by Taylor Lee
She shrugged. “No, apparently the door is open and they are waiting for me now.”
They pulled into the parking lot and before Jude could tell her again how impressed he was with her, Sky was out of the car heading up the stairs to the precinct. Mac shouted at him from across the parking lot and by the time he’d listened to the eager rookie’s breathless report, Skylar had disappeared.
Chapter 9
Ten hours and five team briefings later, Jude shoved back in his chair with a weary sigh. Glancing at his phone, he saw that it was after nine o’clock. A shot or three of Maker’s Mark begged for his attention. A confab with his brothers along with the booze would be a welcome close to a devilishly challenging day. Unfortunately Jared wasn’t “available”, which meant that his brother was taking advantage of a very good thing—make that a very good woman. Likewise, Jake was involved in a command performance with the mayor, but said he would check in later.
Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to go home before midnight for a change, Jude walked down the silent hallway then stopped, surprised to see a light in Skylar’s office.
He knocked on the door, then poked his head around the corner and saw her sitting at her desk, staring out the window into the black night. “What the hell are you still doing here, Squirt?”
She startled then turned to him with a frown. “Working.”
Jude decided that he wouldn’t point out that there wasn’t a scrap of paper on her desk and her silent computer was on a table off to the side. He even managed not to razz her about her seemingly vacant stare out the window. “Hmm, knowing that you started the day about the same time I did, I think it’s time for you to call it a day, Squirt.”
When she shrugged dismissively and didn’t move, he pressed, “Tell me, Specs, have you had dinner, or for that matter, lunch?”
When she didn’t bother to answer, he decided he’d said enough about her eating habits and decided to approach her from her soft spot, her work ethic. “Look, Specs, I know it’s asking a lot, but we haven’t had a chance to debrief. How about we head over to the Shipwreck and grab some food and exchange notes on our day?”
Skylar agreed, and was quiet on the drive to the pub. Jude took advantage of her focus on the road ahead to study her. She was, in a word, a puzzle. She’d been a calm, cogent interrogator, hell, make that fucking brilliant at getting important information out of the haughty Parker sisters. In contrast to the openly derisive Parker women, he’d noticed that Blake was studying her with interest, as if she intrigued him.
At the same time Jude remembered that crazy conversation they had in the garage and the disconsolate expression that flitted across her face when the Judge was talking about her father. Christ, she’d looked like a little orphan kid, not the self-assured participant—make that partner—in their interrogation of the Parkers. Thinking about her various personas, Jude understood why he hadn’t been shooting shit when he told her in the garage that she was the most damnably disquieting woman he’d met. He wished that he could forget that he had also told her she was the least appealing.
Settling into a quiet booth in the back of the always-rowdy hangout, Jude signaled for the waiter.
“Evening, Corey. While my associate and I are hungry as hell, I for one could do with a shot of liquid refreshment to take the edge off the twenty-four layers of fatigue I’m feeling.”
He turned to Sky. “How about you, Squirt, can I interest you in—”
The red-haired waiter turned his attention from Jude to Skylar and asked, “You want your usual, Sky? Glenmorangie, straight up?”
Jude whistled in surprise. “Phew, if that’s what the lady wants, make that mine as well. In fact, bring the bottle, Corey. Like I said, I have some serious fatigue to work off.”
“Sure thing, Detective. What about food? Your usual, Sky?”
She hesitated and flushed slightly, nodding.
Jude couldn’t hide his grin. “Even though I should know better, if she didn’t order a salad with the dressing on the side, I’ll have what the Squirt is having.”
“You also want cheese on your fries, Detective, along with the double-bacon burger?”
Jude gaped at Sky, but she was sipping on her Scotch, staring thoughtfully at a spot on the wall, clearly thinking about something other than food—or him. Glancing at the bored server who was waiting for his order, Jude coughed slightly and said, “Ah, hold the cheese on my fries, Corey, but bring on the double-cheese burger with bacon.” He added as an afterthought, “She does get sautéed onions, right?”
Corey snorted and gazed at Skylar, his admiration apparent. “Hell, yeah, Detective. Sky gets the works. She’s amazing.”
Jude sipped his Scotch, studying the young woman, whose mind was miles away from the booth they were sitting in.
She caught him looking at her and startled. The flash of pink lighting her cheeks betrayed her embarrassment. “Uh, sorry, Detective Justice. I…I know I drift off sometimes. I…can’t seem to help it. It happens when I am working on a case. I’m sorry if I seem rude.”
She reached for the bottle of expensive Scotch and absentmindedly poured herself another healthy portion, then without asking, topped off Jude’s glass. Seeming to realize what she had done, her cheeks flushed brighter and she pressed her fingers against her mouth. “God, I really am out of it tonight. It’s just that—”
At that moment Corey appeared with a large tray. On it were two supersized dinner plates, each loaded with a double cheeseburger that appeared to have everything on it but the kitchen sink. The prescribed french fries filled the rest of the huge plate. A blanket of cheese covered Sky’s french fries while Jude’s cheese-free fries looked wimpishly barren. Sky picked up her knife and sliced through her gargantuan burger, cutting it in half. When she reached for half of the monster meal, Jude caught her hand. She looked up, surprised.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to say grace or even repeat what I’ve said to you before, which is how the hell can you possibly eat all of that and still weigh what, Squirt? One hundred ten pounds? A hundred fifteen, soaking wet?”
Skylar shrugged and tried to pull her hand back. When Jude didn’t release her hand or her gaze, she flushed brighter and mumbled, “I told you I have a fast metabolism. And…I run ten miles a day.”
Jude frowned. “When the hell do you do that?”
She tossed her head. “At night. I…I like the moon.”
Trying not to think of this easily-distracted young woman running by herself God knows where in the middle of the night, Jude sucked in a deep breath and asked, “Will you humor me, Squirt?”
She blinked her eyes, looking sincerely confused. “I…I don’t understand.”
Still holding her hand, Jude said carefully, trying not to make it sound like a command, “Take off your glasses for a moment.”
Skylar jerked her hand free and sat back against the tattered booth. Her quick reply was strained. “Why?”
Jude smiled at her. “Because I want to see to see if Hailey was telling the truth.”
“I don’t understand.”
Jude let his voice harden, come closer to the command he was trying to avoid.
“Humor me, Skylar.”
Sky frowned at him, then yanked off her glasses and glared at him.
Jude was stunned. Even in the lowered lights of the smoky saloon, he could see the myriad shades of blue lighting her eyes. They ranged from summer sky azure to midnight navy. The plastic frames and thick lenses had done her another disservice. In addition to masking her eyes, they’d obscured the lush black lashes and arched brows that framed her spectacular orbs. With an effort, Jude managed to say, “Damn. Hailey wasn’t exaggerating.”
At Skylar’s questioning expression, he explained. “Hailey said you have the most beautiful eyes she’s ever seen.”
Skylar reached for her glasses, but Jude put his hand over hers, stopping her.
“Uh-uh, Skylar, Not yet. Not before I tell you that I agree with H
ailey. I don’t think I’ve ever seen eyes that are truly the color of tanzanite.”
When she pulled back, he shook his head. “No, wait. I’m not done. Hailey was right. Your eyes do have a purple ring around them, like the true tanzanite gemstone. Jesus, Skylar, your eyes are stunning.”
Skylar flushed a deep rosy color and jerked her hand free. She grabbed her glasses from the table and planted them on the bridge of her nose.
Jude wasn’t about to let her off the hook. “Why do you do that, Skylar?”
Clearly upset, she snapped, “Do what?”
“Wear those glasses?”
Her lip curled in a hostile sneer. “So that I can see?”
Jude shook his head. “Uh-uh, sweetheart. That’s not my question and you know it. I’m asking why do you wear those? Those God-awful, ugly-ass glasses.”
Expecting a harsh response, Jude was surprised when a tiny smile snagged the corner of her mouth.
Skylar tossed her head if she had nothing to lose and answered his question.
“They’re nerd glasses. When I was nine years old I thought it was cool that you could actually buy nerd glasses. Since that was what everyone called me, I decided I should claim that identity. Wear it,” she said with a grin, “literally. Besides, if Clark Kent could wear them, and he was Superman, why couldn’t I?”
Thinking about the implausibility of identifying with Clark Kent, aka Superman, by wearing dorky nerd glasses, Jude realized he’d just gotten a rare glimpse into this unusual woman. He now understood why people from the Judge to a waiter at the Shipwreck were intrigued by her. Not wanting the moment to pass without further mining it, Jude reached for one of her hands then the other, and asked casually, “So you wanted to be Superman, Skylar?”
Sky frowned as if she didn’t understand why he would think that. “No. Of course not! I wanted to be…Susan Storm.”
Jude was careful, not wanting to break their connection. “Sorry. I’m sure I should know, but I don’t know who Susan Storm is. Like most teenaged boys, I only knew the superheroes. I didn’t pay much attention to the chicks that surrounded them.”
Sky stared at him, disbelieving, as if she couldn’t imagine how anyone could be that dense, that uninformed. “You must remember Susan Storm. She was one of the Fantastic Four. Along with Mr. Fantastic, Thing, and the Human Torch, they were Marvel’s first family.” Sky’s voice rose with enthusiasm, excitement lighting her eyes. She clutched Jude’s hands as if she needed him to understand the importance of what she was saying. “Susan Storm was…she was amazing. They called her the Invisible Woman. She could make herself invisible any time she wanted to. No one ever knew where she’d gone or when she would come back. Or, if she would come back. Even better, she could make other people disappear so that they couldn’t bother her anymore.”
.Jude stared at her for a long moment without speaking, when a throaty voice called out breaking the spell between them.
“There you are, Jude.”
Looking up, Sky saw Jerri Ross sauntering up to their table. Ignoring Sky, the voluptuous woman put her hand on Jude’s shoulder and let one pointed scarlet fingernail trail suggestively across the back of his neck.
“I’ve been looking all over for you, Big Guy. I wasn’t sure where you’d told me to meet you tonight. I…we were a trifle indisposed at the time. But then I remembered you told me to meet you here—at the Shipwreck.”
Chapter 10
Jerri’s heavily mascaraed eyes widened in apparent surprise at the sight of Skylar. Her usually sultry voice hardened seeing Jude holding Sky’s hands. “Oh my. I didn’t realize you were working, Jude.”
Skylar snatched her hands free and moved protectively into the corner of the booth.
Regaining her usual presence, Jerri shot Skylar a tight smile and shook her head, pity coloring her words. “My goodness, Jude, you can’t shake off your little sycophants, even at ten o’clock at night? No wonder you asked me to get here as early as I could.” Her harsh laugh was devoid of humor. “You have a tough life, Detective Justice. It’s a good thing you have me to watch out for you, or no telling who would be clamoring for your attention.”
Jude shook off her hand and rose to his feet. A hard frown marred his brow. “That’s enough, Jerri. If you’ll excuse us, please, Skylar and I were just about to eat dinner, after which we’re going to debrief.”
Skylar quickly stood and waved for Corey. “No, Detective Justice, that won’t be necessary. I’m leaving.”
She nodded to Corey, who quickly came to her aid. His frown was as dark as Jude’s when he took in the scene.
Skylar was grateful that at least her voice didn’t quaver. “Corey, bring me a box, please. I need to go.”
Jude’s command was curt. “Skylar, wait a minute. We’re not finished. I need to—”
Sky interrupted him. “No, Detective Justice, I’m tired. I want to go home. I need to prepare for our morning meeting.”
Corey came back to the table and handed her a to-go box. Jerri’s eyes widened as she watched Skylar load the massive burger and pile of gooey cheese-saturated french fries into the box. Gaping at the mountain of greasy food, she said with a disbelieving snort, “I can’t remember the last time I ate a hamburger, much less one like that. My goodness, I can feel my hips expanding just looking at it. Are you actually going to eat all of that? I hope you have several large dogs at home to help you. It makes me sick just looking at it.”
Skylar reached for the ketchup bottle and squirted half a cup of the ubiquitous red sauce over the fries and the top of the burger, then closed the box, snapping the lid shut with a sharp click. As she walked toward the exit, she turned back to the three people watching her. Ignoring Corey’s concern and Jude’s rigid, narrow-eyed expression, she focused on the gloating woman who’d snuck her hand around Jude’s arm. Sky decided if ever there was a moment for a blatant lie, make that a fib, it was now. She tossed her head and said with a dismissive shrug, “In answer to your question, I have two dogs, but they don’t eat meat. They’re vegan.”
After thoroughly castigating Jerri for interrupting their dinner and for her rudeness to Sky, Jude threw a large bill on the table and headed for the exit. Seeing the empty street, he ran his fingers through his unruly hair and spewed a sharp string of furious expletives into the air. Not knowing how Skylar planned to get home, and not even knowing where she lived so that he could follow her, Jude growled in frustration. Heading for his car, muttering obscenities under his breath, he passed by a large garbage can. He snorted when he saw the brown container on the top of a mound of trash. It was Skylar’s to-go box.
***
Filling his coffee mug to the brim, Jared glared at Jude, then shook his head and gave a disgusted snort. “Damn, bro, after throwing her over for the always eager, always vicious Jerri the Juggernaut, couldn’t you at least have seen that Sky got home okay? Did you have to make her take the bus?”
Jude stepped back in surprise. His surprise quickly turned to hard cold anger. “What the fuck are you talking about, dude?”
Before he could break out a full-scale tirade, Jared stopped him. “Since you might be the most clueless motherfucker I know, you likely don’t know that Skylar shares an apartment with Hailey. And while I wasn’t happy that she interrupted one hell of a make out scene I was glad I was there when she got home. That was one upset little pixie. What the hell, Jude? You get off kicking injured puppy dogs too, or just vulnerable young women?”
It took every bit of control that Jude could drag from his gut to keep from driving his fist through his brother’s jaw. If it weren’t for the genuine concern he saw on Jared’s face, he would have. He forced himself to lower his voice and speak somewhat calmly. “Since you don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Jared, I’d appreciate you giving me a smidgen of the benefit of a doubt. If anyone knows Jerri the Juggernaut better than I do, it’s you. BTW, hell of an accurate moniker for that particular piece of ass, bro. And no, I didn’t know that
the squirt lived with Hailey or that she took the bus home. Jesus, bro, gimme a break. You really think I would send that little munchkin out into the dark night and not try to chase her down? How the hell would I know she’d take a bus? Jesus Fucking Christ, man. Who in this day and age takes a fucking bus?”
Jared snorted dismissively. “Maybe the little ‘squirt’ who keeps her burnished silver Ferrari 458 Spider locked up in her garage. You know, to keep all of us yahoos who measure our worth by the length of our dicks and the cars we drive from eating our hearts out.”
Jude jumped back in surprise. “What the hell, man. Skylar has a 458 Spider? For real, dude?”
Jared laughed, “As real as it gets, bro. I’ve seen some spectacular cars in my life but that baby of hers sets a height you and I have never scaled. Hell, it gets to two hundred miles per hour without breathing hard. Before you get any ideas, bro, the sticker price of Sky’s loaded piece of throbbing testosterone heaven starts at three hundred big ones. One more thing, buddy, it has a black and red leather interior.”
So bowled over by Jared’s calm announcement, Jude almost forgot his anger at the way his and Skylar’s evening had ended. That lasted all of three seconds until Sky came into the conference room. His gut clenched at the sight of her. Damn, she was small, and so fucking vulnerable looking. And this morning she looked pale, tired. Christ, no wonder his brother was pissed. He couldn’t imagine what she looked like when she got home last night. Knowing she was hurt made the anger he’d felt since Jerri had invaded their special moment flare anew.
He started to reach out to her, when Solly came up to him.
“Jude, can I talk to you for a minute? Doc Evans called. He expects the results from the lab shortly. Said there are a few surprises in the preliminaries. Should I ask him to send them over or do you want to see them firsthand?”
“No, Solly. I definitely want to discuss them with the doc. Tell him to let us know when he has the full report and we’ll meet him in his office.”