A bonus chapter for Lost in the Dark:

James’s meeting with Mason Deveraux. 

Warning: There will be spoilers if you haven’t read  Lost in the Dark. 

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James

I sat in my car, staring at the entrance of the diner, guilt twisting in my gut. I’d told Harper I was going to meet my handler, and while that was true, it wasn’t the whole truth.

I was meeting Mason Deveraux first.

I got out of the car and walked in, my gaze automatically scanning the room, looking for trouble. It was a long-standing habit, but with a hit out on me right now, I was extra diligent. Especially considering what I carried in my pocket.

The only trouble I found was a man in a dark gray suit, white shirt, and dark blue tie, sitting in a booth with a cup of coffee in front of him. His dark-blond hair was longer than the last time I’d seen him and he looked more haggard. He was either overworked, or my call had set him on edge. I was going with the latter.

Deveraux’s gaze landed on me the moment I walked in the door and followed me until I slid into the seat across from him.

“You’re late,” he said in a flat tone.

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“I didn’t have to meet you. I’d rather throw your ass in prison.”

I gave him a grim smile. “If you had the ability to throw me in prison, I’d already be there.”

“Not for lack of tryin’.” He took a sip of his coffee, then said, “Why am I here?”

“I want to make a deal.”

He snorted. “What kind of deal?”

I placed the hard drive on the table. “What I have on here could give you the career boost you need to run for governor and win.”

He set his cup on the table with a thunk, coffee nearly splashing over the rim. His face was a mask of contempt. “What makes you think I want to run for governor?”

“I recognize a man lookin’ for power when I see one.”

He hesitated, neither acknowledging nor denying my claim. Instead, after a moment, he nodded to the drive. “What’s on it?”

“Files that prove Gerald Knox is money launderin’ and running a human traffickin’ ring. Leases on the houses where he’s keepin’ the girls. The trucking company that’s runnin’ people across state lines. And a video linkin’ a Little Rock detective to the kidnappin’ and traffickin’ of a woman.”

His sharp gaze landed on the drive, then lifted to my face. “Why would you give it to me?”

“Because I need to give it to someone, and you seem like the guy most likely to do something with it.”

He picked up his cup and took another sip, his gaze never leaving the hard drive.

“What do you want in return?” he finally asked quietly, placing his cup back on the table with less force than before.

A waitress stopped next to our table. “What can I get you?”

I gave her a tight smile. “How good are your burgers?”

She popped out a hip. “Probably the best in Little Rock.”

“That’s a bold claim,” I said, my grin spreading. “I’ll take two with cheese and two orders of fries.”

The man across from me made a face. “Cancel one set of those. I won’t be eating. Only coffee for me.”

I gave him a dry look, then turned back to the waitress. “The other one isn’t for him. Make them to go. Also, do you have any pie?”

“Sure do. We got apple, lemon meringue, and chocolate cream.”

“An apple and a lemon meringue, also to go. And that’s it.”

“You’ve got it, sugar,” she said, giving my companion a dirty look, then heading to the back.

“Makin’ friends wherever you go, Deveraux,” I said with a snort. “Just like always.”

“We’re not here to discuss my list of friends.” He nodded to the hard drive. “Now what do you want for that?”

I sat back in the seat and folded my arms over my chest. “Maybe I’m givin’ it to you out of civic duty.”

He scoffed. “Not likely.”

“Okay,” I admitted, tilting my head. “I want a few things. Nothin’ you can’t deliver.”

“Go on,” he said.

“First, that video of the cop came from an exotic dancer. She went to great personal risk to get it. I’d like her prostitution and simple possession charges dismissed.”

He released a sharp laugh. “Is that all?” he asked sarcastically.

I shook my head in disgust. “You know you’ve dismissed more serious charges for less.”

“I’m just supposed to take your word that this video is going to prove something?”

“I have a copy on my phone,” I said. “I can show you.” When he didn’t deny his interest, I pulled out my phone and uploaded the video of the detective leaving the club, his face in full view. I placed it on the table and let it play.

When it was finished, he looked up with a bland expression. “And this is supposed to prove… what, exactly?”

I leaned closer and lowered my voice as I tapped the screen. “This is a Little Rock detective, Bill Thomsen. We have a witness who says she heard him watchin’ a dancer named Wilhemina and makin’ a call saying she was just what their client was looking for. The next day, Wilhemina didn’t show up for her shift. A missing person’s report was filed with the LRPD, but you and I both know they didn’t spend a single minute lookin’ for her.”

He shook his head. “That doesn’t prove anything.”

“Wilhemina disappeared a month ago. Her stage name was Nova Lux. A month ago, Nova Lux’s name appeared on a list of waitresses at The Gold List Club.”

He frowned. “Am I supposed to know what that is?”

I laughed. “I doubt it. It’s a secret, invitation-only, members club whose dues are a thousand dollars a month.”

He looked down at me with disgust. “Let me guess, you saw her there.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from lashing out. I’d expected him to be contentious, but it didn’t mean it didn’t get under my skin. “I’m not a member. I don’t need to pay a thousand dollars a month to watch women strip down to nothing.” I lifted my mouth into a sardonic grin. “Women seem to drop their clothes for me just for the hell of it.” The moment I said the words I regretted them. They were like salt in a wound. But it was too late to take them back now.

“You’re disgusting,” he sneered.

“Maybe so,” I said, sitting up. “But the fact is, the women workin’ at The Gold List Club aren’t there of their own free will. And men pay to screw them, right there in the club.” I paused. “You’ve got a genu-wine brothel in your capital city, counselor. If this came out from someone other than you or your boss, it could be a blemish on the Attorney General’s office, especially if it came out that you were offered damnin’ evidence and turned it down.”

He was fuming, and his glare was deadly.

“And,” I added, “if that’s not enough, Knox isn’t just into traffickin’ teenage girls and pimpin’ them out at truck stops like the girl we rescued and returned to her parents last night,” I lowered my voice. “Word has it he’s bringin’ shipments of undocumented immigrants from the Texas border, then shippin’ them off to other cities for household labor. These people are literally bein’ sold into slavery. And a shipment is bein’ delivered tonight.”

His brow furrowed. “Why would I believe any of this?”

“Why would I sit here, makin’ myself sit across from you, just to sell you a load of shit?”

“To make me look like a fool?”

I released a bitter laugh. “Trust me, Deveraux, I spend very little time thinkin’ about you, let alone thinkin’ of ways to prank you.” I lifted the corner of my mouth into a sneer. “But I hear you’re just as obsessed with me, as always.”

He shot me with an icy glare. “Why would you think that?”

“I hear you were eager to talk to Harper Adams and question her about me.”

His eyes narrowed. “Are you watching Harper Adams?”

“If you’re askin’ if I have Detective Adams in my sights for nefarious purposes, I can assure you that you don’t have to worry.”

“Then how do you—”

“You don’t need to concern yourself about that,” I said. “But you do need to look into her case.”

“The missing businessman from Lone County?”

I chuckled. “Keep up, counselor. Detective Adams solved that case. I’m talkin’ about the shooting incident last October.”

He froze, studying me. “You think she purposely shot that boy and got off?”

“No,” I said. “That boy had a gun. She was set up by members of her department.”

He frowned. “Do you have proof of that?”

“No, but I know multiple detectives are on Knox’s payroll.” I pulled a folded paper from my jacket pocket and placed it on the table. “Consider that a freebie.”

“What is it?” he asked as he picked up the paper and unfolded it. He scanned the charge sheet with Miles Harlan’s fraud charges. I’d printed it off at the hotel’s business room before heading to meet him.

After he’d had a moment to look it over, I said, “Mark Ellison was the lead detective on Harlan’s fraud case. He died of natural causes after the charges were filed. The case was dismissed less than a week later.”

He scanned the sheet, then looked up. “Did Ellison have information that was lost with his death?”

“No, he was just askin’ too many questions, so they made his death look like a heart attack. Maybe his partner did it since he discovered the body and he happens to be on Knox’s payroll. Miles Harlan owns the houses that Gerald Knox leases to house his trafficked girls.”

His eyes widened and he stared at me. “Do you have proof of that?”

“The leased houses?” I tapped the hard drive. “All on here.”

He stared at the drive for several seconds. “You want the charges against the dancer dropped. I can make that happen. But as for Adams’s case… that was closed. She should consider herself lucky that she wasn’t charged. The case against her was pretty damning.”

“Because they made sure it was. She must have gotten too close to discoverin’ something on a different case, so they set her up to get rid of her. She was lucky she didn’t end up dead in a freak accident or from natural causes.”

“That’s a bold claim,” he said.

I shrugged. “It was confirmed by J.R. Simmons’s former accountant. She says she cut checks to cops, and it wasn’t for off-duty security. After Simmons died, Knox coerced her to do his accounting, and the cops moved over to his bankroll. She said there had been several cops who met their untimely demise after diggin’ into something Simmons or Knox didn’t want unearthed.” I held his gaze. “You know Simmons was capable of that.”

He frowned, not denying that claim either. “I’m not sure what you want me to do about Harper Adams’s case,” he said. “It’s already been investigated by the state police. They’ll just come up with the same thing.”

“That’s because the cops fabricated evidence.”

He held out his hands. “What do you expect me to do, Malcolm?”

I tapped the hard drive. “These files are going to show multiple detectives and cops on Knox’s payroll. I want you to sit on that evidence for now.”

His brow shot up in derision. “Why? Because they’re on your payroll too?”

“No, because if you arrest them now, then the truth will never come out. Give me a month to look into it, find out what really happened, and clear her name.”

He sat back, his gaze narrowing. “Why would you care if her name gets cleared or not?”

“Because she did me a favor, and I’m paying her back.”

“What kind of favor?” he asked suspiciously.

“This favor didn’t occur while she was on the police department. It happened two months ago when a young girl in Jackson Creek went missing, and I was the lead person of interest. Adams found the girl, which cleared my name.”

He looked puzzled. “You hired her to clear your name?”

“No, she did it as a favor to the girl’s mother, who was a family friend.” I leveled my gaze with his. “Adams doesn’t owe me shit, and she has no idea I’m here. I believe in payin’ my debts, and if she hadn’t found the girl, I could have ended up back in prison.”

“Where you should already be for the rest of your natural life,” he said with a look of disgust that was then replaced with a questioning look. “Are you giving this to me as atonement?”

I ignored his question. “This contains every file and spreadsheet on Gerald Knox from his accountant of the last four years. The accounting on all six corporations, as well as creative bookkeeping to cover his tracks. If you decide you want this, be sure to look at Blackstone Capital.”

If that name meant anything to him, he didn’t let on.

“In addition,” I said, “I have all the files Harlan Properties has on Blackstone Capital. The lease agreements. The list of houses where they keep the girls. And plenty of emails connectin’ Natalie Crowe CPA, to Harlan Properties.”

I didn’t miss the gleam in his eye before he smothered it.

“What else do you want?” he asked.

“Why do you think I want something else?” I asked in amusement.

“Because you’re a selfish asshole who only thinks of himself.”

I wanted to point out that the first two things I asked for weren’t about me, but there was no denying I was a selfish asshole.

A slow smile spread across my face. “Guess you know me pretty well.”

“What do you want?” he asked again, staring at me like I was lower than pond scum.

“If I hand this over to you, you need to back off.”

“Back off what?”

“Me. You need to lay off tryin’ to dig up dirt to put me away.”

A smug look covered his face. “Who says I’m trying to put you away?”

“Is that how you want to play it?” I asked. “If you aren’t eager to put me away, then why were you so damn eager to talk to Detective Adams last week?”

His eyes narrowed. “How do you know about my call with Harper Adams?”

I let my smile fall. “I have my sources.”

“Are you stalkin’ Harper Adams?” he asked.

“That’s Detective Adams,” I said dryly. “She may not be a cop, but she got her PI license, but then again, you know that since she contacted you while investigatin’ a case.”

He studied me for a moment, and I realized my feelings for her were starting to show.

I didn’t care who knew I was sleeping with her. There wasn’t one ounce of shame on my end. But despite what she said about not hiding our relationship, I knew people would lose respect for her. She couldn’t afford to lose more respect than she already had. She deserved all the respect in the goddamned world.

He shifted in his seat. “If evidence falls in my lap that is strong enough to bring charges against you, I’m not gonna suppress them, Malcolm.”

“Maybe so, but you don’t have to drive your backhoe around the state diggin’ random holes in hopes of findin’ a hidden treasure. Let bygones be bygones and move on.”  

He shook his head. “No, I’m not gonna agree to that. If you’re guilty of crimes, then you deserve to be locked away.”

I leaned forward. “The problem is, counselor, you’re not doin’ this to protect your community. This is a personal vendetta, not some passion for justice.”

“Did you ever think puttin’ you away is justice?” he demanded, his face red.

I drew in a breath. “Why don’t we get to the heart of the matter, Deveraux? The real reason you’d strap me into the electric chair yourself if given the chance.”

The color drained from his face.

“She’s happy now,” I said through gritted teeth. “It was never gonna be either one of us. I accepted it years ago. Maybe it’s time you did too.”

He looked like he was about to stroke out. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he seethed through gritted teeth.

“We both know I do,” I said quietly, realizing he’d wasted the last few years pining over a woman he would never have. “It’s easier to blame me than accept the truth.”

We both sat back, stewing in our own thoughts. I wasn’t sure he was going to take this deal with my third condition tossed in. And I really needed to get the first two.

The waitress walked over to our table with a pot of coffee. “How’re you two doin’?” she asked as she refilled Deveraux’s cup.

“Just great,” I said, and Deveraux mumbled, “Fine.”

When she finished with his refill, she turned to me. “Your burgers and fries’ll be out in a few minutes. Can I get you anything else to put on the tab?”

“Just his coffee,” I said, flicking a couple of fingers toward Deveraux’s cup.

“I can get my own damn coffee,” he snapped.

I rolled my eyes and gave the waitress a warm smile. “He’s always like this. We’ll work it out.” I winked. “Put it on mine.”

She cast a questioning glance at Deveraux as she hurried off.

“You think I’m takin’ bribes, Malcolm?” he grunted.

I chuckled as I shook my head. “I never took you as the kind of man who’d sell his soul for a cup of shitty coffee, Deveraux, but I guess you never really know a person.”

That only pissed him off more.

“Look,” I said, sitting up and tapping the hard drive. “This is a one-time offer. As soon as I leave here, I’m takin’ another copy to a federal agent. They’ll get it regardless of your decision, but I suspect you’ll act quicker than they will, which means you’ll get a chance to be the one who breaks the case. And the Feds’ll look like tagalongs.”

“Or…” I said, letting the word hang there for a moment. “You can let them have all the glory and the attorney general’s office and Pulaski County will look like a bunch of blind morons who not only didn’t bust a traffickin’ network taking place under their own noses but took bribes to let it happen.”

“You’re bluffin’,” he sneered.

“Okay,” I said, digging out my wallet and pulling out two twenties when I saw the waitress headed back to our table with two paper bags. “I guess you’ll find out next week when they start performin’ raids in your backyard and hostin’ news conferences.” I slid the hard drive off the table and tucked it into my jacket pocket.

“Here you go, sugar,” the waitress said, placing the bags on the table.

“Thanks.” I handed her both bills. “No change.”

She looked down at both bills and a huge smile spread across her face. “Thank you. You have a wonderful evening.”

“You too,” I said as she walked away, stuffing the money into her apron pocket.

“Do you bribe people everywhere you go?” Deveraux asked in disgust.

I blinked in mock surprise. “I’d surely love to know your personal definition of bribes, counselor, because in my humble opinion, I gave a hard-workin’ woman a generous tip. The only thing I gained from that transaction other than the food I paid for, was a warm smile and a pleasant conversation, which is more than I’m gettin’ from you.”

I knew I should stay. I’d given Dani my word. When I’d told Harper in the Velvet Room parking lot that I’d get her charges dropped, I’d known I’d come to Deveraux. I figured we’d acquire a treasure trove of evidence, and in his greed for power and respect, he’d grant her immunity.

I hadn’t considered asking him to help Harper until we got the video from Dani. But if the dirty cops were under investigation, we might never find out the truth of why she’d been set up. Because while a huge part of her wanted the people who hurt her to pay, she wanted to know the why of it almost as much. Even if she didn’t realize it.

And the part about me… sure, I’d realized it was a huge ask, especially of him. But fool that I was, I thought his ambition would win over his petty grudge.

I’d calculated wrong, and now Dani and Harper were paying for it.

“As always, it hasn’t been pleasant chattin’ with you, Deveraux,” I said as I slid out of the booth. I headed out the door, hoping the asshole would change his mind and call me back, but he didn’t.

So, what was I going to do now? Was there someone in the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s office I could reach out to? Because my HSI handler made it clear they didn’t give a shit about Dani’s charges. Or Harper. And when I’d threatened to take what I had to the state if they wouldn’t give me those two things, they’d threatened to throw my ass back in prison. Coming to Deveraux had been a huge risk, and it wasn’t even paying off.

I was about to open my car door when Deveraux walked out of the diner. His glare landed on me and the expression on his face was so vile, I was surprised I hadn’t turned to stone. Color me surprised when he headed toward me, looking like he would run me through if he’d had a sword handy.

I opened the door and set the bags inside, then closed the door and leaned against the car, like I didn’t have a care in the world.

“You’re lying about the Feds,” he said, seething.

“Deveraux, use the brain I know God gave you. How do you think my charges were dropped?”

His anger eased some, but he was still pissed.

I crossed my arms. “They ask me to do things, I do them. They asked me to find out who’s runnin’ the trafficking network, and by a stroke of luck last week, Knox fell on my radar, and I followed a breadcrumb trail.” I paused when I was sure he was listening. “I told my handler I was bringin’ this to someone at the state level before I brought it to them, and your temper right now? That’s a toddler fit compared to how they reamed me. So think what you want, I’m here because I made a promise to Dani—foolish or not—that I’d get her charges dropped. And Harper deserves answers. She devoted her entire life to that fuckin’ department and they not only treated her like shit, but gaslit her into doubtin’ her instincts.” I shrugged. “But I guess that’s better than dead.”

Deveraux stared at me like I’d shapeshifted into a bunny.

“But if you’re not interested, I’ll find someone in the Pulaski DA office to handle it. I might not get what I want for Harper, but at least I’ll keep my word to Dani.”

He was silent for several seconds, long enough that the silence was becoming uncomfortable.

“Okay,” he finally said, his anger gone.

“Okay, what?” I asked, standing up straighter.

“Okay. I’ll give you the first and the third request. But I can’t make any promises about the second.” He grimaced. “I’d either have to suppress evidence or convince my boss to hold it for now. I can’t see a universe that he’ll do that. Especially at the request of an ex-crime boss.”

I felt the weight of the hard drive in my jacket. I should have stopped somewhere and wiped all the evidence of the cops off, but that would have taken too long, and I wasn’t sure I would have gotten them all.

But if I didn’t hand it over, then I’d have all the time I wanted.

Maybe I shouldn’t give it to anyone until after we took down Knox.

But I couldn’t do that, because those girls would still be held against their will, doing things no one should be forced to do. If Harper found out I didn’t save them to help her—she wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt. And I suspected she’d never forgive me.

“If I give this to you, I need your guarantee that you’ll raid these houses tonight.”

He gave me a questioning look.

“The houses holdin’ the trafficked girls,” I said. “The girl we saved last night was thirteen-fucking-years-old. They’re children. They can’t go another night livin’ through that shit.”

Confusion washed over his face, then he gave me an incredulous look. “You really care about them.”

“I’m not the monster you think I am, Deveraux,” I spat. I pulled the hard drive out of my jacket. “If I give this to you, you have to go tonight. The addresses are listed under the master file Harlan, sub folder Blackstone Capital. The houses they leased all have their own folder.” I held it out toward him.

He took a step closer and grasped it. For a moment, we both held onto it. He lifted his gaze to mine, his eyes softer than I’d ever seen them look at me. “I promise.”

“Bring in the state police. You won’t know who to trust in the LRPD. I suspect he has state police on the payroll too, but the odds are better.”

He nodded. “Will do.”

I let go of it, feeling like I’d let Harper down, even though I’d done exactly what she’d want me to do.

“Who are you working with?” Deveraux asked softly. “You kept saying we.”

I shook my head. “Figure of speech.”

“You got two burgers, fries, and pieces of pie,” he said.

I flashed him a cocky grin. “Bringin’ down trafficking networks is hungry work.”

The look on his face told me he didn’t buy it.

“What are you going to do about your Fed handler?” he asked.

I shrugged and looked away. “I’ll still give them a copy. But I might wait a bit.”

“Don’t hold it back on my account,” he said firmly. “I’ll make sure the state police bust the houses tonight and give a press conference tomorrow mornin’.” Then to my surprise, he said, “Do what you need to do to meet your conditions.”

I released a bitter laugh. “I already blew that to hell by comin’ to you first, but…” I shrugged. “I’m an asshole, so what do I care?”

Deveraux studied me, an emotion I wasn’t used to seeing from him filling his eyes—respect.

I opened the car door and started to get in.

“Malcolm.”

I stopped and turned back to him.

“Rose… Harper Adams was asking about her. Should we warn her?”

I shook my head. “No, she’s safe.”

He nodded and looked away for a moment then turned back to me. “So… Harper Adams…?”

I gave him a warning look, daring him to continue.

He wisely shut his mouth.

Then I got in my car and drove toward my handler, preparing to do damage control.

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