“What are you doing here?” I demand. Why the hell is he here with Jones? Do they know one another?
“I see you’ve already met Jet,” Jones says with a smile.
“Get him out of here,” I growl pointing at the door. I don’t want this cop to know where I live.
“That’s no way to treat your new partner,” Jones says as he frowns up at me.
“What the fuck?” Did I hear him right? Did he say partner?
“I’m just as unhappy about it as you are,” Jet says. He stands from the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. I do the same. He wants a pissing contest? I’ll give him one. “Would have been nice if you had told me that you were working undercover.”
I hang my head, and I run a hand through my hair. Undercover? I tend to forget that at times. “So you told him?” I ask, looking at Jones. He just shrugs. I let out a growl as I look at Jet. “I don’t know you. And the force has leaks.” I shrug carelessly.
“I’m not a rat,” he growls.
“Why the fuck did you bring him here?” I demand, looking back at Jones.
Jones raises his hands for both of us to shut up. “I have a job for both of you.” He reaches out beside him and picks up two folders I hadn’t noticed until now. He tosses them both onto the coffee table. “Jet came into my office this afternoon about two dead bodies. Drugs were involved with one and suspected in the other although the toxicology has not confirmed that one yet.”
I sigh as I lift the one off the top. I open it up to see a picture of a little girl. “Jesus,” I hiss as I read it over. Twelve-year-old found dead in bedroom … I toss it back onto the coffee table. “Who found her?” I ask.
Jones answers. “Her older brother, who is sixteen, was having a party while their parents were out of town. The neighbors called the police with a noise complaint. They show up, break up the party, and find the little girl in her room dead lying facedown on her bed while her best friend was unconscious on the floor.”
“Fuck!”
He nods at my choice of words. “We brought him in for questioning, and he refuses to answer. The police confiscated some drugs from the party. They are holding the boy, trying to get him to talk.”
I run a hand down my face. “And the other?” I ask bending over to pick it up.
Jones starts to talk before I can open it up. “Jet told me the situation he was in a few days ago and who he thought was involved. Your name and Seven Deadly Sins was brought up. I filled him in—”
“What does this have to do with me?” I interrupt him to get to the point. “Drugs are always going through Seven Deadly Sins. That’s why Case and I started the club in the first place. You wanted two undercover narcotic agents, and that’s what we gave you,” I growl. Case and I have been undercover narcotic officers for almost six years now. We started the club to make it easier on us to put the bad guys away. But half the time, I’m more the bad guy than the good one.
“Read the file,” he says looking down at the one in my hand.
I let out a long breath and sit down as I open it. My pulse starts to race as I read over it, and I let out a long sigh when I see the picture of the pretty blonde.
“She was found three nights ago. She had no ID. No name—”
“Tiffany,” I interrupt Jones. “Her name is Tiffany.”
He nods his head. “That’s what Jet told me.”
I shut the folder as I’ve seen enough and stand as I start to pace. Jones goes on. “She has a friend …”
“Skye,” I say her name softly. She is gonna be devastated when she finds out. “Have you told her yet?” I look over at Jet. They found Tiffany’s body three days ago, and that was the last time I saw Skye up at the diner. They would have informed her after I left her there. Right after I told her that I thought her friend was already dead! Fuck me! She’s gonna hate me!
He shakes his head. “Not yet. When I brought this situation to Jones, I told him you were my main suspect.” Of course, I was the main suspect. My club was mentioned. “He just laughed and then said that he wanted to bring in another guy to help me out with the case. I wanted to wait before I called her. I want to give her as much information as I could when I call her.”
Call her? Someone should never receive a phone call about a loved one being dead. I run a hand over my head. “I’ll tell her. In person.”
Jones’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline in surprise, but Jet is the one who speaks. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I don’t really care what you think,” I say.
Jones sighs. “I agree with Jet. She doesn’t know you’re an undercover cop. A uniformed officer needs to notify her. If you are the one to tell her, she will be confused as to how you know.”
I laugh, but it holds no humor, considering Jet doesn’t wear a uniform. “You think she’s really gonna care how in the fuck I found out that her best friend is dead? Hell, she needs to identify the body. As far as I know, Skye is the only family that she has.” I point down at the file. “I was just with Skye a few nights ago, and she still believes that she’s alive. She believes we’re gonna find her alive and well.” My chest tightens to the point I hold my breath. Oh, how this will kill her.
“Why were you with her?” Jet questions.
“That’s none of your business,” I snap.
“It is,” he growls. “I’m the officer on this case, and you are … were a suspect up until an hour ago.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Of course, I was.”
“You know how a homicide case works,” Jet says through gritted teeth. “She was last seen at your club. You had no proof that she had ever left and …”
“She wasn’t on the cameras?” Jones asks.
I start to pace again. “I deleted the evidence before Jet got there,” I say not caring that he knows now.
“Why in the hell would you do that?” he demands. “You’re tampering with police evidence,” Jet growls.
I can’t help but laugh. “Because the exact same reason you came there.” I narrow my eyes on him. “I’m an undercover narcotics officer who runs drugs through my club. You know what that would do to my job if I allowed uniforms to sniff around my club. Asking questions?”
“So you’re saying your club was more important than a dead woman?” he demands. “Someone in your club probably killed her.”
I shake my head. “I watched the video. Several times. She walked out with a man who I had never seen before. She got into a vehicle with no license plate. No nothing. The video showed nothing that could have been useful for you. I assure you if it had, I would have not deleted it.” Lie.
Jones stands slowly. “Wait. How did you know to check the footage in the first place? You said you had deleted it before Jet arrived to watch it. Did you know the girl? How did you know what you were looking for?”
“Skye came to me …”
“Jesus Christ!” Jet hisses. “You know this woman?”
I shake my head. “She came to see me at Seven Deadly Sins the night she went to the police station.” I leave out the fact where I had blown her off. “She told me the situation, and I decided to help her. We watched the tape together, and I promised to help her.”
“I can’t fucking believe this,” Jet says, looking up at the ceiling.
“Well, believe it. Why are you putting me with him?” I say pointing at Jet as he stares at me as if he is about to run me into a wall. Bring it, big boy. “We don’t work with cops. That’s how we keep our cover.”
“These two cases are different,” Jones says, and I wonder if he’s keeping something from me. But I don’t care to ask. He’ll fill me in later. Right now, I need to get to Skye. “I’m leaving.” I turn away giving them my back.
“Where are you going?” Jones calls out.
“To go tell Skye that her best friend is dead.” With that, I slam the door behind me.
SKYE
I sit on my floor as I scrub the red wine out of my rug. I managed to
change my wine stained t-shirt and shorts. They lay in a pile beside me. My right hand comes up to my cheek, and I hiss in a breath from the cold ice pack. My right hand keeps scrubbing as I think of Robert. That bastard hit me hard. But thankfully, he didn’t return after I slammed the door in his face.
I just tried calling Cliff again, but he still hasn’t answered. I don’t understand why he isn’t calling me back. Is he ignoring me?
I hear a knock on the door, and my head snaps up to look at it. It comes again. I stay seated. It’s late, past midnight now, and there’s no way it’s Robert. Is it? Who would be here at my door this late? Of course, he would be. There’s another knock.
I suck in a deep breath as I drop the ice pack and reach over to my gun where it sits next to me on the floor. I yell out. “Go away. I will shoot your sorry ass.”
I hear laughter, and my eyes narrow on the door. I raise the gun and point it at it. “That’s nice to know. Now open the door.” A fist pounds on it again, and I let out a long breath. It’s Brecken. I would recognize that deep voice anywhere.
“Go away, Brecken,” I yell out. I just want to be left alone. Why is that so much to ask for?
“I’m not leaving,” comes his voice. “Open the damn door, Skye.” He pounds on it, and this time, once he starts, he doesn’t stop.
I place the gun down next to the rag and ice pack and stand up. I unlock the door and yank it open. “You’re gonna piss off my neighbors,” I snap. He walks right in, causing me to step to the side to accommodate his large size. “I’m not in the mood, Brecken,” I inform him right off the bat.
He spins around to face me. His dark brown eyes look soft, but they harden the moment they land on my face. “What …?” He takes a step toward me and lifts his hand to my cheek, but he looks down as he steps on something—my ice pack. He looks from that to the red wine and then to my dirty clothes. “What happened to you?” he demands softly.
I pull away from him. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit!” he hisses. “Who did this to you?” he demands.
I let out a sigh as I hang my head. “Robert came by and—”
“Your ex?” He interrupts me.
I nod. “He got a little angry.”
“And he laid his hands on you?” he growls.
I nod. “He refused to leave.” I throw my hands out to my side and then they fall to my thighs. “I pulled out my gun …”
“Did you shoot him?” he asks wide-eyed as he looks back down to my red wine covered clothes.
“No. He had spilled wine on me.” I wave off his look of terror. “It’s not blood.” I sigh. “I sure wanted to, though,” I say with a little laugh. I think I’m delirious.
“This is serious,” he growls, reaching up to touch it again.
I pull away from him. “I’m fine, Brecken. Why are you here?” I ask. “I haven’t seen you in three days, and then, all of a sudden, you show up here at my apartment.” I place my hands on my hips. “Do you have news about Tiffany or not?” Before he can answer, I add, “’Cause if you don’t, you can leave.”
His body tightens, and he draws in a long breath. “About Tiffany …” he says slowly.
“What?” I ask, taking a step toward him. “Did you find her?” I ask him hopeful, and a smile comes to my face. “Is she here?” I spin around and open the door. Had I shut it in her face? I open the door, and my smile falls when I see the hall is empty. This time, when I turn and face him again, the smile drops off my face. “Where is she?” I say as I feel a lump form in my throat. His dark brown eyes move from my redden cheek to my eyes. His soften, and he takes another deep breath. “Brecken?”
He takes a step toward me with his hands raised and his voice soft. “I’m sorry …”
“No!” I say the word, and I feel my throat close completely. “No!” I repeat as I shake my head quickly. “She can’t be …”
“She’s dead, Skye,” I hear him say through the fog, but I don’t believe it. I turn to give him my back and make my way to the door. I need to look for her, but two strong arms wrap around my waist. He pulls me backward, and I kick and scream out as I reach for the door.
My body is tossed onto the couch, and he kneels down in front of me. His hands are on my face, and I fight him off me. “She’s not dead.” I can’t see his face; my eyes are full of tears, but I can hear his voice over my own cries. My chest hurts. Oh, God, I can’t breathe.
“I truly am sorry.”
“Where is she?” I demand as I sob. “I need to see her.” I suck in a deep breath. “I need to talk to her.” I see him shake his head and hear him say something, but I can’t make it out. “No,” I cry as a sob wracks my body. “She can’t be ...” He pulls me to him and wraps his arms around my chest. I shake against him as he holds me tightly. “She can’t do this to me,” I cry out. “Tiffany,” I yell out her name. “I want to see her.”
I try to pull away from him, but he holds me tightly. “No!” I sob as tears run down my face, and my body shakes uncontrollably as I think of the first time I ever met her.
“Hi, I’m Tiffany,” the little girl says as she waves at me on the playground.
“I’m Skye,” I say shyly, not knowing anyone on our first day of kindergarten.
“Would you like to play with me, Skye?” she asks as she bends down and grabs a handful of sand.
I smile as she stands and holds her hand out to me. “Sure.” I smile at her.
“I’m sorry, Skye. I’m so sorry.” Brecken brings me back as he rocks me.
I try to breathe, but it’s hard. My chest is tight, and my heart hurts. She was the only friend I ever had. “She was all I had.” I sob.
“Shh,” he whispers. “You have me, Skye.”
I cling to him. I bury my face in his neck as I sob in his arms. Turns out, he was right again—my best friend was dead, after all. “I need to see her,” I say through the tears. “I have to tell her goodbye,” I whisper. “I need a goodbye,” I say shaking.
CHAPTER NINE
BRECKEN
She hasn’t spoken a word since she told me that she wanted to see Tiffany. I think she was surprised when I told her I would take her to see her, but that was the plan all along. We need someone to identify the body, but she didn’t need to know that. The picture I saw of the body was a hundred percent match to the woman in the picture that she showed me. It’s Tiffany.
I called Jones as soon as we got into my Range Rover, and I told him that we were on our way to the morgue. He told me that he and Jet would meet me us there.
I pull into the dark parking lot and get out. I walk around to open the door for her, but she’s already climbing out of the passenger side. She trips over her own feet, and I reach out to help her, but she’s already up and moving. Then she is running.
“Skye,” I call out as I run after her. “Skye. Wait,” I say as I grab her and stop her. I spin her around to face me. She looks up at me. Eyes full of tears and her cheeks wet from the ones that have already fallen. I want to tell her not to cry, that it’s going to be okay, but I don’t want to lie to her. We both already know what is about to happen. And I don’t want her to hurt more than she already is.
I place my hand in hers and start walking.
“Skye. You remember Jet,” I say to her as we enter. She stills, holding my hand, and I don’t miss the way that Jet looks down at it and then at me. I hold her a little tighter.
“This is Officer Jones.” I gesture to him, but I don’t think she even sees him, and I keep out the fact that he is my boss. She is looking past him to a singular body that lies on a silver slab covered by a white sheet. Her hand starts to tremble as it holds mine.
Tightening my hand in hers, I reassure her that I’m here for her. I urge her over to the body. I lift my right hand to pull the sheet back, but she speaks. “Wait.” Her voice is broken, and her sniffs are all you can hear in the cold and sterilized room.
“I’ll give you a minute,” I say as I let go of her hand and ste
p away from her. I walk over to the guys, and Jet narrows his eyes at me. “What the hell was
that about?” he demands.
I ignore him. “Have you found anything else out?” I ask releasing a sigh as I look up to see Skye still just standing there staring at the white sheet.
“No,” Jones replies. “She had no belongings on her. Her car has not been found either.”
“She was recovered from the river by a fisherman,” Jet informs me. “Her car could be in there as well.”
“If that was the case, why not leave her in the car?” Jones asks.
“Maybe they thought it would be too risky,” I offer. “There’s no telling what kind of evidence they left behind.” I never saw her car on the cameras at the club, so someone would have had to drive it.
Jet frowns. “But you said she didn’t leave in her own car.” I shake my head. “She left in a limo,” I inform him.
“A limo?” He crosses his arms over his chest. “What was the name on it?”
“Don’t you think if I had known that I would have been calling them?” I growl. “I had nothing to go on. It was just solid black.”
“Did she arrive at Seven Deadly Sins in her car?” he asks.
“I don’t know. It wasn’t on the footage. But Skye said she left their house in her car.”
He opens his mouth to speak, but a soft cry gets our attention. We all look at Skye. Her hands grip the sheet, but she hasn’t pulled it back yet. My heart breaks for her. For what she has lost. I know as well as anyone else that once you lose someone, you’re never the same. This is gonna change her. Break her. The only difference between her and me is that I had Case. She has no one now. Well, no one but me.
I walk over to her. I place my left arm over her shoulders. They shake uncontrollably, and her body is rigid. “It’s okay,” I whisper as I pull her into my side. I want to tell her she’s in a better place, but she won’t believe that. Her friend may be in heaven, but Skye has been left behind to live in this hell, and nothing I say will make her feel any less of the heat.
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 11
