by Taylor Lee
Viviana stared at him for a very long moment. Jax could almost see the calculations she was making as she decided whether she could trust him with her answer. He kept her gaze, not letting her look away. He could only hope that he’d impressed upon her the seriousness of being honest with him. Finally, when it looked as though she might choose not to answer him, he said quietly, intentionally using her given name, “How did you determine who made the list, Viviana?”
She pressed her lips together in a firm line, then raised her chin a good two inches and glared at him. He didn’t miss the angry tears welling in her eyes. Visibly swallowing, she tossed her head and said with a sneer, “That was the easy part, Commander Hughes. All I needed was the membership list for the mayor’s Select Advisory Committee. That list gave me close to ninety percent of the people I’m targeting.”
At his shocked gasp, Viviana added scornfully, “Oh, and you should know, Commander Hughes, that the oh-so-proper societal bitch that you’re shacking up with is looking more and more like one of the ringleaders.”
Chapter 25
Viviana sucked in deep gulps of air, trying to convince herself that she could breathe. Unfortunately neither her heart nor her lungs got the message. She was shaking so hard that she was afraid she might faint. She knew the signs of an adrenaline crash and acknowledged that this one was a K2 Black Panther tank–sized crash. It just might bring her to her knees and keep her there for days. She shouldn’t be surprised. The only person who looked more in shock than she felt was her fucking commander. Knowing that she was soon going to have to answer a ream of his questions, she gloried in his shock. It fucking served him right. He’d been pushing her for days now, insisting that she could trust him, threatening to punish her if she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know. Now he’d gone so far as to tell her that if she so much as shaded the truth or refused to answer him, he would take her badge, and she would never get it back. She knew that part of her emotional crash was the knowledge that if anyone could drum her out of the police force, Commander Jaxton Hughes could.
Over the rushing din in her ears, Viviana realized that Jax was speaking to her. She looked up to see him offering her a glass of water. When she shook her head, he was firm. “Drink this, Viviana. You look like you might faint.” When she put up her hand in refusal, he studied her as if taking stock of her emotional state. “Would you prefer whiskey? We have a hard discussion ahead of us. A little lubrication might help.”
Surprised and frankly angry that she was the one who was crashing when it should be him, she gave in to the injustice and croaked, “Yes to the whiskey, no to the water.”
He nodded in agreement and went over to his liquor cabinet. Retrieving a bottle of Bowman’s scotch and two glasses, he put them on the conference table. She shook her head in refusal when he offered her his hand. He waited for a moment and then reached down and lifted her out of her chair. She was shocked, particularly when she realized that she couldn’t have stood on her own unless some genie shot her legs and spine full of liquid steel. Rather than bones and muscle, her body seemed to be made of jelly. That he understood her emotional collapse made her hate him all the more. The anger flooding her gave her the power to stand. Even so, she wouldn’t have made it to the table without his strong arm around her.
His voice was calm, even comforting. “Adrenaline can be a bitch, Viviana. Hell of a boost in a tough situation, but a big enough crash can rival a heavy episode of decompression sickness, which you’ll recognize if you ever had the bends.”
Settling her in her chair, he poured her a stiff shot of the expensive scotch. Viviana was stunned that her hand shook when she reached for the glass. He chuckled and said, “I could get you a straw if that would help, or maybe I should hold the glass for you.”
Glaring at him, she understood what he was doing. He was taunting her, knowing that her anger would steel her. Shaking her head, she forced her hand to steady and reached for the glass. The first sip of the potent libation sent a shockwave of sensation across her overwrought nerves. Taking steadying sips of the potent scotch, her body began to quiet. As she regained a semblance of composure, she was surprised that her most compelling emotion was anger. Glancing at him, she saw that Jax was studying her, which made her even angrier.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He quirked a questioning brow. “How might that be, Sergeant?”
She sniffed contemptuously. “As though you don’t believe me.” Giving in to her rising rage, she added derisively, “What’s the matter, Commander, you don’t like the idea that the woman you’re fucking preys on helpless teenagers?”
She was glad when Jax’s expression hardened. She wanted him to be angry. She had a powerful need to fight with him. To tell him how furious she was that he had forced her to reveal critical information that was none of his damned business. When he just continued to study her, she struck out. She only wished that she could have been more articulate, but her anger was too powerful to allow for lucidity. Her voice shook with intensity. “I hate you, Jax. More than I knew it was possible to hate someone.” Rising up in her chair, she added, “In fact, I despise you.” Her anger and the half-glass of Bowman’s spurred her on. She rose to her feet, grasping the back of her chair for support, and glared at him. Reaching for the glass, she grabbed it and quaffed the remainder of the powerful liquid, then whirled to leave the room.
Before she could take a step, he was beside her. Jerking her up next to him, he said in a low voice, “What do you think you are doing, Sergeant Moreau?”
“What does it look like I’m doing, Commander? I’m leaving, and you’re not stopping me!”
“Wrong on both counts, Sergeant.”
His dangerously soft voice should have frightened her, but she was too angry to be scared. Besides, she’d taken all she was going to of his arrogance. She was furious that he thought he could bully her into submission. His hard grip on her arm infuriated her. Trying to twist free, she struggled to loosen his grip and sobbed in frustration when he easily held her in place. Glaring up at him, she didn’t care if he saw her tears. She didn’t care about anything except getting away from this despicable man. Her voice shook as she stuck out. “Goddammit, Jax, let me go! I’m done, dammit. I want you to let me go now!”
Rather than letting her go, Jax pulled her closer, gripping both of her arms in an unbreakable vise. Furious, she pressed her hands against his muscled chest, determined to free herself, but it was useless.
His voice in her ear was silky soft, girded with anger. “Let me repeat, Sergeant Moreau, if you think we are finished with this conversation, you couldn’t be more wrong. Trust me, you’re not going anywhere until I’m damn good and ready to let you go.” He added, “No, Sergeant, we have barely begun to discuss your remarkable and, may I add, unbelievable claim.”
Holding her with one strong arm, he kicked out her chair with his foot and parked her in it. Lifting the chair, he shoved it up against the table so close she barely had room to breathe. Overcome by a powerful mix of anger and frustration, Viviana buried her head on her arms against the tabletop and to her horror gave in to her tears. She didn’t know how long she cried, but within minutes she’d gained control of herself at least enough to stop crying. She was astonished that she’d broken down so completely and filled with shame that she’d done it in front of Jax. Forcing herself to raise her head, she took several tissues from the box he shoved in front of her from across the table. Determined to regain some sense of pride, she glared at him and said, “I never cry.”
His lip tipped up at the corner of his mouth, but he managed to squash his smile. Instead he nodded and said quietly, “I can see that.” When she glared at him, he raised a brow and said, “I think this time around, we’ll go with water, not scotch.”
His solicitousness infuriated her. She snapped, “You can drink whatever you damn well please, but I’m having scotch.” When she started to stand, he shook his head and flicked his hand, ind
icating that she should sit. Acknowledging that she was too unsteady to stand, Viviana sank back in her chair. She was relieved when he reached for the Bowman’s and poured her a scant inch of whiskey. Not willing to argue with him, she grabbed the glass and took a large sip. As she’d hoped, the potent alcohol steadied her. She glowered at him and said, “I’ve told you everything you asked. There’s no reason to prolong this conversation.”
He shook his head and blew out a hard sigh. “No, Sergeant. You couldn’t be more wrong. This conversation has barely begun.”
Jax was relieved when she glared at him. He didn’t know what he’d do if she continued to cry. He had been truly stunned when she burst into tears. It had taken every ounce of restraint he had not to take her in his arms and comfort her. Even now, her tear-stained face called him to reach for her. Fortunately his seething anger held him back. Sorting through the myriad reasons for his anger, he knew at base that he was furious that she hadn’t confided in him. She was hard on the trail of a case that could blow this city apart. Even though he’d given her every opportunity to bring him into the equation, she’d resisted him at every turn and fucking lied to his face.
He decided to build on her obvious anger. That he could deal with. Her tears he couldn’t.
“You do know how unbelievable your conclusion is, don’t you, Sergeant?”
She snorted. “Can’t face the fact that the viper you’re screwing is up to her skinny ass in an underage sex trafficking scheme? I can see where that might rankle a supercilious, self-righteous asshole like you.”
With effort, Jax kept his voice steady. It wasn’t easy. He’d been shocked at her assertion that Deidre was involved. But what shot his fury skyward was her claim that he was sleeping with the dark-haired woman. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Let’s deal with the preposterousness of that claim. Even if Deidre is involved, which has a one-percent chance of being true, the fact that you wrongly assume I’m sleeping with her is a serious challenge to your credibility.”
“Why, Jax? You think I’m including her because I’m jealous? Of her? That bitch? Or that I give a flying fuck who you screw—as long as it isn’t me?”
Jax forced himself to respond calmly. “Thank you for making my point.” Building on her clear anger, he said, “Let’s start at the beginning. Who is the source for your conclusions?”
When he saw her shift, he put up his hand. “Uh-uh, Sergeant. The same rules apply as before. The only way you are going to stay in this department is if I’m convinced that you are telling me the truth. Once again, do you understand?”
Viviana shrugged and said with a flippant toss of her head, “Sure.”
He decided to let it go and repeated, “Who is your source?”
“My informant. And the legwork I did. The first time I met with Ariel, she described a number of the men at the parties. From her descriptions, it occurred to me and my CI that the various men she described had something else in common. They all seemed to hang out together—specifically at your weekly confab.”
“Even if some of the members of the mayor’s group do turn out to be involved in the trafficking ring, why did you come to that conclusion—particularly your addition of Ms. Cummings?”
Viviana gave a harsh laugh. “That’s what really gets to you, isn’t it Jax? That the high-society bitch you’re fucking might be a pervert? A predator of the worst kind?”
Jax fastened her with a narrowed gaze. “In my mind, the fact that you continue to say those ridiculous things brings your entire theory into question.”
Viviana bristled. “Why, Jax? Because important, rich people aren’t perverts? That they don’t assume that their position and their wealth allows them to do anything they damn well please, including fucking young girls? Are you telling me that because they’re your friends and you suck up to them, that they’re above reproach?”
Jax was impressed that he responded civilly. It was a miracle of self-control. Particularly when what he wanted to do was throw her down on the floor and fuck her brains out. He knew that was the only way he had a chance of quieting the raging emotions threatening to bring him down.
“No, Sergeant Moreau. I’m not telling you that. What I am telling you is that you sure as hell need to have evidence. Concrete evidence that isn’t colored by some crazy mixed-up jealousy of a woman you have no reason to be jealous of.”
When she leapt to her feet, her eyes flashing dangerously, he shook his head and motioned for her to sit. His voice was as cold as his emotions were hot. “Sit down, Sergeant. Now.” After a long moment, her body bristling with anger, she sank onto her chair with an impudent snort and an eye roll that would have done a teenager proud.
He continued. “Thank you. I will tell you when you may leave. On that point, Sergeant, because I do not trust your judgment, I want to meet with your informant tomorrow.” He dismissed her wildly negative reaction. “That is not a request, Sergeant, and it is non-negotiable. I want to meet her here at the precinct. You can disguise her anyway you wish to protect her identity, as long as she is here no later than 1:00 p.m.”
Rising to his feet, Jax motioned to the door and raised his hands in a dismissive gesture. “You’re excused, Sergeant. This meeting is over. You may leave.”
Viviana was shaking so hard, she had to hold on to the table for support to rise to her feet. The satisfied smirk on Jax’s face confirmed that he saw her impotent anger. With every fiber of strength she could marshal, she marched to the door with her head held high. When she reached it and was safely through the doorway, she gave in to her fury and slammed the door behind her as hard as she could.
Within seconds, the door shot open and Jax yanked her up next to him. His face was rigid with ill-disguised fury. His harsh words were razor sharp, slicing her anger to shreds. “What did I tell you about slamming my door?”
Knowing that a squad room of her peers was watching the scene, Viviana tried to speak, but the baseball-sized lump in her throat wouldn’t let the words squeak by. Swallowing hard, she managed to say in a ragged voice, “Uh, not to do it again?” When he tightened his grip on her arm, she added in a barely audible whisper, “I . . . I’m sorry . . . ” He held her for a moment longer, then said curtly, “Don’t do it again.” When she nodded, he released her arm and walked back into his office, closing the door firmly behind him.
Chapter 26
You don’t understand, Sly. You don’t know what he’s like. I’m telling you, he is determined to throw me off the force. He’s already made me the laughing stock of the precinct. But even that isn’t enough for him. He wants to get rid of me permanently.”
Sly grimaced and shook his head. “Don’t make it worse than it is, Viv. Yeah, the guy is angry, but from what you’ve told me, you’re in greater danger of having what he calls your perky ass paddled than being thrown off the force. Face it, Viviana, whether you like it or not, the commander is taking charge of the case.” Holding up his hand to stop her impending tirade, he threw gasoline on the fire. “You can hate me for this, but I’m kinda glad he’s stepping in. If we’re correct, and we know we are, we’re tussling with some serious Dark Knight wannabes—a whole passel of them.” He added with a groan, “Including none other than Santiago ‘Satan’s Spawn’ Lopez himself.”
Refusing to dignify Sly’s comment with an answer, Viviana went to the real source of her anguish. “Forget who they are or whether we willingly bring Jax into the mix. Our immediate problem is Ariel. Let’s face it, Sly, she won’t come in. You heard her, she’s terrified. She told us that she never wants to see either one of us again. Frankly, I don’t blame her. Can you imagine what Jax would do to her? He’d scare her to death with a single one of his glares.”
“I don’t think you’re giving the commander enough credit. Every time I’ve seen him, Jax Hughes is the epitome of a sophisticated gentleman. I’m telling you, every member of that Advisory Committee would suck his dick if he asked them to. He’s the hottest shiny new thing to hit this town.”
Viviana groaned. “Don’t think he doesn’t know it, Sly. But it doesn’t matter. There is no way we can or should force Ariel to meet with Jax.”
“You’re right, Viv. I concluded the same thing after we talked with her. She’s close to the edge. We don’t want to push her over.” At Viviana’s agreeing groan, he said, “Don’t despair, sweet cheeks. I have something—someone—up my sleeve who just might work. I know a couple of the call girls who are working the parties. One of them, Scarlet Somers, is a brassy babe. She’s sophisticated, sure of herself, and wouldn’t be intimidated by your boss man. In fact, she’d probably solicit him.” He stopped Viviana before she could interrupt. “Hang on sugar lips, the best thing about Scarlet is that she will do any damn thing we ask her to if we pay her enough.”
“Including ratting out the men who are frequenting the parties? Who are likely her best clients?”
Sly nodded in confirmation. “As long as we pay her enough and ensure that her identity will be kept secret, I know she would do it. Frankly, the working girls are as peeved as we are that the kiddie strollers, the boppers, are being included in the mix. Nothing like nubile fresh meat as competition for the hookers who’ve had their ass out there for more years than they admit to.”
****
At ten thirty that night, Viviana settled onto her chaise lounge and gave in to her profound fatigue. The only thing that kept her from crashing was her elation. Scarlet Somers had proved to be a gold mine. Sly had met with her first and signaled that depending on how much Viviana was prepared to pay, the accomplished whore would be a far better informant than Ariel. Five minutes into their conversation, Viviana was sold. In addition to being much more sophisticated than Ariel, there was a hardness to her that ensured Jax wouldn’t be able to push her around. Even better, she identified seven of their photographs as men who had attended the parties.