by Leigh, Jo
“Jesus, Kate, do you think I’m going to let you put yourself in danger for me? Are you nuts?”
“I’m not going to put myself in any more danger than I’m already in. I’m serious about this, Vince. Let us help. We’re damn good at this spy stuff, trust me.”
“I do trust you. But I have no idea how you can help. I know the gangs, I know the territory.” He stood up and walked over to the window. Though the drapes were closed, he peered between them to make sure no one was lurking nearby. “I talked to one of my street snitches today. He was remarkably coherent, considering. He…”
“What?”
He turned around to face her, and it struck him that he didn’t want to say the words out loud. “He said it wasn’t Tim who was skimming from the meth labs. That it was Jeff.”
“Your partner?”
He nodded. “I don’t believe it. Not for a second. What I don’t understand is why that’s the word on the street. Junkies are notoriously bad at lying. Well, to each other, at least. They don’t remember shit from one minute to the next, so they end up blurting out the truth. So who’s out there saying this? First they’re feeding the Times lies about Purchase, now Jeff. I don’t get it. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Is there anyone else out there you can trust?”
“Trust? Gangbangers? Junkies? Not likely.” He came back to the bed and sat down with a sigh. “Goddammit, Kate. I don’t want to believe Jeff is involved. Not in this.”
She took his hand. “But…?”
“I don’t know. When Eddie said his name, I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach. Jeff’s a good partner, and I’ve never seen him do anything to rouse suspicion.”
“Well, you must have a reason for feeling the way you do. You were right about me, remember? You knew I’d seen the shooting. Anyone else would have bought my story.”
“I don’t like it. I don’t like the whole thing.”
“It’s awful, I know. You can’t turn away from this. Not if you ever want to trust Jeff again. We’ll get to the truth. You and me. Together.”
“If something happens to you…”
“It won’t. I told you. We’re really good at this spy stuff.”
He nodded. “I imagine you are. You shouldn’t have to be. I hate it. I hate that you’re involved in any of this. I keep thinking there’s someplace you can go that they won’t look for you. Where you can have a life.”
“I don’t want just a life. I want my life. I deserve to have my family, my old friends. They stole it from me, and I can’t ignore that.”
He cupped her soft cheek. “I worry.”
“Tell you what. Let’s not either of us worry right now. We have this place until midnight, and I’ve learned to appreciate gifts where I find them. So let’s not waste any more time, okay?”
Vince couldn’t argue with that. He leaned over and kissed her as his thumb stroked her perfect skin. All he wanted to do was keep her safe, and he wasn’t at all sure he could.
Her hand went to the back of his neck, her fingers spread in his hair. He shivered at the touch. Still, he wanted so much more.
He pulled back, let her go. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Kate shrugged. “You never can tell.”
“The problem is, I didn’t bring anything with me.”
She grinned. “No problem. Stay right there.” She got up and disappeared into what he assumed was the bathroom. He kicked off his shoes, put his jacket on a chair. Kate came back just as he was pulling off his shirt.
“Ta-da.” She held up a large, economy-sized box of condoms.
“Who lives here?”
“Friend of Nate’s.”
“Friends are good.”
She nodded, then joined his efforts to get naked. “Very good.”
He was done before her, so he figured he should help. Stepping behind her, he undid her bra, but he didn’t take it off. He slipped his hand under the cups instead. He loved her breasts. They were small but perfect, with these great, responsive nipples that were as erect as his cock. He brushed the tips with the palms of his hands, taking great pleasure in her sigh.
They swayed from side to side as he nibbled on her neck. She tasted warm and delicate, like a rare fruit. She leaned her head to the side so he could have better access and he caught her earlobe between his teeth.
She hissed and rubbed her backside against his growing erection.
“Take off your panties,” he whispered.
“I’d love to, but you have to let go.”
“I don’t think I can.”
She chuckled, and he felt it in his hands, his chest. “You need to think about the big picture. The grand scheme.”
“That’s true,” he said. “Although there’s a lot to be said for the details.”
She turned around in his arms. “I want you inside me,” she said softly, just before she kissed his chin. “I want to watch your face when you come.”
He let go, and then he fell to his knees and slipped her panties down her long legs.
She stepped to the side. While he was down there, he kissed that wonderful spot just below her belly button. God, she was so incredibly soft. His hands went around her, and he stroked her beautiful cheeks, then down the back of her thighs. He licked her flesh, moving his mouth to the edge of her curls.
She had her hands in his hair, and she scratched his scalp, which was an amazing feeling. More amazing was when her legs parted, the most enticing of invitations.
Kate closed her eyes as Vince kissed the top of her mound, then inch by inch lower. She shivered, anticipation making her moan. Then his hard tongue slipped inside her and she inhaled sharply with the sensation. Slow, tight circles and she gripped his hair so he wouldn’t move.
He captured her clit between his teeth, then sucked, hard, and it was so intense she rose on tiptoe. The pleasure came through her in waves, and when he flicked his tongue fast, then faster, she shook with the rising swell of tension. “Don’t stop,” she said, getting more desperate with each second. “Oh, God.”
He kept her on her toes, flicking, sucking, over and over until she exploded with an orgasm that made every muscle in her body spasm. And still he didn’t stop. Not until she pulled him away.
He looked up at her, his smile as wicked as his talented tongue. “Something wrong?”
Still gasping as the shockwaves continued to rock her, she shook her head. “No. I just want more.”
“Okay,” he said, putting his mouth back on her pussy.
She laughed. “No. I want you. Up here.”
“Hmm,” he said, kissing her before he stood. “Okay. I’m here. Now what?”
She reached down to take hold of his cock. “Gee, I don’t know. Any ideas?”
He groaned and pushed himself into her hand. “Bed. Now.”
She agreed. She let him go, and he pulled the bedding down so hard it came all the way off the mattress.
They laid down, and when he kissed her, she tasted herself on his tongue. It felt naughty and sexy, and she just couldn’t seem to get enough of him, touching his back, his sides, then his hard, thick cock.
He moaned again, then pulled away from her kiss. “Condom.”
She reached over him to the box on the night stand and pulled one packet out. With amazing speed, Vince took it from her, ripped it open, then rolled it on. She would have laughed if he hadn’t taken her by the shoulders and flipped her onto her back.
Looking up into his eyes, into the way he was looking at her, she realized that they had to win this battle. This war. Because she needed to be with this man. And not just until midnight.
* * * * *
She sat in the car and focused on the laptop. It was just after 2:00 a.m., and Nate should be coming out of the warehouse in the next five minutes. They’d gone over the plan a dozen times, and while she would have preferred being more active, she knew that watching the guards was critical.
After Nate had found the location of th
e facility, he’d cased the warehouse and placed a small camera in front of one of the side windows of the storage facility. He’d monitored the thing for the last week, watching every pass of the security vehicle. He’d given himself fifteen minutes to get in, check the containers and get out. He’d missed one pass by security, but the escape window was damn tight.
All Kate could do was wait and tell him if anything went wrong. As the seconds ticked, she got more and more nervous, wishing like hell he would come out already.
How did these guys do this stuff without having heart failure? She was terrified Nate would get caught, or that the warehouse had booby traps, or that she’d get caught, and he’d have no way home.
And then thoughts of Vince would invade, and she’d have to shake him off so she wouldn’t lose focus, but it was hard, because when the thoughts came she was flooded with such warmth, with such a feeling of safety that made absolutely no sense in her universe.
Still, she was the lookout, and she couldn’t risk a moment’s inattention. Their lives depended on the timing, on everything moving like clockwork. She’d give Nate another two minutes, and then, as he’d made her promise, she’d leave.
With one minute to go, and her heart beating like a bird’s, she saw him. It wasn’t easy, him being all in black, including his face. But she knew where to look, and damn, there he was, climbing down a line so slim she couldn’t even see it.
She’d never turned off the engine, and now she put the car in gear and rolled quietly to his position. She put the computer in the backseat, leaned over and opened the door. A few seconds later, he was inside, and they were out of there.
They didn’t speak until they were two blocks from the facility. “How’d it go?” she asked.
“It’s the gas. They’ve labeled all the boxes as industrial solvent. The canisters were the same design as the ones we saw in Kosovo.”
“How many?”
“The warehouse is half-full. They’ve got enough juice in there to wipe out the population of Chad.” He opened the glove box and took out a rag and a jar of face cream. He started cleaning the black off, his movements agitated, his breathing harsh. “Tell you what. This stuff scares the shit out of me. One canister breaks loose, and there goes everyone in a thirty-block radius, if it’s not a windy day.”
“What’s next?”
“I don’t know. Obviously, we can’t let them sell it.”
“Can we talk about something else now, or should I wait?”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
Kate told him about her conversation with Vince and her plan to help him. By the time they reached Harper’s house, Nate was in.
* * * * *
VINCE WALKED INTO THE STATION knowing that he was persona non grata and not giving a rat’s ass. Jeff was sitting at his desk, as expected, and Vince gave nothing away as he went to his own desk.
“You sure you want to be here?” Jeff asked. “Emerson’s not going to be happy.”
“He’ll survive. I’ll go talk to him in a while. First, I need to know what you’ve found out about the Wu Chang.”
“Nothing. A big fat zero. I spoke to Charley Yang yesterday, and he said there was nothing happening between the gang and Tim. And he hadn’t heard anything about Tim skimming any meth labs. All of this is out of left field. Baker is either making it up, or he’s got a source who is.”
Vince opened his top drawer and looked at the accumulated crap. An old picture of his ex-wife. About twenty pens, most of which didn’t work. There was nothing organized about his personal space, yet when it came to case files, he was Mr. Meticulous.
Now Jeff, on the other hand, didn’t have a paper clip out of place. He never came to work in a black suit with blue socks. Never had a hangover, never spilled any coffee in his keyboard. Jeff needed order, which was a damn strange thing for a detective. There was no order in the world of gangs. Damn impolite, they were. Killing each other with spectacular messiness, marking up every damn wall in the city with their graffiti. Jeff would have been a good accountant, or maybe an actuary. Yeah, that would have fit him just fine.
One good thing about his orderly life was that Vince knew that if he was doing something “hinky” with money, he’d have it written down. Not here, but at home, on his personal computer. That’s why Vince had given Kate his address and told her about the iffy lock on the back window.
She and Nate should be in the house by now. They’d have to get into his computer, which was sure to have a password protection. Knowing Jeff really goddamn well, he suspected Jeff would probably use the same password he used here. If not, Kate had said not to worry about it. That Nate could get in through a back door.
Still, he was nervous and he felt guilty even thinking that Jeff would have anything to do with meth dealers. Because if Jeff had skimmed the money, then he’d been the one giving Baker the false information about Tim. Worse, he’d be directly connected to Tim’s death.
All Vince wanted was to know. To get this horrible feeling in his gut to go away.
Talking to Charley Yang was a logical move, but Charley was on the periphery of the Asian gang scene. In order to get what he wanted, Vince would have to get out there himself, go to Chinatown and talk to the Cho brothers. They were dangerous, mostly because they weren’t that bright. However, they were connected in the Chinese community. Their thing was racketeering, setting up betting rings and taking their share off the top, which was why it didn’t make sense that they’d been the shooters.
He couldn’t move on to the Cho brothers yet, though. Not until he knew.
“I’m gonna go talk to the Captain,” Vince said. “You’ll be here when I get back?”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss the fireworks for anything. I do believe Emerson is going to kick your ass.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re right. Do me a favor and call an ambulance if you hear me scream.”
Jeff laughed, then went back to his paperwork. Goddamn, there was always paperwork. At least Nate and Kate didn’t have to mess with that.
* * * * *
She booted up the desktop computer as Nate went through the desk drawers. He was extremely careful, putting everything back exactly as he’d found it. He’d taken digital pictures of the desktop and each drawer when he’d first opened them so that he could make sure there were no mistakes.
Both of them were wearing thin latex gloves. No fingerprints would be left behind. Nothing to clue Jeff in that he was under suspicion.
After the boot stopped, Kate clicked on the financial program icon. It was, as Vince had predicted, password protected, so she typed in Jeeter45, but it didn’t work. “No go.”
“Okay, let me get in there. You finish up with the drawers.”
They switched places and Nate got busy with his keyboard magic. She was amazed at how organized the drawers were. Organized and completely innocent. If Jeff was doing something illegal, he hadn’t left any evidence in his desk. She had her doubts about finding anything recorded in his books, but Vince had been adamant that Jeff would keep some kind of record.
She finished her search. “Nothing.”
“Go look in his bedroom. Check for false bottoms in his drawers. And don’t forget the camera.”
She headed toward the back of the house, taking careful steps and feeling guilty. Breaking and entering—that was a new one. Whatever else she could say about her life after Kosovo, she was certainly expanding her resume.
* * * * *
Vince waited for the Captain’s face to change from bright red to light red. He’d been hollering for ten minutes straight. Vince would have acted more chastened if he wasn’t worried that Jeff was going to leave.
He’d told Kate the truth. After he put away those responsible for Tim’s death, he was through with gangs. No more. He didn’t want to meet any more drugged out informants, or find babies shot up by drive-bys, or memorize tattoos and gang symbols. He wanted out. He was qualified to go to Hom
icide, but no—that would be just as bad as gangs. Administration, now that had a nice ring. Although he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t go stir crazy riding a desk.
“Are you even listening?”
He thought about saying no but nodded instead. “I told you, Captain. Baker’s printing lies. Whatever evidence he has is bogus.”
“And I told you it’s none of your goddamn business. What part of suspension don’t you understand? It doesn’t mean you get to hide a witness. In fact, hiding a witness can get you put in jail, which would be real interesting for you. I’m thinking you wouldn’t last a night.”
“She’s not a witness. She didn’t see anything.”
“You said she was in the suite when the murder went down.”
“She was behind the bar. She didn’t see the killers.”
Emerson leaned back in his chair, looking at Vince through narrowed eyes. “What the hell are you doing here, Vince?”
He didn’t like lying to Emerson. The Captain was a good man, and he’d always been fair, and he’d stood up for Vince many times. Nevertheless, there was so much at stake on this one, there was no choice. “I left some crap in my desk. And I wanted to check up on the investigation. Just for my own peace of mind.”
“Well, for my peace of mind, do it over the phone. I don’t want anyone thinking you’re here because you’re working. Because you’re not, right?”
“Not me. I’ve been drinking beer. Getting laid.”
“Get the hell out of here.”
Vince went to the door, but Emerson’s, “Vince,” stopped him.
“Yeah?”
“We’ll find out who did this. I swear.”
Vince nodded and headed back to the bullpen. Jeff was still there, still working on the paperwork, and it occurred to Vince that he was being a jackass. There’s no way Jeff was involved in any of this. No possible way. The man was a friend and a good cop. There was something else going on, something Vince was missing.
“Hey, you still have an ass,” Jeff said.
