Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (8 page)

E
lle couldn’t help but feel a little victorious when the look of disbelief had crossed Kevin’s face. She let him stew just a little more on that tiny bit of information as she used her keycard for access to Masters. She never used the backdoor, which was located in the parking garage to the left of the building. It wasn’t like she drove or had a vehicle, so that entryway was pointless. Wanting to get out from the cold and knowing she still had a lot to cover with Kevin, she led the way through the small foyer of the club.

The small hall was usually dimly lit with gas lamp sconces to give off an air of sensuality, while Latin music ordinarily drifted from the speakers. At the moment, one canister light did shine down on the wooden oak hostess stand. It was well lit enough that she easily swept her card key and gained access to the inner sanctum of the club.

Whereas usually the sounds of low murmurs and carnal moans enveloped a person as they entered the main area, silence descended as the empty play spaces hid themselves in the shadows of the after hours lighting. The orange scented wood soap hung in the air and teased Elle’s nostrils. She bypassed the bar to the left of her, sneaking a glance in the mirror that hung toward the back. Kevin’s eyes were on her.

“There’s a lot more information where that came from,” Elle added, trying to ignore the BDSM equipment and implements as they walked past them. Each play station was cordoned off by black velvet rope, which was slung between antiquated brass poles. She maneuvered around the sitting quarters which consisted of booths and couches, privacy gained from the palms and ferns situated just so. Her apartment was located at the top of the backstairs. She usually never gave the club a second glance, but for some reason having Kevin behind her made it stand out more. She ignored the niggling feeling and pushed it to the back of her mind. “Rachel said she would touch base with the detective who interviewed her.”

“Trust me, after I tell this to Taggart he’ll question her himself.”

“He won’t get answers if he comes on too strong,” Elle warned, using the keycard to gain access to her apartment. She liked the security system that Jax and Connor had set up. She walked through the doorway and grimaced, knowing she would have to turn the heat up just a tad. She hated wasting money on a few degrees. “It’s better if she speaks with the detective who questioned her in the first place. Rachel felt comfortable with him.”

Elle turned just in time to see the frown on Kevin’s face. He didn’t like someone other than him or this Taggart to be lead in this investigation. Was it vanity or just a sense of control? She didn’t picture Kevin as narcissistic in any way, but then again, she really didn’t
know
him. She quickly took off her jacket and scarf then made her way to the small kitchenette. She refused to admit the reason of why she’d purchased a few more mugs on the way home from the center this afternoon.

“I’m making coffee. Would you like some?”

“Whatever other information you have must be a doozy,” Kevin replied. She didn’t have to turn around to know that he was taking off his jacket. Before she could ask what he meant, he continued. “You’re offering me coffee? Usually you show me the door.”

At that she did turn around. Elle could see how serious he was and she tried to think back to the other times when he was in her apartment. It was rare, but there had been times that he would drop by with Jax or Connor. She wasn’t the type to be rude so much as matter of fact. They technically didn’t run in the same circles. Had he taken her attitude a different way?

“Kevin, I never meant for you to feel that you’re not welcome here.” Elle struggled for the right words as she leaned against the counter. How could she explain that it wasn’t her who had changed once she’d cleaned up her life? “You know that I appreciate how you helped me, but it’s not as if you and I have the type of relationship where we just drop by each other’s places. I don’t even know where you live. Regardless, I didn’t mean for you to feel that I was ungrateful.”

Kevin’s gray eyes never wavered from hers, as if he was trying to gauge if she was telling the truth. Elle figured she should have been insulted, but then thought better of it. Hearing him say out loud that he felt unwelcome was just a testament that he recognized her change in behavior toward him. He stood in the middle of her sitting area with his legs spread just so and his arms crossed over his chest.

“You used to talk to me.”

Elle started to feel confined, similar to how he made her feel this morning when he asked about allowing people to care for her. He was making this personal when it was just the opposite. Kevin had done a good deed by setting her up an interview. Nothing more, nothing less. The words he just spoke made it sound as if he thought she took advantage of him.

“I still talk to you,” Elle argued, feeling unsettled. She needed to do something with her hands. The four-cup coffee maker was the perfect excuse, so she turned around and went to work. “You were helpful to me when I needed it. I will always be grateful. When I started working for Jax and Connor, I poured my heart into being the best manager they could have. You had your life and I was building mine. Let’s face it, we still run in different circles.”

Silence descended over the small apartment. Elle finally hit the brew button and then went about washing the new mugs that she’d purchased earlier. It had nothing to do with the fact that she didn’t want to turn around and face him yet. Would he see that she hadn’t told him the full truth? Elle was pretty damn good at lying if the situation called for it.

“I live in Eden Prairie.”

The change of topic threw her off course. Elle looked over her shoulder to see that he’d taken a seat on her couch. It looked more like a loveseat with his large frame on it. Add on top of that him stretching out his legs and he looked mighty comfortable. The altered conversation drew her attention away from being concerned she’d revealed too much. The slight grin on Kevin’s face made her wonder if he’d done that on purpose.

“Eden Prairie? You drive every day into the city?” Elle quickly rinsed off the mugs and then grabbed a dishtowel. She faced him once more, feeling more comfortable and wanting to find out a little more about him. “Why don’t you rent an apartment like Ethan or live on the edge of the city like Connor and Jax? It would certainly make your commute easier.”

“I was raised in the country,” Kevin replied, resting a hand on his right knee. “My parents still own a farm in Wisconsin, although my brothers mostly do the daily chores. The city is fine to work in, but not to live. I own a couple of acres of land and the house sits toward the back end of the section. It’s peaceful.”

Elle studied him, a hundred questions racing through her mind. A farm boy? She never in a million years would have guessed that Kevin Dreier—the man who maintained street contacts for his job—grew up in the backwoods of Wisconsin. Asking about his upbringing would only prompt him to do the same to her. It was second nature to most people, but she’d learned not to put herself in that position. For the first time in her life, she found herself tempted to break that rule.

“So what else did Rachel have to say?”

Kevin’s inquiry took away her decision to ask more questions. She should be grateful, but she found that she wasn’t. Just when she thought the day couldn’t get stranger, here she was with Kevin sitting in her living room about to serve him coffee. In the beginning, he resonated a blunt attitude. Then he became tender and caring—something she couldn’t handle—which made her keep her distance. Now he was acting as if they were long lost friends. This change of personality was worse than a woman PMSing. Elle didn’t like it, but she still poured both of them coffees and walked over to where he sat.

“Rachel was having trouble with a trick not paying her the full amount, so she went looking for Bee a few nights ago.” Elle handed him one of the mugs. She couldn’t bring herself to sit next to him on the couch, so she took the chair. “Clarisse mentioned that he had business in or around that area, so Rachel headed that way. And before you ask, I know that Bee carried a cell phone around, but Rachel doesn’t. She can’t afford one.”

“And she found Bee coming out of the warehouse?”

“Yes.” Elle paused long enough to take a sip, letting the warm liquid spread through her. She’d forgotten to turn up the heat but didn’t feel like getting up again. “The thing is this. When Rachel mentioned it to Bee this morning, he said she was mistaken. That he’d never been there.”

“This morning?” Kevin leaned forward and placed his drink on the small coffee table that she’d bought at the thrift shop on the corner. “Bee wasn’t at the crime scene, so I’m assuming that means Rachel spoke to him afterward. Why didn’t she…never mind, stupid question. She wouldn’t have told the detective because she feared what Bee’s response would have been.”

“Right.” Elle noticed that he was rubbing his right knee and couldn’t help but think that he’d hurt it somehow. Kevin’s hand pulled away and when she looked up, she realized that it was something he hadn’t wanted her to see. She was well aware of the saying that curiosity killed the cat and tried to heed that advice by continuing their course of focus. “I tried to explain to Rachel that if she’s going to turn her life around, she needs to start by making things right. Francie didn’t deserve to die like that and if Bee is the one who killed her, than he should be brought to justice.”

“Whoa, hold on a second,” Kevin warned, holding a hand up. “You can’t just jump to the conclusion that Bee is the one raping and murdering these girls.”

“Why not?” Elle didn’t understand his reluctance to see the truth. “The man sells out women for money. He’s got anger issues that make the Tasmanian devil seem like a tame house cat. He was seen leaving the crime scene. What more do you want?”

Kevin’s rich laughter filled the air and instead of being offended, she found herself captivated by the laugh lines around his eyes and the ripples through his upper body. Elle had seen him do the same during club hours, when one of his friends or even a submissive said something in humor. She wasn’t sure she’d ever found something that amusing.

“Okay, farm boy, you tell me who’s killing those girls.” Elle kicked off her boots and then pulled her feet up underneath her. “I just gave you a prime suspect.”

“I don’t see a television in here,” Kevin said, pretending to look around. He knew damn well that she didn’t own a TV. “Seriously, solving murder cases is nothing like you see on the screen. You have circumstantial evidence. That doesn’t mean that Taggart won’t bring him for questioning. This is totally different than me wanting to have a conversation with Hash over why he was there this morning. Taggart will run this by the book and have Bee in an interrogation room the minute Rachel comes in to revise her statement.”

“Good.” Elle took another sip of her coffee. “Then you’ll have to check his alibis.”

Kevin sat back against the couch once more, studying her. His gray eyes didn’t seem to miss a thing and she squirmed a little under his gaze. Elle didn’t like to think that he could see more than she wanted him to, so she glanced down at the contents of her cup. She was about to tell him her other news to keep the conversation going when he spoke.

“Do you remember the day I told that if you didn’t get out from that life, that it would eventually swallow you whole and spit your corpse out as if it was nothing more than a piece of leftover garbage?”

Kevin’s question startled her and she wasn’t sure how to answer. She remembered his words as if it were yesterday. Elle had been walking down the street when she happened upon him and Bee in a deep conversation. Her intention had been to keep walking, as the black eye that had been given to her by an overzealous john had still been very much discolored. It wasn’t how she’d wanted Kevin to see her.

The anger that had spread across Kevin’s face didn’t scare her, for he also radiated restraint. Elle had never once seen him lose control, although Bee did like to push his buttons every once in a while. Why Kevin continued to use the pimp as one of his snitches to get information on the happenings of the city were beyond her. She would think other people would have access to more info than Bee.

“Yes,” Elle replied, uncertain as to where he was leading this discussion.

“What made you listen to me?”

Here she’d been worried that if she asked too many questions, he would do the same. It hadn’t mattered and now here they were, with Kevin asking personal questions. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t answer him because his topic was more artificial than actually delving into her personal life. Unfortunately, one inquiry usually led to the next.

“Well, that statement wasn’t the only thing you said that night. The lecture you gave was at the right time and place.” Elle struggled to find the right words without giving too much away. “You weren’t telling me anything I hadn’t heard, but it was the way you said it. You wanted nothing in return. You detailed cold hard facts and after having been in a situation where I didn’t know how far that guy would end up hurting me, fear was a big motivation as well. I guess it was a combination of things. You aren’t like you are now or else I—”

Shit. Elle hadn’t meant to spill that much detail and from the way Kevin was looking at her, he’d caught her slip. This was the problem when answering questions. She suddenly felt bad for Rachel should Taggart get a hold of her.

“And how am I now?”

“You know,” Elle said, waving a hand to try to dismiss her mistake, “just that you seem to be careful of what you say to me. Like I’m going to break or something. It’s no big deal, really. I needed somebody to lay it on the line and you did that.”

“So it wasn’t Bee?” Kevin seemed to get the hint that he was treading water and relief surged through her that he was willing to let it go. Her respite didn’t last long as his question sunk in, followed by more. “He didn’t hurt you in any way? You’re not keeping something from me that I don’t know?”

Reality dawned and Elle felt a spark of anger flick off of her skin and ignite the emotion so that it trailed through her tense body. Kevin had a way of causing her to react without first thinking it through. Her fingers tightened on the mug as she tried to keep her feelings contained. She gave up trying as the words flew out of her mouth.