White Collared Part Four: Passion (10 page)

She’d frozen the last time she’d held the gun in her hands. What if it happened again?

“Nick, I’m not in love with you. You were everything I wanted to be. The high-powered attorney who still took time to help the underdog. A star in the courtroom. You warned me to always put myself first and that’s what you did. What you do. But I’m not like you.”

His pleaded with his eyes. “Maybe not now, but it’s in you. I saw it the moment you walked into my office. Together, we’d make history.”

“My feelings for you won’t change. Especially now that I know what you’ve done.”

He waved his knife in the air. “You think you’re in love with Jaxon, don’t you? I can understand why you’d think that, but you’re confused because he gave you your first experiences with BDSM. I can show you pleasure you couldn’t even begin to imagine. Jaxon is a Dom wanna-be. He let Alyssa lead him around by the balls through the entire relationship. You need someone to take you in hand and mold you into the perfect submissive.”

“This isn’t about Jaxon,” she said quietly. “You have to tell the police what you’ve done. You need to take responsibility for your actions.”

He swallowed hard, fear in his eyes. “I can’t go to prison. A man like me has to be free in order to right the wrongs in this world.”

“Like the lawsuit you filed against Reverend Pierce?”

“Miles Joseph got what he deserved. A life for a life. He took Stephanie’s and I took his. Now it’s time for the great reverend to pay. The lawsuit is only the beginning of the hell that waits for the so-called man of God. When I get through with him, he’ll finally understand the definition of pain.”

Apparently, she was as crazy as Nick because she suddenly smelled pine. “I agree that he needs to answer for the abuse. But you are not God. It’s not up to you to deliver retribution. Besides, what makes him any different than you? You argue for your freedom based on the greater good, but how many lives has Reverend Pierce helped? What makes you any different?”

He stabbed the side of his thigh with the knife. “I am different! I’m nothing like him! This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go! Don’t make me hurt you!”

Tears streaked down her face as she closed her hand around the gun. “I can’t let you get away with it. I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “I am too.”

He lunged for her, a wildness in his eyes like a lion attacking its prey. She jumped out of his way and pointed her gun at Nick.

He slowly stalked toward her, his bloody knife raised to the level of his head. “Put down the gun, Kate.”

She kept her trembling trigger finger on the side of the gun. “Don’t come closer. Please don’t make me shoot you.”

He continued his advance. “You won’t. You couldn’t even shoot Joseph, and you didn’t care about him.”

The scent of pine intensified, giving her strength. “Then turn yourself in.”

“I can’t. I love you, but I have to put myself first. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for Jaxon. Because once I kill you, I’ll have to frame him for it. You don’t want your lover spending his life wasting away in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, do you?”

Bile filled her throat.

She had no alternative.

Her finger arched the short distance toward the trigger.

Jaxon darted into the room, so quick he was only a blur in her vision. Nick twisted, and Jaxon punched him in the jaw, knocking him backward. The knife flew from Nick’s hand.

Both men dove to the ground. Nick jabbed his elbow into Jaxon’s face and scrambled ahead of him, retrieving the blade.

Kate had never known panic like this, watching as the two men grappled over control of the knife. Her heart stopped as Nick rolled on top of Jaxon and lifted the weapon.

Nick had been wrong.

She could shoot someone she cared about.

She settled her finger over the safety and pushed it into the trigger.

Perfect aim.

Louder than fireworks on the Fourth of July, the sound reverberated throughout the room.

Everybody grew as still as the dead.

Blood spread like an enormous red inkblot on Nick’s white shirt.

The knife fell to the carpet, and Nick toppled off Jaxon.

Beyond the ringing of her ears, she heard Jaxon call his friend’s name.

As her hearing cleared, Nick’s whispered plea reached her. She lowered the gun to her side and went to him. Her mentor. Her friend.

The bullet had gone straight through, staining the front of Nick’s shirt with blood. She sat behind him and rested his head in her lap, smoothing his hair off his forehead. He gasped for air and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Jaxon was on the phone with 911, but he shook his head.

They both knew the truth.

Nick wouldn’t live long enough to make it to the hospital.

No matter what he’d done, she couldn’t desert him. Her eyes leaked tears like a broken faucet.

“Don’t die, Nick. Just hang on a little longer until the paramedics get here.”

He blinked several times as if fighting to stay conscious. “You’re the sub. Don’t get to make orders.”

She laughed through the tears. Sirens wailed outside.

“Promise me you’ll file the lawsuit.” He coughed, more blood bubbling out of the corner of his mouth. “Make him pay. For Alyssa.”

“I promise.”

He lifted his hand but it fell back to his side. “So proud of you.”

She heard shouts from the police and the thumping of footsteps. An officer came into the room, his weapon drawn.

Nick gazed at the cop. “I killed Alyssa Deveroux. Kate shot me in defense.” He panted and his eyes settled on her once more. “Love you, Kate.”

His chest rose.

Then nothing.

He was gone.

She’d killed again.

She gently lowered Nick’s head to the carpet and got to her feet.

Jaxon wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “When I got your call, I’d never been so scared in my life.”

She rested against his chest and felt the beat of his racing heart on her cheek. “How did you get here so quickly?”

He kissed the top of her head. “I was right down the street. I had time before my flight so I stopped to vote. Thank God today was Election Day. If I didn’t hate District Attorney Savage so much, I would’ve been at the airport, and I never would’ve gotten to you in time.”

The police officers began their duties of preserving the crime scene. Kate knew she and Jaxon would have a long day ahead of them at the precinct. At least Nick had done the right thing in the end and had confessed. Otherwise, Jaxon and she would be under investigation for his murder.

She hugged Jaxon tighter, knowing how difficult it must be for him to learn that his best friend had killed his wife. Unlike when her father had died, this time she wouldn’t grieve alone.

Chapter Ten

T
HE SUN HID
behind a cloud, giving Kate a brief moment of relief from the record-breaking July heat. Why had they decided the grassy park at City Hall would be the best place to do this press conference? She looked at the woods behind her and grinned.

Oh yeah. The spot made for a quick getaway.

She took a swig of her bottled water and then flipped open a compact mirror. Her skin was shiny from perspiration, and she blotted her forehead with a tissue, careful not to ruin her makeup.

This was the last thing she wanted to do this afternoon, but according to Rachel it was a necessary evil, and she’d better get used to it. Who would’ve guessed the reporter would become one of her closest friends?

Logan came from behind her and massaged her shoulders. “You ready?”

As always in his presence, she smiled. “No. Why don’t you go out there for me?” She turned around and peered up at him.

He laughed and shook his head fervently. “Hey, I won that coin toss fair and square. You’re the lucky one who gets to face the firing squad today. Besides, they already love you. They’re here for you, not me.”

She slapped his chest playfully. “They’re here because they’re cannibals looking for their big meal.”

His expression grew serious. “If you really don’t want to do it, I’ll go out there for you. You’re not too anxious, are you? I don’t want you to have one of your attacks.”

She ran a hand over the sore spot on her right hip and pressed down with the pads of her fingers. “I’m fine. I don’t even need a pill.”

Her pulse remained even and her heartbeat steady. Other than the sensation of fluttering hummingbirds in her belly, she didn’t experience any of the signs of anxiety. Just a case of plain old nerves. And who wouldn’t before going out in front of a sea of reporters to give a press conference? At least there were fewer people here than when she’d given her valedictorian speech at graduation. What was a horde of cannibals compared to a bunch of hungry legal sharks?

“Good.” He ran his admiring gaze over her body. “You look great. Ready for Lisa to introduce you?”

She exhaled and nodded. “Let’s get started.”

Logan rubbed her neck for a moment and then went to find Lisa, who was seating the media on the other side of the small white tent.

Mousy secretary Lisa turned out to have a degree in marketing. After Nick’s death, she’d quit her job at Joseph and Long and started her own public relations firm. As someone who’d also cared for Nick, she and Kate had mourned him together, remembering him not for his crimes but for his triumphs. She, Kate, and Rachel met for drinks every Thursday night, and although her friends preferred white wine to a Slo Gin Fizz, she’d learned the three of them had a lot more important things in common, like being career-driven women. That’s why it shocked her when Lisa volunteered to do Kate’s public relations work for free. Having friends who didn’t just take but gave in return was a new experience for her.

She took another pull from her water bottle and rolled her shoulders. In ten minutes it would be all over.

Lisa hurried to her, a clipboard in her hands. “It’s standing room only out there.” She tapped Kate’s cheek. “Let me see your teeth.”

Kate smiled for her.

Lisa nodded. “No lipstick on them. You’re good to go. Follow me.”

Kate sucked in a breath and straightened her spine, once again pressing the bruise on her hip. Knowing he was out there for her eased the twisted knots in her tummy.

Lisa led her around the tent and then stood in front of the podium’s microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, Kate Martin will give a short statement and, upon the conclusion, will answer a limited amount of questions.”

Kate’s gaze surfed over the heads of the crowd until it landed on the dark hair she could pick out of a lineup. With her gaze glued to his beautiful eyes, she began. “A few months ago, under the direction of attorney Jeffrey Reaver of Reaver, Markson, and Long, fellow intern Logan Bradford and I began an investigation into the camp formerly known as Angelus Tredecim, run by Reverend Pierce. Through countless interviews with past campers from the last thirty years, we unearthed more than two dozen women who allege sexual assault at the hands of Reverend Pierce. Most of them had remained silent, coming home from camp with a secret shame they held for years, imprisoned by the nightmare of the months they suffered not only sexual but physical and emotional abuse. Some had chosen to tell their parents only to have the trusted religious leader convince their families that they had lied. As you will read in the transcripts, allegedly after the reverend raped his victim, he would chain her to the floor and perform an unsanctioned exorcism.”

The audience grew completely still, no one twitching a muscle, likely in shock from the information. Tears welled in her eyes. Even though she’d been immersed in the case for months, the pain of their stories wrapped around her heart and squeezed with an unforgiving fist as if she was hearing their tale for the first time.

She’d never know who was responsible for her own sexual assault, but helping these women find justice brought a glimmer of hope that someday she’d bring justice to her rapist as well. And if not, helping these women was enough.

It would have to be.

“While the statute of limitations protects Reverend Pierce and the church from civil liability, the church has offered ten million dollars in reparations to the women we’ve found. An additional five million will be set aside for those unknown victims, and any money remaining after five years will be donated to a local women’s crisis center.”

The low murmuring of the reporters reached her ears. She was surprised that they’d managed to stay quiet this long. In the front row, waiting to shout out her question, Rachel squirmed with discomfort. Her friend’s inquisitive mind ran a mile a second, and no doubt she had dozens of questions.

Looking like he was melting in his suit, Logan stood off to the side of the tent, staying out of the limelight. Reaver had given her and Logan full reign on this case since the firm wasn’t going to accept a dime for their work. It was an attempt to repair its image after having employed two attorneys responsible for murder.

Kate held back a smile. “At ten this morning, Brighton police arrested Reverend Pierce on multiple charges of criminal sexual conduct. On behalf of Reaver, Markson, and Long, we hope the victims and their families receive the peace they deserve. Thank you.”

Lisa sidled up beside her and leaned into the microphone. “We’ll now take a few questions.”

Hands shot up in the air and reporters shouted their questions all at once, creating a chaotic blend in which not one was decipherable. Thank goodness for Lisa. She’d familiarized herself with almost every reporter in the crowd.

Lisa pointed to the front row. “First question goes to Rachel Dawson of Channel Three News.”

Rachel stood and tossed her long black hair over her shoulder. “How did you come to initially learn about the alleged assaults?” She retook her seat and gave Kate a little wink.

Unprepared for the thickness of emotion clogging her throat, Kate coughed and swallowed back the grief brought on by the question. It didn’t even matter that she’d known it was coming.

“Alyssa Deveroux was one of Reverend Pierce’s victims. The abuse and her parents’ refusal to believe her led to a lifetime of psychological pain. Nicholas Trenton may have taken her life, but he’d also kept her alive since they became friends at Camp Angelus Tredecim at age thirteen. The world may see him as a monster, but I knew him as someone who cared deeply about the people he loved. He fought tirelessly for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, and Alyssa was his first. Before his death, he’d started a complaint against Reverend Pierce, the camp, and the church and asked me to continue on his behalf, to give closure to the victims. It was his way of continuing his fight for Alyssa and honoring her memory.”