by Jayne Rylon
This time, she kissed him. “I’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty
Mason took point while Tyler linked hands with Lacey then stayed glued to her side. Funny, never having been in a prison, she had no idea what to expect. Other than the double locking doors like they used at her jeweler—or to keep butterflies in the local conservatory—and an impressive metal detector, there weren’t a lot of differences from a typical police station. The same dingy tiles clashed with snot colored paint made more horrid by the florescent lighting beating over the entire design disaster.
They strode to the front desk then explained their purpose once more. Uncomfortable plastic chairs full of static punished her sore ass while they waited fifteen minutes for the warden to meet them in the lobby.
“Ms. Daughtry. Officers.” He shook their hands with brusque formality. “I’m very sorry to hear of your brother’s passing, ma’am. It’s always a shame when we lose one of our finest.”
She hated the way he acted like he’d known Rob. Something about the man curdled her stomach. When Tyler wedged himself between them, relief washed over her.
“Well, let me escort you to our fine specimen straight away then.” Affronted, the official spun on his scuffed heel, a giant key ring jingling at his hip with each step they took into the bowels of the facility.
Mason added his hand to the base of her spine, steering her along their route. Their guide approached a sheet of tinted glass Lacey recognized as one way. Behind it, grinning like mad, sat Jackson. The neon orange of his jumpsuit shone through the smoky window. His greasy hair, shaggy beard and cuffed hands made him appear even more sinister than she recalled.
Her knees went weak. Mason had her secured against his side in a flash. “I’ll have the warden escort you back to the lobby.”
“No! I’ll be fine.” The thought of being alone with that creepy man almost seemed worse. “I just need a second out here to catch my breath first.”
After her heart stopped pounding, she nodded at the men. “I’m ready.”
“You’re sure?” Tyler tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Positive.”
“You heard the lady. Buzz us in, please.” Mason addressed the attendant.
He entered in the lead with Lacey in the middle. They’d agreed to stand while questioning Jackson both to seem more intimidating and to allow for an easy escape. Just in case. When Jackson caught sight of her, he beamed. His once handsome face still carried an iota of charisma, which made him even more dangerous in her book. He lounged, relaxed, in the sterile holding pen as though he were a sultan occupying a harem divan.
“Ah, lovely Lacey. You’re looking sweet as ever.” His tongue made a full circuit of his cracked lips. “Did you miss me?”
“Quit fucking around, asshole.” Mason wouldn’t stand for any bullshit.
With her men by her side, the terror she had expected never materialized. Instead, disgust crawled across her skin. Beneath the morass of conflicting emotions ran a surreal kind of pity. Though he’d raced past crazy a long, long way back, he’d possessed immense charm once. Busy studying him, she left the initial questions to the guys. Let them blow off some of the steam pressurizing their machismo.
“Why did you email Lacey last week, dirtbag?” Mason jumped straight into the heart of the matter.
“Haven’t you heard?” He winked at her. “I’m up for parole soon, baby. Being in this center has reformed me. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what I did.”
She refused to acknowledge his false apology. Even worse, she kicked the part of her that wanted to believe a core of decency could exist in his blackened soul.
“Honey, I’ve seen the error of my ways. I promise I’ll be good if they let me out.”
“Don’t fuck with her, Jackson,” Mason growled.
The prisoner continued to ignore everyone else present and speak only to her. A decent imitation of a remorseful wince exacerbated the recent grooves in his cheeks. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for what I did…”
“Who else wants you in lockup? Someone set a virus to make sure Lacey never received your message. That’s a lot of trouble to go to for no good reason.” Tyler joined in the fray.
A glimmer of unease betrayed Jackson’s smooth response. “I’m sure I don’t know anything about that. It’s easy to pick up some nasty code. Maybe it was coincidence?”
“And I suppose you don’t know anything about the murder of her brother, Rob, who was also a police officer. Do you?” Mason slammed his hands onto the surface of the desk as he leaned on stiff braced arms to stare the criminal straight in the eye at point-blank range. He could smell a lie a million miles away.
“I did read about the incident in the paper a couple days back. A tragedy, I’m sure.” The slick retort flipped off his tongue too fast to be natural. He’d practiced the response to the obvious question but he had no preparation for the next attack.
“Then tell us… What do you know of a brunette about five-seven, one-forty, who tried to drug Lacey into running off the road and killing herself?” Mason described the grainy likeness Jeremy had sifted from the hospital surveillance cameras.
Jackson’s pupils dilated. He didn’t flinch or gasp but sweat beaded on his forehead. He had to clear his throat to continue. His scrunched eyes flicked to Mason for the first time. “That’s fucked-up. I sure as shit didn’t do it.”
At least that much was true.
“No, but I think you have an idea who did. I can see the pulse hammering in your throat. You’re one slimy bastard, playing it cool like this, but you fucking know. And you better come clean now or the Board isn’t going to look very favorably on your parole hearing when we figure out how you’re involved.” Mason’s voice dropped to a menacing hiss. “I promise you I will find out. No one hurts Lacey and gets away with it. One of my best friends is dead. A cop. How long do you think you’ll rot in maximum security before you die?”
“Son of a bitch! Fine.” Jackson shoved back in his chair with alarming speed then crossed his arms over his chest. He’d lost weight in jail. His physique had gotten chiseled, too. “I have an idea.”
“Who?” Mason skimmed close to the edge of his patience.
“The fucking bitch who started all this in the first goddamn place. Look, I never meant to hurt you.” When his chocolate eyes pleaded with hers, Lacey saw something in them that had drawn her to the creep in the first place. A spark of need that matched the yearning she’d lived with most of her adult life.
Loneliness she understood.
“It was her idea. She told me to find a girl. She wanted pictures, an offering, proof of my devotion, before she’d fuck me again. She’d tested me before but each time it got worse. I wasn’t myself. I was on drugs. She got me hooked then kept giving me more. Kept demanding more.”
His gaze stayed locked on Lacey’s as though he begged for absolution.
“Who?” Tyler echoed Mason’s earlier question.
“The love of my miserable life.” He wiped his knuckles over his mouth. “Gina Stephanos.”
“No!” The room spun as though Lacey rode a wild rollercoaster. Tyler put a steadying hand on her elbow. She took several calming breaths. Her vision distorted but, when she reopened her eyes, she could have sworn she read truth in his expression. “Rob’s girlfriend? Why would she do that?”
“She’s mine, goddamn it!” Jackson bolted from his chair so fast it went flying behind him. “Your goody-two-shoes brother didn’t know enough to keep his hands off my fucking property! He didn’t earn her like I did. She belongs to me.”
In an instant, three guards stormed the room. Ty and Mason hauled her to the corner of the cinderblock walls opposite the fracas then boxed her in behind their defensive postures. The jailers subdued the crazy bastard then stayed, standing guard, over his panting form.
“You had my brother killed because he fell in love with Gina?” Lacey hated the way her voice cracked.
<
br /> Jackson spit at her. The wad of phlegm splattered on the industrial concrete several feet short of where she peeked between Mason and Ty’s puffed-up chests. “Your dumbass brother got himself killed because he trusted a monster. Just like his moronic sister. Then he tried to steal what was mine! If I can’t have her, no one can.”
“You mean you tried to get Rob to help you? Why would he trust you?” She attempted to shove the guys aside but she would have had more luck budging the walls.
Demented laughter ricocheted around the tiny space. Jackson resumed his struggles, tossing off one of the brutes restraining him.
“I’ve heard enough. We’re getting out of here.” Mason interrupted her line of sight when he positioned her between his and Tyler’s hard bodies.
They’d reached the door when Jackson bellowed, “So I guess you won’t testify for my release either, will you, bitch?”
The buzzer guaranteed the thick steel latched behind them. Lingering curses, scuffles and deranged cachinnations penetrated the divider.
Lacey stood reeling in the hall. The guys ushered her toward the front door, pausing long enough to collect their weapons at the desk before escaping into the clean night.
They piled into Mason’s truck. Only when they’d reached the road, in silence, did she start to cry.
Mason thanked God for Tyler. When rage had threatened to obliterate every shred of control he possessed in favor of pure violence, which would have dragged him into the murk where that lowlife Jackson dwelled, Ty had kept him sane.
He shuddered as he thought about the diamond fall of tears that had leaked from Lacey’s distant eyes in absolute silence. Ty had gathered her close. He’d rocked her while he sang line after line of heartfelt lyrics that expressed emotions Mason could never have put into words. The melodious comfort had eased the knot of fury in his gut and lulled Lacey to a fitful doze. Each time Ty had paused, she stirred.
The glowing gauges and the occasional headlights from oncoming cars had illuminated the tender intimacy his lovers shared. Mason’s pulse raced each time he caught a glimpse of them curled around each other, Ty’s lips brushing her hair or her fingers balled in his jacket as though she feared he’d vanish.
Three hours later, they’d made it back within city limits but still Ty crooned. James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend” never sounded so perfect. Mason didn’t want to interrupt but they needed a game plan. Hiding wouldn’t work anymore.
He reviewed the facts of the case on a constant cycle while the miles rolled by. In his mind, he constructed a timeline. Four years ago, Lacey had fallen victim to the insane lowlife they’d interviewed today. He and Ty had misinterpreted the signs, wasting more than twelve-hundred days of their lives together. Mason shook off the morose thought, refocusing his attention on the mystery at hand.
Somehow, several years later, Rob hooked up with Gina Stephanos. He’d be willing to bet Rob had somehow discovered another of the bastard’s victims and fell for her. Then, he’d been attacked, stabbed multiple times in a dark alley, seemingly by an off-duty stripper who later developed a severe case of regret. Along the way, someone had gotten spooked and tried to take Lacey out of the game.
Damn it! There were too many holes for him to plug with the information they had at the moment. He started again at the beginning, combing his memory for any trace of a clue he might have missed.
The vibration of his cell in the cup holder interrupted the pattern of his thoughts. He snatched it up then tossed it to Tyler. Neither one of them talked while driving if they could avoid it but he’d learned his lesson about speakerphone. Ty flipped the thing open though he kept his voice low when he answered.
“Chief. It’s Lambert. Um, we didn’t mean to cause a scene but I think we got some interesting info. We’re about thirty minutes from the house. Yeah, if Razor and the guys can check it out, I think she’d do best where she’s comfortable.”
Mason nodded when Ty glanced over for confirmation.
“Could you also send someone to pick up Rob’s girlfriend? Gina Stephanos. 435 Richmond Boulevard.”
A brief pause, then he continued, “I’m not sure. Approach with caution. She’s either in a world of trouble or a suspect. I can’t decide which.”
Son of a bitch, neither could Mason. They had to find some answers pretty damn quick.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” The phone snapped shut, snuffing out the turquoise glow that had reminded him of the light from the spring. If only they could have lingered in their temporary haven.
“Mason. Are you listening to me?” Ty shot him a curious stare.
“Huh? Yeah.” Mason cleared the memory of wet, glistening flesh from his mind. “What’s up?”
“Chief says JRad’s taken on some extra shifts to help out. He and Razor are going to do rounds then set up shop at the house. Chief’s sending a car to pick up Gina.” He scratched his jaw. “How could that asshole hope to convince us she’d fooled us all? I know you never warmed to her, but you’re not the kind of man to fold people into the inner circle after meeting them a handful of times.”
“Shit, Ty. I don’t know. It’s not like I despised her or anything but… Well, there were times I wondered if some of her coy bullshit went over the top. You know how some women play into that fake shit?” He shook his head. “Then again, you fall for that crap every damn time.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“The young, sweet and innocent ploy.” Mason snorted. “Works like a charm on some dudes. You’re one of them.”
“I am not!” His indignant objection would have woken Lacey if she hadn’t already watched them with wide eyes.
“Ty…” Her sleep-roughened voice drew both men’s attention.
“Sorry, little one. I didn’t mean to shout. Mason was fucking with me.”
“No, he wasn’t.”
Ty’s mouth gaped. “Whose side are you on, Lace?”
Mason didn’t think it possible but laughter rumbled from his chest despite the apprehension making the nape of his neck tingle.
“It’s true. You’re a sucker for the pretty, girl-next-door type. Even when they’re faking.” She patted his chest to soften the blow. “I mean, I can name six women off the top of my head who told you guys they were virgins once they heard you’d make their ‘first time’ special.”
“What! Who?”
“Tracey Lieberman.” She extended her index finger as she began to count off.
Ty clamped his hands over his ears. “You know what? Don’t tell me. I don’t need to know. It doesn’t matter anymore. Fuck, you guys are right. I guess the down-to-earth, wholesome girls reminded me in some ways of Lacey.”
All three of them sighed as regret hung heavy in the cab.
“Anyway.” She broke the pregnant pause. “I agree with Mason. I sometimes caught the way she looked at Rob and thought she had grand designs. I never got a malicious vibe from her but…”
Mason’s attention darted from the road at the hesitant note.
“What is it, doll?”
“I know this is going to sound bad but I believe Jackson. I could see it in his eyes. As hard as it is to stomach, I think he could be telling the truth about Gina. At least as he imagines it in his deluded mind.” She slumped against the center of the seat, leaving a gap between her and both men while she stared up at the fabric covering the ceiling.
Mason exchanged a frustrated glance with Ty who mouthed, “You say it.”
“Sweetheart…”
“Don’t you sweetheart me!” Her hands balled to fists, which she rubbed over her eyes.
“That silver-tongued devil managed to con you out of your better judgment once already.” Before she could protest, he continued. “I’m not saying what happened was your fault. Not that at all. Never that. I’m saying I understand after meeting him how persuasive he might have been once—before he went off the deep end. You can’t trust your instincts here. We’re going to get the facts.”
&n
bsp; As if on cue, Ty’s cell rang. “What do you have, Razor?”
His face went ash grey. “Son of a bitch. How bad is she?”
Lacey nearly crawled down his shirt trying to shove her ear against the other side of the phone. Then she jumped into the conversation. “We’re turning onto Johnstown Road now. We can be there faster than an ambulance. I can work on her.”
Mason didn’t need the details to put the pedal to the floor.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lacey flew from the truck before it had lurched to a stop between a cruiser and an unmarked sedan that screamed copmobile parked in Rob’s usual spot in their driveway. She bolted up the stairs toward her house. Ty and Mason followed on her heels. Bright crimson splatters of blood stained the whitewashed boards in a thin but steady trail along the way.
Lights sparkled from within but the cracked open door hinted at something amiss. She shoved inside then followed the sound of faint arguing to the kitchen. “Please, it’s not necessary. I’ve had far worse. I just have to talk to Lacey. I need to warn her.”
The shaky feminine plea had her stumbling to a halt in the hallway. What if Jackson had been telling the truth? The guys stole her chance to consider when they steamrolled her, sweeping her into the midst of the commotion. Jeremy, Razor and Gina turned as one to face the clamor.
She gasped when the gesture revealed the cause of the young cops’ concern. Gina’s left eye had swollen shut, blood dripped from her broken nose and sick bruises covered her from forehead to split lip.
“Oh, Jesus,” Tyler whispered.
“That bad?” The half-smile, half-grimace Gina managed didn’t upgrade their opinion of her condition. Her muscles drooped in contrast to the puffy injuries.
Lacey ignored the four men on high alert ringing them as she approached Gina where she perched, shaking, on one of the stools at the island. Her nursing training rose to the surface. The truth could wait one damn minute. This battered woman needed immediate assistance. Gina gripped the butcher block surface in front of her.