“I know,” I muttered.
“And we have to finish this job for Sutcliffe. Especially seeing as he’s got Ringo watching us.”
I started toward the door, grabbing the keys I’d dropped upon entering the kitchen.
“Speaking of which, wish me luck. I’m off to Sutcliffe’s.”
“Why?”
“Got some business to take care of.”
Klaus scratched the back of his head. “Great. Maybe Ringo will finish the job.”
“I’ll be fine. Now go upstairs and take care of what’s-her-name. I never want her in my bed again. You hear me?”
I retrieved my phone from my pocket and checked it again. Still nothing. This was beyond frustrating.
Without another word, I slammed the door behind me. Not that I deserved anything from her, but it wouldn’t kill her to return my text. A simple hi would be sufficient.
As if she knew I was thinking about her, my phone buzzed.
Lucy Diamond: Thanks again for breakfast the other morning. It was nice catching up with you.
I slipped in behind the wheel and started the engine before responding.
Jude Wallace: We should do it again. Tonight?
I’d barely pressed send when I received a reply.
Lucy Diamond: I can’t.
I slammed my palm into the steering wheel, growling.
Jude Wallace: You know I’ll just show up at the precinct again.
Checking my blind spots, I pulled out of the drive and started down the road. It didn’t take long for me to notice I was being tailed. By who, I wasn’t sure, but I was definitely being followed.
There went my going to Sutcliffe’s for a little while. If I took a tail to his place, I was certain to be killed.
Lucy Diamond: You don’t need to do that. I’m free on Friday.
My heart skipped a beat. Friday. Maybe that meant she didn’t hit it off with that British fucker after all.
I watched my review mirror, turn for turn, my tail stuck with me. No matter. I knew how to get around that asshole. I knew metro better than anyone. It’s why I was the best at what I did.
I turned down an alley and another, each one getting tighter and tighter until I reached where I knew no one would follow me. I backed into the dark corner and watched as my tail disappeared out of sight. While I waited, I sent Lucy a response.
Jude Wallace: Friday it is.
This was a dangerous game I was playing. Especially considering I was now being followed. But I couldn’t help myself. The universe brought her back into my life for a reason, and I wasn’t about to let a chance like this get away from me.
At least not again.
When I was certain my tail was nowhere to be found, I pulled out of my hiding place and started toward Sutcliffe’s.
“Son of a bitch!” Sarah slammed her fist into the steering wheel, pissed. “I told you to keep him texting,” she scolded me.
“I tried.” I heard the lie in my words even as they left my mouth.
“Obviously not hard enough.”
I stared down at Jude’s text. Friday it is.
The thought of seeing him again made my heart sink inside my chest. After being with Ian, as silly as it might sound, I didn’t think it would be right to interact with Jude further. Sarah didn’t see it that way. Jude was my mark, and I had a job to do. Personal life be damned. “I set a date with him. What more do you want from me?”
Sarah drove around, hoping we’d catch sight of Jude’s car again. “I want you to do your fucking job, Diamond. It’s not that hard. Your old friend is our in. I can feel it.”
I licked my lips, watching as my phone screen faded to black. Jude’s words disappeared into the darkness of the flat panel. The darkness in which he incised within me. Just thinking about him brought back so many dark feelings and memories I didn’t want to face.
Ugh! What a session this would be with Dr. Blackbird.
“What’s your deal with this guy?” Sarah asked, exiting on to I-95, driving us back into DC.
Hesitant, I decided to share with Sarah my sordid past with Jude Wallace.
By the time Sarah parked the car in front of the precinct, she was silent. I could only imagine what she thought of me. To be honest, I didn’t think much of myself. I’d let a boy take advantage of my heart and it destroyed me. No one was to blame but me, but I couldn’t help but blame Jude. He didn’t even try to apologize for leaving me. He brushed over the conversation like it was nothing.
Then again, it was to him. I was nothing to him except for maybe another one of his conquests. The ultimate bragging right – the one that got away turned cop. The thought of the stories he could tell if I gave in to his wiles made me sick to my stomach.
Besides, there was Ian. Sweet, sexy as hell, Ian, who’d treated me to the most amazing evening and an even better morning. Waking up next to him was like my own personal fairy tale, with Prince Charming and everything. The man even cooked us breakfast. It wasn’t the Southern cooking I had with Jude at Sgt. Pepper’s, but it was homemade and delicious.
“Damn. That sucks. And I’m sorry,” Sarah stated, as she parked in front of the precinct. “But, Diamond, I need you to keep your head in this game until we take down Sutcliffe. Can you do that?”
I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me. “I can. I’ll do better.”
Sarah exited the car, meeting me at the steps in front of the building. “I’m holding you to it,” she teased, but there was also a serious note to her voice.
We entered to the building and walked toward my desk. At least I thought it was my desk until I noticed three vases sitting on the table top.
“What the hell is this?” Sarah wondered, grabbing for the card.
I tried to snatch it from her but was unsuccessful. Her eyes rolled over the card then jerked upward toward me.
“You slept with Ian?”
Heat flooded my face as I grabbed the card from her. I scanned the words, handwritten on the small piece of paper.
Last night was amazing. I’ll miss you while I’m gone. But here’s something to help you think of me.
There was no denying what I’d done. “Yeah. I did.”
All of the anger that had been in Sarah’s face faded away. “Details, Diamond. I want details.”
My mouth dropped open. It wasn’t possible for her to be serious. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not kidding.” She flopped herself into my chair.
“Don’t you have some paperwork to do or something?”
Sarah shrugged, taking a peony from one of the vases and holding it to her nose. “No more than you do. Now sit down and spill.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket to message Ian.
“Seriously? You’re going to play on your phone!” Sarah whined.
“Hush. I need to say thank you.”
“Fine.” Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes. “I can’t believe I gave you that guy.”
I sat down in the chair Sarah had kicked toward me. “Gave him to me? You gave me nothing.”
Sarah brushed her bangs back from her face and laughed. “Fair enough.”
“And why should I tell you every detail of my time with Ian. You haven’t told me if you slept with Logan,” I snapped.
Sarah smirked, rocking in my chair with her arms behind her head. “Okay. I fucked him. Now spill.”
I groaned, rolling my eyes. “You’re insufferable.”
“I’ve been told that many times.” She cracked her neck, watching me with immense intensity. I tried to ignore the nagging feeling that Sarah was keeping something from me. The way she talked about Logan almost felt like she was placating me. I shrugged the feeling away. Everything in my life was so off kilter at the moment that I couldn’t trust my gut.
Not really.
Up until I’d seen the flowers sitting on my desk, I was still contemplating if I’d done the right thing by sleeping with Ian.
I h
ad. This just proved it. There was light in this dark world.
I tapped out a quick message to Ian.
Lucy Diamond: No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Thank you! You’re too sweet.
I tried not to stare at my phone as those three little dots awakened, claiming he was responding. A smile exploded across my face at his response.
Ian Clarke: I’m pleased you like them. I wanted you to have something to remember me by while I was gone.
I glanced up at Sarah whose stare was becoming a bit unnerving. “Well?” she snipped.
That nagging feeling struck me again. I said nothing, only responded to Ian.
Lucy Diamond: As if I could forget you. I can still taste you on my lips.
That should do the trick. I clicked my phone off and reached for some paperwork, having to dodge the three vases on my desk in the process.
My phone buzzed with a new message. I didn’t hesitate to look at the sweet message from Ian.
Ian Clarke: I still smell you on my skin.
Oh, he was good. He definitely knew how to make me wiggle in my seat.
Suddenly my phone was lifted from my hand.
“Give that back!” I shouted, grabbing for my phone.
Sarah laughed, holding the phone in the air. “Nope. Not until you tell me what happened.”
“Sarah, this isn’t funny. Give me my phone.” It vibrated at that moment and Sarah managed to open the text. She read it aloud to me.
“I’m waiting to board the plane and thinking of you.” Her eyebrows lifted as she stared at me then at the flowers. “Wow. And there’s an attachment. Check this out.” She tossed my phone to me. I feared only the worst. With my luck, Ian had sent me a dick pic and Sarah just got some full-frontal nudity.
I should’ve known better. Ian was far too classy for such a thing. Instead, when I opened the attachment, I found a photo of Ian standing in front of the windows at the airport, where a plane was being taxied in. His crisp white shirt was unbuttoned enough to expose his long neck. My body tingled thinking about kissing that neck only hours earlier.
“He’s got it bad for you,” Sarah teased.
I ignored her and sent him a reply.
Lucy Diamond: Sexy! Have a safe flight.
“You realize you’ll never live this shit down, right?”
I turned toward Sarah, a little irritated by her behavior. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Sarah pointed to the flowers and then to me. “It means if you keep acting like a pretty princess, you’ll never get by in this business.”
“You’re jealous!”
Sarah leaned forward, meeting my gaze. “No, Diamond. I’m practical. We’re allowed a life, but when we’re in this building our only purpose is to catch the bad guys. It’s a man’s world and we have to abide by their rules.”
Frustrated, I tossed the stack of papers in my hand back onto the desk. “It’s a double standard and it’s stupid. My receiving flowers doesn’t make me incapable of doing my job.”
Sarah stood up, tugging the hem of her tank top down over her waist. “No, but to these guys,” – she pointed out to the other desks around us – “it does.”
“What the hell is it with you today? You’ve been like this since we came on duty.”
Sarah let out a long, noisy exhale. She placed her hands on my shoulders, meeting my gaze. “I’m worried about you. That’s all.”
“Worried? Why?”
Sarah’s eyes drifted upward, searching for the right words.
“Spit it out, Canady,” I snapped.
“I’m worried you’re jumping into a relationship with Ian far too quickly to compensate for everything you’re dealing with. And it’s no wonder. You’ve been through a lot lately. And after what you just told me about Jude…”
I pushed back from my partner, shaking my head. “No. You can’t throw Jude in my face. That’s not fair.”
Sarah nodded toward the three vases. “You’re right, and I’m sorry, but really. You don’t know Ian. Just be careful. That’s all.”
I gritted my teeth, fighting back the anger bubbling inside me. Sarah barely knew me, and what she did know I’d told her, or she found in my personnel file. How dare she try to tell me what to do.
“Right. But it’s okay to pimp myself out to Jude for the sake of the case.”
Sarah inhaled as though she’d been kicked in the gut.
“Besides, you just said you fucked Logan. How is this any different?”
“Fucked. Yes. But I’m not in a relationship with him.”
“Who said I was in a relationship with Ian?” My voice rose a little higher. There was no controlling my anger at this point. Even if I wanted to. “I fucked Ian. Hard. But I never once said I was in a relationship with him.”
Sarah nodded toward the vases. “You didn’t have to. Those did all the talking for you.”
“That’s bull–”
“Even without the flowers, those sappy text messages are more than enough evidence of a budding relationship.”
I slammed my fist down on the hard surface. “What’s so wrong with me finding a guy I like? I’m a grown ass woman who happens to like a man and wants to get to know him better.”
Sarah rubbed her forehead, her eyes squeezed shut. “There’s nothing wrong with it. All I’m saying is be cautious.” She dropped her hand and looked me pointedly in the eyes. “After what you told me, I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
There was that nagging feeling again. She knew something. “What don’t I know, Canady? Spit it out,” I demanded.
“I have no idea what you mean. I’m only concerned about your wellbeing, because, frankly, I need your head in the game. We’re close to catching Sutcliffe. I can feel it.”
The case.
Of course.
That’s all Sarah cared about, and she viewed me as her golden ticket.
I screwed my eyes closed, taking in a few deep breaths. It was pointless to continue this argument. I would simply tell Ian no more public displays and do my best to keep my mind on the case. Even if that meant spending time with Jude.
“I’m sorry. I’m on edge.”
“It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot lately.”
“Yeah, and Ian makes me feel…”
“Normal,” Sarah finished. I nodded as Sarah stood up and clapped her hand on my shoulder. “I understand. All I want is for you to take a step back and evaluate things. You’ve got a lot of potential, Diamond, and I’m happy to have your help and experience on this case.”
“Thanks,” I muttered.
Sarah grabbed one of the vases and began to walk away.
“Hey! Where you going with those?”
“My office. Duh!”
“But I thought you said…”
“I know what I said, and I’m a detective. They know better than to fuck with me.” She gave me a wink. “For what it’s worth, you’re a lucky girl.”
“How so?”
Sarah smirked, wagging her hand up and down my torso. “You’re wearing a damn, silly grin and sporting a I-just-got-fucked glow. I say that makes you pretty lucky.”
“Oh, stop.”
Sarah shrugged, sniffed the flowers, and walked away, leaving me with my thoughts, a mound of paperwork, and two vases of gorgeous flowers to keep me company.
“Grab your things, Diamond.”
Sarah marched past me with her keys in hand, a determined expression on her face.
I jumped out of my chair, grabbed my cellphone, and followed after her.
Damn her legs are long.
“Where are we going?” I asked, practically running to keep up with her.
We reached her car in what felt like marathon time.
“Strawberry Fields,” she stated, sliding into the driver’s seat.
I slid into the car next to her. “The mental hospital?” I barely had a chance to close the car door and put on my seatbelt before Sarah pulled out of the precinct
drive. “Why are we going there?”
“Two words. Jane Asher.”
All of the air in my lungs poured out of me in one huge whoosh. “As in Neil Hoff’s sister, Jane Asher?”
Sarah nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. “One and the same.”
Since the night of George’s and Neil’s deaths, Jane had not spoken a single word aside from her constantly repeating, “It’s my fault. All my fault.” As strange as it might be, I was more appalled at Hoff for holding a gun to his sister’s head than had she really been his wife. I would’ve given anything to have a sister or a brother with me during my younger years. Someone I could’ve relied on even when I was in a terrible home. He was willing to throw that all away. And for what?
“She doesn’t speak,” I stated the obvious.
“She does now.”
“What? When?”
Sarah raced down the interstate, going well above the speed limit.
“About an hour ago. Her doctor called me and told me that Jane says she wants to talk about that night but will only do it with the officer who killed her brother.”
There went my air again. That being kicked in the gut feeling was becoming too much of a normal for my taste. Anxiety left my arms and legs tingling and pain shot down my spine. “What!”
The car engine whirled as we sped down the highway. “You heard me, Diamond. She wants to talk to you.”
“Why me?”
“No clue, but we’ll find out when we get there.”
As Sarah drove, I tried to wrap my head around why she might want to speak with me. It took all I had not to break down in a panic attack or allow the darkness to roll in. Facing that woman would be like facing Neil Hoff all over again. George was dead because of my inability to defuse the situation. Now, I was about to come face to face with that night all over again.
I sent Ian a quick text, pretty sure I wouldn’t hear back from him. He wasn’t kidding when he said he wasn’t much of a texter.
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