Dominance and Deception (3 page)

"I'm in the middle of something here, Faye..."

"Sorry,” she said automatically. “I wouldn't interrupt, except I know you're probably done with going after Laura for petty theft and you're trying to work out if she killed Leigh. Which she didn't, unless she handed off the murder weapon to someone else once she was done, without leaving a single trace of DNA. Possible, but unlikely."

Sceptical, I asked, “You're telling me you have Laura's DNA profile worked out already, when usually I have to wait overnight?"

A touch of bitterness coloured her tone. “Nope.
But
I have the DNA profile of her brother, John Collier, who we sent down for multiple counts of sexual assault about six months ago..."

I dimly remembered the case, but the idea that Collier and Laura might be related hadn't occurred to me—for obvious reasons. “They're probably half-siblings related paternally. Laura's surname is Morgan."

"Sorry, Zach—they're fully related, and the mitochondrial DNA isn't a match to the DNA on the knife. Laura took her surname from one Garth Morgan when she married him three years ago."

I went still as I processed that one. “She's married?"

"Yup. And still living with her husband, according to her tax records. Whether or not he knows about it, we've both been dating a married woman."

Typical.
The irritated thought didn't make it to my lips—I'd been through similar things before, and with women I'd had longer and more intense relationships with. Faye's revelation might have surprised me, but I didn't feel much more than that. “You okay?"

"I will be.” She hung up without saying goodbye, obviously annoyed. If there was one thing guaranteed to piss Faye off, it was being lied to—even by omission.

Instead of going back into the interrogation room, I opened the door to observation. Inside, Santoro, Layton and Beaumont all turned to face me a little sheepishly, and I stared them down. “How's it going, boss?” Santoro ventured. “Think she did it?"

I told them about Faye's discovery, staring through the glass at Laura when I got to the part about her marital status. I could already imagine the lifted eyebrows and swift exchange of glances—I didn't need to see it, too. “We worked the case that sent her brother down. I wanna know if he was connected to the victim in any way. While you're at it, do the same for Garth Morgan and pick him up. Laura could be covering for him."

They nodded, keeping quiet so as to avoid my ire. As Layton edged toward the door, I added, “Don't let me see you back in this part of the building until you're escorting Morgan.” All three of them shifted uncomfortably, recognising the warning for what it was, and filed from the room at my dismissal.

The audio-visual tech was already gathering his jacket when I turned to him. “If that's all, Detective Pierce, I'll be taking my lunch break now."

"Make it a long one,” I recommended, and he beat a hasty retreat, shutting off the video and audio equipment first.

Alone at last, I contemplated Laura for one moment more, then headed back into the interrogation room. It was time to go off the record.

Faye

When I stepped off the elevator, Santoro, Layton and Beaumont were waiting to get on. I could tell by their faces that Pierce had set tasks for them—far, far away from Interrogation One. “Hey, guys."

"You okay, Faye?” Santoro watched me carefully. Pierce must have told them about Laura's husband.

"Yeah, Santoro. Thanks.” With a small smile, I touched his shoulder, then stepped back to let the elevator doors close. Once the numbers above the door indicated they'd gone all the way to the ground floor, I made for the interrogation room.

There was no tech in observation, and Pierce was just settling down in his seat on the other side of the glass. Laura stood opposite, her hands on her hips. “What more do you want from me, Zach?"

Calmly, Pierce replied, “Let's go off the record now,
Mrs
Morgan."

Laura's eyes widened—for a moment she seemed frozen, unable to handle the curveball.

"My cops are on assignment, picking up your husband and looking into your brother's history. The guy who handles the technical side on the other side of that mirror is on his lunch break, and your girlfriend's in her forensics lab trying to find evidence to clear you of Leigh's murder."

I briefly considered going back to the lab, but it was only a fleeting thought. I needed to be there for this—though technically, it was none of my business. I knew Pierce wouldn't want me there, but Laura had wronged me, too, and yeah, I knew I needed to confront her myself, but I wanted to know what Pierce said to her.

Okay, okay—I shouldn't be in here. It's eavesdropping.
But somehow, I couldn't make myself move.

"I'm not interested in the fact you were married when we were together. And I
know
Faye will be taking that issue up with you personally once I'm done with you. What I need to know, Laura, is this—Why Faye?"

Laura leant back against the wall, looking down at Pierce as if that made her the more dominant one in the room. “What are you implying?"

Pierce remained motionless, not at all intimidated. “I'm implying that you recognised Faye in the picture in my living room. I'm implying that you knew we work together, and that when I ended things you headed over to Rack and Ruin to get her sympathy with crocodile tears."

Wait, what?
I didn't get it. It wasn't like Pierce to make outlandish accusations, but I really couldn't follow his logic this time. If it was true...what was Laura's game?

She laughed a little too loudly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “And why would I do that?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

Her tone was thick with disdain. “Oh, I'm sorry—did I break a law? I don't have a clue where you're going with this, Zach, and I don't care. You ended it, remember? Whom I date is none of your business."

Pierce stood abruptly, his chair almost toppling over as he stalked around the desk to get in Laura's face. “
Faye
is my business. She's off-limits."

Something about the way he said it—soft and dangerous, with just a hint of an edge—turned me on way more than it should have. I really needed to get a grip on this—just because Pierce knew I was kinky, that didn't mean he'd want to play with me.

"What's she got that I don't, huh?” Laura asked, her eyes narrowing. “I'm pretty. I'm tall. I obeyed your every word—"

"That's not the only virtue of a good submissive. A little resistance makes things interesting, and obedience doesn't necessarily mean you give yourself over completely. You didn't."

This was getting juicy. I was starting to feel a little guilty for listening in, but I'd already heard too much to back out with a clean conscience.

"And you think she would? Trust me—I've played with her a fair amount, and she's as dominant as they come."

I frowned through the mirror, as if that would stop her from putting ideas into Pierce's head. Okay, so I didn't submit to many people, but Zach Pierce...? I'd craved his collar for so long I wouldn't even have to think twice if he approached me.

"This isn't about me wanting Faye for myself. It's about you singling her out because you knew I know her. What were you planning?” You'd have had to know Pierce well to see he was near the end of his tether. It was in the tense way he held himself and the way he was speaking. I could see the signs, and so could Laura. Was it just me, or was she enjoying this?

"Shut up, Zach. You're just sore because I know what she feels like under my hands. I know what turns her on, I know how she looks after an orgasm...and that's eating you up inside."

Pierce became very still, and I had to remind myself to breathe. Had she actually just
said
that? Was it the truth?

Laura pushed off the wall she was leaning against to give herself some space, walking over to the one-way mirror and reaching up to push a loose strand of hair into place. I didn't recognise the expression on her face. She seemed smug—victorious, even. I'd obviously never known the real Laura Morgan at all.

Pierce spun to watch her with ice in his eyes, ready to give her hell. Though a huge part of me would have loved to hear what came next, I couldn't let her manipulate him like this. Pulling my cell phone from my pocket, I hit the speed-dial key that would call him.

His phone rang just as he was opening his mouth to speak, and he answered without checking the caller ID, scowling at Laura. “This better be important."

I spoke the words he'd murmured to me back in the bistro. “Careful. She's playing you."

His eyes widened, flitting past Laura to the mirror. Although he couldn't see me, I could have sworn he was looking right at me. “Corridor. Now."

Pierce

Faye's phone call came just in time. Hearing her voice brought a sudden moment of cognition, bringing with it conflicting emotions of dread and relief.

Dread, because I should have known Faye would sneak back into observation, and I was pretty sure she'd overheard Laura's obscene assessment of my attitude. Relief, because she'd interrupted the conversation before I'd actually said anything to confirm the suggestion I was jealous.

Hitting the button to end the call, I strode towards the door without a backwards glance at Laura. The corridor was empty, and I waited a couple of seconds for Faye to emerge before losing patience. I pushed open the door to observation just as she was stretching out an arm to open it, and she jumped, retreating a couple of feet to let me in.

She avoided my eyes for the first few seconds, and when she did meet them, it was my turn to look away. Her hands were clasped before her, the thumb of one hand nervously rubbing the palm of the other. Laura's words lay heavy in the air between us.

You're just sore because I know what she feels like under my hands. I know what turns her on, I know how she looks after an orgasm...and that's eating you up inside.

It was all too true. Even remembering the words brought a torrent of forbidden urges to the forefront of my mind. I wanted to continue to walk towards her, forcing her to step backwards until her back hit the glass partition. I could imagine her tiny gasp as she realised she had nowhere left to go, and I could almost feel the glass against my palms on either side of her as I trapped her between the wall and my body.

She bit her lip uncertainly, and a muscle in my shoulder twitched—the impulse to touch her made it from my brain down to my arm before I could hold it in check. I had to stop this. Stop it now, before I went too far.

"Go back to your lab."

If it had been that easy, I'd have been surprised. “I wanna talk to her."

"Not an option.” I focussed on Laura, who was pacing the interrogation room impatiently. “And I need to figure out what her endgame is."

"Zach!” Faye's tone was pure frustration, now. “She just wound you up like a clockwork toy! You really think you're gonna get anything out of her that way?"

It was true. If she hadn't called me, I'd have turned the conversation into a personal argument, and Laura would have won. But I couldn't see how Faye would do any better. “You go in there, you're just giving her more of what she wants."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Let's see.” I heard a rustle of clothing, and turned sharply to find her heading for the door.

"Don't even think about it, Faye.”
Ah, hell.
The only time I'd ever used
that
voice was during scenes, and instinctively she knew it, stopping in her tracks. I steeled myself for the moment she spun to look at me, but she remained in place, her hands lightly curled into fists at her sides.

"You can't stop me."

Before I could respond to that, she left the room, and I cursed softly as I waited for her to appear on the other side of the one-way glass. It took longer than I'd expected, and I imagined her pausing outside the door, taking a breath to ready herself for the confrontation, and—

The door opened, and Faye quietly let herself into interrogation. Laura turned mid-pace, her expression showing genuine surprise as she recognised Faye. “Are you the good cop, or the bad cop?"

Faye halted a couple of feet from her, taking something from her pocket and holding it out. “Recognise this?"

After a second's hesitation, Laura nodded slowly. I could almost hear the wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out the best way to manipulate the situation to her advantage.

"I kinda doubt you're surprised, but I'm taking it back now.” Faye tucked the black training collar back into her pocket. It was simple, but elegant, with a D-ring attachment at the front. She must have taken it from Laura's bag, which Beaumont would have taken to the temporary storage lockers down the hall.

Laura sank down into her chair, her shoulders slumped and her eyes filling with tears. “You're breaking up with me?"

Wow, she's good.
Faye seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden emotion, though she covered it quickly. “You expected me to find out you've been married this whole time, and suggest we go out to dinner?"

Wiping away a tear, Laura shrugged. “I guess not... But my relationship with my husband is an open one. We're free to see other people if we want to. And I got the feeling you'd want a monogamous relationship, so I didn't say anything."

"If I was gonna be part of your polyamorous lifestyle, I
think
I'd wanna know about it. And, come on, I'm hardly the most conventional person you've ever met—there is no way in the
world
you thought I'd have a problem with going poly!"

Sighing, Laura stared at her hands, still playing the part of the wounded lover. Faye scowled at her, snapping, “I was on the other side of that glass, you know. You're not fooling me."

All pretence at sadness abandoned, she spat, “Take it, then!"

Faye's eyes narrowed, and her voice emerged slow and precise. “What was your big plan? Did Leigh even fit into it, or is that a coincidence? Were you just trying to hurt Zach? Or me? Or both of us?"

Laura looked from her to the one-way glass, ignoring her completely. “Is he in there?"