Dirtiest Secret (SIN 1)

"That's one of the reasons you work for me," Dallas said. "You're so damn smart."

"I'm guessing Jane had a good night, too," Liam said, then laughed at the scowl Dallas shot him.

"Maybe too damn smart," Dallas said.

Liam chuckled. "I didn't call to talk about your torrid romance," he began, as Dallas shot him the bird. "Wanted to give you a heads-up that we may have caught another case."

Immediately, Dallas sobered. "Tell me."

Liam shook his head. "Let me do some follow-up. It's almost seven."

"Damn," Dallas said, realizing he'd lost track of time. He picked up the remote and clicked on his office television. Evening Edge was about to start, and Jane was in the first segment.

"She's going to kick ass," Liam said.

"She's nervous," Dallas said. "But she will. She grew up a Sykes, just like I did. She may hate media appearances, but she won't show it to the world."

What he was more interested in--other than simply watching her there on the screen--was what she had to say. They hadn't talked a lot about the book she was working on, but he knew enough to know that their views differed. The question was, how much?

Moments later, he had his answer.

She looked amazing on camera, just as he'd known she would. And, yeah, he was so damn proud of how she presented herself with such strength and confidence.

But the words coming out of her mouth--and of her asshole ex-husband's--sat like heavy stones in his gut.

Names like Benson and Deliverance.

Adjectives like dangerous and illegal.

Ultimatums like needs to be stopped.

Sound bites like dead children and serious injuries.

And each one hit him like a blow.

"Vigilante rescuers," the host said, leaning forward in one of the casual chairs that made up the set. "It sounds like a Hollywood action movie."

"Except Hollywood has happy endings. In the real world, innocent people are injured and die in vigilante raids," Jane said.

"But is that necessarily the fault of these vigilantes?"

"Absolutely it is," Jane said. "They may look like they're dressed up in procedure. That they're investigating crimes and then moving in to catch the bad guys. But it isn't true."

She spoke with such passion that it seemed as if she was standing right next to Dallas, and every word twisted inside him.

"The people who run these groups are heartless, vicious monsters," she said. "The Benson group, Deliverance, and any others that may come to light--they're not focused on saving lives but on profit. On earning the fee paid by the parent of one specific child--and all the non-paying children are expendable."

"That's a strong accusation."

"It is," Bill agreed. "And while I'm not authorized to give details, I can say that there is evidence to support what Ms. Martin just said."

"They need to be stopped," Jane said, her eyes flashing with heat. "They break law after law in the course of their operations, which negatively impacts the ability of legitimate law enfor

cement to do their job. More than that, they extract their own justice. And that is simply not a role that civilians should be playing."

"Not only is it illegal," Bill said, "but there's no due process for those they punish."

"I can only document the facts in my books," Jane said. "But the work that WORR is doing is essential. People like William Martin and his team are the real heroes. Not these self-important, profiteering rogues."