“I’d ask another member of the squad if I could. They’re all friends. It’s only…”
“You don’t know who to trust. Which is why you called me. You know I couldn’t be involved because I haven’t been here but a few days.”
His looked sheepish. “Right now, you’re the only one I know absolutely could not be involved.”
She sat back, crossed her arms over her chest. So there it was. Darin was innocent. Unless he’d learned who she was, why she was here, and had just set up an elaborate smokescreen.
But she couldn’t see such a scenario.
It was her nature to be suspicious. It was what made her good at her job. Hadn’t she learned her lesson the hard way when she was a kid?
“I’ll tell you what. I’ll think about it if we can agree on how to do it. If you decide to go the drug buyer route, we’ll set it up so I can be with you. Probably as your partner; maybe go a step further and be the partner with the money.”
He shook his head. “Not part of the deal. I go alone. You’re on standby.”
Really? Or did he want her out of the way so he would be free to do his own thing and no one would be the wiser? Damn her suspicious mind.
“Someone needs to be there to watch your back. It will need watching if this goes down. Even though you suspect a member of the squad could be involved, that leaves five who are not. Together, we’ll check out each one of them until we’re satisfied that person is clean, then go from there. An operation where you’re going after the big guys is dangerous. But you know that. We’ll need more help than just the two of us.”
He leaned closer, his mouth a thin line. “I don’t think you get it. I don’t want to risk anyone’s career but my own. That includes you and the squad.
She had to make him understand not only the risk—hell, he’d probably end up dead—but he could lose his career. She crossed her arms over her chest. “To do an undercover op like this, you’ll need more help than one lousy backup. It will take planning, backgrounds that can be verified, a disguise that won’t draw suspicion. I don’t think you have a clue what you’re getting yourself into.”
He sat back, his eyes on hers. She had to get through to him. Sure he wanted Hunter’s killer and he wanted the drugs, but it wasn’t worth dying to get them. And die he would if they went along with his so-called plan.
“What do you suggest?”
“I’ll have to have time to think on it. But I guarantee a one-man operation is doomed before it starts.”
“Okay, so what if we do bring in a few members of the squad? We don’t know who we can trust.”
“It shouldn’t be that hard. I’m the newbie. I want to get acquainted. At some point in the near future, I’ll visit each squad member in their home. I have a good eye for seeing things others can’t. It shouldn’t be hard.”
“We’ll have to check their finances, backgrounds, everything.” He paused. “I can have my sister and her husband’s company do that part.”
“Are they qualified?” She knew they were. And the more eyes they had on this the better.
“Highly. Trust me, this will work.”
Would it? Maybe. If everything fell into place as they planned. How likely was that? But she had no choice. It was go along or he’d go it alone and get himself killed. On her watch.
“Then we need to get to work.”
“I’ll start by having an outdoor party at my house soon. It’ll be an opening for you to get to know everybody a little better.”
“What reason will you give for the party?”
“New member of the squad. Someone does the honors whenever a newbie shows up.ˮ
“There’s another problem.”
“Oh?”
“Money. We’ll need lots of it to make this work.”
“Struck down before we begin,” he said. “Where the hell would we get our hands on so much cash?”
The dejected look on his face had her gathering her things. “Leave it to me.”
“Are you kidding? What are you, an heiress or something?”
“Rich uncle.” She winked.
She said a hasty goodbye and left through the back door.
This crazy plan wouldn’t be easy to carry out. It would be challenging and dangerous. Still, she was sure it could be done. After all, she’d gone undercover many times. But Darin? He was a Texas cop who wore boots and a Stetson, had a drawl as wide as the Rio Grande, and probably didn’t know the first thing about going undercover.
If she went along with this she could put herself in more danger than she’d counted on. The hardest part of her job might be to keep Darin Callahan from going rogue on her.
Nobody had seen this coming when she came to Houston.
****
Darin ran through the rain to his truck and started the motor. Traffic had dwindled down to a few hearty souls.
When he left the parking lot he wondered two things. Was Gina as good as she seemed? Her ideas were good ones, her instincts even better. He didn’t want to put her in danger, but now that he’d talked to her he didn’t see a way to do this alone. Second, was he being followed?
He looked in his rearview. The street behind him was clear.
Darin was inclined to think his imagination had gotten the better of him.
Still, as he drove home, he glanced every so often into his rearview. Just in case, he took a circuitous route back home.
Having Gina Carlson in his corner somewhat lightened the load he’d carried around since the night his partner was shot.
It wasn’t enough. He wanted the killer behind bars. ASAP.
Chapter Six
Gina’s mind churned in a hundred different directions as she drove back to her sister’s. Every instinct she’d honed over the years told her Darin was on the up and up. More important, she trusted him—and he trusted her. Her job called for her to be cautious. Which she would—had to be. Darin was determined to go undercover, if so she’d go with him. She had no choice. They would be surrounding themselves with the biggest drug dealer or dealers in the area. That in itself made her nervous. But Darin could blow the sting wide open if he went off the reservation or acted an amateur. He could get them both killed.
The thought made her insides shakier than the man himself did. It was unlike her to be attracted. It was another danger she didn’t like. She gripped the steering wheel tighter to still the flutter. With good reason she’d had little to do with the opposite sex over the years. In college, one of the football jocks had asked her out. Her sister urged her to go with him to the movies. It had been a disaster. He’d started pawing her in the theater, became more aggressive when they got in the car.
For a while she thought she was going to be raped. Fighting her way out of the car, she lost it, screamed her head off, and ran to a small café on the corner. From there she called a cab to take her home.
She hadn’t trusted another date until she was in the police academy. They’d been assigned partners for one of their classes. Hers was John Adams, a tall, good-looking guy with a sharp wit and a ready smile.
One day he asked her out. They ended up at a small Italian place for dinner. Though she spent the entire evening tense and suspicious, Adams had been a nice date.
So they went out again. By the fourth date, they had kissed. Though she still had reservations she found his easy style comforting.
It took ten dates for him to get her in bed. She was glad to get it over with, but couldn’t figure out what the girls at school were so excited about. John didn’t tilt her world, and she sure as hell didn’t fall in love. In fact, she never wanted to see him again.
She needn’t have worried. As it turned out John never called for a next date.
They graduated and went their separate ways. It wasn’t until a year later she learned John had asked her out on a dare. Gina had no idea her fellow classmates had called her the ice queen. John had taken up the challenge to get her in his bed.
Her face still flamed with embar
rassment when she thought about it.
After that she avoided any sort of relationships with men. She and her sister were alike in that way.
So why did Darin Callahan tug at her? It wasn’t anything he did or said. He was the perfect gentleman. It was just there. An attraction she didn’t want or need.
If she were honest with herself, the fact that he’d risk his career and his life to find his partner’s killer made her think more of him.
By the time Gina was at her sister’s, she was more confused than ever.
She found Maddy hunched over her computer. “Busy?”
“Never too busy for my sis.” Gina smiled as she clicked off her computer and turned her full attention to Gina.
“What’s wrong?”
Gina sat in a chair next to Maddy. “I don’t know.”
“Something has put a frown on your face. Talk to me.”
Gina shrugged. “This job is probably the biggest of my career. If I screw up, I could ruin everything I’ve worked so hard for.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve never screwed up in your life.”
Gina gave her the look. “You know better. Anyway, my investigation demands I probe into the background of every member of the squad. As far as my superior is concerned no one is off-limits.”
“Isn’t that how you normally work?”
Unconsciously, Gina fingered her brooch. “You’d think it was work as usual, wouldn’t you? But I’ve run into something that frightens me.”
“What?”
Maddy’s demeanor changed. She sat straighter. Her gaze flew to the side of her bed where she kept a leaded baseball bat. Gina fought back a smile. Maddy was ready to fight. “My partner, Darin Callahan. He’s different than the others.”
“Everyone’s different, Gina.”
Gina ran a hand through her hair. “I can’t explain it. But he makes me nervous.”
“Then you need to be on alert. Maybe he’s the one you need to unmask.”
“Not that kind of nervous. The other kind.”
Maddy shook her head. “Don’t know what you mean.”
Gina stood, kissed her sister on the cheek. “No, you wouldn’t. Neither do I. It’s nothing. Go to bed. It’s late.”
Maddy giggled. “Yes, Mom. Don’t worry. Everything will turn out all right.”
Gina prayed Maddy was right. She went into the spare bedroom Maddy had given her for the duration of her stay. Taking her gun out of the holster at her waist she put it on the table next to the bed—a routine she was accustomed to. She’d been doing it for years.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took out her cell phone and dialed. “I know it’s late, but we need to talk.”
“When?”
“In the morning before work.”
“There’s a coffee shop on San Felipe.” He gave her the address. “Meet me there at seven.”
“See you then.”
She’d chided Darin for his cloak and dagger actions when her own were more so.
She sighed as she got ready for bed. The case was getting interesting though. She’d learned more tonight about the nuts and bolts of the case than she’d known before. She’d learned more about Darin Callahan. Mostly, she liked what she saw. It was more than the trust issue. For the first time since she’d been in IA, she wondered if she could trust herself.
If they went into this sting together, she’d better trust him. Her life and his could depend on it.
After making sure all the nightlights were on and working, she fell into bed.
As she drifted off to sleep, she ran several scenarios through her head. Could the two of them manage to fool a seasoned drug lord, whoever he might be, long enough to get him in the open? Would they get away with it if they did? An even bigger question was: were they on the right track? Would they unmask the right cartel? The one both she and Darin wanted so badly? The one who’d killed his partner?
****
Darin never went undercover. Whenever it was necessary Dwanda or Joe Lenox did the best job. Dwanda because she could sling street vernacular around like a member of the hood, Lenox because he had so much bullshit in him he could talk his way into or out of anything.
But it wasn’t a fear of going undercover giving him pause. It was because Gina insisted on having an active role. That he hadn’t planned on. Especially not going up against a drug lord who thought nothing of killing cops.
Why not you?
He ignored the question and turned his thoughts once more to Gina.
He’d had female partners in the past. But something about Gina stirred him. It wasn’t just her looks, though she had those in abundance. She had a softness about her that belied a tougher than normal job she was obviously good at. What was grating was the growing attraction. One he didn’t want—one he didn’t need. Especially now.
Partners couldn’t be emotionally involved for a very good reason. It would put both of them in danger. Even now he didn’t know how he could deal with it if anything happened to her. He wasn’t dealing with Hunter’s death. Every time Darin thought of his friend and partner something twisted inside him. If only he could have convinced Hunter to confide in him the outcome might have been different.
So what secret did Hunter uncover?
Drugs for sure. Who was involved? Would Hunter have been so secretive if it had just been one of the drug lords? Darin didn’t think so. There was more.
He ran through the list of his team members.
Dwanda Jones was a loving mom and devoted wife when she wasn’t throwing drug dealers to the ground and slapping on handcuffs. Darin had a hard time putting her on the wrong side of the law.
Ernie Wade was a married man with four kids. He wouldn’t risk a jail term or losing his family.
Henry Kenton did his job without a lot of fanfare, was quiet and pleasant. He was dedicated to his son, Jake. Hank had never done anything overt to raise suspicion.
Leya Hernandez was born to poor immigrants, the first in her family to graduate from college. Not married, she helped out cousins, nieces, and nephews, whoever needed a boost up. She could use the money, but was too proud of her job to jeopardize it.
Joe Lenox was outgoing, friendly. Jokes fell from his mouth so fast and easy he could be on the Late Show.
That left Melanie Harris. There was nothing about her that looked suspicious. Yes, she had expensive taste, but lucky for her, she had a rich boyfriend. Otherwise she might fall under the suspicious column. Melanie didn’t make any higher salary than any of them.
Still, every one of them could use extra money.
Darin’s thoughts once more turned to Gina. He knew nothing about her except that she had moved here from Dallas and was staying with her sister.
At first he’d questioned her abilities, but never her integrity.
Even though it wasn’t a good idea, he wanted to know more about her personal life. A lot more.
First, he had a killer to find.
****
Darin would have been surprised, even shocked, if he saw Gina the next morning sharing a cup of coffee and a bagel with their Chief of Police, Guy Hamilton.
The chief’s frame filled the bench on his side of the booth.
Gina had just filled him in on their idea to get to the drug cartel involved in Hunter’s death. “I hate to tell you this, but Callahan wanted to go this alone with me as backup. It would never work. It will take a lot of planning to put this kind of sting in operation. If you approve, I insist on going along. Though I’m convinced Callahan is innocent, this is the only way I can prove it. If I’m in on the takedown and we find the proof to solve this whole mess, it’s over. We’ll have Hunter’s killer and a helluva drug haul.”
“Callahan came up with this crazy idea?”
Gina looked down at her hands. “When I found out what he wanted to do, I agreed.” She looked at him, at the honesty and care in his deep brown eyes. Hamilton made a good chief. His concern for the well-being of his officers wa
s well known. And appreciated.
“Figures.”
He sat back, crossed his arms. “Let me think about this a minute. You want to work with Callahan to prove his innocence even though you’re already convinced he’s done nothing wrong? That doesn’t compute.”
“I know. I have nothing but instinct to prove his innocence, which by the way is pretty darned good. But my findings for IA aren’t based on instinct; they’re based on facts. This will give me the best opportunity to prove to everyone Callahan’s innocence. If he’s as clean as we both suspect, it will give us the opportunity to arrest the real culprits.”
“And if he’s guilty?”
She didn’t hesitate. “I’ll arrest him.”
“You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?”
“Yes sir, I have.”
“Okay. If you come up with a solid plan, you have my go-ahead. We’ll have to work out the logistics, but there’s one thing you need to think about. If you’re working together I want you to work as man and wife. It’ll give more credence than if you’re the money person. If you act your part right it will make the charade more believable.”
“About the money?”
“It’s a problem. We have about a million dollars in lock-up from drug busts. But it isn’t a drop in the bucket to what you’ll need.”
“It’ll help. If we’re lucky, we’ll bluff our way past the rest. With your okay, I’ll have a friend of mine in Dallas put our new identities together.”
“Fine. Just give me a heads-up when everything comes together.”
He lumbered out of the booth, then shook Gina’s hand. “This part is going to be tricky. We don’t want Callahan to know you're IA, and we don’t want anyone to know you’re working directly under me. So be careful.”
“I will, sir. Thanks.”
After he left, she finished her coffee. If this was going to work they’d need a lot more than new identities. They’d have to have their new backgrounds down pat so they wouldn’t get caught with her telling one story and Darin another.
There was no doubt backup would be needed. She would have to check out every member of the squad in even deeper detail to pick those who could absolutely be trusted.
Promise Renewed Page 7
