Chloe's eyes stayed fixed on Nick inside the cruiser, and the conflict in them became more obvious with every passing second.
"You want to talk to him, don't you?" Lucifer asked as he stepped closer beside her. "Well, go on, then. What's stopping you? The rules? Detective Douche? If you desire something, simply take it."
Before Chloe could respond, Lucifer turned away and walked toward the police car with the confidence of a man who had never considered locked doors a meaningful obstacle.
Chloe followed him several steps before realizing what he intended. "Lucifer, what are you doing?"
Lucifer reached the rear passenger door and pulled the handle. The lock clicked open beneath his fingers, and the door swung outward before the uniformed officer standing nearby could react.
"Hello there, little parasite," Lucifer said with a pleasant smile.
Nick barely had time to look up before Lucifer grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him from the back seat. Nick grunted as his knees struck the pavement, and Lucifer hauled him upright before placing him against the side of the cruiser.
The officer took one step forward, but Chloe raised her badge and gave him a look that made him hesitate. She knew this was completely improper, though the anger she had carried toward Nick for years was already pushing every sensible objection aside.
Chloe walked closer until she stood directly in front of him. "You finally did it, Nick. You finally wanted a photograph so badly that you killed someone."
Nick's face twisted with outrage while he struggled against Lucifer's grip. "I didn't kill anybody!"
"You've followed people into hospitals, private homes, funerals, and rehabilitation clinics," Chloe continued as old resentment sharpened every word. "You've ruined lives because someone's misery happened to be worth a few thousand dollars. This time, you crossed the final line, and you're not getting away with it. I'm going to make sure of that."
Nick stopped struggling for a moment and stared at her. Recognition moved across his face, followed by the faint beginnings of a smile that made Chloe want to hit him.
"I remember you," Nick said. "You're the cop's daughter from that funeral."
Chloe's jaw tightened so hard that Lucifer felt the change beside him.
Nick's expression lost its amusement when Lucifer's fingers closed more firmly around his collar. "Vale was already dead when I found him. The lights went out, and I used my phone flashlight to move around. I saw him beside the pool when the light crossed his body."
Chloe stepped closer, refusing to let the funeral comment distract her from the case. "Then why were you searching his jacket when Alexandra found you?"
Nick looked away from her.
"What were you looking for on Marcus Vale's body?" Chloe asked again.
Nick pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Lucifer sighed with theatrical disappointment and glanced toward Chloe. "Since we're rather tight on time, do you mind if I give it a twirl?"
Chloe should've stopped him. She knew that clearly, though she also knew Lucifer has a way to make people talk.
She stepped aside without giving him permission aloud.
Lucifer smiled and turned Nick's face toward him. "Tell me, dung beetle, what is it you truly desire?"
Nick tried to pull away, though the moment his eyes met Lucifer's, the resistance drained from his body. His breathing slowed, and the anger in his expression dissolved beneath something greedy and desperate.
"I... I..." Nick tried to resist with his last wisp of will.
"Yes, go on. Tell me," Lucifer pressed on with his smile while maintaining eye contact.
"I wanted Vale's phone," Nick confessed.
Chloe's eyes narrowed as she moved closer. "Why would you risk getting caught beside a dead body for somebody's phone?"
Nick swallowed as the words continued pouring out. "Vale had everything on that thing. Messages, private emails, secret contacts, photographs from parties that were never supposed to happen. The guy slept with so many models and newcomers and made sex tapes."
Lucifer's eyebrows lifted with genuine interest. "Now that does sound like an entertaining little device."
Nick continued staring into Lucifer's eyes while years of bitterness spilled through the opening. "My career's been dying. Celebrities have private security now, and every idiot with a phone thinks he's a photographer. I needed something huge, something nobody else could get."
"So you planned to steal Marcus Vale's phone and expose whatever you found," Chloe said.
Nick nodded without hesitation. "Celebrity sex tapes, affairs, drug deals, private messages, anything controversial enough to sell. Given Vale's reputation, that phone could've put me back on top. I could've released everything slowly and kept the stories going for months."
Chloe stared at him with open disgust. "A man was lying dead in front of you, and your first thought was how much money you could make from his phone."
Nick blinked as Lucifer released the hold of his power. Awareness rushed back into his face, and panic followed when he realized what he had admitted.
"I didn't kill him," Nick said quickly. "I'm an asshole, and I know that, but I didn't kill Vale."
A familiar voice interrupted from behind them before Chloe could answer.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Dan strode toward them with two officers following close behind. His attention moved from the open police car to Nick pressed against its side, then settled on Lucifer with growing disbelief.
"Neither one of you is supposed to be here," Dan said as he pointed toward Chloe. His finger shifted toward Lucifer. "Especially you."
Lucifer laughed softly and released Nick's shirt. "You always know how to make a man feel welcome, Detective Ex."
Dan stepped between them, grabbed Nick by the arm, and pushed him toward the cruiser. "Get back inside before I add resisting arrest to everything else."
Nick stumbled into the back seat while protesting that he hadn't killed anyone. Dan shut the door firmly and checked the lock before turning toward Chloe.
"This is exactly why I told you to go home," Dan said. "You can't drag suspects out of police cars when you're off duty."
Chloe folded her arms while watching Nick through the window. "He admitted he was searching for Vale's phone."
"We found the phone. And once again, Chloe. Let me handle it," Dan said. He then walked back inside, and the officer in uniform drove the car away.
Chloe watched the police car pull away from the curb with Nick still shouting from the back seat. She released a tired breath while the taillights disappeared beyond the resort gates.
"You hate that dung beetle. Are you really gonna try and prove his innocence?" Lucifer asked.
"I'm gonna find out who really killed Vale," She replied with a serious expression.
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