Traitorous Heart 3 Read online

  Intimate desire

  She calls out my name…

  With tenderness

  I caress her skin

  Fingers burn

  Feels better than I imagine…

  Chorus:

  She’s all that I want

  Her scent the air I want to breathe

  My soul grips with aching

  I’m don’t want to live without her.

  She’s all that I need.

  All that I need.

  All I’ll ever need.

  An angel in lace

  Her smile lights my soul

  She teases my lip between her teeth

  Fuels feelings I can’t control

  A devil, so demure—

  My cell phone rang, snapping me back to reality. My reflection revealed I had a hard on. It was Katie: the curve of her ass, the way her hips met mine while we fucked. I adjusted my jeans to make room and ran for the phone.

  “What?” I didn’t recognize the number.

  “Hello. This is Stefan Warren’s office calling for a Griffin Maxwell. Is he available?”

  I nearly dropped the phone. Warren Records. The label was huge. “Speaking,” I said, trying to act cooler than I felt.

  “Oh, hello Mr. Maxwell.”

  “Mr. Maxwell is my father’s name. Call me Griffin.”

  Um, okay. Griffin. My name is Mandy. I work for Mr. Warren. He’s requested a meeting. Can you come to L.A.?”

  I sat on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath. If he wanted to meet with me and not the rest of the group, I was out. I cleared my throat and said, “Does he want to meet me or Crushed Velvet?”

  I could hear Mandy typing on her keyboard. “Mr. Warren is interested in speaking with you and your band, Griffin.”

  I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. That would make the guys happy. “That could work.”

  “Is Friday afternoon at two o’clock agreeable?” More clicking on the keyboard.

  It was Wednesday. “Yeah, that’ll be great.”

  “Excellent. Let me give you the details.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Katie

  I clasped my hands together, waiting for her answer. Had Reid been alive when she went up to his apartment?

  Birdy looked at me. “He was alive. I swear it.” Tears fell from her eyes, making tracks through her smeared mascara.

  Cage nodded. “Walk us through it.”

  She gave me another strange look and cleared her throat. “When I got inside his apartment, Reid called me into his bedroom.”

  My heart began to race. Had she and him done something—like fucked? Had she and Reid been closer than I realized? No way. There was no way she would do that to me.

  Birdy went on, “I sat my purse on the kitchen counter. His bedroom door was open. I glanced in and saw he was sitting on the edge of the bed. It looked like he’d been crying. I went in…” Her voice trailed off and her mind seemed to drift into what had happened.

  Cage glanced up from his notes. “Did you do anything besides talk?”

  Birdy picked at her nail, the one that looked like it’d been torn off. “He tried to kiss me,” she whispered.

  I gasped. I hadn’t meant to.

  “I didn’t kiss him back. I told him that was never going to fucking happen.”

  “It’s okay, Birdy.” I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t tell the truth. I’d seen first hand the kind of ass Reid could be. If she said he kissed her and she hadn’t kissed him back¸ I believed her.

  Cage gave me a hard look. “Reid was your fiancé?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  His eyes widened as understanding dragged across his features. “Okay, I think things are clearing up. Like mud.” To Birdy, he said, “Keep going. You told him no fucking way. Then what?”

  “He apologized and asked me to sit by him. Promised me he would keep his hands to himself.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “Exactly,” Birdy said.

  Cage looked up. “What’d I miss?”

  I gave him a hard look. “Only that Reid was a fucking prick and it’s obvious he had no intention of keeping his hands to himself.”

  Birdy nodded. “I knew it. Trust me, I’ve known Reid long enough to get the kind of man he was.”

  “Yet you never shared that information with me,” I added quietly.

  “Katie, I wanted to. More than once. But you were so smitten, so sure of your feelings and Reid’s place in your life plan. I didn’t want to take that away.”

  “With a name like Dandelion I would’ve figured you for a non planner,” Cage interjected.

  “Exactly why I go by Katie,” I snapped.

  “Got it.” He tapped his pen on the yellow pad. “Pamela, please go on.”

  “It’s Birdy.” She glared.

  “Man, you two and your names.” He put down his pen. “Fine, Birdy. Continue.” He crossed his arms over his chest. I caught a whiff on his cologne.

  “He talked and cried about how much he missed Katie, about how he wanted her back and that his life wouldn’t be the same without her.”

  I snorted again. From the bits I’d dug up on him one thing was certain, my life would’ve been jacked up with him as my husband. And if we’d added children into the mix? Good god. It killed me to think about it.

  “I listened for a long time and then excused myself to the bathroom,” Birdy was saying.

  Cage picked up his pen. “And how long were you in the bathroom?”

  CHAPTER 5

  Katie

  Birdy shrugged. “I don’t know. I peed, washed my hands, checked my makeup in the mirror, and may have snooped a little.”

  Cage lifted an eyebrow. “What? Like opening cupboards and drawers?”

  “Yep, exactly that,” Birdy admitted, having the good sense to blush.

  “And did you find anything interesting?”

  It dawned on me that never once had I snooped. In fact, I rarely went up to his apartment. We mostly met at restaurants or my place.

  She shrugged. “The usual. Shaving stuff. Razors. Condoms.”

  That surprised me. Hurt, too. It was obvious he was having sex. It just wasn’t with me. Maybe there was something wrong with me.

  “I see.” Cage jotted something on his paper.

  Birdy went on. “I thought I heard a thud, like he’d fallen off the bed or something. He’d been drinking, so—”

  “Wait, he’d been drinking,” Cage interrupted. “This is the first I’m hearing about it. How much had he had to drink? Were you drinking?”

  “He was drinking beer. I don’t know how many he’d had, but while I was there he drank three.”

  “Okay. And you, how many did you drink?”

  Birdy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like beer. Plus I intended to go out after Reid and I talked. I didn’t drink anything.”

  Cage wrote on his pad: Birdy sober. Reid drinking (at least three beers). Then he looked up. “So you heard a thud?”

  She nodded and I could tell she was upset by what she’d seen. “I also heard his doorbell ring and footsteps. I figured Reid got up and went to the door. When I came out of the bathroom Reid was gone. I walked out of the bedroom and called his name. ’Reid? Who’s at the door?’ When I rounded the corner I saw Brian kneeling over Reid.” She let out a sob. “Reid was on the floor.”

  “Who the fu—Who’s Brian?”

  I didn’t say anything, knowing Brian was Crushed Velvet’s drummer.

  Birdy glanced at me.

  “Go on. Tell him,” I said.

  “Brian is this guy I met… actually knew from high school, even though I didn’t recognize him at first.”

  She pressed her hand against the glass. “I hadn’t seen him or Griffin in eight years. I swear I didn’t know who they were at first.”

  I placed my hand against the glass where hers was. Her fingers were longer. “I figured. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. Tell Cage everything so we can get you out of
here. We’ll talk another time.”

  She smiled sadly. “’Kay.”

  Cage let out a heavy breath. “Brian?”

  “He’s a guy I met at The Attic the other night.. We’ve been seeing each other a couple of weeks.”

  “But you knew him in high school?”

  “Yeah, I knew him and Reid in high school.”

  “And this guy, Griffin?” Cage glanced at me when he said his name. I forced myself to keep a straight face, but swallowed hard. I didn’t know how to answer the question. I felt more in the dark than ever.

  Birdy answered. “I also knew him in high school. We hung in the same circle of friends.”

  “And he and Griffin were at The Attic the other night.” Cage took a roll of Wint-O-Green lifesavers from his suit pocket and popped one in his mouth. He offered one to me, but I shook my head.

  “Yes, and Reid,” Birdy said.

  Cage shook his head. “Anyone else?”

  “I was there too,” I chimed in.

  “Fuck,” Cage whispered, scratching out something on his pad. “This is going to take a while and it might be better if you weren’t here for the rest of it.”

  “No, don’t send Katie away. I-I need her.”

  Cage shook his head. “Right now you need me.” He scowled. “I’m the one who’s handling your case, unless you’d rather Dandelion here instead.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his features contorted like he’d just swallowed something nasty.

  “I think she’d do an excellent—”

  I shook my head. She needed someone other than me. I’d just graduated.

  “Why did my father send you?” Birdy asked, changing the subject.

  “He figured he was too close to the case, but I’ll be going over everything with him.”

  “Always the professional,” she spat.

  “Exactly,” Cage agreed. “He wants you free as soon as possible and so do I, but the evidence doesn’t help.” He shot another lethal glare my direction. “So I need you to stop worrying about those on this side of the glass.” He slammed his open hand against his yellow pad of paper. Birdy and I jumped. “And start thinking about yourself.”

  “Fine. Yeah, okay. But Katie has to stay, too.”

  Cage’s jaw flexed as he ground his teeth together. “Fine. Continue.”

  “I told Brian I was going to Reid’s. I didn’t realize he knew where Reid lived.” She shook her head. “He was leaning over Reid. A gun on the floor beside him and Reid. There was blood everywhere. I asked Brian what he’d done.” She let out a ragged breath before continuing. “He said he’d found Reid, that he hadn’t touched him. There was a pillow over Reid’s head. Without thinking, I knelt beside Reid and moved the pillow.” Her mouth opened like she was going to say more or let out a scream but nothing came.

  Cage’s eyes softened. “Go on.”

  “There was a hole between his eyes. They were open. Staring blankly at nothing.” She covered her face with her hands and kept talking, her words muffled but understandable. “Brian came over and hugged me. He asked if I’d done it. I told him no. He said we needed to call the police. He pulled out his phone and dialed. I didn’t move, just stared at Reid while Brian spoke. When he hung up, I noticed some of Reid’s blood was touching my knees.” She let out a sob. “His blood was on me.” She looked up, her eyes in my direction, but she didn’t see me. Her eyes were haunted, faraway, as she remembered.

  I wanted to reach out and hug Birdy. There was horror on her face. Terror. Her fear permeated the glass and hit me hard.

  “Birdy, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  Cage glanced over. “I know this is hard, but I need as many details as you can remember.”

  “I jumped up, my only thought was to get his blood off me. I ran to the kitchen, took a towel, and tried to rub it off, but some got on my hands.” Birdy shook as the sobs racked her body. “It wouldn’t come off.” She crossed her hands over her chest and rocked back and forth. “The next thing I remember is that the police are there and they’re asking me questions. I hear them asking Brian questions, too. They were going to book him until they called in the serial number on the gun and found out it was registered to me. They let Brian go and arrested me.” Her troubled eyes come back to the present. “But I didn’t do it. I swear.”

  Cage wrote furiously, trying to keep up. “I believe you,” he said.

  “I believe you too,” I whispered.

  “Why do you have a gun?” Cage asked.

  “My father gave it to me for high school graduation.” She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, leaving a streak of mascara on her cheek. “Most kids get a car. I got a gun.”

  Cage shook his head. “Most kids are lucky if they get a hundred bucks, but whatever.”

  “Anyway, my dad thought it would be a good idea. He made me take a class on gun safety and made me promise to go to the shooting range at least once a week. He figured he was keeping me safe…” Her words trailed off. “I used it, but only at the shooting range.“

  “And when was the last time you used the gun?”

  “A few days ago.” She shrugged. “I’m sure there’s a record. I have to check in.”

  “What’s the name of the shooting range?”

  “Woodhills on 20th.”

  He nodded. “I know the place.” He wrote down the name. I mentally did as well.

  “Anything else you want to tell me?” Cage glanced at his watch.

  “I don’t think so,” Birdy said, shaking her head.

  “’Kay, I’m going to get the police report, follow up on a few things on my end, and I’ll see you at the arraignment tomorrow morning.” He shoved the paper and pen in his briefcase, snapped it shut, and stood.

  I stood too. “That’s it?”

  “For now. Are you going to get her some clothes for tomorrow, or should I send someone to do it?”

  “I’ll handle it, of course.” You son-of-a-bitch.

  “Excellent.” He stuck out his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Dandelion. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you a lot more over the next few weeks.”

  “You got that right.”

  Cage smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Pam—er, Birdy, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He opened the door and walked out.

  “I’ll be back later with your clothes, ’kay?” Birdy stood. “Love you,” I said.

  “Love you too.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Katie

  After I got my driver’s license back from the plump policeman, I ran after Cage. It was a crisp October morning; the air was chilly, especially in the shade, and smelled like fresh-baked bread and cigarette smoke.

  Cage was a little ways down the street on his cell. A long black limo turned onto 21st and pulled up in front of Cage. He didn’t wait for the driver to open the door, just got in.

  I wasn’t done talking to Cage. The man was cold-hearted and rude. He needed to be more considerate of Birdy’s feelings and I was just the woman to set him straight. I made a rash decision.

  I ran over to the limo, pulled on the door handle, and slid inside.

  “What the hell?”

  I faced Cage. “Listen, you need to not be so rude to Birdy. She’s sweet, tender-hearted, caring, and—”

  “I get it.” He hung up his phone and slid it into his pocket. I noticed he seemed more relaxed. He flipped down the TV screen and used a remote to flip the channel to Sports Center. “You ever seen a Rangers game?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “But listen. Birdy didn’t kill Reid.” Even though I didn’t have any kind of proof and she looked guilty, none of that mattered. I knew Birdy and if she said she didn’t do it, then she didn’t do it.

  “Of course not,” he uttered, placing ice in a glass.

  Drinking? Already? It wasn’t even ten in the morning. “Seriously?” I asked.

  He smirked, opening the small refrigerator and pulling out a container of orange juice. I still wasn’t convinced. He could be adding vodka o
r schnapps. It wasn’t unheard of. Hell, I’d seen Birdy’s dad drink vodka straight right before he was due in court.

  But Cage didn’t. He filled his glass with only orange juice, put the container back, and took a drink. “Where do you get off judging me?” he asked when the glass was half empty.

  I shrugged.

  “Take me to 3 Gramercy Park West,” Cage told the driver.

  “That’s Reid’s apartment.”

  “I know. I have the police report and Birdy’s information. Now I want to see the apartment for myself.”

  “Is that something you normally do?” I stared out the window, watching as we turned off 21st and into traffic.

  “It’s something I normally do, yes. Most lawyers don’t, but then I’m not most lawyers.”

  “So you like to get down and dirty.”

  He gave me a sultry look.

  I blushed, realizing what I’d just said.

  Cage chuckled. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

  There was an awkward silence. A cheer came from the TV screen. I glanced at it. Some guy stood up on the ice. His face was covered in blood. “Nash. Bout time you started doing your job.” Cage took another sip of orange juice.

  “Hockey, huh?”

  “Is there anything else?”

  “Let’s see. There’s football, basketball, baseball… yeah, a few other things.” I smirked.

  He chuckled, polished off his juice, then pulled the rest out of the fridge. I hadn’t eaten yet this morning and my stomach growled in complaint.

  “You hungry?”

  I crossed my hands over my stomach. “A little.” The thing was, I was hungry but I didn’t think I could eat. I was too worried about Birdy, my stomach in knots over what happened to Reid.

  Cage pressed a button.

  “Yes, Mr. Devereux?”

  “Can you stop at Gaston’s Bakery?”

  “Of course, Mr. Devereux.”

  Cage released the button. “There. We’ll get you fed.”

  “That’s not necessary. Although I would like to go into Reid’s apartment with you, if that’s all right?”

  He regarded me a few moments until I started to squirm. “What are you doing?”