Past Hurts (Sizzling Miami Book 1)

by Jessie G

  The answer wasn’t in all the data Juan was working so hard to sort. It was in the face, the eyes, and Davin was the only one who knew what the inner monster looked like.

  Running had given him clarity and as he sprinted out of the gym, he knew he had to hurry or it would be gone. People jumped out of his way as he ran past and pushed his way into the conference room. “Pull up Jameson and Cray’s pictures, side by side, and then get out.”

  “What the…” Juan tripped in his haste to move out of Davin’s way.

  “Just do what I say!” He shouted, barely aware of Sully backing out while Juan fumbled with the controls. When the data was replaced by the faces, he almost breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t explain it, but in a few minutes, he wouldn’t have to. “Zoom in… Okay, that’s good. Now go.”

  He heard the door slam when Juan fled, then again when Alaric came barreling through, but Davin didn’t acknowledge either. He was looking for evil and needed his total focus to find it.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Alaric

  Davin was stock still except for the flickering of his eyes between the two photos. Any other man would be heaving from exertion, but he was barely even breathing. Alaric had seen the crash, but he never really saw the build-up and from the phone calls he’d received, he was sorry he missed it. Those at the gym said he pounded through every step, faster and harder, until they were sure the treadmill was going to break under him. Then he’d bypassed the elevator to race up the four flights of stairs, busted through the doorway, and nearly took out two interns before tearing down the hall.

  “What do you see?”

  Surprised that his presence was even noticed, Alaric eased around the table to see from Davin’s prospect. What did he see? Focusing on Pat Jameson, he considered the face. “Attractive, light hair, light eyes, strong facial structure, probably a pretty smile with those full lips, maybe even a dimple or two. Skin’s mostly smooth except for that little scar by his eye, but that just gives him a hint of edginess. The eyes are clear, maybe even a little naive.”

  “Go on.”

  Switching his attention to Billy Cray, he frowned thoughtfully. “Also light hair, light eyes, facial features that might be too defined, too many sharp edges to be considered attractive. Thin mouth, tight, I doubt he even knows how to smile. Lots of scars, a nose that’s been broken a time or two, not afraid to get into a fight or to get nicked and probably gives it back tenfold. Most men and women would give him a wide berth.”

  “And the eyes?”

  “Shadowed, secretive.”

  “Look closer.” When Alaric shook his head, uncertain what he was looking for, Davin continued, “When you pinned me to the desk earlier, I imagine you had a similar look in your eyes. In fact, I’ve seen it. Control, dominate, take what’s yours.”

  Rearing back, Alaric demanded, “You think I’m like this guy?”

  “Yes and no. In the diary, Terence sometimes refers to K as his soulmate.”

  “Yes, but Terence would go for the adoring submissive, not someone stronger than him.”

  “No, he wouldn’t, they would be a dime a dozen for him. Big man with the drug cartels doesn’t need more adoration. But he’d crave one person who could strip it all away and leave him vulnerable, exposed and afraid. The right lover would take that fear and manipulate it into sexual release. Two sexual predators feeding off each other, to fear and be feared, and when that wasn’t enough, they’d hunt until they found the right person to terrorize together.”

  “Wait, just wait. Drug cartels?” He listened as Davin explained his theory that Terence wasn’t supporting a drug habit, but a drug business and hated how right it sounded. Every time he thought things couldn’t get worse, Terence proved him wrong. Even from the grave. “Can we prove that?”

  “No, and it only matters in painting a full picture of the real Terence Bennett. If I’m right, he was living a whole other life.” Living and thriving until someone smarter came along and stopped him. In that, Alaric envied Elias for doing what he hadn’t been able to do. “His personalities were masks and he was a pro at slipping between them. No one really knew him.”

  “Except Billy Cray?”

  “That’s what I believe, yes.”

  “And you still want to draw comparisons between us? Because I don’t want your fear and you don’t want to be afraid.”

  “No.” Davin’s tone shifted, and Alaric could hear the concern. Davin knew he was walking a fine line now, knew he had taken insult. “But I want you to strip me bare, expose my vulnerabilities and you crave the power you have over me.”

  “The power you give me,” he corrected. “I’m not taking anything from you.”

  “Yes, I give it to you, and yes, you take what I’m offering because the power drives you as equally as being powerless drives me. What you do with it—how you take it on, hold it close and cherish it—sets you apart. There is nothing twisted about it. But…just listen, okay? Terence and K also had a give and take, and believed they were in love. The difference is I fell in love with someone who wanted better for me and Terence fell for a monster even worse than himself.”

  “Billy Cray?” Accepting that he didn’t know Terence at all meant accepting all the wasted years trying to fix the impossible. How many times had he almost given up when Terence would show a hint of remorse and drag him back into the game? Please help me, big brother. God knew he tried, sacrificing his own happiness to help a brother who was simply toying with him.

  “Billy Cray.” Davin pointed to the picture. “Look again. Think about the moment when your hand was on the back of my neck, holding me down, needing me to submit.”

  Yes, Alaric could see it even if he didn’t like the comparison. “A man who found that would be devastated by the loss of his partner and not because he needed him in the hunt.”

  “So, tell me, Ric. What would you do if someone killed me?”

  “Had I known eight years ago what Terence did to you, I would have killed him and not thought twice about it.” He thought about that every day since Terence told him the truth and he wasn’t ashamed to admit it to Davin now. “But how can Billy get his revenge if Elias is in jail?”

  “He’d get himself arrested too.” Davin turned until he found his print-out and held up Billy Cray’s latest mug shot. “Elias is at the county jail until he’s officially sentenced. Billy got himself arrested last night. He’ll be arraigned this morning and on his way to county by this afternoon.”

  Watching Davin work was fascinating, and Alaric didn’t doubt his theories at all. Yes, they needed proof and a confession would go a long way, but Davin’s confidence made him a believer. Mostly. There was one thing that would never be true and before Davin went off to catch the bad guy, Alaric was going to make sure he knew it.

  “Detective, you can draw all the correlations you need to if it helps you put the puzzle pieces together, but never for a second believe that what they had comes close to the love I feel for you.” Alaric looked at him then, saw the regret at having compared their relationship in such a way, and sighed. “There’s nothing to fix, Dav, I just needed you to know. Now go get your bad guy.”

  “I’ll try to be home for dinner.”

  They both knew that probably wasn’t going to happen, but he smiled anyway. “Just keep my warrior safe.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Davin

  It was a testament to his record that the Captain didn’t question his theories and that was still all they were. There was no hard evidence proving Billy Cray was the partner, but even Hurley didn’t point that out. Their belief that Davin could get him to roll in interrogation should have bolstered him, but for the first time his attention was divided.

  Insulting Alaric was never his intention and it bothered him that he was willing to do that just to prove his case. Though he knew they would work it out, that Alaric already forgive him, he still needed to make sure he never did it again.

  “The bus dropped Billy Cra
y at county an hour ago. He should already be through intake.” Captain James’s voice boomed through the car as Sully careened out of the parking lot.

  “We don’t have time to get a decoy in Elias’s cell.” Sully groused. “At least alert the prison and make sure they have eyes on both men. We’re heading there now.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to catch him in the act?” The lawyer in Hurley wanted both wins in the courtroom, but she wasn’t above using one bastard as bait to catch another.

  “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Davin assured. “We’re still forty minutes out. Cray isn’t going to wait on us.”

  “We’ll call when back we get there.” Sully jammed the button on his phone, screeched around another corner, took the ramp to the highway, and growled, “Is it true you’re leaving the force?”

  “Where did you hear that?” Davin hadn’t told anyone except Alaric, and he wouldn’t have shared that information with anyone. “And why do we have to talk about it right now?”

  “Juan thinks you’re getting ready to bail. I just want to know if it’s true.”

  “Juan’s right.” Davin gripped the clutch bar as Sully yanked the wheel to dart between two SUVs, and shouted, “I swear we’ll talk about it later.”

  “We’ve got forty minutes before we get there, why can’t we talk about it now?”

  “Because you’re driving like a maniac and I don’t want to die. Cray and Elias have to be our focus. The rest can wait.” If they survived.

  Sully wasn’t happy, but Davin couldn’t worry about his hurt feelings or Alaric’s now. Thankfully, his need for speed meant they arrived at their destination much sooner than predicted. The guard at the gate frowned when Sully slammed on the brakes just before taking out the barrier, but whatever he saw in their faces was enough to have him waving them through with only a glance at their badges.

  “Elias and Cray are in the yard.” The Warden was waiting for them at the visitor’s entrance and he didn’t look happy to see them. Davin didn’t blame him, but he also knew this was their best chance, so he didn’t respond as the grim-faced man led them through to his office. “I’ve got snipers watching both.”

  Snipers? Davin frowned. “Just make sure they don’t shoot. We need Cray alive.”

  “If he goes after Elias…”

  “He’s got a lot to answer for and death lets him off easy. Did you find us uniforms?” Their very hastily hatched plan was to pose as prison guards, stop Cray and grab Elias. James thought they were crazy, and the way the Warden was watching him, Davin knew he agreed.

  “No offense, Detectives, but you put more than a few of these guys in here. You think they aren’t going to recognize you?”

  Davin knew as soon as Elias spotted him, his cover would be blown, but they still had to take that risk. “By the time they recognize us, we’ll have Cray. That’s all that matters. Now, we’re going out on the yard. Are you going to help us or not?”

  As they changed in his office, the Warden continued to hammer home all the reasons this could go sideways, but Davin wasn’t listening. He understood his target now and knew exactly what his intentions were. His job was to stop the bad guy, so that’s what he would do, and if that helped him finally close the book on his own personal nightmare, all the better.

  “Bring some of the inmates and guards in,” Sully said after looking out the window into the yard. “We need traffic at the door so we can slip out inconspicuously.”

  “How do you expect me to do that?”

  “Aren’t you in charge of this fucking place?” The question had Sully whirling fast. “Revoke some damn privileges!”

  They could see the Warden wasn’t used to being disrespected, but he also didn’t want a dead inmate on his hands. With one last warning glare for Sully, he turned to address Davin. “You better be right, Detective.”

  “He’s always right,” Sully snapped because his partner just had to get in the last word.

  The Warden didn’t acknowledge the claim and Davin didn’t dispute it. In this moment, he only needed to be right about Cray’s intentions toward Elias and standing in the office arguing wasn’t going to help him prove it. So, instead of responding at all, he gestured toward the door and followed the Warden to the yard.

  As disgruntled prisoners started streaming in, they slipped out one at a time, both keeping their hats low over their eyes. Once they were clear of the building, Davin spotted Elias sitting on a table in the southeast corner looking very much out of his element. Having never done any time, Elias didn’t know the formula for making the friends he would need to survive long term lockup. Cray would have those friends. People ready to give him information and provide a weapon if he asked—and Davin was willing to bet he already asked.

  “I don’t see Cray,” Sully said at his back.

  “Keep your eyes on Elias, then.” Counting on Sully to follow his lead, Davin scanned the thinning crowd until he found Cray in a scuffle with a group by the north fence. Someone pushed him and he shoved back. “Possible weapon exchange along the fence.”

  “If he’s armed, we’ll have enough to take him now.”

  “But we won’t have enough to charge him with attempted murder.” They needed him to go for Elias, needed to lock down that charge, as it was their first step in adding more. “We have to wait for him to make his move and you know it. Now go left and take the long way around the water fountain before you head to Elias.”

  Once Sully broke off, he found his own path that would allow him to keep both men in his line of sight. It helped that Cray wasn’t even trying to be discrete as he stalked Elias across the yard. That Elias didn’t even recognize the oncoming attack only proved how inexperienced he was in prison protocol.

  Those around Elias scrambled away as another squabble at the fence pulled the guards in the opposite direction. That was Cray’s window and he struck like a wild animal. At the last second, Elias put up his hands to defend himself, but it was too late. Cray was motivated by pain and his goal was to inflict as much damage as possible before dealing the death blow.

  He and Sully gave up all pretenses and bolted in that direction. Elias was a monster, but death was a reprieve he didn’t deserve. Leveling his gun on both men, Davin shouted, “Let him go, Billy.”

  The shank appeared in Billy’s hand and he waved it at them before turning it back on Elias. “I’ll kill him before you get the shot off.”

  “I wouldn’t take that bet.”

  “Because you know you’ll lose. This bastard is going to pay for what he did. I’m going to make him pay!”

  Billy gripped the shank with both hands as he swung down, but he wasn’t faster. Davin noted Elias’s terrified eyes just before he took the shot and realized he got two wins today: he stopped Billy Cray and he made Elias experience the same fear as the people he killed.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Alaric

  “Bull’s Garage.”

  “Bull, it’s Alaric Bennett.”

  “Hey, Ric, something wrong with your car?”

  “No, I need some information. You ever heard of a drug dealer named Durango?” The silence on the other end of the phone was answer enough. Bull ran one of the most reputable high-end auto repair shops in Miami and Alaric knew his men were all ex-convicts.

  For a moment there were muffled voices, then Bull came back on the line. “Can you swing by the garage?”

  “I’m on my way.” He hung up without a word and strode out of his office.

  A huge part of him wanted to include Davin in the meeting, but he didn’t know what Bull would say, and yes, he was still pissed. Maybe it was unreasonable, but the comparison to Terence and his lover had felt like a stain on their own relationship. But they would fix it. Once Cray was in jail and Davin had rested, they would fix it because nothing, not even an unintentional insult could break them now.

  Bull was waiting on the sidewalk when he pulled up and for the first time in their friendship, he saw emoti
on on the big man’s face. In all the years they’d known each other, Bull gave nothing away—not in his facial expression or mannerisms—and when he spoke, it was always in carefully chosen words. The visible agitation was a clear indication that whatever shit his request had stirred up wasn’t going to be good for anyone.

  In the stairwell leading up to the apartment over the garage, Bull looked back with a warning. “I’m risking two good friends here, Ric, so make sure it’s worth it.”

  “I’m not trying to hurt anyone.”

  “See that you don’t.”

  Duly warned, he followed Bull into the living room where two men were huddled on the couch. The larger of the two was whispering softly as they embraced and neither he nor Bull dared to interrupt. Finally, dark eyes turned toward him and if there was any other way, he would have walked out without saying a word. His intention hadn’t been to hurt anyone, but he could see his request alone had caused tremendous pain.

  “Ric, this is Saul and Javier.”

  Saul’s gaze narrowed and he could see the threat blazing in the man’s dark eyes. How could he not recognize it? If someone was threatening Davin’s emotional well-being, he’d stop at nothing to protect him.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured as he crossed the room and gingerly sat on the coffee table. He wanted them to be able to see his face so they would know he was sincere, but he didn’t want to scare the one who hadn’t yet looked at him. “I don’t know how much I’m asking of you both, but I need your help.”

  The smaller man, Javier, lifted his head finally and looked at him. “You’re Terri’s brother.”

  Alaric thought he knew why he was here and hadn’t expected to meet someone Terence knew. Someone Terence… Fuck. “Did my brother hurt you?”

  “Yes.” The tremble in Javier’s voice added all the details he didn’t want to hear and that changed everything.

  Now that he knew, he couldn’t be here. Couldn’t hurt them any more than a Bennett already had. He needed information about Durango, but this was too high a price to pay.