The Wrong Side of Dead

“I wanted it to be the only thing I wore the next time I saw you.”

That made him smile. She heard it in her voice when he said, “Now why didn’t I think of that?”

He kissed the palm of her hand, then reached over and punched a button on a control panel. She heard the soft whir, and the window to the driver’s compartment closed. And even though every window in the vehicle darkened with a screen for privacy, she still saw the people and traffic outside.

“Can they see in?” she whispered.

“I doubt it.”

Without another word, he trailed his fingertips down her legs, unbuckling the straps to her platform Miu Miu shoes and tossing them aside. The carpet felt good against her bare feet.

“Garrett? We can’t…not here.”

“What if they can see us, Alexa?” He got to his knees between her legs and stripped out of his suit jacket and yanked off his tie, not taking his eyes off her. “Do you really care?”

Her cheeks flushed with heat. She wanted to glance toward the cab that had stopped next to them at a light. She saw the taxi driver turn his head from the corner of her eye. But she couldn’t take her gaze off Garrett. The man’s swarthy good looks mesmerized her, and behind those eyes was an enigmatic man far too complicated to understand in a lifetime.

On the outside, he wore pricey clothing like a mogul on Wall Street, but underneath it all, a wicked scar or two on his dark skin reminded her of the violence in his life. She’d seen him kill with the same passion she saw in his eyes now.

He’d become as adaptable as a chameleon with one foot in the civilized world and the other in places she was too scared to contemplate. Truth be told, that had been the part of him she wanted to understand but never would.

“What if they are watching us?” he asked again, his voice lower. Her rapid breathing filled the quiet vacuum of the limo, mingling with his. As he unbuckled his belt, he kept talking to her. “Let’s give them something to see.”

He reached under her dress, his large hands gripping her hips and lingering.

“Tell me you want this, Alexa. Tell me how much you want it.”

Garrett loved pushing her limits when it came to intimacy. Every new experience put his mark on her. And she knew it.

“I want this…I want you.” She reached up to kiss him, but he only shook his head.

“Take it off. Everything.”

Driven to the brink beyond caring, she didn’t take long to make up her mind. Piece by piece, she took off her coat and silk dress as he watched. She didn’t take her gaze off him, not wanting to break their connection. With every garment she removed, the hunger in his eyes intensified.

She turned her head toward the nearest window and found she wanted someone to see her. She even craved it, but before she told Garrett how she felt, he spoke first.

“Where is it? The necklace.”

Alexa retrieved her purse and gave him the necklace. She held back her blond hair to let him slip it on her neck. The gold chain and diamonds dazzled on her warm skin as it flushed with arousal. It was all she wore.

“What do you think?” she asked as she posed for him, her inhibitions gone.

“Priceless.” Drawing her closer, he lowered his lips to her body.

“Oh, Garrett. Yes.”

He knew exactly how to touch her and took what he needed. Like an out-of-body experience, she pictured the scene in her mind’s eye—in broad daylight, in the middle of traffic. She looked up into the urban landscape of New York City as the limousine stopped at another light and pedestrians crossed the street, peering into their tinted window.

And the sensation was…exhilarating.

She had changed and assumed Garrett had been the reason. Like an obsession, her need for sex had intensified. All she cared about was pleasing a man in every way he wanted, without holding back. For her, nothing else mattered. The effect Garrett had on her had been consuming.

But what if he’d only been the catalyst, a trigger that cultivated a darker side to her nature? Is that what he’d seen in her from the start? She closed her eyes tight—giving in to every subtle demand of Garrett’s body—blocking that thought from her head.

Surviving the cutting edge of life and death had forced them to live every moment as if it would be their last —a mentality that had been a gift and a curse. Without regret or restraint, they had seized every opportunity to be together, living life to the fullest. Their gift.

Yet their curse had been living their lives without the naive hope of a tomorrow. They couldn’t count on anything. Perhaps that was why they were together in the first place—another facet of their relationship she refused to probe.

Examining her life too closely scared her more than a barrage of bullets.

Cook County Jail

Chicago

By the look on Harper’s face, Jess knew she’d guessed right that a woman had been involved in his missing hours. But several questions later and her best tactics, she still hadn’t gotten him to ’fess up. And time was running thin. The duty cop would be knocking on the door soon, and her time with him would be up.

“I don’t want to bring her into this. She’s got enough problems.” He crossed his arms and slumped in his chair. “And she’s not exactly a fan of law enforcement, if you know what I mean.”

“I get that same sense from you, hotshot. What’s up with you and the boys in blue?”

She’d hit another raw nerve, one she hadn’t expected. He was definitely protecting a woman, but the cop thing got a reaction from him, one she’d file away for later.

“Talk to me, Seth. We’re almost out of time.”

“Look, you don’t need to know everything, Jessie. If I don’t remember making it to that bar, I probably didn’t. And if that’s so, then having her name won’t help. She’s not a part of this.”

Jess sat back in her chair. Harper had a stubborn streak and had been a real pain in the ass. The whole experience had been like looking in a damned mirror.

“You know I won’t narc for the cops. If this friend of yours wants to steer clear of the law, I’m okay with that. But we need all the pieces to the puzzle, and with your memory being Swiss cheese, we gotta start somewhere.” She leaned forward and fixed her eyes on him until he returned her stare.

“You gotta trust me, Harper. Give me her name and where I can find her. We won’t know what kind of help she’ll be unless we ask. Maybe she can fill in the gaps of what happened that night, lead us somewhere worth going. Please…trust me. None of this is going to the cops. I’ll keep her name out of it. I promise.”

She’d finally struck a chord with him or had worn him down. She saw it in his eyes.

After a heavy sigh, he said, “Her name is Amanda Vincent, Mandy. But her street name is Desiree.” He gave a general description of how to find the woman and what she looked like. A waiflike blonde who sold her soul every time she wanted to get high.

“And, Jess, be careful when you cross over into her world. It ain’t safe there.”

“Thanks, Harper, for trusting me.” She reached into a pocket for her cell phone. “Now I need something from you. Try not to look like a booking photo.”

She raised her cell phone to take his picture. She’d need it for her stop at Dirty Monty’s. Someone might remember seeing him last night. After she got a reasonable likeness, she wanted to press him for more, but a loud knock interrupted their session. The on-duty cop opened the door, telling her what she already knew.

Her time with Harper was done. But as for his mystery blonde, Mandy “Desiree” Vincent—well, that was another story.

Given Harper’s word of warning about the dangerous world Desiree lived in, she’d have to come up with a backup plan to make sure she walked away with all her body parts. Jess knew what to expect, but she’d need more than that to face it.

CHAPTER 5