Page 26

As the car pulled away from the clubhouse, I tried to memorize every detail of Powers’s face. I never wanted to forget what might have been. If ever there was a shot at me finding a happily-ever-after with a man, it would be with him. But there is a long way between now and forever with dangerous obstacles in the way.

Smith was whistling a merry tune, acting like this was the best day of his life. There was something seriously not right with the man. He got too much sick satisfaction out of watching other people’s lives crumble.

I imagine there are many reasons people become cops. Some want to be part of a legacy laid out for them, perhaps inspired by a parent or grandparent. Others join to make a difference, or because they like the idea of being a hero. Maybe a cop saved them once and inspired them to do the same for others. I’m sure there are dozens of stories about what type of person it takes to become a good cop, but nobody ever mentions what it takes to become a bad one. They’re a special breed on their own. Putting on a uniform doesn’t make you any less racist or homophobic than you were before—now they have a badge to hide behind and a gun to make them feel important. And women, particularly women like me who are anything but the pure and virginal traditional wifey-in-the-making, are the root of all evil to guys like Smith. Oh, he’d happily paint me as the scarlet woman, tempting men like I was Eve, and Raven Falls was Eden.

Smith is the type of guy who would take what I wasn’t offering and blame me for his weakness. Without that uniform, I have no doubt he’d be wearing orange. But cops stick together, perpetuating the cycle of abuse instead of breaking it.

He starts making comments about knowing what it truly means to be fucked, but I tune him out. I wasn’t lying when I said James wouldn’t hurt me. I’m his favorite toy, after all. If this cop laid a finger on me, James would slit him from scrotum to scalp.

My concern is how deep the cops might be with him. If it’s one or two, I should be safe. But if the whole station is in on it, he could walk right in and drag me out, and not a single one of them would stop him. It sounds incredible, I know. We’re talking about a wanted man who is now on a dozen international watch lists, thanks to what the Ravens have uncovered. But power and money offer a man a level of protection that supersedes morality.

“You think you’re something fucking special, but you ain’t shit. Just another whore who thinks her pussy will save her.”

“Who do I need saving from, Officer Smith?”

He huffs out a laugh. “You know.”

“No, I don’t. Please enlighten me.”

He turns in his seat to glare at me. “Come on, fuck a rich guy, convince him with that tight snatch of yours to put a ring on it, and the first sign of trouble, you bail? Typical.”

“Just so I’m clear where I stand, you’re not here in hopes that I might be able to help you apprehend a wanted criminal. You’re here to return me to one. I hope you were heavily compensated for this transaction, because James is unforgiving toward anyone who damages his property, and these cuffs are dangerously close to breaking the skin.”

He swallows and looks nervous for a moment. He knows exactly what James is capable of. Most people only see the polished veneer he shows the world. Those unfortunate enough to see beneath it tend to meet untimely ends. For Smith to be worried, he has to have seen James in action, and that’s enough to have my heart skipping a beat.

If the whole station is compromised, I’m fucked. I wasn’t joking about James having the balls to walk in and collect me himself. My only hope is that it’s just a couple of cops. That will make things harder for them, especially if Havoc can get his lawyer to me in time.

“He’ll never believe a slut like you over me.”

“A man who wears his uniform like a lie? It’s not about believing my word over yours. He knows me. He knows who I am and what I’ve done. He knows the lengths I’ll go to escape him again and again. It’s you who doesn’t know who he’s dealing with. All I have to do is tell him you touched my ass, and he’ll put a bullet in your head before you can even protest your innocence. But then innocence doesn’t matter to you, does it?”

We pull up at the police station, and I shut up. Coming up with a plan is impossible when I have no clue what’s coming next, but that’s okay. I know how to adapt when necessary. I take a deep breath, noting all the cars outside. That means there are a lot of people here. That’s good. More witnesses. I use that to fuel me, straightening my shoulders, hiding my nerves behind a meek smile I’ve made into an art over the years.

Officer Jacks is the one who gets me out and walks me in. He’s more gentle with me. That has little to do with his worry over what James might do to him—that’s just his approach. That’s what perhaps makes him worse than Smith. Smith at least acts like an asshole all the time, waving that dickhead flag for all to see.

Jacks is different. He’s the quiet guy, the soft one who watches and pays attention to the small details. He thinks he can nice his way into someone’s pants. And when that doesn’t work, he starts with the gaslighting and manipulation before sliding right on in to blackmail. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a few steps over the line that turns him from a cop into the kind of predator he’s supposed to hunt.

Smith leads the way, slamming the door open and walking in like some pompous peacock spreading his feathers. Jacks’s hand slides from my wrist up to my elbow, where he gives a little squeeze, making my arm go numb for a second. A little warning to behave. I tense when he slides it up to my bicep, his fingertips skimming the outside of my breast. I wonder if he’s seriously about to grope me in a police station when he moves so his lips are half an inch from my face. “Be a good girl and answer the questions, and everything will be okay. Nobody wants you to get hurt in all of this. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

I fight back the eyeroll. Be so for real right now, office assfucker. He takes my silence as compliance, which isn’t a surprise at all.

They take me into an empty surveillance room and walk me over to one of the chairs at the table. My hands are uncuffed as the chair is pulled out for me, and I’m guided into it with a hand on my shoulder. I sit and say nothing, clocking the giant mirrored window. I’ve watched enough TV to know that’s not an ordinary mirror. I have no doubt people are watching me from the other room. I shiver, hoping whoever is in there watching isn’t James. I look away just in case.

“Name,” Officer Smith barks, taking the seat in front of me.

“I won’t be answering any questions until my lawyer is present. And even though you didn’t offer me one, I know I’m entitled to one, so I’ll wait for them to arrive.”

They both look at each other for a second before Smith slams his fist down on the table. “You’re just making this harder on yourself.”

I shake my head. “So be it.”

Smith storms out, but Jacks is beside me, his hand moving to rest on my thigh. I jump away, but he digs his nails in to hold me in place. “That wasn’t being a good girl now, was it?”

I don’t answer. I look straight ahead, seething with anger and a healthy amount of trepidation. This guy is just trying to push my buttons. Whoever is on the other side of that glass won’t let it go too far. I bite down on my lip, reminding myself of this when he leans closer again.

“Nobody is coming to save you. I could fuck you over this desk, and nobody would bat an eye.”

I turn my head slowly to look at him. Whatever he sees in my eyes has him leaning back a little. “Try it, and I can guarantee only one of us will be leaving alive.”