Alexandra
Trying to get an information on Dagger has been somewhat easy. He has a rap sheet a mile long. His charges include drugs, pandering, gun charges, and domestic violence. He’s a real charmer. In the last five years, though, everything the DA tried to charge him with didn’t stick.
It’s almost as if he’s made a deal with someone. The question is who.
I’m on my third cup of coffee when my desk phone rings. It’s my legal secretary, Bailey. Apparently, I have a gentleman who wants to speak with me, but didn’t want to give his name. Normally, I wouldn’t feel weird about it, sometimes witnesses just show up to give me some information. But after all that’s transpired in the last week, I’m a little nervous.
My office blinds are closed, so I take a peek out.
“Oh my God!” I scream, flinging the door open. “Michael, what are you doing here?” I ask, as I run to give him a hug.
“Hey, Cookie,” he says, returning my embrace.
“I can’t believe you’re here in Florida.”
He’s a sight for sore eyes. Not in a sexual way, but more like family.
“Well, I had some vacation time coming, so I thought I’d come to the beach and see an old friend.”
Tears start to well in my eyes…again.
“Oh shit, Alex, don’t cry.” He hugs me tighter.
You’ve heard that timing is everything, right?
“What the hell is going on, Goldie?”
Wiping my eyes, I turn and see Colton standing like he wants to kill Michael.
“Cookie, everything OK with this guy?” Michael postures as if he’ll do the same.
I clear my throat as I look around, making sure no one is too interested in what’s going on.
My secretary gives me a questioning look, silently asking if I want her to call someone. I give her a reassuring smile that I can handle these two alpha men.
Thinking quickly, I make up a reason why my murder suspect is here to see me.
“I made an appointment with Mr. Murphy and his attorney. I’m sure his counsel will be here shortly,” I tell her, then turn to Michael and Colt. “Um, why don’t the three of us go in my office.”
Colton and Michael reluctantly follow me. Michael has his hand on my lower back, and I’m pretty sure I hear Colton growl.
I close the door as soon as all three of us are inside, and place my hand in Colton’s. He squeezes it to let me know he appreciates it.
“Michael, I’d like you to meet Colton Murphy.” I look up at my Beefcake. “He’s the man I told you about.”
“Ah, Colton. I’m Special Agent Michael Schuller, but my friends call me Mike.” He holds his hand out to Colton, who looks at it for a minute.
“Mike is here on vacation and wanted to stop in and say hello, right?” I ask him, begging him not to get into the case.
Mike looks to Colton, who arches his eyebrow. “Actually, I am here on vacation, but I have some information I thought you’d want to hear.”
I glance up at Colton, silently asking him not to be mad Mike is here. He wraps his arm around me and pulls me closer. A sign of possession in front of Mike, perhaps?
“Let’s take a seat, Goldie, and see what G-man has to say.”
Colton and I sit on one side of my office table while Mike continues to stand.
“Mike, before you start, I have something to tell you. Something else has happened since the last time we spoke.”
I tell him the story of the photos and video, and Mike’s face contorts into rage. He looks at Colton. “What were you thinking, putting her in a position like that?’
Colton stands, as do I, but only to stop what is about to happen.
He stills when I place my hand on his chest to calm him, yet he never takes his eyes off Mike.
“Mike, having sex in public was my idea. Don’t blame Colton. This is my fault.”
“Bullshit, Goldie. The fault lies with the dirty cops,” Colton says, as he glances at Mike.
If Mike is pissed, he doesn’t show it. “Do you still think it’s Miller and Anderson doing this shit to you? If you want my opinion, I think it’s too obvious.”
“We thought that too, but who else could it be, Mike? I’ve racked my brain about this, and I can’t think of anyone else.”
Mike takes an envelope out of his jacket pocket, and throws it on the table.
Eyeing it as if it were a poisonous snake, I slowly reach for it.
“What’s this?”
“Alex, what do you know about Robert Carlson?” Mike asks.
“Robert Carlson? Isn’t that the son of the man that Minor murdered after his acquittal?”
“It sure is. I did a little digging on social media. Apparently, he’s been making threats against you online. I’ve printed out the messages and put them in the envelope. I didn’t do it to scare you, but I wanted you to know who I think is really behind harassing you.”
Colton grabs the envelope out of my hand. He rips it open and silently reads the posts. His lips are moving, but no sounds come out.
I glance at Mike, who has a look of sorrow on his face. What the hell did this guy say?
I reach for the papers, but Colton pulls them away so I can’t see them. He looks at Mike. It’s like these two are having a silent conversation they don’t want me to hear.
“What the hell did this guy post, Colton? I have a right to know.”
Colton shakes his head. “Look, darlin’, you don’t need to see these. All you need to know is this guy is batshit crazy.”
I hold my hand out to him. “Colton Murphy, if you don’t give me those damn papers, I’ll never speak to you again.”
“Look, Cookie, I think Colton is right.”
“Cookie?” Colton questions Mike.
I grab the papers out of Colton’s hands while he’s distracted by my nickname, quickly making my way out my door and into the ladies’ room across the hall. I lock the door behind me, then start reading.
My mind is overwhelmed with words like rape, cunt, kill, guilt, and torture. I have to sit down—if I don’t, I may pass out.
As I try to make sense of the ramblings, my ears suddenly recognize voices. Colton and Mike are banging on the door, calling my name.
“Alexandra, open this door,” Colton growls.
I know I can’t stay in here forever, but I continue to quickly scan the papers.
You deserve to die, bitch. I’ll cut you from stem to stern for letting that bastard kill my father. You’ll beg for your life just like my father did. But I won’t show you any mercy. Before you die a slow death, I’ll make sure to feel your fear when I’m inside you.
Oh God. I immediately stand and vomit into the toilet. Collapsing to the floor, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Jesus Christ, Alex, open the goddamn door or we’ll bust it open.” Mike isn’t as loud as Colton. It’s more like a loud whisper.
“I’ll be out it a minute,” I manage to choke out.
Not wanting them to see me like this, I pull myself up and quickly splash my face with cold water.
After shoving the papers in the waistband of my pants and pulling my jacket over them, I unlock the door.
Colton’s standing in the doorframe with his forearms resting on either side. “Give me the papers, darlin’. You don’t need to look at what that sick fuck wrote.”
“I’m not giving them to you. I’m burning them,” I say, as I duck under his arm.
“I have my men on this, Alex. We believe Carlson is here in Florida. We’re tracking his credit card. As soon as we can get close, we’ll pick him up.”
“I still have the envelope from the photos, Mike. You can have that since it’s evidence.”
I can’t look at Colton. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m embarrassed, or that I can feel the rage coming from him.
“G-man, I’d like a minute with Alexandra, if you don’t mind.”
My eyes dart to Mike.
“You OK with that, Alex?”
I look Colton in the eyes now. “I trust him with my life.”
Colton swallows. He looks full of pride when his eyes meet mine.
“I’ll take good care of her. Don’t worry, G-man.”
With that promise, Mike excuses himself out to the lobby.
Colton clears his throat. “I don’t want you to worry about this, Goldie. I know I wasn’t happy when I saw Mike here with you, but I think he can be a big help. He has resources we don’t.”
While I’m grateful for Colton backing off Mike, I can’t shake the feeling there is a but coming here.
“What is it you want to say, Colton?”
He clears his throat again, and now I’m more nervous than I was before.
“I want you to move in with me, and if you don’t want to stay above the shop, then I’ll move in with you.”
My mouth drops open. I wasn’t expecting Colton to say that.
He looks down at his hands and grabs mine. “I know this isn’t very romantic or anything, and I know we can’t let anyone know, but for the time being, I think this is the best way to protect you.”
And there it is.
“No,” I say, shocking myself.
“What do you mean, no? Alex, until this psycho is put away, I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“I understand that, Colton, and I appreciate it, but until we find the eyewitness, Miller and Anderson will still be sniffing around.”
“Well, I’m hoping we can put an end to their case tonight.”
Colton proceeds to tell me that Vinny and Franny are going ahead with our plan. I don’t like the fact they are putting themselves, as well as two other women, in jeopardy, but I know we don’t have a lot of other choices.
“If Miller and Anderson aren’t behind the threats, then there’s still a chance they don’t know about us and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“So, what are you saying? Are you asking me to keep my distance from you, Goldie, because I don’t think I can do that.”
Oh God, that’s the last thing I want too, but I need to be realistic.
“I think I need to tell my boss what’s going on. If Miller and Anderson are framing you for murder that is punishable by death, I think we need more help.”
Colton is shaking his head. “I don’t like it. We need to find the witness first and find out what’s going on. I know in my gut he’s working for those two fuckers, and if we can just get to him, we can find out why.”
Just as I’m open my mouth to respond, Mike knocks on the door. He opens it enough to stick his head in.
“Sorry, but I thought you’d want to know my guys have found Peter Walton, and they have him in my hotel room for questioning.”
Colton and I both look at each other. Peter Walton is the supposed eyewitness.
“Well, let’s get the hell out of here and go question him,” Colton says.
Mike enters my office. “I don’t think so, Colton. You need to stay away from the witness. Let me and Alex handle this.”