoid, even for you," Brian accused.
For a moment she entertained an image of sparring with Brian. Horizontal or vertical–didn't matter, giving her crystalline awareness of the depth of her danger. Swallowing a retort, she smoothed a hand over the sleeping girl's hair.
The door swung open and they stepped off the raw edge of the street into a surprisingly posh lobby.
"Whoa," Brian said.
"I second that," she agreed. "Who knew thieves lived like kings?"
"Do they live with conveniences like elevators?"
"You wish." Jaden laughed as she started up the stairs. His grumbling wasn't all an act, though Katie was underfed, she had to be getting heavy by now.
Cleveland stood silent at the third floor landing. Behind him, Quinn shifted from foot to foot, shameless worry stamped on his face.
"Is she d-dead?" Quinn asked.
"Not at all," Brian said, his voice a strong counterpoint to the quaking boy's. "I bet she'd like some water and a blanket. Can you find those?"
Quinn dashed off.
Jaden stilled, impressed with Brian's thoughtfulness, while Cleveland ushered him inside to settle Katie on the couch.
"Coming?" Cleveland called back.
"Yeah. Sure." She entered, and then stalled out again. "Haven't seen one of these in awhile," she murmured to Cleveland, as she crossed the Aubusson carpet in the foyer.
"It took a small fortune, but I liked it."
Jaden grinned. "Don't you mean you took a small fortune?"
"One day girl, you'll stop giving me crap over the rep I earned as a kid."
"Sure thing, Cleve." She hugged him hard. "Can you help me clean her up?"
He nodded, his eyes troubled. "The kit's all ready. On the counter." His hand on her arm stilled her. "How bad?"
"Nothing that will scar," Jaden said with a meaningful stroke of her ear.
Cleveland exhaled his relief and mumbled a prayer Jaden found appropriate.
She smiled, gently imposing herself between the siblings. As she eased the blanket back to clean Katie's wounds, Quinn made himself scarce and Jaden blanched.
On Katie's wrist was the diamond bracelet the Judge had baited her with in his chambers. Message received. And proof that Katie's peril had been a diversion. Judge Albertson knew far too much about Jaden's movements and weaknesses. She put the troubling development out of her mind, Katie needed her now.
Not once did the girl fuss about the sting of the antiseptic swab or the wound-sealing laser. Even set on the lightest mode for minor surface skin repair, patients complained of the heat. Jaden made a mental note to find out how Cleveland had acquired the special issue medical tool.
"How's our girl?" Brian asked handing Jaden a tall glass filled with a golden, bubbling liq
uid.
"She's a champ. Nearly good as new."
But who knew if she'd ever be safe again. Jaden had to find a way to draw the Judge away from people she'd come to think of as family.
"Do we have to go now?" Quinn asked.
Cleveland joined them, setting down a sterling silver bucket filled with ice and a bottle of whatever beverage he'd served. Then he wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder.
"I figure you'd better hang with me awhile."
"No parents?" Brian whispered in Jaden's ear.
She shook her head, as much to gain space as to answer him. Then she made the mistake of sipping her drink, and swore softly as the alcohol burned her lip.
She cursed again, this time mentally, as Brian's intense focus landed on her face.
"What's this?" he asked, taking her chin in his hand. "Pretty bad bite."
"Pretty big bomb," she muttered, unwilling to admit any further frailties.
He reached over and drew an ice cube from the bucket. Gently, he stroked her lip with the ice and she felt her knees weaken in response. She liked it much better when he was doubtful and impossible. She couldn't afford the additional hazard of being attracted to him. Again.
Who was she kidding? She was into him, wanting him already. And after that kiss she knew it wouldn't be a simple itch she could scratch and walk away from. Giving in to the physical wouldn't be enough and broaching the emotional was out of the question.
And based on that damned bracelet, when she faked his death she'd sent him straight to the top of the Judge's hit list.
"Such storms," he murmured.
"Huh?"
"In your eyes, Jaden. Such storms in your eyes."
She snapped them shut, willing him to go away. When he did, she let her tongue roll over her lip, tracing the path of his touch, catching the lingering taste of him.
Behind her, Brian asked the girl questions about the people who'd taken her. Jaden moved to a safer distance across the room. Under the guise of studying some incredible art, most likely original, and several equally valuable porcelain figures, she listened to Katie's answers.
To his credit Brian didn't ask leading questions and he appeared to take all her replies at face value. Jaden appreciated that, for Katie's sake.