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almost as if Blue suppressed this man s image, as if she s tried to convince herself he
never existed.
We both know he did, and he does. But her fear hints at a very evil man.
We already knew that.
With amazing precision, Jericho piloted the over-sized shuttle into the bay under
the safe house. Tamara held her breath until he closed the doors behind them, barely
leaving them enough room to offload.
The overhead lights failed to trigger automatically, so he took her by the hand and
led her to the door. This place is so old, sensors wear out as fast as I can replace them,
he muttered as they felt their way along the dark wall. The stairwell leading to the
house above was dark as well, and Jericho tensed. Now, I know I left this on. He
leaned down and pulled a small pistol out of an ankle hostler she hadn t realized he
was wearing. Stay behind me.
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What if they d sent us through a munitions scanner? She wasn t sure why she
was whispering.
Then they would have taken it away, or at least tried to.
She could hear the grin in his tone. He was nothing if not confident.
Jericho stepped into the main hallway and someone catapulted him against the
opposite wall. She gasped and stepped back, but a second person grabbed her arm. She
screamed and jerked against the hand, but she was dragged out into the corridor.
Jericho was still wrestling with the first man, so the second kept her well back from
the fray.
You fucking son of a bitch! Jericho landed an especially vicious punch to his
opponent s face. I ll kill you for this! He charged, head lowered, arms spread, but the
other man neatly sidestepped the lunge, and Jericho crashed into the wall.
Give it up, James. That move never works. With lethal agility and strength, the
stranger threw Jericho over his shoulder and slammed him down on the floor.
The man holding her arm laughed and she jerked against his grip. That s rude.
No, that is sibling rivalry. He shrugged. No matter. My business is with you.
Her heart collided with her ribs as he led her into the kitchen. Jericho and Drake
were shouting about loyalty verses responsibility, frequently accenting their positions
with their fists. There was nothing she could do to defuse that tempest, so she focused
on the man holding her arm.
The kitchen light came on as they entered and her steps faltered. She was still
dressed like a sex slave. Shit! This should be fun.
The Enforcer s dark eyes widened when he looked at her. Professor Owens?
She reached up and unfastened the black wig, dragging it off her head. And you
are? She tried to sound calm without being argumentative. He was in Jericho s house
without permission after all.
He held out his hand and showed her the badge tattooed on the back of his palm.
I m Officer Mercer. Would you like to see my ID card?
If you re with Drake, I presume you re legit. What is this about? As if she didn t
know.
Reaching up, he tapped his audiocom. For the record, would you state your full
name?
Professor Tamara Ellen Owens.
Jericho rushed into the kitchen, Drake half a step behind. Blood was smeared across
the corner of Jericho s mouth and Drake s left eye was rapidly swelling. Brotherly love
at its finest. Don t say a word. I can have my lawyer here in fifteen minutes.
Only the guilty lawyer up, Drake snarled. I thought you said she didn t do it.
I didn t do it, Tamara stressed. And I know who did, or at least I know someone
who can tell you who did.
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Madam
Visions aren t admissible in court, Jericho reminded her. Keep your mouth
shut.
She had a vision of the real killer? Mercer rolled his eyes, but Drake s reaction
surprised her.
Drake approached slowly, his expression cautious. Has Jericho told you about
Miranda? I have an unusual attitude about visions. Tell us what you know and let us do
our job. If you re innocent, we ll prove it.
Mercer looked at him as if he d started speaking in tongues. That s sweet,
O Bannon. She s still under arrest. Mercer motioned toward the nearest wall. Hands
on the wall and spread em.
Drake blocked Jericho s lunge as he said, You better let me do this or my brother
will stop being nice.
This is nice? Mercer jeered.
Yeah, this is nice. Under Jericho s watchful eye, Drake carefully patted Tamara
down.
She could have a machinegun under that coat. You re barely touching her.
She ll go through the munitions scanner same as everyone else. There s no reason
for me to feel her up.
Mercer snorted. If that getup is any indication, I don t think she d mind.
Drake wasn t quite fast enough to catch Jericho this time, so Tamara had to
intercept him herself. Stop it. The last thing we need is an assault charge.
Smart lady, Drake reinforced.
Lady? Mercer snickered.
Drake grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. Stop antagonizing them or get the
hell out and let me handle the situation. Got it?
Mercer nodded as his eyes began to water, so Drake released his throat. Mercer
coughed and rubbed his bruised larynx. I could bring you up on charges for that.
You could, but you won t. You re being an asshole and you know it.
Mercer didn t argue, but he was all business from that point on. Professor Owens
you are a person of interest in the murder investigation of Morton Tulain. Are you
willing to voluntarily accompany us to Detention Center Three for questioning?
If she didn t accompany them voluntarily, they would simply arrest her and take
her in under duress. Protocol required them to ask nicely first. She looked at Jericho, but
his tormented expression was no help, so she shifted her gaze to Drake. Despite
tonight, Jericho trusts you. Do you trust him? She pointed at Mercer.
I do, but you don t need to. As soon as this became a murder case it fell within my
jurisdiction. All you have to do is trust me.
And I do. She looked back at Jericho and said, Com my aunt. She needs to know
what s going on. If she can find her contact on d Arrest, that might be my best chance.
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Jericho rushed forward and kissed her before Mercer could stop him. Don t let
Drake leave your side, he whispered against her lips. I don t trust that prick.
Go. She smiled as tears blurred her vision. I ll be fine.
* * * * *
You have to calm down.
Jericho knew Elaine was right, but his body wasn t cooperating with his mind. Hell,
his mind wasn t being very cooperative either. He d been damn lucky to find Mrs.
VinDerley at home and willing to see him. The least he could do was act civilized.
Fuck that! He didn t feel civilized at the moment. He wanted to stomp that
pompous ass into the dirt and grind his head
You re turning red again.
He took a deep breath and looked at Elaine s serene face. If Mercer touches her, I ll
kill him.
Is there some reason you doubt Drake s ability to protect Tamara?
No, but he s bound by the law.
As are you, Elaine stressed. As are we all. We are not barbarians, young man.
We fight within the system. And when the system requires it, we make changes. We do
not abandon the very thing that makes us great.
Yes, ma am.
Ma am from Jericho James? She laughed. You are distraught.
I m going out of my mind!
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