Chapter Twelve
The engine of the Mustang rumbled to life as Jakob pulled out of my parking lot.
I turned toward him in my seat. “Is there something going on between you and Daniel King?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, like he hadn’t seen that question coming from a mile away.
“Is there a rift between you two?”
He shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. Why?”
I stared at him. Seriously? “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I was just curious because he broke into your place the other night, made cryptic comments about some dude named Mike, and was just a complete asshole to you on the phone.”
The man had ripped Jakob a new one when he’d told him what happened today. Jakob didn’t have him on speaker, but I still heard his angry words, which meant he’d been yelling.
Jakob shrugged. “Don’t read into what happened at my apartment.
Nothing Daniel King does makes any goddamn sense to anyone other than Daniel King.
Questioning him only makes it worse. And he has a right to be pissed that I broke the chain of command and talked to my dad before him about what happened today. ”
There was more going on, I just knew there was, but Nina’s caution from the other night whispered through my mind, and I decided to let the conversation drop.
She was right. Despite my curiosity, I didn’t need to get any deeper into Kings business than I already was.
After I got some vengeance for my apartment, I’d do my best to let it all go.
“There’s one thing I keep coming back to in all this,” I said.
Jakob eased the car to stop at a red light. “What’s that?”
“Why weren’t you able to figure out who the dealer is by asking someone in town who bought drugs off them?”
He shook his head. “We’ve asked. No one wants to admit to buying drugs inside Kearny, let alone tell us who they bought them from.”
“You didn’t push the subject?” I asked. “This is kind of important.”
“Nah,” he said, gunning the engine as the light turned green. “We start torturing people to get answers out of them, and the town will turn on us.”
Um… what? I eased away from him in my seat. “I was more referring to bribing someone into answering your questions.”
The fact that he skipped right over that option and went straight to torture was a little concerning. My moral compass might not point due north, but I was beginning to think that Jakob’s wasn’t even functional anymore.
He glanced over and grinned when he caught sight of my expression, just a flash of teeth that was too feral to be a smile. “I was kidding, Krista.”
“Oh.” I relaxed a little.
He turned back toward the road. “There’s no point in torturing people.
You can’t trust anything anyone says under that level of duress.
Eventually they’ll tell you whatever you want to hear just to stop the pain.
” He spoke with an authority that made me think he might have learned this information firsthand.
I frowned at his profile. “You know, I’m starting to worry about where you fall on the psychopath scale.”
In answer, he tipped his glasses down and shot me the most deranged expression I had ever seen. “Turns you on, doesn’t it?”
Despite myself, I laughed.
I was going straight to hell when I died. Because actually, it did.
Katherine Jenkins was not what I expected. If someone had asked me what the woman who defended an outlaw gang of bikers looked like, I probably would have described the quintessential ice queen: tall, commanding, blond, and with a gaze that could freeze you in your tracks.
Katherine shot that assumption straight to hell.
The door of her luxury SUV swung open as we pulled into a parking space beside her at the police station, revealing a short white woman in her midfifties.
She was dressed in a fitted gray skirt with an expensive-looking top tucked into it.
Her brunette curls were pulled back into a low bun, and what little makeup she wore had been expertly applied.
Despite the classy getup, she looked like a mother.
I couldn’t quite put my finger on why—maybe she matched some imaginary maternal figure I’d dreamed up as a kid when my own mother turned out to be an asshole—but the second my eyes landed on her, my brain just went to mom.
Her smile was welcoming as we climbed out of the Mustang. Our gazes met, and I saw something earnest in her brown eyes, a sort of unspoken Everything will be okay. I’m here to take care of you, dear.
“Hi. You must be Krista,” she said, extending a hand. Her voice only reinforced the mom vibe. Warm and melodic, it sounded like she was about two seconds away from asking me if I wanted a second helping of pot roast.
“I am,” I said. We shook. “Thank you for helping me on such short notice.”
“Of course. Any friend of the Kings is a friend of mine.” Her smile widened as she looked from me to Jakob. “I hope you’ve been staying out of trouble, young man.”
If he felt patronized by her words, it didn’t show. He cocked a brow at her, one corner of his lips rising in amusement. “I never get in trouble.”
Katherine made a low harrumphing sound. “Thanks to me, you mean.”
Jakob grinned. I could count on one hand the number of people I’d seen him smile at. He must really like her. Not that I could blame the man. Three minutes in her company, and I already wanted her to invite me over for a family dinner.
Katherine’s eyes met mine. “Remember, you’re not to answer a single question they ask you.”
“I remember,” I said.
She held my gaze. “It is imperative that you let me do all the talking. The police may try to say something to incite you into responding. Don’t.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, clicking my heels together and throwing her a salute.
She looked heavenward. “Great. Another smartass.”
I dropped my hand, grinning even wider than Jakob.
Katherine shook her head at me and turned toward him. “You need to stay out here. Kearny PD will know that she’s involved with the Kings because I’m representing her, but they don’t need a visual reminder shoved into their faces or a club member antagonizing them.”
Jakob adopted an innocent expression. “Since when have I ever antagonized cops?”
Katherine gave him a look that made me think she would be a stricter mom than I first thought. “Do you really want me to answer that, young man?”
Jakob shook his head. Good call. Wouldn’t want to press his luck and get grounded.
Katherine turned back to me. “You and the guard were alone in the elevator. Unless there were cameras in there, there’s no way either of you can prove your sides of the story.
Without witnesses, anything you say will be hearsay.
The bad news is that without the cameras, he can accuse you of assault and file either a civil or criminal lawsuit against you.
If it’s civil, he’ll want you to pay for damages.
Criminal, and you could be facing jail time. ”
I nodded, my amusement evaporating. Please let there be cameras in the elevator. If I had to go to jail for defending myself against a gang member posing as a guard, I would lose what little faith I had left in the justice system.
Katherine laid a hand on my arm and sent me a sympathetic look.
“Don’t worry. We can probably avoid a criminal charge.
There isn’t much evidence for the police to pass to the district attorney, and without substantial proof that you just attacked him out of the blue, the DA won’t want to pursue it. ”
I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. “Okay.”
She looked me over. “Good outfit choice. Exaggerate your limp when we walk in. We want you to appear as helpless as possible.”
She’d advised me to change before leaving my apartment. I’d stripped my bloody jeans off, and following her instructions on how to destroy the evidence, Jakob and I soaked them in bleach and dropped them in a random dumpster a few miles away from my apartment complex.
Katherine had placed a lot of emphasis on appearing as wholesome and vulnerable as possible.
I wore a bright yellow sundress with a white cardigan over it.
This wasn’t my first rodeo with assault charges—I’d taken part in a couple of highly regrettable drunken bar brawls while still in the military—and I knew that looking helpless was a good way to make people question whether I was capable of doing what I’d been accused of.
The hem of the dress hit me just above my knees, leaving the worst of my scars visible.
Usually I stuck to jeans and long dresses or skirts.
It’s not that I was embarrassed or ashamed of my body; I just didn’t want to deal with the million and one questions I received every time my scars were on display.
Most of the people who asked me about them in the past were well-meaning, and I understood the curiosity, but it got old.
Now wasn’t a time to hide my scars. I would walk into this police station, exaggerate my limp, and hope to God that everyone who saw them took pity on me.
Was it low? Manipulative? You betcha. I had no regrets if it got me off the hook for criminal assault.
Katherine checked her watch. “If they’ve already filed charges, we’re going to counterfile and then petition for them to open an investigation into your apartment. Did you take pictures?”
I nodded and dug my phone out to show her the damage.
She let out a low whistle as she flipped through the images. “You’re staying with Jakob’s parents, right?”
“I am,” I said.
She glanced up from my phone, looking between Jakob and me. “I’d advise you two to stick together over the coming days. If someone was this violent with Krista’s belongings, I don’t want to think of what they’d do if they got their hands on her.”
Despite the sweltering heat of the day, a cold shiver ran through me.
Jakob saw it and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”