Page 7 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

Abandoning the banter, Quinn pushed up on an elbow so that they were eye to eye. She slid one hand behind the delicate curve of Lia’s neck and brought her gently close for another kiss.

“I like being vulnerable.”

Lia flashed a languid smile. “Do you really?”

“Yes. With you.”

“I like where this is going. Tell me more.”

“You are the only woman on earth who can get me to admit this, but…” Quinn moved into her arms when Lia opened them. She lay with her face against her breast, closed her eyes again, and held on tight. “I do like sleeping with you and knowing you watch over me. I don’t mind being helpless with you.”

“Don’t mind?” Lia murmured.

Quinn smiled. Her gorgeous wife, the tough reporter, never let her get away with anything.

“I like it,” she corrected.

Lia squeezed her in her arms, then let out a small chuckle. “Are you blushing, Lieutenant Wesley?”

“Might be,” Quinn grunted.

“No question; you are. I can feel your cheek catching fire on my breast. I like that, for sure.”

“Can’t help it.” Quinn looked up to meet her dark, laughing eyes. “I have a hot wife.”

“You are such a charmer.”

“I love being married to you, Lia. Being yours.”

“Me too, darling. No, Quinn, don’t think about that now.”

Quinn did not ask what she meant by this. Lia obviously caught her change of mood as she contemplated her situation. Thinking about work and doing something—anything—to get herself reinstated.

“What’s the plan for today then?” she prompted instead.

“Let’s be together and make the most of the good weather. I want breakfast in town, a long walk on the beach, and maybe check out the new dive school that just opened on Ocean Street. Today, we rest. Tomorrow, we fight back.”

“What about your own work, Lia?”

“You come first today.”

“Are you sure? It’s—”

“Totally sure. Don’t argue,” Lia said firmly before breaking into a smile. “And the answer is yes, by the way.”

“To what question?”

“The one floating in your gorgeous eyes. You’re wondering about jumping in the shower with me.”

Quinn laughed. “I was, actually.”

“Good.” With a beaming smile, a very naked and equally gorgeous Lia stood up and held out her hand to her. “Come on, Wife. Let me take care of you.”

◆◆◆

In her office on East Lowell Street, an area of Lewiston that had sprung high-rises to rival New York City in recent times, Kim sipped herbal tea and called on the spirit of Themis, the goddess, and personification of law and justice in ancient Greece, to grant her patience.

“Let me make sure I’ve got this straight, Mr. McAllister,” she stated. “You do not just want your soon-to-be ex-wife to reimburse you for the cost of the breast enhancement procedure she had done… You want her to reverse the process?”

“That’s correct.”

His face was totally serious as he nodded in reply, and still, she looked for the punchline. It had to be a joke.

“You want her to have the implants removed?”

“Yes, totally.”

“But—”

“It’s like this, Counselor,” he cut her, catching her frown.

He shifted in his chair, keen to explain, and she was treated against her will to a flash of hairy belly flesh protruding between two tight buttons of his expensive shirt. Everything about this guy was flashy and expensive, from his Gucci three-piece suit to the gold Rolex on his pudgy wrist. Just goes to show that accessories don’t make the man… Kim forced herself to look interested as her potential new client went on outlining his case.

“She can never truly reimburse me for the cost of her new breasts because, through our divorce, she will be granted a few million of my hard-earned savings. Payback or not, it’s still my money she’ll be using.”

“I see.”

“So, I want her to go back to being no-boob-Rita.”

“I beg your pardon?” Kim blinked once, mystified.

“Yes, that’s what she was known as at the time. Haha!”

He slapped a hand over his short thigh and let out a thick, gravelly laugh.

“My cheating wife did not have much going for her before I draped her in diamonds and made her Mrs. McAllister, I’ll tell you that. Then, she thought she was someone special. Started to believe her own bullshit. Now, we are going to wipe the slate clean and return things to their original state. Give her a much-needed reality check.” He flashed her a fat wink as if they were co-conspirators in a good prank. “Flatten the pancake, Ms. Reed, if you see what I mean.”

Yes, Kim did see very well, except probably not in the way he hoped. This was, she decided, so trivial! Really, the height of pettiness.

“Mr. McAllister, as a divorce lawyer, I can help you with a lot of things…” she started.

“Good!”

“Yes, but it won’t go as far as forcing your wife to undergo surgery she doesn’t want.”

“If she has any sense of justice, she will want it,” he asserted with a righteous nod.

“Okay. Well.” Kim outlined what she would be able to pull off for him if he hired her as counsel, which did not include his wife’s ‘boobs’ . “Think about it and let me know,” she concluded. “Take your time.”

Hoping he would use it well, perhaps choose someone else to represent him and save her from having to decline, she saw him out and checked the time. Going on eight P.M. Another late evening, but all good as far as she was concerned. Hopefully, keeping busy would prevent more psychic occurrences. Kim reached for the card on her desk and stared at the name on it. Cody Miller. The detective had been on her mind one hell of a lot, on and off, since their first encounter the previous night. Kim realized with a pang of guilt that it was not only because of the missing, and presumably dead, Cassie Winters. Something else entirely kept bringing the image of the blond-haired, blue-eyed cop flashing back in front of her eyes. The impulse to call her, not just for news of the case but to hear her voice, also had not left her all day.

“You are losing it, Kim…” But she did take out her phone and dial the number.

“Miller.”

The woman had struck her as extremely professional the other night… so the fact that she answered even before the end of the first ring should not have surprised Kim so much. Still, for an instant, her mind went blank. Might have had something to do with the sound of that attractively deep, warm, and confident voice, indeed. Either way, her hesitation prompted a sharp note of impatience to creep into it.

“Hello?”

And damn if this was not also very attractive. Would Miller prove herself as demanding in other ways? Oh, come on! Don’t give her any more reason to believe you’re crazy!

“Yes, this is Kim Reed, Detective,” she said firmly.

“Ms. Reed. How are you?”

Was it all just in her mind, or did a little bit of extra warmth come back into her voice? Was there a smile there? Kim also did not expect to be preoccupied with this sort of question.

“I’m fine,” she said softly. “How are you?”

“Not bad. Can I see you?”

“What?”

“I need to talk to you about Cassie.”

“Oh, God, have you found her?” Kim exclaimed.

Her heart began to race. Hit with a sudden wave of light-headedness, she grabbed hold of the edge of her desk to steady herself.

“Not found her yet, no,” Miller answered. “I just have a few more questions for you.”

“Okay...” Kim exhaled. “Yes, of course. I will do my best to answer them.”

“I would prefer to meet in person. I can come to you now if that’s okay.”

Kim could just ask her to the office. She should definitely tell her that. But it was late, and she was tired, hungry, and feeling strangely alone. With all that, she found herself issuing a shocking invitation.

“There is a place downtown called G4GIRL. Can you meet me there?”

It was Miller’s turn to hesitate. Only briefly, to be said, but enough for Kim to understand that she must know the place. She shivered with a sudden rush of adrenaline but just managed not to gasp in reaction.

“Alright,” Miller said. “I can be there in twenty minutes.”

“That’s perfect.” Kim swallowed, fighting a slight tremor in her right hand. Just stress, she told herself. Steady up.

◆◆◆

Cody realized it was a first for her, meeting in a lesbian bar with a… What? she wondered. Potential witness? Suspect? Informant? Throughout the day, as she conducted her investigation, all these terms did apply at some point or other. At least, she no longer considered Kim Reed a suspect in the case. Which made it okay and above board, she told herself, to meet her here on a Friday evening. She caught sight of the woman as soon as she walked in. Taken aback once again by the sheer power of her presence, just like the previous night when she had first laid eyes on her, she stopped for a moment to observe. Reed had selected one of the booths at the back of the room. Good choice, Cody thought, as they would need some privacy to discuss abduction and murder topics. Dressed in an emerald-green skirt, matching heels, and a fitted blazer, Reed sat with her elegant legs crossed and a glass of white wine in front of her. She appeared rather lost in thought as she gazed across the rest of the room, not looking at anything or anyone in particular. Detached. Remote. Very beautiful. Cody noticed that she attracted plenty of looks and interested glances from the many women here tonight. A tall one in jeans and a black leather jacket, butch as they come, finally worked up the nerve to go and chat with her. Sliding onto the opposite couch seat without even asking, she leaned with her elbows on the table and flashed the kind of smile that would make plenty of women swoon. Cody was both interested and amused to see that Reed seemed totally unaffected by it. Though too far to hear what she said to the woman over the music, it was enough to make her potential suitor nod, smile again, and move away swiftly. Reed handled herself with the ease and confidence of a woman used to being in this kind of place. Cody also experienced a startling sense of satisfaction at her seeming lack of interest in the other woman. Steady up. Don’t forget this is work, not a personal date! But her resolve not to feel anything faltered as soon as the lawyer zeroed in on her from across the room. Reed’s previously blank stare lit up. Those dark amber eyes fired in recognition and a puzzling flash of heat. Again! For me? Cody could not help but wonder. Such sizzling intensity, she reflected, was attractive and hard not to respond to. She made her way to the booth, oblivious to the many admiring glances she drew as well.

“Detective.”

“Ms. Reed.”

“Any news?”

For sure, Reed did not beat around the bush. As she joined her at the table and slid across from her on the wide seat, Cody noticed that she looked intense, at once hopeful and anxious in equal measures.

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Maybe that’s good.”

“In what sense?”

“Perhaps I did not interpret the vision correctly.” Reed bit nervously on her bottom lip as she contemplated the possibility. “I was so sure, and it felt so real! But, you know… Maybe.”

Cody was tempted to rest a hand over hers in reassurance, but she held back. Instead, she gave her a blow-by-blow account of her investigation.

“The husband doesn’t have a criminal record. I—”

“Are you sure?” Reed blinked in astonishment. “It seems a little hard to believe.”

“Maybe, but it is true.” Cody nodded. “I spoke to him and got a detailed account of his activities since the last time you saw Cassie. Everything seems to check out.”

“Right.” Reed digested the information. “That’s… good.”

“I visited Cassie’s place of work as well and spoke to her colleagues. I ran background checks on every single one, and did not find any red flags there either. I don’t think she had much of a social life outside of work, is that correct?”

“Yes. Her husband would not allow it.”