Bailee glanced at Easton and nodded. “She was highly intelligent, probably genius level if anyone had bothered to test her. But more than that, she was kind. She had a big heart and big dreams. She cared about what happened to people. She wanted to make a difference in the world. She was passionate about doing whatever she could to make the world a better place.
“She grew up learning to keep quiet and be watchful. It made sense after she told me about her mother, Sabra. B Diggs treated his daughter like a slave, and if she tried to step out of line, he would threaten to turn her over to his members to be beaten and gang raped. Then T-Loc came along and proved his loyalty to B Diggs, so the gang leader gave him Sabra as a gift to do with what he wanted. T-Loc kept Sabra drugged so she would stay compliant. I don’t know how Shantayle found out, but she said T-Loc would pimp out her mother to cement deals he made with other gangs. Then she became pregnant. T-Loc beather senseless, trying to get her to miscarry. She stayed in the hospital for days, long enough to go through withdrawals.”
Easton’s jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened angrily. “Shit. Why would she go back to all of that?”
“She had no other options. She had nothing to call her own, no money, no home. Everything about her life was tied to the gang. But when she did go back, they ignored her, which made it easier for her to stay off drugs while she was pregnant. T-Loc found other women to satisfy his needs. B Diggs was so disappointed with Sabra that he wouldn’t have anything to do with her.”
“And Sabra’s mom?”
“Shantayle never knew for certain, but the story was she was killed in a gang war. Caught in the crossfire of a drive-by. Shantayle never believed it to be true. She believed B Diggs killed her, but she didn’t know for sure. Anyway, Sabra did all she could to stay out of the way, and she taught Shantayle to do the same.”
“So what made Shantayle come to the precinct in the first place?”
“She overheard B Diggs and T-Loc talking about her and her mom. T-Loc wanted to start pimping Sabra out again because he couldn’t trust the woman he was using. B Diggs told him it would be better to use Shantayle because she was younger. They started talking about auctioning her virginity off to the highest bidder and making her first time a spectator event as a proper initiation to the gang. She’d gone to her mother for help, but Sabra told her that once B Diggs and T-Loc made up their minds,there wasn’t anything she could do to stop it. That’s when she came to us. She wanted out of that life for good.”
“But she worked as a CI for a while, didn’t she? Was she able to get out of the initiation?”
Bailee smiled. “Remember I told you she was smart? She made herself useful in other ways. She went to them with a business plan, a way to make their criminal enterprises more profitable while escaping detection by law enforcement. She bargained that she would use what she knew to make them more money if they wouldn’t pimp her out. They bought it. It put her in the middle of their organization, and that’s how she knew so much about their operations.”
“But your partner found out about her?” Easton asked.
“He knew about her from the beginning. The thing is the work she did for the gang put more money in Jimmy’s pocket too, and whenever we were ready to act on any intel she provided, he would alert B Diggs to what was going down. Anytime B Diggs asked how the police were finding out about his operations, Jimmy just made something up. That way we weren’t suspicious of Jimmy, and the gang wasn’t suspicious of Shantayle.”
Easton whistled in awe. “So he basically played both sides against each other. If he wasn’t a damn criminal, I’d be impressed.”
“It fell apart when Shantayle discovered his involvement. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Jimmy killed her before she could come to me with the evidence she found against him. He made it look like a gang hit. We thought the BDs took her out. The BDs thought their enemies took her out. And Jimmy justwent on with the status quo. I just…I think about all the things Shantayle won’t get to do now. She was amazing. I had no doubt she would have had a full, successful life if she could have gotten away. I should have pulled her out sooner, but we wanted to take down the major players. We always seemed so close. We just couldn’t let it go.”
Easton stepped in front of her and stopped just shy of stepping off the path back to the overlook where they left his Jeep. He placed his hands on her biceps to stop her from bumping into him. His finger lifted her chin until her eyes met his.
“Nothing about this is your fault. Keep the blame where it belongs — with Jimmy and the others. Shantayle wouldn’t want you to feel guilty. And she did make a difference. If it wasn’t for her, Jimmy and the gang would have continued breaking the law for a while. The only thing you’re guilty of is fighting for justice for Shantayle. And I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you win that fight.”
His impassioned promise pierced her heart. She felt emotion welling up in her chest, and she cleared her throat against the lump clogging it. Her senses dulled to her surroundings and honed in on Easton. The warmth of his touch, the eyes that pulled her into their depths, his scent that was a mix of musk and the outdoors, the deep timber of his voice that caused her belly to flip when he spoke low.
“Thank you.”
The words didn’t seem sufficient. Easton supported her in ways no other man in her life, outside of her family, haddone. He made her feel strong and capable but also protected and...cherished.
Her gaze lowered to his lips, and she recalled another time when she felt this aware of him. That time, he initiated the kiss, and her lips tingled whenever she thought of it. Maybe this time, she could turn the tables and feel like she had control of at least one thing in her life. Shifting her weight on her toes, she leaned in to touch her mouth to his, her tongue swiping at the seam of his lips until they opened.
The kiss was soft as she grew accustomed to the feel of his lips and the familiarity of his taste. Her hand reached to grasp the back of his head to brace herself as she deepened the kiss.
Her nerve endings sizzled with heat as need pooled low in her belly. A moan escaped her throat. She moved on her toes until her body was flush against his. Her free arm circled his waist to pull him even closer.
Easton needed no other encouragement. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight as he deepened the kiss. He stole her breath, leaving her in a giddy haze of desire that made her forget where they were or what was going on. They were lost in their own world, away from reality, and they were the only two who existed, the only two who mattered.
Easton broke the kiss long enough to change the angle of his head. Then he lowered his mouth to hers, devouring her as a starving man presented with his last meal. Her hand at his waist snaked under his shirt and trailed over his smooth skin to explore the rippling muscles in his back. He was hard and firm, and she suddenly wanted to see and touch more of him. She pulled away, her chest heaving as she drew air into her lungs.
“Easton.”
“Tell me. What do you want, Bailee?”
“You.”
His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared. “Not here. The first time we’re together, we damn well aren’t going to be outside for any moron to walk up on us.”
“Then why are we still here? Take me back to your place. And make it quick. I don’t think I can wait much longer to see and touch and tasteall…of…you.”
Her heart pounded against her chest only once before Easton planted a quick, hard kiss against her lips. Then he whirled around to jog back to the overlook. Bailee grinned as he hastened to collect their things and toss them in the Jeep. She took her time stepping into the clearing, enjoying the effect she had on him.
