Erotic Deception (6 page)

“Four.” was all he said.

“I’m sorry.” With no response forthcoming, she tried another tactic. “What about your leg?”

He studied her between thick, dark lashes. “Instead of talking about my health, why don’t we discuss your brother’s overdose?”

Whoosh!
It felt like shards of glass splintered into her heart and Lily’s gaze fell to her lap. Breathing through the pain, she looked up with a twisted smile. “I guess I was wrong about your detective skills.”

“Public knowledge isn’t skill-driven.”

“I suppose not,” she responded and hated the quiver in her voice. Then holding his gaze, she tilted her chin. “I’ll bet the fact he was murdered isn’t public knowledge.”

Lily expected surprise or disbelief. What she didn’t expect was what he said next.

“Why don’t you explain the reason why you believe your ex-fiancé killed your brother?”

And the shocks kept coming.

She’d barely digested his question when he confessed, “I was with the Kansas City P.D. for five years. I still have friends.”

What? Numbing blankness tilted the room and Lily blinked. Instinctively, she darted a panicked sweep around her. She pushed her chair back and rose, nervously brushing her ponytail away from her shoulder.

“If you’ll guide me on what I need to do for the accident yesterday. Filling out paperwork, paying a fine, whatever. I can be on my way.”

“Sit down, Dr. Delaney.”

“I understand there may be legal ramifications, which of course I’ll take care of. Maybe if you could—”

“Sit down,” he ordered again, this time more firm.

In defeat, Lily obeyed and sank against the support of the chair. She focused on a jade paperweight in the middle of the desk and spoke in a tone similar in heaviness.

“Who did you speak to?”

He shrugged. “It’s not relevant.”

Bitter bile crept up her neck. “No? What about your promise not to report the accident yet? Is that relevant?”

“I haven’t filed my report.”

Raw laughter spilled from her lips. “No, you did something better than that. You made a person-to-person announcement on where I was. Or did your friends think you were asking about someone you’d met in the Bahamas?”

Her scathing tone had as much impact on him as water on rocks.

“My sources are discreet, Doctor, but I’m sure you won’t believe that. However, since your current circumstances have thrown the power of the ball into my court, why don’t you indulge me by answering my question?”

“Power,” she disparaged. “I just love how that word gets thrown around. I suppose next you’ll tell me you’re only trying to help me?”

“I do have the responsibility to protect those who come into my jurisdiction. And make no mistake, Dr. Delaney, you are in my jurisdiction. But in order to feel the conviction needed to do my job, I need the truth.”

Tears rushed to her eyes and Lily fought to keep them at bay.

“Protect me?” she asked through a watery smile. “Anthony’s got a lot of resources. If he knows I’m here, I doubt even you could help me, even if you wanted to.”

He reached behind him and produced a box of tissues, handing her one.

“Thanks for the confidence,” the sheriff said dryly.

The gentleness of his action along with his statement was a surprise. Was he trying to put her at ease? He waited until she’d wiped away the moisture before continuing.

“Why don’t you give me the benefit of the doubt and assume your whereabouts are secure, at least from my resources.”

Lily searched his face. Could she trust him? It wasn’t as if she had many choices at the moment. After all, delaying the report and bending the ear of someone who’d listen had been her goal today. Maybe he’d even believe her. On the other hand, maybe he was as corrupt as Anthony.

This last thought gave her pause before solidifying her decision. Regardless of all that had happened since the accident yesterday, there was nothing to suggest he was a bad man. In fact, except for the sarcasm and his initial, obvious disbelief about her, she had to admit he’d behaved better than most given the same set of circumstances.

“Have I passed your test yet?”

His question pulled her out of her deep thoughts and she grimaced.

“What are my other choices?” she asked flatly, then mentally closed the door on her fears and plunged ahead. “To give a brief background, my brother Jerry ran a facility to aid people, mostly teens, with drug addictions. In case I didn’t mention it, I have a doctorate in psychology and I volunteered at the center counseling the various traumas affiliated with such problematic life-styles. I also provided moral support in cases when appearing before a judge was necessary.”

“Is that how you met Anthony Capriccio?” he broke in.

She nodded. “Yes. In most instances, I was able to speak on the kid’s behalf and testify to the treatment I’d been providing in hopes to lessen the penalty the DA was trying to enforce. At first, Anthony resisted my involvement to help them. He wanted to prosecute, end of story, and send them off to a juvenile detention center.

Then Anthony began to change. Stupid me, I’d thought he’d had an epiphany and was in support of my style of rehabilitation. One thing led to another and we began seeing each other socially. My brother hated it.” Shame wouldn’t allow her to keep eye contact as guilt spilled from her trembling lips, “I really believed Anthony was a good man. It took a year and Jerry’s death to show me the type of monster he is. But even after Jerry’s funeral, I didn’t see it right away.”

* * * *

The stark pain and agony in her exotic green eyes belted Jet in the stomach. He’d been right to confront her, but it didn’t make what he was seeing any easier to handle.

“What prompted your suspicions?” he asked, trying to keep an open mind. Capriccio may be slime, but accusations of murder were a whole other level.

“Jerry wasn’t the type to do drugs.”

Jet tried to hide his skepticism. Few people believed their loved ones were capable of half the things they did. She must have read his expression because hers became cynical.

“Our mother died at the end of a needle when I was young. Her death was self-inflicted and the reason Jerry opened a drug facility. However it’s not the reason I believe Anthony killed him.”

He raised a brow to let her know he was still listening and she continued.

“Last week I received an anonymous call. Although muffled, I’m certain it was one of the boys at Jerry’s facility. He sounded petrified. He told me Anthony was blackmailing several of the teens to do some extracurricular activity for him. If they didn’t or if they told anyone, he’d manufacture evidence to send them away.” Her voice cracked. “The kid said Jerry had found out about it and confronted Anthony the night before he was found dead.”

It felt like a hot poker seared Jet’s temple, but he kept his expression emotionless. “What type of extracurricular activity are we talking about?”

The doctor tightly closed her eyes. She leaned her head back and opened them to the ceiling. If she was lying, she was giving a stellar performance.

“He put them back on the street pushing the same drugs he’d threatened to convict them on. They knew the dealers, they had the contacts; he reaped the profits.”

* * * *

When the silence stretched into minutes, Lily shot a glance to the man across from her. There was nothing to give away his expression and though she’d expected it, disappointment hit hard and low.

“The police in Kansas City didn’t believe me either, why should I expect you to?”

“Did I say I didn’t believe you?”

“Do you?” she asked, looking desperately into his features.

He drew his words out slowly. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I don’t think you’re lying.”

Her smile was wry. “What am I supposed to gather from that?”

“I don’t know, but neither I nor my friends are big fans of the District Attorney.”

Lily bit her lip. He may not flat-out believe her, but at least that sounded encouraging.

Maybe there was hope yet. “Will your report of the accident name-names?”

“Yes,” he said and her heart sank. “However, we still haven’t revisited our discussion on whose fault the accident was.” Humor lit a glow in his eyes and Lily’s breath caught at the crystal beauty. “And given the information you’ve provided today, your preoccupation is beginning to look a little more credible than a story about some worm. Since I don’t have all the facts just yet I can hold off on writing my report for now.”

Hope, tentative and gradual, warmed Lily’s insides. “Really?”

He nodded and something flickered behind the blue depths. It was gone before she could identify it.

When he began to rise from his chair, Lily remembered something.

“Wait.” It checked his movement and she hesitated before asking, “I saw some type of flashlight behind my house late last night. Do you think it could’ve been someone hunting?”

He frowned. “Hunting around the lake community is against the law. Are you sure?”

She nodded and then more firmly said, “Yes.”

He thought for a moment, but then shook his head. “It might’ve been kids.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Which isn’t typical, but you never know. I’ll check into it.”

He stood up then and indicated that Lily do the same.

“One last thing.” This time he stalled her. “You said the person who called you a couple of nights ago might’ve been one of the teens your brother was helping. Do you have any idea which one?”

“I’m not quite sure,” Lily said, pushing against the arms of the chair as she rose. “I’d hate to ask the wrong person and expose that someone talked.”

His look was grim. “We can’t have that. Do you have a number where I can contact you?”

Lily rattled off her cell number and he leaned down and scribbled it on a day planner.

She was turning away, but stopped short at an object on his desk. He must have seen her startled expression.

“Something wrong?”

“Your calculator,” she gestured toward it, somewhat dumbstruck.

His smile was rueful. “I know. It’s an old dinosaur of technology, but it belonged to my mother. She passed away several years ago. I suppose it carries more sentiment than usefulness.”

He motioned her forward, but Lily’s distraction trailed her steps to the door. As she reached for the knob, a knock from the other side startled her backward. She landed against the hard immovable object behind her and a muscular arm automatically reached around her waist. Fresh woodsy pine scent tickled Lily’s nose as seconds passed with neither one moving. At the second knock, he muttered under his breath and set her gently aside to open the door.

The dragon-lady Lily had met earlier looked extremely annoyed.

“What took you so long?” she demanded.

The sheriff ignored her and addressed Lily.

“I’ll let you know before I file the report.”

Lily nodded, but was still dazed as she headed out to her car. Between butting-up against the sheriff and the disturbing sight of the calculator, Lily’s equilibrium was askew. It didn’t help that the temperature outside seemed cool compared to the heat still emanating up her backside.

And what about that calculator? Could Jerry be reaching out to her from the grave? Lily had never been superstitious, but how coincidental was it for the numbers on the calculator to be rubbed off except the three and seven? Better still, if she did believe in all that mumbo-jumbo, did the number thirty-seven this time represent friend or foe?

Chapter Four

Lust at first sight. That’s it. Plain and simple. Nothing more than that. Nada.

Jet threw his head back against the soft black leather and stared at a crack in the ceiling. The very scent of Lily remained in the small cramped office and he closed his eyes against the heady allure.

Anything outside of lust was out of the question. He’d made that promise to himself the day Celeste amputated his trust and eviscerated his belief system. So why did the protective peace in which he’d encased his emotions now seem in jeopardy? Did Lily Delaney’s cry for help threaten his self-preservation? It shouldn’t, but it did.

Hell, he wasn’t sure she needed protection. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, exactly. But how far would Capriccio go in light of the evidence against him? There was no proof of foul play outside of a kid who couldn’t be identified. What if the kid hadn’t been telling the truth? Better yet, who’d believe a kid with a previous drug problem over an elected official such as the District Attorney?

“If you don’t need me for anything else, I’m going out on patrol.”

Mark stood in the doorway and Jet welcomed the distraction and straightened in his chair.

“I need you to add Dr. Delaney’s house to your route for the next few days.”

Mark raised his brows. “Someone bothering Lily?”

The familiarity struck a nerve. “Dr. Delaney,” Jet emphasized the more formal address, “thought she saw a light of some sort behind her house last night. I doubt it’s anything, but include her on your watch just in case.”