Chapter Five
Ryan cursed his stupidity as he wrapped his fingers around Ajana's arm and dragged her over to the couch. Why didn't he notice before now that it was a toy gun? God, he should quit his job right now out of shame.
"I can't believe you forced me into my house with a toy gun," he fumed, tossing Ajana's struggling body down on the cushioned seat.
"Sit there and don't move a muscle. I'm going to call the station and tell them that I’m bringing you in.
You're going to spend a long time in prison for this little stunt.
" Ryan promised. “However, I’m going to call for backup in case you try something stupid.”
Ajana jumped up from the couch and he pushed her back down. "I told you to sit still."
Brushing his hand off her shoulder, Ajana threw him a look that could have melted ice. "It's not a toy gun. My ex-boyfriend worked on a movie set. It's a prop, and it must look pretty authentic because it fooled you," she taunted.
Ryan wasn't going to let the Ajana get the best of him. "You were hiding in the backseat of my car at night. What was I supposed to do when I felt a gun pointed in the back of my head? I didn't have any other choice but to listen to you."
A small grin kicked up the left corner of Ajana's mouth, making her even sexier, but he wasn't supposed to notice that.
Ryan hated that he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him when it came to Ajana.
Instead of calling Sergeant Carelli he was standing here, debating with himself.
Maybe he was one of those people that lusted after criminals after reading about them in the paper or seeing them on television.
"I scared you, didn't I?" Crossing her legs, Ajana leaned back against the couch and gave him a full smile.
"Don't get smug, Miss Bennett. You should be enjoying the last of your freedom because it's almost over. If you hadn’t taken my gun and I would be holding you at gun point right now and giving you your rights. However, I’m going to call the station and have a car come pick you up.” Spinning on his heels, Ryan walked over to the phone.
He picked it up. Before he could dial one number it was snatched out of his hand and slammed back down. [S10]
"Please don't call the police. I wasn't involved in any of those robberies," Ajana insisted, now next to him. "Give me a chance to prove my innocence."
"Sorry, I can't do that. You're wanted for questioning and I have to let my boss know where you are," Ryan answered. "If you really didn't do any of the things you're accused of, we'll figure it out at the station."
"Are you that na?ve?" Ajana asked easing away from him "The second I step foot into that place with you I won't see the light of day again. I won't ever let you take me down there. I'll be out of here before you know what happened. "
"Are you implying Sergeant Carelli won't listen to your side of this case with an unbiased ear?" Sergeant Carelli was the most by the book man he knew.
"He thinks I'm guilty. Isn't that the reason he allowed you to plaster my face all over the place?" Ajana challenged. "How can I do that from inside a jail cell?"
The more Ajana talked to him, the more she was beginning to wear him down.
The woman in front of him didn't look like a mastermind that could pull off several jewel heists.
Damn it, he hated that she was getting under his skin like this.
He was the cop here, and he was allowing Ajana to play games with his mind.
Ryan wanted to remember the warning Sergeant Carelli gave him about her, but it was hard.
Resting his back against the table, Ryan crossed his legs at the ankles and gave Ajana his full attention. "Let's just say I might give you a chance to defend yourself. What proof do you have? It will take some pretty strong evidence to make me take your word over my boss."
"Wait right here," Ajana uttered, holding up one finger.
He didn't take his eyes off her as she dashed across the room and dug through the bag she had hidden inside his closet. He still had to find out how she got that bag into his house.
Pulling out a thick purple folder, she bought it back over to him. "All the evidence I need is right here in this folder."
"What do you have there?" he asked, pointing at the folder. Did she really have something or was she stalling for more time?
"I can't show you unless I know for sure that you're on my side." She pressed the file to her chest. "Do you believe me?"
Ryan plucked the folder from Ajana's fingers, then strolled back across the room. "I'm not saying another word until I look at all of this. This could be another ploy to trick me like you did with that damn toy gun." He hated that the gun was still a sore spot for him.
"Don't open that yet. I still haven’t gotten an answer from you. Are you on my side or not?"
Ignoring his uninvited houseguest's outburst, Ryan flipped open the file and noticed several newspaper articles were on the top. Going into the kitchen, he flicked on the lights and took a seat at the kitchen table. He saw Ajana sit down beside him but he didn't acknowledge her presence. Ryan didn’t understand why he was allowing Ajana to walk around his house like this. She was a suspect in several robberies and just kidnapped him at gunpoint. Sure, it turned out to be a toy gun, but she did it anyway. However, a part of him felt that Ajana wasn’t a real threat to him.
Sure, he wanted to go by the book, but he was also known for using his instincts and his wasn’t feeling like the woman in front of him was a criminal[S11].
This wasn't the time to get into another fight with her because he was really interested in what was inside the folder.
He knew without a doubt he could take her down at a moment notice since he was no longer handcuffed.
He had about a hundred pound weight advantage over her.
Lifting the first article, Ryan skimmed over it, then laid it to the side. He kept reading the clippings as thoughts raced through his mind. Was it actually possible that Ajana was innocent? No, he couldn't decide that until he dug deeper into all the evidence they had piled against her.
Photocopies of witness statements were the next thing he picked up, and he gave his concentration to them.
How was she able to get her hands on stuff like this?
All of this was confidential, being part of an ongoing criminal case.
Placing the papers face down, he moved on to the last item inside the file.
Two police reports were on the bottom and he read over them slowly, trying to draw all the facts from them that he could. Ryan's brow pulled down into an affronted frown. No, this couldn't be right, he thought. Somehow Ajana had to have doctored those papers.
Gathering all the information together, he placed the reports back into the sleeve then tossed it in the middle of the table. "Do you really except me to believe any of that? How do I know you didn't have someone forge all of that?"
Ajana folded her elbows on the table and leaned closer to him. The soft scent of her perfume wrapped around his senses. God, he had to stop seeing Ajana as a woman instead of a suspect in his case.
"It's all there in black and white, Officer Lerner." Ajana gestured to the folder. "That information can put a damper on the charges you have against me."
"How did you get this information?” Ryan asked, hating the way his mind was turning[S12]. Had he lost all the training he went through to become a good cop? Two small hands grabbed his biceps and squeezed, making him wonder what other things Ajana's hand could grasp like that.
Stop lusting after her!
“I can’t tell you,” Ajana said, looking at him. “I don’t want to get anyone else in trouble.”
“You need to tell me. There’s no way you got this information unless someone at the police station gave them to you. So, how did you get it?”
"I've made you doubt my guilt, haven't I?" Ajana grinned as she let go of his arm. "You're going to help me find the real jewel burglar, aren't you? Where do we get started?”
“I’m not going to agree to anything until you answer my question,” Ryan retorted, shoving the paperwork back into the folder.
“Fine, someone at the station did give me the reports and witness statements, but I’m not going to tell you who it is. This person has a family and can’t lose their job so that’s all you’re going to get from me,” Ajana tossed back.