19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

B old

The shrill ring of Jasmine's phone jolts us both awake. After a moment fumbling for it, she shows me the caller ID—Police—puts the phone on speaker, and says, "Hello."

"Hi, Jasmine Sinclair?" The woman's voice is no-nonsense. "I'm Detective Martinez. I've been assigned to your case and am fully briefed on your involvement as well as Bold's. We got a hit on AFIS. The fingerprint on that letter belonged to one William James Sheck, aka Scorpion. Do you know him?"

The idea of Jasmine knowing anyone named Scorpion is laughable, but I don't say a word.

"Never heard of him."

"He's a thug, the kind of guy who breaks kneecaps for hire. He's clearly not at the top of the food chain, but we'd like to set up a sting."

"Sting?"

"We want to use you as bait to lure him out, then take him down. Hopefully, when we interrogate him, he'll turn on whoever hired him. We'll keep you perfectly sa—"

A growl rumbles in my chest as anger flares through me, followed by the feeling of ice in my veins. Putting Jasmine in harm's way? It's unthinkable.

"I don't like it," I grit out. "There has to be another way. Tell her, Jazz."

She's deep in thought, her gaze flicking from the phone to me and back again.

"I'll do it," she says firmly. "If it means stopping these assholes, I'm in."

"Jazz…" I protest, but she cuts me off with a fierce look.

"Bold, this is my fight. I can't sit on the sidelines. I'm not just doing it for me. It's for every one of my clients, for every victim these power-hungry jerks abused and shamed and threatened with harm if they didn't stay silent. How can any of us truly heal when they're still hurting people? They'll just incorporate under a new name and set up shop again. It's like whack-a-mole and it has to stop."

I search her face, seeing the steel beneath the beauty. She's not going to back down from this. And damn it, it makes me feel even more affection for her, even though it scares the hell out of me.

"Okay," I relent, "but detective, she's not doing it if I can't be part of the law enforcement team that's keeping her safe."

Martinez doesn't address my demand, simply continues now that Jasmine agreed. "Although there are a dozen corporations like them," Martinez explains, "you've directly attacked Nature's Edge Expeditions and we think Scorpion leads back to them. We need to catch Scorpion to get him to testify against Everett Wright, the CEO."

"Here's the plan," Detective Martinez says, her voice crackling through the phone's speaker. "We'll spread a rumor to our confidential informants on the street that Jasmine is meeting with an anonymous whistleblower who has incriminating video evidence against Nature's Edge. We'll set up a fake meeting spot and stake it out, waiting for Scorpion to make his move."

My gut clenches at the thought of using Jasmine as bait. I growl, my claws flexing involuntarily as I force myself not to say anything.

"We'd like you to wear a wire. If you get him to say anything incriminating about his boss before we descend, we can make a move on Wright. That should take down the whole organization."

I search Jasmine's eyes, seeing the determination blazing there. She's not going to back down, and as much as it terrifies me, I respect her too much to stop her.

"It's obvious I don't agree." I tug Jasmine closer, our legs still tangled from how our bodies gravitated to each other in our sleep overnight. "But Jasmine's her own person and makes her own decisions. She's said yes to your proposition, but I've got to insist on three conditions. First, I want to be right there, on the ground, when this goes down. I won't be relegated to some surveillance van. I need to be as close to Jasmine as possible."

"Agreed," Martinez says briskly. "Your presence and skills will be valuable."

"Second," I continue, "we need multiple escape routes and contingency plans. I want every possible scenario accounted for."

"Already on it," Martinez assures me. "We'll have the area fully mapped and secured."

"And third." My voice drops to a low, intense growl. "If anything happens to Jasmine, if she's hurt in any way, I'll hold you personally responsible."

There's a beat of silence, then Martinez clears her throat. "Understood, Bold. We're all on the same side here. Jasmine's safety is our top priority."

As we hash out the remaining details, I keep Jasmine's hand clasped tightly in mine. This is her fight, her choice. All I can do is stand beside her and make damn sure she comes out of it unscathed. I will burn down the world if this Scorpion character harms one hair on her head.

When we finally hang up, I pull Jasmine into my arms, burying my nose in her hair and breathing in her soothing scent. "I won't let anything happen to you," I promise fervently. "I'll be right there, every step of the way."

She hugs me back just as fiercely, her voice muffled against my chest. "I know, Bold. I trust you with my life."

And that, more than anything, steels my resolve. I'll move heaven and earth to keep this amazing woman safe. No matter what it takes.