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He flipped through Eddie’s file, noting that his former friend had been released from prison about fourteen months earlier, having served six years on a murder conviction. But Eddie’s younger brother, Mikey, along with another key gang member, were on death row, charged in the murder of two police officers. Eddie’s gang had threatened to take down everyone involved in the sentencing if Mikey’s conviction wasn’t overturned. Judge Banks had been the one who had sentenced the two men.
Closing the file, Jason sat back in his chair, feeling as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him. He knew what Eddie and his men were capable of. They were ruthless criminals without consciences, and they would absolutely destroy anyone who got in their way. But would they go so far as to shoot a superior court judge in his own home? Jason didn’t know. He thought again of what Steven Anderson had said about seeing an old car parked in the Sea Cliff neighborhood, conspicuous because of its age and condition. Could it have been Eddie, or one of his gang members, in that car? Just thinking about that scumbag coming anywhere near Caroline made his blood run cold.
Jason no longer identified with the troubled youth he’d once been, and he’d done his best to put his past behind him. But there were times, like now, when the memories of his upbringing clung to him like a dirty second skin that no amount of washing could remove. As much as the idea repulsed him, he knew he’d have to return to Hunters Point and get whatever information he could about Eddie Green and Judge Banks.
He looked up when he heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Caroline slowly making her way toward him. She wore his discarded T-shirt and a pair of shorts, and she hadn’t bothered brushing her hair. She looked so sexy that Jason felt his heart thud in his chest.
“Good morning,” he murmured, rising to his feet. “Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded and moved into his arms as naturally as if they’d been lovers for years. She was warm and supple and she smelled good enough to eat. Jason closed his eyes and hugged her tightly, unable to believe that this woman wanted to be with him.
“I missed you when I woke up,” she said and pressed a kiss against his jaw.
“I wanted to let you sleep, and it gave me time to start going through these case files.”
Caroline inspected the open file on the table. Jason wanted to slap it shut and prevent her from reading about the sordid details of Eddie Green’s history.
“I remember overhearing my father talking about this guy when I was a kid,” she said, picking up the photo of Eddie and inspecting it. “He sure is a scary-looking guy.”
Standing behind her, Jason studied the photo she held in her hand. Eddie had changed in the years since Jason had known him. He’d shaved his head, and the exposed skin was covered with intricate tattoos that extended down his neck and over his shoulders and chest. He had gauges in both ears and a piercing in one eyebrow, but it was none of these things that made him look frightening. It was the utter deadness of his eyes.
“He lost his way a long time ago,” Jason said.
Caroline replaced the photo in the file and picked up the written report, scanning quickly through Eddie’s rap sheet.
“He’s one nasty character.” She turned and looked at him. “He’s from Hunters Point, too. Did you know this guy?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.” He didn’t want to share his troubled youth with Caroline. He’d worked hard to put it behind him. He’d dedicated his life to putting creeps like Eddie Green behind bars. He didn’t want her to even think of him and Eddie in the same thought. “Like you said, he’s a bad character.”
She reached up and gently traced one of the scars on his face with her fingertip. “I remember when this was brand-new,” she said. “You had so many scars back then. I asked my father about them once, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Because he wanted to keep that ugliness out of your life,” he said, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. “You were so young and so damned sweet. I’m still surprised that he even let me into his house, considering what he knew of me.”
“Because he has a unique ability to see the true character of people,” she said, rubbing her finger over his lower lip. “He knew that you were a good person. Just like I knew.”
Her words grabbed hold of something in his chest and squeezed hard, making it difficult for him to breathe.
She’s not yours to keep. He told himself again that this was only temporary, and he’d do better if he remembered that. Caroline Banks would never commit herself to a guy like him, at least not permanently. But it was difficult to think straight when she pressed her mouth against his and kissed him slowly and languorously. Her lips were soft, and she tasted faintly of toothpaste. For just a moment, Jason resisted. But his body had other ideas, and before he could prevent himself, he slid his hands into her hair and tilted her face, fitting his mouth over hers. He pushed her back against the table before cupping her rear in his hands and lifting her onto the surface, heedless of the papers that went scattering.
