“Not surprising,” Mac said. “If the thieves know what they have, they know they can’t sell the diamonds until they have someone laser the stones and remove the serial numbers so no one can prove they’re the same hot diamonds.”
“Right. So, you were saying Moore is planning a diamond robbery and I interrupted you,” Kane said.
“Well, we think they’re planning a hell of a lot more robberies than just one,” Mac said.
“The FBI has an undercover inside the Boston mob out of Toronto where the big bosses are headquartered,” Lincoln said.
“Wait. The Boston mob is headquartered in Toronto?” Kelly asked. “That’s ironic.”
Lincoln smiled. “A lot of business originates in Toronto because of the ports which are laxer than the US and even busier than Boston. In any case, our undercover agent tells us that the big bosses have tasked all branches to make money any way they can at the local level until the cartel is ready with new product. Revenue has to keep flowing into home base whether it be from robberies, prostitution, gambling, the horses, etcetera.”
“And from what you heard on the wiretap, diamond robberies are what Brandon Moore is up to,” Kane said.
“Right. He’s probably behind the robbery you two are investigating,” Lincoln said.
Kane inwardly cringed. The very last thing he wanted was his colleagues looking at the Auerbach Jeweler’s robbery and his relationship with Luca. Just thinking about it made him queasy. He was a professional and the last thing he needed was his colleagues finding out that Luca was personally involved with him. Though it had been a one-time fling—an experiment—and he had no intention of repeating it. He intentionally didn’t look at Kelly. She was very perceptive and though he usually had a decent poker face, she knew both of them. Now was not the time.
Their food arrived and everyone at the table fell on it hungrily. Kane always thought he was a big eater, even for a guy his size, but watching the sheer amount of food that was set down in front of Mac was amusing as hell. The man had six pancakes topped with bananas and whipped cream, a massive omelet made from six eggs, two plates of hash browns, and four biscuits covered with creamy sausage country gravy. He managed to wipe out the breakfast in about five minutes as Kane sat and ate his scrambled egg griddle topped with bacon, cheese, and jalapenos. After four cups of coffee he was feeling pretty good and he slid out of the booth to go to the restroom. He wasn’t aware Kelly was following him until they entered the hallway in front the bathrooms.
“Did something happen with Luca, Kane?” she asked, looking up into his face as she took his sleeve, stopping him from walking through the bathroom door.
Kane frowned. “Happen? Why do you ask?”
Kelly smirked. “I’m not stupid, partner. You had a deer-in-the-headlights look in your eyes the moment Lincoln started talking about the jewelry store robbery. What the hell is going on? You were supposed to steer clear of him.” She sighed and stared seriously at him. “I know you have feelings for him. It’s written all over your face.”
Kane looked back at her for a second before he saw Cassidy Ryan coming down the hall. He sent her a warning glance and then looked up at the cool handsome detective.
“We’ll talk about this in the car, Murphy,” he said in a stage whisper. When she nodded, he turned and went into the bathroom. Ryan joined him a few seconds later, standing beside him at the urinal.
“I’m glad we’re making progress. Murphy did good planting that bug where it picks up everything,” Ryan said.
Kane glanced over and smirked. “It’ll work until they have to change batteries in the TV remote since that’s where she planted it. Let’s hope they’re both behind bars by then.”
“From what I hear, the father doesn’t have long for this world,” Cassidy said, flushing. He walked over to the sink as Kane joined him.
“He should have been given a death sentence nineteen years ago but at least he’s about to leave this world. I’m only sorry he’s going to die in peace with his son at his side.”
Cassidy dried his hands and then clomped a big palm on Kane’s shoulder. “Look, we still have time to get Brandon. I expect Enoch will spill everything he knows to his son. After all, this bastard wants his life to mean something after he’s gone. I’m certain he thinks Brandon is his legacy and he’ll enlighten him about a whole range of topics. It’s not just that gun in his bar. If we’re all lucky, the FBI bugs will pick up the whole gamut.”
Kane watched him closely. He really liked Cassidy Ryan, and the fact that he always had a positive attitude about things was good. He wished some of it would rub off on him. This whole case was making him a little sick. He wanted to put it all behind him but most of all, he wished he was never asked to do this. Dredging up all the feelings he’d had when he’d seen his father killed was torture. The only thing keeping his head in the game now was knowing that Luca could possibly be in danger. He had to keep his focus.
“So, you think they’re planning more robberies, right?”
Cassidy dropped his hand and turned to walk out of the bathroom with Kane at his side. “We all believe that.” Kane nodded as they walked down the hall, back to their table. As they retook their seats in the booth, he had questions.
“We need a plan to catch these guys,” Kane said, as Kelly returned and scooted in beside him.
“We think Brandon will call his two new cops on the take,” Lincoln said. “If he has more robberies planned, he’ll start asking questions. I don’t think you should tell him you two are the ones who are investigating the Auerbach’s Jewelry store robbery.”
“Why not?” Kelly asked. “Maybe we can use that fact to get him to trust us.”
Lincoln nodded slowly. “Maybe. I was just thinking he might question how coincidental that is. He might smell a setup.”
“Or Delancey and Murphy might be able to convince him that they intentionally asked to be put on the case which would build credibility with Moore,” Mike said.
“Williams is right,” Kane said. “Now that we know about the mob’s problem with getting drugs, we can be honest with him and tell him that we picked that particular robbery to keep it out of the hands of other detectives just in case his guys were involved. It may sound like coincidence, but it just may work.”
“It’s really risky, Delancey,” Kelly said. “He’s not an idiot.”
“No, but if I come at him with the angle that we expect a hell of a lot of money for our protection, he will respect that. That’s how these guys think. You know that,” Kane said, grinning. The others at the table nodded.
“That’s good,” Lincoln said. “He’ll respect greed but it will be dangerous. If he thinks you’ll use that later to blackmail him, it could be suicide.”
“Well, we’ll just have to make sure he knows we’re working for him and not against him,” Kelly said, “but I’m with Delancey. I think this might be our way in.” She turned to look at Kane. “We might have to forget the gun box in the bar for now and go this direction.”
Kane nodded. He didn’t like the idea of not busting them with the gun that killed his father and probably many others, but there would be time for that. If they got him on the robberies, they’d be able to get a warrant to search the bar and get the gun then—if it really was in the wooden box as they suspected.
“Yeah. For now, we chase him on the Auerbach’s robbery and find out what he has planned for the future,” Kane said.
“You should talk to Mr. Auerbach,” Mac said. “He needs to beef up security since his store was hit easily before, he might be hit again.”
Kane frowned at him. First of all, Mac hardly ever spoke but now Kane hated the words coming out of his mouth. Just the idea of Luca being in danger made him sick to his stomach. He really didn’t relish meeting the older man that Luca had kissed so openly on the street either. Just the thought of it kind of made him angry.
“We’ll sit down and have a conversation with him,” Kelly said, shooting Kane a glanc
e that looked almost like a warning.
“Good. Meanwhile, Mike and I will talk to the local fences,” Cassidy said. “We know a lot of them.”
“Robbery/homicide. Yeah, that make sense,” Lincoln said. “Okay. Well, at least we have a game plan.” He turned to Kane. “Moore will contact you if he’s about to do what we think he’s about to do. Count on that.”
Kane nodded and looked at Kelly who nodded back. When he turned back to his friends at the table, he was determined. “Yeah. Okay, we know what to do.”
Chapter Eighteen
“All right. Why don’t you tell me what’s bugging you, Delancey? And tell me the truth so that I don’t have to hurt you,” Kelly said.
They were driving toward the jewelry store in Kane’s giant classic Dodge Charger and Kane turned to stare at Kelly’s perceptive eyes before he sighed and turned back around to look where he was going. As soon as they’d gotten into the car after breakfast, they’d argued, Kane demanding he be the one to talk to Stephen Auerbach alone, and Kelly telling him to go to hell. When she wouldn’t let him get away with being dismissed like that, he knew he owed her an explanation but the last thing he wanted to talk about were his confused feelings when it came to Luca Price. She already knew something was up.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he stated, trying to sound firm in his convictions because the truth was, he did want to talk with someone, anyone, about his strange new feelings for a man. But putting Luca in the rearview mirror was the best thing for him. No way could he be with a guy. His mother expected grandchildren some day and he wanted kids of his own. He wanted a wife and a home and to be settled. Yet after meeting Luca, his idea of the perfect family with a mom and dad and two kids was becoming blurry. He’d been robbed of that family and the desire to recreate it was strong.
“See, that’s just the thing. I think you need someone you can trust to not judge you,” Kelly said. She laid a hand on his bicep. “Talk to me, Kane.”
He didn’t even have to turn his head to know she was staring hard at him. He swallowed. “I did something I shouldn’t have done.” When Kelly said nothing, he finally turned to look at her as he pulled the car up to a red light and stopped.
Kelly smiled affectionately. “Let me guess. You kissed Luca.”
Kane’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped. “What?”
“When we were in the jewelry store, you took Luca back to the manager’s office and kissed him.”
He shook his head as someone honked their horn. The light had turned green and he hadn’t even realized. He looked into the rearview mirror and then waved before starting through the intersection. As they continued to drive, he reached up and wiped his hand over his face.
“I swear to God, I have no idea what’s happening to me, Murphy. I’m straight as an arrow. I swear I’ve never so much as looked at a guy and all of a sudden…” His words trailed off, too mortified to say anything more out loud.
“And now, suddenly, you’ve found someone of the same sex attractive to you, Delancey. It’s okay, man. There are lots of gay men on the force and even where you work at the ATF. You know it’s true,” she said. “We talked about it.”
Kane did turn to look at her this time. “You’re not bugged by that?”
Kelly shook her head. “By what? Gay guys? Hell no. I have a gay cousin and two aunts who live together. Everyone knows they’re not related, even their own church folk. Hell, we all know they’re girlfriends and they’ve shared the same old house in Inglewood since the late seventies growing old together. You’ve never seen two people who love each other that much and they laugh all the time. They were made to be with each other. Trust me, Delancey, the sooner you realize there’s nothing wrong with it, the better you’ll feel.”
Kane was driving, watching traffic out the windshield as she spoke to him but he still couldn’t admit how he felt about Luca. He was having enough trouble wrapping his own head around it. He took a deep breath and glanced at her quickly, noting her sympathetic gaze, before looking forward again.
“There’s been more than just kissing, Murphy,” he finally brought himself to say. The words felt mortifying as they came out of his mouth. “I’ve just decided to stop it now, before I get in too deep. And anyway, after the way I left it, I’m pretty sure it’s over now.” When she was quiet, he couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Finally, he heard her sigh deeply.
“Well, if it’s gotten intimate between you and you’ve decided to end it, fine. You can choose to live in your world where denial is king. There’s only one problem with that, Delancey.”
Kane looked over. “What?”
“I don’t think Luca lives in that dark realm. I think he lives in the real world where he’s happy and one of the most well-adjusted young men I’ve ever known. If you don’t want that, I have nothing more to say to you about it. Keep it professional and tamp down your feelings for him because he deserves better than that, just like I told you before. He’s a great person who deserves only the best.”
Kane gunned the car engine. Bringing the subject up had been a mistake but he couldn’t help but believe that every single word out of Kelly’s mouth was true.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
Kane was very relieved to see that Luca wasn’t at the store when they arrived to get Mr. Auerbach’s phone number. There were the same two armed guards that had been on duty when they’d last been to the store and they seemed intimidating enough. When Kelly went up to the counter to talk to Sebastian and get Auerbach’s number, Kane walked over to the guard who introduced himself as Dog.
“It looks quiet,” Kane said, shaking the man’s hand.
“It’s been business as usual, Detective,” the guard said, glancing over at the other guard. “Right, Rodney?”
“Sure ‘nuff. We ain’t seen anyone so much as casing the place since we were hired so we probably don’t even need to be here.” He grinned widely showing a missing tooth. “I’m not complaining, though. Pay and overtime are really good.”
Kane nodded. “Look, the reason we’re here is to get Auerbach’s number. We think there might be trouble so we wanted you two to know it and make sure you’re on the ball. Good?”
“We’re on it, Detective,” Dog said. Kelly walked up, holding a paper that she waved at Kane.
“Got the number. We’ll see you guys,” she said. The two huge guards nodded at her.
“No problem, ma’am,” Rodney said as they walked out of the store.
As soon as they were on the sidewalk, Kane felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A second later, he realized why. As he glanced down the street, he spotted the bouncer from Lance and Shield. He was standing next to a black town car, bent over talking to someone inside. As Kane realized it was Brandon Moore, he grabbed Kelly’s elbow, steering her down the street and then darting across it and into the small pawnshop where they’d been before.
“What the hell, Delancey?” Kelly demanded, yanking her elbow out of his grip. He looked down at her.
“Sorry. I just spotted the bouncer from Lance and Shield. Didn’t you see him talking to Moore in the black town car parked down the street?”
“No,” she said, walking over to the front window of the pawnshop and gazing outside. “You actually saw him out there, parked?”
“He was parked about seventy-five feet down the street. The bouncer was standing outside the town car and bent over talking to Moore.”
Kelly searched the street and finally nodded. “Oh, now I see him. What the hell? You’d think if they were going to rob the joint, they’d be more discreet.”
“May I help you?”
Kane turned around as a pawnshop employee approached. The old man smiled at them. “Oh, detectives. How can I help you?” he asked as he recognized them.
“We’re just checking in again,” Kelly said. “Have you seen any of those stolen diamonds we talked about last week?”
“No ma’am. I haven’
t taken any jewelry in for several days. I’ll show you what I have if you’d like.”
“No thanks. Just call us if anything comes in, okay?” Kane asked.
“Sure.”
“Bye then,” Kelly said. They walked out onto the sidewalk, noting that the town car had driven away. They were alone but that knowledge did little to settle Kane’s nerves. “I think you were right about talking to Auerbach. If his store is the target again, we need to tell him,” Kelly said, standing on the street with her hands on her hips as she looked at the empty curb where the car had been parked. “Come on, we’ll do it together.”
“You’ll let me go with you to talk to him, huh?” Kane said, unable to keep the amusement off his face as he stared at his pretty partner. He shook his head before she could answer. “It’s fine. You talk to Auerbach. I’ll find Luca and talk to him.”
She squinted. “You sure you want to do that, Delancey?”
“Yeah, I have to. If nothing else, I owe that to him. Auerbach isn’t even here unless he’s making a visit during store hours. Luca’s ass will be on the front line if he gets robbed again.”
“We’ll be there to protect him,” Kelly said.
Kane shook his head. “We don’t even know if Moore is going to call us in yet. For now, I think we have to warn Luca that there might be another robbery going down. I’ll tell him we have knowledge of a ring of robbers who might be targeting stores they’ve already hit. That way our cover stays intact, and he’ll be prepared to cooperate with them if and when it happens.”
Kelly nodded. “What about telling them that we’re undercover? If he sees us at the scene of the robbery, it could get sticky, Delancey.”
Kane thought about that for a minute before shaking his head. “We can’t tell them we’re undercover. If by some off-chance Luca gets taken off and questioned out of our earshot—which is likely if he’s made to open the safe—then they might just decide to put a bullet in everyone in the store. We already know they’re not shy about pesky little things like murder,” Kane said.
Stay with Me (The WITSEC series Book 1) Page 25
