Murder in the River City (12 page)

“Do you know any of their clients?”

“I don’t know names. Well, there was this one case, a bust I made a few years ago. There was this homeless shelter for teens. The shelter was run by Mika, a former nun, who alerted us to possible sex trafficking. Some pimp was recruiting girls from the shelter. They were being sent to someplace called Mary Magdalene’s Home for Girls.” Manny cringed. “Taking a religion icon and perverting it, I wanted to string them up.”

“What happened?”

“We shut down the trafficking—they’d been prostituting the girls, and some were being transported across state lines, essentially sold to other prostitution rings. But the Home for Girls had retained Coresco & Hunt. They had all their paperwork in order, were completely legit according to the D.A.”

“But?” Sam stopped in the shade of the porch.

“But I don’t buy it. Coresco didn’t defend them in court, but he convinced the D.A. the home was simply being used by a criminal, that the services they offered were being abused. Thing is—that guy, who I busted, ended up dead in prison
before
his trial. I was in the game a long time, Sammy. I know something was fishy.”

Sam wasn’t certain Manny was right, but he had been in Vice long enough that Sam had to trust his instincts. Enough to dig deeper.

“What about the other guy? Hunt?”

“Know nothing about him. I can find out.” Manny eyed him. “You want me to dig deeper on the firm? Pro bono, for an old friend.”

“Thanks.”

#

Fifteen minutes later, Sam walked into Dooley’s, gratefully escaping the Sacramento heat. He loved his hometown, but it was days like this that made him want to become a cop in a place like Maine or Idaho. He paused inside the door, relishing the cool, artificial air. He took off his dark sunglasses and hooked them on his belt loop. Shauna was across the room, her back to him. He loved the way her never-ending legs were exposed through her filmy skirt as she shifted this way and that, wiping tables and stacking dishes. He remembered Manny’s advice:

Tell her you love her.

Manny had met Shauna, but he didn’t know her like Sam did. He’d blown it big time, and he was blowing it again. Maybe. He wished he knew if she had truly forgiven him. He wished he knew if he could take everything back and start new. Fresh. But with their history, he didn’t see how that was possible. 

A movement to his left caught his eye, and he turned to see Mike Murphy gesturing to him from one of the tall bar tables next to the window.

He slid onto the stool across from Mike. “Was Shauna okay last night?” he asked.

“You know Shauna,” Mike said. “She won’t slow down. But she’s fine. I made sure of it before I left this morning. And she nearly decked me when I woke her up every two hours to make sure her concussion wasn’t giving her problems. She thinks I lied about her injuries so I could torment her.” Mike sipped his beer. “So, what’s going on?”

“We filled you in yesterday.”

“Shauna said Mack’s murder is connected to the girl pulled from the riverbank the other day.”

“That was my case. John and I are now working them together.”

“Callie Wood. Shauna told me. Was Mack into something he shouldn’t have been?”

“I don’t know,” Sam admitted. “A lot of leads right now.” He glanced at Shauna, trying to read her. She was the same as always. Chatting with customers, moving non-stop. But she seemed more aware of her surroundings, and every time someone walked into the bar, she looked at them, a small frown on her face. He didn’t want Shauna to go through the rest of her life fearful.

“You’re worried about her,” Mike said.

“Aren’t you?”

“Of course. But you have your cop face on.”

“I don’t have a cop face.”

“You have a lot on your plate, coming back after two years, picking up in a new division, but—” Mike glanced over at Shauna again.

“I’ll watch out for her,” Sam said. “John said in passing that her ex-boyfriend was giving her some problems.”

“Austin Davis?” Mike snorted. “He doesn’t mean anything to her. I wouldn’t even call him an ex-boyfriend. She went out with him a few times, that’s it.”

“Would she have told you if something was wrong?”

“Dooley never liked him, and she’s not seeing him anymore. I don’t know anything else about it. Ask her.”

Sam shook his head. “I’m not the one to talk to her about her love life. John thought it was odd enough to mention, but if you don’t think there’s anything she can’t handle…”

“Shauna’s fine. At least, she will be when you catch the guys who killed Mack. I’m more concerned about Jason Butler.”

At the mention of Butler, Sam burned. “He’s living in San Francisco,” Sam said. “I checked with his parole officer when I found out he was released early.” Non-violent crime, the parole board said. Time off for good behavior, they said. Jason Butler was a slimeball to the nth degree. Insurance fraud was just the tip of the iceberg. As far as Sam was concerned, he deserved life. But he’d plead out and paid restitution to all his victims. His family was loaded. He bought his way out with money and a couple years of his life.

The only consolation was Shauna had seen his true colors and kicked him to the curb. But she hadn’t been happy with Sam at the time. And Sam knew she’d visited him in prison.

Maybe he’d been a wee bit militant about the bastard who’d planned on marrying her.

“He’s in town,” Mike said.

“Visiting his parents?”

“I don’t know. Dad said he was at the office today talking to Shauna. I wanted to talk to her about it, but she’s been swamped all afternoon.”

“He went to see her?” Sam said. He thought he was calm, but Mike gave him an odd look.

“Sam, be careful with Shauna about Jason. They were friends for a long time before they got involved. She’s not naïve, but she’s not going to tell him he’s
persona non gratis
.”

“She should,” Sam said, getting up from the tall bar table.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Sam ignored Mike and walked over to where Shauna was pouring two pints and chatting with regulars who’d been coming to Dooley’s so long even Sam recognized them.

“Shauna, do you have a minute?” he said.

She glanced at him, hope in her eyes and he realized she probably thought he had information about Mack’s murder investigation. How was he going to do this?

She served the pints with a smile and excused herself. “Dooley!” she called to the other end of the bar. “I’m taking five.”

“Take as much time as you need, girl,” Dooley said.

“It’s crowded,” Sam said as they made their way through the storeroom and to Dooley’s small office in the back. It was more Shauna’s desk—she handled Dooley’s books and paid all the bills. A small fan on top of the filing cabinet blew warm air over them.

“Everyone is coming in to support Dooley,” she said. “He needs it, but it’s keeping me on my toes. You have news?”

“No.” He didn’t want to give her false hope about Callie’s boyfriend, but he said, “We have a lead on the boyfriend, and the crime scene techs have been all over Mack’s apartment. They have some fingerprints that aren’t his or yours and are processing them. Maybe we’ll get a break.”

“What about the beer? At Natomas Fast Gas?”

“No archived security footage.”

“Too bad,” she said.

“Um, we need to talk.”

“That’s what you said a minute ago. What’s wrong?”

He had to spit it out. “What did Jason Butler want?”

She stared at him, her green eyes so bright and vivid he could get lost in them. Except he knew that look, and it was too calm.

“Mike told you,” she said.

“He said Butler was at Murphy & Sons today.”

“He was.” She didn’t elaborate.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Why?”

“You want to know why he came to visit me?”

“The guy’s a convicted felon.”

“Who served his time.”

“You know he was guilty of worse shit than what he pled to!”

“What business is it of yours?”

“I just don’t want to see you make a mistake.”

Her eyes widened and her chest reddened and Sam realized he’d way over-stepped.

“I mean…” He tried to backtrack. “If he—”

She poked him with her index finger. “Do you think I would let my brothers dictate who I talk to or who I do business with?”

“You’re doing business with him?”

“Do you think,” she said without answering his question, “that I
care
what you think? If I do
anything
with Jason Butler, it’s
my choice.
You have
no
control over my life or my decisions. Jason served his time. He paid restitution, and I’m not going to banish him because my over-protective wannabe
brother
thinks I’m going to make a big mistake!”

She turned to leave, but Sam grabbed her by the waist and spun her around, his arm tight around her back. Her lips parted in surprise. She was shaking, her pupils were dilated and her breasts were pressed against his chest.

He kissed her. Lust and need drove him. He’d never stopped thinking about the brief but passionate kiss two years ago when he wanted so much to take Shauna to bed, but thought it was wrong. There was nothing wrong about
this.

He hadn’t thought of Shauna like a sister in a long, long time. One day she was one of the boys, trailing after him and Mike and Brian, trying to keep up and prove she was worthy. The next day,
wham!
She was practically a woman with breasts and legs that went to heaven and back. He worked double-time to make sure he didn’t make an inappropriate advance, because he could never stop looking at her then. And now? Now it was worse.

He hadn’t thought of another woman in two years.

Shauna was stunned into silence when Sam kissed her, then was hit with all the wild emotions she’d had since she was seventeen and knew she loved him. Every nerve was on fire, and the pitiful fan did nothing to cool her off.

There was nothing soft about Sam Garcia. He was a rock, inside and out. His lips were so persistent, searching, pushing, wanting her. She yearned to be closer. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and brought her body closer to his, her breasts painfully, erotically crushed against his chest. She feared her legs would buckle as her desire for Sam melted her from the inside out.

Their tongues touched and her knees bent as a pulse of heat shot through her. He pulled her up and held her tight against him, his hands splayed across her back. One hand found the back of her neck, wound itself in her hair, bringing her flat against his body. She kicked the door closed with the back of her foot and pushed Sam up against it, grabbing his hand and capturing it against the wall as she nibbled on his lips, his jawline, his throat. He was salty with sweat, and his raw flesh turned her on like nothing else. She moved her free hand down to his waist and up his shirt. She had never felt anything like Sam Garcia. The kiss two years ago was pale in comparison. The kiss two years ago was a mere peck compared to being devoured by Sam’s hot mouth.

He spun her around so she was against the door and kissed her again, his mouth and tongue making all the moves she wanted his body to make. She arched her back, hungry, on fire. His hips pushed against her, she felt him hard against her stomach, and she reached under his waistband to free him. She wanted him here, now, without excuses.

He groaned, then grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of his pants.

“I want you,” she said breathing hard, her eyelids heavy.

Sam stepped away, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. He ran a hand through his messed up hair, and it fell back into place. He mumbled, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?
Sorry?
”

She blinked and stared at him. He wasn’t looking at her, but at her neck. His skin was flushed and she felt the same heat saturating hers.

“Sorry for what?” she demanded when he didn’t speak. “You wanted to kiss me. You can’t tell me you think I’m your damn sister!” Her passion turned to anger and she didn’t know why. But she couldn’t stand for him to reject her—again. “
You
kissed
me.
”

“I definitely don’t consider you my sister, so stop saying that.” He stepped as far away from her as he could in the small office. He put his hands on the desk. “I can’t believe I was going to do this. Here. Now.”

Shauna looked around and blinked. Her heart began to beat closer to normal. “Oh. Okay.” She smiled, regaining her confidence. “Your place or mine?”

The way he was looking at her she suddenly felt embarrassed. Or
something
. “What did I do?” she said. “I’ve wanted this since I was seventeen.”

“I’m not having a one-night stand with you.”

“What?” She was definitely confused. Sam wanted her as much as she did; it was a mutual attraction. Why was he talking about it? Why did he have to analyze it?

“Just give me a minute.”

“No. Either you want to make love to me or you don’t. Why are you complicating things?”

“Because it is complicated!”

“What about this is complicated?” She waved her arms in the air. “I’ve thrown myself at you twice and I knew you felt the same way, but you pushed me away. I get it. First, I was seventeen and your best friend’s little sister. Okay, I can forgive that. Then, I pushed when you were in the middle of a divorce. I’m sorry about that.” And she was. In hindsight, she had pushed him too hard, too fast, and he became the mountain. “But now? You’re back. You’re single. I’m single. I still feel exactly the same as I did before. Only—
more
. So either you do, or you don’t.”

“Tell me the truth. Are you still involved with that lawyer you dated?”

“No. Next question?”

“Will you stay away from Jason Butler?”

She blinked. “What?”

“I put him in prison for a reason. I don’t want you seeing him.”

“I’m not involved with Jason, and I don’t plan to be. It’s been over a long time. I want
you
.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”