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Chapter 17
The night before faded to the next morning as they dressed and headed out. Nik's tone was crisp, clear, as he outlined the day, beginning with Jarvis Dalton. The lover of the night before was nowhere in sight.
He was determined to keep that distance between them, and Mikayla wasn't going to fight it. She wouldn't go to him again; she wouldn't ask him back to her bed. She wouldn't refuse him if he came to her.
A woman had to have some pride, Mikayla told herself as they pulled into the parking spot in front of the apartment Jarvis Dalton shared with his sister.
"Stay behind me," Nik warned Mikayla as they exited the vehicle. "If you see a weapon, get your ass as close to the ground as possible while running to the truck. When you're safely inside, call nine-one-one."
She nodded. He'd given her the same directions that morning, as though she hadn't learned anything from him the day before.
Moving behind him to the front door, she stayed carefully back while he knocked. Jarv
is, the poor guy, opened the door as though there were no risk to Nik's return. Mikayla had to bite her lip on a surprised cry as Nik's hand immediately wrapped around the other man's throat and quickly pushed him back into the apartment. A strangled cry fell from Jarvis's lips as his eyes bulged, his body thrashing helplessly as Nik pinned him high enough against the wall that he struggled to keep his toes on the ground.
Mikayla closed the door quietly, her gaze moving around the room as she searched for weapons or any surprises that could be coming from any of the other rooms.
"Jarvis, Jarvis, Jarvis," Nik sighed. "Did I mention when I was here last that I hate liars? That I hate them so much that I just want to put a bullet through their brains?" A terrified squeak left Jarvis's lips as he stared back at Nik in abject fear. Mikayla almost felt sorry for Jarvis.
"Why did you lie to me, Jarvis? You weren't at the bar you said you were at. Tell me how you made yourself look like Maddix when you killed Eddie." Nik didn't truly believe Jarvis had killed Maddix, Mikayla knew. He simply wanted answers. He wanted to find the trail that led from Jarvis to Maddix. Rabid fear leached into Jarvis's gaze. "Oh, God, man, no. You don't understand," he wheezed.
"I sure don't," Nik agreed. "So why not make me understand why you killed Eddie?"
"Fuck no, you don't understand. I didn't kill nobody."
"So make me understand," Nik suggested once more, his tone patient, deadly. Jarvis shook almost violently. "Man, I was at a bar. I swear I was. I was at Deer Park. I just want no one to know."
Silence reigned as Nik glanced back at Mikayla, obviously unaware of the bar. She didn't doubt he hadn't checked out that particular location. 163
"It's a gay bar," she informed him with a quirk of a smile. Surprise narrowed Nik's gaze as Jarvis tried to smile nervously back at her. "I've seen you there sometimes." Nik's gaze swung back to her, that narrowed gaze slicing into hers.
"It's a nice bar." She shrugged. "They have good music and the guys there like to dance rather than anything further. At least with me." She arched her brows in amusement.
"You're lying to me, Jarvis." Nik turned back to him, his voice hardening.
"No, man, I swear," Jarvis cried out, the fear in his voice returning. "I'm not lying. No one on the job knew I was gay until Eddie found out. My boyfriend, he works for the government. His boss doesn't know he's gay. Eddie threatened to tell. I wasn't going to say nothin' about what I knew."
"Is that why Eddie fired you?" Nik questioned, his voice smooth, dark. Jarvis tried to shake his head, but the fingers wrapped around his neck held him in place. "No. Eddie was having problems. . . ." He tried to swallow. "The money kind. He wanted me to use some inferior materials. Cut costs. He had some kind of racket going, but I don't know what."
Now this was interesting. Mikayla watched curiously, as fear began to loosen Jarvis's tongue.
"Stop lying to me, Jarvis," Nik ordered, his tone becoming more threatening.
"You're pulling this story out of your ass. Otherwise you would have spilled it last time we spoke."
"I swear, it's not a lie. I wanted to find out who it was. I wanted time to work on it myself. I could make a buck or two." He tried to smile again. That curve wobbled in fear.
"I wouldn't do it for him. For Eddie, that is. I told him I would at first; then I backed out. He was real pissed, maybe even scared. He said I was fucking him over. He fired me, then told me if I ever let anyone know what he wanted me to do, then he would tell them I was gay."
"You know I'm going to check this out, Jarvis," Nik warned him. "Just as I'm going to check your boyfriend out. What's his name?"
"Come on, man," Jarvis whined. "Don't do this to me. I want him to move me to D.C. with him. Cause him trouble and he never will."
"His name, Jarvis." Nik's fingers tightened once again around Jarvis's throat. A tear slipped down Jarvis's cheek as misery filled his eyes. "Darnell." He gave the name Nik wanted. "Darnell Waters."
Mikayla's lips tightened at the name Jarvis gave. She hated to tell him that Darnell Waters would never move him to D.C. with him. Darnell Waters had a wife, a family, and a possible political career. He wouldn't risk the future being carefully mapped out for him by his senatorial father-in-law.
