by Shauna Hart
His head turned, and the look he gave her let her know just how severe the wound she had inflicted actually was. “Why should I stay?” he challenged. “You don’t even know me.”
* * * *
Two hours later, as she waited for Zoë, Jade couldn’t help but think about Clay. His words had been a mere mirror of her own hurt. But it was more than that. It was the look in his eyes.
Pain.
Hurt.
It had all been there.
And she had been the cause of it. She tried to tell herself that it was better this way, that it would be easier to avoid him if he hated her. Deep down, she didn’t want to believe that he could. But, what if he did?
She was a fool.
She had fallen for the very man she was supposed to be investigating.
Maybe it had been inevitable. The kiss they shared years ago had doomed them, and giving into that passion had sealed their fate. Being with him intimately had opened a door that had been firmly shut, a secret door that led to all of her private fantasies. How would she ever be able to close it? How would she ever be able to forget the sweet release she had felt when she gave in to her wild side?
She caught sight of Zoë running across Canal Street. Zoë made her way over to the table, her hair windblown. She quickly ordered a cup of coffee before turning to face Jade.
“What’s up? You sounded upset on the phone.”
Jade took a deep breath before plunging ahead. “What do you know about Sex Cajun Style?”
Zoë’s gaze fell to the cup of coffee that was placed before her, refusing to meet Jade’s eyes. “What?”
“Sex Cajun Style? Have you heard of it?”
Zoë sipped her coffee, a frown forming. “No.”
Jade’s eyes narrowed. “Zoë, I know that Ruby worked there. I’ve seen the pictures,” she explained.
Zoë let out a disgruntled sigh. “Why are you digging all of this up? Ruby’s dead.”
Her blunt statement caught Jade by surprise.
“I’m sorry,” Zoë said. “It’s just that Ruby wasn’t exactly proud of those photos. She hated doing it. But she did it—because she had to.”
Jade swallowed. “When did she start working for him?”
Zoë smoothed her hair back before returning her gaze. “About a year ago. She only did it when she needed the money,” she replied in quick defense.
She shook her head, leaning back in her chair. “Why didn’t she come to me? I would have helped her. I would have given her anything she needed,” she reasoned, more to herself than to Zoë.
Zoë offered her a somber smile. “It isn’t exactly easy to admit that you can’t make it on your own. Ruby looked up to you. She didn’t want you to think that she couldn’t do it on her own, like you did.”
Jade squeezed her eyes shut at the unexpected pain the other woman’s words brought. All she had ever wanted was for her sister to be happy and healthy. If only Ruby had known that she didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. She watched as Zoë glanced around the café.
“Tell me how it started,” she said.
Zoë drew in a deep breath. “How do these things always start? Ruby was really struggling one month, and she asked Lloyd for an advance on her pay,” she recounted, giving Jade a grim smile. “Well, Lloyd never gives advances. I remember this one time a girl asked if she could have a ten-dollar advance because she didn’t have enough money to eat, Lloyd told her to forget it. Said she might as well just panhandle, but she wasn’t getting any money out of him.”
She paused for a minute before continuing. “Anyway, Ruby asked for an advance, and Lloyd said she could earn a few bucks taking some pictures for him. When you’re out of options, a few pictures don’t seem like such a horrible thing.”
“Did you ever do any pictures for him?”
Jade knew the answer even before it came.
“It’s not as bad as it seems. He never tried anything with me,” Zoë replied.
“What about Ruby? Did he try anything with Ruby?”
Zoë looked away, and Jade felt her stomach turn. “What happened, Zoë?”
Zoë shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I told her to stop doing it, you know. I told her that he was becoming obsessed with her. He didn’t want to use me or the other girls anymore. He just wanted Ruby.” She paused for a moment, her eyes casting furtive glances around the café. “Nothing I said mattered. She told me that I was just jealous, but there was something about the way he looked at her…”
As she trailed off, a shiver raced up Jade’s spine. “What?” she prodded.
Zoë bit her lower lip. “I don’t know. Just something that seemed off. It scared me.”
She leaned across the table to grab Zoë’s hand, startling her out of her memory. “Zoë, I have to talk to him,” she said forcefully.
Zoë’s eyes widened as she pulled her hand out of Jade’s grip. “You can’t! If he ever found out that I was talking to you about it…”
She didn’t voice what would happen, but the implication was all too clear. “Zoë, if he had something to do with Ruby’s death, I have to know.”
Zoë stood up, pushing her chair in rather shakily. She leaned over the table. “Look, just stay away from him, Jade. He’s not the type of man you want to confront.”
“Zoë!” she called out, chasing after the other woman. She grabbed her arm, spinning her around. “Please help me.”
Zoë eyes flared, her lips twisting in a cruel smirk. “Don’t you get it? Ruby’s dead. And I’m alive. I’d like to stay that way.”
Her mouth fell open as she watched Zoë run across the street toward Jackson Square. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Her eyes scanned the crowd, noting the tourists milling about, the jazz band playing cheerfully. The scene should have been comforting, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Her arms crossed over her middle as she felt what Zoë felt.
Fear.
Chapter 17
Jade waited for Lloyd in the back room of the shop, her palms sweating. She couldn’t help but be thankful that Zoë wasn’t working today. After their meeting earlier, she didn’t think she could face the look of censure she was sure to see for her actions. She didn’t want to put Zoë in danger, but she had come too far to stop now.
She glanced around the small room. A large table with boxes on it was directly across from where she sat at a makeshift desk. A purple curtain held on a rail provided the only door. When it slid open, Jade was reminded of the reasons she didn’t want to face Lloyd Tomlinson. The look on his face left little doubt that he was just as unhappy to see her as she was to see him.
“They said you wanted to see me, but I don’t know why. I gave you everything that Ruby left here,” he dismissed her curtly.
He stood over her, making her skin crawl.
“I’d just like to ask you a couple of questions,” she explained.
He let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his eyes as he grabbed a chair. He sat down, and
Jade couldn’t help but wonder if the old, battered chair would finally give out. But somehow it held. “You have ten minutes.”
She pulled the file folder out of her bag, handing it to him. “I wanted to talk to you about the work Ruby did for you.”
He grabbed the file, pulling it open. Jade wasn’t sure what she was waiting for. Shock? Guilt? But she found none of those things in Lloyd’s expression as he looked at the photos of her sister. Instead, he glanced at the photos with a quiet disdain before his eyes met hers. “What the hell do you want?”
“Are these pictures still on your website?” she asked, her jaw clenching.
His eyes narrowed, his lips forming a grim line. “I have a legal right to these pictures,” he reminded her.
Jade could feel the anger radiating off of him, but she held her ground. “Mr. Tomlinson, I’m asking you to take them down.”
His cruel sneer made her stomach turn. “Ruby’s always been a b
estseller,” he observed callously.
She leaned forward. “Ruby’s dead, Mr. Tomlinson.”
He stood up so abruptly that the chair slid back, making a screeching noise. “Not my fault that Ruby went and got herself shot,” he said, his lips emphasizing each word. “She was paid and paid well for those pictures. She knew what she was doing.”
Jade jumped to her feet, all of the venom she felt in her heart spilling out. “Did she, Mr. Tomlinson?”
Pulling out a photo of Ruby masturbating, he held it up in front of her face. “Does this look like a woman who isn’t enjoying what she’s doing?” he bit out.
Shoving the photo back into the file, he handed it to her. “Ruby loved every bit of it.” He leaned over, his face coming dangerously close to hers. “She loved having people look at her body, and I loved taking her picture. As far as I know, there ain’t no law against that as long as she was paid. And she was. I have an ironclad contract in my desk that will stand up in any court. You can try to fight me, but you won’t win.”
Before she could even recover from what he’d said, he was gone. And she was alone. Later that night, as she got ready to go to the club, she wondered if she would ever find out the truth about what happened to Ruby. Zoë had begrudgingly agreed to go tonight, after some serious persuasion. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to go tonight. Nothing good could come from it. Still, she couldn’t escape the fact that Ruby had been with someone on the night she died. It was a good bet that that man was a member of the club.
If she could find him…
If she could find him, then what?
What the hell was she thinking?
If she found him, there was a very good chance that she would get a one-way ticket to join her sister. Clay was right. She had no idea what she was getting into. She glanced up at the ceiling. Dear God, Ruby. What the hell were you involved in here?
As she walked through the doors of the club, a thrill of anticipation rushed through her body. Her eyes scanned the other members. A part of her knew the real reason that she came here tonight, and it had nothing to do with Ruby. Deep down, she was hoping that he was here. She wanted to see him again. He had touched something inside of her that no one else ever had, and now she couldn’t seem to turn it off.
As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t.
She turned to say something to Zoë, only to realize that the other woman had disappeared. It seemed like every time they set foot in the club, Zoë was gone in two seconds flat. She walked down the hall, turning to the right. A room at the end of the hall was ablaze with light.
When she reached it, she felt her stomach drop. It was their room. The room they had been in the first time they made love. She couldn’t stop herself from walking inside, remembering. She relived every moment. The feel of his hands on her body. The feel of him pushing inside her, breaking down all the barriers she’d erected.
Was he here tonight?
She couldn’t help but wonder. Almost as soon as the thought occurred, another thought took its place. What if he was with someone else? Jealousy ripped through her heart at the thought that he could so easily dismiss her. As she turned to leave, a figure stepped through the entrance.
Her breath came out in a rush.
Alex Talbot stepped through the door, closing it behind him.
“Ms. Monroe, we meet again,” he said.
Panic raced up her spine as he gifted her with a wide grin.
“Mr. Talbot,” she replied.
He tilted his head to the side as he took a step toward her. He made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Now, Ms. Monroe. We agreed that you would call me Alex. May I call you Jade?”
She drew in a deep breath. “If you like,” she answered noncommittally.
He licked his lips. “Oh, I like,” he said, his eyes roaming over her length.
She glanced around furtively, trying to find an escape.
But there was nothing.
No way out.
Unless she wanted to confront him dead on, and a part of her wasn’t sure she was up to it. So, she did the only thing she could.
She stalled.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
He took another step toward her. “But I’ve been waiting to see you here. I’ve been waiting very patiently. I must admit that I never took you for a tease.”
A frown settled on her face as she shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He laughed, the sound coming out cold. “Oh, I think you do. I’ve waited for you for a long time. But it’s time that the waiting stopped.”
Her heartbeat quickened as fear shook her.
She was trapped.
The only thing she could do was bluff.
She gave him her best fake smile. “I was waiting for Zoë.”
Maybe if he thought someone else would be coming in at any minute, he might leave her alone.
But her bluff didn’t work.
He raised his chin, his gaze lifting to the ceiling for a minute. “Ah, Zoë. She’s a beautiful girl. We’ve had some fun times together. Should I ask her to join us?” he inquired casually.
Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, you’ve had some fun times together?”
“Oh, with Ruby, of course. I don’t stray far.”
His words made her sick.
Zoë?
The three of them?
She didn’t even want to think about it. Why hadn’t Zoë told her the truth? What else was she hiding?
If she hadn’t told her the truth about Alex…
“So, let’s get back to us, shall we?” he asked, taking another step closer. He was so close now.
Too close.
One more step and they would be face to face.
One more step and there would be no way out.
Chapter 18
Jade glanced around the room, searching for an exit. “This isn’t right,” she muttered, more to herself than to him.
He looked around the room. “I know. It wouldn’t have been my first choice, either. Still,” he said, his eyes moving over her, “it has its possibilities.” He leaned closer to her, his body almost pressing against hers. “I’m so hungry for you it wouldn’t matter where it happened, as long as it did. I haven’t been this impatient since I was in high school. You have that effect on me.”
Jade tried to control the shiver of revulsion that raced through her body. She had to think of something, anything that would get her out of this. Alex looked like a wolf staring at his next big meal, and it appeared that he thought she was a buffet. With no other method of escape in sight, the only thing she could do was play along and hope that he didn’t see through the act.
She gave him her best sexy smile. “It’s obvious that you’re used to getting what you want.”
He threw back his head on a hearty laugh. “Oh, Ms. Monroe, you have no idea,” he concurred.
“Jade,” she reminded him, her eyebrow rising.
“Jade,” he repeated.
“Well, I’m used to getting my way too,” she explained, one eyebrow lifted.
He crossed his arms over his chest as he studied her. “Do tell,” he prodded.
“The last time we met, you said you would check into Ruby’s murder. Have you learned anything?”
His eyebrows furrowed together. “That’s a discussion for another time.”
She mimicked him by crossing her arms over her chest, her chin lifting. “Still trying to call the tune? I don’t dance unless I like the music.”
He stared at her for a moment, as if trying to decide if she was serious.
To bring her point home, she said, “You want something. I want something. I thought that we understood each other.”
His hand came up to toy with a lock of her hair. “Jade, I never mix business with pleasure.”
Her stomach rolled at his nearness. “Then I guess we don’t have anything else to say to one another,” she replied, trying to move around h
im.
He grabbed her arm, halting her progress. “Wait a minute,” he said on a heavy sigh. “We’re not through here.”
She summoned all of her bravado to challenge him with a steely glare. “I think we are…for now.”
His eyes darkened. “Jade, I want you, and I’m not above using whatever means necessary to get what I want.”
“And what about what I want?” she challenged.
His low chuckle made the hair on her arm stand up. “Oh, I think I can satisfy you.”
The implication left her colder than she had ever felt before. The game she had started was becoming increasingly dangerous. Alex wasn’t backing down. He didn’t even show any signs of weakening.
If she didn’t find a way out fast, she would find out just how ruthless he could be.
Suddenly, as if in answer to her prayers, Zoë came through the door. Surprise flickered across her features at the sight of them together.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her gaze moving back and forth between them. “Is this a private party?”
“No,” Jade said a little too quickly.
Something sparked in Alex’s eyes as he turned to the side. “Of course not,” he replied, an easy smile sliding across his face. “We’re all friends.”
Jade felt the air in her lungs evaporate.
Zoë walked into the room, her tongue coming out to wet her lips. “Sounds good enough to eat,” she said. She turned to give Jade a mischievous wink. “First, though, I need a minute alone with Jade.”
Alex stared at them for a moment, as if reluctant to agree.
Zoë’s eyebrows rose as she gave Alex a pointed look. “Don’t worry, big guy. We won’t be long.”
She grabbed Jade’s hand, pulling her toward the door. Alex made a sound like he was going to protest, but Zoë held up a hand. She blew him a quick kiss. “We’ll only be a minute. I promise.”
Once they were outside, Zoë spun around to face her. “You’re welcome.”
Jade drew in a deep steadying breath. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come in there,” she admitted shakily.
Zoë’s lips formed a grim line as she cast a quick glance over Jade’s shoulder. “Yeah, well, I’m not too fond of the esteemed Mr. Talbot.”