by Linda Verji
As soon as the realization hit Jonas, he dropped the club. Trembling, he held his head with both hands. Christ! What was he going to do? He was going to jail, wasn’t he? No. No. No. He couldn’t go to jail. He had too much to do out here. Besides, he was Jonas Walcott. He couldn’t go to jail.
He stumbled back to the couch and flopped down on it before reaching for his glass of bourbon. He was trembling so violently that some of the liquid sloshed down the side of the glass as he raised it to his lips. What was he going to do? He couldn’t let them take him to jail. No. No. He couldn’t.
Okay. Okay. Jonas think. He set the glass down. He needed to figure out how to deal with this situation. Five minutes later, he still didn’t have any idea what to do. Then a thought struck him. Why should he have to figure it out? There was someone who’d always figured out everything for him. There was someone who’d protected him from having to deal with the dirty stuff all his life. Trembling, he reached for his phone.
“Son?” Michael answered on the first ring.
Jonas felt immediate relief on hearing his father’s voice. Still, his voice trembled as he confessed, “Dad, I did something bad.”
CHAPTER 31
Lucas was so caught up with closing the case and tying up all the loose ends that it took three days before Jasmine could drag him to Grandpa’s Gate so they could make up for their missed date. As usual the restaurant was bustling with diners. Fortunately, they got a corner table.
“I still can’t believe it was Jonas,” Jasmine said as she drew her plate of wings closer. She shook her head in disbelief. “I really thought it was Michael. I never even suspected his son.”
“Neither did we.” Lucas, who was seated across from her, picked up a wing. “In fact if it wasn’t for Teddy’s video, it would’ve taken us a longer time to work our way to him. And by then who know what country he might’ve disappeared to.”
“Luckily, you got him before he could run,” Jasmine said as she watched Lucas bite into the wing.
This dude had ordered a level three. Sure, level three was child’s play to her. But for a beginner it was a little too much. Contrary to her advice, Lucas had insisted that he could handle it. Well… it was his funeral. She couldn’t wait for him to get burned. It happened seconds later.
“Hah!” Lucas opened his mouth and panted loudly. “What the… Hah!”
Jasmine giggled. “I told you it was too much.”
“No. No… Tsss… I can handle it.” He waggled his tongue around several times before biting the wing again. He hissed, “Tsss… yeah, what was I saying. Oh yeah! I was talking about Jonas. He did it all.”
“He pushed York off the building too?” Jasmine asked.
“No, that was August.” Lucas reached for his water and took a healthy gulp. He picked up a second wing and bit into it. “Jonas called his dad…. Tssss…. called his dad after the murder, and Michael came with August. August did most of the cleaning. He wrote the suicide note, got rid of the body and all CCTV evidence then cleaned up the crime sce… Damn. This thing is hot.”
“You can stop if you want.”
“No.” Lucas smacked his lips and hissed as he stared at the wing like it was an enemy he intended to conquer even if it meant dying. “I got this.” He bit into the wing.
“How did Teddy manage to record all that though?” Jasmine prodded.
“He put a camera-ooh!” Lucas paused to pant several times into his fisted hand as if to cool his mouth. “Okay. Okay. That’s real.” He fanned his mouth with his hand as his wide eyes met Jasmine’s. “How the hell do you do this?”
“I’m used to it. You don’t need to do this,” Jasmine said. “We can just order something lighter for you.”
“No. If you can do level five, then I can do three,” Lucas insisted as he wiggled his tongue around. “What was I saying?”
“You were talking about Teddy and a camera.”
“Oh, yeah. He put a camera in a book then put the book on the bookshelf,” Lucas said. “The camera caught everything.”
Jasmine frowned. “Why did he put it there though? I don’t get why he’d want to record Jonas.”
“I think he was looking for something to hold over Jonas’s head in case he refused to make good on the promise to get him a job with Walcott Management,” Lucas said even as he panted. There were actual tears in his eyes as he added, “It was just his luck that he got more than he bargained for. Instead of a job, he used the video to blackmail the older Walcott into paying off his debts.”
Jasmine sighed. “That’s sad.”
Lucas swallowed the meat he was eating before panting, “What’s sad?”
“If Teddy had brought the video directly to you instead of trying to make a buck out of it, he’d be alive right now.”
“Greed, man. Gree… ooh.” Lucas dropped the wing back to the plate and grabbed his water. After a huge gulp, he surrendered, “I’m done. I’m done.”
“If you’d given up when I told you to, your mouth wouldn’t be on fire right now.” Giggling, Jasmine teased, “Greed, man. Greed.”
“How often do you eat there?” Lucas asked an hour later as they walked hand-in-hand down the street.
“Mm. I don’t know.” Jasmine shrugged. “Maybe once or twice a week.”
“And you eat them hot like that every time?”
“No, most times I eat normal.” She added, “You know… level three and stuff.”
“You call level three normal?” He stared at her in horror. “There’s something wrong with you.”
Jasmine laughed. “There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Maybe not on the outside but on the inside…” His eyes narrowed. “When was the last time you got a check up? I have a feeling your liver is gasping for breath from all that pepper.”
Jasmine laughed as she clung to his arm. “My liver’s fine.”
“That’s what you think,” Lucas scoffed but the amused light in his eyes said that he was teasing her.
They walked in silence for quite some time before she sighed. “I’m glad everything is over though. York’s family can now rest easy.”
“Yeah, me too.” Lucas gave her a long sidelong glance. “Have I told you how lovely you look in this dress?”
Jasmine grinned. “Three times already.”
The dress wasn’t anything special; just a white midi dress with bell sleeves. But the appreciative look in Lucas’s eyes left her feeling like she was dressed in a Queen’s robe.
“Well, let me repeat it.” He bent his head to press a kiss to her temple. “You look wonderful tonight.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a long sidelong glance before adding, “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Lucas, who was wearing a simple blue shirt to match his dark jeans, dragged her even closer to his body and rubbed his hand along her shoulder and arm.
They walked for quite some time like that; plastered to each other and in silence. Jasmine couldn’t help smiling as she clung to him. Was this happiness? This warm feeling that had settled in every inch of her body just because he was close to her? If it was then she never wanted it to disappear.
“This almost feels like déjà vu,” Lucas broke the silence.
She met his eyes. “What feels like déjà vu?”
“This. Walking together down the streets of L.A.” Smiling, he reminisced, “Remember when we used to talk back then? You’d say that you could see us walking down the streets of L.A in the future holding hands.”
She smiled. “I forgot all about that.”
She couldn’t even remember why she’d been so fascinated with this city, only that she was. It’d been her dream destination, and having Lucas come with her had been her most fervent wish. After he’d left, her desire to come to L.A had been even stronger. If she couldn’t have Lucas, then at the very least she deserved L.A. Who would have thought that it could actually happen? That in thirteen years they’d reconnect in the city of her dreams.
“I’m
glad your dream came true,” Lucas said as his arm tightened around her waist.
“Me too.” She smiled up at him, the feeling of love and affection growing even more intense as it did every time she looked at him.
“Now all that’s left is my dream,” Lucas announced.
“Your dream?” She frowned in confusion.
Without a word, Lucas brought her in front of him then turned her. She found herself facing a jewelry shop. Behind the display window stood several dummies accessorized with expensive necklaces, and open boxes with earrings, rings and watches.
“Is it okay if we go in?” Lucas asked.
Instantly, she knew why he wanted to go in. Surprised, she turned her head to meet his gaze. “Isn’t that a little too fast?”
“Too fast?” Lucas looked at her as if she were insane. “It’s been thirteen years.”
“Yeah, but we were apart for all that time.”
“And I want to make sure it never happens again.” Lucas spun her around until she was facing him. His expression was graver than she’d ever seen it as he added, “Jasmine, I want to make you mine forever. Will you let me?”
He was crazy! They’d been dating for barely a month, just had their first date… how could he already want to propose? And you know what was worse? That she was actually considering it. She was crazy too, right?
“I-” She swallowed. “I don’t know, Luc. This seems crazy.”
“It’s not. I’m not saying that we have to get married immediately,” Lucas reassured as he pulled her into his arms. “We can take as long as you want to get to the altar. But I just want the promise that we will eventually. That neither of us is walking away this time.”
His words sent instant relief pulsing through her because it was a promise she could make. She had no intention of walking away from him. It had hurt so much to be apart from him that she couldn’t imagine going through all that pain even again.
She nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Lucas watched her keenly as if he wasn’t sure that he’d heard her right.
“Okay,” she repeated.
The grin that filled Lucas expression was so bright, it lit the whole street. He gathered her into his arms for a deeper kiss. The people whirling around them disappeared until it was only them.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you too.” He intertwined his fingers with hers and tugged her towards the shop. “Let’s go get your ring?”
She grinned and nodded.
│ THE END │
Thank you for reading Bad Cop. Did you enjoy reading Lucas and Jasmine’s story? I hope you did. Let me know what you thought by leaving a review at your favorite store/site (just click on your preferred link below). Again - Thank you.
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What’s Next?
I did it! I finally finished Bad Cop. If you know me from when I started writing, then you know how much I’ve struggled to complete this book. I started it in 2014; FOUR years ago! The story has changed so much over those years that I barely recognize it (lol). But it’s over now so we can check that box. Bad Cop – done, done, done!
So what’s next? Hmm… I’m actually thinking of finishing another pending series ‘Damaged Attraction’. It’s about two sisters, Ari and Gabi, who had a brutal childhood. The reason I never finished it is because it was hard. Gabi was a real mess! But I think I’m ready to go back to them now. If you think the series, is something you’d like to read, join my Book Club for updates on its progress.