Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Prologue

prologue

LUKE

T he red, white, and blue lights flashed across the woman’s face as frown lines marred her features. My partner, Aidan Damsel, new trainee, and I stood outside the highrise condo in the wealthiest part of the city.

Even through the heavy uniform, the frigid air chilled my skin. Seattle nights in August were usually mild, but there was something particularly ominous about this one. My skin prickled with each word the woman in front of us uttered; our police cruiser idled noisily, disturbing the eerie stillness of the night after one in the morning.

“I heard the screaming loud and clear. Practically begging for help.” she continued. “Nothing good happens this time of night, so I called once I heard the crashing of glass and muffled voices.” The neighbor finished.

“Do you know your neighbors well, Miss…” Aidan started and trailed off. We had nothing. No name, no identity.

An inexplicable sensation of dread ran down my spine like icy fingertips caressing my skin. I stole a glance at our surroundings; the shadows all seemed to come alive, dancing around us.

Mocking us.

“Wyntree,” she added politely.

“Right, Mrs. Wyntree, do you know them? It isn’t often we get calls like this in the middle of the night in this area.” He gestured to the expensive highrise, scrunching his brow in disbelief.

The air outside suffocated me with every breath. Even if we were in the richest part of the city, pieces of shit resided everywhere. Tons of garbage wrapped in pretty packages walked the streets daily. No matter what, it was all still trash underneath.

“I can’t say I know these ones too well, officer. They’re a young couple that moved in a few months ago. Can’t say I care much for the man. Kind of cocky, rude, standoffish.” She waved her hand in front of her as if dismissing him. “She’s quiet. Stays at home mostly; he’s some big shot, at least he walks and talks to everyone like he is. I’m guessing that’s the only way they could afford to live in a place like this.”

I’d had enough.

“We could speculate all night, but it might be best we get out of this parking garage and ensure we don’t have a victim on our hands.” I nodded toward Aidan, impatience creeping through my bloodstream.

“Right, well, follow me.” Mrs. Wyntree briskly turned, leading us towards a revolving door.

The lobby greeted us with an array of bright lighting and gold accents. The highrise met all my expectations. Only the best of the best could afford to live here. We entered an oversized elevator, the mirrored buttons lit up as she hit the thirteenth floor. It crept up at the speed of a snail. The nagging feeling crawled up my spine to the back of my neck, hitting my nerves like a freight train.

I hated the feeling I couldn't seem to shake. It always happened right before I stepped on the scene of some sickening crime committed by one of the many offenders residing in this too full city.

My stomach churned as the elevator slid open. I paid little attention to Aidan and that woman making small talk on our way up about the occupants that lived here. Doctors, lawyers, dentists, psychiatrists, professors.

All very wealthy.

“I’m right here,” she said, pointing to room 13F. “The cries were coming from over there.” She lifted a manicured finger and pointed at the only other door on the floor.

13H.

“Thank you, ma’am. You go back inside. The last thing we want is you witnessing anything distressing or the tenants to know who made the call.” Aidan flashed her a killer smile.

Her cheeks bloomed several shades like roses in spring.

“Just doing my duty as a citizen, officer.” Her hungry gaze raked over Aidan. He was a good looking guy, but hell, we all looked good in uniform if the way women dropped their panties once they saw the bulletproof vest and holster was any confirmation.

“Are you done flirting?” I mumbled under my breath. “There could be a dead woman on the other side of this door, and we’ve been dicking around with the neighbor.”

“Come on, Luke, look where we are? These neighborhoods are full of the richy rich,” he chastised me as he laid three hard knocks on the wooden barrier with the back of his fist. “It’s probably a misunderstanding or a party gettin’ too loud.”

There was nothing but silence.

I pounded the door with the side of my fist. “Police, Open up!”

We exchanged glances at the shuffling from the other side. My methods weren’t as calm, cool, and collected as his were, but I was here to get shit done, not play nice with the town’s scum. This area made my teeth itch, and I was ready to figure out what this feeling was and get the hell out of there.

I lifted my fist to knock again, my patience wearing thin like threadbare sheets. More shuffling. My composure was damn near at its capacity.

“Open the door!” My hand ached under the pressure of beating it against the door. “Now.”

Aidan cast me a sideways glance, one that said chill, man, it’s not that serious yet .

But he didn’t know how serious it could get. His inexperience was showing. A subdued ker-chunk sound caught my attention; my heart rate sped up as the door cracked open, revealing Matt Duquesne.

I knew this motherfucker like the back of my hand. Duquesne and Jefferson Law were the bane of my existence. He and his partnership took on the most sickening clients—the most violent ones. And every single one of those bastards had one thing in common.

They all committed crimes against women.

And Matt Duquesne and Lex Jefferson defended them. They argued on behalf of men that beat and raped their wives, girlfriends, and mistresses. They only took the wealthy clients who could pay for their cruel services. Being in court with him made me sick; he always sided with the wretched, and victim blaming was his specialty.

Matt Duquesne had a reputation that he lived up to every day. He was a ruthless liar who would do or say anything to get his clients off.

And he always got them off.

In all my years in law enforcement, I’d never seen a single client of his serve time. Another rush of nausea flooded my gut. We’d wasted too much time talking when the real danger loomed above us.

“What can I do for you officers tonight?” Matt answered. He was the Ken doll of the law system. But to me, he was a monster wearing the skin of a well dressed man.

“Got a call about a possible altercation,” I drawled.

His beady green eyes flashed with annoyance briefly before he replied. He ran his hand through his medium length blonde hair. “There’s no fight here.”

Fucking bullshit.

“Is there a woman here with you? We were made aware of a possible domestic dispute,” Aidan spoke up.

“Ah, I understand. You gentlemen are following protocol.” His condescension was thick. “Allow me to assure you there’s nothing going on here. I’m sure you guys are having a slow shift; whoever called you was mistaken. I spent the evening in bed with my beautiful girlfriend.”

The sight of him alone turned my stomach.

“Mind if we come in and have a word with you both?” I asked. “You know, for protocol.”

His eyes narrowed. His pupils drilled a hole into mine. He swallowed thickly as his fingers tightened on the knob. Something in his demeanor was off. Something was wrong; I could feel it. And I was going to figure it out. Alarm bells rang, screaming at me that someone was hurt beyond this door.

“Be my guest,” he said through tight lips, opening the door just enough for Aidan and I to squeeze into the dark apartment.

It was spacious. I could see the living area with a wall of windows allowing the city light to illuminate the white, minimalistic furniture and mounted TV on exposed stone walls. The luxury vinyl plank flooring was a cool tone gray spanning the living area and kitchen, tapering off to carpet when it reached the bedrooms.

A light shone under one door.

“Can we have a look at the rest of the place?” I glared at him, waiting for an answer.

His jaw ticked, and he plastered on that fake ass smile. One I’d seen a thousand times in court while he berated victims.

“Sure, officer, let me make sure my girlfriend is decent before she’s disturbed.”

He shouldered past me with clenched teeth. His scowl deepened as I eyed him. I was at least a head taller than him and bigger.

I was sizing him up. Ready to react.

“Sweetheart,” he said, knocking on the door with the light peeking out from under the threshold. “There’s some fine gentlemen here that would like to speak with you. Are you presentable for our guests?”

Guests?

Matt Duquesne truly was living in a world of delusion. I scoffed audibly, disguising it as a cough. His eyes turned to daggers at me. Small commotion could be heard on the other side.

“I can come out. Sorry for keeping everyone waiting,” the sound of a gentle feminine voice wafted out. The bright light stung my eyes as they adjusted when she opened the door.

There it was.

The feeling I’d been getting all night.

It was her, standing in the doorway, no taller than five feet, with soft curves, dressed in dark blue long sleeved pajamas. An outfit that was entirely misplaced, even for a brisk night.

What struck me was her face. She was gorgeous, breathtaking even. Her naturally curly hair trailed just past her collarbones, framing her features perfectly. Her bronze skin was a beautiful, deep shade that put even the best sunkissed glow to shame. Doe eyes met my unmoving stare. I couldn’t look away.

She stole the air from my lungs like a thief in the night.

But something was wrong.

She had a full face of makeup on. Caked and uneven, mismatching tones marred her otherwise perfect features. The heavy application was meant to cover—to hide—but only piqued my concern.

“Evening, ma’am. We’re doing a wellness check,” Aidan’s smooth voice spoke. His ability to never shut the fuck up came in handy this time. I couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

Her dark gaze snapped to Matt as if looking for permission.

“See, gentleman, everything is fine; there’s no domestic dispute.” Matt laughed. “Sergeant Ryder, we’ve met in court. Those are the true monsters we need to look out for.”

He dragged her stiff body over to his side. Puffy, dark circles tattered her features, but the thick layer of makeup continued to intrigue me. She was hiding something. And I knew what it was. Matt interacted daily with violent men.

And birds of a feather always flocked together.

Aidan flicked the light switch, drenching the room in white light. The girl flinched in Matt’s grip before her gaze halted on mine. A subtle blush sprinkled her features. Her hands fidgeted with her outfit. My eyes rolled over her body, taking note of the blood caked under broken nails. My stare fixated on Matt, who wore a deep scratch on the side of his neck.

“If there’s nothing more to see here, gentleman.” He began when Aidan chimed in.

“Can I look in the bedroom, sir?” he asked, cutting Matt off.

“Is that necessary?” he pursed his lips.

Aidan winked at us. “Just protocol, ya know, boys,” he said as he sauntered off to the room. “Ryder, you’ll wanna check this out.”

Fuck.

My heart thundered in my ears as I took in the catastrophe before me. Someone overturned the bed and nightstand, leaving the room in disarray. Whiskey permeated the air as shot glasses littered the floor. Glass decorated the plush carpet. The ensuite bathroom was in the corner of the room, the door off its hinges. Balled up toilet paper stained red littered the area.

“What the hell happened here?” I turned to Matt.

“Nothing that needs to concern you, right, Livie, baby?” Matt said, referring to her; she nodded. Her hands balled together, knuckles turning white. She refused to meet my eyes.

Dropping his voice to a whisper, he feigned decency. “Olivia sometimes menstruates a bit heavy. It can cause quite the mess as you can gather. We were cleaning up and things got knocked over in the process.”

“I’d like to hear from Olivia,” I said, the taste of her name like luxury on my lips.

Her chest heaved, and her big doe eyes darted between the three of us. “It was”—she trailed off—“It was just–”

“What?” I softened my voice and stepped closer to her. Her delicate frame wavered with the words. The need to put distance between her and Matt controlled my every movement.

“Officer, she’s fine.” Matt rolled his eyes, putting his body between Olivia and me. My fists itched to connect with his face; tension tumbled through the muscles in my arm.

“Olivia,” I said firmly. Tremors wracked her body; her teary gaze met mine. She ran her fingers through her hair, pushing the tendrils out of her face. Her sleeve slid down her arm, revealing deep purple bruising and hand prints.

I heard something inside of me snap.

I don’t remember telling it to, but I moved. I snatched Matt’s scrawny body up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.

“You fucking piece of shit!” I growled.

I brought my fist back and released the ache that had been budding. I felt his nose crunch under my knuckles. I went in again, this time to his lip. Blood squirted onto my uniform, the hot liquid splashing across my face. Seeing red, images of what I was doing came to me as if I were outside my body. I saw his nose spread across his face and his blonde hair stained red. Spittle hung from his gaping mouth as my knee connected with his stomach, doubling him over.

I wasn’t fucking done.

One look at her made it obvious what was going on. Matt sank to his ass on the floor as I landed a kick to his chest.

“Come on, Matt, you like to settle shit with your fists, don’t you? So, let’s get things settled. Once and for all.”

He spat blood and teeth. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Mind your fucking business, pig!” The last word barely escaped bleeding lips before I dragged him to his feet, kneeing him in the groin.

It became my business the moment I saw her.

I felt his balls collapse on my kneecap. I pounded his nose with my forehead, the blood spattering across my face as my hard skull connected with the softened flesh.

I reeked of his blood. My hands were slick with it. Crimson haze clouded my vision. I wanted more. I wanted to make him pay for what he did to Olivia. I wanted to kill him.

Matt’s eyes were swollen and unseeing. His lips and nose were a mess of blood and flesh, no longer discernible. Looking at him fueled my rage as my fist connected with his bloodied mouth. The sting of a tooth lodging in my knuckle was the only thing grounding me. I pulled my fist back, tearing it from the root, leaving another gushing mess in its wake.

Ringing in my ears turned to sirens. And sirens turned to screams. Aidan’s body swung from my back as he tackled me off an unconscious Matt.

“Luke, you have to get off him!” Aidan wrestled my arms behind my back. “You’re gonna kill him if you don’t!” Aidan’s body shook with the effort to restrain me.

My eyes found Olivia, who cried silently on the floor. Her exposed skin was littered with bruises, mapping out a hideous circumstance. I imagined under her clothes, Matt had tarnished the rest of her as well.

My bloody hands shook as they wiped down the front of my pants. Matt’s teeth littered the floor. My focus zeroed in on her. I went to her, my body moving, drawn to her like a planet in orbit. I knelt before her and gently placed my fingers under her chin.

The makeup ran down her face in a salty trail. Under one eye was a deep cut. Her full lips were swollen and busted open. Caramel chocolate eyes met mine as the tears fell.

“Who did this to you, Olivia?” My voice was nothing but a whisper. I stroked her beautiful face gently. “It was him, wasn’t it?”

Her pupils dilated as she cried. “It was an accident.”

Commotion swarmed around us as the med team ran in, separating me from her. They flocked around Matt, who was coming to, and Olivia, tending to their wounds.

“You really done it this time,” Aidan said as our Lieutenant approached us.

“Ryder, Damsel, what the hell’s going on here?” Lieutenant Lampton demanded.

For once, Aidan had nothing to say, and blood covered me so completely that lying was impossible. Not that I would. Motherfucker had it coming.

“Matt Duquesne is a fucking monster. And everyone knows it,” I gritted out.

“Luke, you can’t do this. There’ll be repercussions.” Greg Lampton was old and wise like you’d expect. Salt and pepper dark hair, clean shaven face, and pale blue eyes that only showed regret.

“Take one look at the girl, sir,” I said.

My eyes automatically went to her. She sat wrapped in a shock blanket while one of the medics cleaned the cut on her cheek. She shook like a leaf, silently crying.

“Look,” Lampton said, shaking his head. “I don’t like him any more than you do, but we had no proof of foul play. And even if we did, even if the girl pointed the finger right at him, you still can’t physically assault civilians.”

I knew he was right. But something about her made me act on impulse. Only when I saw her did my control snap.

Something changed when her bruises met my stare. Matt wasn't a big guy, but he could still overpower her. Bile burned my esophagus, thinking about how much worse it could’ve been.

Everyone knew of Matt’s success and movie star good looks. They also knew that his clientele was nothing but scum of the Earth. I sat through enough of his hearings to understand how manipulative he was. It churned my fucking stomach.

“We have to go back to the station, Luke.” Lamptons voice tore me from my reverie. “Do I need to cuff you and haul your ass out of here, or are you going to come back willingly?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I couldn’t believe this shit. The med team was closing the door on the ambulance to take Matt to the hospital. He’d finally met someone willing and able to hand him his own ass.

“Ryder.” Lampton started towards me.

I dodged his grip and headed toward the elevator. “I’m going,” I snapped.

I stole one last glance at Olivia, memorizing her. She must’ve felt me staring; her tepid gaze met mine. Time stopped. No cops, no Matt, no med team. Just us.

“I hope she was worth it, bossman.” Aidan’s voice brought me back to reality. “I’ve never seen you lose your shit like that before.”

I grunted and rolled my eyes. “Let’s go and get this shit over with.”

She was worth it. Even knowing I would probably lose my job, I didn’t care. The moment I saw her, I knew things were going to change.

I just had no idea what.