Edge of Danger

by Katie Reus

  Chapter 10

  Bravo sierra: slang for the word bullshit.

  Selene barely reined in her temper as she exited the armored van with Ortiz keeping pace. Yellow tape sectioned off an entire intersection and she counted a dozen black-and-whites in addition to some unmarked police vehicles. There was also a fire truck and a county morgue van. Someone was gonna be pissed at her, but she wasn’t letting anyone else take the dead body. She was going to find out who the asshole was who’d tried to kill Tucker and Karen.

  “Karen was in there,” Ortiz said, more a growl of anger than a question, his gaze on the bullet-riddled truck—which was thankfully armored or they would likely have been removing her body. Whoever had come after her was clearly not a pro.

  “According to her and a scared soccer-mom witness, yeah.” Selene had gotten a call from Karen and had seen the visual of the vehicle on their satellite feed, but the sight of the truck this up close and personal pissed her off.

  Karen was an intrinsic member of their team and on top of that, she was a sweet person. She was often that voice on the other end of the comm when they were running ops, keeping everyone sane. Everyone loved her, and Selene knew Wesley was grooming her for a promotion in the next year or so. The woman remained calm under the direst circumstances.

  “You sure she’s not under duress?” Ortiz kept his voice low as they moved through a growing crowd of onlookers.

  Why the hell hadn’t the locals gotten these civilians out of the way? Selene frowned at the sight, then quickly dismissed it. Not her problem.

  Ortiz continued, his expression dark. “I remember Grisha—uh, Tucker—and that guy is seriously trained.”

  He’d have to be to go undercover with a monster like Tasev and survive. But Selene didn’t comment on that. “As sure as I can be. Karen’s smart, and if she was under threat she’d have slipped in her code word. I’m going with my gut on this.”

  “Your gut tell you he’s not involved in the bombings?” he murmured, his voice even lower as they approached the crime scene tape.

  “Pretty much.” From their analysis and other evidence, it didn’t make sense.

  “Yeah. Same here.” Ortiz had read the files too.

  Selene flipped her badge out to a young female cop. “NSA. We need to speak to Detective Portillo.”

  Before the woman could respond, a man with black hair peppered with gray nodded at them. “Let them through.” He had on black slacks, a thick black coat, and a scarf and knit cap in the same color. His nose was red and his eyes puffy. He clearly had a bad cold but had come in to work anyway. The only thing that gave away that he was a cop was the badge slung around his neck on a silver chain. That and his world-weary expression.

  “Agent Marks?”

  Selene nodded at the use of one of her cover names and held out a hand. “Detective Portillo, this is Agent Garcia.” For now they were both using aliases, even with the locals.

  The detective nodded, his expression grim. “You feel like telling me what the fuck is going on?” he asked after they shook hands. “Some asshole opens fire on an armored truck two blocks from an elementary school—one my niece goes to. And my witness said there was a woman matching the description of your missing girl, with a guy with a gun.”

  So they didn’t know it was Tucker Pankov yet. “As of right now I’m not sure what’s going on myself,” Selene said. “First, Karen isn’t a missing person anymore. She’s fine and being debriefed with us as we speak.” A tiny lie Selene didn’t feel bad telling. “I need you to send out a bulletin to your people asap. And second, we’ve gotta take the body.” When Portillo opened his mouth to protest, Selene reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

  “Look,” she said, handing it to him. “This is just a jurisdictional thing. I’m not trying to step on your toes, but it’s about national security. You did us a solid today and we’re not going to forget it. I don’t have a choice in taking this body, so before you get pissed at me, remember I’m simply the messenger.” She kept her voice soft and hoped her young appearance would help her. It usually did and she took full advantage of it.

  There could be serious animosity between federal and state agencies and she’d always thought the tension was bullshit. In her opinion, they were all on the same side in the end and she didn’t give a crap who closed a case. “You know this isn’t about getting our faces in the paper. We’re not the FBI.” She murmured the last part, not surprised when it earned her the ghost of a smile. His jaw was set as he finished reading the warrant, so she continued. “No one’s gonna know we were here except you.” Meaning it would never leak to the media.

  It was clear he wanted to argue, but in the end it would be pointless, and she was glad he realized that because she didn’t have time for that kind of crap today.

  “This connected to the bombing today?” he asked as he handed the paper back to her.

  Surprised that he’d made the connection, she nodded. “We think so. And we’re just trying to make sure this doesn’t happen again. If there’s anything I can tell you, I will.” As her weapons mentor, a former USMC sniper instructor, would have said: bravo sierra. Complete bullshit, because she couldn’t even tell this guy her real last name, but she was all about keeping the peace between her people and his.

  “Boss, there are two tow trucks here, both drivers saying they’re supposed to take the truck,” a fresh-faced man who looked as if he’d just graduated from the academy said as he approached them.

  Portillo sighed, his jaw tightening again. Yeah, they’d be taking the truck too.

  “Excuse me, I need to take this,” Selene murmured, pulling her buzzing cell phone out of her pocket.

  She nodded at Ortiz as she did, silently telling him to start the process of loading the body. They’d come with a team of people but hadn’t wanted to intrude on the scene with everyone until after she’d talked to Portillo. He deserved that respect.

  “Done,” Ortiz said quietly, pulling out his own cell as she answered hers.

  It was Elliott. “Yeah.”

  “I lost them.” More than frustration, there was a note of surprise in his voice.

  Selene wasn’t surprised, though. Tucker was trained, and when it came to avoiding being tracked, Karen would know more than anyone how to stay off the grid. The two of them working together could disappear if they wanted to. “Don’t sweat it. I’m pulling the missing person report on her. Finding her isn’t our focus now.” Because Karen had made it clear she’d come in when she was ready. “We’re bringing the dead body in, but I’ll scan the prints and send them to you. Anyone get a hit off his face yet?” Karen had texted them a picture of the dead guy before she went dark again.

  “Not yet.”

  “Run it against the group of guys from earlier. See if there’s a link. You might get a faster hit on him. And we need his ID,” she stressed even though Elliott knew how important this was. Once they disconnected she looked up to find Ortiz helping to bag the body. They weren’t going to worry about an autopsy. Not when they knew how he’d died. Nope, they needed to find out who he was and who’d hired him.

  And why.

  Karen forced herself not to duck and hide as a car drove down the street, passing her and Tucker. She was definitely not cut out for the cloak-and-dagger business, despite what she did for a living. They were walking down a quiet Baltimore street lined with brownstones. She’d wrapped her hair in a scarf from Tucker’s duffel bag and he’d changed into different clothes he’d had in it.

  Other than more weapons and ammo, there hadn’t been anything else in the SUV they’d left behind. After ditching that SUV, Tucker had stolen a Toyota Corolla, then a minivan, then a Jeep. They’d switched vehicles so many times, but it had been a smart move. Especially when it was clear that whoever was after Tucker and his men didn’t care about a little collateral damage—like her. Considering that his pursuers had set off a bomb at the Botanic Garden, she shouldn’t have been surpr
ised.

  Part of her knew she should have let Tucker go and just waited for the police and someone from her own team, but she hadn’t wanted Tucker going off by himself. By now she was convinced he was being set up and the man needed all the help he could get. She found herself feeling oddly protective of him. After a quick text to Selene with the pictures of the dead guy and letting her know that she was going to ground with Tucker, Karen had taken the battery out of her phone once again. Wesley might give her grief later for the choice she’d made to go into temporary hiding, but she didn’t regret it.

  “You sure this place is safe?” Tucker asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

  She knew it was for show. After ditching the last vehicle a few neighborhoods over, they’d been walking casually to their final destination as if they were two friends, or maybe more than friends, for the last ten minutes. She liked the feel of his strong arm around her, though, and leaned into him. Everything about him was solid, and though she probably shouldn’t be noticing, she loved how masculine he smelled. She had the irrational urge to turn her face into his chest and burrow closer against him. “Should be. She’s out of the country for two weeks. She doesn’t have a boyfriend or a pet and no security system.” Right now she was glad for that lapse in security. Her friend had told Karen about her trip in person over drinks one night, so there wasn’t a paper trail about it out in cyberspace.

  “What does she do?” he asked.

  “Oh, just marketing stuff. She works for a big international firm, has no idea who I really work for. If we’re lucky she’ll have pizza in the freezer.” Because after everything that had happened, Karen had gotten a massive adrenaline dump and was in a free fall now. She was shaky and cold and needed food. And a shower, but she’d settle for something hot to eat. “Can I use your laptop once we get there?”

  He paused, the crunching of their shoes over the icy sidewalk and cars slowly cruising down the street the only sounds. “Yeah.”

  “Good. I guarantee Wesley’s already running the financials for the men on that list you sent him, but I’m going to do some digging of my own.”

  “You don’t want to call Burkhart once we get there?” He looked down at her. He was wearing a ball cap and sunglasses, but she could tell he was frowning at her.

  “Not really. I need time to regroup and think.” As soon as she called Wesley they’d be brought in for a debriefing, and Karen was exhausted. She’d been kidnapped, shot at, and had gone on the run with a man she found frustratingly sexy. There was nothing more she could provide to the NSA at this point and she needed to decompress.

  Which meant sleep.

  If her going in would have changed something, she’d have sucked it up, but after an insane day she was shelving her guilt.

  Putting Wesley off for a couple of hours wasn’t going to hurt them. And she’d made it clear to Selene that this was her choice, so the NSA wouldn’t be hunting for her anymore and wasting resources. Or they shouldn’t be.

  “Is that okay with you?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah. Lying low for a few hours won’t hurt anything,” he said, mirroring her thoughts. “I texted Cole with one of my burners a while ago and told him to send the fingerprints of the dead guy to Burkhart, so they’ve got everything we have. My presence won’t change a thing. And the more hours I stay out of handcuffs and probably jail, the better.”

  She was glad they were on the same wavelength. And she planned to help make sure he didn’t go to jail. “This is it,” she said, nodding to the brownstone with a blue-and-white wreath on the door.

  “Do you know if she has a key outside anywhere?” he asked quietly, covertly scanning the street.

  It wasn’t late enough for most young professionals—the typical age group who lived in this area of the city—to be home yet. So if they were going to break in, it was a decent time to do it. “No. I figured you had some B-and-E skills, though.”

  He let out a low chuckle, his grip around her shoulders tightening for a moment. Why did she like the feel of him holding her so much? Warmth flared inside her and she really wanted to experience more than just a light half hug from him.

  “You figured right,” he murmured. They strode up the short walk, and without glancing around or looking as though he was up to something, Tucker bent down and pulled a small black kit out of his sock.

  Seriously? The guy had a lock pick kit in his freaking sock. “You’re like a criminal Boy Scout type. Always prepared,” she muttered as he made quick work of the lock.

  Laughing, he opened the door and ushered them inside. It was chilly in the foyer, probably because her friend hadn’t planned to be here and hadn’t turned the heat up as high as usual.

  “I’m going to sweep the place just to be safe. Don’t turn on any lights,” he murmured, already moving through the home, heading up the stairs first.

  She slipped off her sneakers and walked down the hallway to the kitchen, only stopping to turn the heat up a little. There was just enough outside light streaming through the closed blinds that she wasn’t working blind. A peek in the freezer had her smiling in relief.

  “Pizza,” she murmured to herself.

  “I won’t say no to that,” Tucker said from behind her.

  Karen nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. She looked over her shoulder to find him only a few feet behind her. The small duffel he’d shoved all their stuff into was in his hand, and he set the laptop bag on the kitchen table.

  “Will you set up your computer while I pop the pizza in?” she asked.

  He paused the same way he had when she asked to use it, but nodded. “I’ve got serious encryption on this thing, but if you link directly to your systems with your credentials, you run the risk of Burkhart tracking us. I’m turning myself in to him anyway, but I don’t love the thought of an assault team kicking in your friend’s door and—”

  She shook her head, cutting him off. “I’m not going to be using official work resources.” She pulled out the extra-large pizza and smiled. Food. She felt she could eat the whole thing herself. “You’re not the only one who has illegal skills,” she added.

  His responding chuckle made another burst of warmth spread through her.

  After she preheated the oven, put the pizza in and set the timer, Tucker had the laptop up and running for her.

  “Who’s your top choice for who set you guys up?” she asked as she remoted into one of her favorite programs. She didn’t have to download any software and could use it anonymously. In addition to running their financials, she wanted to do a search on these men to see if they were linked to any shady organizations. Looking for keywords in certain forums and other areas on the Net was her first order of business.

  When he didn’t answer, she glanced up to find him leaning against one of the counters, arms crossed over his massive chest. He was like a big, really sexy statue. She should be uncomfortable with him, but instead, the longer they spent together, the more she found herself attracted to him. At first she thought he wouldn’t answer but then she realized he was thinking.

  “My gut choice is Daniel Vane. He’s an asshole and hated Max. But I think that’s more of an emotional reaction. Raul Widom is the more realistic choice. With Max dead he’s in a position to move up the ladder faster and the guy is seriously power hungry. One of those people you hate working with because he doesn’t seem to care about anything but himself. It’s all about closing cases and getting the media spotlight for him, not doing the job right. A born fucking politician,” he muttered in disgust.

  “That’s good.” Karen moved the two men to the top of her list, but all five men had to be viable to even be on it in the first place. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed until the timer on the stove beeped. She started to get up, but Tucker waved her back.

  “Do your thing. I’ll set this up. What do you want to drink? She doesn’t have much, but there are water bottles, coconut water”—he made a disgusted sound, making Karen smile
—“and Red Bull.”

  “Will you check her pantry?” she asked without looking up from the screen. “I think she’s got a bottle of red wine.” Karen was going to replace everything they were using, and while she felt a twinge of guilt for invading her friend’s space, it was such a huge relief to be sitting safely somewhere that it outweighed most of it. Plus, she knew her friend wouldn’t actually mind if she knew Karen was here. Carline was one of those people who would do anything for a friend.

  “She’s got two bottles. Same brand,” he said, pulling one out. He didn’t say anything else, just searched around until he found a bottle opener.

  When he placed a plate on the table in front of her, she didn’t bother moving the laptop out of the way as she grabbed a slice. Right now she didn’t care about manners.

  “If I talk to you, will it mess up your concentration?” Tucker asked.

  She glanced up at him and shook her head. The man looked like a caged animal, all tense energy thrumming off him. It was clear he didn’t like sitting still. No, he was definitely used to being a man of action. It was undeniably sexy. “Not really. I’m just running some programs to start basic profiles on these guys. Actually you can start telling me about each of them. Overall thoughts, family life, relationships at work, anything that has to do with their personalities. Often we’ll have a psychologist read files of certain individuals to help round out our information. Especially when we have a wider suspect pool. Start with Daniel Vane.”

  Tucker started talking, the steady cadence of his voice soothing. Not too fast, not too slow, just right. Gah, what was wrong with her? She didn’t need to be noticing anything else about this man. It was so damn hard not to, though, when he had such an incredible presence. Sitting so close to him, she seemed to have perpetual butterflies in her stomach.