“Seriously? I thought you two were friends.”
“We are friends. He’s like a brother. And you know as well as I do that it’s because we’re close that he let me know that. When does law enforcement ever warn someone that they want to question them? Never.”
“I agree,” Josh said, walking to the garage door. “I’ll be right back.”
Maya waited. What was he doing? She hoped he wasn’t blowing her off about this because he was in denial. He came back in with an envelope in his hand.
“There’s no one I trust more than you,” he said. “This is the evidence. It’s not much. My memo book with notes. I flipped back through them, and you can tell I was high, so they’re not great, but I had enough cop instinct going to write down the important stuff. I think what someone is after though is the pictures on that memory card.”
Maya reached out to take the envelope, but Josh hesitated.
“There’s also no one else I love like you,” he said, reaching out and caressing Maya’s cheek. “I want to be with you. Forever. I know that. I’ve hesitated to give you this because I don’t want to put you in danger.”
Maya’s heart pounded. She knew Josh loved her and she loved him. She’d realized in January when a serial killer almost took her life that she wanted to be with Josh forever, but this was as close as they’d ever come to saying it. She reached forward and pulled him down to her, kissing him hard, her hands entwined in his hair.
When they parted, she said, “I will be careful. I will make sure no one gets this. Juniper will help keep me safe. I love you too, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life, so we need to find this missing prosecutor and figure things out. We need to give Lucas someone else to question.”
“I agree,” Josh said before they kissed again.
“I think we better get going or we’re not going to make it anywhere on time,” Maya said, a little out of breath.
Josh continued to hold her to him. She could feel his heart pounding and smell his cologne.
“How about we continue this tonight?” he asked.
“Good idea,” Maya said. “I’m holding you to that.”
Then she pulled him close and kissed him again, lips tingling, not wanting him to leave. She had a feeling that this was all far from over, and she wanted to savor the moment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Driving down the road that wound its way toward Highway 287, Josh had a bad feeling. He didn’t like that he’d given Maya the evidence. He didn’t want to see her get hurt if someone was after those photos, but Maya was smart. She’d be careful. He had to trust that she could also take care of herself.
Through all this, she’d stood by his side. He didn’t think she’d ever doubted him, or if she had, she would never say it. He loved her and never wanted to lose her. When he’d first met Maya, she’d been working to get her life back on track. The PTSD had a strong hold on her and her drinking was out of control. He knew she had to be the one who wanted to change, and she had trusted him to help her, knowing he too dealt with his demons. At the time, he’d thought he was through his past. It was done. Over and dealt with.
How wrong he was.
Josh didn’t want to admit it to Maya, because that meant saying out loud that he agreed with her and she was right—he was in a bit of denial. Sydney’s murder had rocked her family and the media had hounded them for weeks. All the major network shows likeDatelinehad done specials on her case. The man who went to prison was a member of the Dark Angels.
So why were the Dark Angels here trying to find a prosecutor? And if the remains were Amber, then did they kill her? Or someone else? Was there any way the senator could be tied in with the gang?
He knew that in typical Chicago fashion, instead of the mob, politicians were now in bed with gangs. They literally formed alliances and there were times when he’d be arresting someone only to find out that they needed to be released. No questions asked.
Josh just never thought that the senator would stoop to such levels. On the other hand, why wouldn’t he? Sydney had always said her father sold his soul to the devil when he went into politics. And who better to make sure that someone else went to prison than a former prosecutor. But would the senator kill?
Probably not. He’d keep his hands clean, but he had hired guns who would kill for him and Josh knew them both—Tony Lancaster and Ian Bachar. Tony had been a detective in Josh’s district and Ian was a patrol officer. Their paths didn’t cross much, but they had been among the many officers that helped isolate Josh. No one wanted to work with him after his partner was shot and killed. There were many people Josh could remember along the way down when he headed toward rock bottom. No one except Bianca ever offered him any kind of support. Tony and Ian knew about Josh’s issues in the past. Someone might think that they would make the perfect team to frame Josh. But all of this was just a hunch. He had no way to prove that Tony and Ian were involved.
Glancing at his watch, he hoped he could make it to the courthouse and catch his dad before Pops’ trial started. Josh had plenty of questions.
* * *
Maya drove out to the crime scene, her toast churning in her stomach along with the coffee. But her stomach flip-flopping wasn’t from what she’d eaten or drunk—it was from nerves, both from Pops’ trial and wondering about all the Chicago connections in town.
She could tell that Josh was trying to play cool and act like none of this worried him. She hoped he was putting on a facade. It should worry him. All of this. And the evidence against him wasn’t good if the remains ended up being Amber. Dr. Meyers’ voice resonated in her mind about staying in the moment. Not letting her anxiety and imagination get out of control. But this time it was difficult, because she could lose not just Pops, but the other important person in her life that she had come to rely on, trust, and love.
Pushing those thoughts aside as she parked, she heard Juniper get up and stretch along with a yawn and a little squeak. Maya opened the door between Juniper’s compartment and the cab. The Mal stuck her head through, wanting a scratch behind the ears. Maya obliged and Juniper sighed in happiness.
“Give me a few minutes, girly. I’ll figure out what’s going on and what the plan is, but I think you’re going to get to work again.”
