Page 61

Hold up. Hold. Up. Was Hunter saying that Jonah wanted⁠—

“About Nate Shiloh,” Hunter redirected. “You didn’t arrest him when he attacked Mika. Mika was the waiter from back in the day, just in case his name has slipped from your memory. You never mentioned the attack on him at all. I’d like to know why. Either you can tell me or, I can go and find that news reporter from Channel Five who was so eager to go live with her broadcast tonight, and I can tell her about⁠—”

“I was new, okay?” Jonah cut in. “New to the town, new to the force. I’d written a few traffic tickets but not done much else. Nate was the first guy I caught in any kind of physical altercation, and back then, the Shiloh family was very, very well known in this area. His grandfather had coached the college football team. He was a freaking legend.”

“Ah.” Hunter nodded. “And you don’t arrest the family members of legends? Even if they are kicking the shit out of someone? You just let them walk? That the way it works?”

“Nate swore Mika started the fight. Mika swore Nate did. There were no other witnesses. Ms. Rochelle came out back and saw them long after the fight had started. The case would have been tossed. Even if I’d arrested Nate, if I’d processed him, no prosecutor would have gone forward. There just wasn’t enough evidence.” Gritted words. “I separated them at the scene. I told Nate to stay the hell away from Mika.”

“And you also pocketed the cash?” Hunter asked mildly, tone as easy as a breeze.

Jonah blinked. “What cash?’

“The money Nate gave you to look the other way. You just pocketed it, didn’t you?”

She barely contained her shock. How did Hunter know this? He sounded so confident, and Jonah had just stiffened. Hard. A definite giveaway that Hunter was right.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Hunter had obviously caught the sudden tenseness of Jonah’s body, too. “By the way, the bit about the cash was just a stab in the dark—oh, yeah, wrong phrase. My bad.” He glanced over at Shelby. Grimaced. “Seriously, I apologize.”

She shook her head, not really caring about whatever phrase he’d used. She’d already had bad chill bumps before that part of the conversation. “You took a bribe from Nate?” she questioned Jonah. “He paid you to let him go?”

“Must have,” Hunter declared as if it should be obvious to everyone. “It explains why Jonah never told anyone about the incident. If it had really been a he-said versus he-said situation with the two fighters, then Jonah would have admitted what happened to his superiors after the murders at the sorority house. But he didn’t do that. So that means there was a reason that night was never discussed. The most likely reason was cash. Jonah got a payoff.” He pursed his lips. “Do tell, Detective Campbell, how much was your silence worth? And are you still for sale today?”

Jonah leapt at Hunter, he swung out with his fist, aiming for Hunter’s jaw.

Hunter pushed Shelby away with one arm, sending her staggering back, and he dodged, avoiding the plowing fist that came straight at him.

“Jonah! Stop!” Shelby yelled.

He didn’t stop. He rushed at Hunter again. Hunter kept Shelby positioned behind him, but his leg swept out, he hooked his ankle behind Jonah’s leg and in the next instant, Jonah slammed into the floor.

“Sweep the leg.” Hunter stared down at the cop. “Always an important lesson from The Karate Kid.”

What? Never mind. She elbowed him to the side. “What are you thinking?” She glared at the cop. “You need to leave. Now.”

Jonah shoved upright.

Hunter instantly tugged her back. “Sweetheart, really don’t want you getting closer to the cop who might just come up swinging.”

“Sweetheart?” Jonah seemed to strangle on the endearment. “You call all your clients by that endearment?”

“Um, yes, I do. Guilty. Though I should probably confess that she is my only client. That’s why she gets the gold star, twenty-four, seven protection plan.”

Jonah braced his legs apart as he stood before them. “You assaulted me.”

Oh, no, they were not playing this game. She jumped in front of Hunter.

“What in the hell, Shelby?” Hunter’s displeasure was plain. “I keep moving you back, then you keep moving forward.”

She ignored him. “Hunter defended himself. You attacked. Don’t you dare pull some BS about him assaulting an officer!”

“He said I took a payment⁠—”

“Did you?”

Shelby didn’t think Jonah was going to answer. The seconds ticked past. The silence stretched.

“Yes,” Jonah finally hissed. His shoulders fell. “I did, and I’ve hated it—I’ve regretted it every damn day. But I especially regretted it that night when I found you covered in blood and I realized the asshole I’d let walk—the rich prick kid I could have arrested—he did it.” A frantic shake of his head. “You think the guilt hasn’t eaten me up over and over again? If I hadn’t taken the cash he offered, if I’d just locked him up, it all could have been different. Yes, yes, the assault charges against Nate probably would have been tossed. But he would have been on everyone’s radar. Maybe he would have even left town because his family was so damn embarrassed. Maybe spending the night in jail would have taught him that actions have fucking consequences.” A shuddering breath as his head tilted down, and he peered at his fisted hands. “But we’ll never know, will we? Because six women are dead. And I let the man who did it walk from the assault charge that could have changed everything.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “In my head, over and over, I go back to that house. I was patrolling close by when the call went out. I was the first to respond.” He looked up at her. “You called.”