"Veck, buddy, snap out of it."
There was a moment or two of nothing-doing, and Jose knew damn well that everyone in the alley was as unsure as he was about how this was going to go. Including the photog.
"Hey. Look at me, my man."
Veck's baby blues slowly shifted over and he blinked. Gradually, the tension in that arm loosened and Jose escorted the thing down until he could take the Nikon - no way of knowing whether the storm was truly over.
"You okay?" Jose asked.
Veck nodded and pulled his jacket back into place. When he nodded a second time, Jose stepped back.
Big mistake.
His partner moved so fast there was no stopping him. And he cocked that photog so hard, he probably broke the f**ker's jaw.
As the perp sagged in the hold of the other policemen, no one said a thing. They'd all wanted to do it, but given Veck's little car ride, he'd earned the right.
Unfortunately, the payback move was probably going to get the detective suspended - and maybe the CPD sued.
Shaking out his punching hand, Veck muttered, "Someone give me a cigarette."
Shit, Jose thought. There was no reason to keep trying to find Butch O'Neal. It was like his old partner was right in front of him.
So maybe he should give up trying to trace that 911 call from last week. Even with all the resources available down at headquarters, he'd gotten nowhere and the cold trail was probably a good thing.
One wild card with a self-destructive streak was more than he could handle on the job, thank you very much.
Chapter Twenty-five
Down in the training center at the compound, Butch kind of wanted to hate the surgeon out of loyalty to V. Especially given the guy's Chippendale, half-naked routine with that towel.
God, the idea that piece of meat had been near Payne all undressed? Wicked bad idea on so many levels.
It would have been different if he'd been built like a chess player, for instance. As it was, Butch felt like John Cena had been macking on V's little sister. How the hell was a surgeon built like that?
Still, there were two things that saved the guy: The bastard had put on the fresh scrubs Butch had given him - so no more ladies' night. And, as they'd sat down in front of the Dell in the exam room, the guy seemed honestly concerned about Payne and her welfare.
Not that they were getting anywhere on that front. The pair of them were staring at the computer screen like two dogs watching Animal Planet: very focused, but incapable of turning up the volume or changing the channel.
Ordinarily? Butch would phone or text Vishous. But that was not going to happen, given the showdown that was going on up at the Pit.
God, he hoped V and Jane got their act back together.
"So now what," the surgeon asked.
Butch shook himself back into focus and put his palm on the mouse. "We pray I pull the security files out of my ass. That's what."
"And you were bitching about my towel."
Butch cracked a smile. "Smart-ass."
As if on cue, the two of them leaned in closer to the screen - like that was somehow going to magically help the mouse find the stuff they were looking for.
"I suck at this shit," the surgeon muttered with disgust. "I'm better with my hands."
"Me, too."
"Go to the start menu."
"I'm going, going...."
"Shit," they said together as they got a load of all the files or programs or whatever it was.
Naturally, there was nothing named "Security," "Cameras," or "Click here, dummy, to find what you two losers are looking for."
"Wait, would it be under 'videos'?" the surgeon said.
"Good idea."
They both inched even closer, until the tips of their noses were all but polishing the damn monitor.
"Can I help you guys?"
Butch snapped his head around. "Thank God, Jane. Listen, we need to find the security camera's digital files - " He stopped himself. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine."
Uh-huh, right. Standing in the doorway, she wasn't fine. Not even close to fine. To the point where he knew not to ask where V was - or expect the brother to show up anytime soon.
"Hey, Doc," Butch said, as he casually got to his feet, "can I talk to you a sec?"
"Ah - "
He cut off the protest she was about to put up. "Thanks. Just outside in the corridor. Manello, you try and find your way around the comp."
"I'll get right on that," the guy said drily.
When he and Jane were outside the room, Butch dropped his voice. "What's going on? And yes, it's none of my business. But I want to know anyway."
After a moment, Jane crossed her arms over her white coat and just stared ahead. But not to shut him out, it seemed. More like she was replaying something in her mind.
"Talk to me," he murmured.
"You know why he went for Manny, right?"
"Not the particulars. But ... I can guess." The female had been looking pretty suicidal, frankly.
"As a doctor, I get pulled in different directions. If you can extrapolate ..."
Oh, God, it was worse than he'd thought. "I can. Shit."
"That's not all," she continued. "When I went up to pack, I found a set of his leathers in the back of the closet. There's black wax all over them. Along with blood and ..." She took a shuddering breath. "Something else."
"Christ," Butch groaned.
As Jane went silent, he knew she didn't want to put him in the middle and wasn't going to ask out loud. But she was good like that.
Fucking hell ... so much for honoring V's stay-out-of-it demand. Except he just couldn't watch the two of them fall apart.
"He didn't cheat on you," he said. "That night, a week ago? He let himself get beaten, Jane. By lessers. I found him surrounded by three of them and they were whipping him raw with chains."
She let out a gasp, which she covered with her hands. "Oh ... God ..."
"I don't know what you found of his, but he wasn't with anyone else. He told me himself."
"But what about the wax? And the ..."
"Did it ever occur to you he might have done it himself."
Jane was momentarily speechless. "No. Although why couldn't he just say so."
Wasn't that the theme song of the night. "No guy wants to admit to his wife he was jacking off alone. It's too pathetic - and he probably thought it was cheating in a way. He's that devoted to you."
As tears speared into Jane's forest green eyes, Butch was momentarily nonplussed. The good doctor was as buttoned up as her hellren - and that reserved strength was why she was so damned useful as a doctor. It didn't mean that she was without feelings, though, and here they were.
"Jane ... don't cry."
"I just don't know how we're going to get through this. I really don't. He's upset. I'm upset. And then there's Payne." Abruptly, she put her hand on his arm and squeezed. "Can you please ... can you help him. With what he needs. Maybe it's the crack in the ice that will help us."
As the two of them stared at each other, he wondered if they were really on the same level. But how could he bring that up judiciously: So do you want me to work him over instead of the lessers?
What if they weren't on the same page. And she was already tearing up.
"I can't do it," Jane said roughly. "And not just because we've got issues at the moment. I just don't have it in me. He trusts you - I trust you ... and he needs it. I'm worried that if he doesn't break through this wall he's got going on that he and I aren't going to make it - or worse. Take him to the Commodore, please."
Well, that settled one issue.
He cleared his throat. "I've been thinking the same thing, frankly. And, actually, I just ... offered it to him."
"Thank you." She cursed and wiped her eyes. "You know him as well as I do. He needs to get unfrozen - somehow, some way."
"Yeah." Butch reached out and stroked her cheek. "And I'll take care of him. You don't worry about it."
She put her hand on his. "Thank you."
They embraced for a moment, and as they did, he thought there was nothing he wouldn't do to keep Jane and V together.
"Where is he now?" he asked.
"I have no idea. He gave me a bag and I just packed it and left. I didn't see him in the Pit, but then I wasn't looking for him."
"I'm on it. Will you help Manello?"
When she nodded, he gave her a lingering squeeze and then took off, hitting the underground tunnel and rocketing down to the last stop in the thing: the Pit.