Sweet Arrest (8 page)

His eyes widened. “Of course not. I just happen to know that this man in particular is just using my sister. I tried to present her with my evidence, and let's just say, she's too in love right now.” Despite his flippant attitude, pain flashed in his eyes. The rift with his sister hurt him.

"She'll come to her senses sooner or later. Look at it this way, for now, she's very happy. We should cherish those times; guard them like a precious gem."

"Hmm, you're probably right."

A'isha hadn't noticed how long they were walking until she realized the sun had gone down, and it was becoming harder to see. The trail curved away from the street leading out of the park at that point, with trees all around. The walkers who had been ahead and behind them had long gone.

"Shouldn't we get going?"

Connor grinned. “Why? Getting scared? Don't worry, baby, I'll protect you.” He tugged her tight against his chest while his mouth descended on hers. For a long while, they stood kissing, A'isha savoring the velvety smoothness to his warm mouth, and the tingles of awareness shooting through her body.

She could have stayed right there, oblivious to the world forever, but the dull thunk followed by Connor dropping unconscious to the ground ripped her back to the reality of her assistant's murder.

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"She's missing, damn it! I've already explained it to you!” Connor winced as he stuck the bag of ice on his head. Whoever had caused the painful lump and grabbed A'isha would pay with their lives.

"Well, explain it again, detective, until I get it,” his boss, the chief bellowed. “Because I'm having trouble understanding how you were out on a date with the primary suspect in this murder case.” He slapped the file on Connor's desk. “And while you're doing that, you can talk about this.” Another folder followed the first. Connor's heart sank. He could guess what was inside.

He flipped open the file to find the pictures of he and A'isha in the throws of passion. Apparently, he hadn't moved fast enough for whoever sent him the warning. He had been out all night long searching for evidence of where A'isha had been taken. He'd initiated an APB to keep a look out for her. With no sleep, he wanted to rip someone's head off. The chief's was not the one to aim for.

"You were cleared of that other incident, Connor, but not to my satisfaction. Far as I know, you came on to that woman and changed your mind later. Then she couldn't take no for an answer. Had to take it further. What's your excuse this time? Ms. Greene attacked you? Made you go down on her like you're doing in this picture?"

He held up the photo. Connor snatched it away before anyone else could see it. “It's not like that.” He was the biggest fool in existence. A'isha had warned him, had even accused him of thinking with his dick. Maybe he was. He couldn't phantom her with anyone other than him, had dreams of taking her again.
Shit!

"Chief, I didn't intend for this to happen. A'isha and I just...” Nothing sounded right. It would be lame to say they clicked. He ran a hand over his neck. “I screwed up—"

"You damn right you screwed up! Fucked up, too! Give me your badge and weapon."

"What? No, chief, please. I can fix this."

"No, you can't.” The chief shook his head, the man Connor had admired for all of the fifteen years he had been on the force for his dedication, and even for his adherence to keeping a strong healthy body despite sitting behind a desk. “I can't brush this under the table, Connor. IA is involved now. They were called in the second these photos surfaced. You're suspended until further notice."

"They were
called
in?” Connor stood, un-strapping his gun from the holster. He couldn't believe his chief didn't back him, but he wasn't going to argue any longer. “Okay, but she didn't do this, chief. There's someone else out there. We didn't take these damn photos and send them to you, that's for sure."

"Be that as it may, Carl will lead this investigation from here on out. You go home and think about how you're going to keep your dick in your pants long enough to get your job back.
If
you do. If IA decides you were obstructing this investigation because she was giving it up to you, you'll be brought on charges, and you will never work as a cop again."

He was screwed. If IA spoke to John, there was no way he wouldn't spill his guts, exaggerating to bring Connor down, even if he risked A'isha's freedom along with it. But that was a moot point if he didn't find her. As he left the station, he prayed she was okay, that the guy hadn't hurt her.

A'isha came to consciousness at the sound of something cracking. A blindfold covered her eyes, and her hands and feet tingled indicating she was tied up. She tried not to move to keep from alerting whoever might be around. Dragging in a deep breath, she choked on the musty scent in the air. The cracking stopped.

What she assumed was a chair scraped back. Footsteps echoed around the room, coming closer. Her ties were checked. “You're awake. Good.” A woman? Never in a million years would she have thought it was a woman.

"Do I know you?"

She got a smack for that. “Shut up. I will ask you questions, and you will answer.” An accent she couldn't place reached her ears. “Got it?"

She nodded.

"Good.” Her voice came down near A'isha's ear. “Now, where are the papers?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. What papers?” A'isha struggled against her bonds. The result was more pain. She wondered what permanent damage could be done with no circulation in her hands and feet.

"Don't play games with me!” She took A'isha by the shoulders and shook her. A'isha's head snapped back and forth until she cried. “Tell me where, selfish bitch."

Selfish?

"Please, I don't have your papers. Trust me, if I did, I would give them to you.” The woman released her, and she tilted her head to the side, waiting for the spinning to stop. She wanted to ask if Connor was safe, but didn't dare. If this mad woman had him tied up, A'isha didn't want to provoke her to hurt him as a way to get A'isha talking. What could possibly have given this woman the impression that she had anything of value beyond the crap that filled her small old house? If she was the one that had trashed it, she already knew that. She searched for an idea that would get her free.

"I can help you,” she offered. “If you tell me more about what you're looking for, maybe it will jog my memory, and I can go get the papers."

The woman didn't answer.

"Hello?"

"You don't need to know anything more. You already know what I'm talking about, and if you don't tell me where to find them, I'm going to take it out on your boyfriend."

A'isha cried out, tears springing to her eyes. “No, don't hurt Connor. I don't know where the papers are. I—"

"Stop lying to me!"

The slap sent her head to the side, her cheek stinging. She must have bitten her lip, because she tasted blood. This woman wasn't going to listen to reason. And if A'isha couldn't escape to find Connor, they might both end up where Cammie was.

"All right. You win."

She heard the smile in the woman's voice. “I knew you would see it my way.” She patted A'isha's cheek. “Better to talk than to end up like your friend, huh? I made sure to get the finger pointed at you just in case, but who knew you were such a whore, sleeping with the investigating officer. Now, tell me."

"I can't tell you. I have to show you.” A'isha thought fast. “There's a secret hideaway no one knows about at my bakery. My mother had it put in many years ago when I was a child. I know you tried to get into that one closet, right? It's in there, but you'll have to take me with you, because there are a series of steps to take to reveal the compartment.” She pressed her lips closed. Someone had once said if you were going to lie, keep it simple. Her story had run close to revealing itself to be fantasy. Holding her breath, she waited for the woman's response.

Okay, we'll go. Tonight, when it's dark out.” Something cold ran along A'isha's cheek. “But if you're lying to me, you're dead."

Something ground like metal against metal, and A'isha imagined a warehouse door sliding open. Cool night air bathed her warm face. Her captor shoved her forward into the night. As they marched along, A'isha tried to take in her surroundings with reduced senses, but fear seemed to clog her hearing. Every time she focused on a sound, her mind went blank or the sounds became distorted. Connor in the same situation would take it all in, and be free by now. Then again, he was trained. He dealt with violence every day as a part of his job. She was new to all of this, and didn't want to make it a habit.

Soon they stopped, and this time, A'isha caught the distinctive click of a car's trunk unlocking. “No, you can't put me in the trunk. I'll run out of air. The bumps in the road will cause me to hit my head. I'll be knocked out and disoriented. I won't be able to remember how to do the code.” She was rambling out of control, but couldn't pull herself together.

"Oh, you better hope you remember.” She slammed a hand down on A'isha's head. “Now get in the car!"

"No!” With her arms tied behind her back and the blindfold still in place, A'isha guessed where the woman's foot was and came down on it with brute force. When she doubled over with a shout of pain, A'isha rammed her. They both went over, landing on the ground. The sickening thud of the woman's head hitting the ground almost made her throw up, but A'isha swallowed and rolled to her knees.

She found the bumper of the car to lean on to stand and took off running, all the while praying there was no drop off somewhere that would cause her to break her neck. Voices in the distance caught her attention. She ran harder. “Help! Somebody help me!"

"Where are you? A'isha!” The woman had come to. A'isha ducked down and slowed her run. She attempted to steady her breathing so she could hear behind her, but the noise of her panting and the slap of her feet on the road muffled all other sounds.

Stepping wrong off a curb, she tumbled forward to land on the ground. Now she heard the pounding feet somewhere in the darkness. The voices she had heard were silent. Maybe the echo off the buildings had led her in the opposite direction. Rolling to her knees, she tried to stand, but the pain in her ankle sent her down for the second time. She tried again. This time she rolled down steps to land in a puddle of water. The disgusting stale liquid coated her face. She shook her head to get it off, trying not to think about the germs and single-celled living creatures in it.

Footsteps clattered past. “A'isha, where the fuck are you!” The woman's voice faded.

She sighed, laying there half in the water. If she could figure out how to get the rope off, she could make some head way in her escape. The ropes grew tighter. With a sob, she realized that wetting the rope only made it draw up. Now, she wasn't getting it off no matter what she did.

Instead, she scraped her face along the ground. The blindfold slid up a small way so that she could peek out with one eye. She lay in a narrow alley between two buildings. From the nearby freight storage containers, she guessed she was near the docks. Inhaling the air confirmed it. Where she had been too confused and afraid to pick up the scent earlier, she smelled the water now.

Flipping to her other side, she scraped her face on the ground a second time. The blindfold shifted to her forehead. Her eyes uncovered, she struggled to sit up. Now that she could see where she was going, she could run faster and get help. There were always people working at the docks, or just hanging out. Come to think of it, there was a club not far. An old boyfriend had taken her there on their second date.

The shoddy upkeep and wild patrons were not her cup of tea, but her date loved it. She had broken it off soon after.

Finally on her feet, she sighed. “Never knew I had such strength. Can't give up now."

Keeping to the shadows and stopping every so often to listen, she hurried in the direction she remembered the club being. Her hands had gone numb, and she had to pee, but she pushed on.

Around a corner, she came across a woman several feet away. Something made her pause instead of calling out for help. The woman didn't look right. About her height, thin with short hair that looked like it hadn't seen a perm in ... never. Her back was to A'isha.
Come on, turn around. If it's you, I'm going to remember so I can tell Connor.

As if she had heard A'isha's silent demand, the woman spun around, but her face dipped into the shadows before A'isha could study her features. One thing was for sure. She had never seen the woman in her life.

A'isha searched the area for a weapon, but the woman moved off in the opposite direction. She could only assume her kidnapper didn't know about the club. If she had known, she would have checked there by now.

After alternating between running and hiding, the beat of the club's music filled the air. A'isha picked up the pace. The rickety old front door came into view. A man stumbled out the door, followed by a couple with their tongues down each other's throats. A'isha wobbled on her swollen ankle, her throat dry, attempting to call out. A warbled grunt escaped her lips. No one heard. She pushed on, a wide parking lot, filled to capacity with cars but no people separated her from help.

A taxi drew up. A'isha took a tumble over a pebble in the road. She caved with no strength left in her body. So close, she lay there unable to force her muscles to lift her, to carry her the rest of the way.

Please, no. I'm going to die here. And no one will notice until morning when it's too late. Or that woman will get me and drag me back to the warehouse.

She cried, racking sobs that shook her weakened body, but produced no tears. Her small mewls must sound like a frightened kitten. Who would hear over the man singing something about a cheating spouse anyway?

Ruckus laughter burst from the club. A few guys, young by the sound of their voices, maybe late teens, early twenties, ribbed each other about the ladies giving none of them any play. They headed in her direction.