Chapter Seventeen

Aja Blue didn't know how Christian, Presley, and Kayne did this kind of work for a living. She was a giant ball of stressed-out nerves, and all she was doing was sitting in the SUV while they did the leg work. Harry Houdini green-colored zucchini.

"What was that?" Christian asked.

Oops. She'd forgotten about the comm device. "Nothing."

His chuckle told her that he'd heard just fine. She'd been trying to quit using the silly phrases she'd come up with when she was younger, but sometimes they slipped out.

Aja Blue searched outside for Presley, but she'd disappeared. When she announced she was doing recon, as she'd called it, Aja Blue had almost begged her not to leave, which was silly. She'd been on her own for a long time. It was hard for her to rely on anyone else. Sure, she'd latched onto Christian as soon as he'd come to her aid, but that didn't mean she was weak.

Watching him in action, she saw why he was successful in his career. He was easily the most competent person she'd ever met. Presley was good, as was Kayne, but something about Christian made everyone bow to his expertise. She'd noticed the way the others looked to him for guidance. Maybe it was because this was his case, but she didn't think so. Cream rose to the top.

Aja Blue sighed as she listened to Pastor Chet pontificate about the evils of anyone who wasn't a straight white male. He wasn't only against the LGBTQ community but also women and any person of color or ethnicity.

The people who agreed with him, cheering and chanting, made her physically sick. These men were evil personified.

People like him scared the crap out of her. They brought out the worst in others and gave them permission to loathe who he did. That people would listen to what he said and blindly follow made no sense to her. The harm they could do to the ones they were against was frightening.

Aja Blue yelped and jumped a mile when the door beside her opened.

"I'm back," Presley announced as she slid inside.

Since Aja Blue didn't hear the comment come through the comms, she assumed Presley still had her mic off.

"I'll tell you about it when the men return."

They listened as the meeting wrapped up and the police crashed the party.

"Damn it," Presley cursed. "I totally missed their arrival."

Aja Blue pointed to her comm, and Presley reached over to turn off the microphone for her.

"Thanks. You couldn't have seen them. They aren't visible from our vantage point."

"Doesn't matter. Christian won't agree."

She was quick to defend her man. "Yes, he will."

Presley shook her head. "I should've been more aware. My bad."

Aja Blue didn't argue, but they couldn't have seen the police arrive. There were no flashing red and blue lights or sirens.

When the men returned, Christian wasn't as upset about them not noticing the authorities arriving as he was with Presley for leaving her alone, which irritated Aja Blue to no end. She didn't want him to see her as a helpless, childish, phrase-using imbecile. She was an equal partner in the relationship, such as it was.

Silently seething, she tried to devise a way to convince him she was as capable as Presley or Kayne but couldn't come up with anything. They were rock stars.

Kayne swung by a shop, and Presley ran in to pick up their dinner. Aja Blue was relatively sure they didn't survive on pizza alone, judging by their physiques, but it was quick and convenient. It was her favorite, though she didn't indulge often.

When they returned to the house, they sat in the breakfast nook and scarfed down the pie. The others drank water or Diet Coke, but Aja Blue needed a glass of wine to calm the nerves gnawing at her all day.

#

Christian was still fuming about Pastor Chet's hate rally as they sat around the table and ate dinner. He could absolutely see the man involved in Byron Zikes's death and the destruction of Aja Blue's office. Even if he hadn't used the van Presley had found on premises, he'd likely given orders or poisoned the mind of the person who was behind it. It wasn't a giant leap to think he'd done something to Jay Guitterez.

Kayne was clearing away their plates when the outer gate buzzed.

Christian checked his watch. "That was quicker than I expected."

"Who is it?" Aja Blue asked.

"If my guess is correct, it's Detective Herbert."

"How does she know where we are?" Presley asked.

"I gave her the address after the bombing at Aja Blue's office."

Christian wiped his hands and walked to the intercom. After checking the video feed, he activated the gate and waited by the door. As soon as the detective parked, he ushered her inside.

"Where's the facial hair and disgusting teeth?" she smirked.

He rubbed his smooth cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Cut the crap, Zamora. You should've told me you and Serruto infiltrated Pastor Chet's inner circle."

"I'm neither admitting nor denying the accusation."

She rolled her eyes again—God, he detested the move—and strolled over to grab a slice of leftover pizza from the box Kayne held open for her. "What did you discover?" she asked around a mouthful of pepperoni and cheese.

"What did you discover?" he countered.

"Oh, come on, Zamora, we're on the same team."

"Fine. We didn't infiltrate the circle, as you put it, though there seemed to be interest on Chet's part. You kinda blew our op."

"Whatever. We found the van."

Christian raised his brows.

"You found it too." It wasn't a question.

"We did," Presley admitted, obviously proud of her discovery.

"Dumb and Dumber have records, though I'm sure you knew that already."

Actually, they didn't. Christian hadn't had a chance to send Pastor Chet's thugs' pictures to Tyler for an ID. He shrugged, hoping she'd offer more information.

"We have them all at the station. I'm headed there now to question them."

"You think they'll give up the pastor?" Christian wondered.

"When you're up to your eyeballs in charges and staring at an extended prison sentence, it's every man for himself."

"Keep us posted."

"Yeah, right. Like you've done the same for me."

"We have," Christian argued. "I gave you the tip about Zikes."

She nodded in resignation. "So, you did. Okay, but you reciprocate with what you find. We are on the same team."

"Sit down and eat before you go," Christian offered. He was mildly surprised when she agreed.

"Only because I don't remember the last time I ate," she said around another mouthful of pizza.

Aja Blue offered her a glass of wine, but she declined, opting for bottled water. They talked about everything other than the case, and the blonde detective proved to be witty and entertaining. She fit in with the group, and the jokes and laughter provided much-needed levity.

With a resigned sigh, Detective Herbert wiped her mouth and stood. "I have perps to sweat."

"Uh, what?" Aja Blue wrinkled her nose. "That sounds disgusting."

The detective smiled. "Sorry. Cop speak. I meant I need to question Pastor Chet and his henchmen and get them to talk."

"If you need help, let us know," Christian offered. "Presley and Kayne are interrogation experts."

Kayne cracked his knuckles and cackled ominously. "I'll get them to spill their darkest secrets."

Detective Herbert smiled at him. "Tempting. I'll let you know."

Presley glanced at Christian. "Want me to go listen in?"

It was a great idea. They would have first-hand knowledge of what was happening. Plus, Presley knew the ropes since she'd been a detective before joining CObrA Securities. He nodded. "Absolutely."

"Uh, excuse me," Detective Herbert cut in with a shake of her head. "That's not your call."

"I'll be quiet. You won't even know I'm there."

After an extended beat of time, Detective Herbert sighed. "Fine, but only because I'm tired, you fed me, and I respect your company."

Presley gave Christian a thumbs-up behind the detective's back and followed her outside.

Once they were gone, Christian, Kayne, and Aja Blue sat in the living room with the television on low and discussed the case. If Pastor Chet were guilty, that would explain the destruction of Aja Blue's shop and Byron Zikes's death. Hopefully, it would lead to Jay Guitterez's disappearance and the damage to his and Aja Blue's homes. Christian wasn't sure how the kidnapper's death and the fake nurse fit into the scheme of things, but he'd figure it out eventually.

It was late, so they bid each other goodnight and headed to their rooms. Christian followed Aja Blue to her suite, removing her clothes as they headed to bed.

#

Presley Parrish had once been Nicole Herbert. As the youngest person ever promoted to detective in her precinct, the honor had humbled her, but it was deserved. She'd worked her ass off, so much so that the job had become her life. Presley had been obsessed with putting away the bad guys. She'd lived and breathed it, but the men around her had never taken her seriously. Because she was blonde and blue-eyed, they thought she wasn't capable. It didn't matter who she outshot on the range or who she put on their back in the boxing ring. They'd overlooked her. She'd grown tired of the harassment every day at the station. It had come to a head when her captain, a man she'd admired, had tried to assault her.

No, Presley didn't miss her previous job one bit.

Detective Herbert was also fair-haired and slim. Presley wondered if she faced the same challenges.

"I used to be you," she told the woman.

Detective Herbert glanced over at her. "Uh, what? Are you talking about past lives or something? I'm not into that woo-woo stuff."

Presley chuckled. "A police detective."

Herbert's brows lifted. "Yeah? You were?"

"Yep."

Herbert glanced at her again. "You look young. How long ago were you a detective?"

"Three months ago, and I'm almost thirty."

"Why did you leave?"

Presley debated how much to tell her. Few people knew the real reason. During the hiring process, she'd told her bosses, Logan Bradley and Luke Colton. Luke, who had also been a detective, had been furious. He'd gotten her old captain fired. Presley was glad she hadn't been around for the fallout.

"My coworkers consistently overlooked my abilities."

Herbert sighed and flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder. "I face the same things. It's frustrating as hell."

"I don't know if the men are threatened or misogynistic."

"Probably a combination of both."

"Yeah. My captain tried to rape me."

Presley's hands shot out to brace against the dashboard when Herbert slammed the brakes.

"What?"

Presley sighed. She wasn't going to mention it, but she'd just vomited it out. Maybe she needed to talk about it with someone who would understand.

"We were working late on a case. He'd sent the others home. Then he called me into his office, closed the door, and slipped a roofie into the drink he offered me."

"Oh, damn, Presley, that's horrible."

Presley nodded.

"Did he . . ."

"No, thank goodness. One of the rookie cops came back and caught him. My captain tried to say it was consensual, but I was out of it from the drugs. The cop said she'd take me home, but she drove me to the hospital instead, where they found the Rohypnol in my system."

"Good for her. Tell me your captain was fired."

"Not then. He swore that I'd been coming onto him for months, and the bastard planted the drugs in my desk. He told Internal Affairs that I must've accidentally consumed the roofie trying to drug him."

"Oh, my good grief. Please tell me they believed you and not him."

"Nope."

Nicole cursed again. "What about the cop who took you to the hospital?"

"I think she was threatened. She claimed to know nothing. She might've believed that the drugs were mine. I don't know." It had been frustrating as hell and so depressing that no one had believed her. "When I quit, guess who took my job?"

Nicole hissed in a breath. "That cop?"

"You got it."

Nicole shook her head as she braked at a red light. "Some people have no ethics."

"I don't have proof, but I think the captain started sleeping with her after that to keep her quiet. Who knows what happened to her when he was fired?"

The light flicked to green, and Nicole motored through the intersection. Movement out of the corner of her eye had Presley turning her head. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. A car slammed into them with a deafening screech of breaking glass and crushing metal, and the last thing she remembered was kissing the airbag.