that you didn’t get hurt. I figured if I had someone watching you, I could keep you safe.”
Jade let out a huff of aggravation as she grabbed her dress from the floor. He watched her dress quietly, wondering what could possibly be going on in her mind.
Whatever it was, he was pretty sure it wasn’t good.
* * * *
Jade stared at him in disbelief. He had done it to protect her, he said.
Or to keep an eye on her?
Was she getting too close to the truth?
His truth?
The thought made her sick. She scooped up her dress, pulling it over her head. All this time he had been lying. He had lied about the club. He had lied about having her followed.
What else was he lying about?
She rushed over to the stairs, ignoring his cry of protest. Just as she got close to the door, she felt a firm hand cover her wrist.
“Jade, you have to understand,” he reasoned.
She spun around to face him as she let out a harsh laugh. “What? That you’ve been lying to me?”
He tilted his head to the side. “I wouldn’t exactly call it lying.”
“That’s what worries me,” she replied, jerking her arm away to walk out the door.
As soon as she reached Ruby’s apartment, she jumped into the shower. The hot water streamed over her body, but it did nothing to comfort her.
She had been a fool.
Twice!
What the hell had she been thinking?
The answer was simple. She hadn’t been thinking. Clay was dangerous; he had the ability to make her shut out all good reason and lose herself in the feeling of being with him. All he had to do was flash that sexy smile at her and she melted like a teenager.
Well, not anymore.
It was time for her to get back to the reason she came here. One way or another, she was going to find out who killed her sister. And she knew just whom she was going to talk to first.
* * * *
“What have you come up with, Mr. MacLean?” she asked.
He flushed a little at her curt tone. “Well,” he began, moving papers around on his desk to retrieve his notepad. “It seems like your sister was pretty popular.”
“Yes, I know,” she explained, her hand coming up to rub her eyes.
“I’ve checked out most of the men she was involved with. The first was no easy task, you know,” he said with a tilt of his head. “You didn’t tell me your sister was involved with Alex Talbot.”
“I didn’t know that at the time I hired you,” she offered.
He leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak loudly. “You know, he’s a pretty big deal around here. They say he’ll probably run for Senate.”
Jade leaned in closer, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, well, I’m not interested in his political aspirations, Mr. MacLean. I’m interested in what he knows about my sister.”
His cheeks became ruddy at her bluntness. “Well, I did some digging into his past. Turns out that he was charged with attempted rape when he was in college,” he explained, casting a quick glance at his notes. “Tulane, I think.”
She inhaled sharply. “Attempted rape?”
He nodded. “Pretty brutal stuff from what I hear. She had handprints on her neck for days.”
Her eyes widened as she fell back into her chair. “Jesus! What happened?”
“Girl just up and dropped the charges.”
Her gaze shifted back and forth as she tried to assimilate the information. “But why?”
“When you’ve got as much money as Alex Talbot, people rarely stick with their stories,” he explained, sliding the notes back into a file folder. “Men like Alex Talbot rarely have to pay for their crimes, Ms. Monroe.”
“How is it that no one else found out about this?”
He shrugged. “Because the story got buried. There’s no record of it anywhere. I looked.”
She shook her head. “But then how did you find out about it?”
He beamed. “Because I know a few old timers on the force, and when I started asking they started talking.”
Jade leaned back in her seat, her head spinning with the recent developments. “Unbelievable.” She exhaled.
He
Jade let out a huff of aggravation as she grabbed her dress from the floor. He watched her dress quietly, wondering what could possibly be going on in her mind.
Whatever it was, he was pretty sure it wasn’t good.
* * * *
Jade stared at him in disbelief. He had done it to protect her, he said.
Or to keep an eye on her?
Was she getting too close to the truth?
His truth?
The thought made her sick. She scooped up her dress, pulling it over her head. All this time he had been lying. He had lied about the club. He had lied about having her followed.
What else was he lying about?
She rushed over to the stairs, ignoring his cry of protest. Just as she got close to the door, she felt a firm hand cover her wrist.
“Jade, you have to understand,” he reasoned.
She spun around to face him as she let out a harsh laugh. “What? That you’ve been lying to me?”
He tilted his head to the side. “I wouldn’t exactly call it lying.”
“That’s what worries me,” she replied, jerking her arm away to walk out the door.
As soon as she reached Ruby’s apartment, she jumped into the shower. The hot water streamed over her body, but it did nothing to comfort her.
She had been a fool.
Twice!
What the hell had she been thinking?
The answer was simple. She hadn’t been thinking. Clay was dangerous; he had the ability to make her shut out all good reason and lose herself in the feeling of being with him. All he had to do was flash that sexy smile at her and she melted like a teenager.
Well, not anymore.
It was time for her to get back to the reason she came here. One way or another, she was going to find out who killed her sister. And she knew just whom she was going to talk to first.
* * * *
“What have you come up with, Mr. MacLean?” she asked.
He flushed a little at her curt tone. “Well,” he began, moving papers around on his desk to retrieve his notepad. “It seems like your sister was pretty popular.”
“Yes, I know,” she explained, her hand coming up to rub her eyes.
“I’ve checked out most of the men she was involved with. The first was no easy task, you know,” he said with a tilt of his head. “You didn’t tell me your sister was involved with Alex Talbot.”
“I didn’t know that at the time I hired you,” she offered.
He leaned back in his chair, causing it to squeak loudly. “You know, he’s a pretty big deal around here. They say he’ll probably run for Senate.”
Jade leaned in closer, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, well, I’m not interested in his political aspirations, Mr. MacLean. I’m interested in what he knows about my sister.”
His cheeks became ruddy at her bluntness. “Well, I did some digging into his past. Turns out that he was charged with attempted rape when he was in college,” he explained, casting a quick glance at his notes. “Tulane, I think.”
She inhaled sharply. “Attempted rape?”
He nodded. “Pretty brutal stuff from what I hear. She had handprints on her neck for days.”
Her eyes widened as she fell back into her chair. “Jesus! What happened?”
“Girl just up and dropped the charges.”
Her gaze shifted back and forth as she tried to assimilate the information. “But why?”
“When you’ve got as much money as Alex Talbot, people rarely stick with their stories,” he explained, sliding the notes back into a file folder. “Men like Alex Talbot rarely have to pay for their crimes, Ms. Monroe.”
“How is it that no one else found out about this?”
He shrugged. “Because the story got buried. There’s no record of it anywhere. I looked.”
She shook her head. “But then how did you find out about it?”
He beamed. “Because I know a few old timers on the force, and when I started asking they started talking.”
Jade leaned back in her seat, her head spinning with the recent developments. “Unbelievable.” She exhaled.
He
Similar Books
