Degrees Of Distortion (Distortion Series Book 1)

by Aimee McNeil

  Jackson grabbed the door handle of the car and swung it open. Both Pete and Josh were slumped over in their seats, gunshots to the head. Jackson squeezed his eyes shut and slammed the door closed. “Fuck!” he yelled.

  Two more cruisers pulled in, and the officers exited their vehicles with their guns drawn. “Put your hands up,” an officer called to them. Both Teddy and Jackson looked at each other before raising their hands.

  “They automatically think it’s us because you look like a shady motherfucker.” Teddy smiled wickedly.

  “And you look like a fuckwad,” Jackson retorted without humor. He was still reeling with anger about having lost Lexie to John.

  “I’ve been called worse.” Teddy shrugged. He was the type who seemed to let everything roll off his shoulder and turned to humor in all situations.

  Two officers approached with their guns trained on them. “My badge is in my pocket,” Jackson said impatiently as the officers neared.

  “Turn around and put your hands on your head,” the officer ordered.

  Jackson turned around with an irritated sigh. He grabbed Jackson by the back of the shoulder. “Don’t move.”

  “Right pocket,” Jackson offered. The officer pulled Jackson’s out and opened it up. “Can I put my hands down now?”

  “Can you please tell me why you are outside your jurisdiction? And what the hell is going on here?”

  Jackson dropped his hands and took his wallet from the officer.

  “I’ll fill him in. Why don’t you go check on Dane?” Teddy nodded as he flashed his badge to the officer.

  Jackson headed back toward the entrance. The only people remaining inside were the victims that were too injured to walk. Jackson heard the sirens of the ambulance pull into the parking lot. A few more people had managed to exit the building, and police officers were assessing the damage. Jackson flashed his badge when their eyes fell on him in question. “Dane, how you holding up?” Jackson said, kneeling in front of his friend.

  “It hurts like a fucking bitch,” Dane moaned. His hand pressed to his side was covered in blood.

  “The paramedics are here now. It shouldn’t be long before we get you patched up.”

  “You know what this means, right?” Dane turned his icy blue eyes on Jackson.

  “Yeah, it means the fucking traitor is someone we know.” Jackson looked down at his hand. Blood dripped from his fingers and splattered on the floor.

  “Looks like you need to get checked out too.”

  “Just a scratch,” Jackson dismissed.

  Jackson turned when someone approached. Evan came to stand next to him, blood still smeared across his lip. Bruising had already formed under his eyes from the first time Jackson punched him in the nose.

  “I’m gonna find Lexie and her mother,” Jackson said with complete certainty.

  “And Stephanie. They took her too,” Evan said, deflated.

  “Shit.” Jackson shook his head. He had completely forgotten about Lexie’s friend in the commotion.

  A couple of paramedics approached them. They assessed Dane’s wound before placing him on a gurney to transfer to the hospital.

  The female paramedic took a quick look at Jackson’s shoulder. “You’ll need stitches,” she said as she grabbed some gauze out of her kit.

  “I got it.” He took the gauze from her hand and pressed it on his shoulder.

  “What about you?” She turned toward Evan.

  “I’m good.” He raised his hands. “Just a few cuts and bruises.”

  She nodded before moving on to the next patient. Jackson walked over toward their table. He kicked a broken dish and some debris aside, noticing Lexie’s purse. A sickening feeling swirled in his stomach with the thought that he had no idea where John had taken her. All the consuming thoughts that normally haunted him were pushed aside. He needed to make sure Lexie was safe. He needed to find her and bring her home.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jackson

  “Almost done. You’re gonna have a nice scar,” the doctor said, pulling the last stitch through the skin on Jackson’s arm. The bullet had torn a deep gash in his shoulder.

  “Yeah, story of my life.” Jackson took a deep breath. He couldn’t concentrate with all the scenarios running through his head about how the course of events was going to unfold. The cute redheaded nurse stood behind the doctor, her eyes lingering on his shirtless chest. Jackson didn’t miss the way she bit her lip and the subtle tells when a woman had sex on her mind. She ran her fingers along the neckline of her uniform. Her breath quickened and her pupils dilated just a fraction. This woman was walking sex, and the doctor seemed oblivious to her wildfire needs. Part of Jackson wished he could step back into his old shoes before Lexie came into his life and turned everything upside down. He could take the nurse and walk away without ever thinking about her again. He loved living day to day, his singular goal of revenge in mind and his sexual wants scratched by whoever was convenient when he felt the need. Now his insides were twisted with new emotions—fear and desperation. Everything in him was pulling him toward the desire to hunt down the man who took Lexie. Revenge for his father’s death was now filing in line behind Lexie. The way she looked at him had him spun close to insanity. He wanted to be in her world. It was an impossibility that his heart refused to give up on.

  “Well, you’re lucky it wasn’t any worse,” the doctor said. He was an older gentleman with graying hair, and reading glasses perched on the end of his nose. He dropped the instruments he used to apply the sutures on a metal tray, along with the bloodied gauze. “That should do it. Keep it clean and dry…” the doctor began before Jackson cut him off.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. I’m in a bit of a rush, Doc.”

  The doctor raised his brow at him before handing off the used medical supplies to the nurse. The nurse’s eyes continued to drink him in as she collected the tray.

  The idea of bending the nurse over the examination table had its appeal. It even caused his dick to flicker to life, pulling at his thoughts, but it was not the redhead he was envisioning. It was Lexie with her petal soft skin and captivating beauty that mesmerized him like a bug drawn to a light. He had no choice but to be pulled to her on every level, even knowing what the outcome would be. A happy ending was never in the cards for him—something he had long since accepted. Though now he realized he might no longer have the blissful, unattached pleasures of sex because Lexie had infected him with something that had taken hold—like a drug, pulling him toward something he never wanted but now feared he could not live without. A man like him should not know the meaning of gentle, but now it was all he wanted. He wanted a gentle life with Lexie.

  Teddy leaned against the doorframe of the examination room, crossing his arms. He had a small bandage on his forehead but was otherwise uninjured. He seemed to pick up on the sexually beaming nurse, and an amused smile crossed his face.

  “How’s Dane?” Jackson asked, grabbing his shirt off the examination table.

  “He’s still in surgery.”

  “Hear from Giles?” Jackson pulled his shirt over his head.

  “Yeah, he wants us to come in immediately, as in yesterday.”

  Jackson rubbed his forehead roughly. “Fuck. Let’s go.” Brushing past Teddy, he walked out into the hall.

  “I wish my nurse was a hot little number like that.”

  “Yeah well, be my guest.” Jackson waved back toward the room he just exited.

  “Fuck man. What’s got into you? Does your girl have a magic pussy or something?” Teddy asked.

  Jackson spun around and shoved Teddy into the wall, pinning his arm against his throat. “I told you she’s fucking off limits. Don’t talk about her like that!” Jackson bit off before he realized he shouldn’t have lost his temper. He was wound too tight. There were too many uncertainties when it came to Lexie. Too much risk involved now. He released Teddy, raked his hands through his hair, and kept walking.

  “Sorry, man. I di
dn’t mean it,” Teddy said as he caught up to him, his hand against his throat.

  “Let’s forget it.”

  “We’ll find her, Jack,” Teddy said seriously. Jackson looked up into the eyes. Teddy was always so carefree, wearing a smile wherever he turned, but now that façade was stripped away. The real Teddy behind the front was standing beside him, the Teddy that understood Jackson in a way that others couldn’t.

  “Let’s go.”

  ***

  The precinct was more familiar to Jackson than his own apartment. He found more comfort sitting at his desk with his files in front of him than he did surrounded by the blank walls of his home. He had moved into his apartment five years ago and still had yet to unpack most of his things. Boxes were still stacked along the wall, the only furniture in the space was a small table with a few bottles of whiskey as a centerpiece, and his king-sized bed was the lone piece of real furniture in his bedroom. His clothes were stacked on top of boxes. He had no desire or know-how to make a place feel like a home—a luxury he never had. He barely spent any time within the walls. It was a place to sleep and nothing else. Since he had taken his oath he had existed as nothing but his job.

  The only things pinned to his apartment wall were all the evidence he collected on John since he found his father’s file. Jackson spent the entire night staring at it, hoping he would see something he missed. Anything that would give him some insight as to where John would take the girls but he only came up empty. He needed to find out where to start, and unfortunately the one person who would have insight into the head of John Stodden was a person he hoped to have never crossed paths with again.

  “Giles is waiting for you in his office,” Mera said as they pushed through the front glass doors to the precinct.

  “Thanks, love.” Teddy smiled wickedly at the middle-aged woman. Mera had been with the precinct before Jackson earned his badge. “Do you have a kiss for me?” Teddy leaned over her desk, wiggling his eyebrows.

  She rolled her eyes at Teddy’s flirtatious behavior. “Honey, you couldn’t handle my kisses.” She was a loyal employee, as dedicated as they came. She thought of the officers as her children. She was as sweet as candy to those she loved. She was always showing off the latest pictures of her grandchildren and making sure everyone was taken care of, but should anyone step on her toes or cross someone she cared about she turned vicious as a snake.

  “Hold onto your hats, boys. Giles is ready to blow today,” Mera called after them.

  Teddy spun back around, unable to leave Mera’s statement alone. “I got something for you to bl—”

  “Teddy! You keep your dirty mind to yourself. I’m too old for such talk.” Mera shook her head with a chuckle. “Run along.”

  They walked past rows of desks that lined the way to Giles’ office until someone stepped into their path—a woman with shoulder-length chestnut hair and deep chocolate eyes. She wore a tight-fitting shirt and a blouse. Jackson couldn’t help but be impressed by her long lean legs that led to a pair of heels. It was definitely questionable whether they were proper for the office. She gave Jackson a once over before she honed in on Teddy. “Teddy,” her voice bordered on whiny. “You didn’t call me.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart. I was off saving the world.” He gave her a wink. “I’ll call you when things die down.”

  She watched after them with a pout. “Okay, but you better call me.”

  “Gives me something to look forward to.” Teddy turned around and placed his hand against his chest, flashing her a smile that was always a deal closer.

  “Tell me, Teddy, have you fucked every single female in this office?” Jackson shook his head.

  Teddy turned his lips down thoughtfully. “Almost. I can’t get past the fact that Trish in evidence can grow a better mustache than me.”

  Giles called Jackson and Teddy into his office as soon as he noticed them approach. “Shut the door,” Giles said as soon as they entered the large office. Large bookcases flanked the wall on either side of his mahogany desk. A large window was directly behind his desk, with the blinds drawn tight. Giles was approaching sixty, his hair having long since turned white. Jackson had a hard time picturing him any other way. He had always looked the same to Jackson for as long as he could remember. He kept it trimmed short with clean lines. He was a man that held power and presence. He was the perfect embodiment of what a chief of police should be.

  “So the little rendezvous was a complete clusterfuck.” Giles leaned back in his chair and assessed the two with a sigh. “Why is it that nothing goes according to plan when the three of you are involved?”

  “Someone tipped off John. He was expecting us,” Jackson informed him. Giles looked at him thoughtfully.

  “Are you sure you weren’t followed?” Giles asked.

  “Positive. I made sure of it,” Jackson confirmed with confidence.

  Giles ran his hands through his hair, tapping his fingers on his desk. “No more playing by your rules, Jackson. I’ve got two good men dead.”

  “They never saw it coming. John’s men took them out before they could even warn us.” Teddy rubbed the back of his neck. The truth hung heavy in the air of the loss they endured. No one could deny errors were made.

  “Someone leaked the info, Giles. It has to be someone close.” Jackson placed his hands on Giles’ desk. He looked into the eyes of the man who had been the closest thing he had to a father. Giles was the person who pulled him off the street and gave him something to work for.

  “I know. The problem is that until this went down, everyone in the circle was a man that I would have laid my life down for on their word.” Giles shook his head in disbelief.

  “Do you have an idea who?” Jackson asked.

  “Let me deal with that. You need to be debriefed. I just got off the phone with Haffey before you arrived. Let’s just say her feathers are a little ruffled,” Giles informed them.

  “You mean she’s on the war path?” Jackson corrected.

  The phone rang, and Giles sighed before he grabbed the receiver. “Giles.” Giles looked toward the door as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. “Thanks.” He hung up the phone and raked his hands down his face. “We’ll finish this conversation later, but until then, anything about this case goes directly from you to me. Understood?”

  “Yes sir.”

  Jackson swung the door open and walked out into the hum of voices floating around the room. The volume of the room dropped as eyes followed their exit from Giles’ office. Desks were situated throughout the large room, people constantly moving around the space. It looked like chaos, but it was a well-oiled machine that made up the some of the working parts of the precinct that enforced the laws of the city.

  Jackson’s gaze found Josh’s wife talking to one of the officers. She clutched the desk, tears streaming down her face. Her belly was swollen with a child that would never know its father. Sadness twisted like a knife deep in Jackson’s stomach. He knew what it was like to grow up without a father, and his heart went out to her child.

  “I’m handing this file over to Haffey, Jackson. John is her case.”

  “I’m not walking away from this, Giles. It’s my fault they were taken. I’ll get them back.” Jackson meant business. There was no way he was going to walk away now. Giles knew better than anyone the reasons Jackson entered law enforcement. The case that was unfolding before him was what he’d been working toward and the very thing Giles was trying to keep him away from unsuccessfully, and now that Lexie was involved, Jackson was out for blood on a completely new level. “I’m going to Belhaven.”

  “I’ll keep him out of trouble, Giles,” Teddy interjected.

  “Yeah, I figured as much. I told Haffey to expect you two,” Giles said with a sigh.

  “That must have made her shit bricks,” Teddy said with a thoughtful smile.

  “You don’t know the half of it.” Giles shook his head.

  “Thanks Giles,” Jackson added. Detect
ive Haffey was a determined woman out for Jackson’s head and deservingly so. He knew she would not be happy to see him.

  Giles looked thoughtfully at Jackson before nodding his head. Jackson knew he had more to say about the whole situation that Jackson put himself in, but he had a pregnant widow to deal with.

  “Go see Anders for debriefing before you leave.” Jackson watched Giles approach Josh’s wife. The news had been delivered, and now her grieving had begun in full force. He knew Giles would feel heavy guilt for Josh’s death. They all did, and seeing the life that Josh was torn from made it worse. Jackson had met Josh’s wife at the last Christmas function thrown at the precinct. She was an elementary school teacher and had been Josh’s high school sweetheart. He couldn’t remember her name, but he never forgot a face.

  She grabbed hold of Giles and collapsed under the weight of her grief, and Giles wrapped his arm around her for support. Jackson knew now more than ever that his purpose in life was to bring an end to John Stodden, but now he also had to make sure that Lexie came out of this unharmed. Though if Mary Connors really did kill his father, then hurting Lexie would be unavoidable. He would not be able to let his father’s murderer walk away even if it meant Lexie’s hatred.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Ten Years Ago…

  Jackson

  “Keep the fucking light still, Nash!” Jackson snapped in a harsh whisper as he shuffled through papers in the desk drawers of the darkened office.

  “If we get caught, he’s gonna kill us,” Nate said skittishly as he tried to still his shaking hand by using both hands to grip the flashlight. “Like seriously fucking kill us. Slowly and painfully, I might add,” he whispered.

  Jackson stopped to glare at Nate when he knocked a stack of papers to the floor. “If you don’t get your shit together, I’m gonna kill you myself, you fuck.”