Jake:Book 4 (The Justice Brothers Series)

by Taylor Lee

  “Not yet, you don’t.” His icy tone sent a shiver of fear up her spine. When she tried to twist free, he shook his head and tightened his hold. His voice was soft, intense. “C’mere, Sam.”

  “Why…why should I?”

  “Because I need to hold you.”

  At his soft admission, Sam surprised herself by leaning into his firm embrace. For a long moment they stood together, their arms wrapped around each other. Sam desperately wanted to be free. But she was unable to resist the urge to press against his strong body, to breathe in his seductive odor. The brush of his raspy beard shadow across her cheek sent a depth charge to her nether regions. A moment later, to her surprise, Jake stepped back, then bent down and kissed her cheek.

  “Good night, princess.”

  It took her a long moment staring at the empty road in front of her to come to grips with the fact that he was gone.

  Chapter 21

  Sam refilled her glass and sunk lower onto her lounge chair. She didn’t know how long she’d sat on her deck peering sightlessly at the dark sky. She desperately wanted to clear her mind, empty it of the memories tearing at her spirit. Deciding that alcohol was her best hope of numbing her overwrought senses, she took another hearty swallow of Jameson. While she waited for the numbness to kick in, she forced herself to forget the erotic night she’d spent in Jake’s bed and focused instead on the murder scene. It was then that she could acknowledge the truth.

  From the moment that she and Jake had received the hideous news, their relationship had shifted. It was as if a wall had gone up between them. In retrospect it was clear what had happened. She’d become the chief of police of the Crow Lake Reservation and Jake had become the commander of the Duluth Police Department. Rather than breathless lovers clinging to each other, they’d donned their professional garb complete with the daunting distance separating them.

  Refusing to remember Jake’s obvious attempts to include her in the analysis at the crime scene, Sam focused on the inequities in their roles. From the moment they arrived it was clear that Jake was in charge. All the police officers deferred to him, including her deputies and other tribal officers. The clamoring media, held back by the crime scene tape and hastily erected barriers, shouted their questions to the imposing commander, confirming that he was the ultimate authority.

  The scene with Mrs. Harper was also instructive. The distraught, grief-stricken woman, as well as Kate and the other women, had followed his order to go to Duluth General Hospital. Even knowing that Jake was correct in that the facilities at the major hospital far exceeded those at the tribal hospital didn’t lessen Sam’s sense of inequity. After long minutes of tortuous recriminations, Sam finally concluded the obvious. Unless she was willing to renounce the promises she’d made to herself, which were to restore legal dignity to her reservation and let no man ever control her destiny, she and Jake wouldn’t work. Putting it simply, they couldn’t work.

  At that moment her phone buzzed. She didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know it was Jake. She clicked the answer button but didn’t bother to say hello.

  “Put the glass down, Sam, and listen to me.” At her silence he said, “We can work through this.” When she didn’t answer, he was stern. “Do you hear me, Sam? I’m telling you that we can and will work through this.”

  Sam sniffed. “Is that an order, Jake?” She added derisively, “In case you didn’t notice, Commander Justice, we are no longer at the homicide site.”

  “No, Sam, we’re not. But even if we were, my message is the same. We will work through this.”

  Unwilling to give into the pain in her chest that was making it hard to breathe, Sam was sarcastic. “I’m sure you think we can, Jake. As long as you’re in charge, correct?”

  To her surprise, Jake agreed. “Yes, Sam, in the murder case we’re involved in, I’m in charge.” Before she could respond, he added, “I’m in charge of you in the way that I am of Jude, Jared, Skylar, and Solly. We’re a team, Sam, pretty much a team of equals. But every efficient team needs a captain. As the commander of the DPD, I am that captain.” When Sam didn’t answer, he said firmly, “We need you on our team, Sam. As the tribal police chief, you’re invaluable to us. You have access to information and expertise that none of us have.”

  Sam interrupted him scornfully. “More information than the informant you planted on my reservation without my knowledge because you couldn’t trust me?”

  Refusing to respond to her scathing jibe, Jake was calm, assertive. “Yes, Sam. More than our informant, you have the authority and expertise we desperately need to solve this hideous crime. We all know that the cartel is attempting to invade the rez. What we don’t know is how or if this shocking murder is related.”

  When Sam didn’t answer, Jake continued. “Jared, Jude, and I are going to hook up with Bobby Mackey before the full team reconvenes tomorrow morning. We need you in that meeting, Sam. You are as important as any of us, if not more so. In many ways, Mackey’s safety depends on you.”

  Sam pressed her lips together, biting off a hostile retort refusing to give into his argument or his authority. At that moment, a wave of exhaustion threatened to overcome her. Horrified at the whirlwind emotions threatening her, she wished that Jake were here in the flesh, holding her in his arms, rather than being a disembodied voice.

  At her silence, Jake’s tone was softer, less official. “We’re meeting in my office at oh seven hundred hours, Sam. I look forward to seeing you then.” When she didn’t answer, he added, a tinge of humor coloring his words, “And, yes, my prickly princess, that is an order.”

  ****

  Jake gave a sigh of relief when his desk sergeant announced over the intercom that Chief Delgado had arrived. Nodding to his brothers, neither of whom tried to hide their grins, he said, “Please tell the gate officer to allow the chief to come to my office, Marjorie.”

  Walking toward the door, he ignored Jared’s triumphant smile and satisfied claim. “Hooray, bro. Another Justice wins the day. Damn, I’d have put money on it but it was such a sure thing, Jude wouldn’t bet me.”

  Jake muttered as he passed his crowing brother, “Wish it were as sure a thing as you thought it was, bro.”

  Jude shook his head and smiled at his older brother. “I gotta agree, Jake. This wasn’t a slam-dunk. Hell, I’ve got me a feisty woman. I’m never a hundred percent sure Sky will do what I tell her to. However, Jared’s right. The fact that you and the prickly chief spent the night at your cabin made a rematch a virtual certainty.”

  Jake snorted. “At least, Jude, unlike our cavalier baby brother who has apparently never been rebuffed by a woman, even Officer Michels, Sam’s arrival was anything but a slam-dunk. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned that the night at the cabin might have done more harm than good.”

  Jared reared up in his chair. “Never let that traitorous thought cross your mind, big brother. The day our dicks do us wrong, buddy, is the day we all pack it up and head for the land of Depends and slurpin’ our dinner through a straw.” He added with a raffish grin, “Which ain’t ever gonna happen in our lifetimes, bro.”

  At the sound of a soft knock on the door, Jared shook his head suggestively. “As I was saying…”

  Jake opened the door and stepped back to allow Sam to enter. Seeing her pale face and the dark smudges under her eyes, Jake had to hold himself back to keep from capturing her in his arms. Certain that she’d had as much—make that as little—sleep as he’d had, Jake wished that they had ten minutes, or better yet, ten years alone so that he could wipe away the tension straining her expression and her rigid body. Forcing himself to assume a casual tone, he welcomed her.

  “C’mon in, Sam.” Over her shoulder, he said to Marjorie, “Please bring us another pot of coffee, Officer, then hold my calls.”

  Ushering Sam into the room, Jake felt her start when he reached for her elbow, anchoring her next to him. At some primal level he needed to connect with her physically if only to establish hi
s claim. Guiding her to the conference table, he motioned to the chair across from Jared. Knowing how unlikely it was that she’d eaten anything since yesterday morning at the cabin, he asked carefully, “Can I get you anything to eat, Sam? Although, knowing Marjorie, all we have in the back room is a pile of doughnuts for the horde that will arrive soon.”

  Sam shook her head in silent refusal as she sunk into the chair. She nodded to Jared and Jude. Jake took his seat at the head of the table and then with an audible sigh opened the meeting.

  “Sam, we’re waiting for Mackey’s call. I connected with him a couple hours ago. He’s having trouble getting time alone. The murder has made a challenging situation chaotic.”

  At that moment, his phone buzzed. Switching on the speaker box at the head of the table, Jake connected the call.

  “We’ve got you, brother. By ‘we’, I mean my brothers and me, plus Chief Delgado. I told them this might be a short connect.”

  Mackey’s ironic voice crossed the ether. “Yeah, dude, likely a sit rep at best. Christ, man, you’d think these guys are all fudge packers the way they’re clinging to my ass.” At Jake’s warning cough, Mackey added, “Uh, sorry, Chief Delgado, forgot I’m in mixed company. It’s just that I can’t take a shit without two or three of these guys wanting to wipe my ass. To say everyone is on edge is like saying congregating drones, their endophalluses primed and ready, see the queen bee flying overhead and will fight to be the first to lose their stinger in her.”

  Jake interrupted, “Uh, Bobby, much as we appreciate your elucidation of the mating habits of bees, we need your insights on who killed Isabella Harper and why.”

  “Sorry, Commander. It’s just that my analogy ain’t far off the target. Remember, that little girl wasn’t just murdered, she was raped viciously and repeatedly.” His hard sigh was audible. “I know this isn’t what you guys wanted to hear, but I lost Mingan and Isabella when Mike Oleum and I took the other girls home. I never saw them after I left the Pit Stop. I was as shocked as you were when Kate found me this morning and told me Isabella had been murdered.”

  Jared asked, “Why Kate? I didn’t know you were connected to her.”

  “I’m not, but Kate was as close to Isabella’s family as any of us. She said she heard what happened from the parents of the kids who found the body. She told me she was looking for Mingan and thought I’d know where he was.”

  “Where was he, Bobby?” Jude’s question was crisp.

  “That’s the hell of it, dude. Like I was telling Jake when we hooked up an hour ago, I found Mingan, Pete, and Charlie crashed out in Pete’s basement pad. I’m tellin’ you, either those assholes spent the night working on their surprised reactions or they were learning about her death from me.”

  At the heavy silence, Bobby added, “Now, understand, I’m not saying they didn’t know she got raped, they just seemed surprised when I told them she was dead.”

  Jared was disbelieving. “Are you saying they raped her and then just left her there?”

  “No, what threw me was that Mingan looked shocked when I told him. The first thing he asked was where she was and who’d found her. Like I said, they coulda been practicing their lines the whole goddamn night.”

  Addressing Sam and his brothers, Jake clarified. “Look, Bobby isn’t saying that Mingan and his sycophants weren’t involved. Just that they seemed genuinely surprised that Isabella had been found dead. Our job when we get them into interrogation is to break through their alibies and find out what happened after the three of them left the Pit Stop with Isabella. Remember, they were the last people seen with her. And according to Bobby, Isabella and Mingan were arguing.”

  Bobby chimed in. “Jake’s got that one right. The last time I saw Isabella alive, she and Mingan were in the middle of a first-class battle. They argue a lot, but this time it looked like they might come to blows. And Charlie and Pete were chiming in. Part of the problem was that all four of them were lit up like Christmas trees. From the looks of their stash, they planned to fly a lot higher. I decided I better get the other girls out of there before they started imbibing the hard stuff. When I left the Pit Stop, Isabella and the three guys were crisscrossing lines of coke with big H. Added to the MDMA and crystal they’d been fighting over earlier, it was a wonder they could walk. I told Mingan to wait until I got back and we could go party at my place. Fuckin’ A, the last thing any of them shoulda done was drive a fucking car.”

  “Was anyone else there, Bobby? So far I haven’t heard you mention anyone who might be a rep of the cartel?”

  “Obviously, Jude, my main gig has been to sniff out possible cartel action. Like I told Jake, I haven’t seen anyone in person, but Mingan has repeatedly bragged that he’s been contacted by the ‘big boys.’ When I push him, he makes it clear that his primary interest is in getting help taking down his nemesis, Commander Jake Justice. Apparently the motherfuckers he’s talking with have promised him that will be one of the side benefits of dealing with—”

  Sam interrupted him. “As you know, Agent Mackey, those were the questions my deputies and I pummeled you with.” She stopped, then not bothering to hide her bitterness, added, “Of course, that was before I knew that you were a DEA agent and Commander Justice and his brothers had planted you on my reservation because they couldn’t trust the Crow Lake tribal police chief to deal with such high level matters. Given that—”

  Mackey broke in before Sam could finish. “Yeah, Chief, stonewalling you and Henry and Mark was not one of my prouder moments. But I gotta tell you, watching you work, I’m impressed as hell, not only with your knowledge. You’re tough. You’re one hard-assed babe if I’ve ever seen one—”

  Sam curtly interrupted. “Thank you. It’s too bad the DPD didn’t agree with you regarding my competence. But that’s unimportant, not worth discussing. What I do want to know is if you believe the ‘big boys’ contacted Mingan, or is he is merely blowing smoke up your ass so you will take him seriously?”

  “Excellent question, Chief.” He paused, then muttered, “Damn, fuck it all! I gotta bail, Jake. I got major company at my door. Mingan and his goons…”

  The dial tone confirmed that Mackey had hung up.

  Jake frowned. “Sorry, team. Mackey warned me that was likely to happen.” He glanced at his watch and sighed audibly. “Right now, I need to meet with the press. I’ve held off the media whores as long as I can.” Glancing around the table, he said, “I’d like the three of you to join me for the inquisition.”

  Not waiting for an answer, Jake shoved back his chair, then grasped Sam’s arm and pulled her out of her chair and away from the conference table. Backing her into the corner of the room, he loomed over her. His low voice was riddled with anger. “If you think that gut shot you just fired will go unanswered, Sam, you don’t know me nearly as well as you think you do.”

  His lip curled as a tight grin flashed across his unsmiling face. “My recommendation, Chief Delgado, is that you keep a pillow handy because when I’m through with you, you’re going to have trouble sitting down.”

  Chapter 22

  “That was a class act you put on out there, Chief Delgado. You had those media whores eating out of your hand.” Jude bowed slightly, then added after a congratulatory whistle, “Damn, woman, I thought our righteous commander was smooth, but you put us all to shame.”

  Sam couldn’t help but smile. She had to admit that Jude was right. She really had been pretty darn good. It was clear halfway through the shouted questions from the rabid press corps that they were intrigued with the attractive tribal police chief. In minutes, more than half of the questions were addressed to her and not Jake or the other Justice brothers beside the podium. Modesty aside, she reminded herself it wasn’t as though she hadn’t handled the media in her checkered past. She remembered the time she’d led the fight to close down the administration building at her alma mater when they refused to accept the Native American history class her club was sponsoring. That action became part of a nati
onal fight for Native rights on college campuses. At that time Sam had understood and secretly enjoyed that having a beautiful face and a “come-hither” body was an asset when you were the public face for a cause.

  Shrugging, Sam downplayed Jude’s admiring praise. “Thanks, but you know how fickle the media is. They’re always looking for the shiny new thing. By tomorrow, they’ll be deciding how unimportant the tribal police are, particularly a female police chief, and wondering why they bothered asking my opinion.”

  Before Jude could disagree, Jake strode into the room. Although he was smiling, it didn’t take Sam long to see and hear the anger undergirding his caustic advice to his brother.

  “Don’t bother, Jude. Save your breath, bro. There’s no way that you can compliment Samantha Kalani Delgado. Absolutely not. Not an option. Best you accept that fact from the get-go.” His jaw tightened then he gave a harsh snort. “You need to understand, dude. Whatever you might say or think that in any way presumes to tell her how special she is, Sam will find a way to twist it, certain that you have an ulterior motive. She’ll write off your praise as the expected paternalistic response of a white man to an Indian woman. Or fall back on her tried-and-true response that she’s especially attuned to, that you’re merely trying to get into her pants.” Jake glared at her and made a visible effort to smile, which given the tightness of his jaw came off as a mocking sneer. But he wasn’t done. Addressing his angry words to Jude, he never took his eyes off Sam. “Understand, Jude. Our little Indian princess has spent a good part of her life constructing a chip on her shoulders that would crush Atlas. That weight serves several important purposes. First it sends a clear message to those of us, like you, who might want to compliment her, or some asshole that truly cares about her, that they better back off. Another benefit is that it takes a lot of energy to carry that weight which doesn’t leave Sam much time to consider what her life would be without it. But that’s just as well. Think how vulnerable she would be if she let go of all that negative weight and allowed someone to get close to her.”