Bounty(69)

“I want to be with Deke.”

That came from Jussy.

Her voice didn’t sound right, scratchy and hoarse, and Deke checked it, hearing that too.

He made no response physically or verbally to Chace. He just stared at his friend to make his point.

Chace looked from Deke to Jussy and his face got soft. “Right, Justice. Whatever way you want it. We’ll do our best to put Deke’s trailer on patrol and if we can, keep units out there.” He looked to Deke. “Need you on speed dial, man, and you get the crew set up. Haven’t been to her house so I don’t know what we’re working with, professional or somethin’ else. Glass shattering says something else. Professional would get in another way and that’s the one bit of good news we got so far. But I gotta see. In the meantime, you don’t take any chances and we’ll have an unmarked follow you when you go, keep a look out to see if…”

He trailed off but Deke got him.

Whoever did this to her might have eyes on her. If they had an unmarked following them to Deke’s trailer, they’d spot a tail.

“Tate won’t get made,” Deke told him.

“Then I’m callin’ Krys and I’m callin’ Tate,” Chace replied and his gaze dropped to Jussy. “Justice, I’m gonna step out. Make a few calls. Sort a few things. Then we can let you go and you can get home with Deke. Once we process it, I’ll give you your phone before you go and I need you to make your calls and give me anything you got. Right?”

“I remember the plan, Lieutenant Keaton,” she said quietly.

Chace nodded.

“You keep a lid on this,” Deke demanded and got Chace’s attention back.

His words were firm when he replied, “We are.”

Deke meant Jussy didn’t need the media crawling all over this.

He figured Chace knew what he meant but Chace also knew they really didn’t need the media to be crawling all over this. After Dalton the serial killer and Arnie Fuller’s bullshit, Carnal had a definite reputation and that reputation was national. They were coming out of dark times and hitting the light. So Deke hoped like fuck not one cop in that building wanted to do anything that might threaten that.

He looked down at Jussy and she must have felt it because she tipped her head back and looked up at him.

Christ, the motherfucker did a number on her.

Deke beat that back and said, “Need you to sit in here two minutes while I talk to Chace.”

More scratchy and Deke had to beat that back too when she replied, “You can talk in front of me.”

“Need you to give that to me, Jussy.”

She stared at him. She pressed closer into him.

Then she relaxed and nodded.

He slid off the table, took her to a chair and carefully put her in it.

He noticed the ice pack she’d been using was on the table probably where she dumped it to run out when she heard him bellowing.

He reached to it, tagged it and handed it to her.

“Back on your face,” he ordered.

She nodded, took it, staring in his eyes the whole time, and put it to her face.

“Good, gypsy,” he whispered. “Be right back.”

“Right, Deke.”

He straightened, looked to Keaton and walked to the door.

He waited until they were through it and just down the hall before he turned back, spoke low and did it still braced for the worst.

“She’s in her pajamas, bare feet, but somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me?”

Compassion hit Chace’s features he didn’t try to hide but his answer was, “She wasn’t violated, Deke.”

He felt his gut start to unknot, actually felt his shoulders slump as the tension slid out of them, and he continued, “She performed at Bubba’s the other night.”

“I heard. I also saw, but not from being there. From what I can tell, two dozen people took videos and pictures. All over social media. Everywhere. Heard word that Krys is not pleased even if it means a few more folk have come in to have a drink. Krys likes asses on stools so I didn’t quite get that until I heard Justice talkin’ about how she’s tight with Krys. Tate’s just pissed. They want customers but they don’t wanna be on radar. Things have died down now that time’s passed since one of their bartenders was tagged as a serial killer. They don’t need memories refreshed about that.”

He was right.

But right then that was not what was on Deke’s mind.

“You sure this,” he jerked his chin to the room Jussy was in, “isn’t about Jussy takin’ that stage?”

“What she reported, he said her name but he didn’t make a single demand of her. He was all about the phone call and the message he was sending. That said, if he was looking for her, those pictures and video hitting the Internet helped him find her.”