by Mia Taylor
“Like who?”
Anxiety rippled through her as Charlotte realized who they might go to next.
“We’d have to see,” Kelly replied evasively. “We came to you first because you are partnered with her husband—”
“Ex-husband,” Charlotte intoned coldly.
“Ex-husband,” Kelly agreed amiably. “You’re ideal because you’re close enough without being overly attached to her. She has many friends in Intelligence who would be apt to cover for her but I didn’t think we’d have that issue with you.”
“Damned right about that!”
“But if you won’t do it, we’ll have to find a backup.” Kelly offered her a wan smile. “I doubt Detective Lewis would cover for her, given their history, do you? Sending him in might not be a bad idea.”
Charlotte leapt to her feet, her charcoal eyes ablaze.
“Don’t you dare drag him into this mess!” she hissed even though she knew full well that Kelly was baiting her on purpose. There was no way they would send an ex-husband to spy on his wife… would they? Charlotte couldn’t be sure. She had no frame of reference, never having worked in undercover ops.
“Pinkerton, sit down!” Kramer yelled, also rising as if he worried that Charlotte might strike at the senior officer.
But of course the detective would never do anything so rash, no matter how fiery her temper, and Kelly seemed to see that, too, as she sat, unflinching in her chair.
“Lewis has been through a lot because of her, huh?” The female sergeant sighed. “It would be a pity to set back his healing process.”
Charlotte looked at Kramer in disbelief.
Are you hearing this shit right now?
“He wouldn’t take on the job either,” she spat but as the words left her lips, she heard the hollowness in them.
He might. He might take the job.
“Pinkerton, sit down,” Kramer said again and she slowly sank into the chair at Kelly’s side.
“I didn’t mean to rile you up, Detective. I’ll give you a day to think about it. I’ll leave you my card—”
“No need,” Charlotte said from between clenched teeth. “I’ll do it.”
“Pinkerton—” Kramer started to say but Charlotte held up her hand.
“There’s one condition,” she continued and Kelly eyed her with interest.
“What’s that?”
“If Mia has flipped completely, you either leave her with the Susis or you arrest her.”
“What?”
“If it turns out she’s dirty, you don’t pull her back, you don’t reinstate her or suspend her. You treat her like you would any other accomplice of the mob. You quietly relieve her of her duties as a cop and pretend she never existed in the department.”
“I-I don’t know if we can do that—legally.”
“Who is going to fight it? It’s hard to do something illegal if there’s no victim. If Mia is dirty, she certainly isn’t going to complain about being stripped of her badge, not when the Susis have accepted her into their fold. It would be a public scandal and she would be dead before the first court date. The Susis would see to that, without a doubt.”
“Still, Pinkerton, you’re asking a—”
“That’s my condition. Take it or find someone else.”
Kelly’s brow knit and she studied Charlotte’s face closely.
“Why? Those are bizarre terms. Why would you want that?”
“Because I don’t want that woman anywhere near my partner again.”
Chapter Three
Lost Another One
They’re all staring at you, Rhett thought as he made his way back into the stationhouse, carefully averting his eyes. They’ve probably been gossiping about how you lost your mind for days.
He loathed that he was the talk of the stationhouse but there was nothing he could do about it now but grin and bear it.
“Hey, Lewis! Welcome back, bro!” Hammerstein cawed as Rhett dropped behind his desk. Char wasn’t in yet but before he could wonder where she was, he was entrenched in supportive words from his fellow officers.
“Glad to see you back, man.”
“The pub isn’t the same without you!”
“I know you’ve only been off because you owe me ten bucks for the Powerball pool!”
The words were gentle and the earlier uneasiness that he’d felt walking into the office dissipated instantly.
These guys are on your side, even when you’re a basket case.
Of course, every one of them had their own crosses to bear, too, and Rhett had been there for the squad when they needed him.
“Where’s Pinkerton?” he asked aloud, slightly bothered by the fact that she wasn’t in. It was the first time he could remember being in before her in the entire time they’d worked together.
“I don’t think she’s in yet,” Officer Karim shrugged. “I haven’t seen her and I don’t think I saw her ‘Stang in the lot either.”
Rhett glanced at the clock, frowning, and he reached for his cell. He’d told Charlotte he was coming back to work that day.
She probably stopped to get me a chocolate éclair, he thought, smirking as he dialed out. The call went straight to voicemail and he hung up.
She’ll be in eventually. She was probably out partying or something.
He couldn’t say why that bugged him except that he really wanted to see her face that morning.
Rhett had almost decided to stay home another day but Char’s backhanded words of support had been reverberating in his head since he’d seen her.
I’ll get through the day with Char, he reasoned.
But Char wasn’t there.
“Lewis! Get in here.”
He looked up to where the Sarge was waving at him and he rose to greet his superior.
“Hey, Sarge.”
“Good to have you back, Lewis. How are things?”
He asked the question casually but Rhett knew how loaded it was.
He wants to know if I need a psych eval or if I’m back in my right mind. It’s a valid query and he deserves to have his mind put at ease.
“Good. No, great. I’m doing great. I needed the time but my head is completely back in the game now.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Come in, I want you to meet someone.”
Kramer turned back into his office and Rhett saw a young man sitting in a chair, nervously fiddling his hands.
“Rhett Lewis, meet Dan LaCroix. LaCroix, Lewis.”
“Hey, how’s it going?” Rhett asked, shaking hands with the new face. He didn’t think much of it and Kramer nodded for LaCroix to leave.
“Thanks, Dan. Just wait outside a minute.”
The young man rose from his spot and scampered out of the office, flashing Rhett an almost timid smile.
“Is he new?” Rhett asked without interest. He was more concerned with where Charlotte was than with the skittish kid.
“He just transferred from New York,” Kramer explained.
“Really? He looks like he’s about to piss his pants. I can’t envision him as a beat cop.”
“He’s got a year with a gold shield.”
“Hm.” He didn’t care. It had no bearing on his life what Dan LaCroix was doing at the 22.
Rhett turned and grinned at Kramer. “So, what’s up? Am I getting a pep talk before I get back to it?”
He rubbed his hands together with mock glee but his boyish enthusiasm faded when he caught the expression on Kramer’s face.
Ah shit. He is going to send me in for a psych evaluation, isn’t he?
It wasn’t that Rhett feared failing. He was fine. He just wanted to get back to work.
“Not exactly a pep talk,” Kramer hemmed and Rhett’s eyes narrowed dangerously. He waited as Kramer took his spot behind the desk.
“I’m partnering you with LaCroix for a little while,” the sergeant explained and Rhett thought he’d misunderstood.
“What?”
“LaCroix? The kid you just met. He�
��s a good detective. He needs a strong lead.”
Rhett blinked, trying to understand what was happening.
Is this my punishment for taking two weeks off or do they just need to find a match for this lost child?
“To show him around, you mean?” Rhett asked but even the thought of that wasn’t appealing in the least. He’d taken two weeks off to get himself together and now he was being thrust into chaos. This was not the welcome back he was expecting.
And where the hell is Charlotte?
Automatically, his eyes traveled toward the window to look into the squad room for his partner but the blinds were drawn.
“No… I mean you and LaCroix are being partnered indefinitely.”
Rhett’s mouth gaped and he leaned forward in his chair, blinking in disbelief.
“W-what?” he snapped. “Why?”
“You need a partner,” Kramer answered simply. “And LaCroix needs to be shown how things are done down here.”
“So, get Hammerstein to show him!” Rhett exploded, shaking his dark blond head of hair vehemently. “He hasn’t had a partner since Vasquez left! I have a partner!”
“The matter is settled,” Kramer told him flatly. “You’re with LaCroix.”
“W-what about Pinky?” Rhett demanded. “Who is she being placed with?”
“Don’t worry about Pinkerton,” Kramer said but in such a way that made Rhett’s ears hone.
“What the hell does that mean?” he snapped. “She’s my partner. Of course I’m worried about her. Where is Char?”
Kramer pretended to busy himself with some paperwork. “She’s been reassigned.”
Rhett’s jaw was almost on the floor.
“W-what do you mean?” He barely recognized his own voice. “What do you mean reassigned?”
He could barely wrap his mind around what he’d been told.
Did something happen to Charlotte?
The idea filled him with nausea.
“I really can’t discuss it with you, Lewis. All I can tell you is that Pinkerton isn’t here.”
“You can’t… are you kidding me right now?” Kramer’s head whipped up and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I can see that she’s not here. I’m asking where she is!”
“I know you’ve been out of the loop for a while, Rhett, but you need to remember who you’re talking to. I’m still your superior… in every way.”
To make his point, Kramer bared his teeth, his fangs elongating, and Rhett knew he needed to stand down but it was all too much.
He steeled his temper and gritted his teeth.
“Can you at least tell me where Char went? Is she at the 22?”
“No. I’m sorry, I can’t.”
Nothing made sense and Rhett stood, frozen in shock, as he stared at the sergeant but Kramer refused to meet his eyes again.
“You’re dismissed, Lewis.”
He opened his mouth to protest but he could see that he wasn’t going to get any further with his superior and instead stormed out of the office, brushing by LaCroix, who stood waiting for him.
“Uh, hey…”
Rhett ignored him and moved toward Hammerstein’s desk.
“Where did Charlotte get put on assignment?” he demanded.
The massive detective eyed him uncomprehendingly. “Aren’t you her partner?” he asked dumbly.
A sinking feeling hit Rhett’s gut and he spun away to grab for his cell again, calling Char. Once more, he got her voicemail.
“You’ve reached Charlotte Pinkerton. Leave a message or better yet, be a normal human being and try texting.” The customary beep followed her flippant outgoing recording.
“Where the hell are you?” Rhett growled into the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’d been reassigned? You better call me.”
He disconnected the call and sank heavily into his desk chair, trying to make sense of what was happening.
The last time he’d seen Char had been when she’d dragged him from the house and they’d stayed out until the wee hours of the morning, drinking and talking.
Did I say something that offended her?
The question was laughable. Theirs was a relationship built on insults and jibes. Even when Rhett’s temper flared, Charlotte had never used it against him. Coupled with the intense but muted sexual tension that had always simmered between them, it was unimaginable that Charlotte could ever be scared away by something he’d done or said.
No, he thought. She’s always been there for me. What changed?
A terrible sense of loss flowed though him even though Rhett tried to reason with himself.
Kramer said this was temporary. She’ll be back.
But even if that was true, it didn’t explain why she’d disappeared without a word.
He sat back and looked around. LaCroix stood uncomfortably off to the side and Rhett’s mouth turned inward.
“Are you just going to stand there all day?” he barked. “I don’t know how they do things at the NYPD but we actually work here in Chicago.”
Oddly, LaCroix’s eyes brightened as if he was grateful that Rhett was talking to him.
“I can work,” the kid said eagerly. “I work really hard.”
“This isn’t a Starbucks interview, LaCroix. I don’t need your empty platitudes. Get to work.”
Rhett grimaced and watched with annoyance as LaCroix shuffled toward Char’s unoccupied desk.
“No,” he snapped. “Don’t sit there.”
He nodded toward the desk across from Hammerstein, a few feet away. It had been Hammerstein’s old partner’s and he knew the huge detective wouldn’t care if the kid claimed the empty desk.
“You can sit there.”
LaCroix looked at him in surprise. “Oh…I just thought…”
“You thought what?” Rhett barked. “Less thinking, more doing, LaCroix.”
The kid continued to stare at him blankly.
“What?” Rhett barked. “Spit it out!”
“As your partner—”
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Rhett snarled, moving his face toward the younger man menacingly. “You’re only with me for a day or two. When my real partner returns, you’ll be moved somewhere else. So no matter where you sit, don’t get comfortable because you’re going to be going elsewhere. Capisce?”
LaCroix seemed confused but he didn’t speak until Rhett grunted again.
“What?” Rhett demanded. “Why are you looking at me like a deer in headlights?”
“I-I was just under the impression that your old partner was transferred.”
A wave of cold washed over Rhett.
No way. There’s no way that Char would get transferred without telling me.
But nothing was making a lick of sense since he’d come back. For all he knew, the kid was right.
“Who told you that?” Rhett wanted to know.
“No one specifically. I thought I heard something about it…”
“How did you ever get your gold shield?” Rhett hissed. “You can’t just walk around talking out of your ass without facts.”
“I’m sorry,” LaCroix mumbled, his face flushed red with embarrassment. He ambled away before Rhett could unleash any more wrath on him but the older detective’s eyes were fixed on the younger man.
Where did he get that idea? he wondered, grinding his jaw. Did someone tell him that?
Again, Rhett wracked his memory for details from the night he’d last seen Charlotte.
She was exasperated with me about moping around but was she upset?
In his mind’s eye, he could hear the timbre of her laugh, the gleam of her even, white teeth. They’d had fun that night, hadn’t they?
He barely recalled getting home but when he’d woken, he’d been in his bed… alone.
Did I make a pass at her?
Hotness burned at his ears as he thought about how many times he’d come close to kissing Charlotte over the years.
But that was before Mia and I got together
.
Another little voice in his head jeered, But you and Mia aren’t together anymore.
Fear gripped his heart and he choked back a gasp.
Did I do something stupid? Is that why she’s not here right now?
He couldn’t take not knowing and he was again on his feet, rushing toward the inner office to confront the Sergeant, who was on the phone and tried to wave him away. But Rhett remained in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest.
“Let me call you back, Inspector. One of my detectives is looking for a suspension,” Kramer growled into the phone, his eyes shooting daggers at Rhett. Kramer hung up but before he could reprimand his underling, Rhett spoke.
“Did Char request a transfer out of the division?”
Kramer’s eyes widened in shock and Rhett was instantly relieved. The expression on his superior’s face told him everything he needed to know.
“Of course not!” Kramer laughed. “I would have told you if your partner of seven years wasn’t coming back. She would have probably told you, too.”
“Would you?” Rhett asked sarcastically. “Because you’re not telling me anything else.”
Kramer sighed. “That’s because I can’t tell you anything else,” he muttered. “I’m sorry.”
Rhett stared at him, a peculiar sense of déjà vu tickling the base of his skull.
There’s only one reason that he’d be so secretive if Charlotte hadn’t asked him to be. Oh damn, Char, what did you do?
“You can’t tell me or you won’t?” Rhett asked slowly.
“Rhett, can you just leave it alone? Pinky will be back soon enough, I assure you, but in the meantime, you can’t be bursting into my office uninvited. That hasn’t changed since you’ve been here.”
Rhett made no move to leave, his mind whirling.
“Can you at least tell me what division she’s working?”
“No.”
Rhett’s breath caught in his throat and he swallowed the lump of concern forming in his throat.
Shit. Shit, I knew it!
“Kramer…”
Their eyes met and Rhett knew then where Charlotte had gone without so much as a heads-up.
“She’s undercover.” It was a statement and Kramer moaned in defeat.
