Page 93 of Ballistic

“Well, I guess you better pray she comes back to me, then.”

“Off the record, I do care what happens. I did fall in love with her.” He tapped his finger against the desk, not bothering to look up at me. “You can find your way out, I presume.”

Without answering I strode out of his office, counting off the steps to the elevator like a time bomb waiting to go off. Every muscle in my body quaked with the urge to do something stupid and reckless. To put my fist through a wall and steal a moment of distraction from the thoughts hammering my skull.

Maybe Nicoleta was right, after all. Maybe forgetting everything was the better option, because I sure as hell didn’t want to remember the last thirty minutes.

* * *

A simple search on the internet led me to Doctor Harrison, a surgeon for Detroit General in downtown. A few more clicks showed pictures from a charity ball, and beside him, his wife, Dawn. My stomach twisted at the sight of her long blonde hair, which bore a striking resemblance to Nicoleta’s. She’d apparently gone on to pursue an administrative job at her husband’s satellite practice in Birmingham.

Decked out in some fancy ball gown, surrounded by men in tuxes, she looked important. Respected.

No way an upstanding chick like that would dare sit down with me to chat about a porn video she’d made back in her freshman year. I probably wouldn’t even get one foot in the door.

Unfortunately, I knew one person who would, and I hated what I might have to do to get her help.

* * *

Seemed like every cop showed up at Donna’s for coffee and donuts in the morning. I sat out front with a variety bag and two coffees in hand, edgy as hell, my blood sputtering with tension as I waited. Dealing with Nancy was tricky business on a good day. Pushing forty, she tended to be self-conscious, and although she had a thing about being dominated when it came to sex, she liked control. No doubt, my rejecting her twice would’ve played on her emotions, and the things I’d said after had probably landed my sorry ass onto her blacklist.

Three patrol cars had already pulled in and left before I thought about throwing in the towel, and forgetting the whole damn thing.

Wasn’t until the fourth parked in the spot right in front of me that shit really kicked up in my stomach.

Both doors of the cruiser opened, and Nancy and another younger male officer exited.

“I’ll catch you inside,” she said to the kid, as he eyed me up and down before making his way into the donut shop. “What do you want?” Damn the venom in her voice telling me she was still pissed off at me.

“To grovel like a bitch and ask your forgiveness.”

“I don’t do forgiveness, and groveling’s a turn off.” She stepped past me to go inside, but I grabbed her arm. Lowering her sunglasses showed me the threat in her eyes, and I cleared my throat.

“I need your help.”

“Oh. How sweet. I don’t do favors, anymore, either.”

“Believe me when I say, you’re the last person I’d come to.”

She backed up a step, and when she crossed her arms, I felt the first twinge of hope. “I’m listening.”

“I need you to come with me. I gotta ask this doctor’s wife some questions, and I need it to look official so she’ll take me seriously.”

Her head kicked back with a humorless laugh. “You’re asking me to bastardize my uniform, so you can harass a doctor’s wife?”

“That’s not what I said.” I prodded a finger toward her and shook my head. “You know that’s not what I said. I found some bad shit on the internet. Think she might know something about it.”

Lowering her brows, she tipped her head, and, at a guess, only morbid curiosity prompted her to keep asking questions. “What kind of bad shit?”

“Snuff film. Supposed to be fake, but I don’t know for sure.”

She glanced around and leaned in. “Do you know how much deep shit this would put me in, if someone found out?”

“Probably as much as your husband finding out we’ve been fucking each other for the last two years.”

Her eyes narrowed on me, one twitching at the corner. “Are you blackmailing me?”

“I’m doing whatever it takes to find some answers on the girl in the video.”