Free Polly Iyer - Diana Racine 03 - Backlash by Polly Iyer

thing he didn’t finish his dinner. The bad feeling unsettled his already queasy stomach even more. Could this be a trap? If so, he wouldn’t go unprepared.
    He called Alba and told him about the evening’s plan and that he’d pick him up in a couple of hours, after he checked in at the site of a home invasion.
    “Why at a cemetery?” Alba asked.
    “Restview is out of the way. No one will see us.”
    Alba hesitated. “Okay. My shift is over. I’ll grab a bite of dinner and be ready when you get here.”
    Chenault should never have recruited the guy in the first place, but Alba’s story of childhood abuse convinced him he was a good choice. Alba was his mistake, it seemed right he should be the one to take him out.
    Too fricking late for regrets.
    An out-of-the-way place to meet. It sure as hell was. He checked his weapon, then added an ankle holster with a .22 for good measure.
    * * * * *
    C henault picked up Alba at nine-fifteen. He wanted to arrive at the meeting place early, get a feel for the area, but Hodge’s car was already parked in front of the tree-lined border in back. So much for arriving early . Clouds sifted across the half-moon, shrouding the old cemetery in an eerie darkness. Tombstones, monuments, and grave markers placed every which way with no pattern exaggerated the spooky atmosphere.
    Two dark figures, no more than shadows, leaned against the car, waiting. Chenault parked next to them, and he and Alba got out. The air smelled damp and earthy, raising the hackles on Chenault’s neck. Tight-lipped, he nodded to Hodge, then at the boss who rested against the SUV with his hands in his pockets.
    Something was off. Tension filled the air and wrapped tightly around Chenault’s chest. Hodge wouldn’t look him in the eye, and when he finally glanced Chenault’s way, his friend appeared almost apologetic.
    “Why’d we have to come out here?” Alba said.
    “To get a few things straight.”
    “Yeah, I screwed up. A stupid mistake. It won’t happen again.”
    “Exactly. It won’t happen again.”
    The boss’s tight, clipped words set an ominous tone. This meeting wasn’t only to silence Alba. Hodge slid his hand into his pocket, putting Chenault on high alert. He knew what was coming down even before his old friend pulled a gun from his pocket. Chenault drew his, but he was a fraction of a second too late. The first time Denny Chenault had ever been late on the draw.
    The blast pierced the quiet night.
    “Why?” he cried out.
    Pain burned into his chest like molten lava, and he crumpled to the cold ground. So, so cold. He should have known. He should have.
    Another shot.
    “What ―”
    Chenault heard Alba’s unfinished sentence, felt the young man’s body thump next to his. Chenault tried to move, to lift the gun still in his hand. A hard shoe kicked it away. Helpless, his breath laboring in short spurts, sucking dirt into his mouth, he closed his eyes to a darker world.
    He thought Hodge said, “Sorry, Denny.”

Chapter Fifteen
A Little Kink
     
    T he next morning, Lucier parked in front of a small, well-kept house on the outskirts of the city. He could have called ahead, but he didn’t want Jaycee Diamond calling Chenault to double check what she should say. He rang the bell, and a tall, statuesque woman answered the door with very little on. A strapless stretch top and shorts cut as high as possible and still be decent.
    Diamond looked him up and down with an appreciative leer.
    “Hell-lo,” she drawled. “What can I do for you?”
    Lucier flipped open his badge case. “Lieutenant Lucier, Ms. Diamond. May I ask you a few questions?”
    “Oh, a cop. What a disappointment. Sure. Come on in. Have a seat.”
    He followed her into a neat living room of chintz and dark wicker and settled into a comfy club chair. Jaycee sank into an overstuffed sofa.
    “I won’t take up much of your time,” he said.
    “I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m strictly legal. I strip for a living,