not taking her eyes off Burke.
“You wanted loose, asshole. Now what?”
Burke came at her, bristling with anger—and the man was done talking.
CHAPTER 13
All Jess thought about was taking a long, hot shower to get the smell of Jason Burke off her. She reeked of sleaze.
She shook her right hand and checked her bruised knuckles as she accompanied Alexa outside. They walked through the center courtyard toward the front of the complex. Inky darkness had spread its shadows and transformed the neighborhood into a real creep-fest. And the familiar drone of traffic off the interstate had never let up.
“You got anything to say?”
“Nope, nada.” Alexa shrugged, not stopping and looking straight ahead.
“The guy had it comin’. He came at me. And I figured if he got a few bruises from a woman, he’d be less inclined to say anything.”
The blonde pursed her lips and nodded, “Yeah…good call. Sounds logical to me.”
Jess expected more of a reaction.
“Hell, you’d think a guy with two nipple rings could take a little pain.” She ran a hand through her dark hair and made sure her Colt Python was secure.
“An astute observation.”
A moment of silence drifted by, but Jess couldn’t stand it any longer. She stopped in front of Alexa and had to say it.
“You think I lost it in there. And you’re planning to report that I’m a loose cannon and not fit for your team, aren’t you?” She pointed a finger. “You know, I may not work and play well with others, but I’ve got skills…on occasion.” She jutted her chin out. “And nothing sticks in my craw worse than getting counted out before I’ve had a chance to prove myself.”
“Are you done?” After she nodded, the woman crossed her arms and cocked her head. “Now…are you ready to listen?”
“Can I get back to you on that?”
Alexa rolled her eyes as an eighteen-wheeler blasted its horn from the freeway. When things quieted to a dull thunder, she gave her opinion.
“You
Alexa walked by her, leaving her stunned.
“Besides, I think I’d be a good influence on you…if you’re willing to learn,” the blonde said over her shoulder.
“And a few pointers from me would up your game to an acceptable level…at least enough for me to consider taking you on,” Jess countered.
Ego aside, Jess had thought they’d made a good team, too, but it surprised her to know the more sophisticated blonde agreed. They were complete opposites, yet when it came to working Burke, everything had gone real smooth. The woman anticipated her moves—for the most part—and went with the flow. Jess liked that, especially when Alexa cut Burke loose without even a question. And getting him to crank up the music had been a stroke of genius.
Jess had always worked alone and wasn’t sure she could be a team player like Alexa had said, but questioning Burke with her had definitely come easy. Of course, it would take much more to convince her to join Garrett Wheeler, but she was curious about his proposal, at least enough to hear the man out. And the idea of having resources to back up her agenda had appeal.
She could wield justice on a grander scale. And do it her way—giving Lady Justice a whole new reason to wear blinders. Yeah, she liked that idea, real fine.
“Slick set of wheels, bounty hunter.” Alexa had stopped by her blue van, given it the once-over, and asked, “Can you drop me off?” The blonde disappeared behind the rear of the blue whale, giving the van a thorough inspection.
“Yeah, but don’t be slammin’ my ride. Not when you’re beggin’ for a hitch,” she said as she hit the speed dial on her phone. “I gotta make a call first.”
She held the phone to her ear and plugged a finger to her other ear, listening. On the second ring, her friend answered.
“Hey, Sam. It’s Jess. Where are you?”
“I’m at work but heading out. What’s up?”
“Can you meet me at my place? I’ve got new developments on Harper’s case. I can be there in thirty.”
“Yeah, perfect.”
Alexa caught her eye and gestured that she wanted to be included. Jess shot her a questioning look but decided it couldn’t hurt to have the extra help for Harper’s sake.
“Oh and Sammie, I’ll have someone with me. Alexa Marlowe is in town. You have a problem with that?”
Her friend didn’t reply at first, then said, “No, not really. If you think it’s okay to talk about Harper’s case in front of her, then I’m good.”
“Yeah, thanks. See you soon.” She ended the call, and said to Alexa, “You remember my friend Sam Cooper, a local vice cop?”
“Yeah, sure.” The blonde climbed into the van. “I hope you have munchies. I’m starving.”
“I got you covered. No problem.”
As she drove, Jess felt good about how things had gone at Jason Burke’s place. She had a possible tattoo match from what the bartender at Dirty Monty’s had told her. And CPD could run down Burke loaning his car out, but Mandy’s blackmail scheme had caught her by surprise.
Whoever the girl had demanded money from—for whatever reason—the mark would have had motive to kill her, especially if she’d gotten greedy. Blackmail always brought out the worst in folks. If Burke’s story held up, she’d have a slim lead on Mandy’s killer, someone who had framed Harper in an elaborate ruse.
But from here on, she’d be treading on thin ice—hunting a crafty killer who knew how to get away with murder.
“All you have is beer and condiments,” Alexa said, staring into a nearly empty fridge with her face awash in its light. “I thought you said you had food.”
“Who do I look like, Rachael Ray?” Jess replied over her shoulder to the blonde in her kitchen.
“Actually you do kind of…” Sam grinned, but stopped short when she saw the perturbed expression on her face. “Never mind.”
With Alexa in the other room, Sam ventured a more personal topic.
“Have you heard from your boy genius?” her friend asked, hugging a sofa pillow to her chest as she sat next to her on the sofa. “You haven’t talked much about Seth since his bail hearing.”
Sam had read her well. Good friends had a nasty habit of doing that. She hadn’t told Sam about Harper’s connection to the man who had rescued her all those years ago. There was something much too personal about it. The only person she wanted to talk to was Harper. She needed to confront him, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to do it.
And talking about it with anyone else, even Sam, would only gain her a liberal dose of pity. Only Seth had the answers she needed, and she wasn’t sure she could look him in the eye without losing her temper. His betrayal still carried its sting.
“He’s left me messages, but we keep missing each other.”
To change the subject of her avoiding Seth, Jess gave Sam the CliffsNotes version of her encounter with Jason Burke. And she left Alexa’s name out of it, a fact that hadn’t been missed by the blonde in the kitchen. In the midst of foraging for food, Alexa looked over her shoulder and winked. Her only reaction.
