by Taylor Lee
Forcing himself to be comforting even though he knew the situation was far too critical to assume anything but the worse, he said, “Copy that. And, Noah, everything is going to be all right. You hear me, man?”
Tossing the phone onto the dresser, Ian rummaged in the second drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and tossed them to Diamond. As an afterthought, he yanked out a black shelf bra and a lacy thong. With an amused snort, Ian tossed her the miniscule thong.
“I don’t know if you’ve got room under those jeans for this, but if you don’t, you can always go commando.”
Diamond huffed a short laugh and reached for the clothes. Seeming to realize for the first time that she was standing naked beside the bed, she hugged the clothes protectively against her body and turned her back from his interested gaze. When he laughed at her show of modesty, she quickly sat on the edge of the bed to hide her bare ass. Taking pity on her, Ian strode across the room to her side.
He reached under her arms and pulled her to her feet, encircling her in his arms. Placing his lips against her ear, he murmured, “Your modesty is charming, Tiger, if a little late.”
At her gasp, he added, “Just know that no matter how many layers of clothes you put on, all I will see when I look at you is your extraordinary naked body beneath them.”
Surprised that his words comforted her, Diamond moved more tightly into his embrace. He held her close for a long moment then they both stepped back.
Looking up at him, Diamond didn’t need to see his rigid jaw or the frown creasing his brow to know that they were facing a serious issue.
She breathed a hard sigh and met his troubled gaze. “The Senator?”
Ian nodded. “Obviously that was Noah. He and Ruby are at the Senator’s house now. They went there after his father called him with the news.” At Diamond’s questioning frown, Ian’s expression hardened. He ran his fingers through his already tousled hair and scowled. “Deacon Brunson is dead.”
At Diamond’s shocked gasp, he added, “Shot at close range. With a regulation 9 mm Glock.”
Knowing the answer to her question Diamond forced herself to ask it anyway. “The Senator?”
“Yeah, among his well-stocked weapons collection, Senator Walker has a 9mm Glock.”
As they hurriedly dressed, Ian gave her as much information as he had.
“Apparently after Noah left his father last night, the Senator got a phone call. According to Noah’s mother, John insisted that he needed to go out. Moreover, he refused to call his driver, said he didn’t want to bother Charles so late. Francis tried to stop him because, in her words, he seemed irrational, angry. Also because he’d been drinking steadily since Noah brought him home. But the Senator refused to stay, and apparently left the house muttering angry obscenities under his breath.”
Ian was silent for a long moment then took a deep breath and expelled it slowly. Clearly the additional news he was about to impart was critical. He met Diamond’s gaze and shook his head then said quietly, “Noah said when he arrived, the Senator was distraught.” He added after a long pause, “He also said that in addition to being drunk and disheveled, there was blood on his father’s clothes.”
~~~
Noah met them at the door. Relief flooded his face when he saw them. The reason for his relief was clear when Ian saw the three men standing in the middle of the Walker living room. Ian suppressed a groan but quickly painted an ironic smile on his face.
The dapper man in the expensive suit and pinstriped collarless shirt testifying to his astute sense of male fashion, was not who one wanted to meet at a potential murder investigation. Jason MacArthur was the kind of man who oozed class. He was a familiar face at D.C.’s most elite gatherings. That he also happened to be Washington’s Chief Homicide detective added to his allure. Ian had watched the dark-haired, green-eyed chameleon ward off a ballroom of socialites whose wealth made them very choosey when it came to men they deigned to chase. But Ian knew only too well, that in addition to being a cop who was feared by his fellow officers and the most hardened street criminals, Mac was also former Delta Force—which explained the dangerous aura that lurked just below the surface of this erudite man.
In contrast, the two men with him would have had a hard time getting by the doorman at any of the functions MacArthur frequented. The burly man standing beside Mac was a study in contrast with his longtime partner. James ‘Jimmy’ Connolly couldn’t have been more physically different than MacArthur. Unlike Mac, Connelly was short, stout, bordering on fat. He looked as though he’d slept in his ill-fitting suit. His gut hung generously over his belt, and Jimmy had a habit of tugging at his shirt collar to make room for all of his chins. His close cropped steel gray hair flecked with copper confirmed his Irish heritage, as did his ruddy complexion and his Rudolph red nose that spoke to a lifetime of frequent visits to the local pubs.
Once you got by their Jekyll and Hyde split appearance phenomenon and moved to their views, their split personality morphed into one hard-assed view of life, policing, and criminals. The two senior detectives shared a hard-eyed cynicism about the “better” nature of mankind. In their minds there was no such thing. Their dogged determination that every man was guilty until proven otherwise made them the bane of guilty murderers as well as suspects who were trying to prove their innocence.
The third man standing between his bosses had “rookie” written all over his eager face. His deference to the senior detectives beside him indicated that he was new to his role and still in awe of the two legendary cops. While dressing more like Mac than Connolly, the kid—as Ian pegged him—didn’t have the panache or the bank to come close to Mac’s carefully honed persona.
Seeing Ian in doorway, Mac quirked an ironic brow and moved toward him his hand extended.
“Well well well, if it isn’t Ian Ross, the illustrious former Colonel and wealthy financier. What a surprise. I would have thought you were too busy jetting to the hotspots of the world to make middle of the night house calls in this dreary town of ours. What brings you here, Ian, to Senator Walker’s house? Your prescient instincts or perhaps a sense that your skills might be needed?”
Ian laughed. “Nothing as intriguing as that, Mac. I came in for the gala last night. Like you, I’m an easy mark for political candidates on the money trail. Particularly when they’re the father of one of my premier agents.”
Ian shook MacArthur’s hand and turned to Detective Connolly.
“Good to see you, Jimmy. It’s been too long. We’ll have to schedule a meet at the Dubliner. Although I’ll need to plan a week of recovery if you put me through my paces like you did the last time we spent much too long at the trough.”
He held out his hand to the young detective who was looking from him to his partners, trying to assess his standing.
“Greetings. As Mac indicated, my name is Ian Ross. There isn’t an Irish pub in this fair city that these two flatfoots and I haven’t frequented. But I presume you know that, if you’ve been invited to join this illustrious claque.”
MacArthur spoke for the young detective. “This is Stephen Peterson. The commissioner thought he could teach us old guys a few new tricks—or at the least add a little class to this jaded team.”
Ian chuckled at the blatantly false modesty in Mac’s introduction. Before he could respond, MacArthur’s lip curved up in a sardonic grin. Turning an appreciative glance on Diamond, the polished man let his eyes do the walking as he perused Diamond. Even in jeans and a t-shirt with her golden hair in a casual pony tail, Diamond warranted his clear approval.
“I can see you are still proving your ability to attract gorgeous women, Ian. But I gotta tell you, bro, this time you’ve outdone yourself.”
Ian stepped forward and put his arm around Diamond. “For once in your life when it comes to women, you’re on target, Mac. I agree. I truly have outdone myself.”
He eased Diamond forward and said with a smile, “Now if the three of you will put your tongues ba
ck in your mouths, I’m pleased to introduce you to my companion, Riley Davis.”
Before Mac or Jimmy could respond, Stephen Peterson jumped forward eagerly and pointed at Diamond.
“You…. I know who you are! You’re the woman at the party. The one in the dress!”
At Mac’s frown, the irrepressible cop who was going to have to learn to curb his eagerness if he was going to make it with his “too worldly” leaders, flushed. Making his excited interjection worse, he tried to explain his faux pas to Jimmy. “You know, Lieutenant. This is the babe everyone was talking about tonight.” He added, “The one that Vice said we should add to the watch list.”
At the deafening silence Peterson turned several shades brighter red, surpassing even the glowering Jimmy’s trademark hue. Throwing the hapless young man a stony glare, Mac bowed slightly to Diamond.
“Please forgive my enthusiastic young trainee, Miss Davis.” His emphasis on the word trainee confirmed that it was unlikely Peterson would be holding that position for long. “Although I admit, I can understand his effusiveness if not his lack of discretion. You truly may be the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. Naturally, my good friend Ian Ross would be the one to capture you.”
Diamond raised her chin, and said quietly. “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” She gave her most genuine smile to the red faced junior officer who looked as though he might burst into tears. “Especially you, Detective Peterson. I’m glad you liked my dress.” She smiled sweetly at Ian and added, “Ian gave it to me. He liked the way it looked on me.”
At the raised eyebrows of both older detectives, Ian chuckled and said with a wry shrug, “Indeed I did. I bought it for her and I thought it looked smashing on her.” He met Peterson’s watery stare and managed to contain his grin. “I’m glad that you and your fellow officers agreed. I presume that your ‘watch list’ includes only the most beautiful women, if you are including my companion.”
Turning to Mac he grew serious. “To the point of my middle of the night ‘house call,’ Noah called to tell me about Deacon Brunson’s death. Obviously Senator Walker and the rest of the Walker family are upset. I came to comfort them and to see if I could help in any way. Even though Rep. Brunson and Senator Walker have been engaged in a pitched political race, this is tragic news.”
MacArthur cocked a sardonic brow and didn’t hide his dismissive grunt. Before he could respond, Jimmy Connolly glared at Ian and said scornfully, “You gotta be kidding, Ross. Upsetting? Yeah I can understand why the Senator and his family might be a little upset. They fuckin’ better be. But let’s not shit each other. Call a spade a spade, Col. Ross. Not only is Representative Brunson dead but he was murdered. Shot three times in the chest with a goddamn extended 9 mm Glock.”
Ian nodded thoughtfully but didn’t respond.
At Ian’s silence, Connolly upped the ante. “And while we haven’t been able to talk with Senator Walker, we have it on good authority that Walker was the last one to see Brunson before he was killed. And if that isn’t enough, the witnesses said that Walker was mad as hell and threatening Brunson.”
Ian tugged on his chin thoughtfully and focused a narrow gaze on the red-faced detective. After a moment, he said carefully, “I assume, given the fact that Senator Walker is a sitting United States Senator, that your ‘information’ comes from a very good authority?”
Before the fuming Irish detective could respond, Mac broke in.
“Look, Ian, we are sensitive to the situation and respectful of the Senator’s position. But we have credible witnesses who’ve indicated that the Senator was seen arguing with Representative Brunson close to the time that we think Brunson was killed.”
Ian frowned and nodded his head pensively. “Hmm. So you don’t have an official time of death, then?”
Mac hesitated, then irritably conceded. “No, we don’t, but we will have shortly. But according to a reliable witness there is no question that Senator Walker and Rep. Brunson were seen arguing close to the time we’re pegging the murder.”
He held up his hand when Ian started to speak. “Look, Ian, we could settle this quickly just by talking to the Senator. If he wasn’t there tonight and can prove that he never left his house, then we can go our merry way and continue to investigate this horrendous crime. Don’t think for a minute that I don’t appreciate the heightened sensitivity of the situation, but our request is a legitimate one.” Nodding to Noah, who been silent since Ian and Diamond arrived, the detective continued. “Unfortunately, Noah indicated that his father is too upset at the moment to talk to us and refused to let us see him. I hope that you can convince his son that it is in Senator Walker’s best interest to talk with us.”
At the sound of a car pulling up, Ian looked over his shoulder and lifted his hand in greeting to the large man striding across the cobblestone pathway to the house.
Turning back to MacArthur, he said, “I can understand why you might think it’s useful to talk to Senator Walker.” Reaching for the arm of the distinguished looking man in the multi thousand dollar suit who had arrived, Ian added, “But given the expedient entrance of this gentleman, perhaps we should pose the question to him.”
Chapter 23
With a wave of his hand, Ian stepped back and motioned for the gentleman to enter the house. Ian closed the door behind him then greeted him.
“Evening, Frank. I’m glad you arrived when you did. Detective MacArthur has raised a challenging issue that perhaps you can help us solve.”
Ignoring the annoyed grunt from Mac, Ian continued smoothly.
“The issue is this, Frank. The detective and his cohorts are eager to talk with Senator Walker. Given the untimely death of his political opponent, Representative Deacon Brunson, they want to know the Senator’s whereabouts this evening.”
Speaking to the three detectives who were glaring at him with varying degrees of skepticism on their faces, Ian asked blandly, “I don’t know if you gentlemen know Frank Gunderson, but let me introduce you.”
Mac interrupted him with a disgusted snort glaring from Ian to the new arrival. “That won’t be necessary, Col. Ross. It happens that I do know Frank Gunderson, as does Detective Connolly. A hell of a lot better than we’d like to.”
Connolly grunted in agreement as Mac continued.
“In addition to being the most famous criminal trial lawyer in the District, Frank is also the most expensive. May I assume that since Attorney Gunderson is also one of your personal lawyers, Ian, that you may have called him at 4:30 in the morning and told him to get his ass over here forthwith?”
Ian smiled. “Now, now, Mac, don’t let your frustrations make you paranoid.”
MacArthur’s jaw tightened further. His stone-hard eyes blazed with anger. He met Ian’s contained gaze and said in a low voice, thick with disgust. “You really are a crafty son of a bitch, Ian.”
Ian shrugged and shot him a careless grin.
“So I’ve been told, Mac, once or twice.”
Jimmy Connolly stepped forward and glared at Ian menacingly. True to form, he didn’t couch his anger or mince his words.
“Fuck you, Ian. You think you won this battle, but let me tell you. All the money in the world and all the connections these fucking elected officials have aren’t going to prevent us from talking to the Senator.”
MacArthur echoed his partner.
“Jimmy is right, Ian, and you know it. As do you, Frank. The fact that you are protecting the Senator as strongly as you are smells to me. But that’s your call. The media is just now learning that Brunson is dead. You can be sure, that like us, the first person they will want to talk to, is Senator Walker. And that’s before they learn that Walker was with Brunson tonight.”
Ian interjected casually, “You mean, if the Senator was with him don’t you, Mac?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Col. Ross.” He said with a diffident shrug, “I can’t help but think the press is going to be all over the fact that it was necessary for us to get a warrant m
erely to talk with Senator Walker.”
“You may be right, Mac. But as you know, the media whores will always think the worst, if it helps to make the story more salacious. In that regard, they remind me of cops. I’m sure you’ve heard the criticism that the police are so eager to close the case that they often overlook the niceties of the law. For example, given the inflammatory nature of this issue, the fact is that Senator Walker is well within his rights to speak to an attorney before he agrees to talk to the police.”
After the clearly annoyed detectives headed to their cars, Ian walked over to Noah who’d been standing silently in the corner of the living room throughout the confrontation with the detectives. Noah’s expression was grim.
Ian sighed loudly and put a comforting arm around the younger man. He said to Frank Gunderson, “I don’t know if you’ve met Noah Walker, Frank, but in addition to being one of my most trusted agents, Noah is one of the most accomplished and finest men I know. And, unlike his father, one of the most even-tempered.”
When the two men were shaking hands, Ian smiled at Diamond and motioned for her to join the men. He pulled her next to him. “And this, Frank, is Riley Davis. To be precise, Lt. Col. Riley Davis. Riley owns the security company known as LOTN, Inc. or Ladies of the Night, as this audacious woman has chosen to call her company. Riley hires only highly trained women agents. LOTN is fast becoming the ‘go to’ organization when an operation calls for the fiercest and most qualified female agents. As you might suspect, seeing Col. Davis, all the women are as beautiful as they are shrewd and talented.”
Frank gave an appreciative whistle. “Hmm, beautiful and fierce? That’s quite a combination.”
Ian agreed. “Riley and I are partnering on this venture, Frank. However, we’re presenting our relationship differently as a cover. I’ll explain later. Suffice it to say that I am introducing her using her code name Diamond and implying with words and actions that she and I are lovers.” He added, “And that Diamond is likely a prostitute.”