Never Kiss an Exile: Exile Love Biker MC Series Book 1

by Kara Summers

  “Not a chance,” she smiled wickedly.

  I sighed. “Well. I may or may not have danced with Jasper Leon.” Sure it was a bit of a lie, but the truth was far too embarrassing.

  Her eyes widened just a little. “Of the Leon Angels?”

  They’d gotten the nickname thanks to their sparkling personalities and handsome features. It was rare to find a family with that much money and kindness all rolled into one. I was sure they had skeletons in their closets, but that wasn’t the kind of investigating that I did.

  “Yes.”

  “You danced with him?”

  “He chose me. In fact, he told me I was as beautiful as an Irish Rose,” I felt my voice drifting off, becoming more than a little breathy and excited.

  “It’s a shame he did not come back here last night,” Ivana said with a shake of her head.

  I turned to face her, jaw slack. “Ivana!”

  She just shrugged and grinned at me, hopping off the desk and offering me her arm. “Come. Tell me all about it.”

  I snorted but took her arm all the same. There were already rumors about us flying all over town, though I did not care. I knew the truth and I loved her dearly, though not in the way that people assumed. She was my best friend and as we walked, I told her about Jasper. I told her about how warm he was and how kind. I told her about the earthy smell that surrounded him.

  The most unnerving thing to me, was the thousand-watt smile dancing across my face as we walked.

  Chapter Five

  The days passed and soon they turned to weeks. Jasper still occupied my mind, though it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been immediately following the ball. I was completely engulfed by him and the memory of our brief contact. I was glad that as the days went on I found it easier to focus on my work once again and I was thankful for it. I did not like the idea that I was so easily distracted from my life’s work by a man with a pretty face.

  Ivana was curious about my reaction to the strange man, but she managed to stay rather quiet about it after I threatened to send her back to Moscow. We both knew I wasn’t serious, but I think she finally got the idea that I was doing my best to forget about him.

  It helped that there seemed to be a crime spike in London at the time. My office was getting more and more murder cases every day. I was so swamped that I started delegating cases to other local detectives. I did not really like the idea of giving up my territory, but I knew I had to do it. Things were getting out of hand and from what I could tell, these murders weren’t being committed by one person.

  Multiple suspects meant the criminals felt the police force was lacking. They felt like they could get away with what they were doing, and that was a terrifying idea. We needed to crack down on the scum that roamed out streets or soon no one would be safe.

  I sighed as I sat at my desk and started shuffling through reports. I would have normally liked to be out on the streets, getting my hands dirty, but I knew I had to review the evidence and determine if there was any link between these murders. Maybe it was a small group of people doing the killing. The fact that the victims were mostly prostitutes did not tell me anything other than that the perpetrators were probably men.

  The cases started to blur together and I groaned, throwing the files down in frustration. Just as I was about to step out for some fresh air, Ivana walked into my office with a file in hand.

  “What’s that?” I asked, reaching for a flask.

  “It’s ten in the morning,” she said with a frown.

  “And I could have started drinking at nine,” I answered.

  She sighed and offered me the file. “I thought you might want to get out of the office for this one.”

  I frowned and took the folder, noticing the name at the top. “Jasper Leon?”

  “His maid was murdered just outside the house. The family is very concerned and they specifically requested that you go out to investigate the case.”

  I stared at the folder for a long moment. Of course I wanted to go, but I was more than a little nervous. Having Jasper there could throw my concentration, and that could be very dangerous for everyone involved. I sighed and put a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes.

  “They requested me?”

  “Yes.”

  I sighed and dropped my hand. “Then I suppose I have no choice but to go.”

  “This could be very good for the company,” Ivana pointed out. “If you could solve this case then I’m sure the Leon family would fund the business and research!” she said excitedly.

  I nodded, though I wasn’t as thrilled as Ivana was. Even if this would be good for business, there was still a woman who was dead. I stood from the desk and sighed.

  “I’ll go.”

  “Should I send a messenger?” she asked.

  “No. There’s no time. I don’t think formality really matters right now. They wanted me and they’re going to get me.”

  Ivana nodded. “I can keep things in order here while you’re gone.”

  I smiled and reached out, putting a hand on Ivana’s shoulder. “I know you can.”

  Even though we joked often, I trusted her with my life. I knew she would take care of things while I was gone. She was a brilliant woman and just as capable of handling these things as I was. I dropped my hand from her shoulder and exited the office, turning to walk up the winding stairs that led to my loft.

  My father always said that detectives shouldn’t live in their offices. He believed that separation of private life and work life granted clarity. I did not really agree with that. I liked being surrounded by my work at all times. Maybe it was because it helped me forget that I had nothing else. I hated to admit it, but Victoria was right; soon enough detective work wasn’t going to be enough to fulfill me.

  I went to my flat, packed my things and waited for a carriage with Ivana. I glanced back at her and sighed.

  “Are you sure you have this under control?” I asked her.

  “Don’t I always?”

  “I suppose so. I just can’t help being nervous,” I admitted sheepishly.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll handle all of this,” she assured, nudging me. “Take care of this case. Work your magic and get back here so we can figure out what the hell is going on around here.”

  “Right, right,” I murmured.

  “And focus. Don’t get distracted by Jasper. You have a job to do. That’s your main focus.”

  “Of course. I know that,” I said as I got in the carriage setting my luggage on the floor.

  As the carriage pulled away, Ivana put her hands on her hips and sighed.

  “Good luck, my friend.”

  Chapter Six

  The ride to Jasper’s home was far longer than I expected. I knew that the family had land in the country, but I assumed that they would have resided primarily in the city with as many parties as they attended. Though with four brothers, the party attendance could be split up among them to take some of the pressure off.

  As we traveled, I noticed that the houses got further and further apart. Some people might have been comforted by this fact, but since I was going to a place with an active murder investigation, I became nervous. The further apart the houses were, the fewer people there were to hear you scream. That made my blood curdle and I had to take a deep breath to calm myself down.

  Most of the time I managed to stay composed, but every now and then that mask would crumble, and I would be left struggling and trying desperately to hold myself together. When you dealt with death as intimately as I did, you couldn’t help but fear the worse on occasion. I saw women with their faces sliced to shreds, and human beings who’d been disemboweled. When you saw that on such a regular basis, it became difficult not to wonder what if that was how you met your end. Or worse, what if it was someone you loved?

  I often dreamed of blood and screams, and I would wake up drenched in sweat with tears pouring down my face. I would silently wish that the empty space beside me held a warm companion to comfort
me, and then I’d curl up and go back to sleep, shivering and afraid by the monsters that haunted my mind.

  The carriage lurched to a stop and I poked my head out the window, looking at the driver. “Have we arrived?”

  “Yes Ma’am.”

  I turned my gaze to the mansion and my eyes widened just a little. The large Victorian home rose into the sky, pillars reaching for darkened clouds. The house itself was painted a pristine white with navy shutters. The contrast was rather lovely, but the sheer size of it made me nervous. Just from looking at the outside and counting windows, I could tell that the house had at least twelve rooms and a sizable amount of land. I was sure there were servant’s quarters, garden sheds, and all manner of structures that weren’t attached to the main house. This idea made me squirm in my seat. The killer could easily still be in a place this big. It wasn’t safe.

  I stepped out of the carriage, the heels of my shoes sinking into the soft dirt. I sighed and stepped forward, chewing my lip a little.

  “Thank you, Sir,” I said, handing the stage coach driver a tip as he passed me my luggage.

  “Would you like me to walk you to the door?” he asked.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I assured, glancing up at the large, wrought iron gate that stood open before me.

  I made my way up the cobbled path, glancing around me almost nervously as I approached the towering oak doors. I reached up at knocked, waiting patiently. After a long moment I reached up to knock again, but the doors swung open, startling me and making me jump back. A towering man stood in the doorway and swung his arm, silently beckoning me to come in.

  As I stepped into the main foyer, my eyes never left the tall servant. I’d never seen a man of his stature before. He had to be at least seven feet tall. I was so entranced by his lankiness and height, that I didn’t even notice Jasper coming down the grand staircase.

  “He’s a sight, isn’t he?”

  I spun around and stared at Jasper, my heart beating quickly. I wasn’t sure if it was my visceral reaction to Jasper or if it was the fact that he’d managed to sneak up on me. Thanks to the sprawling house, I was already on edge. I swallowed and nodded slowly.

  Jasper made his way down the stairs, looking me up and down for a moment. He was smiling rather easily for a man who’d just had a maid killed. It made me rather suspicious.

  “Can I offer you any tea?” he asked dutifully.

  “No thank you,” I said, forcing myself to ignore my jitters and be polite.

  “You shouldn’t refuse a host’s hospitality.”

  I was quickly losing my patience. I cleared my throat and looked at the man for a long moment. “With all due respect, Mr. Leon, from what I understand there is a dead woman somewhere in this house and I have been called here to investigate her death. I would very much appreciate it if you would let me do my job.”

  He seemed a little surprised by my sudden demands, but nodded and cleared his throat. “Of course,” he said, motioning to the staircase. “I will take you to her.”

  “Thank you.”

  As we walked through the hall, a heavy silence fell over us. “Did you know her well?” I asked, glancing up at him.

  “Yes. She was a dear friend of the family.”

  “I thought she was a servant,” I said, somewhat confused.

  “Can’t she be both?”

  “I suppose so,” I said, feeling closed-minded, my cheeks going pink when he pointed out that fact.

  He nodded. “. Though she was a servant, she was also a friend. She was a wonderful woman and I am reeling a bit from all of this,” he admitted.

  The fact that he was so open and managed to talk about this woman so easily was impressive and I admired him for it. We came to stand in front of a door and he looked away.

  He hesitated and nodded his head towards the door. “She’s right in there.”

  Chapter Seven

  I pushed open the door, expecting to find the woman face down in a puddle of her own blood. When you worked in my profession, you learned to expect the worst in these types of situations. Instead of finding her on the floor, however, I saw that she was laying peacefully in her bed with her arms crossed over her chest as if she were asleep.

  For a long moment I started at her, frowning. “I thought she was murdered,” I whispered, almost afraid that the old woman might wake and hear me.

  Jasper crossed the room and slowly pulled back the bed sheets, revealing blood stained clothing and sheets. “We moved her. She was in her undergarments; it was undignified.”

  “You should never move the body!” I hissed, rubbing my temple, clearly stressed. “You should never, ever move the body! It is one of the most important clues I have to work with,” I stated firmly.

  “I couldn’t very well leave her in the green house nearly naked while I waited for you!” Jasper countered.

  “Please tell me you at least left the crime scene untouched?” I murmured, inspecting the wounds on the woman’s body. They weren’t quite stab wounds, though they were punctures of some sort. They littered the poor woman’s torso and I couldn’t help but think that her death had been a horrid one. She hadn’t gone quickly.

  “We did not touch the green house yet,” he murmured.

  “Will you take me there?” I asked.

  He reached over and almost lovingly covered the woman’s body again. Her grey hair had been brushed and a small amount of rouge applied to her ashy skin. It was clear that he cared for this woman. I sighed and touched his arm, the warmth of his skin under my fingers sent electricity through my veins.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” I said gently.

  “I just want to find her killer. I owe her justice. She loved me and cared for me since I was a boy. I at least owe her that.”

  I nodded slowly. “I’m not going to leave until we figure this out.”

  He didn’t respond to me and stood up straight, clearing his throat. “Follow me,” he murmured, leading me away from the room and down the hall.

  I followed him silently, not wanting to upset him more than he already was. It was clear the poor man was suffering. When I first took over my father’s business, I didn’t understand the value of being subtle. When family members would break down into tears and cry for their deceased loved ones, I would just look away and keep asking my questions.

  One day, a young mother who’d been convinced her husband had drowned their baby, grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me so hard my vision went blurry. She stared at me, her eyes wide and full of tears.

  ” That was my daughter! That was my child!” she’d sobbed. “How can you stand there and keep asking me these questions?”

  At the time, the outburst surprised me and upset me. I wasn’t the family therapist, I was there to solve a crime and that’s exactly what I was trying to do. I thought about that case a lot and it was always a silent reminder of the fact that these were people who had lost loved ones. I had to recognize that and I had to recognize the grief of the family if I was going to be any good at my job. I wasn’t great at it yet, but I was getting there.

  We walked through the marbled hallway, passing statues and painting of regal looking men and women. He led me through the kitchen and out a set of large wooden doors.

  The green house was just in front of me and I wasted no time. I jogged over, lifting the hem of my dress to keep it out of the mud. Apparently something my nannies tried to teach me sunk in. I was still a lady and I occasionally acted like it.

  The doors to the green house were still open and I could see a large pool of blood in the middle of the wooden floor, with smaller spots of blood that led out onto the grounds. I assumed that these were left behind when the old woman had been carried out.

  “What is her name?” I asked, turning back to Jasper who still looked like a kicked puppy.

  “Pearl.”

  I nodded and went back to my work, kneeling and taking in the scene. There were a pair of bloodied gardening shears near the pool o
f blood and I felt my throat tighten just a little. Those were the murder weapon, no doubt about it. Jasper was watching me silently as I opened a leather doctor’s bag that I’d brought along with me. I pulled out various instruments and took measurements, trying to lift finger prints from the shears. It was still a new technology, but it worked and I had become very interested and very good.

  As I worked, I could feel Jasper’s eyes on the back of my neck. I knew he was watching me, though it wasn’t for the same reason that most men watched. I could feel the worry and the fear in his gaze. I sighed and glanced over my shoulder, standing and touching his arm.

  “Maybe you should wait outside? This might be a bit much for you,” I offered.

  He nodded and took my advice, wandering to the outside of the green house and waiting silently for me to return. I collected everything I could and when I came back out an hour later, I was fairly certain I’d put together what happened.

  Jasper glanced at me and my blood covered apron as I exited the green house. “Well?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “We should talk inside.”

  This wasn’t going to be pretty.

  Chapter Eight

  He led me into the parlor and I settled on a nearby chair as he walked over to his bar cart and began pouring himself a whiskey. I eyed the booze hungrily and looked up at him.

  “May I have one as well?” I asked.

  He hesitated and looked back at me. “It’s whiskey.”

  “I’m aware.”

  He nodded and poured me one on the rocks, handing it over to me. “I haven’t met many women who drink like you do.”

  “You see a lot of things in my line of work. Things that make it hard to sleep at night,” I murmured, closing my eyes.

  He nodded and settled on the seat across from me, watching me closely. “Tell me everything.”

  “I’m not sure if you want to know everything,” I said.

  “I can assure you, I do,” he said, his eyes wide.

  I sighed and leaned on my hand, closing my eyes. “The murderer stabbed her repeatedly with the garden shears,” I said softly. “I managed to lift some finger prints, but that is only useful if the murderer is in London and also happens to have committed a crime within the last three years. I’m going to finger print the rest of your staff, and do the best I can to find her killer.”