His words were firm when he replied, “We are.”
Deke meant Jussy didn’t need the media crawling all over this.
He figured Chace knew what he meant but Chace also knew they really didn’t need the media to be crawling all over this. After Dalton the serial killer and Arnie Fuller’s bullshit, Carnal had a definite reputation and that reputation was national. They were coming out of dark times and hitting the light. So Deke hoped like fuck not one cop in that building wanted to do anything that might threaten that.
He looked down at Jussy and she must have felt it because she tipped her head back and looked up at him.
Christ, the motherfucker did a number on her.
Deke beat that back and said, “Need you to sit in here two minutes while I talk to Chace.”
More scratchy and Deke had to beat that back too when she replied, “You can talk in front of me.”
“Need you to give that to me, Jussy.”
She stared at him. She pressed closer into him.
Then she relaxed and nodded.
He slid off the table, took her to a chair and carefully put her in it.
He noticed the ice pack she’d been using was on the table probably where she dumped it to run out when she heard him bellowing.
He reached to it, tagged it and handed it to her.
“Back on your face,” he ordered.
She nodded, took it, staring in his eyes the whole time, and put it to her face.
“Good, gypsy,” he whispered. “Be right back.”
“Right, Deke.”
He straightened, looked to Keaton and walked to the door.
He waited until they were through it and just down the hall before he turned back, spoke low and did it still braced for the worst.
“She’s in her pajamas, bare feet, but somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me?”
Compassion hit Chace’s features he didn’t try to hide but his answer was, “She wasn’t violated, Deke.”
He felt his gut start to unknot, actually felt his shoulders slump as the tension slid out of them, and he continued, “She performed at Bubba’s the other night.”
“I heard. I also saw, but not from being there. From what I can tell, two dozen people took videos and pictures. All over social media. Everywhere. Heard word that Krys is not pleased even if it means a few more folk have come in to have a drink. Krys likes asses on stools so I didn’t quite get that until I heard Justice talkin’ about how she’s tight with Krys. Tate’s just pissed. They want customers but they don’t wanna be on radar. Things have died down now that time’s passed since one of their bartenders was tagged as a serial killer. They don’t need memories refreshed about that.”
He was right.
But right then that was not what was on Deke’s mind.
“You sure this,” he jerked his chin to the room Jussy was in, “isn’t about Jussy takin’ that stage?”
“What she reported, he said her name but he didn’t make a single demand of her. He was all about the phone call and the message he was sending. That said, if he was looking for her, those pictures and video hitting the Internet helped him find her.”
Great.
Deke gave a nod and shared, “This bitch, her friend, she’s got problems.”
“Justice spoke freely about that.”
Deke heaved out a breath.
Chace got close. “You need to get in there with her. How she made it here was a miracle but she lost it when she got here and that’s not surprising. Clear she likes Krys a lot, not sure how that came about, and Jim-Billy, that one’s easier to call, but the only close person she has in town is you, apparently.” Chace give him another look. “Though she mentioned Krys and Jim-Billy in her interview and she didn’t say anything about you.”
“You got eyes or do I have to explain all you saw the last ten minutes?” Deke asked.
Chace pressed his lips together, not pissed, trying not to smile.
That made Deke pissed.
“Is this the time to do this?” Deke asked.
“Just keep an eye,” Chace returned, getting a lock on it. “We need to get Victims Assistance to her, give us a call. And make that call, Deke. She was attacked, beaten and from what she reports, strangled to the point that it was a seriously close call. And keep your shit about that too,” he said the last quickly, a good cop, a smart man, not missing any of Deke’s responses from the minute he saw him to that second in the hall. “She’s here. She’s gonna be fine. And you gotta help her be fine if she needs someone to lay it out for who she doesn’t fear is gonna go out on a mission of vengeance and wreak havoc across the United States until he finds that for her.”
Deke didn’t think he was funny.
What he did do was grunt, “I hear you.”
Chace stood aside and said, “Go.”
Deke didn’t hesitate.
He went.
*