by Trisha Wolfe
With Ties that Bind
A Broken Bonds Novel, Book Two
Trisha Wolfe
Contents
1. Cold Fish
2. Armageddon
3. Frayed
4. Crosshair
5. Affliction
6. Whore
7. Ally
8. Rabbit Hole
9. Sedition
10. Bare
11. Id
12. Grave
13. Identity Crisis
14. The Summit
15. The Firm
16. Bombshell
17. Carnal
18. Worthy
19. Empire
Derision
Also by Trisha Wolfe
About the Author
Copyright © 2016 by Trisha Wolfe
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness.
~Friedrich Nietzsche
1
Cold Fish
Alpha
There’s a misunderstanding in modern culture, that of the psychopath. I blame writers. Hollywood scriptwriters, novelists. They’re lethargic. Want a villain? Make him a psychopathic serial killer!
No motive. No history, really. Just a means to an end for your lazy plot.
The truth, on the contrary, is typically and usually not as entertaining.
Let’s take statistics, shall we? One-percent of the population are high-functioning psychopaths. This is a fact. They’re not serial killers chasing you with a giant kitchen knife, covered in blood, laughing manically… They’re your neighbors, your family, your doctors and your lawyers. They’re the people in authority; the people who you trust.
And you need them.
You need them to be callous and unfeeling when it comes to the tough decisions. You need them to be a cold fish. Wars are not won with empathy. Cities and kingdoms were not built with your indecisive sympathies. Compassion does not prosper.
I take a long drag from my cigarette and sigh out a plume of smoke. I watch the tendrils waft upward, out and over the carnage, as I roll the white filter between my finger and thumb. It’s stained red, matching the dark crimson blanketing the cement.
I loathe stereotypes. So the irony that I’ve now lowered myself to the stereotypical psychopath, for me, is deplorable. I spit on filth like Wells and Mason—men who have no impulse control. I’m above them in every way, and yet here I am, covered in blood after committing a very impulsive act.
“Clean this mess,” I order Donavan, my right-hand man. Having taken Alex’s spot, he hops to, anxious to prove his worth. For now, he’s a good little henchman. Much like Alex King used to be.
An internal ache pangs somewhere beneath my breastbone, the loss of Alex still fresh. It was a necessary sacrifice, but still, I don’t savor the ultimate cost in lowering my ranks. It’s hard to find good, dedicated men. Men who will serve without question. Who will devote their very lives to the job.
In truth, Alex didn’t have to die. I could’ve salvaged him. Could’ve scolded him in some public fashion, and no one would’ve thought less of me. He was my favorite, after all. Groomed and mentored by myself, and the men all looked up to him.
And that, my friends, is why he had to be made an example of.
Not because of his faults or the one mistake that cost me the medical examiner. He had to be taken out because there cannot be dissension in the ranks.
It was the perfect opportunity to disgrace him and reinforce my authority, to which there should never be any question.
King Henry said it best: Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. Ah, Shakespeare. The fundament of knowledge. Whenever in doubt, I can always turn to him for guidance.
It’s lonely at the top.
But the second it’s not, the second I feel there’s another soul I can lay my burdens on…that’s the moment I’ll feel a knife in my back.
I kneel beside my once busty blonde and tilt my head. Let my gaze drag over her unseeing eyes, still features. Breathless. Timeless. A moment captured and suspended, immortalizing her, and her torment. She’ll never look as beautiful as she does this very second. Her skin still warm, blushing her cheeks. Glassy eyes widened in an almost awe-like expression.
With a gloved hand, I brush aside the wayward tresses clinging to her lip-gloss. “You have a purpose now, sweetness.”
From the neck down, it’s difficult to distinguish what’s flesh and what’s bone—what’s woman left of her mutilated carcass. The brand my girls don on their thighs was removed with the first flaying. Her lovely, full breasts skinned from her body.
“Wrap her up and deliver the package,” I command.
As I stand, I peer over the sea of dead girls littering the floor. Such a waste, such a shame. And I, the cold fish, swimming in this sea of red. I’m stained by it. It’s how my kingdom was forged, how I now wear my heavy crown, but it’s tainted the very earth I stand upon.
I flick the butt away and step over the blonde. There’s a small niggle of remorse in the pit of my stomach, but it’s easily snuffed out. Like the cherry of my cigarette as it sizzles out in a pool of blood.
2
Armageddon
Quinn
The shouting is an irritating background noise to my chaotic thoughts as they become increasingly and impatiently louder. Captain Wexler is giving me his signature ass-chewing. One I’ve earned and would feel badly about if it wasn’t for the imploding case I need to get back to.
“Are you hearing me, Quinn?”
Snapped out of my daze, I shift my gaze from Avery loitering in the bullpen on the other side of the glass wall to Wexler’s inflamed face. “I am, sir.” The annoyance is poorly masked in my gritted response.
His eyes flare. “You crashed up your car. On the fucking highway in mid-pursuit. A highway full of other drivers. You disobeyed protocol and disappeared for twenty-four hours with Johnson, and there’s yet to be a report on my desk—”
I nod to the file in my lap, eyebrows raised.
His face pinches. “You’re leaving me no choice.”
This gains my full attention. “No choice for what?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he moves behind his desk and opens the top drawer. “Badge and gun.” He thrusts his hand out. “I’m sorry, Quinn. But you’re suspended from active duty until further notice.”
I’m out of the chair and bracing my palms on the edge of his desk, giving myself an anchor to prevent me from doing something stupid. Like throwing the chair through the glass. “Don’t do this. You know we don’t have time for politics. Sir,” I amend. “Avery’s not out of danger yet, and there’s a killer out there—”
Wexler sighs audibly. “Apparently, with my department, there’s always someone in danger and always a perp out there killing.” For a second, his features fall with despair, but he quickly pulls his hard captain persona back into place. “I have bosses, too, detective. And I’m taking it up the ass for the shit you pulled, so I need you out of here until it blows over. I promise, Avery will have the best detail on her at all times.”
More than anything, Avery’s safety is most important. I believe Wexler and the department have every intention of seeing to her safety, but I can’t step aside on this.
Resigned, I suck in a breath and pull out my leather holder and lay my shield on his desk next to the report
on Avery’s abduction. Then I unclip my GLOCK from my shoulder harness and set it alongside them. A pressure hits my chest like a wrecking ball. I’ve never been thrown off a case before. Never been suspended. Over twenty years of duty with one of the cleanest records, and this is my reward.
One moment of panic where I feared losing the woman I care about—where for the first time, I let instinct override logic—has torn that all away.
I turn to make a dramatic exit. I don’t regret a damn second that I put Avery first.
“Oh—and, Quinn?”
I pause with my hand latched to the door.
“Leave your notes on the case in your office. Good work on that. I’ll get a team to take over.”
My knuckles turn white as I grip the handle and crack the door open. “And Bonds?” I ask.
His groan clenches my teeth. “Send her in,” he says. “She’s next.”
I close the door and turn toward the captain. “You can’t take her off this case.” I’m shocked the words have left my mouth. Just twenty-four hours ago, I was undecided on how involved I wanted Sadie, questioning whether or not I could ever trust my partner again.
There are many levels of trust, however. And right now, I trust that Sadie will do whatever it takes to protect Avery. What I don’t trust is her method to see that through, and that’s the struggle of this new murky-gray water I now find myself treading.
Wexler narrows his gaze. “She fired her weapon from a moving vehicle on the highway.” He says this like it’s explanation enough. And really, the Ethan Quinn of just a month ago would’ve been the first to sign Sadie’s dismissal papers for that action. But today, I’d give her that order all over again in a heartbeat to save Avery.
“Bonds was only following my directive,” I say, lifting my chin. “I take full responsibility.”
He shakes his head. “That’s very admirable. But you know that’s not how it works. Her weapon, her reprimand.”
Remembering the last case and how well Bonds took my reprimand, I give Wexler a curt nod. Sadie will back off about as much as I will: not one bit. “Just know that Agent Bonds did what she had to in order to get Avery out of that van.”
Eyebrows hiked, Wexler says, “This isn’t personal, Quinn. Doctor Johnson—” he stresses, making me aware of my personal address of our department medical examiner “—is a part of our team. Everyone here is dedicated to protecting her and solving this case for her sake. You need to reevaluate your priorities. Gain some perspective.”
With a deep inhale, nostrils flaring, I straighten my back. “No disrespect, captain. But when it comes to one of our own, it’s very personal.” I face the door and open it. “You know where I’ll be when you need me.”
Before I exit, he says, “I do need you on this as soon as possible. That’s why I’m asking you to take some time to get your shit straight.”
I close the door behind me before I make the mistake of combating my superior. I’ve tarnished my reputation enough for one day. As I enter the bullpen, I can barely look Sadie in her jade green eyes. The betrayal she must have felt when I took her off the previous case resonates deeply.
“That bad?” she asks, tucking her hands into her back pockets.
I cross my arms, noting the empty feel of my missing gun. Sadie did her best to save my badge, but someone has to take the hit. It should be me. “I tried to take the brunt of it, but you’re up now. Wexler wants to see you.”
Worry creases the slim slope of her brow. I know her concern is not for herself, but there’s no reason to tell her I’m off the case. She’ll find out soon enough.
“I can handle it,” she says, and I have no doubt she’ll give Wexler her worst.
As she heads toward the captain, I face Avery and tick my chin in the direction of my office. I shut out the racket of the bullpen and lock the door, mentally cursing the glass walls that offer us no privacy. It’s the first time since this morning that I’ve been alone with her, and I want nothing more than to touch her.
“What’s happening, Quinn?” she asks. “I thought we had this worked out. Or, at least a starting point.”
With my back to her, I pull the shades down, giving us the illusion of privacy, at least. “Politics,” I answer as honestly as I can. When I turn toward her, the confused squint of her beautiful brown eyes pulls me to her side like a magnet.
Her scent of lavender invades my senses, searing my chest. I push out a long breath to clear my mind. “I’ve been suspended.”
Avery shakes her head. “But they can’t do that.”
I release a clipped laugh. “Oh, they can and they have.” I spear my fingers through my hair, annoyed with the fact that I can’t just crush this woman to my chest. I’ve never felt this fucking vulnerable—and I hate the weak feeling arising from needing her this instant.
I back up a step and seek a breath not laced with her scent. “Suspended or not, off the case or not…it doesn’t matter.” I head around my desk and dig out my key ring to unlock the bottom drawer. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
I gather copies of the documents I made and the flash drive with all my research. Wexler can have my files, but I’m taking the copies with me.
“I have to work, Quinn,” Avery says, and I look up as she wraps her arms around herself. “I need to make sure the autopsy on the second victim is done right. Those men were testing that drug on those women.” She absentmindedly touches her fingers to her mouth, her scar. “I have to find a connection to the drug and their deaths, and the second vic may have the evidence we need to make that connection.”
I shut the drawer and slam my files on the desk. Anger seizes my thoughts before I have time to filter the words leaving my mouth. “Like fucking hell, you’re working in this building. You’ve been abducted not once but twice, Avery. Right here, in the fucking ACPD building, with cops all around.” I wave my hand for emphasis.
“Please don’t patronize me.” Her shoulders deflate, and a stab of guilt slices into my gut. “Are you suggesting someone here is working for the other side?”
I shake my head, exasperation creeping in. “Simon, your own lab tech, was…so yeah. I guess I am. I don’t trust anyone here.” I eye her closely. “Especially when it comes to your safety. You’re not safe here, Avery.”
Her eyes soften as her gaze flicks over my features. “You don’t trust anyone. Not even Sadie?”
My mouth pops open, the words to counter that accusation right on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t summon the conviction. “I trust Sadie to protect you.”
Avery senses the ambiguity in that comment, but doesn’t get to question me further. As if on cue, a rap sounds at my door. Sadie stands on the other side, her features creased in distress.
Shit.
“This isn’t up for debate.” I walk toward the door and unlock it. Avery’s huff of frustration tenses my shoulders, and I’m not prepared for Sadie’s blast as she powers past me.
Sadie takes a cross-armed stance in the middle of my office. “Were you planning to tell me you were off the case?”
Jesus. I’m surrounded by pissed off women. Where’s Carson when I actually need him?
I close the door. “Nothing changes. We stick to the plan. I’ll be back on duty soon.”
The plan was for Sadie and Carson to investigate Maddox and his law firm while Avery and I work the perps and evidence. That way, I could assure Avery’s safety as we investigate her darknet connections. But since I’m no longer a welcome member of the team, or even a detective with a shield, that’s out of the question.
I’ll go fucking crazy worrying over Avery.
I face Sadie, firm in my decision. “Avery’s going to take a leave of absence.”
“No.” Avery shakes her head, hands raised. “No, I’m not. I will not let those monsters get away with—”
“It’s for the best,” Sadie cuts in, and Avery’s angry expression falls. Shock at the betrayal plainly displayed in the furrow of her brow. “Yo
u got away, Avery,” Sadie continues. “But this isn’t over. Not yet. You’re being targeted.”
For a brief second, Avery’s features flash with alarm. She hides her panic quickly, rolling her shoulders back and lifting her head. “I’m not afraid of them.”
Sadie’s never been the most compassionate—hell, some days I wonder if she has a sympathetic bone in her body—but I’m onboard this time. Her bluntness is necessary to make Avery comprehend the level of danger she’s in.
I address Sadie. “Are you still in?”
“I got saddled with backlogged parking tickets,” she says. “So I’m not benched, if that’s what you mean. I guess it could’ve been worse.”
It could’ve been, but still, there’s nothing pleasant about parking ticket duty. “We’re still working the case.” I glance between them. “I’m not officially, of course, but no one has any knowledge of your connections, Avery. That’s an angle that’s all ours, and we’ll work it.”
Sadie cranes an eyebrow. “Detective Quinn going outside the law?”
I lay a heavy glare on her. “Don’t get so excited. I’m not going vigilante”—I narrow my gaze—“I’m just not above doing a little side sleuthing. I still want all updates on Maddox and that law firm. Anything you uncover at Lark and Gannet comes to me.” I exhale heavily. “Keep me in the know until I’m back on the case.”
Avery catches Sadie’s notice, and some unsaid communication passes between them. “All right,” Sadie says, shifting her stance. “Mission Black Hat Quinn in effect. I’ll keep you posted.” She heads out of my office, and I’m left with a strange wariness I can’t place.
“Wondering how to begin again?”
I look at Avery, that heaviness on my chest damn near crushing me. “Yeah. Pretty much exactly.”
She sidles up beside me and slips her hand into mine. I stare down as our fingers lace together. “Come on,” she says, pulling me toward the door. “If we’re going rogue, let’s make it count.”
