Dirty Money (Bad Money #2)

by Ali Parker

  Kate nodded, but froze in place as the young guy became Adam, the trauma from a few weeks earlier rolling over her. How could this be happening again?

  Please don't let him die. Please don't let him die.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kate

  The boy hadn't even made it to the ambulance before ceasing to move. Kate followed them out and turned toward two cops who looked entirely too familiar. It was the cops who had drilled her the first night over Adam's death. They hadn't said more than a few words before putting her and Marcus in the back of one of the cars. Kate closed her eyes and let her head fall back. The club would be fine. Jeffery would step up and make sure everything got shut down as it needed to after such an incident. Another cop had shown up to begin searching the place.

  The two in the front seat berated her over and over, but she ignored them, letting the world fade as the vision of the boy bleeding from the face took up her thoughts.

  Marcus's hand pressed to the top of hers and she took it, wanting to be furious at him for selling the kid the drugs, but knowing there was no way it was him. They were pushing marijuana and a mild form of ecstasy, just recreational drugs. The hard stuff was coming, but Marcus knew how to keep his shit in check. You didn't sell more than someone could handle in a one-hit manner when it was the hard stuff. Addicts didn't understand the idea of rationing out large doses.

  She glanced toward the front seat and let out a slow breath. As long as she didn't run into Jon, everything would be fine.

  The ride to the station took forever, but holding Marcus's hand seemed to help a little. She got out of the car as one of the tall, thin dark-skinned cops reached for her. He was the nicer of the two by far.

  "I'm a little surprised to see you back in here, Miss Jarret. Just like sitting in hot water?"

  "Obviously we got it wrong on the Peterson case. She just offed another young guy. Black widow of sorts, right?" The large Hispanic detective chuckled as Kate ignored them both, tucking her head down and moving into the station.

  They moved Marcus to a different hall from what she could see from her shameful position. She had done nothing wrong, but it didn't matter. Watching another kid lose his life due to drugs poisoned her insides. This was the life that she wanted to bury, needed to die so that she could simply breathe. Being forced to partner with Victor in business was one thing, but a business that would kill its customers if they were irresponsible with it? Damning.

  She moved into the small white room and took a seat at the table in the middle of the room. A chair sat across from hers, but no one joined her. Pressing her arms to the table, Kate leaned forward and tucked her face into her arms, breathing in deeply as she tried to calm her system. Her heart was beating far too hard and had been since she spotted the boy.

  The door opened and she sat up, her heart dropping into her stomach. Jon.

  "We meet again, Miss Jarret." He spoke as if he had never been anything to her. His voice monotone and eyes giving her nothing.

  Kate nodded, not sure what to say to him. They had promised each other that the night before was their parting goodbye. How ironic was it that she was stuck in a small room with him as her only hope for a savior - again.

  "You want to tell me exactly what happened to Carl Jeffrey’s? What's the story this time?" He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze apathetic and demeaning.

  "There isn't a story. He was dancing in the club like the rest of the customers and I noticed his movements becoming jerky." She let out a soft sigh and tried to focus on Jon's clipboard instead of his eyes. She needed them to show love too much to see that they didn't. "I went to the floor about the time he started bleeding from the nose. He fell and I caught him as he seized and then the normal symptoms of drug overdose occurred."

  "And I guess you've seen quite a few drug overdoses in your life? Always been involved in drugs somehow, hm?"

  Kate glanced up, shocked by the accusation in his voice. He knew of her past and how hard she was working to get away from it. There was nothing in his expression that reminded her of the man she loved. He had tucked himself far away from her. Time to return the favor.

  "You have my file. I'm sure it will update you on all things related to my past." She slipped her hands into her lap.

  "Did you know the victim?"

  "I've never seen him before and he was a victim of his own misuse of drugs. This isn't like Adam's case. He wasn't murdered."

  "That's not entirely true. Any time a kid overdoses, he usually does so because his dealer sets him up with too much. Do you happen to know who his dealer is?"

  "I have no clue what he was on or who gave it to him. I don't allow drugs in my club."

  "Your partner, the big bald guy, he seems to have a different story. Says you don't mind certain drugs in the club, it's just the harder ones that cause too many issues, so they're banned."

  Jon was lying. The tinted glass behind him obviously held a group of cops or detectives who were analyzing everything she did and said. Anger burned deep in her chest for the way he was subtly throwing her under the bus. He didn't know shit about who she was and what she stood for.

  "The bald guy isn't my partner. He's my lover and I can assure you that he would never lie to you in such a way. We enjoy having a place for people to come and have a drink or two and forget all the shit that gets thrown at them during the week." She leaned in and looked up at him. "I'm not saying another word without my lawyer. I don't trust cops to do their jobs right. I'm sure you understand why."

  His gaze narrowed as his lips pursed tightly. "Fine. You can spend the night in a cell and we'll make sure to give you your one call. Call your lawyer. You're going to need him."

  Jon wasn't going to play by the rules at all from what she could see. Something inside of her wept over the decision he was making. It hurt like hell that he was attacking her, but she would eventually get over it. Victor on the other hand wasn't the type of man to ask more than once. He was evil and would take any opportunity to cut Jon or any of them down. They were all walking on thin ice for the time being. Unfortunately, Jon just punched his fist through the thinly covered veil. Hell was most likely coming his way and there was nothing Kate could do about it.

  They hadn't allowed her the call before shoving her in a cell with six large males and a gangly looking older woman. Kate took a seat and ignored the stares and cat calls that came her way. She would break a mother fucker’s nose if they even thought to come near her.

  Jon was proving a point. He was powerful and wouldn't shy away from breaking them bit by bit in any way that he could.

  The need to close her eyes and rest pressed upon her, but there was no way. She needed to have her senses about her.

  Jon paused in front of the cell and locked on to her. "Your partner has been freed to go home. He gave us enough information to keep you locked up for a long time."

  "He's my lover. A partner is someone you share business with. A lover is someone you open your legs to. He's the best fuck I've ever had. If he needed to sacrifice me to save his own ass, I'm good with that. I love him that much." She closed her eyes, knowing her words drove into Jon like a hot poker.

  Good. He deserved every bit of it. They weren't at all the two people that met during Adam's death.

  "Whatever. You're being released now too." Jon's voice was tight and low.

  Kate stood up and walked to the bars, looking past him to see Victor standing in the hallway. A smile touched her new partner's mouth and she had to fight back tears. In what version of life would she need a monster to save her from one of the good guys? This one.

  She moved out of the cell and walked toward him, sliding her arms around him and looking up at him as he slid his hand along her jaw, into her hair.

  "Did he hurt you?" he asked, his gaze moving up from her to Jon.

  "No. He doesn't have the power to do that anymore." She looked over her shoulder and let her eyes drag across Jon as her heart shattered in
her chest. "He's looking for someone to pin his worthlessness on. I wish him luck with it."

  "Mess with her again and you'll not live to tell about it." Victor's voice dropped an octave, the man far scarier than Kate imagined possible. He turned and wrapped his arm around her, moving toward the front of the station as people cleared a path in front of him.

  "Is that a threat?" Jon yelled after them.

  "It's a promise," Kate whispered and walked out into the chilly night, snuggling into the villain that held on to her. She would use him as long as she needed to in order to move to another lot in life. After that... she would crush him too.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Jon

  Why hadn't he just let someone else take the interview? He knew better and the captain would have his ass over it. He was too raw to deal with her, too needy after making love to her the night before. He had thought himself capable of tucking away all the wants and desires he held at bay and not letting them cloud his judgment, but he was wrong. Just seeing her threw cold water against his resolve. He couldn't help but hate her as much as he loved her. What she promised to be was gone, a stark reminder more than clear as she tucked herself against Victor and left him standing there.

  Jon turned on his heel and walked languidly back to his desk at the far end of the station. He would wrap up the paperwork on Adam's case, type up the interview with Kate and go home for the night. He wasn’t even supposed to be there yet, but the captain was a good man and had reinstated him earlier that day. Pushing him through the system had to be a bitch, but Jon would return the favor in working hard to bring the drug lords of New Orleans to their knees.

  He plopped down in his chair and worked diligently, ignoring Grabousky and Lamons as they fought over who would be better to make Kate behave in the bedroom. He didn't need any more attention drawn to himself, so he let it go. She would never give either of them the time of day, nor him again after what he had just done.

  Confusion sat heavy on him, his own actions a bit shocking as he thought back on them. He could have been professional without kicking her in the chest verbally over and over. She hadn't taken it well either. Throwing Marcus at him like some silly teenage girl might. Funny how that shit still worked no matter how mature he thought himself to be.

  "You have that file that I let you borrow the other day? It's been requested for this new case on the lovely owner of Expulsion." Karen stood in front of him, the portly file clerk one of his favorite people at the station. She had a great sense of humor and seemed to have a natural tendency to help him out, no matter the request.

  "It's at home. I'll grab it tonight and get it back in the next day. Just assign this one to me too. I'll follow up on the girl again. She's rather harmless, but seems to keep stepping in shit."

  "Yeah, well, don't let her pretty looks fool you. People only step in shit when they follow closely to someone who keeps dishing it out. The murder weapon is usually found on the guy that did it. This chick keeps getting left holding the bag. My spidey-senses say she's somehow connected to all of it."

  Jon laughed and leaned back. "I agree. I'll need you to assign someone to back me on this case. Captain doesn't like us working alone."

  "That's an easy fix seeing that your new partner just showed up. He's being processed through admin for this station to become his home base. I'll show him over shortly. You staying for a while?"

  "No. I'm heading home soon. Long week and the cap is going to be pissed that I was here anyway. I was supposed to take off a week or two after Adam's funeral, but it's too hard to sit at home and think about all this shit. I'd rather just stay busy." He glanced past her as a young guy with red hair and light skin walked toward them. The guy appeared to be about Jon's size, but thinner, less filled out. Youth could do that to a guy.

  "Okay, well, I'll bring Clay back as soon as he's done."

  "I'm already done." The kid moved up to stand beside Karen.

  "Oh good. Jon Peterson, this is Clay Barnes. He's your new partner."

  Jon stood and extended his hand, not liking at all the thought of having a rookie as a partner. The kid reminded him too much of Adam, which wasn't at all a good thing right now.

  "Nice to meet you. Glad to have you joining us."

  "Thanks. Captain said you would be out for a few weeks. You too much of a good guy to take your full vacation? Just can't stay away from the villains?" His smile was big and innocent.

  "Something like that." Jon picked up the file on his desk. "I'm heading out. I'll write up this report and shoot it over to both of you. It's from my interview with Kate Jarret this morning on the death at Expulsion last night."

  "Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything." Karen winked and moved back, pointing to an empty desk across the room. "Clay, this is yours. Let's get you setup."

  Jon nodded toward his new partner and slipped out into the night, wishing like hell that he would find Kate standing there. He needed to apologize for being so cruel and yet he wouldn't allow himself. This was their new position in life, sitting across the table from one another, one playing the villain and the other the savior.

  The question that bugged him the most was which one was he?

  Making a quick decision to stop by the gym on the way home, Jon turned the bike off the freeway and parked it in the large parking lot at his all-night gym. The place was always busy and tonight was no exception. He locked the bike up and walked into the brightly lit room, the smell of sweat and salt slapping him in the face.

  A pretty blond greeted him at the door, her smile seductive and body on display. He thanked her kindly and walked to the locker room, opening his small locker and changing quickly into his shorts and t-shirt. He would run a few miles and then lift weights until he could barely stand. It always seemed to help him process his thoughts better.

  He moved toward the treadmill and got on, a thin brunette looking over at him and smiling. He nodded toward her and pressed a few buttons on the machine until he was running full speed.

  Kate hadn't batted an eye earlier when he had tried to throw Marcus under the bus in front of her. She had picked up her stick and swung hard, plummeting the ball back into his court. The two of them had been friends too long. Jon wouldn't be able to use them against each other.

  Why do you want to? Marcus is all she has left. What the fuck's the matter with you?

  He just wanted to inflict pain, but it was something that was headed Kate's way no matter what. Something deep inside of him told him quickly that when it did, he wouldn't be cheering, but moving up to help.

  The volume of the TV above his head caught his attention, the mention of a name he knew all too well causing him to slow the machine in order to listen. Billy Turner had escaped from a maximum security prison in Texas and had yet to be caught. It had been almost twenty-three hours since they noted him missing from his cell.

  "Fuck me..." he whispered and ignored the soft gasp from the woman on the machine beside him.

  He needed to check into what the cops knew about Billy. He was a huge threat to everyone in New Orleans, especially Marcus and Kate. How had Seth brought Billy in? Was Marcus a part of it? If he was, Billy would want retribution.

  The day Billy was finally caught and locked up, the whole city seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The murder count had been higher during his reign in New Orleans than ever before.

  Did Kate know him? Had she been involved with him or had Marcus pulled her from the street after Seth took over? He needed to know - now.

  Jon stopped the machine and jumped off, toweling his face before moving back to the locker room. He pulled his phone from his locker and texted Karen to check into all of it and get him the information. She promised to do so within the hour.

  He walked back out to the floor and snagged a pair of earphones from a free bin where they sat for customers. Slipping them on, he plugged them into his phone and let the roar of his heavy metal music take him away.

  The drama wasn't go
ing to stop it would seem... it was only getting worse.

  Finishing up his weight routine, Jon walked limply back to the locker room and stripped before slipping into one of the showers. He tugged the curtain closed, grateful for the gym being high class enough to offer the men the same privacy they offered the women. Linda had yet to get back to him with the information on Billy, but she was good for it. It would be in front of him the minute she had it.

  He turned the water on and moved into the spray, his thoughts moving back to how much he wished things had been different with Kate. Licking his lips, he closed his eyes and let the water run over him as he worked mentally through the night before. He should have taken his clothes completely off, should have torn her shirt from her.

  Perfect titties. Her tight little body taking every bit of me.

  He groaned softly before turning and pressing his back to the cold tile of the shower wall. He needed more of her, wanted to spend every night buried deep inside of her. His cock bobbed as if trying to get his attention. A long sigh left him as he wrapped his hand around the thickness of his head and pressed down slowly. He had taken quite a few women to his bed before, but the majority of them weren't able to accommodate him simply because he was too big. The ones that could handle him had complained the entire time about how much it hurt, but Kate...

  He groaned, pulling on his erection roughly and imagining it to be her, taking out her anger on him.

  She wanted every bit of him and anything more that he could give her. She was such a unique woman, one who had been through so much shit and yet still felt comfortable in her own skin. He had no doubt that she had nothing to do with the death at Expulsion. Marcus might have sold the kid drugs, but she didn't have any part in it.

  Jon let out a shaky breath, stroking himself a few times until he was close to losing his load. He stood and pressed his free hand to the shower wall, imagining his beautiful girl in front of him, naked and wet as the water rushed across her. Her ass was big and beautifully round as she faced away from him, her large breasts pressed against the cold tile. He groaned as his mind reconstructed his deepest fantasy for him.