The knocking was insistent and familiar. David frowned, wondering when he'd have a little peace. As far as he was concerned, the case had been closed. It was a shame the media was not satisfied with the simple explanation of two disgruntled supporters of the governor being behind the murders.
Was it a reporter trying to muscle into his life for an exclusive?
He had expected them to want more, always more, but he had unplugged the phone for a reason, damn it. He'd had enough to last him for a long while; his head was still pounding from the press conference that afternoon. Whether from stress or residual injuries from the car accidents, he didn't care to find out.
David only wanted a little peace and quiet, but the knocking would not stop.
He got up and checked the door.
Katrina on the other side again, and this time she looked genuinely upset.
He quickly opened the door and could barely take a breath before she launched herself into his arms, holding onto him tight. She was shaking with fear, then relief. David took a few steps back and locked the door. "Katrina, what are you doing here? What's the matter?"
She finally released him, her dark eyes wet and afraid. "It was Matt. He killed Kyle. He knew about everything from the very start. I'm afraid I'm next."
Her honeyed voice, usually so cool and confident, broke as she crumbled into tears. Her body seemed to wilt with the confession, it brought her to her knees. David felt something break within himself, seeing her like this.
He went to her, gathering her in close to him. They sat together on the floor of his apartment, he rocking her in an effort to soothe. "Where is he now?"
She took several deep breaths to calm herself. "He's at the office, with one of his women. He doesn't even bother trying to hide them anymore."
David nodded. It had been a terrible thing for him to see his closest friends as the monsters they had become, it was a painful disillusionment. He'd known them both since college, and though they had been close for over a decade, he felt that he could barely recognize either one of them now.
"Does he know that you're here?"
She lifted her face from his shoulder so that she could meet his gaze. "No. Things have gone on as usual, only…"
"Trina?"
"He hurts me now, and enjoys it. God, David, I can't live like this. How did this happen?"
He had no answers; he was just as confused as she.
"It's not your fault. Whatever he's done-"
"It is my fault. All of it, but I can't go back to that house. Please, David, let me stay."
Her plea speared through him; the last time she'd been to his apartment he'd very nearly taken her on the sofa, just a short distance away from where they were now. She'd kissed him and told him nothing had changed. The way they had kissed, touched…no, nothing had changed, at least not for him. He still loved her and he was damned if he knew why anymore.
She watched him, waiting for his answer. "David?"
He shook his head, unable to stop his hand from smoothing through her hair. "You staying here is a bad idea, Trina. I can't promise you that I won't-"
"I don't care. I can't go back to that house, David. Never again. David, please."
He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath he'd been holding. Her arms were still looped around his neck, her body curled within the muscled circle of his thighs. Knowing, surely, that he would regret it, David nodded. "I'll have him taken into custody. One phone call. You can stay."
Her lips lifted to touch his; soft, tender lips against his own. He wanted it to go on, he needed it to go on, he needed to believe-
"Don't-"
"Why? I know you love me."
"And you love me too now, is that it?" He demanded, suddenly angry with her, frustrated that he couldn't tell if she was lying to him again. "You loved me so much you married my best friend six months after we broke up and used every opportunity to rub it in my face. Now you come here jerking me around like I'm one of the guys you were screwing behind your husband's back, expecting me to clean up your shit."
His words were cruel, angry. He meant them, he'd been wanting to tell her exactly that since he'd learned of her involvement in the whole sordid mess. He let go of her and stood up.
Trina's eyes widened, genuine shock and hurt shone through to him, but he couldn't find much compassion for her feelings at a time like this. "You have any evidence to prove Matt killed Kyle or am I just supposed to take your word for it?"
She waited for several moments. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, quiet. "I do. He admitted it to me. I have a…there's a camera in our bedroom. He doesn't know about it."
David stood up. "I found his cuff-link at the scene. I didn't tell anyone who it belonged to. I had my suspicions but all I had at the time was circumstance. You have the tape?"
She nodded and dug into her coat pocket, retrieving the tape.
David took it from her. "I'll make the call to bring him in. If they catch him with a hooker then that'll be enough to keep him until I take this tape in as further evidence for the murder investigation. I'll make the call. You can take the couch."
He'd laid out the plan with cold precision, dismissing her just as easily. David was upset with her, but more than anything he hated what his principles were demanding: that he arrest and assist in prosecuting his one of his closest friends, a friend whose wife he was in love with.
If anything could kill a man from the inside out…
David turned and went into his bedroom to make the call, alerting two officers to approach Matt's office on suspicion of solicitation. They were on orders to call him once Matt Gavin was taken into custody.
Simple, but there had to be some perks to his position as the DA.
Once the call was made, David stepped out of his bedroom to see that Trina was sitting on the sofa, her eyes staring blankly into space. He could only imagine what was going through her mind.
"Trina? Trina?"
His voice called her out of her trance and she blinked, looking back at him. For a moment she looked at him as if he was a stranger.
David cleared his throat. "I've put in the call. We'll hear back once he's been arrested, then I'll go in first thing tomorrow morning to present the tape as evidence for the murder."
She didn't say anything, but she nodded.
An awkward silence hung in the air, stretching the gulf between them.
"Will you sit with me?" She asked. Her voice was small, her face open and real.
David swallowed, but he moved forward to sit beside her on the sofa. His apartment was very dark now, and so he trained his gaze on the view from his windows.
"I'm sorry."
The words were so quiet, but he knew what he heard. Unable to stop himself, David brought her into his arms again. She fit perfectly, just as she always had. Only days before they'd been on this couch, and she'd told him that nothing had changed. Damned if she wasn't right.
Her scent had not changed, the floral musk of her perfume was the same as it had been the week before, hinting at that hidden sensuality that was so familiar to him. She curled in tighter, seeking his warmth and comfort. Her hand moved, stroking him, her nails lightly grazing his chest. Years ago, she'd done the same thing to him when they'd been two simple college kids, in love beyond belief. The first time she'd done it had been after he'd taken her virginity, the last time she'd done it had been on the night they'd made love for the last time.
In the darkness, her lips sought his. David tried to stop her again. "Trina, stop, we can't do this-"
"David, I want you."
"That doesn't make this right."
"You want this, and I need…I need…"
His hands stroked her hair, cupping her face. "What? What do you need, Trina?"
"I need to feel loved again." Her plea was heartfelt, real. "David, please."
He hesitated, wary of exposing what he wanted. He held her gaze, daring her to try manipulating him again. "If we do this, you're not leaving me again. Do you understand?"
She nodded, understanding him completely.
He kissed her fully then, finally letting go. Their kiss went on, warm and comforting, passionate and without trace of deceit. It was real, the way it had always been between them. They'd missed each other through the long empty years between the last time and tonight. He speared his fingers through her hair, she wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back, holding tight to him.
David pulled back only to say, "Let go of Jade. Leave it all behind. I only want you, Trina."
She nodded, embracing him. "You have me."
