Page 28 of Protect Your Queen

No, I didn’t think I was okay; but that wasn’t an answer I could give them. I wasn’t allowed tonotbe okay. It was against the rules.

Through the wide-open front door, I heard another car pull up. Unlike Jasmine’s screeching tires, these ones rolled in slow, and came to a reasonable stop. Everything was nice and law-abiding, which is what gave them away as cops even before they walked in.

“LAPD!” a woman’s voice called in. “We’re here about a call.”

Chris, with his bleeding arm, stopped them at the door, and I watched the little droplets mark his wake. On the other side were two plain-clothed officers, their hands in their identical LAPD windbreakers. The woman was about to step in when my sister stopped her.

“Let’s see a badge, buddy.” Jasmine crossed her arms, blocking their entry.

“Jazz!” I hissed. Why did she always have to be like this? Why did she always have to challenge everything head on?

But the woman at the door did flash a badge, and so did her partner. Jazz scrutinized each one, as if she knew what she was looking for.

“I’m Detective Athanya Delgado, and this is my partner, Rhys Tanner.” She stayed in the doorway, waiting to be invited in. “May we come in?”

Jazz rolled her eyes again. I swear, if she rolled them any harder, her face would stay that way. With a flick of her fingers, she beckoned them in.

“We’re here about a shooting that happened outside the Black Bird…” the woman started speaking.

“I’m Christopher Ambrose, Miss Jestiny’s security head.” My bodyguard stepped in front of her, his hands at his sides. “I was there and can answer all of your questions, if you’ll follow me into the office.”

“I think it’s best if I also interview the family, don’t you think?” She lifted one perfectly plucked brow, turning partway. I watched as her powerful legs worried the threads of her skinny jeans. Jareth leaned forward, his elbow on his knees.

“I think you should go with the bodyguard.” Jareth bared his teeth. “After all, he was the one who saw what happened.”

Detective Delgado’s partner must have been mute, as he just stood beside her, his brown, wavy hair windswept along with his sunburned nose. I don’t think this woman Detective understood that if she didn’t do exactly what Jareth and Jazz said, she’d be in for a world of hurt.

“I think the family has been through an ordeal,” Chris said, “and could use a moment.”

Was he smiling at her? His teeth were on full display. His eyes sparkled. It made my gut roil with anger. Was heflirtingwith her? Howdarehe? She was the enemy. All cops were. She wasn’t one of us. He wasmyemployee. He belonged to me.

He didn’t step out of her way, but simply gestured to the side room.

Then she smiled back at him and the two turned as one to the office. No way was I going to allow them to talk alone. How fucking dare he?

“It's okay, Christopher,” I interrupted their little meet-cute. “She can talk to me, if she wants to.”

I looked, again, at the dark red blood that dripped down his hand, to the outside of his pinky finger. He had taken a bullet for me. Would he do the same for her?

“You should get yourself looked at,” I said as another drop fell to the marble floor.

Chris turned to me, his eyes softening. Heck, he almost looked hurt.

“Ma’am, I think you need a moment to process with your family.” His eyes turned to Jareth, then Jasmine, before looking back at me. “They’ll know what’s best.”

Then he gave a slight nod, his eyes never leaving mine. He was trying to communicate something. Something that maybe I didn’t fully understand. Did he know what my family was into? Was he trying to protect me?

Then he gave me a small smirk, and winked.What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

“I was going to get patched up in the office anyway. That’s where Brian is, he’ll set me up.” He smiled, then tilted his head to point at the two cops. “I’m sure they won’t mind following me.”

Jareth’s hand quietly came to my shoulder, and Jazz stepped between me and the trio leaving the room, blocking them from my view. She couldn’t block it out when I heard him talk to the cops, their footsteps fading away.

“Come on, Detective Delgado… Detective Trainor.”

“It’s Tanner,” the other man said in a drawl. “And I’d like to stay out here, and just make sure Miss Barkadais…”

“She’s fine,” Jareth said. “Go with Mr. Ambrose.”

---