SEIZED Part 1: New Adult Romantic Suspense (Seize Me Romance Fiction Series) (7 page)

She looks at the images for a while, and her shoulders drop.

“Who will stay with me at the safe house?” I can hear the worry in her voice, and I tell her that she’ll be alone at the house, but it’s in an undisclosed location far from town.

“Most of the staff here don’t even know where the safe houses are, so don’t worry. A female officer will get you set up with a change of clothes, and you’ll be fine.

I pause to see if she has more questions, and when she doesn’t, I try to reassure her further.

“Carrie, we need to watch the hotel to see if anyone tries to track you down. You saw their faces during the attack. You’re a prime target.” I let it sink in a little further. “Just know this, if they do come to the hotel, we’ll see them, and we’ll be able to follow them right back to April.”

I know how much she cares about her friend, so I throw that in as an extra reason to agree. Christ, I can just force her if I need to, but I want her on board with this. It’s absurd, but for some reason she matters to me.

Just then, the door swings open and Lieutenant Jacobs pops her head in.

“Anderson, I need a word.” She doesn’t acknowledge Carrie, but that’s not unusual. Jacobs is a woman on a constant mission. She probably wouldn’t acknowledge a bulldozer if it was in the way of her next task, so I excuse myself and slip outside to hear what she’s got to say.

“I’m guessing you’ve already made the Jessup Lee connection?”

I nod.

“You got my note, then?” She doesn’t pause to acknowledge me, but continues, “The tech team was unable to gather any extra evidence. The scene was corrupted by the time they arrived, but that could also be because whoever’s after Jessup’s family is a seasoned pro. They wouldn’t send fools to do the job, and they won’t stop at anything if your witness actually has value.” She half nods toward the interview room. “Carrie James could be a prime asset for us, Detective. I want you to keep her with you until this is resolved. Right now, I don’t have much trust that anywhere is going to be safe unless it’s by your side. I’m going to suspend all your other casework in the meantime.”

This is well out of my usual bounds of duty, and I can’t help feeling a little pissed.

“What am I going to do with her?” I’m already shaking my head at the thought of it.

“Take her home with you, make sure she’s safe, and then continue with your search for Jessup. Once she’s tucked into bed at night, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Detective, I know this looks like a trumped-up babysitting job, but you don’t want to be the guy who lost the best lead on Jessup we’ve had in years, do you?” Hearing her no-nonsense tone, I realize there’s not much point in protesting.

“No. I don’t. No problem, Lieutenant, I’ll take her home,” I say, watching her turn and make her way off to complete the next task on her list.

It’s not that I don’t want to be with Carrie. I just don’t know if I can trust myself around her. Our attraction may be ancient history, but the spark is still burning hot, and if I’m struggling to keep my eyes off her during an interview, how am I gonna cope with her in my house? Christ!

However, I can’t deny that something in me is looking forward to getting her someplace quiet, no matter where it is, but before anything else she needs to fess up. The woman has more to explain than she’s admitting, I’m sure of it.

Back in the room, I break the news, and I know it isn’t going to go well the second I see the look on her face.

“You want me stay with you. Why?”

She looks even more upset, and I’m miffed at her level of resistance.

“I need to keep you safe, Carrie. There’s more to it than you know right now.”

She bangs her palms down on the table, and this time I’m the one who jumps.

“It’s time to stop this shit now, Blake. Before I agree to anything, I want to know what’s going on. You’re hiding something from me, I’m not stupid.”

Tears flood the wells of her eyes but don’t escape down her cheeks. I can see the pressure she’s under to hold it together, and my body has a physical reaction to her distress. This time, I do reach across and touch her hand.

“There’s something you need to know about April’s uncle.”

She looks up at me and I try to work out where to begin.

“I know you’re a reporter, but this needs to be off the record, Carrie.” For some reason, I trust her when she nods. “Jessup Lee doesn’t just own nightclubs.”

She starts to interrupt me, but I cut her off.

“We’ll have time for questions later. Just listen for now, okay?”

She nods, and I proceed to take her through most of what I know and suspect about Jessup Lee and his organization.

“Lee grew up in a wealthy family, but his mother was distant, and his father was involved in cocaine production and distribution in New York City. It was all under the disguise of a large, legitimate import and export company. His father was a famously enigmatic man with huge expectations. He kept the family very separate from his business,” I explain. “They were based in Iowa, while he took frequent trips into the city. Jessup was the only boy to carry on the family business, with one sister, and under pressure to be something big from an early age. His mother was largely absent over the years. She was committed for long periods of time during his childhood. Joseph, Jessup’s father, may have married her to solidify a family alliance but they’re still together. She often appears heavily medicated in public, and never leaves the home unless they are together.

“Jessup’s deep in organized crime. His main power is the allegiance his men have toward him. Not one of them has folded or given him up in the last twenty years. He treats them well, sets them up for life, but expects them to do all the work. He’s simply an investor with a ring of agents making money for him, but he offers stability to criminal endeavor. This could be why he’s so successful. It’s certainly why he’s able to keep up such a front.

“The man has several legitimate businesses. The nightclub is one of them, but he also has a painting firm and a stationary supply company. He pays his taxes, he dines with the governor, and he lines the right pockets with the right amount to make sure his crew gets access to the same opportunities as the mob. This makes the Italians crazy, of course, and for years we expected they would take care of him, but they won’t. The Lee family has been connected for generations. The Italians may not like him, but they put up with him. He’s part of the landscape just as his father was. Jessup has no record at all. He’s squeaky clean, and that’s what makes it so frustrating. He’s mastered the art of illusion.”

She’s still listening, and says nothing when I pause, so I continue.

“Ten years ago, when the family’s import business fell through in Jakarta, Jessup and his crew switched industries. To them, it was the thing to do. Prostitution became a more profitable option with fewer penalties and maintenance costs. At first, they ran high-class brothels and escort services. He used the same methods to secure girls, decent working conditions and stability. He was smart, employing all female staff to manage the girls. They were made to feel like it was a family environment. There were kitchens and doctors on site. If the girls had a problem, the establishment would solve it for them. They were making him money, and as far as the authorities were concerned, he ran boarding houses and nanny services. Everyone knew what was going on, but Jessup had the Midas touch with the people he needed to, so everything was ignored.

“Then, Internet escort services cut his profits in half, and this is what likely drove him to get into the trafficking game. He began to select and acquire women for his clients’ special needs. The services were as endless as the appetites of the customers. Girls were taken from the street and used in elaborate games tailored distinctly and often brutally to the men who were willing to pay for them.

“The demand for youth across the city became a fucking feeding frenzy. That’s what started this last run of abductions and kidnappings. No one has ever been able to pin it on the Jessup crew, but he’s suspected in the disappearance of over one hundred young girls and boys. Some as young as ten or eleven years old. All pale and slim, all taken from the streets surrounding their schools. Some of the bodies are discovered. Some aren’t. So many parents, so much pain.”

I stop there. Carrie is looking at me strangely. I can see that she’s already made the logical connection I made, too. This woman is no fool.

“So, you’re telling me that April’s being used as ammunition against her uncle?”

I nod. “It could be a revenge tactic, but they’re most likely after something and wanted to hit Jessup where it would hurt the most. He’s always kept his family distant, so this will challenge him directly. It’s been less than twelve hours, but I’m sure he’s already aware of what’s happened and will be mobilizing his resources to make a move.”

I can see Carrie is floored. She doesn’t know what to say, and sits in silence. We look at each other, and I watch her processing what this information means. A range of emotions crosses her face, but I wait. Now is not the time. Carrie has to come to terms with the truth about Jessup, and make this decision on her own.

Carrie

E
verything Blake said washes over me, and with it, the realizations surface hard and fast. My best friend’s uncle is a kidnapper. April is a pawn. They will probably kill her. There’s nothing I can do. Thank God I got away, but now I may lose my best friend forever. And lastly, how did I know nothing about this?

It all makes sense, though. This is the reason April’s mom always kept them away from her uncle. This is the reason she’s been acting weird, and this is what made April so reluctant to go the club. I can’t believe she wouldn’t tell me something this big. Maybe she didn’t know? The thoughts are endless, swirling around my head. I don’t know where to begin, but I know one thing: there’s no way I can be alone. No matter how much I want to.

“So, where’s your place then?” I ask him directly, and there’s immediate relief on his face that I’m considering it.

“I share a two story walk-up with my sister and my nephew. It’s in Brooklyn, and it’s private. You’d have your own room.”

After everything I’ve seen this morning, it’s starting to sound like the best plan of action. I’m struck by how vulnerable I’ll be in someone else’s house with none of my stuff, no phone, and no money to get home again. Whatever the case, if the only other option is being taken and abused like those kids were, then there really is only one good option.

But still, something is niggling at the edge of my consciousness. It’s the voice I’ve learned to listen to in the past. It took a hard lesson back then, and I’ll never make that mistake again.

“Will you be with me constantly?”

He laughs a bit. “Well, if you go out, yes. But I’ll still work the Jessup case, so you’ll have that time to yourself at least.”

I ponder the decision, and the frustration on his face is obvious. I know it seems like a simple call for him, but I need to look after myself. I know that no one else will do it, so he can shove his impatience up his ass. At least his sister’s going to be there. He can’t be too corrupt if he lives with her. Surely, a man who’s willing to help care for a kid who isn’t his wouldn’t put me in danger. I can already tell I’m talking myself into it. It’s the only logical thing to do.

I nod, and tell him I’ll come. We stare at each other for a second over the table. I can see something in his eyes. He’s telling me to trust him. I want to, I really do. I mean look at him. The man’s a gorgeous police officer. Cops might suck, but they are all about law and protecting people. Plus, Blake looks great while he’s doing it.

The first small smile of the day threatens to turn my mouth upward as I take a moment to ponder it. He’s tall, a muscled hunk with no reason to be anything but kind to me. Surely, it’s okay. It must be time for me to live a little, and dear God, what would cutting loose with this man actually be like? I feel my cheeks flush just thinking about it, and I’m sure he can read my mind when he smiles like that.

The room is quiet again. I’m sitting here, he’s sitting here. The eye contact hasn’t stopped, and when I see that eyebrow go up with a silent question, my body answers it for me. There’s something so scandalous about the way he stares into me. Something deeply impatient and primal, like a tightly wound animal. Christ, it’s like he wants to pick me up, throw me over his shoulder, and take me home right now. The message is as clear as day, and I can’t think of anything I’d like more. I’d struggle, of course, and make him work for it. But not for long before I let him have his way.

There’s some history here that needs to be finished off. I instinctively reach up and squeeze at the tension in my shoulders. It’s time I get a massage, and those hands of his look like they could do a fine job. My fingers flutter over the back of my neck, my hairline tingles, and I wish they were his fingers there. I wish we were standing back on that field again, and that ten years ago he had followed through. I wish so many things about life, but I can’t change the past, so I might as well enjoy the present.

I inhale him, and I can smell that he’s freshly showered, even though the stubble on his jaw speaks of a long shift. God, that stubble. I want to reach out and stroke his face, and I want it on me. His face and his hands, on every part of me. There’s a faint sheen of oil glistening on the skin at his neckline. The shirt is fresh, but the top three buttons are open. He wears no jewelry, and there’s a hint of chest hair peeping up under the last open button. My eyes are drawn to it as I watch his chest move up and down rhythmically with his breath. I find my own breathing starts to deepen, falling into synchronization with his. This is crazy. One of us has to say something soon, but it’s not going to be me.

This man can’t be serious, but I just keep meeting his eyes, matching the challenge I see there. The moment stretches out and I start to get dizzy with the way he’s looking at me. My eyes flutter and I pull the air right down to my belly trying to calm the fire that’s raging there. I can feel my body react. I can’t help but rearrange myself in the chair, and I see him sit up straighter at the movement.