Chapter 4

He laid his hand on her arm. "Alex…" his voice barely heard of the wail of the approaching sirens.

"Don't Bobby….please don't." She whispered, her body shaking. She moved his hand. "I'm evidence."

"Right." He said softly. "I'm riding with you to the hospital." He got out his handkerchief to stop the bleeding on her lip. Instead of handing it to her, he tilted her chin and lightly pressed it to her lip. She winced. "Sorry, sweetie. It's not so bad." He knew that she knew he was lying, but she tried to smile anyway.

"I know what I did was stupid, Bobby. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." She looked down.

He tilted her chin up. "I would have been here sooner, but I lost the cab on that last turn. But you got the guy."

"YOU got the guy." She said softly. Just then the Vice captain walked by, she grabbed his arm. "I want him…"

"Get yourself checked out and cleaned up, Eames, and he's yours." He said before he walked toward the squad car that contained Nathan St. James.

Bobby noticed that she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Alex, do you think that's a good idea?"

"I have to know why, Bobby. I just have to." She finally looked up at him, tears threatening to fall.

He stroked her bruised cheek. "Okay."

"I want you on the other side of the glass, Bobby. Promise me that." She took his hand in hers and squeezed.

"Where else would I be?" He said softly. "I've always got your back. Always."

She was checked out and released from the hospital in under two hours. She showered at the station house and tried to cover some of the bruises to her cheek. She walked confidently toward the interrogation room.

Bobby caught her eye. "You ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be." She said as she shook off all her fears and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. "Nice to see you again, Mr. St. James."

His face registered shock at first then he just glared at her. "Bitch, I should've known you were brass."

She laid out the pictures of the dead women he'd raped and brutalized. She told him each girl's story. His eyes never left her face. "Why'd you do it?"

"They had it coming to them. Selling their bodies like they were cheap souvenirs. They deserved it. So do you for pretending to be one…"

Her face was inches from his. "It gives you no right to be their judge, jury, and executioner."

"I was almost yours, bitch."

Her hands clenched the table and she moved closer to him. "You're going down, St. James."

She moved back as he shoved his chair away and stood. Bobby watched Alex through the glass as she flinched. She quickly recovered and moved around the table.