Page 39 of Madam Temptress
“He’s right,” I tell Moses, watching the expression on his face turn into a dark, violent thundercloud.
“Gotta find another way. You’re not going anywhere near that bastard, mama. I won’t have it. Not in a fucking million years will it fly with me.”
Jules steps away from the back of Trey’s computer and pulls out the chair beside him before dropping into it. “You sure the DMV database doesn’t have shit? If we could get a current name and address, we could just go take him out ourselves.”
“Tags on the car that he used to run the red light were stolen, so that’s not helping. I’m trying a different facial rec program on the red light photo and one I refined. I hope like hell we’ll get another hit.”
I go to Moses’s side. “Where was the light that he ran? Where was he headed?”
Trey’s attention drops back to his screen and his keys click before he replies. “Poydras and Carondelet.”
I face the man who’s trying to protect me. “That’s not far from where we saw him when he was tailing us—near the World War II Museum. He sticks close to downtown, obviously, if he’s looking for me. But where the hell is he staying?”
“Little brother’s shithole is only a few miles from there too. But he wasn’t crashing there. At least, didn’t look like it when we went to check the place out.”
My gaze cuts to Moses’s face. “Could he be staying there and just covering his tracks?”
He shakes his head almost instantly. “Too risky. If he’s a pro at staying off the grid, and he knows Ricardo’s dead and the cops have his body, he wouldn’t take the chance that they might somehow figure out who he is and come knocking. My money’s on a hotel in the area where the red light camera caught him. Somewhere he won’t be noticed much.”
“Too bad the cops haven’t made that connection,” Trey says, typing away. “What about another anonymous tip?”
I glance between the two men, because this is my opening to tell them. “Cavender just called. I have to be at the station at noon to answer questions about a homicide.”
The entire room goes quiet as Moses whips his head toward me, and we lock eyes.
His jaw flexes. “You’re not going.”
“I have to go. I told him I’d be there.”
Moses steps away from the table and comes closer to me. “Not risking you, mama. Not for anything. I’ve already told you this, how many times?”
I don’t want to argue, but sometimes you wish in one hand and shit in the other to see which fills up first. Spoiler, it’s the shit hand. “I’ll be fine. I’ve been questioned before.”
“No.” His tone is final, but it doesn’t matter.
“You don’t want me to see what happened to Desiree, and I sure as hell don’t want to either, but I’m going.” I look at Trey for a second. “Is there anything I can give the police that won’t incriminate me, but might put them on the path of the guy who’s doing all this? Can we at leastusethe cops?”
There’s a distinct growl from Moses’s direction, and I scowl back to find his green-gold eyes glowing with intensity.
“Goddamn it, Mags. You’re not putting yourself in danger. That’s the whole fucking reason we’re locked down here.So he can’t get to you and do what the fuck he did to Desiree.I’m not putting you at risk. Fucking forget it.”
“I’ll send a lawyer with her.”
A deep voice comes from behind us, and we all turn to see Mount standing in the doorway.
“V will drive her. No one will get to her.”
Moses’s expression frosts over. “I get that you’re used to calling the fucking shots—really, truly, I am—but this isn’t happening.”
“If Magnolia doesn’t show, Cavender will hunt her down. He’s not on my payroll. He’s a straight arrow. A prick, all the same, but he doesn’t fuck around. He’ll find her regardless. Might as well make it on her terms and try to use it to your advantage.”
Moses reaches out and pulls me against his side. “I fucking hate it.”
“I’ll be okay. I can handle it,” I tell him, looking up into his face, but he’s still seething at Mount.
When Moses finally glances down at me, I notice something I’ve never seen in his eyes before.
Fear.
