Hard Justice

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  Bliss got in the shower and drew the curtain closed. She took her time washing, shaving, and conditioning her hair. When she was finished, she stood under the hot water for a moment, just letting the stress of the day wash down the drain. Justice’s words kept playing in her mind. Married? She still thought that was a drastic step to take. It wasn’t like he wanted to marry her. If he loved her, it would be one thing. But for her safety alone, she wasn’t willing to condemn them to a possible gloomy future.

  She got out and dried off, realizing belatedly that her clothes were still in sacks by the living room door. Cursing her rotten luck, she wrapped the towel around her body and hoped her face wasn’t the color of a strawberry as embarrassment burned through her. Bliss stepped into the hall and peered into the living room. Justice was on the couch flipping channels on the TV. He must have sensed her presence because he looked up, his eyes going wide before he schooled his features.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “I forgot my clothes were still out here.”

  He jumped up and grabbed the sacks off the floor, carrying them to her. She reached for them, but he brushed past her and went into the bedroom, depositing them on the bed. When he turned around, she was too close, and they bumped into one another. His hands immediately went to her hips to steady her, and she felt the burn of his touch through her towel.

  He watched her with an intensity that had her body heating. It had been months since she’d had sex, and her body was very aware of Justice. His gaze locked on her lips and he leaned forward. Bliss felt her heart race at the impending kiss, a kiss she had no intention of stopping. But he suddenly froze, his gaze lifting to hers before he straightened and stumbled back a step.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, turning on his heel and making a hasty retreat.

  Bliss frowned at the now empty bedroom. What the hell was that all about? She’d been certain he was going to kiss her. Why had he stopped? She knew it was a good thing he had, but she still wondered what it would be like to have Justice kiss her. Would his kiss be gentle and soft? Hard and demanding?

  With a shake of her head, she pushed the bedroom door closed and got dressed.

  Chapter Five

  “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Justice muttered as he trailed Travis Malloy’s car. “This could be considered stalking.”

  “Cherise said he had something planned for ten o’clock. If we catch him in the act, we can put all of this behind us.”

  He cut her a glance. “And you really think it’s going to be that easy. Why don’t we just walk up to him and ask when he plans to commit his next crime? Then you can wait with camera in hand.”

  She smacked her forehead. “We didn’t bring a camera.”

  “I don’t think we’re going to need one. He’s probably going out for a night on the town down in Miami or trolling for women. You did kick him to the curb.”

  “Believe what you will, but I’m telling you he’s going to meet with one of his buyers tonight. This could be the break we need to put him behind bars for good. Forget the abuse charge.”

  “Right. Because Cherise said so.”

  She glared at him.

  “He’s pulling over,” Justice said, stopping several cars away.

  Bliss opened her door, and before he could stop her, she was slinking along the shadows. Justice cursed under his breath and got out to follow her. She was like a dog with a fucking bone, but if she saw Travis wasn’t up to anything, maybe she’d drop this ridiculous idea about human trafficking.

  He caught up to her just as she was climbing on top of the dumpster to peer in a dirt encrusted window. She was tenacious; he had to give her that. If she had a badge, she’d be a force to be reckoned with. Justice had seen Travis’s busted nose and noticed he was favoring his right leg. She’d gotten in some good hits.

  A light flickered on inside the building, and Justice climbed up beside her, hoping like hell the ancient dumpster would hold their combined weight. They hunkered down and peered over the edge of the windowsill. Malloy moved around inside. He crossed the room and pulled out his keys, unlocking a padlock on the door in front of him. When he slipped inside, Justice lost sight of him.

  “I bet that’s where he’s keeping her,” Bliss said.

  “Her who?”

  “The woman he’s supposed to sell tonight. The one who took my place.”

  “Took your place?” He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

  Bliss nodded. “Cherise said that she overheard him tell his buyer he had the perfect blonde in mind for him, and he threatened to make me a whore last night when we were fighting. It’s obvious I was next on his list.”

  “I think that’s a stretch. He was just talking out of his ass during the heat of the moment. All guys do that, even me.”

  She growled at him. “I swear I just want to beat you over the head with something. You’re so damn stubborn. Why can’t you believe that he would be involved in something like this? You said yourself he has to be a dirty cop. What if it started with drugs and escalated?”

  “I don’t think—”

  She held up a hand. “He’s coming back. Look! He’s carrying a dirty plate. That proves he’s keeping someone in there.”

  “Maybe he’s hiding a girlfriend.”

  “Behind a locked door? I know he’s an asshole, but he’s nice enough looking I don’t think he’d have to resort to that. No, he’s forcing her to stay here. She’s his prisoner until he can make the drop. Justice, we have to get her out of here! What if she ends up like Cherise?”

  “I can’t do anything without having proof that he’s doing something illegal. I’d never get a warrant to search the place just because he carried a plate out of a locked room. He could have expensive shit in there that he wanted to lock up, and just left his snack plate in there the last time he was here. There are many reasons for the plate to have been in there, and a judge is going to think a kidnapped woman is the least likely.”

  “Dammit! We have to do something!”

  “We’ll just have to keep watching him. If he’s dirty, he’ll eventually slip up.”

  Her eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “If that woman dies, it’s going to be my fault. I can’t live with that, Justice. I have to get in there and free her. Don’t you see that?”

  “What I see is that you’ve had a long day; you’ve been through a lot, and you aren’t thinking clearly. If Malloy rents this place, then you’d be trespassing, and he’d have even more ammunition against you. Do you want him to claim you’re stalking him? And if he hears your accusations, he’ll tell everyone you’re mentally unbalanced.”

  And fuck if he didn’t wonder the same thing. She made crazy look good though; he had to give her that. He didn’t know what it would take her to drop this crazy idea that Travis was hiding a woman in there, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to drop the issue.

  “Let’s go back to the car and I’ll place an anonymous call to the Miami P.D. I’ll tell them I saw a suspicious person entering the premises, and they’ll send someone to check it out. When they don’t find a woman in there, I want you to drop this crazy human trafficking idea. Deal?”

  Her jaw clenched, and she nodded. “Deal. But you’ll see that I’m right. He’s hiding her in there.”

  Justice made the call and hung up before they could ask his name. They’d have his number on record, but maybe they wouldn’t figure out he was a cop. The last thing he needed to do was throw gasoline on the clusterfucked situation with Travis. They had waited an hour before a Miami P.D. car pulled in near the building. The officers got out and disappeared around the corner a moment later.

  Minutes ticked by and when they came into sight again, Travis was walking with them. He shook their hands and fuck if he didn’t give them each a wad of cash.

  “Fuck me. He just paid them off.”

  “I told you he was hiding a woman in there,” Bliss said.

  “He’s hiding somethin
g; that’s for sure.” Justice snapped a few pictures with his phone. Travis could come up with a good explanation for paying the officers, like owing them money, but at least he had something to go on. It was more than he’d had that morning.

  Justice reached for the keys to start the SUV, but Bliss stopped him.

  “What if he comes outside with her? It’s almost ten, which means the drop is soon. Please, Justice. I know you think I’m crazy, but what would a few more minutes hurt?”

  He sighed and settled back against the seat. If waiting a little while longer would ease her mind, then he was happy to do it. They didn’t have to wait long before Travis appeared again, this time with a canvas bag thrown over his shoulder. Whatever was inside, he dumped it in his trunk before getting into his car.

  “I bet she’s in there,” Bliss said.

  Justice still wasn’t convinced there was a woman, but Travis was definitely moving something. He’d paid off the officers, and he was sneaking around in Miami late at night. Every instinct Justice had told him something was about to go down. They’d come this far; they might as well follow Travis and see where he went.

  They drove through the darkened streets of Miami, arriving a short while later at the docks Bliss had mentioned. He gave her a sideways glance and noticed she looked both worried and a little satisfied. She couldn’t have possibly known Travis was going to the docks tonight, not unless he’d confided in her before their fight. No matter what she said, there was no way in hell she talked to ghosts. It was batshit crazy, wasn’t it? All that hocus pocus mumbo jumbo was just for TV and suckers who had too much money.

  Travis parked, and Justice stopped several cars away, sticking to the shadows. He cut his lights and waited to see what would happen. When Malloy pulled the canvas bag from the trunk, Bliss was the first one out of the car. Justice jumped out, ready to drag her back if she even tried to confront Travis, but she hid until he was on the move. They trailed the dirty bastard down to an expensive looking yacht. Travis dumped the bag on the ground and unzipped it, pulling out a girl who couldn’t have been more than sixteen.

  Holy fucking shit.

  Justice looked at Bliss with wide eyes, but her focus was on the action by the yacht. The girl’s hands were bound, and there was duct tape over her mouth. Justice pulled out his phone, made sure the flash was off, and snapped a few pictures. There was no way in hell for them to save that girl, not right now. It sickened him that she could get on that boat and disappear for good, but his options were limited. It would be suicide to go after them alone. Besides Travis, there were three other men, all armed.

  The older man in the group handed Travis a fat envelope. Justice snapped more pictures and then ushered Bliss back to the SUV. He practically had to drag her, but he managed to stuff her into the passenger seat, and they took off before Travis made his way back to his vehicle.

  “We have to save her!” Bliss looked at him with wide eyes. “How could you abandon her like that?”

  “Did you see how well-armed those men were? Four guns against one? I want to save her, but I’m not going to die trying.” He handed Bliss his phone. “Steinbau is in my contacts. Send those images to him and pull up his number for me.”

  She did as he asked and handed him the phone a moment later.

  Justice put the phone on speaker and waited for Steinbau to answer.

  “This better be good Wild. I have to be at the precinct in an hour, and I’ve had a shitty night.”

  “Did you get the photos I just sent?”

  Steinbau grunted. “Let me look.”

  Justice waited and knew the moment Steinbau saw the incriminating evidence. The detective filled the air with every curse word known to man.

  “I’m sending these to Miami P.D. to have those men arrested, and that girl picked up,” Steinbau said. “With any luck, that yacht hasn’t left the docks yet. You can just make out the name of the ship in the photos. Good work, Wild. Do I even want to know why you were following Malloy?”

  He glanced at Bliss. “Just a hunch, sir.”

  “Keep this between us for now. I’ll have someone watch Travis’s house and pick him up when he gets back in town. Until then, let’s hope the buyers don’t manage to tip him off. Get Bliss home and lock yourselves in your house with your alarm set. This fuck is even sicker than I thought.”

  “Yes, sir. We’re heading home now.”

  “I’ll call when it’s all clear.”

  “Thank you, Detective Steinbau.”

  Justice hung up the phone and watched Bliss warily. She’d not only known a woman was abducted and being sold, but she’d even known the hair color. And she’d known how Cherise died. Call him coo-coo, but maybe Bliss really had seen a ghost. Because the only other option was that Malloy had confided in her, and he didn’t want to believe that she could be part of something so heinous.

  “I told you Cherise talked to me,” Bliss said. “Now do you believe me?”

  “I think I’m starting to.”

  She smiled and looked out the window.

  The moment I’d laid eyes on her, I knew she was going to be trouble. Little did I realize just how much she’d turn my world upside down.

  Chapter Six

  Bliss chewed on her nail as she watched Justice pace the living room. They’d been home for hours, and still, there was no word about Travis. The TV was on, and they’d flipped through every news channel, hoping to learn something. The girl in Miami wasn’t mentioned, and neither was Travis. Had the whole thing blown up? Had Travis managed to escape somehow?

  Her stomach knotted.

  A familiar mist began to form and Cherise appeared, a contented smile on her face. “Thank you, Bliss. You kept your word, and now we can rest in peace.”

  “But we haven’t heard anything. Maybe he wasn’t picked up.”

  Justice looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Cherise,” she said, motioning toward the ghost.

  Justice stared at the spot, but she could tell he couldn’t see anything. Bliss tuned him out and focused on Cherise. If the ghost was moving on, then maybe it was really over.

  “Travis has been arrested,” Cherise said, “and that girl was picked up by the Miami police. She’s on her way back to her family.”

  “But all we did was take a few pictures,” Bliss said.

  “The pictures were enough. I never expected you to wrestle Travis to the ground and personally free that girl. You were able to shed some light on his crimes, and for that, we are truly grateful. May you find peace and happiness in life, Bliss.” Cherise smiled and looked at Justice. “Or maybe you already have.”

  Bliss looked at Justice and back at Cherise, but the ghost was gone.

  “Is she still here?” Justice asked, his voice a little strangled.

  “No. She’s gone. For good this time.”

  Justice shook his head and started pacing again. His phone rang, and he answered, putting it on speaker.

  “Wild, it’s Steinbau. I thought you’d like to know that Travis has been picked up. With the photos you took, and the evidence found on the yacht in Miami, he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. We have enough to put him away for years. Sick bastard wasn’t only selling women, but he was sampling the goods before the drop. Since his last victim was underage, he’s not going to be well-received in prison.”

  “So it’s over?” Justice asked.

  “There will be a hearing, but the men in Miami are already singing. We have enough to convict him of human trafficking and rape. I know I told you that you were on administrative leave, but all things considered, I think it’s safe to say you can come back now.”

  Justice looked at Bliss.

  “Actually, sir, would you mind if I had a few more days off? There’s something I need to take care of.”

  “Three days and I’ll expect you back at work.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Justice ended the call and stared at Bliss.
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br />   “I guess since he’s not getting out anytime soon, I can work on finding a job and a place to live. I can finally get on with my life.” She smiled a little. It was bittersweet because Justice was growing on her.

  “I have a favor to ask, Bliss.”

  “Anything. I owe you my life.”

  “Come with me to Key West,” he said softly. “I want to take you down there tomorrow, and I’d like to introduce you to my parents.”

  He wanted her to meet his parents? That didn’t sound like the actions of a man who wanted her gone. Did she dare hope that he’d gotten as attached to her as she had to him? She had horrible taste in men, but maybe things were turning around. Travis going to be behind bars, and his horrible crimes had brought Justice into her life. If ever there was a kind and decent man, it was Justice Wild.

  “All right.” She smiled.

  He moved a little closer and placed a hand on her waist. “There’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”

  “Anything.” Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.

  “I’d like to kiss you.”

  “I think I’d be horribly disappointed if you didn’t.”

  Justice didn’t need any further urging and dipped his head to claim her lips. The kiss was soft and tender, but she could tell he was holding back. Bliss wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and urged him to take what he wanted. She didn’t want safe. She wanted fierce. He was her warrior, her protector. She wanted him to unleash all of the passion she felt simmering beneath the surface.

  She pulled back and blinked up at him. “If you don’t kiss me like you mean it, I think I might be offended. I know you wanted to kiss me earlier, when you saw me in my towel. You stopped yourself. I don’t know why, but I’m telling you right now that I want you to kiss me until my toes curl and I forget my name.”

  His lips twitched with amusement. “Never let it be said I didn’t give a lady what she wanted.”