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“Fuck me,” he breathed, sinking into the chair, feeling as if someone had just kicked his knees out from under him. “Footage? Are you serious? How?”
“I don’t know the details, only that they have it. That evidence coupled with y
our testimony and Jax and Hunter’s, should be enough to open the case, especially when they discover the kid in the video…it was Gage.”
Now he felt sick. That young face, seared into his memory, nearly made him gag. “They fucking video taped them doing that shit to the kid? What the fuck?” It was so wrong and yet, he knew it was pretty smart of them, too. Cutthroat, even. He had to respect that. “Are they sure it’s Gage?”
“Well, that’s the name of the kid they remembered. But seeing as Gage’s death was classified as accidental all those years ago, this evidence will be enough to reopen the case as well as start a new criminal case.”
He’d never truly known Gage, the kid had been quiet and mouse-like, timid. Afraid of his own damn shadow. Not that Bronx blamed him. And he’d died just as quietly as he’d lived, thanks to those sick freaks. He wasn’t particularly big on advocacy, hell, his heart was pretty sharp and jagged most days, but there’d been something about seeing the terror and misery in that kid’s eyes, even through that tiny slit of the open door that’d stuck like glue in Bronx’s mind. But why did it have to be Jax and Hunter? For Christ’s sake, couldn’t he get away from those assholes? He felt the weight of Delainey’s stare and he knew he had no choice but to agree. However, he didn’t have to like it. “Fine,” he bit out, glaring when Delainey made a happy little squealing noise that if he hadn’t been so pissed off, he might’ve found really cute and warned, “Don’t be surprised if this meeting doesn’t go all smooth and nice. We don’t like each other and we never will.” Delainey nodded but there was something decidedly cunning in her expression that he didn’t trust in the least. “I mean it, Dee. Don’t try and make us buddies or something just because we’re working together on this one thing.”
“Right,” she said, nodding. “I kind of took the liberty of assuming you’d do the right thing and made arrangements with Zoe and her guys. We’re going to the police station in half an hour. Did you want to freshen up before we go?”
He wanted to be angry with her for being presumptuous but he wasn’t. Delainey had a way of disarming his most ingrained knee-jerk reactions and he didn’t know what to think of that. All he knew was that he’d better tighten his bootstraps because he was about to do two things he’d never willfully do: a). Meet with up Jax and Hunter; b). Walk into a police station to report a crime. What was his world coming to? He sighed and said, “Grab your jacket. We’re taking my bike” and then pocketed his keys as he walked out the door.
-14-
Delainey wrapped her arms around Bronx and held on tight as they pulled out onto the road. The helmet was probably smashing her hair to her head but she didn’t care. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, loving the feel of the bike between her legs and her arms around her man. A sigh of total longing threatened to drift from her lips as she realized she was going to have a heck of a time letting go of Bronx.
It was completely crazy but in the short time they’d been together, she couldn’t imagine her life with anyone else. Was this normal? Maybe not but in her secret heart of hearts, she was a hopeless romantic. She wanted to believe in love at first sight and she wanted to believe that soul mates existed. And she desperately wanted Bronx to be that person for her. She knew he wasn’t perfect, heck, he was probably as far from perfect as one could get but that didn’t stop her heart from fluttering like a drunken butterfly whenever he looked her way. And even though he fought it, she had the sneaking suspicion that Bronx felt something for her, too.
She could tell by the way he touched her and by the way his gaze lingered that she was more than just a convenient good time. At least she hoped she wasn’t just projecting her hopes onto the situation and only seeing what she wanted to see. She tightened her grip around his chest and smiled against his leather jacket. There was no way to deny her man was hot. As in HAWT.
She felt miles away from the person she’d been days ago. Can you believe that? Days ago! Bronx had changed her. Irrevocably. And she had no interest in returning to the way she’d been. Not a chance. She liked being sexually insatiable and desired. Who wouldn’t? You’re living in a dream world…he’s going to leave — and then what? Delainey scowled at the inner voice nagging at her. Spoil-sport, go away. She was going to enjoy every last minute until the clock had run out. End of story.
***
Bronx parked his bike and scanned the parking lot, immediately spying Jax and Hunter waiting by the entrance. He narrowed his gaze and fought the scowl that jumped to his expression. He tensed and Delainey gave him a reassuring squeeze from behind him that inexplicably centered him, calming his urge to self-destruct and pick a fight. He had to remember they were here for a common cause, not because they were about to become besties for life. He climbed from his bike and helped Delainey off. He caught the look of unabashed pride in Delainey’s expression as she slipped her hand into his and he took strength from that sweet, totally undeserved gift.
“You got the tape?” Bronx asked, going straight to the point.
“Yeah,” Jax answered, his gaze going from Delainey and back to Bronx as if trying to ascertain their relationship, which set Bronx on edge. Who the fuck was he to pass judgment? And he better not be looking at Delainey’s tits or all bets were off. Bronx pulled Dee a little closer and she willingly snuggled up to him. There, see that? She’s mine. That wild, territorial streak that he’d never truly known existed when it came to a woman, was alive and kicking but apparently, it was something Jax understood because he gave a subtle nod before returning to the subject at hand. “Zoe tells us, you knew Gage?”
“I didn’t know him but…we were roommates for a short time in that house.”
“He was a sweet kid that got a raw deal in life. I wish we’d had the balls to do this sooner.”
Hunter nodded, his jaw set. There was something oddly fortifying to know that he wasn’t the only one struggling with the guilt of their silence for all those years. “Let’s get it over with.”
Bronx nodded in stiff agreement and they entered the police station. Immediately hackles rose on the back of his neck. There weren’t many good memories for him — or Jax and Hunter for that matter — in a police lair but if he could just get through this moment, it would be over and he could put a pin in it forever.
Maybe doing this for Gage — too many years later — would give him a much-needed bump in the karma department. One could hope, right?
Prejudices and biases were no stranger to the three men but Delainey wasn’t prepared for it when the officer who came to take the report, immediately wanted to see their ID so he could run their driver’s licenses.
“Why do you need their ID?” Delainey asked, confused. “We’re here to report a crime. Do you always ask for ID when someone comes in to make a report?”
“Ma’am, just following procedure,” the officer drawled but there was a hard glint of suspicion in his eyes as he waited for their rap sheets to pop up. And he wouldn’t be disappointed, Bronx thought with an irritated sigh. Of the three men, Bronx was no saint — and no stranger to law enforcement.
“Bronx Eugene Harris…seems you know your way around a jail cell,” the officer said with a mean chuckle and Bronx had to bite his tongue for Delainey’s sake but as luck would have it…Delainey wasn’t having this officer’s attitude and called him on it.
“I want to speak to your supervisor,” she demanded in a clear, but firm voice, shocking the three men with her no-nonsense approach to the officer’s bullshit. “Now.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. What you’re doing is unacceptable. My best friend is a reporter with The Courier and if I recall correctly, this police station has suffered a run of bad press lately with that whole video-taped smack-down of that poor autistic kid. Bad, bad press. And it’s a voting year so that means your police chief is probably getting a fair amount of pressure from the mayor to keep those kinds of stories at the minimum.”
The cop leveled his gaze at Delainey. “And your point?”
/> “My point is…we have explosive evidence that will bust wide open a case that was mistakenly closed as accidental when in fact…it was murder. Now…we could leave right now with our evidence and just go straight to the press — and we’ll make sure to let them know that we tried to go to the police but they were too busy being assholes to listen — or you could drop your bias and shove your prejudice and actually do your job. If you’re not capable of that…please go get your supervisor and we’ll conduct our business with him or her.” And then she tacked on a sweet smile and Bronx was overcome with the urge to shove his fucking tongue down her sexy, smart mouth because damn, if that wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
All three men swiveled their gaze at the officer and waited.
The officer cleared his throat, his face flushing, as he choked on his apology, saying, “What can I do for you today?”
Delainey smiled, saying, “We’re going to need a VCR. Do you have one?”
***
She didn’t know where her moxy sprang from but she liked it. The officer went to obtain a VCR and as she turned to say something to Bronx she caught his gaze and nearly fell to the floor from the heat glazing her skin. She bit her lip and smiled, wishing they were alone but they certainly were not for Hunter cleared his throat and she was forced to return to the moment. “Sorry, I just couldn’t take him being so condescending,” she told them.
“Don’t apologize on our account. It was pretty cool to have someone stand up for us,” Jax said.
“Yeah, doesn’t happen all that often.”
And then Bronx’s hand found hers and she warmed from the inside out at the mild possessiveness in his grip. Maybe it was caveman behavior — okay, sure, the feminist in her was nodding her head adamantly that it was decidedly caveman — but she’d never felt so desired, so cherished. She liked knowing that Bronx felt it necessary to assert his claim. A sudden shiver danced down her spine and she leaned into Bronx’s strength. “You okay?” he asked, concerned. “You don’t have to stay and watch this. It’s something that will stay with you for the rest of your life and not in a good way. I don’t want that for you.”
