Seduced By The Badge. Deborah Fletcher Mello

his parents, and instead she was drugged and kidnapped. She was able to get away, to get help that saved her life. There were two other young women being held with her, but we weren’t able to find them after he realized Shannon had escaped. Long story short, the investigation led us here. Alice Mumford was one of the women held with my sister. I can’t let this rest until I find her killer and take down the monsters that are trafficking these women.”

      Armstrong nodded, understanding wafting over his expression. The slightest smile pulled at his full lips. “I like your passion,” he said as Danni felt a glimmer mist her eyes.

      Danni shrugged ever so slightly. She shifted her gaze to the view outside the window. She was taken aback by the current of emotion that fluttered in her midsection. It reminded her of the fear she’d felt when her sister had disappeared. Her anxiety had been corporeal. Thick and abundant, its viselike grip so intense she could barely breathe. The fright of not knowing where Shannon had disappeared to, or if she would ever be found, had been devastating.

      She and her sister had been each other’s lifelines after the death of their mother. Their father, an over the road trucker, had mourned the loss in the cab of his tractor trailer, disappearing when they’d needed him most. Their paternal grandmother had taken up the slack as best she could, but her age and failing health hadn’t served them well. The wealth of their childhood had revolved around the old woman’s dementia and unruly behavior. They had found moments of solace only with each other. She couldn’t begin to explain how the prospect of losing her sister scared her, the very thought-provoking anxiety attacks that regular visits to a therapist still hadn’t healed. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.

      After pulling into a parking space down at the county jail, Armstrong shut down the engine and exited the car. As Danni took another breath to collect her thoughts, she was suddenly surprised when he opened the door, the chivalrous gesture unexpected.

      “Thank you,” she said softly.

      His smile was brighter, filling his handsome face. “My mother raised me well,” he said teasingly.

      Danni chuckled. “I’m sure she’d be proud.”

      After passing through the security checkpoint and signing in with the officer on duty, the duo was led down a lengthy hallway to the interrogation area. They stood on one side of a two-way mirror, staring at a small wooden table and an empty chair. Minutes later the door swung open and Josef Havel was led into the room, handcuffed and in leg irons. The officer gestured for him to take a seat, then moved to stand in the corner of the small room.

      Danni’s eyes widened in recognition. “That’s him!” she said, her voice rising slightly. “That’s the bastard that took my sister!”

      Armstrong looked from her to their suspect and back again. “Are you sure?”

      Danni narrowed her gaze. She felt the color drain from her face, and she clenched her hands in tight fists by her side. When she spoke, she bit back the emotion, her words edged in an icy chill. “I met him once when he came to pick Shannon up. It’s him.”

      He nodded. “Let’s go nail him.”

      “I’ll take lead,” she said as she pushed past the man and stormed out the door.

      Entering the interrogation room, Danni said nothing, her gaze meeting Josef Havel’s evenly. The man eyed her with disdain, his arrogant expression meant to be dismissive.

      “Why am I being held?” he sniped, his eyes shifting toward Armstrong. “I have done nothing. Where is my attorney?”

      Neither responded as they took the seats on the opposite side of the table. Danni suddenly thought about Shannon and the fear that still followed her sister. The memory of what her sibling had been made to endure still haunted her. It made her angry, rage rising like morning mist on a new day. She clenched her teeth, her jaw tight as she slowly opened the manila file folder she’d been holding, scanning its contents briefly before she spoke.

      “Mr. Havel, you are not obligated to speak with us without your attorney. But you are going to be arraigned on kidnapping and assault charges. It would probably be in your best interest to be as cooperative as possible. We have a few questions that you might be able to answer.”

      He interrupted her, snapping sharply. “I did nothing! You have no proof. I do not know anything about that girl!”

      Danni paused as he narrowed his gaze on her, his eyes thin slits in his flushed face. Gone was the air of confidence that had edged Havel’s runway-model looks. The haughtiness that her sister had once found so attractive was diminished substantially. His left brow twitched and spittle clung to his thin lips. She leaned back in her seat, her arms crossing easily over her chest. “We’re not talking about the young woman you flew into town with. That’s not your problem right now. Do you remember Shannon Winstead? Or Alice Mumford?”

      The man bristled noticeably, that twitch over his eye suddenly intensifying with a vengeance. He didn’t respond, his expression hardening even more.

      Danni shifted forward in her seat. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “Do you remember me, Mr. Havel? We met in Atlanta. When you were wining and dining my sister, and making her promises you had no intention of keeping. When you took her hostage, and held her against her will. Does that bring back any memories for you?”

      The man met her stare and held it. Danni stared back, not at all intimidated. His gaze dropped to the tabletop, and then his eyes shifted back and forth between them. “I want my attorney,” he snapped.

      “We’d like your attorney, too,” Danni interjected. “Because we’re really not interested in you. We want the people you work for. So why don’t you help yourself by helping us?”

      The man snarled, suddenly leaping from his seat, the table between them shifting. Armstrong stood abruptly, his stance defensive. The other officer in the room took two steps forward, his hand braced against the weapon at his waistband. Danni didn’t flinch, her eyes locked tight with the suspect’s.

      “Sit down!” she snapped, her tone low and even.

      The quiet in the room was suddenly thick and tense, everyone waiting to see who might jump first. Havel took a breath and then slowly eased himself back into his seat. He closed and then opened his eyes, turning to stare at Armstrong.

      “You’ll be sent back to Atlanta to face charges,” Danni said. “And I’ll be there personally to see that you get the maximum. This is your last chance to help yourself.”

      The moment was interrupted as the door swung open, a well-dressed woman stepping into the room. She smiled sweetly, her head shaking from side to side. “Detectives, you do know this is a violation of my client’s rights. How dare you interrogate him without my being present?”

      “Your client was here voluntarily, Ms. Harper,” Armstrong said. “He wanted to cooperate.”

      “I’m sure he did,” she said, her eyes never leaving Armstrong’s face. “I’m sure I should be asking what you did to be so persuasive, Detective Black.”

      Danni felt something like jealousy waft through her spirit, the sensation unexpected and unnerving. It was obvious Armstrong and the other woman had history, and her awareness of such suddenly made her uncomfortable. She came to her feet as she cleared her throat. “The state of Georgia is pressing charges against your client. He’ll be extradited back to Atlanta as soon as we can get him processed.”

      The other woman shifted her gaze toward Danni, eyeing her from head to toe. “And what has my client been charged with doing in Atlanta?”

      Danni smiled at the woman. “Didn’t he tell you? One of his victims got away. He left a witness behind.”

      The man suddenly said something in his native Czech, a wave of anxiety crossing his expression. The other woman hissed back in response, her reply terse and heated. She regained her composure as quickly as she’d lost it.

      Armstrong chuckled. “We’ll give you and your client