Big Easy Temptation (The Perfect Gentlemen #3)(42)

“Hey, you,” she said into her phone, leaning against her car. She didn’t drive often when she was in the city, but the streetcars didn’t run out this far. She wouldn’t have taken one even if it did since she was standing in front of a prison.

“Hey, sweetheart. Did you make it all right?” Dax’s deep voice resounded over the line, every drawled syllable a reminder of the man’s slow, Southern sensuality.

All she had to do was hear his voice and she shivered on the inside. “I’m here. My appointment is in a half hour. I’m going to talk to the prison officials first. It’s strictly a courtesy. They’re used to dealing with locals. My team doesn’t come out this way often.”

Most of the prisons she dealt with were military.

“I wish you would wait until I can be there with you.”

They’d been over this more than once. “Dax, if you’d come along, I’d have to explain why. It’s easier this way, and if anyone dangerous really is watching us, it will look much less suspicious.”

Not that anything frightening or out of the ordinary had happened since the asshole on the bike. But something about this case was starting to give her a bad feeling.

“I’m the one who brought you the lead,” Dax argued.

“No, Gabe did. You don’t see him here with me.” She sighed. “Babe, I explained all of this. It’s one of those times I should go in alone. Besides, aren’t you working today?”

There was a lull on his end of the line. “Yes. Apparently they’re serious about getting this manual done, and soon. They want the new protocols in place in the next couple of weeks. Courtney is working her butt off, but there’s only so much she can do without me.”

Courtney likely stared at his butt most of the day. Jealously flared, but she tamped it down. He had a really amazing backside. She would have stared at it, too.

“I understand. You’ve already done your part. Your guys found Amber Taylor’s mom. This woman’s used so many aliases I’m not surprised we couldn’t find her. Connor has connections most law enforcement would pay a lot for. So relax and let me handle this. Did Gabe and Mad get off okay?”

“Mad surely did. My sister made sure of that,” he said grumpily.

Holland smothered a laugh. The last couple of weeks had been a revelation. Dax had spent every night at her place with the excuse that he didn’t want to hear his sister and Mad Crawford going at it. Holland kind of thought he just liked sleeping beside her. He’d practically moved in. She didn’t see him leaving because his friends had gotten on a plane to New York. “I’m glad he enjoyed his stay. I’m sure he made Gus’s pleasant as well.”

“I’m joking about Gus. She leaves for D.C. tomorrow, and I’m going to miss her.” He cleared his throat. She’d learned he did that a lot when he got emotional. “Anyway, I hope this means we have enough to really reopen the case.”

She didn’t want to give him false hope, but she was feeling optimistic. “I’m asking for the complete files. I’m going to tell my boss what I’m doing and why. Even though I can’t make it official, I think I have enough to put some of the team’s resources into it. My boss liked your father quite a bit. I think he’ll be open to a discussion. If I get NCIS involved again, I should be able to request access to your father’s former aide. He’s the one I really want to talk to.”

“But naturally he’s on assignment and his whereabouts are classified,” Dax said with a cynical bite to his tone.

Naturally. Everywhere they turned they encountered another roadblock or another detour that led to nowhere. “I think I can talk them into it if all goes well today. Especially when I show them the money trail Connor and Gabe found.”

Once they’d located Amber Taylor’s mother, finding her financial information had been simple. She’d never actually been married to Amber’s father, though Sue Carlyle used his surname as an alias for years. The woman was a known con artist and roughly three days before her daughter had been caught with the admiral on tape, Sue Carlyle deposited five thousand dollars in cash to her bank account.

Holland wanted to know where that money had come from.

“Be careful,” Dax said over the line.

“I will. Hey, it’s a prison. I’m fairly safe here.” She glanced up at the dour-looking building in front of her. It was a medium-security women’s facility. Unlike the land around it, it was gray and gloomy. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’ll be late, but I’ll pick us up some supper. Bye, sweetheart.”

She hung up with a sigh and turned to the task at hand. She might be able to give him the testimony or peace of mind he needed. They’d stayed up a few nights earlier making love and talking. He’d told her what he’d learned about his father. Clearly, Dax was hurt, and if she could be a balm to that ache, she would. Finding out his father hadn’t been a pedophile would definitely help ease his heavy heart.

Gathering herself, Holland entered the prison. Half an hour later, she found herself in a small interrogation room used for interviews with law enforcement and attorneys. Nothing of interest lay inside the room. Like everything about the prison, it looked stark and seemingly hopeless. The table was stainless steel, the chairs bolted to the floor. A two-way mirror lined the back, but she didn’t see why anyone would use it on her. She’d explained she was simply following up with a potential witness on a cold case.