by JA Huss
But there is something inside me. The red light, like the light that seeps out through the vents in Lincoln’s hands. The red light of… what?
Heat? Pain? Damage? What is it? What’s inside my body? Why does it hurt so bad? Why do I need to cut it out? Why is the city speaking to me in a language I don’t understand?
What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Why can’t I stop?
Something is wrong with me.
CHAPTER THREE - LULU
Something is wrong with this city.
I just can’t put my finger on it.
I sip my coffee as I look out the window of my downtown loft and ponder my uneasiness. I might be overreacting. I did grow up here. I have lots of great memories of friends, and school, and… boys.
That makes me smile, at least.
My phone buzzes on the kitchen table, so I walk over, pick it up, and tab accept. “Louise speaking.”
“Lulu,” Cait, my new assistant at the DA’s office, says, a little out of breath. “When are you getting here? We’re having a crisis.”
“What? What kind of crisis?”
“The banks. Jesus Christ. The banks have been robbed.”
“What? Which ones?”
“All of them, Lulu. I’m telling you, things are going off the rails. The mayor is here throwing a fit. He’s got all the assistant DAs lined up in Randy’s office, barking out threats.”
When she says Randy’s name it comes off like he’s a pariah. Which he kinda is. Randy is the head DA, my boss. I don’t know what I have against him. It might be his thousand-dollar suits—who can afford that at the DA’s office? Or the way his thick hair is always perfectly styled. Or the fact that he actually schedules his time at the gym. Every night from seven to nine, he’s there. It’s on the department calendar for everyone to see.
It might be all of that. Or it might just be that he’s a pretentious asshole.
“I don’t have time to explain, but they’re all asking for you.”
“It’s not even seven yet,” I say, feeling defensive.
“I know. I’m sorry. But can you just come in early? They’re making me nervous.”
“Sure.” I sigh.
“Great,” Cait says. “See you soon.” She ends the call.
Maybe this is why I feel something is wrong. The jerks who run this city are all… well, government jerks. And I know there was a major overhaul in city personnel last winter, but it’s the same old shit. This is my second job as an assistant DA and I really thought the shakeup would’ve changed things. But I don’t think it has. Cathedral City politics are just as bad as Wolf Valley politics. Probably worse, if that’s even possible, because it’s a much bigger place. More crime, more violence, more everything than semi-quiet Wolf Valley.
I had to get out of Wolf Valley before they fired me over my big mouth. Let’s just say… it’s not always a good thing when everyone knows your name in a town. I had a reputation for being ruthless. Which should be a good quality for an assistant DA. But when the bad guys are almost indistinguishable from the good guys… well. They just want a good little minion to do her job the way she’s told.
I really hope Cathedral City doesn’t end up being the same way.
Please don’t let Cathedral City end up being the same way.
CHAPTER FOUR - LULU
I live super close to City Hall. I almost bought a house up north, in the upper-class suburban neighborhoods near the mountains. But it was so much money. And I had reservations about this city from the very start, so I wasn’t sure I actually wanted to buy a place. And renting a house in the suburbs is a waste. They are too expensive. Especially for a single person. Who needs all that space when they’re single?
So I rented a loft in downtown.
I feel a lot better about that decision. Renting is a great idea. I don’t know if I’ll like it here. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more to this place…
I sigh as I pull my car into the municipal parking garage and take the ramp up to the sixth level where I have a reserved spot. I don’t want to feel this way. I want to fit in, and feel at home, and get a new life. Away from the one I had in Wolf Valley after college.
My parents talked me into that job. And I don’t blame them. They just wanted me to come home after law school. I’d been away for almost seven years.
I only lasted six months before the city officials figured out I wasn’t corruptible. Lady Liberty, they called me. In a sneering way. But I kinda liked the nickname. What’s wrong with being Lady Liberty? You’d think that would be a compliment for a district attorney.
It is, Lulu, I tell myself. Values, ethics, and a respect for law and order are good things.
Since when are these bad qualities?
But everyone I met up in Wolf Valley saw government positions as nothing more than stepping stones. And not into the private sector, either. Like I might not be a prosecutor forever. I can see myself defending people. Some high-class trial lawyer who always wins and makes boatloads of money. I’d like that just as much as anyone.
But these people aren’t looking for better jobs, they’re just looking for better perks. And they want favors too. Special considerations. Park their cars anywhere they want and never fear they’ll get a ticket. Get caught speeding and talk their way out of it by name-dropping. You know, the good old rules-don’t-apply-to-me attitude.
Everyone wants a better paycheck. They want luxury cars, bigger houses, more benefits and financial security. I get it.
But anyone who gets that by abusing their power doesn’t deserve it.
I said those exact words to my boss up in the valley.
He was not impressed. I was told to wise up and toe the line.
I quit instead.
The Cathedral City job was already on the table, so it’s not like I took a big risk or anything. Still, I said those things and I meant them.
I still mean them now. So what a heart-crushing disappointment it will be if I have to do it again here. What will it mean for my future? Will I ever get another job? You can’t have two new jobs in less than a year and expect people to take you seriously. Not when you’re a lawyer.
No. I can’t do that again. Not for a while. I need to make this job work. Stick it out. Confront what I don’t like and try to change it from within. Be Lady Liberty, I decide. I will be that flame of truth in the dark.
I will not run. Not this time.
I get out of the car feeling small and, if I’m being honest, slightly depressed about my new life. Randy is only part of it. Mayor Salinas is always looming over us, wanting things to work out the way he plans. Don’t push this case too hard. Give this one a deal. Put this one away forever.
Is that how it’s supposed to work? Is the law malleable? Can you pound it into submission and shape it into anything you want like a piece of soft metal?
God, I hope not. If this is the way it works—if this is how it is everywhere—then I made the wrong choice when I became a lawyer.
I chose law and order because I’m an idealist. I think the rules apply to everyone, equally. That no matter who you are, you must follow them like everyone else.
Otherwise, why have laws? Why not just live in anarchy?
I shudder at the thought.
Our offices are on the sixth floor of the City Hall building, so as soon as I walk through the large glass doors, I’m confronted by dozens of people, all bustling around in a frenzy.
I guess everyone gets here early on panic days.
Note to self, start coming in at six am instead of eight.
“Lightly,” Randy says, peeking his head out of his office door. “Finally.”
I’m about to sneer at him when his face softens. He looks like shit. His hair is a mess and he’s not wearing one of his thousand-dollar suits. He’s in jeans and a white button-down shirt, sleeves rolled up, that isn’t even tucked in.
“Finally,” he repeats. With something that might be… relief.
; “Jesus, Randy. What’s going on? You look like you’ve been up all night.”
“I have,” he says, lowering his voice as I come closer. “I got a phone call from the mayor at two AM that the government systems were all down. So I came in to help sort things out with IT and that’s when the banks were hit.”
“Shit,” I say, trying to see past his body. His office is filled with angry voices and upper-level officials. “You should’ve called me. I’d have come in to help.”
“I know,” he says, even softer. “But there was nothing you could do. I figured one of us deserved to get some sleep. Be fresh in the morning.”
Oh. Well, that was nice of him. Maybe he’s not an asshole. Maybe I’ve misjudged him. I don’t do that often, so it would be a nice surprise—especially the way I’m feeling today—to be wrong about Randy. “I’m here now. What can I do?”
“Just…” He looks me in the eyes, almost pleading.
That’s when the scent of cinnamon hits my nose. “Is that coffee I smell?”
“Oh, yeah,” Randy says, absently. He lifts up a white paper cup with a crimson lid and holds it out. “I had Cait get coffee. You want one?”
“Oh, hell yes,” I say, taking the cup. “I came in as soon as Cait called. Didn’t get my second cup at home.”
Randy slips out of his office and closes the door behind him. We are so close, we’re practically pressed together, chest to chest. “If you really want to help me out, Lulu—”
Lulu. He never calls me Lulu. It’s always Louise. Or Miss Lightly. Or, like a few seconds ago… just Lightly. Like we’re old army buddies who’ve been through hell together and only use each other’s last names.
“—just back me up in there, OK?” He nods his head to the closed office door.
“Whatever you need,” I say. He turns to go back in, but I grab hold of his bare arm. My unexpected touch stops me and him at the same time, and I let go. “But what’s happening?”
“Just follow my lead. We have huge problems, Lulu. Huge.”
I enter his office right behind him. No one looks at us. No one pays any attention to us at all. They are all too busy talking in short, clipped sentences. Bouncing accusations and defenses off each other.
“This is an inside job,” Mayor Salinas roars, his index finger stabbing a thick folder on his desk so hard, I cringe at the thought of how that feels. “If this gets out to the press, we’re all fucked.”
Jesus Christ. Something big is happening. I feel a little excited over it.
Then feel shame at my excitement.
But a big case is… sorta fun. Right? A challenge.
Salinas looks up at me. “Miss Lightly,” he growls. “Nice of you to join us.”
I’m about to get defensive when Randy interrupts. “I wanted Lulu to be fresh when she came in and took over. She’s not late, Mayor. She’s right on time.”
Mayor Salinas calms down a little before he says, “Well, good. You’re on for the duration, Miss Lightly. You can expect to eat at your desk or in your car. We’re not going home tonight until we have a lead, do you understand?”
I don’t. Not really. But I nod my head.
“Good,” the mayor snarls. “I want Chuck and Juan to go over to the banks and start interviewing everyone. And I do. Mean. Everyone.” He punctuates each of those words with more finger stabs on the thick folder.
Chuck and Juan both nod. They’ve been special assistant DAs for many years now and have a lot more seniority than I do.
“Sally, Tim, and Tiffany will coordinate all the court cases today. If any of the judges give you any shit for shuffling lawyers around, you tell him to call me. Understand?”
Sally and Tim, both assistant DAs, nod quietly. Almost meekly. “Yes, sir,” Tiffany says. “We’ll handle it.” Tiffany is the chief deputy, reporting directly to Randy.
There’s silence for a few seconds, then Mayor Salinas bellows, “Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Get your asses out of here and back to work.”
Chairs scrape, bodies shuffle, and a few seconds later it’s just me, the mayor, and Randy. I shift my feet as I take a long sip of cinnamon-flavored coffee, trying my best not to look nervous.
“Lightly,” the mayor says, running a hand through his thick head of dark hair that does nothing to betray his middle age. “You and Randy have been appointed special investigators. We need something today, Randy. Do you understand? I’m not fucking around. I want heads rolling by tonight.”
“Got it, sir.” Randy actually looks nervous as the words come out. “Don’t worry, Lulu and I will dig up something.”
“You better. If you want to keep your job, you better figure this out.” He storms out of the office, slamming the door behind him.
“What the hell?” I ask Randy, both of us staring at the door for a few seconds.
He turns to me and then sighs deeply, then walks around to slump into the seat behind his desk.
“Special investigators?” I ask, taking a long sip of the delicious cinnamon coffee. “What does that mean?”
“It means…” Randy rubs his hands up and down his unshaven jaw. God, he’s almost… handsome like this. All messy and disheveled. The scruffy chin, loose dress shirt, and rolled-up sleeves have me seeing Randy in a different light. “It means,” he continues, “we’ve got a mole in the CCPD and the mayor expects you and I to bring them in with enough evidence to prosecute.”
“A mole?” Jesus. I feel like I’m in a Jax Justice spy movie all of a sudden.
Randy opens a folder and points to an eight-by-ten black-and-white photograph. “How well do you know this woman?”
I squint down at the photo. “I’ve seen her around court. Molly something, right?”
“Detective Molly Masters,” Randy adds. “She’s fairly new, some kind of military hotshot hired on by the last chief—”
“Shit,” I say, seeing where this is going. “She’s a leftover from his corrupt department?”
“Take a seat, Lulu. This is kinda complicated and I need to spell it out very carefully. You’re not on this case by accident. And I think you’re going to resist what I’m about to tell you, so let me take it from the top. Don’t interrupt me, just listen and think about what I’m going to tell you. Think very carefully, Lulu. And don’t draw any conclusions until I’m done. Can you do that for me?”
I might swoon a little at his masculine vulnerability right now. He needs me. For what, I’m not sure, since I’m the new girl here. But he needs me. It’s… sorta hot.
“Sure,” I say, taking my seat. “Sure. I’m a good listener.”
Randy smiles at me. He’s so much cuter like this than he is all buttoned up in that suit. “Good. Now look. Molly Masters came to town last winter as a new hire.” He pulls out a bunch of papers and starts pointing again. “Her hire paperwork says she was recommended by Alastair Montgomery.”
“The guy from Blue Corp? The one who died in that explosion?”
“What did I tell you about interrupting?” Randy says, but not meanly.
“Sorry. Go on.”
“She was recommended by Mr. Montgomery and hired by Chief O’Neil. And yes, Montgomery was killed in that explosion several months back. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. She’s been connected to this guy.” He pulls out another eight-by-ten photograph, this time of a man, about Randy’s age, looking like some kind of biker gang thug. “Lincoln Wade. Have you ever heard of him?”
“Lincoln Wade.” I toss the name around in my head, sure I’ve heard it before. “I think so. But I’ve been away—”
“I know,” Randy interrupts. “But you do know this guy?” Another photo appears.
“Thomas Brooks. Yes, he’s the CEO of SkyEye. Oh, Jesus Christ, Randy. You’re not telling me he’s the one behind this?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Shit,” I mutter.
“Shit is right. If we call this guy out, do you know what will happen?”
“A swarm of lawyers
will descend upon us with threats and lawsuits?”
“Ding, ding, ding,” Randy says slowly. “But again, that isn’t the reason you’re here.”
“Why am I here?” I try to take another sip of coffee, but my cup is empty, so I just stare at it instead.
Randy presses a button on his phone and barks, “Lisa, bring Miss Lightly another cup of that coffee, will you?” Then he scrubs his hot unshaven jaw a few more times.
“What?” I ask. “What is it, Randy? Tell me what’s going on.”
He takes one last photo out of the folder and pushes it towards me. “You’re here because of him.”
I almost stop breathing.
Case Reider.
The one boy I desperately didn’t want to leave behind when my father moved us out to Wolf Valley seven years ago.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I know him.”
“I know you know him,” Randy says softly. He places a hand on mine just as Lisa appears with another cup of coffee.
I take it from her, muttering some thanks, and then take a long, long sip before coming up for air and letting it out in a sigh.
“He was your escort for the Debutante Ball.”
“How do you know that?” I ask.
“I was there that night.” He smiles sheepishly. “Someone else’s date, obviously. I saw you with him.”
“I haven’t seen him in forever.”
Randy waves a hand in the air. “Doesn’t matter. We’re not after him.”
I feel so relieved.
“Not yet.”
My relief disappears.
“We know for a fact that Lincoln Wade is a black-hat hacker, Lulu. And Detective Molly Masters has been dating him since she came to town. But the real problem is… Lincoln Wade and Case Reider have been best friends since childhood. Do you remember those two boys who went missing twenty years ago, without a trace, then reappeared several years later with no explanation?”
“Oh, Jesus.”
“Yup,” Randy says. “Those two boys were Case and Lincoln. We think Brooks was involved somehow, but we’re not sure where they intersect. They are close now, at any rate. Lulu,” Randy says, leaning across his desk to take both my hands in his. “We need Case Reider to get to Lincoln Wade and Molly Masters, and we need you to get him for us.”
