White Collared Part One: Mercy (7 page)

“Thanks for the sound bite, Trenton. Make sure you catch the news at noon.” Rachel blew him a kiss and strutted away.

Jaxon released a long exhale. “It hasn’t stopped. Somehow the media found out where I’m staying, and they’ve been camped out in front of the hotel twenty-four-seven. My phone hasn’t stopped ringing. My
unlisted
cell, I might add. I lost my wife and now I’ve lost my privacy. No one cares about getting my side of the story. They just want to win the ratings for their time slot. Alyssa chaired committees to raise money for victims of sexual abuse. She donated blood and raised awareness of the bone marrow registry. But now she’s forever memorialized as a brainwashed victim of domestic violence.”

Nick cocked a brow at her, and she realized she still had her arm around their client. Embarrassed, Kate stepped away from him.

Her boss patted Jaxon on the back and, with a jab of his chin, motioned to them to return to his office. “We’re doing everything we can. I’ve got calls into a couple of psychiatrists who specialize in sex therapy and BDSM. Hopefully, if we convince the media to interview them, it’ll change the community’s perception. The problem is people are scared of what they don’t know.”

“What about the coroner?” Jaxon asked as they proceeded down the hallway. “Won’t he be able to find evidence to clear me?”

Kate and Nick’s gazes collided as she recalled their earlier conversation over the photos. “Our county has a medical examiner. And, of course, it’s possible he’ll find a fingerprint or DNA evidence that will help lead the police to the real killer. But her death wasn’t committed in the heat of passion. Whoever did it was meticulous. Which means the chance he made a mistake and left behind evidence is reduced.”

With a file in her hands, Lisa stepped out of Nick’s office, her eyes widening at the sight of an approaching Jaxon.

If the firm’s own employees were apprehensive in his presence, how would they ever convince the general public of his innocence? Or was it simply the knowledge that the man beat his wife for pleasure that unnerved them?

Lisa swallowed hard. “Mr. Trenton, I placed the fax you’ve been waiting for on your desk.”

“Thank you, Lisa,” Nick said. “Please hold my calls while I’m with Mr. Deveroux.”

“Of course, sir.” Averting her eyes, she angled her body toward Jaxon and bounced from foot to foot. “Can I get you a refreshment? We have bottled water, juice, and a variety of pop.”

“No, thank you.”

The secretary blew out a huge breath and bolted back to her desk.

Nick ushered Kate and Jaxon inside his office. They sat in silence as Nick perused the fax.

When he lifted his head, she read the agony on his face. “This is from the medical examiner’s office. He’s preliminarily ruling Alyssa’s death a homicide with cause of death asphyxiation by ligature strangulation. Do you want me explain the report to you or would you prefer to read it yourself?”

Blanching, Jaxon started to reach for the fax but then dropped his hand to Nick’s desk. “Did she . . . suffer?”

She wanted to hug him close, massage her fingers into his thick hair, and ease his torment. Judging by the photos alone, Alyssa had endured a horrific death, and it hadn’t come quickly.

At least Kate’s father had died instantly. Only the people he’d left behind had suffered.

“I’m sorry, Jaxon.” Nick’s skin had taken on a slightly green tinge. “According to the medical examiner, the killer must have first tried to get her to strangle herself. The way he’d bound her, if she’d tired and dropped her head forward or passed out, the rope would have strangled her. As it was, it severely decreased her oxygen levels. But it was the addition of the collar that cut off her ability to breathe. Based on the blood evidence, the stab wounds were inflicted postmortem. Most of the bruising was determined to have been caused within an hour of her death, but the medical examiner did note prior bruising on her posterior.”

Jaxon breathed heavily as he processed the information. “I don’t understand why I’m still a suspect. I have an alibi.”

“They might believe you hired someone to do it for you,” Kate said, curling her fingers into her pants to keep from touching him. “The police will subpoena your bank records to look for any large or unusual withdrawals of money.”

“They can look all they want. They’re not going to find anything.” Jaxon stared at her almost as if he could read her thoughts. As if he knew how much she wanted to help him. Please him.

What would he think about her if he discovered she’d fantasized about fucking him and Nick at the same time?

Nick’s baritone voice drew Jaxon’s gaze away from her, and she realized she’d been holding her breath. “It doesn’t matter. If they can’t get you for murder, they’ll charge you with battery based on the fact you were Alyssa’s Dom. The newspapers are filled with letters from outraged women’s rights organizations crying for justice and swinging support to Ford in the upcoming election. The pressure is on Savage to file charges or he’s out of office come November. Right now, you’re political fodder. They’re out for blood. Your blood. It’s my job to keep you from making it easy on them, and, if they arrest you, I’ve got to find reasonable doubt. Because you know the whole fucking ‘innocent until proven guilty’ phrase you’re always hearing about? Well, it doesn’t work that way. Occam’s razor: the simplest explanation is usually true.” Nick leaned forward, planting both hands on his desk. “I have to ask. Were you and Alyssa having marital problems?”

Other than a muscle jumping in Jaxon’s jaw, he went completely still. “We shared a house, but not a bed. The day I left for Chicago, I asked for a divorce.” He spoke softly, as if each word pained him, and she heard what he didn’t say.

What if . . .?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nick asked gently.

“What was I going to say? Alyssa and I haven’t made love in eighteen months? That I wasn’t enough for her sexually, and so she had to go out and hire a professional Dominatrix to beat her so she could have an orgasm? That I’d failed both as her Dom and her husband?”

Nick held out his hands. “How the hell am I supposed to keep you out of jail if you’re keeping things from me?”

After a brief silence, Jaxon spoke so quietly it startled her. “You never asked.”

“I’m supposed to ask if you were fucking your wife?” Nick asked.

“No. Not that.” Jaxon twisted his thick, gold wedding band. “You never asked if I killed her.”

“I don’t need to.” Nick jumped to his feet and circled his desk to stand by his friend. “The man I’ve known since college, who made me crash on his couch because I was too drunk to drive, that guy is not a murderer. I didn’t need to ask because I know you didn’t do it.” He squeezed Jaxon’s shoulder, providing the comfort Kate didn’t have the right to give.

A twinge of envy stabbed her chest. In some ways, she felt like an intruder as she witnessed the bond between these two men. If she was in Jaxon’s situation, would she have anyone to watch her back? Tom? Hannah? Caden? Or would they all disappear like the last time she’d needed the unconditional support of a friend?

Jaxon thumped Nick’s arm a couple of times, thanking his best friend without speaking the words. “Couldn’t we hire our own detective? Maybe he could come up with something different than the police.”

Antsy, she rolled a pen in her hands. “The killer is one of you. A kinkster. Whoever does the investigating also has to be part of the scene; otherwise he’ll never get anyone to talk. Do you know anyone in the community who could help?”

“You mean a private investigator?” Jaxon frowned. “Not that I know of. Besides, it’s been a few years since I’ve visited our club. When Alyssa and I agreed to separate, we decided she would use our membership at Benediction since she needed it more. That’s where she met her Dominatrix twice a week for her sessions.”

Kate’s mind flew to a hot, sweaty place she’d only read about. Within it lay their answer. A local sex club filled with people who could wield a single-tail whip. People who may have spoken with Alyssa or had knowledge of who’d want her dead.

She swallowed her apprehension. “I have an idea. It’s unconventional, but I can’t think of another way.”

“Anything,” Jaxon said.

Nervous energy forced her to her feet. She paced the length of the office, rubbing the gold cross hanging on her necklace between her fingers. The irony of it bubbled in her stomach, almost making her laugh. Not that an atheist wearing a cross wasn’t ironic enough. “Jaxon needs to go to the club and get back into the scene. They’ll talk to him.”

A frowning Nick tilted his head. “Won’t it seem odd for him to go to a sex club so soon after the murder of Alyssa?”

Playing with his wedding band again, Jaxon stared at her, understanding evident in his eyes. “Some people may take it as a sign of guilt. Others may see it as a way to regain control over an uncontrollable situation.”

Nick reclined in his chair and crossed his arms. “So you just go and ask questions? I don’t see how that would work.”

“It wouldn’t,” she said. “He needs a reason to be there.” Stopping in front of Nick, she placed her hand on his solid shoulder. “Me. I’d go with him as his sub.”

He shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with dissent. “No. Absolutely not. As a member of Jaxon’s legal team, you cannot have a personal relationship, even a pretend one. It’s unethical.”

“I’ll wear a mask,” she said in a quiet voice, attempting to soothe the wild beast she’d uncaged. “No one will know.”

“
I’ll
know.” He turned her to him and placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s my role as your supervisor to ensure you don’t violate the Michigan Rules of Professional Conduct.”

If Jaxon had not been in the room, she would have accused Nick of allowing his personal feelings for her to get in the way of the case. “Going undercover as Jaxon’s submissive doesn’t violate the code. There isn’t even an explicit rule against having sex with a client.”

“That may be, but I’ve known a few attorneys censured by the Michigan Bar for sleeping with a client. At this point, it would ruin your career. Besides, you’re not a cop or a private investigator. It isn’t your job to play Nancy Drew.”

“You’re right. But an attorney acts as an advocate for his client and what better way to advocate for Jaxon than to find Alyssa’s real killer to prove his innocence?”

“That’s stretching the definition of advocate a bit, don’t you think?” He lowered his voice. “Do you realize what kinds of things go on at that club?”

She couldn’t hold back her smile.
He was jealous.
“Not exactly. But I can use my imagination.”

He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “This isn’t funny. You’re too young, and it’s too dangerous.”

“She’s older than I was when Alyssa took me to my first play party,” Jaxon offered from his seat.

Nick dropped his hands to his side and stepped back from her, his gaze never leaving her face. He shook his head as if coming out of a trance and crossed to Jaxon. “I only know what you’ve told me about Benediction. Are you willing to take an innocent girl like Kate there? You can’t possibly prepare her for whom and what she’ll encounter.” He didn’t wait for Jaxon to answer before whipping his attention back to Kate. “And you. Are you ready to bow naked before your master where anyone and everyone can see you?”

“Nick is right, although not about the master part,” Jaxon said calmly, rising from his chair. “While your idea has merit, we can’t subject you to a lifestyle you know nothing about or even want.”

She stomped to stand between Nick and Jaxon. “I’m not innocent and I’m not naïve. I understand what I’ll have to do as Jaxon’s submissive, and I want to do it. I need to do it.”

Nick paused. “Give me a week to come up with another plan. Another way.”

“We don’t have a week,” she reminded him. “I’ve been through this before. The prosecution will twist every piece of evidence to make their case, and when they discover they’re wrong, they’ll cover their political asses rather than admit they made a mistake.”

Nick startled. “What do you mean you’ve been through this before?

“I . . . You know I’m right,” she said, ignoring the question. “I admit I haven’t been to a sex club. I may have read some romantic fiction about sexy billionaire men with emotional issues who call themselves Doms, but I’ve also done quite a bit of research online about BDSM.”

Nick folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t care if you’ve written an entire dissertation on BDSM. I’m not jeopardizing your safety.”

“Even for your best friend?” she asked, knowing it was a low blow.

Jaxon edged closer to her, boxing her in between the two men. “I’ll be with her the entire time, Nick. I won’t allow anyone to touch her, and I won’t push her to do anything she doesn’t want. You can trust me with her.”

“It’s not about trust,” Nick said softly.

“Then what is it about?” asked Jaxon.

Heady warmth unfurled in her chest and her pulse quickened as she fell to her knees and bowed her head. “Sir, may I please attend Benediction as Jaxon’s submissive?”

The men went completely silent. Not a breath could be heard. She almost felt their ravenous gazes on her. Would this prove to them she’d play a convincing submissive?

Nick tilted up her chin and looked at her with a mix of heat and sadness. “Yes.”

Chapter Nine

Twelve Days to Elections
. . .

“I
APPRECIATE YOU
coming with me to the house,” Jaxon said as they stood on the porch of his substantial home. Heck, she could fit ten of her mama’s double-wides in this place.

The professional crime scene cleaning company had given the all clear for Jaxon to return home, and since time was of the essence, he’d agreed to begin her training this morning in his personal dungeon.

She followed him through the front door, her voice echoing in the entryway. “It’s not a problem. I understand how difficult it is for you.”

He smiled, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “You know most people who say something like that really don’t know how difficult it is. It’s like when people ask you how you’re doing; they don’t expect an answer other than fine. When you ask, I believe you really want to hear the truth.”