by Cindy Stark
"Really?" He let out a soft chuckle that held no warmth. "This reminds me of the time in the tunnel when you armed yourself with a pitiful steak knife and pop tarts."
Her irritation returned. "That was a long time ago, Jase. I'm not that little girl anymore." She put her hands against his chest and pushed.
He refused to budge. "Not that much has changed." Instead of moving away, he took a step closer, pressing his body against hers.
"I'm a cop now, Jase. With all of your spying, you should know that. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."
"Tell me then, what are you going to do if Trasatti pulls something like this?" He crushed his lips against hers, and for a moment, it was all she could do to not go weak in the knees. She matched his kiss with her own hunger, greedily taking all he would give her. But at the back of her mind, she knew she had a point to prove.
She wrangled her arms behind his neck and prayed none of the guests would notice them enough to see her slip out her gun. When she had it firmly in hand, she pulled away.
A look of satisfaction glinted in his eyes.
"I should slap your face for that, you bastard, but it would draw too much attention." She stuffed the gun into his rib cage and enjoyed the look of surprise on his face. "Do I still need to prove I can take care of myself?"
Jase took a step back, giving her space. Anger hardened his features. "Put it away."
Now that she'd made it through the shock of seeing him and endured his powerful kiss, her old wounds opened and the hurt she'd so carefully buried over the years sprang to the surface. She tucked the gun back into her purse as embarrassing tears pushed forward. No. She didn't want to cry. Wouldn't show her weakness to this man who still carelessly held her heart prisoner. She tried to keep them in check, but they slipped out, leaving a trail of humiliation running down her cheeks.
"Allie." His voice turned tender, concerned.
"No." She put out a hand to keep him from getting closer. She didn't want or need his affection anymore. "I came here for one reason, Jase. I want you out of my life."
He furrowed his brows. "I'm not in your life, Allie."
"Yes. You are," she whispered furiously, making sure none of the surrounding guests could overhear. She swiped her tears, letting her hurt morph into anger. "You keep sending money, and it's causing me problems."
"Why?"
She looked away, not wanting to discuss Ryan with him.
He didn't give up. "What kind of problems?"
Allie glared at him. "Personal problems."
Jase barked out a laugh. "What? Your boyfriend doesn't like it?"
"That's none of your business." She was not going to let him push her buttons.
Jase gave her a smug smile. "Jealous, is he? Can't compete?"
"Jase." She gasped in surprise over his answer. "There is no competition. You are the one who wanted me out of your life. You shipped me off to California, allowing no contact." She sucked in a breath of the cool evening air, goose bumps rippling along her skin. "Now you need to live by the rules."
Her emotions had been bouncing all over the place since he'd arrived, and she needed to get them under control immediately. She took a step toward him, getting in his face. "Unless you've changed your mind about us?"
The question shocked her as much as him. Where the hell had that come from? She watched his expression change from surprise to a blank slate. What happened to "control"? And what about her future with Ryan?
He broke the connection between their gazes, turning to stare at the sparkling Chicago skyscrapers. "Nothing's changed."
She wanted to punch him. And kick herself for reopening her wounds. "Exactly." She forced a smile, biting her tongue to keep the tears away. How could he still have such a strong hold on her, she wondered as her patched up heart crumbled.
"You don't want me, so I'm demanding that you disappear from my life. No more money. No more people spying on me. No more anything. Do you understand?" She bit harder on her tongue, waiting for his reaction. Was she really naïve enough to still hope he'd say he loved her and wanted her forever?
He shrugged, glancing at her with an emotionless expression. "Nobody tells me what to do. It's my money. I'll do what I want."
"What?" Anger exploded inside her. "You can't." She put her fingers to her temples and then covered her eyes. Her emotions were in tatters. Jase didn't want her, but he kissed her like he did. Why wouldn't he let her go? "You have to stop."
"I don't want to."
She lifted her gaze, catching a glimpse of emotion on his face. Then it was gone. Sadness? Annoyance? It didn't matter now. "It's not your choice to make, Jase. It's my life, and as long as you're meddling in it, it doesn't truly belong to me."
He looked down at her, his jaw working, but he didn't respond. Had she convinced him?
She had a chance at a normal future with Ryan, away from this craziness that crept into her life whenever Jase was around. Ryan was stable, comfortable, and safe. That was what she needed in her life. "Are you going to leave me alone now? Stop sending the money?"
A honking horn from the street below accentuated the silence between them. His refusal to give an answer upset her beyond reason. "Well?"
"No." His gaze trapped hers, holding her prisoner in a war of wills.
"No?" No? He refused to butt out of her life? "Are you insane?"
He shrugged, looking away.
His answer left her completely powerless and that alone frustrated her to no end. It made absolutely no sense.
Wasn't that why she'd become a cop, to gain power over her life and those around her? Here she was helpless. Tears threatened again, but she forced anger to the surface instead. At the moment, there was nothing to do but retreat and prepare herself for her next plan of attack.
"This isn't over." She turned and stomped across the tiled terrace floor, the sound of her heels punctuating her resentment and helplessness.
She spied a restroom and ducked in to compose herself. He couldn't follow her there, and she couldn't very well walk through the ballroom with tears streaming down her face and not have anyone notice.
The serene turquoise room was thankfully vacant. She turned on a faucet, letting the cold water run over her wrists, cooling her blood. After a few minutes, she turned off the water, dried her hands and dabbed at her face. The elaborate gold-framed mirror showed her that her makeup was still passable.
She sniffed, trying to reign in her feelings. She focused on her anger, noting that frustration made her feel more helpless.
With renewed determination, she left the restroom. Jase could refuse all he wanted, and he might have won this round, but in the end, she would get her way.
* * *
Allie arrived at the precinct shortly after nine the next morning, bleary-eyed, but grateful the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. Maybe that meant her day would end happier than the previous one.
She hadn't been able to sleep all night. Images of Jase continually flashed through her brain like a PowerPoint presentation which automatically flipped through its slides. Curled in Jase's arms in Oregon. Jase glaring at her from the dance floor. Jase's lips on hers once again. She sighed, trying not to remember how electrifying that had felt. And lastly, Jase's face when he flat out refused to comply with her wishes. God help her.
She wasn't quite sure why she was back in Cates' office again after deciding she wasn't going to pursue her investigation. But here she was. Maybe it was the detective in her who couldn't let go of unsolved things. Maybe it was a need to find out more about Jase.
Sergeant Cates waited for her in his office. His lips curved under his bushy gray moustache when she walked in.
"Good morning, Miss Fox. Nice to see you again." His gaze slid down to her legs, and he sighed.
"Good morning, Sergeant Cates." Allie smiled as she walked in and took a seat, crossing her legs and allowing the shortest skirt she'd brought to Chicago to ride high on her thighs. She'd added her three-inc
h heels from the night before and a white cotton blouse with one extra button undone to her ensemble. "It's a good thing I don't work for your department, or I'd sue you for sexual harassment." If the crusty old man insisted on a display, she'd give him more than he bargained for and let him suffer all day. Maybe it would be enough to throw him off his game and keep him from questioning her too much.
She was irritated, tired of playing in a man's world. Sure, she was angrier at Jase than Cates, but Jase wasn't around at the moment. It seemed she had to follow all the rules, but they were allowed to do what they wanted. Well, things were going to change. From now on, she intended to use every weapon she had in her arsenal to get her way.
"You're right on the sexual harassment charge. I'd be in a shit-load of trouble." He smiled, not put off by her admonition. "I pulled a few more files you might find interesting." He nodded at two manila folders sitting on the corner of his desk.
Allie glanced down and her attention was immediately snagged by the last name of Pagano. Joey. She took a breath and opened the cover. She was shocked to find a mug shot. Her Joey, arrested? When had that happened? She'd known he'd hung out with his group of bad boys, but he'd never mentioned any trouble with the law.
She scanned his picture. The sight of him tugged at her heart. It had been too long since she'd seen him. She didn't even own a photo to remember him by. He'd been so handsome with his beautiful eyes and sensuous lips. She'd truly loved him, even if she recognized now how shallow their romance really had been. Up until the night he'd died, he'd been her world.
Her gaze slid to his rap sheet, and she widened her eyes. He'd been arrested seven times? Seven? She furrowed her brows. She hadn't known about even one. It wasn't surprising, considering his friends, but...he'd lied to her. That hurt. He'd said he loved her and then he'd lied. Wow. She'd been naïve.
She flipped through the pages of charges, surprised again that he'd actually done time in the county jail. When? She cruised back through her memories. When he'd said he'd gone to see his Aunt Teresa? It had to be.
Allie closed the file, no longer wanting to gaze at the face of the boy who had lied to her and brought such grief into her life. She turned instead to the other folder, opening the thick file, not at all surprised at what she found there. The Trasatti family had quite a history of arrests for prostitution, racketeering and drugs. The index listed them by date, name and crime. Some carried guilty sentences, but those incarcerated rarely included anyone very high in the organization. But that's how these families worked, she knew. The goons did all of the dirty work while the higher-ups reaped the rewards.
"We have individual files on each member of their organization, but that gives you the condensed version."
Allie looked up and blinked. She'd lost herself in her thoughts and had forgotten she'd been sharing the desk of a particular police sergeant. "They have quite a history."
He nodded, and she wondered if he'd been studying her the whole time she'd been leafing through the files.
"How did last night go? Did you have a nice time?" His question was innocent enough, but the reminder of her disastrous evening set her on edge.
"Not particularly. In fact, other than getting a good look at Tommy Trasatti, I didn't find anything helpful to my investigation."
"Not even your kiss with Tyler?"
It took her a moment to respond. "Did you have me followed?" Unbelievable. Not to mention embarrassing.
He shrugged. "I sent you into the middle of two suspected felons. I needed to make sure you were okay." He held up a hand. "Before you get any angrier, I had men there undercover anyway, and I asked them to keep an eye on you."
"Right," she replied with as much sarcasm as she could muster. He was obviously more suspicious of her than she'd thought. "What else did they find out?"
Cates eyed her. "Just that you and Mr. Tyler seemed awfully friendly. Well, until you pulled the gun that is."
Allie shook her head in disbelief. It seemed Cates had an agenda of his own. "I didn't mean, what did you learn about me. I meant about Trasatti."
"Oh. No, he was one of the people who behaved himself last night."
Allie sat, stunned, no longer sure how to continue the conversation. Cates seemed quite content to finger his bushy moustache, letting the silent moments pass before he spoke again.
"It seems you have a little explaining to do because you really don't seem like the kind of woman who'd come on to a man she'd barely met." He lifted a brow. "You gonna tell me about your relationship with Tyler?"
So there were her choices. She could cough up some information or let him think she was a loose woman. It was tempting to go with the slut version, but then her avenue to finding out why the Trasatti family was after her would become a dead end.
Allie folded her arms. "Okay, fine. I'll admit I briefly knew Jase Tyler many years ago. And when I say briefly, I mean brief."
"From what my guys tell me they witnessed, it sounds like you're still on pretty good terms." Cates leaned back in his chair and waited for her response.
What was the best way to get out of this without giving away too much information? "What do you want me to say? Yes, I knew him. Yes, he kissed me last night. He had no right to, but he did it anyway, hence the gun." She tapped her foot on the floor, agitated that she'd allowed herself to be trapped in a corner.
"Yeah, my guys did say you didn't seem too thrilled with his advances. They also said he acted, well to put it in their words, pissed off at you for dancing with Trasatti."
Jase had been mad all right. "It's none of Jase's business who I dance with. You know I was there to get information on Trasatti."
Cates' chair squeaked as he leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk. His blue eyes pierced her with a calculated look. "Look Miss Fox, I know you're trying very hard not to give away your poker hand, but the cards have been dealt, the bets placed, and I'm calling your bluff. I haven't worked in criminal investigations for the last thirty years and not learned how to read people. You're not here on vacation, and you have more than a vested interest in this case." He gave her a look that pinned her in her chair as well as any handcuffs would have. "You gonna give up the jig or what?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She licked her lips, trying to appear calm and unaffected. "I told you—"
He slammed a palm down on his desk, and she jumped. "I don't like liars, Miss Fox."
Allie blinked.
"Do you want to know what I think?" He raised his brows. "I think you knew Joey Pagano. I think you know a lot more than you're admitting about what happened the night he was killed."
She bit her lip, noticing the way his wrinkles stood out when he narrowed his eyes.
"In fact—" He lifted his chin. "I think you witnessed the whole thing."
Allie gasped. How could he know that?
"And you just gave yourself away." He didn't sound nearly as triumphant as she would have thought he might.
She shifted in her chair, letting her gaze slip to the window beyond his head. The sun still shone, but it was anything but cheerful in Cates' office.
She was screwed. He'd backed her into a corner, and she couldn't see any possible way out. She should have known she wouldn't be able to walk into a police station and have them hand her information, no questions asked. Hell, she was a cop herself. Is that why she'd thought she could pull it off? She was not only arrogant, but cocky, too.
"You know, Miss Fox—or is it Allie Jordan? If you'd put a little trust in me, we might solve this case a whole lot quicker."
"How do you know Allie Jordan?" The question slipped out before she had a chance to think.
He chuckled then. "I think I deserve a little more credit than that. I spent months...months investigating Joey's case. You don't think your name would have come up? Joey's murdered and his girlfriend's missing. That wouldn't raise a red flag for you?" He opened a drawer and pulled out another file, sliding it across the desk to her.
; Allie flipped open the manila folder and there she was. Her hair was longer in her high school photo, but no one would doubt it was her. Her name, her aunt's name and address, and a few other details were listed on a separate sheet.
A shiver spilled over her. She'd been damned lucky Trasatti hadn't recognized her the night before. She swallowed. Or had he, and he'd been playing it cool?
She focused on Cates and sighed. "Can I get a cup of coffee?" She needed a few moments alone to settle her nerves and regain her composure.
"You ready to talk?"
She nodded.
Cates slid back his office chair and stood. "I'll be right back then."
By the time Cates returned, Allie had managed to not only compose herself, but she'd also come up with a plan. What was wrong with the old if-you-can't-beat-them, join-them strategy?
"I think you're right, Sergeant Cates," Allie said as the overweight officer returned and handed her a white coffee mug with the Chicago Police emblem on the side. "I should have trusted you from the first."
He dropped two packets of sugar on the desk in front of her as he perched on the edge, smiling like a favored uncle. "Glad to hear it."
She ignored the sugar, preferring her liquid caffeine straight black. "What kind of cop am I, if I can't trust the system I work for?" She took a sip of the hot coffee, and then looked him directly in the eye. "You're correct. I was Allie Jordan. Six years ago, I watched my future fiancé gunned down in cold murder."
Cates nodded and went to sit behind his desk. He pulled out a yellow pad and began taking notes. "Did you see who shot him?"
Allie sighed and touched her temples. She shook her head. "Not really. Joey and I were supposed to meet at the bowling alley. He showed up late, beat up, swollen lip, bruised eye." She took a deep breath, not wanting to relive Joey's last moments. "He said we needed to get off the streets, but wouldn't tell me why. We started toward my house, made it a couple of blocks. A green sedan drove past—I have no idea what make or model. Someone fired a couple of shots." She shuddered. "He was dead."
Cates' clear blue eyes were sharp, focused, and Allie knew he was in full-interrogation mode. "Why didn't you go to the police?"