Justice Black: The Game Never Ends Read online

  Ed recognized the number on the caller ID. He answered on the second ring.

  “What do you want, Lomax?” Eunice was working late tonight. He didn’t have to worry about her trying to listen. She’d been too easy to get. He was Jacobson Cooper to her, and it was to be kept that way.

  “Listen, Ed, we have another job for you. Meet me at the same place tomorrow morning at ten thirty for details.”

  “Sure” Ed agreed. “But this will cost more.”

  “Just be there, and don’t worry about the money.” Kyle looked around the crowded room. There were too many officers hanging around the restaurant to do anything. He supposed they could have poked a few folks with sarin tonight, but the chairman had disapproved. Justice Black had covered everything. There were cameras where there shouldn’t have been.

  chapter

  THIRTY-ONE

  Kaitlyn was on such a high when she entered her apartment at midnight she believed she floated all the way. Justice was a terrific dancer. She’d survived all of his shenanigans plus was bold enough to flirt with him.

  She liked Gracie’s husband. Everyone had focused so much on the music they never got around to talking much about personal lives. The way they touched and looked at each other all evening, it was very obvious they were crazy in love. Kaitlyn nearly fainted when Gracie reminded her she’d had a past encounter with Justice.

  They had practiced forever trying to pull the band together. Due to poor electrical wiring, one of the instruments nearly set the warehouse on fire. It was during the chaos one of the firemen mentioned that Dan played the trumpet. Wil invited Dan for a tryout and later convinced him to join. Tonight’s first performance success proved the rehearsals were worth every effort.

  The evening could not have been better, even with Gwen’s frequent stops at their table. Kaitlyn didn’t fault Gwen at all. Justice could be charming. She cringed at the bouquet of forget-me-nots, sorry she’d reported him for animal cruelty.

  “Girl, that was stupid, stupid, stupid,” she moaned to herself as she made ready for bed.

  It was twelve thirty in the morning, and she was in the deepest part of her sleep when a startling pounding on her ceiling made her bolt straight up. Before she could catch her breath, the pounding was now at her door, which forced her to drag her sleepy body from the warmth of her bed.

  Through the peephole she saw him. “Justice.” She eased the door open to him standing firmly straight-faced.

  “I was deep asleep,” she said.

  He glanced at the hooded sweats and ballet flats but didn’t comment.

  “Dr. Joseph, you reported me to animal control.”

  The shame on her face was his final confirmation. Justice took her hand, closed her door, and led her up the stairs to his apartment. Kaitlyn tried to wrench free, but Justice stopped and shook a finger at her.

  “Don’t do that, Duchess. I’ll throw you over my shoulders and carry you.”

  Breathless when they reached his apartment, she admonished him, “You didn’t have to drag me.”

  “I didn’t drag you” he corrected and with one foot pushed open his door, not bothered she was peeved. “Go inside.” He patiently waited with folded arms. “Count the parrots, Duchess—out loud.”

  She stepped inside and saw the two large, colorful macaws inside of cages. She squared her shoulders with clenched fists. “You can’t make me count.”

  He merely glanced at her fists.

  “There are two, not ten, not twenty, and they’re not being raised for eating.”

  “Then there is no excuse for the loud noise you make up here. Is there?”

  The two locked into a stare, mentally daring the other to say otherwise.

  “You won’t admit you were wrong, will you?” he teased.

  She refused to move an inch and couldn’t care less what he said or that her favorite music softly played in the background on his stereo. She’d had too many sleepless nights behind all his noise.

  “You know, it wouldn’t kill you to give me a hint of a smile on that pretty face of yours.”

  “I am sorry about the call,” she finally admitted. “I get irritated when I don’t get enough sleep.”

  “I see.”

  He moved cautiously toward her with a rakish grin that almost broke her tight barrier.

  “Aw hell.” He couldn’t believe it. “Not now,” he sighed.

  She slowly turned to see what he meant and then screamed and jumped at a green movement that skittered across the lamp, onto the sofa, across her feet, up the wall, and out of sight. She held a tight grip on Justice’s arm.

  “You really do have great moves.”

  “You are not funny. How can you have a reptile in your place? I’m leaving.” If she wasn’t so afraid to move her feet, she would.

  Justice let her hold on to his arm as he moved around the place and searched for Seymour. Seymour’s tail indiscreetly showed halfway inside his duffel bag near the sofa. He returned Seymour to the aquarium and secured the lid.

  Kaitlyn’s courage resurfaced enough for her to remove her hands and place them on her waist. “I knew this was a zoo. I should have brought my bat. Do you honestly specialize in terrorizing your neighbors? And why on earth would you buy the noisiest birds on the planet?”

  He carefully took her hands and wrapped them around him.

  “Hitting the poor innocent creature with a bat? Now that’s animal cruelty. His name is Seymour. He’s a gecko, a pet for Rayford’s kids,” he explained as he gently swayed her to the music.

  “Seymour is a miniature dinosaur. If he is a pet, put a leash on Seymour, and take him for a walk. A pet? You’re out of your mind. You know that?” She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. His body was a strong, safe, solid, comfortable mass, and he smelled good; she could stand here the rest of the morning. She wasn’t that aggrieved. “Gracie’s boys are three years old. They’ll put Seymour in their mouth. That’s what babies do.”

  “It’s all right, Duchess,” he whispered.

  “I’m not your Duchess.”

  “We’ll see.”

  She concentrated on the music and nearly laughed.

  “Really, Justice, you’re playing Paul Hardcastle’s ‘Bird Island’? I take it you’re serenading the birds?”

  “Now that’s funny, Duchess.”

  She allowed her mind to momentarily drift into his sway and the music. This was indeed new to her. As long as she was in charge of things, she didn’t worry about any screw-ups. Onstage she performed; she gave the people what they wanted. With clients she could turn their conversations to where they needed to be. This was certainly not the case with Justice Black; he wouldn’t be manipulated with an act.

  No one paid attention to the woman who sat alone in her car watching Serenity Place. Disconnected tiny images of her life scattered inside her head, shattering into even tinier pieces with no matching parts. Some images were colored, some without form.

  She knew she should follow the smarter path, leave and get as far away as possible. He doesn’t deserve her, and she’d certainly hadn’t committed some heinous deed in her past life where this life with Jacobson was payback. He was good in the beginning. He said he loved her, but that changed.

  Eunice toyed with the black-cat necklace he’d given her.

  Maybe she could have done better in some of the things he said she did wrong. Then she realized he was an animal. He looked at Taylor in that crazy unnatural way when she cries. She’d tried to make her not to, but Taylor’s only five. Pride kept her from giving Taylor to her father; he’d loved to see her fail. She needed to do something. She didn’t think she will survive another beating. But leaving was not that easy for her.

  She looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t bad looking. A little worn, but not bad for forty. Even if she couldn’t have more child
ren, she’s a nurse. She made good money. It should be easy to find someone else.

  Three days after she’d met Ed, they’d moved in together. The two weeks they’ve been together have seemed like months. Then he bought her a house. “Eunice, honey,” she said into the mirror, “you’re not good at being alone.”

  Eunice had followed the map he’d drawn, making sure everything would be in order for his plans. Every street was secretly marked where the chargers were to be set. She had no idea why he thought he had to be secretive. She knew about his plans.

  She purposely jammed the camera and angrily pushed it aside and turned away as if it never existed. He wanted her to take pictures of people living in the complex but wouldn’t tell her why.

  A voice whispered inside of her, Eunice, get out before it’s too late. Don’t be a part of this.

  Eunice had watched the couple in the doorway and wondered whether the woman’s life was any better than hers. Even when the man ordered her inside, the woman wasn’t afraid. She could tell the difference. She knew fear firsthand.

  Her watch beeped. She needed to hurry home. She lifted her sunglasses to see her blackened eyes in the mirror. “I don’t think I care anymore.” She laughed, but it couldn’t reach her eyes.

  chapter

  THIRTY-TWO

  Justice slowly backed Kaitlyn up to the bar and sat her on it. She began twiddling with her fingers. He held her hands still.

  “What’s wrong?” he whispered.

  “I can’t,” she whispered back. “Not right now.” She lifted her face.

  He wanted facts. Truth, not games.

  The sad expression in her eyes as her shoulders sagged stabbed him in his gut. “God, honey, what is it?” He placed a tender kiss on her eyelid as she moved her hands to the open collar of his shirt and held on. It was very easy to like him.

  Justice slowly kissed her cheeks and then her mouth, silently seeking permission. She withdrew. He waited. Soon she relaxed and met his kiss.

  Just as he had imagined, her mouth was smooth and inviting. Just as she had imagined, he was commanding. They explored, raided, and plundered as much as each silently demanded.

  This was wrong. She kissed his cheek before she pulled away and stood to face the balcony. The city’s skyline was beautiful. She folded her arms with a heavy sigh. His place was serene. She envied his view.

  “You have a lovely view from here.”

  “Yes, it’s absolutely lovely. ”He watched her silhouetted against the moonlight, she looked great still he wondered where she’d wandered in her mind.

  “Justice, please don’t touch me like that again.”

  He didn’t argue with her request. He understood what she meant. That invisible wall he’d learned she used rose again.

  “I won’t promise you that, Duchess.”

  “At least you’re honest. When I trust, I trust completely.” She straighted her shoulders and faced him. “I know that may sound stupid and trite to you, but that is who I am. I had to work at trusting. I can’t afford the loss.” A chill ran down her back; she felt so vulnerable. “I have a lot of junk in my suitcase, so much I have to sit on it to close it. You’ve probably already guessed that.” She tried to make light of it, but her voice cracked. “If you’re unlucky, one day I’ll tell you about it.”

  Justice closed their distance and gently lifted her chin.

  “Who doesn’t have baggage? If you’re unlucky, one day I’ll tell you about mine.” This time he pulled her tightly against him. He needed to at least touch her. He needed something pure and decent. “One sunrise at a time. That’s all we are: one sunrise at a time, Duchess.” He felt guilty she had no idea the heaviness of his baggage. He should be damned for taking her this far. But she was like a magnet. The pull to her was out of his hands.

  “I’m not your Duchess,” she sadly repeated.

  “Yes, you are.”

  “I can’t promise you anything. Not right now.” She rubbed her face against the smoothness of his shirt. Although she could smell his after-shave, his manly scent dominated. She then pulled his arms tighter around her.

  “Duchess, I have to leave for a while. Don’t make any rash decisions while I’m gone. Promise me?” He enjoyed how good she felt in his arms and would miss her. “I think I know you.”

  “I’ll be pretty busy with the interviews, and besides, I have a date,” she lied and didn’t know why she even said that. “Then there are rehearsals.”

  His body stiffened. The crowd had demanded an encore of their dance, and after they’d finished, he’d rushed her away from Ricky’s.

  There was no way he would demand anything; he had no right. Still, when men hooted and gawked when she performed, he wanted to make sure that was all they did.

  As indifferently as possible, he responded, “That’s good. You’re doing the same routine?”

  “Why? You didn’t like it?”

  “Sure, I liked it enough.” He squeezed his eyes to shut out the image of her moves.

  She stroked his eyelids. “Well, since you liked the performance so much, how about I give you a sneak preview when you get back? That is, if you don’t mind.” She tried to maintain an innocent face, except his tormented expression made it difficult.

  Kaitlyn couldn’t help it and fell against him in an unabashed laugh. Justice found no humor in it.

  He simply responded, “La belle dame sans merci.” The beautiful lady without mercy.

  “Tout au contraire, quite the contrary,” she coyly responded. “Actually, I’m taking pity on you.”

  He took her hand and laughed. “Come with me.”

  She followed him to the large oak desk that was neatly arranged; curious, she tried to see the order of how he placed things. She watched him noisily fumble through his desk, and a roll of blueprints caught her attention when he shoved it aside.

  “May I?” she asked.

  He swore under his breath. He never misplaced anything. He stopped long enough to pay attention to her.

  “Sure, go ahead.” Interested, he watched her unroll the prints to see exactly what else she had a taste for. “I’m having a house built and haven’t had the time to go over the final plans. I could use a second opinion.”

  “Wow. This is a pretty big house. More like a mini-mansion. Six bedrooms, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged, not that he had any hang-ups. “I like open spaces.” He took stock of his living quarters. He was tired of the cramped rooms and intrusive neighbors, not to mention parking his damn car sometimes where he couldn’t see it. To him the apartment was akin to living in a hotel. He hated it.

  “Rayford and Gracie sometimes bring their kids over. As you can see, their family is growing. I’ll need all the space possible. My own family visits as well. I have three nieces and five nephews.”

  She heard pride when he spoke about the children and his family.

  “Where the hell did I put them?” he swore.

  “I see where space would count. You like children?” she asked. She didn’t know much about him at all.

  “Yes. Children are proof you ever existed on this earth.” For a moment a faraway look overshadowed him, and he’d forgotten she was in the room.

  Why was he fighting sadness? Why had the question struck so deeply? She regretted asking. The way he barked orders and took charge, one would think he was immune to such feelings.

  She sat on the edge of the desk, and mixed thoughts about him surfaced.

  “Justice, I’m sorry if that question was too personal.”

  Justice stopped his search and thought of his life. He couldn’t afford to have any more children.

  “I have a son. His name is Jeremiah.” He was silent for a moment, deep in his thoughts. “I can’t have any more children.”

  Those words jolted Kaitlyn; she stepped away and searched for
something to hold on to, not wanting him to see she was affected by his answer in case he asked, because she had no idea why herself. She thought of Gwen’s reaction and shouldn’t have been surprised that he may have been married once or that someone was attached to him.

  She was so quiet Justice turned to see what was wrong. Her distant look showed she was withdrawing.

  He laid the plans aside, sat her down, squatted before her, and again took her hands into his.

  “By accident, Rayford found Jeremiah almost fourteen years old, alone, and practically homeless.” There was deep pain in his eyes. “He said Jeremiah looked too much like me and took me to him.” He took a photo from a case and handed it to her. As a rule he never left family portraits lying around. This photo was for Pen.

  “Oh my, Justice. This is you. The eyes, face, his build. Amazing.”

  He smiled. “After I took Jeremiah in, it was through many conversations that I learned his mother was a high school classmate I’d intimately known. She married right after graduation.”

  “This was the irresponsible act you mentioned?” Kaitlyn took his little finger as an anchor and waited.

  “Yes. Her name was Clarissa Murphy.” His voice dropped before he continued. “Jeremiah’s similarity to me was too great to dismiss. I had a DNA test done. It wasn’t difficult. His mother had dragged so many men through court, everything was sitting there as if waiting for me. The test result told everything. Jeremiah’s my son.”

  “Justice, you don’t have to tell me.”

  “No, it’s all right. She dumped my son when he was nine with her drunken and addicted husband and never looked back. Whether or not Clarissa knew she was pregnant when she married, I don’t know. If she did, she never even bothered looking me up to tell me I could possibly be the father. Some women do that. At first it was hard for the two of us. There was trust to be gained. We both were angry—Jeremiah with me and me at myself as a man and a father for everything he’d lost, for not being there for him, for not protecting him, and at Clarissa for purposely cutting me out of his life and then abandoning Jeremiah. I should have been there for him. So used to being on his own, Jeremiah ran away once, and I found him. It took counseling, arguments, and pain to get us through everything. We’re very close now. Nothing or no one will ever separate me from my son again. I take care of what’s mine and what I care about. Clarissa stole so much from the both of us.”