Traitor, The by Jo Robertson Read Free Book Online Page B

the lab to screw around with
Dr. Henderson's settings.
    The straight-on hetero porn Henderson had been salivating
over became heavy-duty gay porn. A joke, but Rafe always wondered if atonement
was why Max had gone into law enforcement instead of being some computer geek
mixing things up in the Silicon Valley.
    "My face met the butt-end of a door," Rafe
answered in a way that should warn Max off. "Find anything else in that
alley?"
    "Yeah, a lot of garbage and crap." Max laughed. "What
were you expecting?"
    Rafe ignored the question. "What about the bartender?"
    "One Joseph X. McHenry."
    Rafe lifted his brow. "X?"
    "What can I say?" Max shrugged. "Xander, go
figure."
    "Any record?"
    "About as long as your arm, but nothing in the last
seven years. He jumped the SHU in oh-three and has stayed below the radar
since." Max pronounced the acronym "shoe."
    "The Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison?"
    "Yep, that one, where we keep some of our most violent
criminal offenders, lucky us."
    "How'd he manage to get out?" Rafe asked.
    "Everything's about DNA now. Old Joe was doing life
without parole in the SHU on a rape-murder charge with special circumstances.
And then bing, DNA exonerated him." Max's face tightened in anger. "Never
mind that the bastard committed dozens of crimes he was never convicted of."
    "But he's stayed cleaned since?"
    "Yeah, the lucky son-of-a-bitch."
    "Known associates? Dirty pee test? Carrying?" Rafe
knew most parolees got violated on one of these charges.
    "Wouldn't matter," Max said.
    "Right, exoneration, not parole."
    The state retained a hold on a released offender who waived
his Fourth Amendment search and seizure rights to get parole. He could be
stopped and searched, any time, any place, all without a warrant because of his
parole status.
    Most parolees reverted right back to the life. Joseph X.
wasn't on parole, but Rafe still wondered how a guy with his record had managed
to avoid getting busted on one charge or another.
    "There was something in the blood, though," Max
added. "Mostly animal blood contaminated by a bunch of gunk." Rafe
raised his brows at the unscientific term, but the detective continued. "Crime
scene techs speculated about trace amounts of human blood along with the animal
blood."
    "You think someone tried to cover up the human blood?"
    "Could be, amigo, could be." Max pushed his
long, lanky form out of the chair and adjusted his shoulder pistol before
turning to the office door. "I'll give you an update as soon as the lab
report's complete."
    His hand on the doorknob, Max turned around and eyed Rafe
speculatively. "So, if you're not going to tell me how you got that goose
egg on your head or what put that shit-eating look on your face ... "
    Remembering last night, Rafe suppressed a smile.
    "A broad? Jesus, Rafe, you finally got laid?" Max
smacked his palm against the door and laughed. "When were you going to
tell me about her?"
    "There's no 'her' to talk about. Someone I met at
Stuckey's." He leaned back on two legs of his chair, tossed the pencil on
his desk, and tried to speak casually. "Ended up taking her back to my
apartment. Had to, as a matter of fact."
    Max moved back into the room, sat down, and leaned forward
eagerly, a salacious look on his face. "Had to?"
    Rafe waved a hand. "Long story."
    "Hubba-hubba, old man. So, did she spend the night?"
Max pretended to pant like a dog. "What's her name? Goddamn! You old
devil."
    "Don't get so excited. It was just a casual thing, you
know? Besides, nothing happened." Not much, anyway, he amended silently.
    "No, I don't know." Max waved his ring hand in the
air. "Hello, married ten years. Leg shackles and all. The only way I get
lucky is through hearing your escapades. At least tell me her name. Give me a
bone, here, Hash."
    Rafe chuckled, the sound of her name sexy as it rolled off
his tongue. "Isabella. No last name. Bella," he said, the taste of it
on his lips still feeling great. "Maybe she'll leave her phone