by W L Knightly
“I’ll take care of you then,” she said. She moved off the bed and went to her knees in front of him. “You can count on me, Kyle.” Her hand moved up his thigh, and he smiled—a nice, slow grin—as she gripped his cock. She might make herself useful yet.
As she went down on him, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and think of Kendra. She had upset him greatly. What was he going to do about her? Part of him needed her, while the other side of him just felt jaded. Either way, he hadn’t come to Spokane to leave empty handed. He would have to make her see things his way.
Chapter 4
Jo
Jo went home angry after giving Jake the silent treatment for releasing Missy Peyton before Jo had a chance to say anything else to the young woman.
“Send me out of the room, Mr. I’m Just An Advisor?” She walked into the house and went straight to the kitchen, where she grabbed a tub of rocky road from the freezer and a spoon from the drawer.
She hadn’t needed ice-cream therapy in a long time, but today topped an already shitty week. She felt stupid about Missy making a run, especially since Jake had told her to wait by the door where she would have no doubt stopped her from getting as far as she had.
She also had to deal with the stupid hotel manager who’d nearly knocked her down while trying to block her way. The man had come dangerously close to getting a ride downtown, and she hated the way he could bully her like she was nothing. She had been taken totally off guard, and as she slipped off her high heels, she saw the scuff that fucking manager had put on her shoe while acting like a human roadblock.
She knew she would have to change her footwear, and that was another reason she felt stupid and inexperienced. She should have been ready to run. She should have sprung into action, but she hadn’t. And then she’d let Missy get to her.
The stupidest reason of all was the redhaired girl’s remarks. She had wondered what had gone on with Jake and Missy. She hadn’t wanted to think about it, but after the whole Dr. Meadow’s incident, she just didn’t understand why it couldn’t happen for the two of them.
“He sent me out of that room like a child.” But then she knew maybe she had been acting like one. She just didn’t like how things had gone down, and she couldn’t help but think if he had listened to her in the first place, it wouldn’t have gone the way it had. Perhaps she would have said more. Instead, Jake had more time to convince her not to say anything.
She could sit and speculate and make wild assumptions until the cows came home, but that didn’t change the way she felt. She needed his advice, and she needed him.
She plopped on the couch and dipped her spoon into the carton to fish out a marshmallow. While she stuffed her face, the phone rang.
Seeing it was her father calling, she considered not answering, but she thought she was already pissed off, so could it really get any worse?
“Hello, Father.”
“Oh, Father, is it? I see we’re back to formalities. That’s fine. I really don’t have time to argue about it.”
“Good, because you don’t want to pick a fight with me right now. I’m angry enough.”
“Who has angered you?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She didn’t want to pour her heart out to her dad and lean on him for strength. She was just in a miserable mood, and it would pass.
“Ah, it’s the partner, isn’t it?”
“He’s only an advisor now, which I’m sure you’re quite happy about.” It was no secret her father didn’t want Jake to stay on with the force.
“I didn’t say a word, but since you brought it up, I’m not happy. Not in the slightest. They keep him on as an advisor as if you need a babysitter to do your job. I call bullshit. They should have let you have the job as planned. He was out; you were in. That was all O’Connor’s idea.”
“And as much as I hate to say it, it was a good one. I needed him and still do. Is there a reason you’ve called?”
“Just to check on my beautiful, capable daughter.”
She might have needed the coddling at age six, which he hadn’t been around for, but she didn’t need it now. “Is that all?”
“Well, I was wondering if you could clear up a rumor. I heard that there was another murder. The replacement for that judge, Bodin was it?”
She didn’t like him calling her to fish for information. “Dad, I can’t tell you anything about the case. I’m already having enough problems keeping the other officers tight lipped.”
“It’s okay. I’m back in town, so I’m sure Milner and I will talk.”
“Great. Where are you staying?” She had a good idea it was the Rockford, but she wanted to hear it from him.
“The Rockford, of course.” Like someone like him would stay anywhere else. Of course, they wouldn’t. She wondered if he could ever be faithful to anyone, other than her stupid brother.
“Oh, of course,” she said, her voice steeped with sarcasm. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this town, it’s that place’s reputation.” She wondered how the press wasn’t all over him for being there, but then she remembered that was part of the place’s appeal. Discretion and no press.
“Then you’ve learned my reputation as well,” he said flatly, as if it didn’t bother him in the least.
Jo cringed. Her father was not only a letch but proud of it. “I wouldn’t be so proud of that. Especially a married man like yourself.”
“Well, I suppose it’s no worse than a patient sleeping with his doctor. Or a rookie detective sleeping with her—what was that you called him—advisor?”
She didn’t know what to say, but he continued before she could say anything. “You can relax. Milner told me about Jake Thomas trying to leave you on the case. She said you weren’t happy about it and suggested to me that you two had a connection of sorts.”
“Just a friendly one, not that it’s your business.” She raked her spoon into the cream and pulled out an almond, which she crunched quietly.
“Yeah, well, I’ve had a long day, so I don’t need your sass.”
She took another bite before responding with a full mouth. “If I were going to get sassy about anything, it would be my brother. My guess is he’s not going to confess to you that he ran into me.”
“You met him?” He didn’t sound as surprised as she’d expected.
She wondered if Kyle had already mentioned it to him but didn’t bother to ask. “We met, yes,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t know who he was at first, but Jake told me. The strange thing about it was that he knew me.”
Michael responded with an even tone. “He’s always been suspicious, and I guess he must have looked into things when I came into town.”
“Well, I don’t want him to know me,” she snapped. “I didn’t want him to meet me.” She never wanted to see him again.
Michael cleared his throat. “I’ll make sure you never have to. Not as long as I’m around.”
“I’d appreciate that. You may be able to overlook all of the horrible sins in his past, but not me. When are you leaving town? And are you taking him with you?”
“Are you asking because you want to see me first?”
She scooped another spoonful of her melting ice cream and held it over the carton as she responded. “No, I’m asking because I’d like you and him out of my life.” She wouldn’t add that she wanted them safely removed.
“That’s not going to happen, but I promise you Kyle will never bother you again.”
She couldn’t stand the thought of her brother running around loose. “You know that Kyle needs to pay for what he did.”
“He can’t be tried again,” said Michael.
“I could arrest you both, you know? Take you down for something else.”
“Don’t threaten me, daughter.” He paused a moment and took a deep breath. “You know, I never meant for you to be on the wrong side of all of this, against your family. I got you the job hoping that nothing would ever come of the case, but here we are.”
“And all of the money you paid off those people with, all of the debts they’ve paid with their lives since? They all mean nothing now. The Hangman is going to get you. Did you ever think of how that would affect me?”
“From the sound of it, darling one, I have a feeling you’ll be good with it.”
“You’re a liar, you know that?” Jo was tired of the lies and the deception.
Her father paused a moment then chuckled. “Watch it, Josephine. You might make me think you hate me. But just out of curiosity, what are you talking about?”
“You didn’t get me hired on to help out. You got me hired on so I could be a distraction when you need it. If there is a conflict, you could use it to your advantage. It doesn’t have to work against you.”
“I like the way you think, Jo. You’re a strategist, and that’s why you don’t need Thomas like you think you do. But you’re wrong about me.”
“No. I don’t think I am. I think that’s why you won’t leave me alone now. You’re waiting for things to come to a head and then leave me with the blame. You’ve never cared about me in the past, so why should you care about me now?” Tears came to her eyes as she thought of all the years since they’d met that she’d believed in him. Even though they were short, she didn’t think he was just showing back up in her life to use her, but what else could it be? “Have you ever loved me?”
“Easy, Josephine. You know I love you. Believe it or not, I’d walk through fire for both of my children. I’d also burn the world down.”
Even though she wanted to believe him, he had called to get information and nothing more. “It’s been nice talking to you, Father.” She hung up the phone and eased back against the cushions. She took another bite of her ice cream, and as it ran down her throat, she wondered if every man in her life was always going to let her down.
Chapter 5
Jake
The best part of working around his own schedule was how when he did happen to fall asleep, he didn’t have to set an alarm. When Jake rolled out of bed after a whopping three hours of uninterrupted sleep, which was rare for him, he noticed how refreshed he felt. With his usual one hour being what he was used to functioning on, he felt like he could rule the day, and there was just one more thing that could make his morning perfect.
He walked into Speed’s with a little more pep in his step than normal, and Ruth Anne gave him a scolding look.
He took his place in his usual booth and looked around. The crowd was thinner than it usually was in the early mornings when he arrived, and Ruth Anne walked over with her hand on her hip.
“What’s with the dirty look?” he asked with a smile on his face. “Are you here to drag me down on this beautiful sunny morning?”
“I thought you had come to your senses, but I see you’re still in retirement mode.”
“Don’t I look refreshed?” he asked with a smug tone. He wasn’t going to explain his arrangement just yet. Seeing her pissed off was humorous to him.
“You do, and that’s the only reason I’m not kicking you in the pants right now. I thought you’d go back by now.”
“I’ll have a patty melt, please, with grilled onions and a waffle on the side, extra butter, and syrup, with black coffee.”
Ruth Anne jotted down his order and carried it to the back, and when she came out again, she came back to his table with his cup of steaming hot coffee. “So, what do you think you’re going to do with yourself? You’ll be bored by next month.”
As much fun as seeing her angry was, he could tell it was time to let the cat out of the bag and tell Ruth Anne the truth. “I’m still working actually. I’m an advisor, so the police department isn’t done with this detective just yet.”
“So, what are you doing here?” She glanced down her nose at him. “Don’t you have another murder case to advise?”
Jake smiled as she placed his coffee in front of him. “That’s the beauty of it. I can come and go as I please and sleep when I need to. Besides, if Jo was having problems, she would have called. She must be doing fine without me.” Or she was still giving him the silent treatment. He had hoped that she’d be over it and had the feeling that when she was, she was going to let him have it.
“Must be nice,” she said. “I’m glad you’re at least helping out.”
“Well, it’s not like they’ll let me leave. I’ve tried, so I just set my own terms. It’s not like they can fire me.”
“Well, I’ll have your order up in a few.”
“Was Jo in this morning?” He was hoping the woman had gauged her mood, and then he had to admit to himself that maybe he was taking his time going in, knowing she was still miffed at him over the whole Missy thing.
“No. Haven’t seen her. I’ll pack up some donuts for you to take in if you like. That might win you some points since you were late.”
“Throw in a slice a pie, and maybe she’ll stop being pissed off at me.”
Ruth Anne gave him an accusing look. “What did you do to that girl?”
“Nothing. At least that I understand. I’m sure she’ll tell me when she decides to speak to me again.”
“Oh, boy, you really stepped in it, didn’t you?” She shook her head, the disappointment in him in her eyes. “I’ll throw in two slices of pie. Coconut. You’re going to need it.” She walked away and, minutes later, brought out his food.
Jake sat quietly, eating and thinking about how the previous day had gone down. And it occurred to him that he shouldn’t have sent her out. She had been in a strange mood, and he could tell that she was making Missy uncomfortable. Maybe it hadn’t been the right call?
By the time he finished eating, got his to-go order of goodies, and paid his tab, which was not as bad as had been in the past, he decided he would apologize right off the bat and use the pastries as a peace offering.
When he walked into the office, he didn’t expect Dannie to stop him, but the woman called out for his attention. “Good morning, Jake. Do you have a minute?”
She was small behind her counter, and Jake usually passed on by without noticing, but she was practically leaning across it to wave him over.
“Sure,” he said. “What’s up?”
“I was going to ask Sam, but he’s not talking to me. Do you know anything about the crime on Trade Street?”
“It’s an old part of town, and it’s just off Kennedy, which is where most of the drug activity happens.”
“Drugs? So, it’s probably where a lot of people get mugged, right? I mean, I knew Kennedy and Lincoln were bad, but Trade seems less common.”
“Is there a reason you’re asking, Dannie?”
Her eyes widened. “No, not at all. I mean, I had a friend tell me they were thinking of getting a place out there, but I didn’t think it was a good idea.”
For some reason, Jake didn’t believe her, but at the same time, he didn’t really care. “Oh, well, tell your friend to keep looking.” He walked away as she called out from behind the counter.
“Thanks, I will.”
He continued on and hoped that Milner wouldn’t stop him on the way. He just wanted to enter the room with his apology, and hopefully, it would get the awkwardness behind them both.
He stepped into the doorway and knocked on the wall beside it. “I’m sorry,” he said as she looked up from her paperwork.
“For being late or being a jerk to me yesterday?”
He stepped into the room and walked around the desk to his chair. “In my defense, I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, but I’m sorry that I asked you to leave the room. I hoped that since she knew me and because you were increasingly annoyed, that it might help the situation, and I was wrong.”
“I accept.” She looked up at him with her big green eyes and gave him a sympathetic look. “I should apologize too. I took some things to heart, and that set the wrong tone right off. I guess I hated that you were right about the whole, stand by the door thing. It’s my fault I wasn’t there to stop her from running. If I had listene
d and let you approach, I might not have been bullied by the manager, who ruined my favorite pumps.”
Jake was shocked that he had been right about the whole, “ruined shoes” thing, but he knew better than to say another word about them. “Well, we both said things, and did things, and said we’re sorry. So can we just get on with it?”
Even though she smiled, he could still tell there was something wrong with Jo. He just wasn’t sure it was the time to say anything more about it.
“Sure.” She gave a shrug. “I’m glad you finally showed up.” She gathered the papers from her desk and stacked them neatly. “So, is that going to be a normal thing?”
Jake figured the late mornings weren’t going to fly. “It was just a fluke actually. I didn’t set the alarm and ended up catching a few solid hours.”
“At least one of us could sleep. I hope we’re not trading habits.”
Knowing she hadn’t slept well made him feel horrible but only because he could see how tired she was. Her usual bright eyes were looking a bit duller, and her face was creased with worry and the weight of her thoughts.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve been looking over possibilities for our new murderer. It’s obvious Missy isn’t the killer, and I don’t think that she or the Hangman had anything to do with the crime, but that leaves me to speculate. What about the wife? Kendra Bodin?”
“I don’t know if she’s capable, but I’ve seen stranger things happen. She could have hired someone.”
“She’s fit. And he was sitting down, so it might make sense. But I think we need to talk to her again. For all we know, this was an insurance scam.”