“Opinionated. Hardheaded. A know it all?”
Valentina laughed. “I was going to say very nice, but yes, to all three. Then again, so am I.”
While twisting my hand around the steering wheel, I nodded. “I must agree. She’s good at what she does. You don’t need to worry about Bella. She’ll be safe.”
“I’m not worried about her.”
“What happened with Bella escaping?”
“I forgot to arm the security system and no, it won’t happen again. She slipped out and headed to the beach. I don’t need you to tell me what I did was reckless.”
The tension between us was painful. “I wasn’t going to, Valentina. You’ve been through enough. Besides, I doubt Jacob Jones will rear his ugly head at least for a few days.” Not after the exchange we’d had. The hit list continued filtering through my mind.
“I’m also not worried about the Undertaker.”
“Then what are you worried about?”
I could feel the heat of her luminous eyes staring at me, the crawl of the explosive desire from before literally taking my breath away. Even the perfume she was wearing was dragging my mind into all the dark and filthy places that I shouldn’t allow it to go.
“You. I’m worried about you.”
Chuckling, without thinking I placed my hand on her leg and instantly, I heard a slight moan. While low in volume, it was distinct, and my cock shifted hard against my trousers.
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I think I do. I don’t know what you’re doing or how you’re trying to protect me because you don’t want me to know. That should tell you something, Hudson. You’re a man of the law. Don’t toss your scruples aside because of one man.”
“You mean one monster. He’s not the only one behind what happened. He was and is following orders.”
She shook her head and stared out the passenger window. “Men like him enjoy intimidating all those around them. He’ll grow bored and return to his bread and butter with his criminal life.”
I’d worked with victims and witnesses of heinous crimes for well over a decade. I’d experienced what some psychological experts would call similar stages to what they’d been through. The terror. The helplessness. The shock and disbelief. The hope in the system. The anger. And finally, a sense of resolve that allowed them to block out the terrible experience. Valentina was attempting to shove aside the tragic period of her life, to move on. But what she didn’t understand was that not all criminal elements were alike.
Some went beyond their evil deed, even if planned for days or weeks. Those were the men and women who truly had no souls and no fear of retribution or consequences. Jacob Jones fit into that category. A person’s eyes never lied. They highlighted darkness and the lack of any conscience. They laid in wait like predators. The most successful serial killers were the oneswho’d learned early on that patience was one of their greatest attributes, or what some might call a skill.
That allowed them to meticulously plan the event, the very moment when they carried out whatever repulsive deed they’d determined was necessary in their lives. What Jacob was doing was classic. Lying in wait. Providing a scare for the world around him to see. That placed everyone on edge and pushed them into performing careless behaviors.
That’s when he’d strike.
What could I say to squelch her fears about the person sitting next to her, the one offering her protection? She didn’t know me any better than she did the bastard who’d derailed her life. The only thing I could do was tell her the truths as I’d believed them for years. “I wish I could agree with you, but I’ve had a number of years to realize that’s just not the case. In many cases, the bad guys win. There’s much more at stake than you realize. I’ve always believed in the law, Valentina. Even though you know little about me, I do believe that’s something you’ve come to realize. You could say I have my mother and father to blame. That’s a compliment in my mind.”
She shifted in her seat, but I could tell by the way she was wringing her hands she was listening.
“My dad was a sergeant in the army and if there’s anything he taught me that had remained with me, driving both me personally and my career, is that if you followed the letter of the law, truth would always be by your side. Unfortunately, my father was wrong. Do you know how many times I’ve seen criminals walk free either because an attorney didn’t do their job or a witness was bullied? To steal again. Or rape another woman. To take children off the streets for human trafficking or to killthem just because they needed their addictive fix for the day. Monsters no longer kill simply out of necessity or anger. Many do so for the sheer joy of being able to get away with their crimes. I cannot and will no longer be a part of a system that all but forgets about those considered innocent.”
With no idea what effect my words would have on her, I remained quiet as I navigated the streets, thinking about both my words and the warning Camille had issued. She wasn’t wrong, just like the beautiful woman sitting beside me wasn’t. Yet neither knew that every experience had ripped away at the very armor Camille had always accused me of locking down around myself.
I was a different man.
So be it.
“Is that what happened with Camille? Is that why she walks that razor thin line of caring about you and hating you?” Her question was more apropos than she could realize.
“It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t life?” She tilted her head, searching my face as if believing she could find the answers when I was a master of hiding my emotion.
More uncomfortable than before, I twisted my hand on the steering wheel. “You’re right. She was working a case where there was no doubt the criminal was guilty. He ended up in my courtroom. The prosecuting attorney made a huge mistake that required me to throw out the evidence. I couldn’t make any other decision. The perpetrator was found not guilty. She never forgave me.”
