Into the Light (The Light #1)(44)

I’d begun to stand when he told me to get my ass out there, but with his words I sat again. “What did you just say?”

His dark eyes sparkled. “You do listen well. That’s one of your best attributes. For your information, I don’t sit in my office all day and play solitaire, letting you and Foster have all the fun. I got where I am by doing my own research. You and Foster are good, very good. That’s why you’re my lead investigators. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to get in the trenches. I still know my way around this town and have my share of connections. Those you made at that fancy law firm, Preston and Butler, aren’t the only ones who can help with this.”

“You’ve been talking drugs for three weeks. Now, you’re suddenly throwing missing persons into the equation. Do you think they’re connected?”

He shrugged.

I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Don’t shit with me. If you want me to break the damn story why wouldn’t you share this with me, one of your lead investigators?”

“You’ve got great questions, now figure out the answers.” His gaze narrowed. “Think about it.”

I didn’t look away. “You didn’t expect me to agree to ask Dylan for information or spy on him, did you?”

His shoulder rose and lowered.

“It was a test,” I confirmed.

He lifted his coffee cup toward me. “Congratulations, Stella, you passed.”

Instead of clinking cups, I glared.

“Calm down. I only recently got the tip, and in light of Mindy, I think it deserves investigation. I needed to be sure that if I put you on it, you’d keep your head in the game and not let your personal life get in the way.”

I inhaled and pressed my lips together.

“I don’t only mean Detective Richards, though I don’t want him knowing what you’re doing, or, more accurately, the DPD knowing. I’m also talking about Mindy. This case could reveal nothing or it may shed light on everything. The only way to know is to do what I said, get your ass out there. Go check out what’s happening on the border today, talk to your contacts, and come back to the station this afternoon. I’ll share what I have then.”

“Thanks, Bernard. I’ll keep my phone charged. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“Be there by three, unless you get something else.”

I threw a five on the table and with a wink said, “You’ve already overstepped enough bounds. I’ll get my own coffee.”





CHAPTER 14


Sara


The clank of the belt buckle hitting the floor alerted me to the end of my sentence. My whimpers and Jacob’s labored breaths were the only sounds bouncing off the bathroom walls and rumbling through my head. The last spoken word had come from my lips—five. Though it was gone, the memory of it continued to echo in the distance.

Five. Five. Five.

My heart clenched, forgetting its normal rhythm, and seized in my chest as my bare breasts lay flat against the cool, smooth vanity top. Uncertainty paralyzed me, making me immobile while the counter’s edge dug deeper into my hips, and my toes throbbed from supporting my weight. Not only couldn’t I move, more importantly, I hadn’t received permission to do so. By some miracle my hands were still where Jacob had placed them, their grip a vise, keeping me suspended and saving me from falling. Though my hands had done what he instructed, I hadn’t been the one to keep them there.

I’d left. Not literally. No, literally, I was captive in a life I detested from the depths of my soul. I completely understood why I didn’t remember: I didn’t want to. I’d left metaphorically, in an out-of-body experience. However, my reprieve had been short-lived, and now I was back. Though the punishment was done, the pain went on. Each lash of Jacob’s belt burned like fire through my nervous system. Synapse after synapse sparked with impulses until my entire body was consumed by flames.

“Sara, you may let go of the counter.”

It took a moment before my brain and hands worked together. I heard his voice, yet the vise wouldn’t loosen. When it finally did, my arms dropped to my sides. With my cheek still against the counter, I waited.

“Stand up and give me your hand.”

The belt hadn’t struck only my behind, but also the tops of my thighs. Transferring my weight brought back the intensity of each strike. Biting my lip, I tasted the copper of my blood. Maybe I had bitten a hole through it, as Jacob had predicted. I stood straighter, still facing the sink, lowered my chin to my chest, and lifted my hand.

Taking my hand, Jacob guided it toward my wounds. The tips of my fingers detected the raised skin. My fingertips flinched back, as if the evidence of his correction were actual fire, trails of hot coals waiting to cause more destruction.

“Do you feel the welts?”

I nodded.

“Sara, this punishment was done to help you remember. Do you need more help remembering to speak when I ask you a question?”

“No, I remember.” My voice choked hoarsely. It wasn’t that I’d cried out; I hadn’t. I’d remained silent throughout the correction, except for speaking the numbers I’d been required to say. “Yes, I feel them.”

“Your skin isn’t broken. I told you I’d never cause irreparable damage.” Once again he guided my hand to the welts. “If you could see, I’d have you look at them. They’re red, raised, and angry markings on your pale skin.”