If his co-workers had been rocking with him for a moment, considering that he might be onto something—that moment slowly petered away, and the laughter was back.
“Absolutely ridiculous,” a voice chimed in.
“We have no proof that woman was raped.”
“How do we know the sister didn’t make the whole thing up?”
“You’re way off, Hill.”
“Even if you’re right, and The Chopper did kill Jax, then no way is she still in Shadow Rock. She’s gone with the wind.”
“No, she isn’t,” Linc countered. “Because she’s not finished. Seven other men followed her into that room.”
“We can’t even see her face in the footage. Todd is blocking her the whole time. We can barely see her body. Are we gonna run all over the island looking for a woman who wore a pair of five-inch stiletto heels to a party ten years ago? Because that’s the only identifying feature we’ve got here. We have no way of tracing her.”
“Do we have footage of them leaving the room?” Lieutenant Chavez asked.
Linc cringed and shook his head. “The Blackwater’s security cameras were designed to reset every hour, causing a five-minute delay. A blind spot. I believe they all left the room during that blind spot. I stayed up all night watching the footage, and her face isn’t shown. Not once.” He took a deep breath. “But I would bet my last dollar. I would bet my life… That this woman is The Chopper. Not only is she The Chopper, but she’s escalating. The anger she feels over being raped has pushed her to murder her third victim instead of just castrating him. Whoever’s next on her list might meet the same fate. Now that she’s tasted blood… she might have a hard time going back.”
“Alright, alright,” Lieutenant Chavez held her hands out to the room when the muttered disagreements grew deafening. “I think we’ve gotten as far as we’ll get today. Let’s everyone get back to work, and we’ll reconvene tomorrow morning.”
The officers stood and filed out of the room, some still joking with Linc’s name on their tongue.
Lieutenant Chavez waited until the room was empty, save for a couple of officers who’d stopped at the coffee and donut table in the back corner for refills.
Linc licked his lips and tilted his head at Chavez when she crossed her arms, twirling her coffee cup in her hand while squinting at the evidence board.
“So, a bunch of kids ran a train on some girl at a party…” Her squint moved into a frown. “And she decided to come back ten years later and take revenge…” She nibbled her bottom lip.
Linc held his breath, his eyes dashing across her face.
“You know what?” Chaves breathed deep and met his eyes. “It’s a long shot, but I like it. Solid police work, Detective. Thinking outside the box. That’s how you earn sergeant.”
Linc nodded sharply. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
“Keep digging.” She gave the white board and the overhead projector one more long look over her shoulder as she moved away, her eyes falling back to his. “And keep me updated.”
Linc nodded again, clenching the remote so tightly he almost shattered it. “I will. Thank you.”
Linc waited until the room was empty to send a celebratory fist bump in the air, doing everything in his power to fight back the “whoop” that begged to race up his throat.
——
Gage stepped out of the hospital elevator the next morning, holding his purple tie to his chest. Traffic in the lobby was busier than normal, picking up every second, but even with patients and personnel bustling all around him, his eyes instantly shot across the room to her.
Her.
Veda, leaning over the welcome desk, signing in for her shift while having a whispered conversation with Latika. Veda, who’d yet to see him in his office to sign her fourth write-up. Veda, who had three surgeries that morning and more important things to do than flapping her gums with his head nurse.
He began toward the welcome desk, fully intending to speak his irritated thoughts out loud, but was surprised by a gentle touch on his arm from behind.
He turned on his heel, eyebrows raised, and his face instantly relaxed at the woman behind him.
“Dr. Cochran,” he said. “Good morning.”
Dr. Stephanie Cochran. A beautiful blonde who was nothing but arms and legs. Who every guy had yearned for during all four years of high school. Who Gage himself had once worshiped with wild abandon when he’d been the 300-pound teenager she’d never noticed.
Stephanie blushed softly as Gage met her big brown eyes. She let them fall as she pushed a chunk of hair behind her ear, her milky skin reddening. She wore a charcoal gray business dress under her white lab coat, crossing her ankles in the four-inch heels she was famous for. The only doctor in the hospital who could wear stilettos for eight hours straight without her feet coming dislodged from her body, Stephanie was a force to be reckoned.
“Good morning, Gage.” Her voice was deep and sure. Almost a direct contradiction to her delicate face. She spoke like a woman twice her age. Like a woman who’d spent two lifetimes learning the ways of the world. “And, please, call me Stephanie.”
“Stephanie it is, then.”
“I know you’re busy but… Do you think I could have a minute of your time?”
Gage’s eyes fell to her hands as she wrung them together, which he’d never seen her do. He knew what she wanted without even asking. She was nervous that her job might be on the chopping block. Now that the nurse practitioners were being rolled in, dozens of nervous doctors and nurses pulled him aside every day. Some to suck up, and some to plead their case.
He stole another look at Veda, saw she was still laughing with Latika, and barely managed to turn back to Stephanie without exploding.
“Of course, Stephanie. Is everything okay?” He followed her to a quiet corner of the lobby, ready for whatever spiel she’d prepared to keep her job intact.
Stephanie swiveled on her heel, still wringing her hands. “I’m so anxious.” She nibbled her bottom lip, her ample bosom heaving. “But I really can’t take it anymore.”
His brows pulled, and he sank his hands into his pockets.
“I’d really like to ask you out on a date,” she said in rapid-fire, sighing in relief the moment she’d finished.
Gage’s face fell.
“Annnd you look absolutely horrified…” she dragged, eyes widening and, if it was possible, cheeks going even redder. “I’m an idiot.” She buried her face in her hands. “Oh god, why did I do that? I’m so embarrassed.”
“No…” He held a hand out with a breathy chuckle, quickly putting it back into his pocket when she found the courage to peek up at him from behind her hands. “No, don’t be embarrassed. I was just… I was expecting something else.” He laughed. He’d been expecting threats, profanity, even a few tears, which was what he’d been receiving from a bulk of the employees who’d pulled him aside in recent days. “It’s sweet of you to ask, Stephanie. It’s really sweet, but…”
“But.” She clenched her teeth.
He did too, a hint of a smile breaking through. “The thing is… I—I just got out of a relationship.”
“With Veda.” Stephanie nodded.
“Yes. I’m just… Not sure…”
“How she would feel? Because if that’s the reason, then you should know that I already talked to her about it.”
His eyebrows shot up. He peeked over his shoulder. Of course, Veda was still socializing, and he looked back to Stephanie before his head exploded, running a hand along his jaw. “You spoke to Veda about me?”
She nodded, softly nibbling her bottom lip. “I heard the two of you had split up, and I didn’t want to step on any toes. She said it was fine.”
Gage took a deep breath.
“Said she couldn’t care less actually.” Stephanie smirked. When a silence fell, her voice grew submissive, clearly readying herself for his rejection. “It was unprofessional of me to bring it up here. I didn’t mean to put you on the sp
ot. It’s just… We grew up together…”
Gage sank his hands deeper into his pockets with a nod.
“And I saw the way you went head-to-head with your parents to follow your own heart, which is… unheard of in our world. That was a huge risk you took. It was brave. And it was something I found… incredibly…” She began nibbling on her bottom lip once more. “Incredibly attractive. So I thought—hell—why not? Clearly, I didn’t give it the kind of thought it probably deserved, but I’m impulsive by nature—”
“I’d love to go out with you,” Gage said.
Stephanie’s words sputtered to a stop. Her big brown eyes widened and so did her smile. “Really?”
“Yes.” He nodded with a soft smile of his own.
“Great.” She did a small little hop, making her heels click. “Well… you have my number…”
“I do. I’ll call you.”
“Okay, um… I hope you have a good day,” she said, moving past him while holding his eyes.
Gage turned his body to watch her go, smiling when she snuck little looks at him over her shoulder as she went until she finally turned a corner and disappeared from his view.
Gage watched that corner for a long moment, a small frown threatening to overtake his face as he tried to wrap his brain around what had just happened.
Then, his eyes crawled back over to the welcome desk.
Veda was gone.
It was a sight he needed to get used to seeing.
14
“Everything is falling apart. I should have Brock Nailer’s nuts in the palm of my hand right now, but instead, I’m in my living room wondering if the Starbucks down the street is hiring and if I could pull off that bright green apron.” Veda froze in the middle of her living room later that evening, frowning at the phone receiver when Jake’s laughter rang through it.
“How can you laugh at a time like this?” She asked. “How the hell can you be so calm? I’ve completely decimated your life, my life, and the lives of every person at work because my ex-boyfriend would rather see our baby go hungry than behave like a reasonable adult.”
“It’s not as if Gage knows there’s a baby that’s going hungry.”
“And he never will.”
“It’s too bad he turned out to be ten. If he knew there was a kid, this tantrum he’s throwing would come to a grinding halt.”
“I’m heartbroken,” Veda whispered, pacing her living room floor. “I’m sick that he fired you, Jake. I’m sick to my fucking stomach, and not just because there’s a kid rolling around inside it, reaping havoc.”
“Don’t worry about me. It feels really gross right now, but this might be a blessing in disguise. Like that time I sampled vagina and realized I’d hate it for life.”
Veda chortled.
Jake went on, laughter in his voice. “Now that I don’t have to be at the pharmacy every day, I have more time to pursue a legitimate position at the Terrance Gloss Foundation. That’s where my heart really is anyway.”
Veda nodded as she thought of the foundation on the island dedicated to finding missing kids. Jake’s little brother had disappeared years ago, so the foundation meant the world to him.
She scoffed. “When we were still together, Gage was going for a seat on the board of that foundation. Now that we’ve broken up, he dropped that like a bad habit to go running back to his parents. He had me so convinced he was a good man, but he never cared about that foundation. He never cared about me. He played me for a complete fool.” She took a healthy pause. “I’ll never love again.”
“Well, now you’re just being dramatic.”
“I’m like a tornado in human form.” Her voice went to a faraway place. “Causing mass destruction at every turn, picking up innocent lives just to throw them away like garbage. Dr. Britler was right. I’m catching. I’m highly contagious. I infect everyone around me with my sickness. And this baby won’t be spared. I’m going to infect this baby too.”
“Will you stop? You’re smart, and beautiful, and brave, and strong. And your baby will be smart, and beautiful, and brave, and strong too, because it’ll be seeping from its pores with nothing but you.”
Veda’s heart warmed.
Jake’s voice rose. “There was no way you could have known Gage was ten. You loved him. You’re a human being. Sure, you can be pretty savage when it’s necessary… But that doesn’t mean you don’t still need someone to love and trust just like everyone else.”
“Never again,” Veda muttered, lowering her eyes when tears began to burn them. “Not worth it. I’d rather die alone. I choose death.”
“And the melodrama continues…”
“You’re too good to me, Jake. Anyone else would’ve written me off. But here you are, giving me a pep talk. I should be the one giving you the damn pep talk.”
“It could’ve been worse. Gage could’ve caught me smuggling you drugs. Then, not only would I have been fired, I would’ve been fired with no chance of being re-hired anywhere else. I might’ve even faced some jail time. In the grand scheme of things, I got off pretty easy.”
“Befriending me was your biggest mistake. Why were you the only pharmacist he fired with no notice? Barely giving you time to pack your damn desk. It’s because you’re the only pharmacist who I’m friends with. He’ll do anything to hurt me. I’ll never forgive myself for getting you into all this.”
“For the millionth time, Veda, I got myself into it. And I’m not going anywhere. I’ve already researched a few other places you can get your hands on sodium thiopental, so you can keep slicing and dicing these motherfuckers. We’re not even halfway finished, and one way or another, Brock Nailer will get what’s coming to him. They all will.”
“Don’t get me started on Brock Nailer. Just a reminder of another life I’m decimating.”
“Who cares about his life being decimated?”
“Not Brock. His wife. Turns out she has fertility problems. She’s desperate to have a child. They’ve been trying for years. The other day at lunch? She actually burst into tears over it. And now I’m out to steal her only chance at motherhood.”
“Veda, I need you to harden your heart.”
Her eyes flew toward the ceiling. “I don’t know how. With my attackers? It’s easy. My heart is black to them forever. But their friends? Their wives? Their families? People who have nothing to do with it? I can’t harden my heart to them.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Maybe I should just stop.”
“Nonsense.”
“Now that you’re fired, I have no way of getting my hands on the drug I need to finish. Gage has cut my hours, so pretty soon I won’t even be able to afford to stay in this apartment.”
“I have a couch that sleeps very comfortably.”
“You’re about to lose your roof too.”
“So we’ll slice and dice these motherfuckers from a cardboard box in the street.”
“Maybe the universe is speaking to us. Maybe this isn’t supposed to happen. Maybe I was meant to stop at Jax Murphy.”
Jake gasped. “I just found a website where you can order the sodium thiopental online.”
“Which means I’ll have to attach my name and address to it. Which means Lincoln Hill is bound to sniff me out since he’s already so far up my ass his legs are swinging from it.”
“I’ll order it for you.”
“No. I’ve destroyed your life enough. I’m calling it, Jake. No more of this.”
“Ordered. I’ll call back with shipping confirmation.”
“Huh? Did you not hear a word I just—” She sputtered when Jake hung up before she could finish, staring at the phone in dismay.
When a knock sounded at her door, she nearly screamed, even though she’d been expecting it.
She crossed the room and paused at the door, straightening her black skinny jeans and sky blue crop top. After a quick fluff of her curls, she pulled the door open.
Her chest swelled.
So did Linc’s. A hint of a smile threatened his full lips, but he fought it away, holding his arms out at his sides in jeans and a black t-shirt. A tattoo she’d never known he had screamed out from the inside of his massive bicep. He lowered his arms before she could get a better look, clutching a textbook and spiral notepad in one hand. He’d left his hair down.
“Look at you, all collegial,” she teased, moving away from the door.
He stepped inside, craning his neck to hold her gaze as he passed her. Her wood floors shook under his considerable weight as he entered the living room.
“Came straight from work…” he said.
Veda hadn’t realized how quiet her apartment had gotten lately until his deep voice was booming through it. He stopped in the middle of the living room and faced her.
She closed the door and leaned back on it, smiling.
“Thank you for my gift.” Her smile widened as she thought of the hot pink boxing gloves with zebra print trim that had met her when she’d opened his present. They hadn’t been bulky, like normal boxing gloves, but slim and sleek, like hand wraps. She’d been surprised to find they were a perfect fit, even though he’d never asked her size. “They’re adorable. I can’t wait to start kicking your ass with them.”
“Saw them at Sports Authority. Few weeks back. Seemed just ridiculous enough to be perfect for you.”
She curled her lip at him.
He licked his lips when they tried to smile at her, dropping his chin into his chest.
“How was work?” she asked.
He lifted his eyes but not his chin, watching her from under the lids, green orbs darkening under the natural shadows of his face.
“Made some progress with my Lieutenant,” he said. “Took a leap. Co-workers gave me shit, but she complimented me for thinking outside the box.”
“That’s great.” Veda smiled widely. “If I learned anything as the only black girl in med school, it’s good when people underestimate you, Linc. That way they’ll never see it coming when you bring the hammer down like Thor.”
He chuckled, but the sound didn’t leave his chest. He held her eyes for a moment longer before gazing toward her kitchen.
Yearn (Revenge Book 4) Page 10