All I've Ever Wanted - Adrianne Byrd [26]
“In my opinion, no.”
Scardino cut in. “Why is that?”
“Because I’ve already tried.”
Max left the D.A.’s office convinced that their investigation was stalled. He, like Judith Mason, didn’t believe that they would find anything in the case information.
“So, what do you want to do now?” Dossman asked, sliding on a pair of Ray-Bans.
“Frankly, I think that our best bet is to stay close to Ms. St. James.”
“I’m starting to think that you’re developing quite a crush on the lady.”
“It’s not that.” Max shook his head. “It’s just a hunch that she’s what’s going to lead us to the killers.”
Dossman’s lips curved in a knowing smile. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s easy on the eyes, does it?”
Scardino stepped out of the building. Max looked up and smiled to himself. “I think you have your hands full with your own women problems. I figure the last thing you’d be concerned about is who I am or am not attracted to.”
Dossman followed his gaze, and then swung back to look at Max curiously. “Now what’s that supposed to mean?”
Max laughed heartily as he slid on his sunglasses and walked away.
Kennedy broke her routine and decided to take Tommy and Jimmy to Piedmont Park. She had all but made up her mind to send her son to stay with her grandmother, at least until things died down. As she watched him and his friend play Nerf ball, she missed him already. It’s only temporary, she assured herself.
She hoped that she was not overreacting—that there was no real threat to her or her son—but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“That’s a nice kid you got there,” the raspy voice said from behind her.
She jumped and pivoted on her heel.
Keenan Lawrence smiled, but his eyes did not.
Speech eluded her as her mind filled with images of doom.
“I take it you know who I am,” he went on to say. He circled her.
“I’ve seen you in the neighborhood.” She was surprised to have found her voice.
“Is that right?”
She nodded.
“That’s good. I’ve seen you around, too.”
She didn’t respond, she couldn’t.
“I knew your father, too. Did you know that?”
Kennedy shook her head, but it was a lie. Her father had hated Keenan—hated everything he represented. It had been no surprise to him when Keenan had risen through the ranks and become the leader of The Skulls. Standing this close to what she’d been raised to believe was the closest thing to the devil, she knew Keenan’s being here wasn’t a good sign.
“You must have this thing for cops.”
“How so?” she chanced asking.
He shrugged. “I’ve just noticed them hanging around you a lot lately.”
She cringed and cursed Det. Collier and Dossman for their carelessness. Their constant snooping might have just sealed her fate. “Why would you notice something like that?” She hoped she managed to look innocent.
“I make sure I know everything that goes on in these streets. That’s part of my job.”
An awkward silence grew between them as the gang leader continued to walk around her.
Kennedy stood still despite the fact her skin crawled. She clung to the hope that he wouldn’t have the balls to kill her in a crowded park, in broad daylight.
“I can’t see why you would want to watch me.”
“Can’t you?”
She shook her head. His words were like a sharp pin, puncturing her bubble of hope.
When he reached toward her, it took everything she had not to recoil. As he brushed back a wisp of her hair, the corners of his lips lifted again in a smile that looked sinister. “Did anybody ever tell you that you are a striking woman, Ms. St. James?”
She lifted her chin defiantly, struggling to comprehend the direction of their conversation.
“It’s a shame for all this beauty to go to waste.”
Puzzled, yet wary, she took a step back.
“How about a proposition?”
She didn’t like the sound of that. From the corner of her eyes, she could see the boys were still playing, both oblivious to her dilemma.
“Are you going to ask me about my proposition?”
“I’m not interested.”
He laughed, and the sound heightened her anxiety. “How can you say that? You haven’t even heard what it is yet.”
“I’m sure it can’t be anything good.”
He lifted