The Lure of the Lie: A Modern Detective Anthology (*On Hold*)

4 Restraint

"Remy!" I shouted the moment I saw her, arms wrapped around herself while she spoke with the officer in front of my door. Another officer was standing with Remy's ex-boyfriend, Oscar, farther down the hall. I jogged to her and threw my arms around her the moment I reached her. Then I held her out away from me and examined her for myself. "Are you hurt? They said you were okay on the phone but did he hit you?"

She shook her head.

"No," she told me. "He didn't touch me. He just showed up here. I'm so sorry Mads. I didn't tell him where I was or anything. But he just showed up and I tried to shut the door on him but he pushed it open and then he just started yelling at me. And then I yelled back at him and I guess your neighbor– oh, I'm so sorry, Mads. I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Remy. It's okay. As long as you're okay, it's okay."

"Dr. McKinnon, if I could ask you a few questions–" the officer started.

"Hey, uh," Parker interrupted, pulling out his badge and showing it to the officer. "I can take things from here, okay?"

"The feds?" Oscar cried from the few feet away that he stood. "Come on, Rem. It's not that big of a deal. Don't be so dramatic."

"I'll decide if it's a big deal or not, alright pal?" Parker snapped and then nodded respectfully to the officer guarding him. Both officers gave him a nod of their own and left. I watched them go, giving Parker a faint smile of thanks, and then turned back to Remy.

"Are you sure you're okay, Remy?" I asked at the same time Parker warned Oscar not to move.

"Oh, I get it," Oscar said before Remy could answer. "Tough cop guy's nailing your whore of a friend so you think I can't get to you, yeah?"

"What did you just call my partner?" Parker growled again, stepping toward Oscar, jaw tensed.

"Special Agent," I said.

"Apologize," Parker sneered at Oscar. Remy's ex-boyfriend seemed to cower a bit at the sheer size of the federal agent stepping up to him. "Now."

"Parker," I warned, a bit louder.

"Say you're sorry," he ground out, each word punctuated through gritted teeth.

He was in his face now. I was genuinely starting to worry there might be an altercation.

"Jake," I said and he stopped, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly as he looked back at me. With one final growl, he turned back to Oscar and barked his command.

"Get out of here."

Oscar couldn't have run out of my building faster if he were on fire. Then Parker strode forward and opened my apartment door for us. I helped Remy inside, guiding her over to the couch and helping her settle in.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked her, voice as soothing as I could make it. "Tea? Something stronger?"

"Stronger would be good," she replied with a nod, staring blankly ahead.

I moved to the kitchen as Parker sat down slowly in the arm chair across from her. His anger from moments before faded almost entirely as he turned to Remy.

"Remy," he said gently. "I'm going to have to ask you a couple of questions now, okay? That officer that was here tonight, he doesn't look like the sort to let these things go unreported. And he shouldn't. So I'll have to take care of that. I just need you to be honest with me, okay?"

Remy nodded, hands shaking slightly as I returned and handed her a glass of wine.

"Did Oscar hit you or physically touch you in any way tonight?" Parker asked. I frowned as I settled onto the couch next to Remy and waited for her response.

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"Did he threaten you?"

"Not really. He said a bunch of stuff about how I was making a mistake and he wasn't going to let me go without a fight but nothing specific."

"Has he ever hit you or touched you in any way that made you uncomfortable?"

"No."

Parker nodded, sitting back in his seat.

"Do you want a restraining order?" he asked finally and Remy finally looked at him then. "I've got a couple friends who are judges. I can get the order rushed through. You could have it by tomorrow. Just say the word and–"

"No," she replied, shaking her head again. "No, I don't want that. I don't think he'll be back again. He won't come here. Not after this. Not after you, well–"

She looked down, her cheeks coloring. At that moment, my door burst open and Kacey came sprinting inside. Parker leapt up, hand on his holster as he whirled around to face the intruder.

"Whoa," Kacey said, holding both hands up as she eyed Parker's gun. "Stand down, Agent."

Parker relaxed when he recognized my other friend. Kacey's gaze passed to Remy and she rushed forward, throwing her arms around her.

"Remy, are you alright? What happened?" Kacey asked.

"I'm fine," Remy told her. "Everything's fine. Thanks to Mads and Agent Parker here."

I looked up at Parker then and raised a brow as if to say what, you don't correct her? He smiled knowingly.

"Is it?" Kacey asked, looking between us and our obvious shared grins. "And where are you two coming back from?"

"Work," Parker said at the same time I replied, "Porn convention."

Kacey and Remy's eyes bulged from their head as Parker sighed and hung his.

"They're one in the same today," I rushed on to explain myself. "I promise."

"Uh huh," Kacey replied, raising a brow. "So what's in the bag?"

"The bag?" I asked. I looked down at the discreet brown paper bag that I'd dropped near the couch when I'd led Remy inside. "Oh yeah, the bag."

Before I could think of a response, Kacey plunged her hand inside and pulled out the black lace teddy that I'd bought from the vendor at the convention. Holding it up so that she and everyone else in the room could get a good, long look at it, she smiled.

"Oh yeah," she said with a grin. "This is totally your style."

Parker cleared his throat and got to his feet, pacing away from us and, more specifically, away from the lingerie, as he spoke again.

"Would you mind, uh, putting that away? We need to focus here," he said.

"Having trouble focusing, Special Agent Parker?" Kacey asked, an amused grin still on her lips.

"We need to get back to our case, Doc," he replied. "I can call a junior agent to keep an eye on the building for the rest of the night just in case Oscar decides to return. After that–"

"We're fine," Kacey interrupted him, tossing the teddy back into the bag and looking over at Remy. "I've got her now. Go save the world. Again."

I gave Kacey's knee a squeeze of appreciation and rose to join Parker as he opened the door for me. We walked to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby in relative, awkward silence. Whether it was from the domestic disturbance or the lingerie, I wasn't certain but it had been a crazy night indeed if those were my two options.

By the time we reached the SUV, Parker's phone was ringing. He put it on speaker as soon as he saw the Caller ID.

"It's Emerson. I've got something you guys are going to want to see."