TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7) (42 page)

Gabby sighed and rested her forehead on his chest for a moment before straightening and nodding. “Yes.”

Keeping an arm around her shoulders, he linked his fingers through Jerra’s. Reluctantly, he looked at his father. “Since you’re here, you might as well come to the service if you want to. It’s up to you. We’re meeting back here afterwards.”

Everyone realized the importance of Darrell’s invitation, however grudgingly it was extended. It was obvious Isaac did as well. His posture stiff, he nodded his acceptance. “Thank you.”

Darrell nodded once in acknowledgment. When Jerra squeezed his hand and lifted her lips to tell him something, he leaned down and bent his ear close. 

“I love you,” Jerra whispered.

Darrell’s handsome face relaxed a bit. With just those three words, she centered him, brought him back to the here and now.

His lips came down and met hers for a brief kiss. “Love you back, Mrs. Monroe.”

They all started to disperse and move towards their cars. Jerra looked back and noticed that Justin still stood in the same spot. “Are you coming?”

Darrell came to a stop and turned to look at Justin as well. His brows lifted in silent inquiry as his eyes held Justin’s then slid to the detectives. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. You two go on, I’ll be right behind you. I just want to have a word with the detectives before they leave.”

After a brief hesitation, Darrell nodded and guided Jerra and Gabby to the car.

Justin watched them go then turned back to Lowe and Thomas. When he did, he saw something that made him stand still. If he’d been a millisecond later he would’ve missed it.

Justin’s gaze sharpened as he glanced at the limousine. Isaac Pattel was poised and ready to climb inside, but before he did, he paused and looked back at the two detectives. A silent message of sorts was exchanged between the three men. Justin frowned, silently correcting himself. No, not a message. More like a warning from Darrell’s father to the detectives.

The action only served to magnify Justin’s growing unease, because from his understanding, Darrell’s father and the detectives didn’t know one another. Justin and Jerra had both come to the conclusion that the police had been using Darrell as a way to get to Isaac and the rest of the Pattels. But the look he’d just witnessed said otherwise. For some reason, Isaac was not pleased with the idea of Justin talking to the detectives. Justin couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Mr. Sullivan, what can we help you with?”

Justin rubbed his chin and studied Detective Lowe for a moment before answering. He was the older of the two, and from what Jerra had told him, seemed to be the one in charge. A hint of impatience simmered in Lowe’s eyes as he waited for Justin to speak.

“I won’t keep you long. I just have a couple of questions about the arrest you made in connection with Ms. Gibson’s murder. It happened rather quickly, wouldn’t you agree?”

Detective Lowe raised a gray, wiry brow. “And that’s a problem for you? I thought you would’ve been happy that justice was served so swiftly. Your client is no longer under suspicion.”

“Of course I’m pleased, but I’m also curious about a few things.”

Lowe glanced at Thomas, his attitude arrogant and patronizing. “Forgive my confusion, but most attorneys would be jumping for joy upon finding out the person they’re defending is no longer being looked at as a person of interest in a murder investigation, not asking for an explanation.”

Justin laughed, but the sound had a definite edge. “I’m not ‘most attorneys’.” The smile disappeared slowly and his eyes dipped below freezing. “Humor me.”

Lowe studied Justin as if seeing a different side of him. Shrugging, he smirked and said, “Fine. What did you want to know, Mr. Sullivan?”

“You said the man arrested for the murder had recently been released from prison?”

“That’s correct.”

“He was apprehended after attacking another woman. Is that when you ran his prints and discovered they were a match to the ones lifted from Ms. Gibson’s room?”

Detective Lowe paused a beat.  “Correct.”

Justin tilted his head to the side and held a finger up. “See, that’s what puzzles me. If he’d been to prison, that meant his fingerprints would already be on file. I assume the first thing you did was run the prints found at the crime scene through your database. Why wasn’t a match made then?”

His expression hardening, Detective Lowe folded his arms. “Just a fluke. Slipped through the cracks. It happens.”

“Oh, I’m sure a lot of things happen. All it takes is a little help to make it happen the way someone wants it to.”

The other man’s arms slowly dropped to his side as he took a step towards Justin. “Just what are you implying, Sullivan?”

“Oh, I think you and I are on the same page here. You know what I’m getting at.”

The silence stretched on until it became dangerously uncomfortable. The two of them squared off like gunmen waiting to draw their weapons. Detective Thomas stepped between them to try and diffuse what had quickly become a tense standoff.

“Mr. Sullivan, I assure you that everything is above board and by the books.”

“Hold on a second, Matt. You don’t have to explain anything to him.” Lowe pushed Detective Thomas aside and glared at Justin with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Ya’ know, Sullivan, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were disappointed that Mr. Monroe is no longer a suspect.”

Justin’s dark brow arched questioningly. “Really. Tell me why I would be disappointed about something like that.”

Lowe hunched shoulders. “Oh, I dunno. Maybe it has something to do with Monroe’s pretty little wife. She works for your firm, doesn’t she? Even pregnant, she’s a hot piece of ass. With Monroe out of the picture, that would give you an excuse to step in and offer her a little bit of comfort, along with a lot of tender loving care. Right?”

Fury darkened Justin’s eyes to a deep cobalt blue. He knew the son of a bitch was taking a shot in the dark, looking for a way to provoke him. Make him lose control. Justin wouldn’t let that happen because if a person was able to do that, they owned you. You would be little more than a puppet dancing on a string to whatever music they chose to play.

With great effort, Justin forced himself to calm down. He had a short fuse, a fact very few people knew about him. His anger could be explosive, but he’d learned to keep it on a short leash, something he prided himself on having mastered. However, the blatant disrespect Lowe showed almost succeeded in derailing all of Justin’s hard work. That, in itself, was enough to make Justin want to kick his fucking ass.

Justin took the steps needed to put him well past Detective Lowe’s comfort zone. A sense of satisfaction came over Justin when he saw the glimmer of unease that flickered in the old bastard’s eyes.

“I’m telling you now, that badge you’re wearing is giving you a false sense of security. You need to tread very carefully from this point on.”

“Sullivan, I’d advise you to step the fuck back.
Now.
”

“And I’d advise
you
to watch your fucking mouth and show some respect!” Justin snapped.

Lowe’s complexion turned an ugly, deep red. Justin saw the uncertainty on his face and knew the son of a bitch was trying to get a read on him, figure out what he was dealing with, but that would never happen. Lowe wasn’t smart enough.

Still, he tried his best to bluff his way out of the precarious predicament he’d somehow found himself in. “Don’t think I won’t haul your ass in for threatening an officer of the law.”

“We both know you won’t do that. I’m just taking a guess here, but something tells me Isaac Pattel wouldn’t appreciate you doing that. Am I right?”

Detective Lowe blanched as an emotion that could only be described as naked fear drained the color from his face. He looked at Thomas, who seemed just as disturbed. His throat working furiously, Lowe took a step back and straightened his tie.

“As my partner stated, this arrest was done by the books. We have the evidence, the perp’s confession, and statements from witnesses who remember seeing him at the scene of the crime.” Lowe put emphasis on the next statement and made sure to keep eye direct eye contact. “This case is iron tight and now considered to be closed. If there’s nothing else?”

Justin’s eyes swept over both men with infinite care, taking great delight in seeing them squirm under his piercing scrutiny. “No, I think I have everything I need,” he answered in a bored tone. “Have a good day, gentlemen.”

He watched as the detectives scurried to their car like grateful mice released from a trap. Rotating his head from one side to the other in a controlled manner, Justin stretched and cracked his neck muscles to relieve the tight knot of stress.

Making a mental note to schedule a much-needed appointment with his chiropractor, Justin took slow strides to his car, his mind methodically reviewing the conversation he’d have to initiate with his client, who could be hot headed and difficult to handle. But Justin knew he appreciated candor and honesty. Even so, Justin had a feeling it wouldn’t be pleasant for anyone involved after he divulged everything he’d just found out.

CHAPTER 50

Hours after Tina’s funeral service, a small group of family and friends gathered at Darrell and Jerra’s home to partake in food, conversation, and offer support. Mrs. Henderson had everything under control in the kitchen by the time Darrell and Jerra got back. When Jerra tried to enter the kitchen to see if there was anything she could do to help, the older woman shooed her out and told to go and attend to her guests.

As soon as Jerra entered the living room her eyes searched the room of people until she found Darrell. Seeing that he was talking to Lucas and Dominick, she nibbled on her lip, gauging whether or not she could get him alone for a moment before things got too crazy. She really
really
needed to talk to him about something, ASAP.

Sighing, Jerra’s thoughts went back to the burial service. It had been as hard as she’d expected, especially for Gabby. Thankfully, Jerra and Darrell had convinced her to stay with them for a few more days before going back to New York. Once she returned, Jerra felt fairly comfortable that she would find the support she needed in Renzo. The sibling relationship they shared was strong. Not as binding as the one Gabby had with Darrell, but that would come in time.

Jerra glanced at Gabby now, noticing how Renzo, along with King and Hawk, flanked her protectively. With great reluctance, Cane had gone directly to the airport from the cemetery. A frown settled across Jerra’s face as she remembered how long he’d held Gabby before he left.

Gabby had told her last night how confused she was about her feelings for Cane. Their lives were so different. Gabby didn’t know whether or not she could get past those differences…or if she even wanted to. As a model, she’d been somewhat accustomed to the fast life, but it wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed. From what Gabby said, Cane seemed to enjoy it a little bit too much. The last thing Gabby wanted right now was to be the girlfriend of an athlete, especially someone as high profile as Hurricane Johnson. However, from what Jerra had witnessed, he and Gabby seemed to be a good fit. Each appeared to have something the other needed. Cane cared about Gabby a lot. Anyone could see that, but…only time would tell.

Her eyes went back to Darrell. Since they’d gotten home, the two of them had both been busy trying to make sure their guests were taken care of, but when she saw someone gesture for Dominick, she decided to make her apologies to Lucas and pull Darrell to the side and speak with him.

She had just reached him when his business partner, Carl, and his new wife walked up to offer their condolences. Darrell gave her a quick inquiring glance before bringing his eyes back to Carl and nodding at the appropriate intervals. He slipped an arm around Jerra’s waist to keep her by his side as he introduced Lucas.

While the two men shook hands, Darrell leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Did you need something?”

“I have to talk to you. It won’t take but a…”

Before she could finish, Carl’s mother joined them and pulled Darrell into her embrace for a comforting hug. Darrell sent Jerra a smile of apology as he turned his attention to the elderly woman. When yet another person joined the group, Jerra pushed aside her misgivings and resigned herself to putting off her conversation with Darrell for a few moments more. She just hoped she could tell him before it was too late.

Feeling a sudden tingle of awareness rippling up her spine, she casually scanned the room until she locked eyes with Isaac Pattel. They held each other’s gaze for several seconds before Isaac gave her a slow nod and resumed his conversation with Angel and Joseph.

What was that all about?
Jerra wondered. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught him staring at her. Her brow wrinkled delicately until she realized Darrell’s eyes were on her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Jerra shook her head. “Nothing.”

But Darrell turned his head and followed her gaze until his eyes landed on his father. A brooding scowl crossed his face. Jerra knew he’d conversed with his cousins and briefly with his uncle, but he and his father had yet to say a word to each other. However, the fact that Isaac Pattel was standing in their living room was…huge. It was something Jerra had been sure she would never witness because of Darrell’s strong feelings of dislike towards him.

“Hey, there you are.” Keisha and Aleesha materialized beside Jerra and drew her attention away from Darrell and his father and onto them.

“Want to step outside for a minute and get some fresh air?” Aleesha asked.

Jerra hesitated for a moment and then nodded. She could use a chance to catch her breath. Giving Darrell a smile that told him they’d talk later, she let her friends skillfully ease her through the crowd to the French doors that led to the backyard for a much needed break.