Duke(75)

The new detective looked around, as if taking in the mood of the room, and then looked at Mike.

“Something I need to know about?”

“Not touching your case. Got seven men in the hospital with the shit beaten out of them, and another dozen out of commission nearly as bad off. I know the RTMC is responsible, wanted to get a look at their hands but they’re insisting on a warrant.”

Duke flashed the back of his hands to the new detective a few seconds and said, “No problem showing them to someone who’ll work with us, treat us with respect. McPherson’s given us reason not to trust him in the past, and I’d rather make sure all the paperwork is in place before we deal with him.”

The other men held their hands up at this, and Mike turned in a circle, his face growing more and more agitated as he saw no signs of a recent fight on anyone’s hands.

His gaze met Gen’s and he said, “Can’t believe you went from me to a fucking felon. He may not have been convicted, but you know he’s done bad shit.” He stepped closer to her, lowered his voice so the other officers likely couldn’t hear. “If you were as wild in bed with me as you are with Bevering, I might still be in your bed, might not have been forced to find someone who wasn’t a stiff-assed board when I fucked ‘em. You’re a little whore for your biker though, aren’t you?” His voice went even nastier as it rose. “Your loss though, you fucking cunt.”

Gen stood so she didn’t have to look up to him as much, and she threw Duke a look that told him she wanted to handle this. There was no way Mike could know how much more she enjoyed sex with Duke than she had with Mike, unless he’d been listening, and she was willing to bet he didn’t have a warrant. “What can I say, Mike? You just didn’t do it for me, and he does. Maybe if you’d had a little more skill, I’d have been a little more energetic in my appreciation?”

“Don’t give me that shit, he had to fucking teach you how to give him a blow job, which I have to say explains a helluva lot about you, but don’t tell me he didn’t take advantage of your inexperience. I never made you beg for an orgasm and then not let you have it on purpose. What kind of a bastard does that?”

She flashed another look to Duke and realized he was making a concerted effort to hold onto his control. She could see the wolf looking out his eyes and she hoped he knew what she was up to, but had no way to signal him.

She met Mike’s gaze again and said, “Yeah, when you put it that way, maybe you’re right. Can we not talk about this in a room full of people?” She looked to Duke. “Sorry, but I need to talk to him alone a minute, can we use the kids’ room?”

She nodded towards the room the older kids were in during lockdown, but didn’t wait for permission. The light was off in there now, so it wasn’t obvious the glass allowed you to see into the room. Once they were in, the glass would look black from the inside, so they couldn’t see the main room, but everyone would be able to see them. Also, she knew this room was monitored and hoped Brain knew what she was up to. She pointed Mike into the door and turned to look at the other detective. She mouthed, “One has to know, I know,” and hoped everyone would realize she wanted them to listen to the conversation. In Tennessee, only one party needs to know a conversation is being recorded in order for it to be legal. She’d just told them she knew.

Mike had already turned the light on, and she closed the door as she stepped in. The room was soundproof, to keep the kids from hearing what was going on outside, and the quiet squeezed in on her like a vice.

“I guess we never got closure, but I just couldn’t bear to face you after I walked in on you banging the new rookie. It hurt too bad.”

“I don’t know why your friend Isaac has a squad of goons, but they kicked me out of your house, and Isaac’s partner had a talk with one of the police chiefs. They told me if I came near you they’d knock me back down to a uniform.”

Gen’s brow wrinkled. “Frisco? Or Cam? I didn’t know either of them knew any of the police chiefs?”

Mike shook his head, impatient. “No, Abbott. Not his fucking butt-buddies, his partner at The Billiard Club.”

Gen needed to get them back on target, so she could get him to admit bugging her house. She stepped forward, reached up, let her hand drop.

“I don’t know where to start, Mike. I couldn’t face you back then, and Isaac knew it. Now, with so much time going by? It doesn’t hurt so bad, and I wonder if we might work, now that you know it’s possible for me to go a little wild?”