Indebted

by Sharon C. Cooper

  That’s why Laz had him under surveillance. Now it was only a matter of time before Gabriel Hall got all that was coming to him.

  “Detective,” Hall said after he accepted a ticket from the valet and moved toward the front of the building where Laz had stopped.

  “Counselor,” Laz said dryly, the adrenaline in his body quickly amping up as the man stood next to him.

  “Kind of an upscale club for someone like you, isn’t it? I figured you for more of a corner-bar kind of guy. Then again, I guess if you’re screwing a certain prosecutor then maybe yo—”

  “Be careful, man.” The lethalness behind Laz’s words caught the attention of those nearby if the oohs were any indication.

  Hall laughed, the sound grating down Laz’s spine. The last thing he needed right now was to let this guy goad him into doing something stupid.

  “Have a good night, counselor.” Laz turned, but hadn’t taken two steps before Hall spoke again.

  “What? You don’t want me talking about your woman? No problem. I’m done with her anyway. My only regret is that I should’ve fucked her when I had a chance. Maybe when they haul your ass to jail, I’ll corner her in the office and…”

  Laz didn’t even feel himself move. All he saw was red as he slammed his fist into Gabe’s face, and then pounded him, jabbing him in his chest, his ribs. Punching him everywhere he knew would cause the most pain. Making every lick count.

  “I will kill you if you ever go near her.” Laz vaguely heard the screams, whoops, and hollering from those nearby as he continued Gabe’s punishment. The thought of the man trying to force himself on Journey someday made Laz hit him harder.

  “Man, get off of him!” Hamilton’s voice pierced the haze in Laz’s head as his friend pulled him off of Hall, practically lifting him off the ground. Hamilton didn’t release him until they were several feet away. “You have lost your damn mind!” he fumed, standing directly in Laz’s face.

  He spewed a few more words, but Laz tuned him out. Aware of the sirens in the distance, his gaze went to Hall who was laying unmoving on the ground. Several of the club’s security team tended to him as a crowd formed around him.

  “Damn it, Laz. You already know they’re going to haul your ass—”

  “I’ll turn myself in,” Laz said, finishing Hamilton’s sentence. He knew he had just fucked up, but it was too late to care.

  “I can tell you now, Mason is not the type to give you too many chances. You better get your shit together and work on your temper. What I just saw back there…isn’t going to fly. You feel me?”

  Laz nodded as Hamilton continued his rant, but at the moment, all he could think about was Journey. He couldn’t lose her. Not over this. But he had promised her that he wouldn’t do anything to embarrass her or taint her reputation.

  But this…this was bad. If she kicked his ass to the curb it would serve him right.

  *

  “What have you done?”

  Laz lifted his head from the cot he was laying on when he heard Journey’s voice. Seeing her on the other side of the jail bars made him feel worse than he already did, knowing how disappointed she’d be.

  He placed his feet on the floor then stood, moving slowly to the bars. “I assume that’s a rhetorical question since I have a feeling you know what I’ve done.” His curt response only made her angrier. And she was definitely mad if the way she narrowed her eyes and balled her fists at her sides were any indication.

  “Laz,” she said through gritted teeth. “I am furious with you right now. It’s a good thing you’re in there and I’m out here. I can’t believe you put the man in the hospital,” she whispered when others in nearby cells grew silent. The arresting officer had placed him in one of the interrogation rooms, but Ford had him moved to one of the holding cells. Told him that if he wanted to act like a criminal, that’s exactly how he would be treated.

  “When Hamilton tried bailing you out, why did you insist on staying? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “The streets aren’t safe for Hall if I walk out of here.” He knew himself well enough to know when he was out of control, and the way he was feeling, jail was the best place for him right now.

  “Laz, you’re one of the sweetest people I know. How—”

  “Don’t get it twisted, Journey. I’m not that guy. I meant what I said to Hall. I will fucking kill him if he comes near you again.”

  “Stop it! Stop talking like that or you’ll be spending more than a day in here.” She shook her head and he stiffened when he saw her eyes water. He hadn’t seen her cry since that night she was attacked and he never wanted to see tears in her eyes again unless they were happy ones.

  But then Laz looked at her, really looked at her, noting her red, droopy eyes and ashen skin. Her face looked thinner, too. Granted, it was the middle of the night, and she had probably been asleep, but something seemed off with her. Now that he thought about it, she had stayed in bed a little later than usual that morning. He assumed she was tired because of her long work days, but maybe she was sick.

  “You feelin’ okay?” he asked, stretching his hand through the bars to touch her forehead, but she swatted him away.

  “How can you even ask me that? Of course, I’m not okay!” she snapped.

  The anger in her eyes would’ve brought a weaker man to his knees, but not him. He’d been on the receiving end of those daggers that she often shot him, more times than he could count.

  With her arms wrapped around her midsection, she paced in front of the cell. “Sometimes…sometimes I don’t understand you, Laz. I have tried. God knows I’ve tried, but…”

  Unease crawled through Laz’s body at the anguish and defeat in her tone. He hoped she wasn’t giving up on him. They were going great, getting to know each other and really making a go at their relationship. He loved her more than he’d ever be able to express and he couldn’t lose her, especially not because of Hall.

  “What are you saying, Journey?”

  She scowled at him with her hands planted on her hips. “I’m saying that I’m so pissed at you right now I could—”

  “You could what?” He moved as close to her as the bars would allow. Grasping the front of her jacket, he gently tugged her as close as he could get her. “You could what? Kiss me? Make love to me? You already know that when you’re mad at me, it’s a serious turn-on.”

  “Laz, this is serious. Do you have any idea of how much trouble you’re in? Do you?”

  He released her. Yes, he knew. No doubt he would be charged with a minimum of assault and knowing Hall, probably a few other charges.

  “You threatened and assaulted a government official. That’s a Class C felony at best and a fe-de-ral…” she said slowly, “…crime, Laz. I’m talking FBI involvement.”

  “Damn it, Journey! You think I don’t know all of that?”

  What could he say? If he had it to do all over again, he’d probably do everything the same. There was no way he was going to let that asshole disrespect her. And the thought of Hall even thinking about putting his hands on her again made Laz crazy. “You didn’t hear him, Journey. You didn’t hear what he said.”

  “I don’t give a crap what Gabe said. I already told you I can handle him.”

  “No you can’t, Journey!” Laz yelled. “I’m sick of you saying that shit. I know men like him. He thinks he can do and say whatever the hell he wants and then hide behind his position in the DA’s office.” Laz got louder with each word.

  One of the officers came back and before he could say anything, Laz said, “We’re good, Kevin.” The cop nodded and left them alone again.

  “Oh, so like you do whatever the hell you want, and say whatever you want and hide behind your gun and your badge? Sounds like you and Gabe are a lot alike.”

  “Don’t! Don’t you dare put him and me in the same category. I would never put my hands on a woman to inflict pain. You or no one else in this world has ever heard of me hurting or disrespecting a woman. Never!
So don’t put me in the same category with that bastard.”

  *

  He was right, Journey thought. He and Gabe might’ve both been arrogant, stubborn, and a host of other adjectives, but she had never heard of Laz mistreating a woman.

  Gabe, on the other hand, was a whole different story. Though she hoped it wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t be surprised to hear that he had harassed other women in their office.

  Journey turned and leaned her back against the bars, her arms folded across her chest. Laz remained quiet, but she felt his presence immediately behind her. At least he had sense enough not to touch her right now. She might’ve been in love with him, but there was no way she could approve of this type of behavior.

  He gripped the bars on each side of her, his warm breath near her ear sending a shiver through her body. “Baby, I’m sorry. You know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or disappoint you. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, but I couldn’t let him talk about you like that. His words…his intent…they got to me. He made it sound like he…”

  Journey tuned him out. All she could think about was how she knew getting involved with Laz was risky, but this? This was ridiculous. And no matter how stupid the situation he’d gotten himself into, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let go. How crazy was that?

  Lucky for him, there were witnesses who heard what Gabe had said about her. If Laz was officially charged, his motive for threatening to kill Gabe would be taken into consideration. She was determined to do whatever she needed to get Laz out of this. No matter the cost. And then she needed to decide if there was a future for them.

  She pushed away from the bars, barely sparing him a glance as she walked away. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said over her shoulder.

  “Wait. Where are you going?”

  Journey stopped and huffed, then slowly moved back to his cell. She wasn’t as mad as when she first walked in, but seeing him behind bars pained her. She needed to get her head back on straight and the longer she was there, the more she felt as if she was losing herself.

  “Talk to me. Where are you going?”

  “Since you prefer to sit in jail, what I do going forward is no longer your business.” Laz jerked back as if she had slapped him, but didn’t respond. “Goodbye, Laz.”

  Though it was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, she walked away despite him calling out to her.

  “I need to go back to taking care of me,” she mumbled to herself.

  But first there was something she needed to take care of once and for all. Something she should have handled months ago.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next morning, Journey knocked once before pushing open Gabe’s hospital room door, not prepared for what she saw. He was almost unrecognizable with the number of bruises on his face and his left eye swollen shut. Add those injuries to his fractured ribs and it was safe to say he was in some serious pain.

  “What do you want? Plan to pick up where your boyfriend left off?” he spat, looking at her as if she was the lowest form of human life. “If you came to plead his case, don’t bother. I want his ass in prison for a long time for what he’s done to me.”

  Instead of getting in the bed early to fight whatever bug was attacking her immune system, Journey had worked most of the night. Then she was in the office before the sun came up to prepare for this conversation.

  “I don’t think you want to press charges, Gabe,” she finally spoke.

  “Like hell. Do you see what he did to me?” He pointed at his face. “If I could prove he had something to do with me getting jumped weeks ago, I’d tack that onto the current charges against him.”

  She had no doubt that Gabe planned to dig up as much dirt as he could on Laz. What she had planned had to work.

  At least she hoped.

  “I just don’t understand you,” Gabe continued. “You and I could’ve been so good together. Not only would we have made a good-looking couple, but we could’ve been one of the most powerful couples in the city. Instead you end up with that jerk. Don’t you want better for yourself?”

  Journey was too nauseated and exhausted to list all the ways that Laz was more of a man than he could ever dream of being. Besides that, she couldn’t believe that Gabe was still hanging onto his infatuation with her. She had never disliked someone as much as she did him, and there was no way they could have ever gotten together.

  Instead of speaking, she held up a twenty-five-page document in one hand and a flash drive in the other before letting them both fall back to her side. She had decided that morning to treat this conversation like one of her closing arguments, dramatics and all.

  Gabe looked at her warily, as if afraid to ask what was going on. When he didn’t ask, she explained.

  “For the past few months, I have tolerated you getting in my face, talking crazy and harassing me. I didn’t report you because I was hoping that whatever was going on with you would pass. But then you crossed the line when you put your hands on me.” Still he remained quiet. “If you don’t drop the charges against Laz, several things will happen. I will move forward in filing sexual harassment charges against you, and I have proof.”

  She held up the flash drive. Laz had gotten a copy of the courthouse tape that had footage of her encounter with Gabe. He’d given it to her days after the incident, encouraging her to use it to get rid of Gabe once and for all. Just recently, he had given her more ammunition to use against him.

  Gabe chuckled but stopped and groaned, one hand going to his face, the other to his ribs. “You do know blackmailing someone is a crime, right? You really have stooped to your man’s level. My answer is no. I’ll argue against whatever is on that drive.”

  “Funny thing is, you and Laz could probably share a jail cell.” Journey lifted the papers in her hand. “I have documented—complete with dates, times, and in some cases, pictures—of fifteen instances of you involved in drug dealings. Either as a user or a seller, depends on how an observer regards the photos. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention. You’ve been under surveillance.”

  Gabe’s features hardened, but he remained quiet.

  Those late nights recently, when Journey thought Laz had been working a case, he was following Gabe. The pictures he’d given her would not only cost Gabe his job, but his law license as well. And depending on how some of the photos were interpreted, and whether he had a good attorney, he could do time in jail.

  She held up the stack of papers and the flash drive. “I really don’t care what you do in your spare time. But your conduct lately has been deplorable. You have not only been mistreating me, but you have disgraced the DA’s office with your extracurricular activities. You’ve been walking around this city like you’re untouchable. Behaving worse than the people we put away. I have no other choice but to step in and do something.”

  “Something like what?”

  “Actually, I’m going to give you a chance to get your life together, Gabe. I think everyone deserves a second chance. In the next two weeks, I want you to get help. I have a referral list of rehab places all ready for you, and I also want you to leave Georgia and never come back.”

  “Now you’re talking crazy. I don’t know what all you have on me, but I’ll fight it.”

  “Really? I’m not one to judge, but the picture of you in the park—after midnight—with your pants down around your ankles could really be damaging to your career. Do you really want me to release this video and the hundreds of photos I have of you and your misconduct?”

  Journey tapped the flash drive against her cheek as she pretended to be in deep thought.

  She hated stooping to this level. Hated that she allowed Laz to put her in this position, but she couldn’t let him go to jail for defending her. Especially knowing what type of person Gabe was.

  “Maybe you should dig back through your memory bank. Think Piedmont Park late one night a few weeks ago.” She shook her head. “Those photos alone are enough to
let me know that I was right not to ever get involved with you. And there are so many more instances documented. You’re lucky I’m giving you a chance to get out of town. You’re being given an opportunity to get help for your drug problem. Oh, and I will be keeping track of your progress.”

  When he remained quiet, Journey continued.

  “Or you can stick around and find out what happens. Not only will the DA kick you out on your ass, but you’ll be disbarred. Not to mention the negative media attention you’re going to receive. Are you sure going after Laz is worth it?”

  “I can’t believe you’re threatening me,” he seethed.

  Yeah, she couldn’t believe it either.

  Maybe that part of Laz that skated on the edge of right and wrong had rubbed off on her, and it scared Journey to death. She always followed the rules. Always made sure in all of her professional dealings that she obeyed the law to the letter. But if playing a little dirty got Laz out of trouble, and freed her of Gabe’s harassment, so be it. The arrogant jerk had made her work life hell for months, and it was past time she put a stop to it.

  “Don’t think of this as a threat, Gabe. Think of it as me giving you a heads-up on my future plans. It’s up to you to accept what I’m…proposing, or not. But once I walk out of here, the offer is off the table.”

  *

  Sitting in Ford’s office, waiting for him to return from a meeting, Laz thought about the last week of his life.

  He didn’t know why Hall had dropped the charges against him, but he had a feeling Journey had something to do with it. Maybe she had finally used the information he’d given her regarding Hall, revealing his extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, Laz hadn’t been able to find out for sure her involvement since she wouldn’t take his calls.

  After trying to reach her several times over the past few days and getting her voicemail, she had finally answered his call late last night. Laz couldn’t say that he was surprised by her coldness, but it felt like a stab to the chest when she told him they needed a break. The whole conversation barely lasted two minutes before she said goodbye. Not only didn’t he get a chance to question her about Hall, but he also didn’t get the chance to tell her that he loved her.