Page 24 of The Perfect Illusion

“You’re trying to embarrass me at my club,” he said, still breathing heavily. “Why?”

“We certainly didn’t mean to embarrass you, Mr. Moran,” Brady said with a broad smile. “We just need to talk with you and this is where you are, so this is where we came.”

“What’s this about?”

“Do you want to talk about that here, in front of your fellow members?” Brady asked. “Or would you rather join us somewhere more private, where any unsavory details can be more closely held.”

“I don’t have anything to hide,” he said, now pointedly looking at Jessie with a shark-like grin. “What you see is what you get.”

“I guess we’re not getting much then,” Jessie mocked, engaging him directly for the first time. “And I’m not sure your clients would like you being so chatty in front of the general public.”

Moran seemed to weigh that point before replying.

“You know, I don’t think I want to be chatty under any circumstances,” he snarled. “So I’m just going to cut my workout short, take a shower, and head into the office. You two enjoy your day.”

He started to leave the cardio room, but Jessie stepped in front of him. She tried to ignore the sudden urge to punch him in the nose.

“We’re having a conversation one way or another, Mr. Moran,” she told him. “It can be here or down at the station. Which do you prefer?”

“Neither,” he said, as he tried to slide past her.

Unfortunately for him, he slightly misjudged the space between them and clipped her left shoulder with his left arm. Under normal circumstances, Jessie would have used this bump as an excuse to take out his knee, drop him to the ground, and pin him while she slapped on some cuffs. But considering that he was an attorney, she fought down the desire and went another way.

She allowed the mild force of their collision to send her “flying” backward as she toppled to the ground, landing on her butt. Moran stopped in his tracks.

“That was an accident,” he said quickly. “I was just trying to get by.”

“Actually,” Brady said, whipping out his own handcuffs, “that was battery. Now we’re definitely chatting at the station.”

He slapped the cuffs on Moran before the man realized what was happening. Jessie, playing into the scenario, moaned dramatically as she rubbed her lower back.

“Are you all right, miss?” Cal asked, scurrying over and helping her to her feet.

Moran’s expression morphed into a combination of disdain and fear.

“I’m not sure,” she said shakily as she slowly stood up. She winced as she straightened her back. “Oh wow, that smarts.”

“You’re just playing it up so you can bring me in,” Moran objected as he struggled against the cuffs.

“She wouldn’t do that,” Brady snarled. “Blame the victim much?”

Jessie looked pleadingly at Cal.

“Do you think one of your security officers could help me back to my car,” she pleaded. “I’m feeling a little uncertain of my footing.”

Though he clearly didn’t buy her act, Moran stopped struggling against Brady. He seemed to sense that there was no point.

“Of course,” Cal said. “Marco, can you please assist the lady?”

As Marco took her forearm and eased her out of the cardio room, Jessie glanced back. Benjamin Moran was staring at the floor, muttering something to himself. But Brady was looking at her with a big smile on his face. He was very proud of himself, as he should be.

Jessie gave him a wink before turning around and hobbling out.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Benjamin Moran lawyered up fast.

Jessie had expected it. She and Brady stared through the one-way mirror into the West L.A. station interrogation room, watching Moran talking to his attorney. The speakers were off, as they legally had to be, so they couldn't hear a word, but it wasn't hard to guess what was being said. The lawyer was instructing his client to just keep his mouth shut, which was par for the course.

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