‘We’re done here,’ the defender said, thin-lipped.

Drake turned to the lawyer, his eyes sly again. ‘Tell them I’ll decrypt the files on the drive if they let me go.’

The lawyer gave him a stunned look. ‘Uh, listen, kid, they are not letting you go.’

Drake shrugged. ‘Then they’ll never know all of Chip Anders’s secrets. And he’s got good secrets,’ he added conspiratorially.

‘Ooh, tell Vince to hurry decoding that thing,’ Isenberg said quietly. ‘The kid was gonna blackmail Stephie’s daddy. We might get information about the traffickers.’

‘Don’t worry, Drake,’ the agent said, pocketing the evidence bag holding the flash drive. ‘We’ve got experts who can decode anything. They should have cracked those files before we leave here.’

‘Moving right along,’ the detective said, pulling a cell phone out of another bag. ‘Your fingerprints are all over it, so don’t even try to deny it’s yours. This phone was used to text the phone belonging to the man you shot in the back yesterday morning. The text asked him to come to the alley. You in the habit of luring grown men to alleys, Drake?’

‘No!’ Drake hissed. ‘That text didn’t come from me.’

‘No, it didn’t,’ the detective said, suddenly sober. ‘It was a plea for help from a young woman your girlfriend’s daddy bought from human traffickers.’

‘Shit,’ the defender muttered.

Drake shrugged. ‘She probably stole my phone.’

‘She had an ankle tracker,’ the detective said. ‘She was confined to the Anderses’ house.’

‘Then how’d she get to the alley?’ Drake taunted.

‘How’d she get to your phone?’ the detective threw back. ‘It indicates proximity. How close did you get to her, Drake?’

‘I never touched her.’

Marcus heard a growl and realized it had come from him.

Squeezing his hand again, Scarlett used her free hand to unmute the microphone. ‘Tell him that the rape kit found sperm in the victim,’ she said quietly to the cops on the screen, ‘and that we’ll match it to him.’

‘The rape kit found no semen,’ Deacon said with a frown.

‘I know. I’m interested to see how he denies it. I want him to admit to assaulting Tala so that if Erica decides to press charges, she’ll have a foundation.’ Scarlett turned back to the microphone. ‘Also tell him that he should get checked for genital herpes and gonorrhea while he’s in the hospital. That he’s a carrier. That is true.’

The Detroit detective gave a tiny nod to show he’d heard. ‘You didn’t touch her?’ he asked Drake. ‘Then how did she steal your phone and plead for help? How did the ME find your sperm inside her?’

‘That’s a lie,’ Drake spat. ‘I used a condom.’

‘Knew it,’ Scarlett said with satisfaction. ‘Little prick.’

The detective leaned closer, getting into Drake’s space. ‘You didn’t use a condom every time, Drake. The ME found your Cincinnati murder victim had both genital herpes and gonorrhea. On the bright side, you won’t have to worry about getting it in prison. You already have it. That’ll take some of the pressure off once you get there. Because while we don’t have the death penalty, we have far more than our share of gang members who’re gonna think you’re so pretty.’

Drake’s expression was priceless. ‘Fuck you,’ he gritted out. ‘I’m done here. Get out.’

‘Tell him about his sister now,’ Deacon said quietly.

The detective and the special agent stood up. ‘One more thing, Drake,’ the agent said, ‘and this is very serious. We know you stole your sister’s car and her credit card because we found them with your prints all over them.’

‘Borrowed,’ Drake said with a surly glare.

‘Well you should know that you brought trouble to her door. Your sister is gone. Taken. Maybe by the same people who took your girlfriend and her family.’

Drake’s lips trembled. ‘Nah, she’s probably at work. She’s always at work.’

The agent shook his head. ‘No. Her landscaping van was in the driveway and her purse was on the kitchen table. There was a struggle. She fought hard.’

‘You’re lying to me. She’s fine.’

‘I hope you’re right. The people who took the Anders family . . . they meant business. You might do better to stay locked up. They were looking for you because they know you messed with their property. The girl who used your phone to text for help was desperate.’

‘What are they gonna do when they learn you’re in custody?’ the detective asked. ‘I’m thinking we should take you to Cincinnati and see how well you fare down there.’

Drake blanched. ‘It’s your job to protect me.’

The detective snorted. ‘No, our job is to prove that you shot the cashier and murdered that woman last night. We have it on tape, so I’ll admit our job is pretty easy. The creeps that took your sister and your girlfriend are Cincinnati thugs. CPD’s job is to find out who killed that young woman in the alley so that they can track it back to the people who forced her to come to this country to begin with – most likely the thugs that went after your sister trying to find you. Nobody’s gonna protect you, Drake – not us and not Cinci PD. You help them find out who’s after you and you protect yourself.’

‘God, he’s good,’ Scarlett murmured.

‘Yeah,’ Deacon agreed. ‘Don’t think it’ll be enough, though. Drake’s a sociopath.’

The agent pulled out the bag containing the flash drive and let it dangle. ‘Last chance to tell us what’s on this.’

The lawyer whispered something in Drake’s ear. Drake shook his head. ‘Unless you offer me something, I’m going to pass. Why should I make your lives easier? Knock yourselves out, guys.’

‘Little prick,’ Marcus muttered.

The detective retrieved his laptop, and the picture got very bumpy as he and the special agent walked through the white hallways of whatever hospital Drake was in.

Deacon unmuted the microphone. ‘I didn’t think Drake would break. He didn’t care about his sister. He was more worried that they were coming after him.’

‘True,’ the Detroit detective said through the speaker. ‘He’s a piece of work.’

‘He’s right about one thing, though,’ Scarlett said. ‘We don’t have any proof directly tying him to Tala’s murder. He can argue that yeah, he screwed her, but he didn’t kill her or shoot at Marcus.’

‘We need an eyewitness,’ Isenberg said. ‘Your report mentioned two homeless people who directed you to the body?’

Scarlett nodded. ‘Tommy and Edna. I’ll find them.’

‘We’re getting ready to sign off,’ the agent said. ‘Let us know if you need anything.’

‘Popcorn,’ Scarlett said grimly, and the two Detroit men laughed, also grimly.

Deacon closed his laptop. ‘You okay?’ he asked Marcus.

Marcus nodded. ‘I feel like writing a story all about Drake,’ he said, his voice so harsh that it hurt his throat. ‘I’d tell what he did and where he can be found and hope that the traffickers have a subscription to the paper. Little prick.’

‘Write it and send it to me,’ Isenberg said crisply. ‘I may have a thing or two to add.’

He met the woman’s normally cold eyes and saw raw fury. ‘You’ll have it in an hour.’

‘What about the suspected employees of the ankle tracker company?’ Scarlett asked. ‘When will they be in Cincinnati?’

‘They should be delivered to CPD any minute.’ Deacon looked at Isenberg. ‘I assume Marcus can come with us and watch the interview from the observation area?’

‘Yeah. I guess he’s earned that much,’ Isenberg said, stunning them all. She stood up. ‘I will still see you back in my office, Detective Bishop. Plan time after the interview with the tracker maker.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

Marcus turned in his seat, watching as the lieutenant walked out the door that led directly into the hallway, bypassing the Bautista family. ‘I do not understand that woman.’

‘She likes you,’ Scarlett said. ‘She doesn’t like me liking you when I’m working your case. She wants her chance to tell me so, but she’s unlikely to suspend me. It’s okay, Marcus. She’s actually protecting my career for me because she does care.’