Under Pressure

under pressure

T he detective has Lucas and Jackson in an interrogation room that’s reminiscent of one from a TV procedural. He’s definitely feeding off this situation; it’s probably the most important case he’s had in his entire career. His glee has created a far more adversarial atmosphere than is needed, especially because he hasn’t processed my mate yet. In fact, he took them straight to the box without passing ‘Go,’ and I wonder if the arrest was all for show.

If so, Jackson Thorne is going to eat him alive and spit out the gristle.

I don’t know the guy that well other than reputation, but his behavior so far has only increased my confidence in his abilities. He’s a smug, self-assured motherfucker because he has the skills and influence to back it up. Lucas is in good hands despite his obvious discomfort at being prodded by the pastrami-eating fool in there.

“You were found with the victim. What other conclusions are we supposed to draw, Wolfenberg?”

The blond hockey player shrugs, his expression guileless as he shoots back, “I don’t know. Isn’t investigation your job? I can’t do it for you, man.”

Jackson holds up a fist, bumping it with Lucas before turning back to the lumpy detective. “My client isn’t here to help you find your ass with both hands and a map, Detective. He’s here to answer questions, though the method of retrieving him from his classes is a matter for the courts now. Since you haven’t filed the arrest paperwork you used to force him to come here without benefit of counsel, my team is suing for false imprisonment, Miranda violations, and oh-so-many other charges once I have time to find every single piece of case law I can use to tear this precinct and you to tiny little pieces.”

“Huh. Good luck with that in this town,” Kowalski retorts as he leans over a chair to sneer at the handsome lawyer. “You’ll find that kind of shit doesn’t fly here.”

I watch as Thorne’s smile widens and the flash of teeth reminds me why he’s called The Shark, despite it not being his shifter form. “I appreciate the heads up. We’ll apply for a change of venue as well. I have the perfect one in mind. Morgana, dear, if you’re out there, can you note I need to call my college buddy?”

Grinning a little, I tuck that note in my head for later. I’m glad Jackson realized I wouldn’t be able to stay away from the observation area while Lucas was being grilled. Ranier nods at my questioning look and I raise my hand to knock on the glass once in response. Lucas perks up a little, sitting up straighter in his seat now that he realizes I’m here. We get a glare from a frumpy-looking woman that I assume is their ADA, but since she hasn’t spoken to Rainier or me once, that’s only a guess.

Channing pulls out her phone, her fingers moving over it furiously. “I’ll add it to his documents, Morgana.”

“Thank you, lovely,” Eli says from his spot in the corner. He’s hunkered down on the floor with a full complement of tech surrounding him. I’m amazed he even heard us with the weird headphones he’s got in his ears, but now’s not the time to question the hacker’s quirks. “Jackie will be grateful. He would have asked one of us if he hadn’t specifically wanted the handsome bear to know our Dean is here watching.”

He would have, huh?

I shoot a look at my assistant and she flushes a bit, pushing her glasses up as she clears her throat. “I assume Jackson isn’t overextending you with extra work, then, Channing?”

“Oh, no! No, his team is very conscientious. I’m simply helping facilitate some administrative things so Eli can focus on his…” she looks at the mousy woman and then continues, “… his much needed research duties for the case.”

Rainier snorts and it occurs to me that somewhere between the locked door and this room, Foley and Kendrick have disappeared. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, but it’s certainly worth noting. Jackson’s team gives me the sense that they operate right in the gray areas of the law—something that would shock me, except lawyers are the most crooked motherfuckers on the planet and defense attorneys are the worst and Jackson sits on a throne of bodies in his field. It’s unlikely he got there by being a rule follower.

“Your friend can do all the ‘research’ he likes. Lucas Wolfenberg is going to be arrested for killing his rival hockey player; his money can’t get him out of this.”

Turning to face the woman, I step closer, towering over her as I meet her gaze. “You have nothing but circumstantial evidence. Your arrest warrant was obtained under false pretenses and you’re acting in bad faith. I don’t know which of your higher-ups approved this mess, but Jackson is going to have every single one of your jobs. You don’t scare us.”

“I wouldn’t think I’d scare a convicted killer, Dean LeCiel.” She gives me a dark smirk and I see beneath the veneer of her frumpy facade. “You killed Magnus and essentially got away scot-free. I don’t know why you’re so adamant about this student, but I will enjoy humiliating you in the press and the courtroom for your past sins.”

Just fucking peachy—another Magnus acolyte. Was he fucking this entire goddamn city?

I probably know the answer to that and if I hadn’t already severed his goddamn head, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Everywhere I go, I fucking run into more of his conquests and they are determined to make my life a living hell, as if it’s my fault he was a crooked, cheating, malignant narcissist who cuckolded me with every damn person in the city. Women like this infuriate me—always have—and my punishment for refusing to put up with his shit is being attacked constantly.

The door to the observation room opens before I can respond, and I’m surprised to see Prince Liam enter with a jittery looking woman in an expensive suit. His eyes are full of mischief as they join us, and I wonder what he’s been doing while we watched Kowalski grill Lucas. I don’t see Kaspar, which I can’t decide if I’m relieved by, so this was a solo mission.

One that required a crown? Holy shit.

“Morgana, this is Chief Ponylakitu. She’s in charge of the precinct, and we’ve had an extremely satisfactory chat.” Liam grins and winks at me. “Chief, this is State U’s new dean, Morgana LeCiel.”

Extending my hand for the obviously cowardly official, I grasp her palm hard. “You’ve been backing the wrong horse, Chief. I don’t know why you and this ADA are standing behind Kowalski, but I assure you, associating with him is a mistake. He’s only going to take you down with him when he finally steps too far over the line.”

“Hmmm. You think so?” the chief says as she watches the detective continue to antagonize Jackson. Our lawyer has the grumpy idiot outmatched without turning a hair in his perfect ‘do, but the big lug keeps hammering at them. “People often underestimate the power of those who will get dirty for their aims.”

Liam rolls his eyes, imploring a divine force to strike the woman down. “Chief, as we discussed before, you may have a small, rabid support system in this area, but they cannot save you from what’s coming when your detective plays this out. He won’t care if it ruins your career or lands you at odds with your superiors or officers.”

“That won’t happen,” the beady-eyed ADA interjects. “Even the Prince can’t prevent what’s coming. We have evidence you don’t know about.”

My gaze narrows on them, and I see Eli look at me with a fierce expression. He’ll dig through everything and find out what she’s talking about, but he needs me to help. I can do that . Putting on my most condescending smile, I look at the attorney as if she’s very dim. “Listen, Miss…. whatever your name is. I don’t think you understand what kind of pull we actually have. You’d do well to lay your cards on the table in there with Mr. Thorne.”

“Valencia.” The woman glares at me as she holds out a business card. “Assistant District Attorney Veronica Valencia, bureau chief of the Homicide division.”

Eli snickers from his spot in the corner, and I hear keys clacking as he gets to work. I needed her name so he could run checks on her, just as he was probably doing on the Chief from the moment she walked in the room. If Jackson is telling the truth about his skills, we’ll have work-ups on these new players by evening. That will allow us to figure out why in the hell they’re going up against someone as powerful as Lucas’s Nana and what backup they have.

They’re too confident not to have back-up and I’m beginning to believe this is bigger than one hockey player’s murder.

I can’t let her know she gave me exactly what I wanted, so I nod. “I’d love to say it’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Valencia, but under these circumstances… I feel we are destined to be at odds if you have aligned yourself with this madness. Surely someone with your experience recognizes the precarious position the police are putting you in? Their vendetta is motivated by something other than evidence—what, I’m not sure—but Jackson’s team will find it and expose them.”

“The detective and the Chief have provided enough circumstantial evidence to convince a judge, Miss LeCiel. I would be very careful accusing so many respected members of our community of bad intentions. This city is a diverse place with lots of powerful special interest groups who believe in making certain the wealthy one percent face justice.”

Rainier coughs to cover his laughter, and I arch a brow at the Prince. He doesn’t look bothered in the slightest by her little jab. I guess when you’re the heir to a throne, you get used to random people acting like they're the supernatural Che Guevara around you. I might agree that the wealthy should pay their dues and be held accountable, but I definitely don’t think Liam is the person to aim at. From what little I’ve heard since we met, it’s his father who’s the issue. Valencia can go after that dick all she wants, but I’m not about to allow her to be disrespectful to the man who came to help my mate.

“Veranda,” I begin, purposefully butchering her name. “I’m not sure what cause you and your friends think you’re supporting, but Liam isn’t the enemy. Lucas didn’t kill LaMount—he would have been crazy as fuck to sit there and wait to be found if he did.”

Her glares sharpens when I mis-remember her name and she snarls, “Perhaps he wanted to be caught? People in his family are known for their love of publicity—even if it’s bad.”

Is this chick out of her mind? No one uses murder as an attention-getting tactic.

“Miss Valencia, I believe you’ve mistaken the young bear for a psychotic mastermind,” Liam interrupts. “While that may be a trope in a crime show on TV, it’s simply not the case in this situation. You’re all overstepping your authority and the Chief promised she would help temper your overzealous assumptions. Has that changed, Chief Ponylakitu?”

“I… well, you see Prince… I’m…”

Rolling my eyes, I walk forward and knock on the glass again. It’s time for Jackson to quit playing with his food. This is going nowhere and I can’t imagine how chaotic it will be once Iggy and Slade arrive. They, too, have connections they’ll press for Lucas and this station will be overwhelmed with rich dudes trying to influence a group of nutters who are being puppeteer’d by someone probably not even in this state. The whole damn thing is a farce and we need more information before we come at them any further.

Jackson smirks as he hears the sound from my side of the glass, sitting up in his chair. “Unfortunately for you, Detective, that was your curtain call. Now either charge my client or cut him loose. We’re done playing with you.”

Everyone in the room is silent as we watch the detective stare for a moment before he finally growls, “Fine. But don’t leave town.”

As if that was part of our plans during the school year…. what a douchebag.