“I’ll be in touch Jackson, but before I go, know this, I will get what I want from you and you can’t be with her 24 hours a day. Don’t fuck with me!”
She walks past me and out the door as if we just had a normal everyday conversation. What the fuck just happened? I go through the rest of my house checking all the windows and doors, wondering how the hell did I get caught up in this mess and wondering if she would really do something to Crystal if I don’t do as she says. My question is answered when I go into my bedroom and spread out on my bed are several photos of Crystal at her job, in her yard, and photos of us together. I know it’s late on the east coast, but I make a mental note to call my old partner in Chicago so I can do some background checking on this woman. It’s been three years and that’s a long time to hold onto a grudge. What did she mean by she lost everything? There’s something I’m missing, and I have to keep her away from Crystal.
Sleep evades me. I’m tossing and turning, wondering how this happened. How did she find me and why is she after me? I really don’t need this right now! I have to focus on this new case now that I know who killed Mike and where the drugs are coming from. Then there’s Crystal. I finally found a woman that I really care about and it’s being threatened. I have to get this under control and I’m not sure if I should tell Crystal anything just yet. If I can get rid of her before anything happens, Crystal will never have to know anything. I hate to keep this from her, but I think it’s for the best right now. I have a meeting first thing in the morning with the chief and Javi. They have Lance Jones coming in for an interview and we have to inform him of his brother’s drug business operating right under his nose. It’s unfortunate that they’re brothers and it may be hard to convince him to cooperate, but if he doesn’t help us, he’ll be going down with him. I’m finally feeling like I can sleep, thoughts of Crystal with her mouth wrapped around my dick consuming me. She was so responsive, and I couldn’t get enough of her. This woman is quickly becoming an important part of my life and I can’t let anything happen to her.
Jackson
We decide to meet with Lance in the chief’s old office to avoid running into Jordan. Javi informed me that he spoke to his contact at the DEA and he was able to track a shipment of liquor that comes in every week from Colombia. He and a few other agents are running surveillance down at the pier, but it’s strictly to observe until we get everything set on our end. The shipment is supposed to go to the club, but they make a detour and go to a warehouse first. Jordan has a crew that cuts the drugs, bags them, and reseals the crates. The crates are then delivered to the club with none the wiser. It’s the perfect operation. We show Lance the video and tell him how his brother is involved. With a heavy sigh, he says,
“I’m not surprised at all.”
We all look at him in confusion and I know what we’re all thinking. Is he involved in this somehow or if he knows about it, why didn’t he turn his brother in? Holding his hands up in surrender, he says.
“Let me explain. A few years ago, Devon got into some trouble and I helped him out. I decided to bring him on board to help me out with my new club to keep him out of said trouble, but I see that didn’t work. We’ve never been that close and he’s actually my half-brother. I’m not willing to take the fall for him, so whatever you need me to do, I’ll cooperate.”
This is going smoother than expected, so we get right into the plan of having an undercover agent work at the restaurant to keep a close eye on Devon and see who his distributors are on the streets. We set up additional cameras behind the club and the receiving area for shipments after Lance informed us that the video feed from those areas go dark sometimes. He assumed it was due to a bad signal, but I have a feeling the cameras were being turned off at certain times.
“We’ll be in touch if we need anything additional on your end,” I say.
Javi escorts Lance out of the office while the chief and I finish the first phase of the operation.
“Do you trust he’s going to follow through and help us,” she asks?
“I do and from their history, I don’t believe there’s much loyalty there. I’m just ready to give Mike’s family the closure that they need to move on. I can’t believe we have his killers right here under our noses.”
“I don’t like a dirty cop working in my precinct, but I’d rather have him here where we can keep an eye on him so we can gather the evidence we need to bury his ass.”
The chief is pissed and rightfully so. A dirty cop has no place on the force. It gives us a bad reputation and ruins our relationship with the community. The sooner we wrap this up, the better. I have plans with Crystal again and I don’t want to be late. I’m having dinner at her place and I can’t wait to taste that mouth of hers. I can no longer deny that I’m falling in love with her and I hope she feels the same. I won’t tell her how I feel just yet, I have to be sure of what this is, and I have to take care of a little problem named Mina. I will not allow her to ruin this for me, which reminds me. I need to make that phone call to my old precinct and find out what exactly went on after I left.
Chapter 17
Crystal
The Advertiser of the Year Ceremony is all set for this coming Friday. I have my dress and I prepared my speech. This is the moment that I’ve worked so hard for. Where what I do, has a direct impact on the community. That when they pick up my magazine, they are getting trustworthy, quality work. This was in no way easy to achieve, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I did not mean to stay this late, but the perfectionist in me had to go over this week’s follow-up on the opening of Pure Sin. Thoughts of Jackson enter my mind as I ride the elevator down. I can still feel the sting of the flogger hitting my skin and I cannot wait to call him on my way home. I exit the elevator and as soon as I hit the fob to unlock my car, I feel a sharp pain at the back of my skull and then there’s nothing but darkness.
My head is splitting and there’s a bright light hurting my eyes. So many voices, I can’t make out what they’re saying, but I hear my name.
“Oh my god, Crystal!”
That’s Chassity’s voice. My mouth is dry, and it hurts to talk. I manage a few words, even though they sound muffled and it feels like I have sand in my throat.
“Chas, where am I?”
“You scared us to death! A man found you passed out by your car in the parking garage at your office. He didn’t see what happened, but he called an ambulance and called the first contact in your phone.”
That would be April and I look up to see her sitting there with tears in her eyes.
“April, please don’t cry, I’m ok, I promise.”
She gets so emotional and I hope to find out more about what happened to put her mind at ease.
“I was so scared when I heard that man calling from your phone. He was really nice, and he stayed with you until the ambulance got there. Someone hit you over the head and knocked you unconscious.”
At that moment, Jackson bursts into the room. “Oh, thank God!”
I don’t have time to say anything before he has me cradled in his arms.