Fuck me!

Cora, here. He had no idea how he was going to explain this. And the kicker of it all was that he couldn’t leave, not yet. Garrett had to wait to go to Cora. Christ, the look of betrayal on her face, the horror in her gaze had nearly cut him to the bone.

And then Gail moaned, continuing her diatribe.

Garrett glanced at Spencer, saw the banked fury in his black gaze. He’d spotted Cora too. But he nodded at Garrett. That nod signaled to him that they’d gotten everything they needed. It also was a signal to Jack through the video feed to come to the door, where he would take Gail into custody.

Spencer undid Gail’s restraints. She was far enough gone that she didn’t fight when Spencer dressed her and then wrapped her in a blanket. Even though she was a viper of a woman, Spencer was still more courteous to her than Garrett would have ever been. But as the blanket was settled around her shoulders, some of her subspace began to pass.

“What’s going on?” she asked, looking between him and Spencer. “I thought we were going to screw.”

Garrett snorted, unable to hold back his disgust. “We got exactly what we wanted. In fact, I believe there’s someone here who would like to speak to you.”

Confusion clouded her face as he opened the door to the room and Jack entered wearing his badge.

“Ma’am, if you would come with me, please. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“About what?” Gail said snidely, standing and glaring at Jack like he was dog poo to be scraped off her shoe.

“The fact that you admitted to intentionally attempting to blackmail Garrett Brooks. If you will come with me, please,” Jack said, approaching her like one would a rabid dog.

“I don’t have to go anywhere with you.” She pulled herself up, giving him an imperious glare.

“We can do this the easy way, ma’am, with your cooperation, or the hard way,” Jack stated in full-on cop mode. It was a thing of beauty to see the flash of emotions flit over Gail’s features. For a moment, Garrett thought she was going to lash out and smack Jack. He wished she would because then Jack could add assaulting a police officer to the list of offenses they were likely going to charge her with. But she pulled herself together and said, “Lead the way, Officer.”

Jack escorted Gail from the room. Garrett breathed a sigh of relief as she left, then glanced at Spencer. “I owe you one,” he said.

“Don’t thank me yet. We still have to go to the station and hope she confesses there. With the prodding from the video we just scored, she’d be a fool not to.”

Garrett nodded and his thoughts turned to Cora. “What are we going to do about Cora? The look on her face…”

“Cora’s always been the reasonable, more level-headed member of our family. She’ll come around once we have a chance to explain. But let’s go change and meet Jack at the station like we planned. We can’t do anything about Cora until this is behind us.”

They headed to Spencer’s office where they’d left a change of clothes. Garrett was relieved that this part, him having to act interested in Gail, was over. Back in much more comfortable jeans and a flannel shirt, he settled his hat on his head and then left the club. He drove Spencer in his truck. It was easier that way. They arrived at the station and were taken to interrogation. They stood behind the two-way glass as Jack and the district attorney played the video of her confession.

All in all, it took the better part of the night for Gail to finally agree to a formal confession. She was booked on a count of felony extortion and held on bail. Afterward, the district attorney formally got Garrett’s statement and Spencer’s before they were done. Joe Avery assured Garrett that no charges would be filed on her claim of rape with the evidence they had collected against her.

Jack promised to keep him updated and said he was forwarding the evidence collected to the feds since it appeared she had a history of blackmail. Garrett doubted she would serve any jail time considering she had high powered attorneys at her beck and call. But then again, stranger things had happened.

Only then were he and Spencer able to leave the station. They exited the building as the first rays of dawn speared the horizon.

What a night! He drove Spencer to the club and dropped him off then headed home. Before he went with hat in hand to beg Cora’s forgiveness, he had to wash the stench of the station and Gail off his body. Even though he hadn’t touched her, he still felt unclean.

He could only pray that Cora would be willing to listen.