by Jayne Blue
“I … I don’t think so. But it’s all over my hands.”
I nodded and stepped toward her. Just a tiny tremor near the corner of her pale blue eyes showed her distress.
“Here!” Rhonda tossed a pair of purple latex gloves toward me. She’d pulled a first aid kit off a tall file cabinet. I put the gloves on and helped the judge unzip her robes. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw what she wore underneath. She had on a tight spandex tank top and biker shorts. A muscle jumped in my groin. Damn. The judge was slim and trim, her stomach hard and flat. It took everything in me not to stare where her nipples hardened under the Dri-FIT fabric. I felt an ounce of guilt for thinking dirty thoughts about her, but it was hard not to with her looking the way she did. I let out a slow breath and kept my gaze locked with hers. Her lips had formed a bloodless line as she carefully slipped her arms out of the robe. I set it on the ground. Most of the powder was on it and Jillian’s hands. Rhonda stepped around me and covered the robe, the fallen envelope, and the ground with the plastic bag.
“Does she have a bathroom close by?” I asked.
Rhonda pointed to a door behind the judge’s desk next to her bookcase. “Executive washroom. She’s got a shower in there too.”
I nodded. “Come on, you’re gonna need that shower. Then we’re going to take you to the ER just to be safe. We’ll have the investigators come down to clean your office. Rhonda, can you call and have them shut off the ventilation to this room? Nobody open the door to the courtroom.”
“On it,” Rhonda said. “Judge? Go with Huck. He’ll take care of you. I need to call the CSO and get the hazardous substance protocol started. It’s going to be fine though. Huck’s right that this is probably just baby powder or something.”
Jillian nodded. Her hands trembled a little and I grabbed them with my gloved hands. I didn’t want to risk her spreading the stuff any further before we had a chance to wash it off. I walked with her over to her private bathroom.
“Get in,” I said, pointing to the shower.
“With my clothes on?”
“For now, yeah. We’ll get you soaked, clothes and all, in case any of that stuff got underneath.”
I reached in and turned on the shower nozzle. The water came out blazing hot. I adjusted it, peeling the plastic curtain back.
“You got a change of clothes in here?”
When I looked back, Jillian was shaking. She held her hands out in front of her. “Huck?”
“What is it?”
“It’s starting to itch. Badly. Is my skin turning red?”
It was. Red blotches started to form around her neck. She was trying to keep her cool. I didn’t know much about this woman, but I sensed her steely resolve starting to melt. Ten minutes ago in her courtroom, Jillian Key was in total control. Behind the safety of her mammoth mahogany bench, with her hair tightly coiled into that bun, she seemed untouchable. At least that was the image she carefully projected. Now it unraveled right in front of her. It made every protective instinct in my body flare to life. I wanted to fold her into my arms and tell her not to worry. I wanted to tell her I’d make her safe again.
I held the curtain back. “It’s going to be all right. Soap and water. They’ll give you antibiotics down at the ER. This won’t touch you. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was bleach cleanser or something in that powder. It’s just irritating your skin and your blood pressure is probably on the high side right now. It’s going to be fine. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
I don’t know why I said that last bit. But at that moment, I sensed it’s what she needed to hear. She looked up at me. For a fraction of a second her expression was childlike, with wide open, trusting eyes. Then she stepped into the warm stream of the shower jets and her mask of steel went back into place. I handed her a bar of soap as she raised her hands to her chin.
I let the plastic curtain fall back into place just as the water drenched her clothes. I looked away, but not before I saw a flash of her breasts. Small, perfect areolas poked beneath her plastered-on shirt; her nipples stood on end.
“Fuck,” I muttered to myself as I turned my back to her and crossed my arms.
I wanted her. Badly. I wanted to know everything about her. Just this tiny glimpse of her vulnerable side made me want to see more of it. Was she an ice queen in bed, or did she turn into a wildcat behind closed doors? Women like her usually did.
I heard a slick thud. Jillian had peeled out of her workout clothes. I saw them pooled on the floor of the shower by her feet through a tiny crack in the curtain. I resisted the urge to turn and try and see more. Dammit. My dick grew hard just thinking about it. This was bad. Awful, really. Terry Loomis sent me down here to keep me under the radar. Trying to fuck the judge I’d been assigned to protect wasn’t the best career move.
Maybe it was time to look up Shannon Collier again. Or maybe Gemma, the judge’s cute secretary. Hell, I might just have to make my way down one of the bars cops hang out in around here. Anything to take the edge off imagining what the rest of Judge Jillian Key looked like under that robe.
“Deputy Huckman,” she said, her voice strong and sultry. Hell, I was probably just imagining that. “There’s a towel on the rack beside you. I think I’ve gotten as clean as I’m going to. Can you hand it to me? And I think you’re probably right. The itching and redness are already going away.”
I took a steeling breath and tried to think about football, or fixing my boat’s engine, anything to chase away the erotic thoughts Judge Key stirred in me. I wrapped a tight fist around the white towel and slid it through a crack in the shower curtain, keeping my back turned.
“Thanks,” she said, breathless. She shut off the shower and peeled the curtain back. The gentlemanly thing to do would have been to keep my back turned. I planned to, but Judge Key stepped around me. She had the towel tucked under her arm. Her skin was slick with beads of water. I was happy to see the redness gone, just like she said. Now I just saw a dusting of freckles along her collar bone. Her long blonde hair dripped from the ends that hung past her waist.
“Do you think it’s safe for you to head back into my chambers now or the hallway? I’ve got a change of clothes but don’t plan on getting dressed in front of you. I hope you don’t take offense.”
The ice queen was back. Just a tiny sparkle in the corner of her eye let me know she was joking. I literally had to bite my damn tongue not to give her a come-on of a reply. But it was high time for me to remember what the hell I was really doing here. Jillian Key was the job. Pure and simple. She was relying on me to keep her safe. I wasn’t about to fuck that up by thinking with my dick.
“By all means,” I said. “Does that door lead to the hallway?” I pointed to the one on the other side of the room.
Jillian nodded.
“Okay. Five minutes. Then I want to get you down to the ER for those antibiotics. Like I said. Just a precaution. The lab will probably have results on what the hell that stuff was before the end of the day.”
“Good. And you should take something too. I don’t think you got any of it on you, but just in case you or Rhonda inhaled something, I want to play it safe.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I gave her a salute that made Jillian smile. God. I liked that smile and it’s the last thing I needed to be thinking about. A soft knock on the door pulled me back out of my damn head.
“Judge?” Rhonda managed to pull off both firm and sensitive in her tone.
“I’ll leave you to it,” I said, giving Jillian a nod as I stepped around her and headed back through the door to her chambers.
Rhonda stood on the other side of it wearing her own set of purple latex gloves and a judgmental look on her face. A hazmat team had already shown up and had cleared away Jillian’s robe and all trace of the powder.
“No official analysis yet,” Rhonda said. “But the boys over there are taking bets. Odds-on favorite is a mixture of flour. Maybe a little bleach cleanser mixed in.”
“H
mm. The judge said her hands were starting to itch.”
Rhonda nodded. “She’s better now though?”
I nodded.
“Well, we’ll get her checked out.”
“Can we talk?” I had about a foot and a half on Rhonda Powell, but I’d already learned she had a way of cutting men down to size with just a withering glance. It felt like she could see right through me and was about to take me behind the woodshed for something I’d only just thought about briefly.
“Yeah,” I said, putting my hand on her upper back and guiding her out into the hallway. Judge Key’s secretary hadn’t come back from lunch yet so the place was empty as a tomb.
“Are you up for this job?” Rhonda asked. So she didn’t just have a withering stare in her arsenal.
It was in me to give her a smartass comeback. I didn’t know much about her but I figured it was a pretty safe bet she’d spent her career with the Marshals Service in this very building. But I already knew she was loyal to the judge and cared about her deeply. That alone deserved my respect.
“If you’re asking whether I can keep her safe, the answer is yes. If she’s willing to listen to me. Cuz in the short time I’ve been around her, I’ve picked up a few things. For one, she’s maybe a control freak. For another, she doesn’t understand how serious this threat is, does she?”
My turn to give Rhonda a stare. She parted her lips to say something, then clamped them shut and blinked. Bingo. I’d guessed right. I linked my arm through Rhonda’s and took her further down the hall where I could be sure no one else could hear us.
“That envelope came from inside this courthouse. Somebody who had access to the mailroom or to one of the offices. And we made light of Jerry Jordan. Hell, watching that alone was worth the trip down here. But Judge Key just tangled with something very dangerous. What else has happened, Rhonda?”
She leaned hard against the wall and brought up her foot to lean against it. “I don’t know. But you’re right. I don’t think she fully appreciates the severity of the situation. She’s had some anonymous threatening phone calls. That’s not unusual for any of the judges. But some were on her personal cell. Even after we changed the number.”
I ran my hand over my chin, scratching the beginnings of my afternoon stubble. “She’s thrown at least one detail. That’s the rumor I’ve heard. And also that she’s hard to work for. Eccentric was the description used. What do I need to know?”
Rhonda pushed herself off the wall. “She’s tough. She’s fair. She likes things to be a certain way. But she’s smart. And if you want my opinion, she’s wasting herself here. A woman like her? Sheeit. I’d vote for her for president. She’s the real deal, Huckman. You’ll be able to see for yourself.”
I nodded. “Maybe I’ll get the chance. So, my question is, am I wasting my time?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, is this woman going to be able to get over herself long enough to let me do my job or should I just head back to the Detroit office now?”
Rhonda let out a hard breath. “You’re here because she needs a body man. Someone who can look at this with fresh eyes. When it comes to courthouse security, she’s in good hands with me. But we need more help. She won’t be easy. If they sent you down here thinking this would be a cake assignment, or if that’s what you’re looking for, then maybe you should just head back. But she’s not stupid. We can make her understand how serious this is. Whoever is doing this needs to be caught. She’s in real danger, Huck. I believe that in my bones. I don’t say it lightly. I know guys like you think Judicial Security is a step down …”
“Hey.” I lifted my hand but Rhonda wasn’t having it.
“I know what people say. And you’re right for part of it. This isn’t always the glamorous side of the department. That’s okay with me. But there are rumors about you too. I tend not to judge people until I have firsthand knowledge of them.”
I leaned back against the opposite wall and shoved my hands in my pockets. I didn’t have to ask her, but I did anyway. “What rumors?”
Rhonda shot me a smile. “Marshal Hunk. Gemma’s slip of the tongue was a coincidence, but that’s your reputation. Or at least it used to be. And you’re a wild card. A hot head.”
I chewed my bottom lip. I had about a million defensive replies but decided not to use any of them. Something told me Rhonda would see through them. If nothing else happened today, we were going to have to work on the same side if either of us were serious about this job.
“But,” she said, pushing herself off the opposite wall and taking two steps toward me. She had her hands on her hips and had to crane her neck to keep my gaze. “What interests me more is the fact that even though you ruffle feathers, your track record is nearly perfect. You’re good at what you do.”
I raised a brow. “I do what I have to.”
“Me too. That’s why I asked for you special.”
This got a genuine laugh out of me. “You? You’re the reason I got sent out here?”
“It’s not exactly Siberia, Huck.”
“I know that. I’m just … what made you decide to tell me?”
Rhonda cocked her head to the side as she worked something out for herself. I knew she had the same concerns I did. Could we work together? Could we get out of each other’s way enough to put the judge’s safety first?
“You don’t have to worry about me,” she said as if she could read my damn mind. “Jillian Key is like family to me now. Whether I end up liking you or not isn’t the point. She comes first. Always. So, my question, is that something you can promise me?”
“What are you asking me?”
“The job, Huck. Can I count on you to put the job … Judge Key’s life … first?”
“That depends on the question I started out asking you, Rhonda. So I’ll ask it again. Is she going to be a problem or is she going to be able to do what she’s told? You and I both know I may have to ask her to do things she’s not comfortable with. She’s going to have to relinquish a fair amount of control over her own life until we figure out who wants her dead. If she can’t do that, tell me now. You did your homework on me, I did it on the job. I told you, I know she’s been through a few deputies before I got sent out here.”
“I’ll make her listen, this time,” Rhonda said. Her eyes darkened and she clenched her jaw.
“This time? That’s not very reassuring, Rhonda. So you haven’t been able to up until now. What’s the deal with her, really?”
Rhonda blinked hard and dropped her shoulders. “She’s stubborn. That’s all.”
“Bullshit. No one back at the office is talking with any detail. If I’m going to do my job and keep her safe, I need to know everything. When she eats, what she watches, who she knows, who she fucks. Everything.”
“Well then your job should be easy.” The voice came to my left. Judge Key walked through the door. Her heels clicked against the marble floor as she walked toward us, back straight, head held high, regal as any queen. She’d pulled her hair back into the severe bun high on top of her head. The workout clothes were long gone. In their place, she’d put on a black, tailored suit that showed off her killer curves and long legs. She put her hands on her hips and stood between Rhonda and me.
“But your vote isn’t the only one that counts, Marshal Huckman,” she said. Gone was all trace of the vulnerability she’d shown me just a few minutes ago in the bathroom. Jillian Key’s armor was back in place and I can’t help that it turned the same parts of me on all over again.
“Look, I’m sorry if I was indelicate, Your Honor,” I said. Rhonda took a step back. Her eyes danced with a sort of mirth that told me she’d seen action like this from the judge a million times. “But facts are facts. You’re going to need to let me in. All the way in if I’m gonna have a hope of protecting you fully. That’s non-negotiable.”
Jillian Key raised a blonde brow to the sky. In her heels, I still had a good eight inches on her, but you wouldn’t know it by the se
t of her shoulders and the steely look in her eyes. I was getting the same treatment she’d shown Jerry Jordan. I can’t help that it turned me the fuck on.
She didn’t back down. Instead, she took a step forward, closing the distance between us so that I could almost feel her breath against me. “What I eat, what I watch, who I … fuck? Is that it, Deputy Marshal Huckman, or will there be anything else?”
“Yes. There will be plenty more. I need to see where you live. I need to know every detail of your schedule. And if I don’t like something, you’re going to need to change it. Without argument, without question. Do you think you can handle that?”
“Judge,” Rhonda stepped forward. She put a light hand on the judge’s shoulder. Jillian didn’t look at her. She didn’t so much as flinch. She just kept her laser focus locked with mine. “We can work all of this out. Just give me a minute to finish my conversation with Huckman. I know you better than he does. We’ll find a middle ground.”
“No middle ground,” I said. “I mean it. You two might have pushed the other deputies around. I’m guessing that’s why I’m here and they’re not. It’s really up to the judge to decide whether I’m going to stay. If I do, we do this my way or no way at all. You can’t sweep the severity of this threat under the rug anymore. Someone got access to that envelope inside this courthouse. The FBI lab is involved now. The ball’s in your court, Judge. You think you can abide by my rules? Tell me now. Otherwise I can be out of your hair within the hour.”
Jillian narrowed her eyes at me. Rhonda had a firm grip on her shoulder and I could tell by the look on her face she was scared. Rhonda didn’t say it, but I guessed I was probably her last resort.
“Thank you for your time, Deputy Huckman,” Jillian said. “But I don’t think we’ll be needing your services after all.”
Rhonda let out a gasp and sputtered something I didn’t stick around to hear. I called the judge’s bluff. I turned on my heel and walked away leaving Rhonda staring after me open-mouthed and feeling Judge Jillian Key’s stone-cold eyes boring into my back.