Chapter One
There I was, sitting behind my desk in my dimly lit office on a windy Monday afternoon. The only sound you could hear was my typewriter: tap, tap, tapity, tap, tap. Today was just like any other day in the life of a P.I. I was buried under a mountain of paperwork: stolen jewelry, cheating spouses, and always a kid missing a puppy. Some days I hated my job.
I was brought out of my musings when my office door flew open and in walks this dame. I'm not talking about any old dame; this one was a beauty. She had long, auburn, curly hair, deep hazel eyes, and the reddest, pouty lips I have ever seen. She was wearing a tight black suit that hugged every inch of her curves, black gloves, and she was smoking a cigarette from one of those damn holders. She took one last pull, blowing out the smoke as she sauntered over to my desk.
"May I help you?"
"Are you Justice Jackson, the P.I.?" she asked. Her voice was shaky, but she still sounded like an angel.
"Yes, I am," I answered as I sized her up, and a very pretty size she was. "Who may I ask are you?"
"Andrea Bloome," she said, her voice quivering.
"Well, Miss Bloome, how may I be of service?"
"I believe someone is trying to kill me, Mr. Jackson.”.
"Have you notified the police?" I stood up and walked around my desk towards her.
"No." She shook her head. "I can't."
"Why can't you?"
"I think they’re involved."
"A corrupt cop, that's a huge accusation Ms. Bloome."
"Are you going to help me or not Mr. Jackson? I know I'm just a waitress, but I have some family jewelry and other things that I can sell to pay whatever your fee is," she whispered in the last part.
My heart broke. She sounded so defeated.
"Please have a seat. Don't worry about payment for now."
She slowly removed her black gloves. I extended my hand to her to help her sit and a spark flew through me when our hands touched.
I looked into her big hazel eyes wondering if she felt it too. She looked so scared and lost. The most beautiful blush raced across her face making her even more spectacular.
"Are you in trouble with the law?" I gently asked.
"No," she muttered.
"So, tell me why you think a cop is trying to kill you?"
"I don't know where to start," she replied.
"Why don't you try the beginning, Ms. Bloome."
"I... well," she took a deep breath. "I work as a waitress at a jazz club downtown called The Lounge. Last night, I was in the back when and overheard my boss, Dominick Torrio leaving his office and talking to a cop, about moving some money."
"How do you know your boss was talking to a cop?"
She stood and started pacing. She reached into her bag and pulled out a cigarette. Being the gentleman that I was, I offered her a light. She took a long drag and then blew it out.
"I heard him say how cops like him get away with everything."
"You said you overheard, but did they see you?"
"I don't know.”
"Did you get a look at the cop?"
"No. Not really."
We were getting nowhere fast and I was getting a little agitated. “I need you to tell me what you mean by that,” I responded harshly.
She flinched. I immediately felt horrible for making this beautiful creature feel uneasy. “Please continue,” I stated, making sure my tone was soothing.
“I saw the back of him as he was leaving. He was short and plump. He had an overcoat on and a hat.
"You aren't giving me a lot to go by here, Ms. Bloome."
"Sorry," she answered timidly.
"Do you have something to hide then, Ms. Bloome?" She paced in front of me.
"Am I hiding something you ask? Aren't we all, Mr. Jackson?" She sat down in the chair.
"Why did you wait until now to seek my services?”
"At first I thought I should just forget it ever happened. But on my way home last night, I felt like someone was watching me. So I took some turns to try and throw them off and went to my friend's house for the night. I spent the day trying to figure out what to do." She stopped speaking for a second, wiping away a tear. "I've heard that you're the best, and I think I may need the best."
I felt bad for this lovely woman as she was obviously shaken up. This was a serious situation. If they knew she overheard them, they would surely kill her. It was my job to keep her alive and get to the bottom of this. That's what a good P.I. does.
"Please continue."
"My boss told the cop not to worry about anything, that if anyone got in his way they would just simply disappear. Then they both laughed. The cop went out the back door and my boss walked back to his office. I tried to stay as quiet as I could. He looked around twice before he went in and closed the door."
"I agree with you. If they know you were there, then your life most definitely is in danger. For your safety Ms. Bloome, you are going to have to stay in my protective custody until we figure this all out."
She looked at me shocked. ”No. I can't let you risk your life for me. You don't even know me."
"You can't walk out of here alone; they won't hesitate to kill you. It's my job to protect you. Look, it's almost closing time. You’ll stay with me until we figure this all out." I stood to grab my hat and jacket.
"Mr. Jackson, I don't have anything with me. Can we go by my place so I can pick up a few things?"
"Most definitely not, Ms. Bloome. If they’re gunning for you, then that is the first place they will look. I will make sure you have the necessities you’ll need while you’re staying with me. “Now we need to go," I stated in a stern, but comforting tone. Guiding her out of my office, down the back alley, to my roadster, and opening the door for her. Looking around to make sure no one was watching us, I walked to the driver's side to get in. The moment my door shut I was immediately hit with her scent; it was sweet yet spicy like her. Astonished, I didn't notice it in my office. Maybe it was all the smoke, or maybe it was the close quarters of my car. We drove in complete silence every so often, glancing at her as she fidgeted. She really was a beaut.
Within a few minutes we reached my place and parked. I quickly walked around my car, opened the passenger side door and held out my hand for her. Looking into her deep hazel eyes I noticed a tear slide down her cheek. On instinct I wiped it away. The moment our skin touched, that spark ran through me again. A moment of realization came over me, no matter what I would protect her to the end.
"This way." I escorted her to the back of the house. After unlocking the door, I guided her up the stairs to my place. My twin sister Julia lived right next to me. Her husband Carlos owned the multi-family Brownstone that we lived in. I opened my door and motioned for Ms. Bloome to enter before me.
"May I take your coat?"
She nodded.
"Please make yourself at home. You can have my bed and I'll sleep on the couch. Can I get you a drink?" I was rambling, but being this close to her clouded my thoughts.
"I don't want to put you out," she said as she looked around my large studio apartment.
"I insist."
"A martini please."
"How do you take it?"
"Dirty," she said in a sexy tone then bit her bottom lip.
As soon as the word slipped from her perfect lips, my johnson started to strain against my trousers as I made her a drink. She looked around my apartment once again and sighed. I had a feeling she was a bit overwhelmed. One thing I’d learned over the years was how to read body language and this poor girl was so lost.
"Please try and relax, Ms. Bloome.” I handed her the martini.
"Call me Andrea," she replied in a timid tone.
I smiled. "Well Andrea, you can call me Justice.”
"Justice, do you always bring your work home?" she asked.
I laughed. "No, but I don't want anything to happen to you. I feel this deep need to protect you."
She looked concerned and frightened. "Won't helping me put you in danger?"
"I'm a P.I., my life is always in danger.” She pondered what I said.
Her hazel eyes met mine. I felt frozen. Her timid but inquiring voice brought me back to the present. “Why did you choose to become a P.I.?”
“What else was I going to do with a name like Justice Jackson?”
She let out a giggle and a look of concern quickly crossed her face.
“What’s going to happen when I don’t show up for work tonight?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“They’ll most likely go looking for you. That’s why you’re here safe with me. I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Justice, this could be very dangerous for you.”
“It may be, but I'm just careful and trust very few people." I answered in a comforting tone . I didn't want her to worry about me.
"How do you know you can trust me?" she asked full of curiosity.
"Are you concealing a weapon, Ms. Bloome?" I raised an eyebrow at her. I wanted to lighten the mood. She took a deep breath, her body relaxing. She smiled and stepped closer to me.
"I may be. Do you want to frisk me, Mr. Jackson?" she replied jokingly.
Our eyes met and the earth moved around me. I was taken by her. I needed to concentrate on saving her life, not her amazing lips. Oh, did I mention her incredible legs that seemed to be a mile long even though she may have been all of five foot three? So, yes Ms. Bloome, I do want to frisk you. Needing to put some distance between us and focus on the issue at hand, I pushed away my attraction to her and cleared my throat. "Please excuse me. I need to call my sister Julia. She is about your size and she can get you the things you need. Please make yourself at home."
She nodded as she sipped her martini.
I walked over to my desk and dialed my sister.
"Julia."
"Justice, how are you?" she asked.
"I'm fine, but I need your help. Can you come over?"
"Of course. What did you get yourself into this time?" She stated in a half concerned, half joking tone.
She knew the risk I took daily with my job, and she was very supportive and understood that she was on a need-to-know basis.
"Please just come as soon as you can."
"I'll be right there," she answered.
I hung up, not needing to say good-bye. She’d be here in less than a minute.
A few moments later there was a knock on my door. I knew it was Julia.
I took a deep cleansing breath to calm myself and gather my thoughts before opening the door. I’d never asked her for such a huge favor before. “Hey, thanks for coming over.”
“You know I’m always here for you.” She looked so concerned. “What’s going on Justice?”
“I need you to help me keep someone safe. Can I count on you?”
“I’ll help in any way I can.”
“Follow me and I’ll introduce you to Andrea. I’ll need you to get some clothes for her and basic toiletries. Really anything she needs.”
“No problem. Like I said, I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Can you also stay with her when I’m not here?”
“Of course.”
We walked into the living room to find Andrea by the window. “Andrea, I would like you to meet my sister Julia.”
Julia held out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.” She looked between Julia and myself. “Wow, you two look so much alike.”
“I know, Justice is two years older, but some people say we could be twins. I for one think I’m better looking”
Andrea and Julia laughed and I just shook my head.
“I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.” After walking out of the room I glanced back and saw they were on the davenport together talking away.
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