Fatal Attraction (Love Kills Duet #2)

17. Seventeen

Seventeen

Charlotte

I blinked down at the random text from Harley, my eyes widening in surprise as they scanned over the words again.

And again.

Mandatory meeting at the courthouse in thirty minutes. Don’t be late.

“Are you ready to order your meals?”

Carter smiled sweetly at the pretty blonde hair, blue-eyed waitress, unable to get a word out before, “Sorry, but something came up and we have to leave,” poured from my lips, earning me a troublesome look from him.

“Is everything okay?” he asked as the waitress gathered our menus with a disappointed frown, walking away with her head bowed in defeat.

“I-I don’t know. I just got a message from Harley saying to meet her at the courthouse in thirty minutes.”

I got up from my chair, as did Carter, and together we both left some cash on the table to cover the mozzarella sticks we’d split, and a ten-dollar tip. After meeting with the whole crew yesterday at the precinct, Chief and Captain Burgess agreed Carter could help work security at the sanctum, so we’d gotten up early and gone out to do some shopping and grab some last-minute supplies from the gun shop per Carter’s request .

Phoenix’s number was already pulled up on my phone before we made it to the parking lot. Weirdly, the line went to voicemail. When I tried Spike just to receive the same result, my bottom lip worriedly jutted out.

Why are their phones off? Why did Harley want me to meet her at the—

I gasped at my next thought and raced toward my car, getting in and slamming the door fast.

Angel.

Holy fuck.

She must have changed her mind.

“What’s going on?” Carter asked again when he shut the passenger door, facing me as he reached up for the seatbelt.

“It’s Angel. It has to be. I think she changed her mind and handed the threats over to Ben.”

“Then why would Harley have you meet her at the courthouse?” he queried; a thick knot protruding between his bushy brows. “Why not the precinct?”

I offered him a simple shrug and then carefully checked my mirrors before I backed out. “They probably just finished interviewing her. Whatever she said must’ve been enough to arrange a meeting with the judge.”

I was right about this. I had to be. It would better explain why my calls hadn’t gone through. I’d been in and out of those interrogation rooms more than enough to know that once you’re in one, all cell service was stripped. You couldn’t make or receive any phone calls or send a simple text message, not even if your life depended on it.

“How can you be so sure that’s what it’s about?”

I sighed, shrugging. “I don’t, but if not that, then what else could it be?”

“Maybe it has to do with the plea deal.”

I stiffened in my seat.

Fuck.

I’d been so consumed prepping for tomorrow night that it’d completely slipped my mind.

“You forgot, didn’t you?”

My hands tightened around the wheel. There was no use trying to school the guilt already settling across my fallen features.

“Damnit,” I whispered. “I should’ve been there.”

“There’s no use in beating yourself up over it. I’m sure everything will work out the way it should.”

“Do you want to come with me and wait in the car? Or would you rather I take you back to the house?” I peered through the corner of my eye and found him leaning back, sniffling as he stared out the window.

“Someone named Kendall left me a voicemail earlier this morning. The lab is ready to release Blaire’s car to me.”

My lips parted. “What? Carter…why didn’t you say something sooner? We could’ve handled that first thing.”

“Because I wasn’t ready to go up there. Hell, I’m still not.” He shuddered through a breath and wiped under his eyes. “I miss her, Charlotte. I miss her so fucking much.”

“I know you do.” I willed myself not to break down in a puddle as the image of her body hanging from the ceiling fan unwelcomingly flashed through my head, fucking haunting me like it did in my dreams damn near every night since I found her body. “I miss her too.”

I didn’t bother asking if he wanted me to take him, and Carter made no verbal objections as I drove us to the courthouse, arriving in just under twenty minutes. Given it would take an additional five to walk up those foot-cramping steps, plus however busy the elevators were…

Yeah… I could make it on time.

Possibly.

That was if I could find an open parking spot. At this rate, I’d literally have to park, get out, and sprint toward the building.

I finally parked, rushing to unbuckle my seatbelt and fetch my bag beside Carter’s legs on the floorboard.

“Are you staying here? ”

“Yeah. Just keep the car running and text me when you’re on the way out.”

My heart cracked when he looked away from me to glare out the window again, swiping the tears clinging to his lashes away. I knew he was hurting, and as much as I desperately wanted to sit in the car and just talk to him—help us both find a way to cope through our grief, I couldn’t.

So, I reached over and grasped his hand, squeezing it tight.

“I’ll be back soon. I promise.”

The tears I fought back waited to slip out until I got out of the car. After quickly knuckling them away, cursing to hell and back, I burst into a run, praying I wouldn’t break a heel and face-plant in the middle of the parking lot. By the time I made it inside and was approaching the elevator, another text came in from Harley.

A lump larger than my first grew in my throat.

Judge Carter’s chambers.

The same judge who presided Karl’s arraignment.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.

Feeling a little uneasy, I pressed the UP button on the elevator, stepping aside when it dinged and let a large group of people out. As I walked in, thankful I was the only one inside when the doors closed, I began to pace, thinking back on the conversation I had with Ben just days ago.

It had been established numerous times that while Angel’s testimony would be plentifully beneficial in Karl’s case, thanks to the masks, it wouldn’t be enough to cut Karl loose. Which was fine, because as it was thoroughly deliberated yesterday in the meeting with the detectives, Harley, Cap, and Chief, we each agreed until our perp was caught, it was better Karl remained incarcerated.

But if I was right and Angel really did come forward, and depending on what she may have revealed to Ben…

Damnit.

That woman sure had abysmal fucking timing.

I stopped pacing then and drew in a therapeutic breath, releasing it.

It wasn’t until I’d spun around and found people piling in around me that my heart jumped to my throat. I never even heard the shrill ding or had acknowledged the doors were open.

“Hold the door,” I shouted as I gently began pushing my way through. “Can someone hold the door for me please? I need to get out.”

Nobody made a fuss over my plea and a young man in his early twenties was more than happy enough to hold the elevator for me.

I kindly thanked him and then made way for Judge Carter’s chambers…just to stumble back when I turned right down the hall and spotted Harley, Ben, Phoenix, and Spike impatiently waiting outside her door. Spike glanced briefly at me, doing a double take and tapping Phoenix three times on his shoulder, drawing his attention to me. He gulped, looking just as thrown off as Spike did as they then turned to Harley, who offered me a thin smile and lifted a hand, waving for me to join them.

“Harley,” I started, keeping a close watch on my guys who were literally freaking the fuck out as they whispered amongst each other. Suddenly, there was a nasty feeling in my gut. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t get to answer because the chamber door opened, revealing The Honorable Judge Carter standing in the middle of the threshold, eyeing over each of us with her lips pursed, her glasses barely an inch away from hanging off the edge of her nose.

“Get in here,” she commanded, making my bones frightfully chill at the raw aggression in her tone. “ Now . ”

Ben smiled, looking pleased, and then stepped inside, Harley following in after him. Phoenix was next, and as Spike began opening his mouth to say something to me, Phoenix snatched him by the collar and tugged him in the room, leaving me standing there with knots in my stomach.

Something was wrong.

I got myself together, breathing in deep, and closed the door behind me. Judge Carter, who was now comfortably sitting behind her desk, glowering between everyone except for Ben, settled her gaze on me and asked, “How long have you been in a relationship with Detectives’ Rhodes and Hutch?”

I looked at my guys, the knots twisting impossibly tighter as I began questioning what in the utter fuck was happening right now.

“Answer the question, Charlotte. How long have you been in a sexual relationship?”

My throat caved in on me, and I coughed, straining to clear my throat. “Forgive me, Judge Carter, but what is the meaning of this?”

Three hard knocks rapped against the door, cutting her off as she made to speak again. Harley winced, then blew out a breath before she spun on her heels, opening the door. The lump in my throat swelled when Chief and Captain Burgess stepped in. Their pupils were laced with distaste as they eyed Harley down.

“Right on time. Now we can officially get down to business.” To me, Judge Carter sternly stated, “I’m going to ask you one more time, Charlotte. How long have the three of you been involved?”

“Right at four months,” was my uneasy retort, wishing someone would just break the fucking ice already and tell me what the hell was going on. Obviously, my theory about Angel was inaccurate.

“And you two,” she sneered at the chief and captain. “You knew both detectives were involved with Charlotte and the sanctum, and yet you still allowed them to work these cases?”

“We did,” Captain Burgess agreed, his jaw tight and lips pressed to an awfully thin line. “They came to me, admitted they were members of the sanctum, and then I had them submit their DNA first thing to rule them out in Delilah Fields’ rape. I then called Chief, explained the situation, and he backed me on my decision to let them move forward with the investigation. We were not, however, made aware of their relationship with Charlotte until a few days ago.”

Judge Carter side-eyed both detectives who did nothing but keep their eyes rooted to the floor. “And this came out after Delilah and Amber were attacked?”

“That is correct,” Chief agreed.

She leaned further back in her seat, steepling her fingers. “I see.”

“You don’t understand,” I said calmly as possible. “There’s so much more to it and if you’d please let me explain—”

“I understand it just fine, Charlotte. Harley did the right thing suspending you when Karl’s DNA matched in Amber Strickland’s case. However, Detective Hutch and Rhodes’ involvement with you and the sanctum is a dangerous conflict of interest and hell, to be frank, they should’ve been replaced the instant they became suspects in Delilah’s rape. All the evidence you’ve gathered, every single fucking bit of it, is inadmissible based on those facts alone. A jury won’t be able to distinguish the truth from a lie.”

“Judge Carter,” Phoenix said next, looking up and taking a brave step forward. “Please, just let us—” His plea was silenced by a firm raise of her palm.

“As of now,” she declared, her dark eyes darting to Ben. “Karl Greene is a free man and will be released within seventy-two hours. I’ll have the paperwork sent to you as soon as possible.”

Ben bowed his head in thanks, grinning smugly. “Thank you, Judge Carter.”

“You-you aren’t going to let us explain?” Spike asked through a scoff.

“Don’t bother. I’ve heard everything I need to hear. ”

“What the fuck did you do?” I rasped, my jaw trembling as I stared heart-brokenly at Spike, then Phoenix. “ I trusted you!” My voice cracked, and my fists raised, shaking. “I fucking trusted you!”

“Charlotte, baby—”

“NO!”

I shoved Phoenix back, my restraint cracking as I turned and ran, making it about halfway down the hall before my legs pathetically gave out.

I collapsed on my knees, crying harder as I hugged myself. A strong set of hands grasped my shoulders, and I flinched, whipping around with my teeth bared.

“This isn’t their fault,” Harley said softly. “It’s mine. Ben didn’t know you were in a relationship with them. I-I made a choice and luckily, it worked. They had nothing to do with it, Charlotte. It was all me.”

I wasn’t sure what happened, but something inside of me must have snapped because the next thing I knew, Harley was on the floor, crying out as she grasped the side of her head. A stinging pain wrapped around my right hand, and I internally swore as I shot to my feet to shake out my fist, needing to walk off the pain.

I made it about six steps before I froze, the reality of what I’d done finally sinking in.

Oh, fuck…

I just punched my boss.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!

“If this went to trial,” Harley said after a moment. I turned with caution, finding tears snaking down her cheeks as she stared up at me from the floor. Phoenix, Spike, and even Captain and Chief were mere inches from her, their mouths hanging wide. “You’d have to testify. Everything about your relationship with them, the club, all of it would’ve been made public, Charlotte. I-I didn’t want you to go through that, and so—”

“That wasn’t your choice to make. What do you think will happen to Karl once our perp finds out he’s free? You just sentenced him to his fucking death!”

“But… I don’t understand.” Honest confusion swept over her face. “I thought you wanted him free?”

“What Charlotte’s trying to say,” Phoenix said to Harley, “is that even though you deserved it, she’s sorry for punching you.”

I scowled at him.

I most definitely was NOT sorry for punching her.

“That,” added Spike, “and what you’re failing to remember is that we had a plan, Harley. We literally discussed this shit yesterday, or were you not listening?”

He was right. We did have a plan. We knew Karl wasn’t going to accept the plea deal, just like we knew Karl being locked up was the only thing that was currently keeping him safe from my stalker. I didn’t care about having to testify at trial. I was willing to put every-fucking-thing on the line, even my job. But if Harley had known all this time that once everything came out—that Karl would go free despite the evidence against him, then why would she keep such valuable information to herself? Why not stick to the plan and just move forward with the trial?

“We do want him free,” Chief said, breaking the silence. “But there’s no guarantee we’ll catch this guy tomorrow night. You should’ve told us what you were planning, Harley. If we don’t catch this fucker before Karl’s released—”

“Then we’ll have another murder to investigate,” said Captain Burgess. “Karl’s murder.”

“Put him in WITSEC,” I frantically demanded. “Call Ben, explain the situation, and get the arrangements made before Karl is released. Nobody else outside of us, Ben, and the other WITSEC agents can know about this. If something happens and Karl gets killed, then that means someone within our loop ran their mouth to someone they shouldn’t have. ”

“Meaning our perp could be someone in law enforcement,” muttered Harley, nodding as she began piecing everything together.

“Yes,” I nodded. “Or perhaps a family member or close friend.”

“Either way,” said Spike, whose lips were curled, his tight eyes fixed on Harley. “You fucked us all over. If Karl dies, his blood will be on your hands.”

“I’m sorry,” Harley whispered as she stared up at me, tears filling her eyes again. “I’m so sorry.”

“You should be.” I scoffed, fighting the burning desire to strike her again, and spun on my heels, needing to get the fuck out of here. “You should be.”