His to defend, p.17
His to Defend, page 17
Aaron’s eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head slightly as if thinking. “Thursday? Why?”
“Answer the question.”
Instead of responding, Aaron’s mouth dropped open. “Hold up. I know you don’t think that I had anything to do with Jeremy’s murder.”
“I didn’t say you did. I asked where were you that morning.”
“I was at home. Is that why my sister’s here? You thinking she had something to do with offing Jay?” he asked incredulously. “Just because she was messing around with him doesn’t mean she had anything to do with his death.”
“Can anyone vouch for you?”
“Dammit, Sarge! Are you serious right now?” Aaron roared, and Maxwell stared him down, waiting patiently for him to respond. “No. I was home alone. Anything else?”
“Where were you the rest of that day?”
“Seriously? It was my day off. I was running errands. I didn’t have anything to do with Jeremy’s murder. And I can’t believe you think that I did. Sure, he might’ve been an asshole, but so are half the people here. I didn’t kill him!”
Maxwell slid a photo across the table. “Recognize him?”
Aaron stared down at the picture, frowning again. “No, should I? Wait.” He picked up the photo and studied it longer. “That looks like my sister’s place.”
“The other day, I asked you about the beef you had with Jeremy and you mentioned your sister. Why didn’t you tell me that she lived at the apartment complex where he was killed?”
“I didn’t know it was the same building,” he mumbled, not looking at Maxwell.
“Try again. Those details were all over the news. You tellin’ me you didn’t know?”
Aaron slammed his elbows on the table and ran his hands down his face. “Fine, I knew, but—”
Maxwell pounded his fist on the table. “So your ass gon’ sit there and lie to me? Yet, you want me to believe that you had nothing to do with the murder?” he snapped as anger stirred inside him. “You better start talking and tell me everything you know about Jeremy and his murder!”
Aaron lifted his hands out in front of him. “I swear, Sarge. I have no idea who killed him. I’ll even take a lie detector test if you want me to. It wasn’t me or my sister. With Jeremy it could’ve been anyone. Dude was out of control. Screwing around with different women, drinking too much, and he had a gambling problem. I wouldn’t—”
“How do you know that? I mean how do you know he was gambling?” Maxwell asked, trying to remain calm and not show just how much he was getting tired of learning new crap about Jeremy.
“We used to hang out at this one casino downtown. Jay would spend his whole paycheck at the blackjack tables. At first, he was winning, but over the last couple of months, he started losing...big.”
“Did those outings...or the two of you hanging out at casinos, have anything to do with the reason you guys were fighting?”
Aaron huffed out a breath. “I already told you that was about my sister.”
“When was the last time you saw Jay?” When Aaron didn’t answer right away, Maxwell added, “I suggest you tell me the truth because you know we will find out the truth.”
“The night before he was killed. I ran into him at the casino and confronted him again about my sister. I’d heard he was still hooking up with her.”
“And what happened?”
“We argued and shoved each other around a little until Security threatened to toss our asses out.”
Maxwell shook his head and sighed. He wanted to believe Aaron, but his gut told him the man was still holding back. He might not have been behind the murder, but he knew something.
“Was Jay in trouble with any loan sharks, drug dealers, mafia, anybody?”
“Sarge, I honestly don’t know. I do know that I wouldn’t put anything past him. He wasn’t the same guy. After his divorce he...he changed. Maybe you should ask his ex. I heard you two are kickin’ it now.”
Maxwell remained perfectly still. He didn’t doubt there were rumors floating around after he had showed up at her house. Then when she left with him, no doubt that really stirred the gossip mill.
Aaron leaned back in his seat with a smug expression and his arms folded across his chest. “She must be one hell of a woman. First, she turns Jay out, now she’s screwing around with you. What is she like...making her rounds or something? If that’s the case, I want in because clearly what’s between her thighs is like—”
Maxwell reached over the table and snatched Aaron by the collar, pulling him out of the seat. The man’s eyes were as large as saucers.
“You can be pissed at me all you want,” Maxwell said through gritted teeth. His voice was low and lethal as rage coursed through his veins. “But don’t you ever say anything to disrespect Amina again. Also, if I find out that you’ve gone anywhere near her, being a suspect in Jeremy’s murder case will be the least of your problems.”
Aaron shook out of Maxwell’s hold and stumbled back as they glared at each other over the table.
Dammit! What the hell is wrong with me, Maxwell thought as he also backed away from the table. It hadn’t been a week ago when he gave Jeremy a speech about being stupid and risking his job. Now here he was, losing his cool too. No way in hell would he jeopardize his career because of something stupid that Aaron said. Yet, he was powerless to stop himself from hurting anyone who caused Amina harm.
Aaron huffed out a breath. “Listen, I’m sorry. I was way out of line,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations out on you or... Anyway, I can’t believe you think I’d actually kill Jay. He might’ve been an asshole, but killing him ain’t worth ruining my life or sacrificing my job. And then when I saw my sister down the hall in the box,” he said of one of the interrogation rooms, “I lost it. She’s high-strung, but no way she’s involved in any of this.”
“Have a seat,” Maxwell said quietly. His heart rate was still higher than it should be, but at least he no longer wanted to ring Aaron’s neck. “I have a few more questions.”
He might’ve had more to ask, but now his mind was filled with thoughts of Amina and their relationship. And yes, it was a relationship because she was his. He’d made that clear the night before. But they hadn’t discussed it in great detail, and at some point, everyone would know about them. Maxwell wanted her in his life more than he’d ever wanted anything, but they were going to have to be ready for whatever people said. Mainly those who knew that he and Jeremy were once buddies. Dealing with Jeremy’s parents was bad enough. How would he and Amina deal with mutual friends and their reaction about the two of them dating?
The timing for them getting together wasn’t the best, but whatever happened between them was no one else’s business. Amina was no longer married, and Maxwell didn’t give a damn what people thought about him.
At least that was what he was going to keep telling himself.
Chapter 19
Amina couldn’t stop smiling.
She was making up Maxwell’s bed and thoughts of their lovemaking had her body heating up all over again. Spending the night with him had been the most exciting, fulfilling time she’d had in years. It didn’t hurt that he was an unselfish lover. The man had worshipped her body in a way that still had every part of her tingling. The three orgasms in one night was definitely a first. A first that she wouldn’t mind repeating over and over again.
Maybe if Jeremy had...
Nope. Nope. Nope. Don’t even go there, Amina told herself. She was not going to ruin a perfectly beautiful morning thinking about a man who had hijacked enough of her thoughts. But even if she refused to think about him, her mood was bound to shift. She was scheduled to meet with the home security people within the hour. Thankfully, she didn’t have to go alone. Maxwell had arranged for Trace Halstead, one of his best friends, who happened to be a private investigator, to escort her.
Now Amina understood why Maxwell hadn’t wanted her to do any cleaning while they were at her house. He had suggested leaving the place as it was. Not only didn’t he think she was up to it, he wanted his friend to do a little poking around the house. Maxwell had sounded a hundred percent sure that whoever had broken into her home had been looking for something. Amina couldn’t imagine what they’d wanted. She also wasn’t sure if they’d found what they were looking for. Which was why she had agreed not to go anyplace alone.
Amina glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and was surprised at how fast the morning was going. Trace would be there in fifteen minutes. She had hoped to enjoy Maxwell’s huge bathtub before going out, but she had slept in instead.
“Oh well, maybe later.”
Again, a smile spread across her face. She could turn it into a bubble bath for two because the tub was definitely big enough. First, they’d eat the romantic dinner she had planned. Then they could talk about taking a bath together.
It was going to be a busy day, but it was one she was definitely looking forward to.
Promptly at ten o’clock, the doorbell rang and Amina peeked through the peephole before opening the door.
“Amina?” the tall handsome man with smooth dark skin said.
“Yes, and you’re—”
“Trace, Max’s friend,” he said, and they shook hands.
“It’s nice to meet you. Come on in. I just need to grab my bag.”
He stepped into the foyer, and he was taller than she first realized. Over six feet like Maxwell, they both had a similar build with wide chests and broad shoulders.
“Would you like something to drink for the road?” she asked.
“No, I’m good, but I do need to make a quick call before we leave.”
“Oh, okay. Make yourself comfortable, and I’ll be right back.”
Thirty minutes later, they were pulling up to Amina’s house. From the outside, no one would ever know that the interior was a mess.
“You doing all right?” Trace asked after he parked the car. “Your purse strap is going to be shriveled to pieces if you keep twisting it like that.”
Amina glanced down at her lap and laughed. She hadn’t realized the death grip she had on the strap. “I guess I’m a little anxious,” she said.
“That’s understandable, but I hope you know that we’re going to do everything we can to figure out what’s going on. There will be two guys working on the alarm system. They should be done in a couple of hours.”
Amina nodded. “Okay, but I’ll probably need more time to do the cleaning.”
“About that. Max and I were talking earlier, and we’re thinking maybe hold off on putting the place back in order. He thinks that I might be able to uncover some clues that’ll help ID the person or people responsible for the break-in.”
“Yeah, he mentioned that. I don’t see how leaving the place a mess will help, but you guys know better than I do.”
“There’s no guarantee that we’ll find anything. But I’d like to have at least a day to take my time going through the interior of the house, as well as the exterior.”
“Well, I can think of a lot of things I’d rather do than clean,” Amina said on a laugh, but if she was honest, she wasn’t ready to go back into the house. Knowing that someone had been in her home, touching her stuff while destroying her belongings, had her on edge. She couldn’t ever see being comfortable in there again.
“All right, I’ll follow your lead. I would like to at least take care of any food items that might’ve gotten tossed around.”
Trace nodded. “Okay. No problem. One of the things I’m going to do is take pictures of practically every inch of the place.”
Amina’s eyebrows drew together. “Why? That seems like a lot of work.”
“Maxwell said that you couldn’t tell if anything was taken. I’m hoping with another walk through, you’ll be able to tell, but I’m planning to take pictures of the broken items and the debris on the floor. We’re hoping that something will jump out at us or you. Something out of the ordinary.”
Amina didn’t get it, but she remembered her father saying that during an investigation, investigators had different approaches. No one technique worked better than another, but the most important thing was that they find answers.
Trace continued explaining how much of the morning would go, and Amina was just grateful for his help.
“Are you ready to go inside?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Okay, then let’s do this.”
Once inside, Amina’s anxiety amped up. She followed behind Trace, answering his numerous questions. With every step she took, her happy mood dwindled. Something he did that surprised her though was check for listening devices and cameras. The thought that there could be either was unnerving, and her discomfort skyrocketed.
Buying a new place and moving hadn’t been a part of her plan, at least no time soon, but there was no way she could stay in her house again. Even if they found the person responsible, Amina just couldn’t imagine being comfortable there. Someone had invaded her privacy. There was no way she could forget that.
When they entered her bedroom, her breath caught. “How did I miss this last night?” she said, stooping down next to the dresser where her keepsake box had been tossed.
“You were in shock. That’s why Max wanted you to walk through the space again today. And even tomorrow or the next day, you’ll probably notice other things.”
“Can I touch it?” she asked after he took photos. It wasn’t a large container, and held things like birthday cards, letters or notes that she’d wanted to keep, and a few items of her grandmother’s.
“Sure. I’m sure everything in there was valuable in some way to you. But was there anything inside there that you think someone would’ve wanted?”
Amina shook her head as she picked up the contents that were strewn on the floor near where the box had lain. “Max asked me the same thing. I live a pretty simple life. What I have might be valuable to me, but I can’t think of anything that would be valuable to someone else.”
They continued through the house much the same as they’d done with the bedroom. By the time she had picked up the kitchen some, the alarm installers were done. There was no doubt that it was a better system, but still, Amina planned to move on.
Next up was the garage. It didn’t look as if the burglar had made it out there. Trace told her that she had probably interrupted the person’s search when she showed up.
They were standing in the living room when someone pounded on the front door. Amina stiffened and glanced at Trace.
“Relax, you’re safe with me. Stand over there,” he said of the space between the living room and dining room, then he glanced through the peephole before opening the door. “What’s up, man?”
“All’s well. How’s my girl?”
“See for yourself.”
Amina’s body came alive at the sound of Maxwell’s voice. She’d had no idea he’d be there, and she had to control herself from running to the door.
The moment he stepped into the living room their gazes collided. Heat soared through her body, and a huge grin spread across her face at the sight of him in his uniform.
A sexy badass.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as they moved toward each other.
“Hey yourself. How’d you know we were still here?”
He flashed that sexy grin that she adored and gave a slight nod over to Trace. “A little birdie told me.”
Trace smiled and saluted her before heading to the garage.
Amina could’ve hugged him. She’d wanted Maxwell there in the first place and might’ve mentioned it once...or maybe even three times. She returned her attention to the man who consumed most of her thoughts.
“You’re supposed to be at work? What are you doing here?”
Instead of answering, he looped his arm around her waist and crushed her to his hard body. His lips covered hers before she could take her next breath. This was what she needed, what she’d been craving since he left for work.
She moaned and fisted his uniform shirt as their connection deepened. God, she couldn’t get enough. Kissing him was like opening a much-anticipated Christmas present only to find out that it was bigger and grander than you expected. This man was addictive and he was hers.
When the kiss ended, Maxwell lowered his forehead to hers and stared into her eyes. “I couldn’t stay away.”
Though she was more than happy to see him, she hoped he wasn’t done working for the day. She had big plans for him later, but she wanted it to be a surprise. If he ended up taking her home and staying, her idea wouldn’t work.
“I can’t stay,” he said, and lifted his head. “I’m on my lunch break, and when Trace told me that you guys were still here—” he shrugged “—I figured I’d stop by for a hot second, kiss my beautiful woman and then head back to work a happy man.”
Amina smiled at him and gave him another quick peck on the lips. Relief and a sweet thrill bounced around inside her. She could still set up the surprise she had for him, but more than that, he took time out of his busy schedule to stop by and check on her. The sensual kiss was like a cherry on top.
“I’m glad you’re here even if you can’t stay. I’ve missed you, baby.” The endearment rolled off her lips as if they’d been together forever. She and Maxwell together felt good. It felt right. For the first time in a while, Amina was looking forward to what the future would bring.
“You missed me, huh?”
“Oh, yes.”
He kissed her again and this one was just as mind-blowing as the first. There had been moments last night that hadn’t felt real. She’d felt special and cherished. A feeling she’d never experienced with a man before. Would she ever get enough of him? Probably not.
Amina heard footsteps coming from the garage and reluctantly pulled her mouth from Max’s. She smiled up at him and with the pad of her thumb wiped lipstick from his mouth.
