On paper, the man was about as squeaky clean as they came. But if experience had taught Liam anything, it was that everyone had secrets they preferred stayed hidden.
Even me.
“And you must be Cutler.”
At the sound of his name, he cleared his throat and offered Knox his hand. “Liam.” He nodded. “I appreciate you agreeing to see us on such short notice.”
“Your buddy Brooks and I go way back,” he mentioned Jagger while letting his hand fall back down to his side. “When he called and told me your team’s newest client had connections to my city, I knew it must be important. When I found out that same client was married to the same man I’ve been trying to nail down for the past two years…” Knox paused. “Let’s just say nothing was going to keep me from taking this meeting.”
“Oh, yeah.” The other man huffed. “The son of a bitch is about as dirty as they come. No offense.” His blue stare slid Allison’s way.
“None taken.” She gave a quick shake of her head. “I know my husband’s a monster. It’s the whole reason I took my daughter and left.”
Knox’s broad shoulders raised and lowered with a slow, deep breath. Glancing Sloane’s way, the two shared a silent message between them before the Seattle detective’s focus slid back to Allison.
“I’m familiar with your situation.”
He didn’t say this with a judgmental tone, but rather as a shared statement of fact.
“You are?” Allison frowned, but then, “What am I saying? Of course, you are. I’m pretty sure every cop in the city knows all about Crazy Mrs. Gallo and her wild accusations.”
“Crazy Mrs. Gallo?” It was Liam’s turn to frown.
She turned those big eyes his way. “Remember how I told you that my husband has half the force in his pocket? I figured it out when none of the cops I spoke to took me or my domestic violence complaints seriously. A couple acted like they might…at first. But after they spoke with Tommy, they both completely chained their tune. Suddenly,Iwas the problem. Not him.”
His eyes flew over to hers as anger roared to life within him. Allison had already shared how the cops had left her to fend for herself, but this was the first time Liam was hearing the specifics of how she’d been treated.
“One guy said I was just clumsy.” She huffed out a sarcastic breath. “He said the bruises probably came from me bumping into things without me having realized it at the time.”
Fury simmered just below the surface as his mind conjured up images from the scenes she’d described. The merethoughtof someone putting their hands on this woman in anger had his protective instincts firing on all cylinders.
“Another officer actually pulled me aside and asked me what I did to provoke Tommy,” Allison continued. “As if I’d donesomething to deserve getting punched in the face and kicked in the ribs. Because it had to be my fault, right? The rich and powerful Tommy Gallo couldn’t possibly be the abusive asshole I was claiming him to be.” Her fiery gaze turned his way. “The very next night was the incident I told you about.” Her throat worked and audible swallow. “The one with the gun.”
Knox’s spine grew stiff, his intelligent blue stare swinging Allison’s way. “I’m sorry, did you say ‘gun’? What the hell happened with a gun?”
“Tell you what.” Liam took control of the conversation. Eyeing the small seating area to his right, he suggested, “How ’bout we all sit down and get a little more comfortable, and then we can do the whole show-and-tell thing?”
Not waiting for a response, he walked over and sat down at one end of the small, three-person couch. Sloane and Knox followed his lead, choosing two of the three free-standing chairs facing him.
Allison slowly made her way over to the group, hesitating only slightly before making her choice. seat. Liam forced himself to ignore the smile tugging at the corners of his lips when she sat down next to him.
Don’t smile. Don’t smile. Do. Not. Smile.
To keep from acting a fool simply because the woman chose the couch and not the remaining chair a few feet away, he pulled in a deep breath and got right down to business.
“I know everyone’s time is valuable, so I’ll start.”
He parted his lips to begin sharing what he knew, but Knox lifted a hand a few inches into the air to stop him.
“Actually, I’d like to go first, if that’s okay with you.” When Liam nodded, the seasoned detective’s focus slid to Allison. “I know you have an aversion to the local law enforcement, and I completely understand why. So as a sign of good faith, and hopefully proof that you can trust me, I’m going to sharesomething with you that only Sloane knows. What I’m about to tell you is something that, at best, could get me fired.”
“And at worst?” Allison asked point-blank.
Knox’s broad shoulders shook with a huff of a breath. “At worst, I go to prison.”
Well, this should be interesting.
“You can trust us,” Liam assured Knox. He glanced at Allison, who was nodding her pretty head.
