Authors: Melody Anne
His doorbell rang at close to two in the morning, and Bryson didn’t even blink. He’d been waiting for this visit.
“You could have at least phoned me and let me know what in the hell was going on!” he snapped as he threw open the door, standing there in his sweats, a pronounced scowl on his face.
“It’s good to see you, too, Bryson,” Camden said cheerily as he stepped over the threshold of Bryson’s temporary home.
“I’m really not in the mood for small talk, Cam. What happened?”
“I think it’s better if you wait until the deposition, but what’s important is that she is feeling much better about testifying. I’d prefer not to put her on the stand. I think she’s strong, but this woman has been put through hell, and I mean the deepest, darkest depths of hell. I really don’t want to drag her back there, but I’m pretty sure she can handle it if it comes to that.” Camden walked over to Bryson’s liquor cabinet and helped himself.
“I don’t want to do that to her, either, Cam. I want to protect her. But to hear it coming from you, a lawyer who will do anything to win — well, I’m surprised.” Bryson joined his friend and poured himself a strong drink.
Camden ignored Bryson’s lawyer barb. “Hmm. I’ve never heard you say you didn’t want a witness to testify. Are you breaking your own rules and getting involved?” His eyes were twinkling.
“Butt out, Cam,” Bryson growled.
Camden laughed outright. “Whoa, this girl has you tied in knots.”
“That’s impossible. I hardly know her,” Bryson snarled, but his temper immediately dissipated, and he slumped into the nearest chair, suddenly exhausted.
“You may hardly know her, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this twisted up. Damn! Glad I came here to see this for myself instead of making an impersonal phone call.” Camden sat down across from him, looking far too smug for Bryson’s liking.
“I just…she’s different.” Why couldn’t he put his finger on what he was feeling?
“She most certainly is. If you aren’t interested…” Camden trailed off, but his message was perfectly clear.
“If you touch her, I will break both your legs.”
“You could try,” Camden replied, fully unperturbed, while Bryson felt as if he were walking a high wire and about to fall off — with no safety net anywhere.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, Cam? I thought you were on my side.” Bryson jumped out of his seat and went over for a refill. This night was growing worse by the minute.
Camden and Misty had been at the meeting for far too long. Bryson had been pacing the house for hours, imagining all sorts of scenarios. For one, Camden was known as a lady-killer. Bryson trusted Camden to be professional, and it would ruin the case if his friend slept with a possible witness, but then again, Bryson also had no business sleeping with a woman he was charged with helping to protect. He could lose everything over it. For another, Camden didn’t know how Bryson felt. Well, obviously the guy did now!
“Wow. I could lie and say I’m not enjoying it at all,” Cam said, “but lawyers have a bad enough reputation for not being able to tell the truth, so I’ll be honest and say that your pain is my absolute delight. I can’t ever recall you so messed up over a woman. I do remember, in college, a Sandy something, and you wanting in her pants pretty desperately, but even that doesn’t compare to the mess you are in right now.”
“Yeah, if I remember right, you scored with Sandy first,” Bryson said. He didn’t care at all about that old college flame, but he felt he had to point out his friend’s horning in on what Bryson had dibbed his.
“Hey, you were the one who made the bet to see which of us could get her out on a date first.” Though Cam was defending himself, he was not proud of what an ass he had been back in college.
“She was the one known for chasing only the rich boys,” Bryson said, but he was also feeling guilty about the way they’d treated girls back then.
Women had been nothing more than a night of pleasure to them, and once the night was over, the guys had walked away shame-free. As he sat there, he realized that not much had changed in ten years. Pretty pathetic.
“Seriously, Cam, this topic is depressing the hell out of me. Why don’t you just tell me what you can, and then we’ll get some sleep and forget all about anything else that’s been said.”
Cam thought for a moment before nodding his agreement. “She was scared when I first approached her, very jumpy. By the end of the night, it was almost like watching a butterfly spread its wings. Something came over her, and confidence shone from her eyes. I was impressed, and you know that doesn’t happen too often with me.”
“No. You’re a very hard man to impress,” Bryson said with a chuckle, feeling oddly pleased, and proud of Misty’s transformation from the shrinking violet he’d first met. Of course, he had no right to feel those emotions toward his witness. She wasn’t his — didn’t want to be his — couldn’t be his.
It didn’t matter how many times he told himself this, he still wanted her, wanted her to the point that she was almost an obsession. It was irrational, and it was the reason he hadn’t allowed himself any physical contact with her in two months, until just a few days ago. He’d practically jumped to take the other case. And then he’d done nothing but think about her, and he’d eagerly agreed to go right back to watching over Misty.
Not seeing her for all that time hadn’t helped, not even a little. Her voice had come through the phone line sounding all sexy and deep, sending his imagination into overdrive. The worst part of the entire situation? That he knew she wasn’t trying to be seductive, wasn’t trying to lure him to her. Her innocence was a flipping aphrodisiac — far more effective than chocolate or oysters. Being away from her hadn’t done anything to lessen his obsession. If anything, as he discovered when he saw her again after so long, it had only made the coals red-hot.
He’d never before so desired to grab a woman, throw her down on the kitchen table, and show her how high he could make her fly. He’d wanted to bury himself within her, make her scream out his name. He’d wanted to claim her as his…and he still wanted to.
Damn! Now he was getting hard, and this wasn’t the time or place. If Cam got even a hint, he’d pounce with his rapier wit. Humiliating. Bryson sat back down.
“Go on,” he said, taking a long swallow from his glass.
Cam’s eyes were suspicious, but he didn’t call Bryson out on his pathetic behavior.
“Her testimony would help seal the case. It’s just that her situation sucked.”
“Sucked? Really, Cam? Is that official lawyer speak?”
“Shut up, Bryson. I’m trying to put it in layman’s terms for your benefit,” Cam fired back.
“Okay, okay, enough shots at each other. You’re sure she’s going to cooperate?” Bryson was worried that she’d take off at the last minute. She was damn good at hiding, and they might not find her again until it was too late. Then he’d have to bust her. And that was the last thing he wanted to do.
“Yes, she’ll testify. We will meet and get her official statement. If I can keep her off the witness stand, I will, but I don’t think that can happen. There are a few more balls that need to be gathered up before we make the official charge. It doesn’t help that Jesse now knows what is happening. All of the witnesses are under protection of U.S. marshals, not to mention us, and he’s becoming desperate. That concerns me.”
Bryson’s stomach tensed. If Camden was worried, there was a problem. “My supervisor is aware of Jesse’s activities and he’s given us the same information. There is nothing more dangerous than a hunted animal, and that’s what Jesse is right now. The boss has assigned me to stay close to here. Axel is covering one of the other witnesses, but we’re communicating daily.”
“A few minutes could be the difference between life and death,” Camden warned him.
“What in the hell am I supposed to do? Move in with her?”
“Yeah, I somehow don’t think that will help. You could easily get blindsided when the perp comes in and you’re lying on top of her, oblivious to the world.”
Suddenly Bryson was in his friend’s face. “Don’t talk about her that way.”
When Cam began laughing, Bryson realized what a fool he was making of himself. He immediately backed off, hoping to recover the situation.
“Whoa, you have it bad,” Cam said between chuckles.
“What in the hell is this girl doing to me?” Bryson asked. “We haven’t even kissed.” He was unusually perplexed. “She’s a witness; she’s crucial to this trial. I can’t screw this up — I’ve never screwed it up before.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair.
“We all fall eventually, my friend,” Cam said, rising to his feet.
“Neither of us has,” Bryson reminded him.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Cam said, his eyes losing focus for a minute, as if he were no longer in the room with Bryson.
“Now
I’m
curious,” Bryson said, on red alert.
“It doesn’t matter. Just an old flame.”
“I’ve known you for fifteen years, Cam. If something is tying you up, it won’t stop until you fix the situation. You’ve always had a killer instinct about people, which is what makes you the best damn lawyer I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
It was a rare moment when the two men let down their guard and spoke honestly. Sometimes, being a man wasn’t easy — always trying to play the hero, always doing what was expected. Feelings just weren’t allowed.
“Let’s just get through one case at a time,” Cam said. “We’ll lock this bastard up for good, and then we can worry about our pathetic love lives.”
“I hear you and agree,” Bryson told him.
“I need to fly back early, so I’m going to catch a nap and then head out. You fly up next week, and we’ll get her testimony on record, then catch dinner at my place before you rush away.”
“I’ve had your cooking, Cam. I’d rather live.”
“I agree! We’ll go out, Bryson.”
“Sounds like a plan. This should be an interesting trip.”
The two men parted, and Bryson climbed the stairs of his temporary home. The next week was going to be hell. He would just have to make sure he kept it professional. Of course he’d do that. He
was
a professional, after all. Having reassured himself on that point, he got into the shower.
Yes, he would put his feelings over this girl on the back burner — keep it neutral — do the job he was hired to do.
It was easier said than done, he knew when he was lying in bed an hour later, thinking of Misty each time he shut his eyes.
“Aw, hell,” he muttered as he twisted onto his side and punched his pillow into a usable headrest. He finally fell asleep, and his dreams were filled with one green-eyed beauty and her killer body.
The day wasn’t going as planned, and not only did Bryson have a wicked headache that was threatening to make the top of his skull explode, but he was also running late and worried about Misty. The marshal had flown with her to Montana, and he had come in later.
Dammit.
He’d wanted to fly with her. Maybe his supervisor had realized that…maybe they knew he was feeling less than professional with her. That wouldn’t be good for his career. The problem was that he didn’t give a lick about his career at the moment.
Right there was a reason he should avoid this woman. She was making him not care about matters that had always been important to him. When a woman wanted a man to change, that was the time to get as far from her as possible.
Okay, the problem wasn’t her. It was him. She didn’t even know he was having these inappropriate thoughts, and she hadn’t tried to change him. It was just happening. He couldn’t even think straight.
Walking into his friend’s law office, he tried to look at the place through Misty’s eyes. This would all be incredibly intimidating for her. His friend was successful. He could have been working in D.C., New York, Seattle, L.A. — pretty much anywhere he wanted. Camden was that good, but he’d chosen to work close to home.
The residents of Montana were more than happy to have him. Camden might look like a pro football player, but the man had a mind more sharp and quick than anyone Bryson had come across. A twinge of jealousy hit as Bryson wondered what Misty thought about his friend. A lot of the girls fell over themselves to get Cam to notice them.
Bryson found himself picking up his pace to get to her. She’d been alone with Cam long enough. And as much as he tried to lie to himself, the truth was that it had been a couple of weeks since he’d last seen her and he couldn’t wait to be with her again. If anyone was going to break the rules with this woman, it would be him — not Cam.
“Good evening, Agent Winchester. It’s good to see you again,” Cam’s secretary said. “Mr. Whitman and Ms. Elton will be in conference room C in just a few moments if you’d like to head on in.”
“Thank you, Charlotte,” Bryson said as he passed by her desk, then walked down the wide hallway. He’d been there often enough to know his way around.
Once in the room, Bryson surveyed the sterile environment. The court reporter was set up, ready to begin, and looking bored. The lead attorney, Charlotte Adams, was sitting back, making some notes.
“Good evening, Charlotte,” he said, approaching her.
“Evening, Bryson,” she replied, and didn’t engage in further small talk. He took the hint when she looked back down at her laptop.
He took a seat at the end of the table and picked up the packet that was already laid out for him. Listed were the questions Cam would be asking Misty. As Bryson scanned quickly through them, another knot of tension formed in his stomach.
Tonight wasn’t going to be pleasant. Looking at his watch, he noted that it was a bit past four. They’d be lucky to get out of there by seven. And the hours that this took were going to be draining on Misty. He wished he could somehow take the pain on himself — not make her relive her time with Jesse Marcus.
At the sound of murmuring outside the room, Bryson looked up in anticipation. “Ridiculous,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Camden walked through the door with a smirk on his face.
Damn, Bryson felt like wiping that look off. All thoughts vanished, though, when Misty stepped through the doorway behind Cam, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
With the barely heard click of the door shutting, they were all closed in. Bryson usually would have found the room a bit claustrophobic, but he wasn’t thinking in those terms right then. He could do nothing but devour Misty with his eyes.
He ignored Cam’s taunt and stood up, thinking she was just about the loveliest creature he’d ever laid eyes upon. Very little makeup adorned her high cheekbones, and her sparkling green eyes nearly had him drooling. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and hung free down her back, leaving images in his mind of her sitting atop him, her breasts peeking out through those glorious dark strands.
He was instantly hard as a rock. If he hadn’t sat back down immediately, he’d have gained a reputation as an unprofessional pervert. But he couldn’t help himself. One look at her and he was ready to demand that everyone exit the room so he could lay her out on the table and relieve this pressure that had been building inside him from the moment he’d tackled her in that crappy fast-food joint.
This woman was going to drag him with her to hell. It wasn’t a matter of
if
anymore. They were going to be together; there was no stopping it. He just didn’t know how far it was going to go — what the endgame would be. He knew beyond a doubt that they’d make fireworks happen when they came together. He just wondered whether once would be enough.
Somehow he doubted it.
His expression must have been predatory, because when she glanced up and met his eyes, her own grew large as she seemed to be caught by him, and then her chest heaved as if she couldn’t get her breath. Yes, they would certainly make fireworks happen.
“Sorry about your hard time getting here, Bryson,” Camden told him. “I hope everything worked out okay for you. Misty and I took the time to go over the process so she could be ready when we came in. Charlotte has agreed to let me ask the questions so Misty might feel more comfortable.” He led Misty to her seat and then sat down across from her. “We should get started right away, though, since we’re already running so late.”
“I apologize. After I spoke with another witness, my flight got delayed,” Bryson said, glad his voice came out clearly. No traces of weakness to be heard.
“Misty, we’re going to jump right into this because it could take a while,” Camden warned her.
“That’s fine,” she replied. She was obviously nervous, but she still sported a determined set to her shoulders.
Bryson felt a deep urge to jump up, to tell Misty she didn’t have to go through this — that they had enough witnesses, and they’d just keep her in protective custody until the trial ended. She’d been so afraid, so on edge, and although she was standing strong now, he suddenly didn’t want to hear this, not after what Cam had said, not after knowing something about how bad her life had been.
He had to protect her. Everything inside him screamed to do just that. But before he was able to make a fool of himself and say any of this, Camden asked the first question, and as he waited for her reply, he was grateful he’d kept silent.
“Can you tell us when and how you met Mr. Jesse Marcus?” Camden asked.
Misty took a deep breath. “I was working for a mini-mart gas and food store when he arrived at about three in the morning and came to the counter for cigarettes. I looked up and there he was in his uniform, and he began flirting with me. He seemed so charming, and I was taken in immediately.” She spoke with embarrassment, but she continued. “The next night he came back and asked me on a date. I said yes.” Though her voice started out quiet, as if she was ashamed of her stupidity, as she continued, her shoulders firmed, and a determined glint shone in her eyes. This might be therapeutic for her, might help her to realize she had nothing to fear now.
At least that’s what Bryson hoped.
“Was he still in uniform when he asked you on a date?”
“Yes. He was on shift. I got off at four in the morning then, and the third night he came back, meeting me at the end of my shift. I didn’t own a car then, but I lived a little less than a mile away, so I walked — I know, I know — but he offered me a ride home. I was so impressed that this officer wanted to take me home, keep me safe, so I took the ride. I thought, what could be safer than getting a ride home with a cop?” She shuddered. “So he took me home. He had a flower in the car for me. I was even more impressed. Jesse is a big guy, and at first, he seemed incredibly good-looking, leaving me to wonder what he saw in me.”
“So, Jesse dropped you off and then left?” Camden prodded her.
Misty sighed as she squirmed in her seat. “No. When we arrived at the apartment, he parked in the back of the building, where no one came in or out. I thought it a bit unusual, but then I realized he probably wasn’t supposed to give civilians rides, so I wasn’t concerned, assuming that he was protecting his job.” She stopped speaking, and it was obvious she was reluctant to continue.
“Please go on,” Camden prompted gently.
“I thanked him for the ride, and I reached for the car handle to get out. He grabbed me. He said there was no rush. I should have been afraid, but I was with a cop,” she said, her eyes a bit wide. “So we sat there and talked for a couple of hours. I heard traffic begin to pick up as the morning commuters left for work, and then he grabbed my arm and pulled me against him and kissed me. I was so awed that this successful, handsome policeman wanted me enough to kiss me, I didn’t think about the fact that he wasn’t giving me a choice — that he’d just grabbed me and taken the kiss almost forcefully. Then, he got a little…‘handsy.’ His fingers tugged on my shirt as I squirmed to get away. At this point, I wasn’t comfortable anymore and didn’t want him touching me, but I wasn’t sure how to pull away. It all just happened so fast. When I was starting to get frightened, his radio went off and he had to leave. That was the end of our first date, I guess you’d call it.”
“What do you mean by
handsy
? Did he try to force himself upon you? You said he was grabbing at your shirt, but did he push it further? Please don’t hold anything back out of embarrassment,” Camden told her.
“No. He didn’t force me down or anything; he was just very…aggressive — I guess that would be the word to use. We were kissing, and his hands…wandered beneath my shirt, over my…uh…breasts.” Misty’s cheeks turned scarlet, and she shifted, lifted her water glass, and took a long sip before going on. “I was in no way ready to have sex in a car with a virtual stranger, but I now know that if the radio hadn’t buzzed, he would have pushed it to that point. He was reaching into my pants. I thought at the time that he was just worked up, that he would have stopped…”
“This isn’t your fault, Misty,” Camden assured her. “You are the victim.”
“Thank you.”
“When did you next see Jesse Marcus?” Camden asked immediately. It was better to press forward.
“The next night, I was off work. There was a knock on my door, which always alarmed me because I didn’t live in the best part of town. When I looked through the peephole, I saw that it was Jesse in his uniform. I was a little surprised that he knew which unit was mine, because he hadn’t walked me to my door, and it’s a large complex. Then I remembered he was a cop and it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find my place. I opened the door and he came inside. As he looked down at me, that was when I felt the first stirrings of fear. What was he doing there? But I was still feeling a mixture of fear and excitement.” She fidgeted in her seat.
“So, was he still working if he was wearing his uniform?” Camden asked.
“Yes. He said he wasn’t off the clock for a few more hours and he’d like to take me to breakfast when he was off.”
“Did he leave after that?” Camden knew the answers, but it needed it all to be on record.
“No. He sat down at the table and told me to come over to him. I was scared but still excited. He was a cop, one of the good guys, and he was giving me attention,” she said with disgust. “I walked over to him and he pulled me down onto his lap. His belt pressed against me, but before I could think about being uncomfortable, or think about how strange the situation was, he was kissing me again. Jesse was a very forceful kisser. He didn’t even give me time to breathe. His hands were once again wandering all over and I could barely get enough oxygen, but I was overwhelmed. I thought he was so aggressive because he was excited about me,” she practically whispered.
“Please go on,” Camden said when she paused.
“When he yanked off my shirt, I asked him to stop, but he laughed, as if he thought that was real amusing. It all happened so fast. One minute I was on his lap, the next, he was carrying me to the couch. I told him to stop a few times, but he ignored my words.”
“I know this is hard, but I need you to continue.”
“He…uh…we had sex,” she sighed. “It was over really quickly. He didn’t even undress, just pushed his pants partway down. When he was finished, he sat on the couch and pulled me into his arms, cradling my head against his chest. He told me it was all okay, that everything was fine. We were going to be real good together, that I was perfect. He said he’d be back in a couple of hours for breakfast. Then he left. I was so stunned, I didn’t know what to think. He was a cop. Had I done something wrong? Had I encouraged it? I was so confused. I showered and put on layers of clothes and then waited. He showed up and took me out to eat, acting as if nothing was wrong. I thought I had to be the one in the wrong at that point.”
Misty glanced over at Bryson and saw the unadulterated fury in his eyes. This wasn’t easy for him to listen to. She had a feeling that if Jesse were in the room with them right then, the man would find a bullet in his head. She turned away from Bryson’s intense gaze and focused on the table in front of her. It was either that or she’d never be able to finish her story. It only got worse from here.
“I don’t know how it happened, but within a week, he took over my life. He moved me into his place even though I tried to protest. It was like a whirlwind. One minute, I was on my own, and then the next I couldn’t do anything without his permission. The first time he hit me was when I told him I didn’t want to leave my apartment. I only got a black eye from that exchange. It was one of the least painful punishments,” she said, hanging her head.