by Mia Taylor
“She didn’t want you to know about it, all right?” Kramer muttered. “I should have known you would figure it out.”
“Well, shit, Kramer. Did you think I was going to nod and smile? Jesus Christ, why would they task her for UC work?”
“No idea.” Rhett’s eyes were slits. He suspected that Kramer knew a hell of a lot more than he was letting on.
“So, she didn’t even bother to call me?” Rhett huffed. “What the hell is that all about?”
“Like I said, it’s a short assignment. She’ll be back—”
“Oh, spare me the rehearsed speech. Why did you send her, Kramer? You know that bears don’t do UC missions.”
Kramer glowered and Rhett realized the door to the office was still open.
“I didn’t really have a choice in the matter,” Kramer hissed in a low voice, indicating for Rhett to close the door. “She knew what she was walking into and she agreed.”
“What? What is she walking into?”
And how could she agree to this? She’s never shown any interest in doing UC work.
A combination of betrayal and deep worry consumed him.
“You know I can’t give you any of the details.”
“Jesus Christ, Kramer, what can you tell me?”
“The same thing that I’ve been telling you,” Kramer retorted. “That she’ll be back soon.”
“Yeah,” Rhett snorted, spinning away. “That’s what they said about Mia, too.”
“Rhett!” Kramer growled and he paused to glance over his shoulder at the sergeant.
“What?”
“Charlotte isn’t Mia.”
A cold smile formed on Rhett’s lips but a sting of shame touched him.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t think Mia was capable of what she did either.”
“And Charlotte isn’t your wife!”
Rhett left the office, a pit of unease forming to make a knot in his stomach.
She left without telling me to do an undercover gig. That’s something that Mia would do and the last time Mia did that, she disappeared forever.
Rhett’s jaw locked and his breaths began to escape in short rasps. None of it made sense. Charlotte would know he’d be worried, that he’d be thinking the worst. Why didn’t she say something? Anything? Was Charlotte hiding something from him?
Rhett loathed that the one person he trusted more than anyone was causing him to question her loyalty to him but he knew it was something much worse which was troubling him.
I can’t lose Charlotte, too.
Chapter Four
A Taste of a New Life
Charlotte was regretting her decision from the minute she stepped into the apartment over the bodega on West Cermak. It was a charming place in its own way, simple and understated.
It was nicer than her own apartment, with huge windows and an open concept which made it feel more like a loft than a cramped studio space.
There wasn’t much in the way of furniture. The only bedroom had a queen bed with a decent mattress and a wood headboard to match the bedside table and dresser.
The living room was nothing more than a plush futon couch and huge red beanbag chair to accent the black and white themes of the place.
Though it wasn’t luxurious, it was spacious and clean, but it still didn’t stop Charlotte from second-guessing her reasons for being there.
She hadn’t even bothered lying to herself by saying she was doing it for the benefit of the CPD. There were plenty of people more qualified for the job, no matter what Sergeant Kelly said.
Char was sure that the woman’s reasons were sound, that Charlotte’s mere presence would alarm the hell out of Mia when they finally saw one another, but she suspected that there was much more to the story than that.
It doesn’t matter. I’m here for a few days at most and then I’ll be back home. This is no more dangerous than walking the beat in the south side, really. And this is way more comfortable.
Then why did she feel like there was a stone in her chest?
Maybe because, even without ever involving herself in one, Charlotte knew that undercover operations were rarely an in-and-out scenario. It could take weeks to make contact with her marks, even with an in like Mia.
If Mia can be considered an in. She might blow the whistle on me the second she sees me.
Charlotte didn’t believe that, not logically, but it was a possibility she needed to be prepared to deal with if it happened.
Not that we really had a contingency plan in that event. In fact, a lot about this is being done half-assed.
It wasn’t like Charlotte had anything to compare it to. She’d done UC training when she was a rookie and a handful of “acting” gigs but nothing to the level of taking on a new persona with ID and everything.
“Just in case you get frisked,” Kelly had warned.
She padded toward the dusty window overlooking the busy street below and reached for her burner phone to call Kelly.
“I’m in the unit,” she explained to the sergeant. “I’ll head out to Susi’s restaurant tonight.”
“You should wait a day, get a lay of the land,” Kelly replied. “Walk around, make your presence known in the neighborhood.”
Char ground her teeth together.
“Sarge, no offense, but the sooner I touch base with Mia—”
“Stephanie,” came the sharp reply. “You’re Charlotte Penisi and she is Stephanie Rizzo.”
“Yeah, I know that,” Charlotte retorted. “But the sooner I find her—”
“Say it. Say Stephanie.”
“I won’t slip up,” Charlotte replied irritably. “But she’s not here now, is she? I’m all by my lonesome.”
“It doesn’t matter. You need to stay in character for the duration of your time under. I though I’d made that clear already.”
“You did.”
You will not lose your shit on your boss on your first day on the job, Charlotte chided herself and managed to keep herself in check somehow.
“Good. Then adhere to it,” Kelly instructed. Charlotte didn’t say what she was thinking, that it was impossible to stay in character all the time if she was speaking to an intelligence sergeant on the phone at check-in.
I don’t care how long someone is under—having the reality of a cop barking in your ear at the end of the day has to do something to bring you back to where you were. Mia has no excuse for what she’s done.
“Fine. The sooner I touch base with Stephanie, the sooner I can get the hell out of here, right?”
“If you just pop up out of thin air, you’re going to rouse red flags everywhere. If people start looking into you, you want to have a backstory, a history in the Heart of Italy.”
Charlotte stifled a groan, mostly because she knew that Kelly was right. There was no point fighting about it.
What kind of history is two days? she wanted to grumble but she didn’t. Charlotte begrudgingly admitted that her superior had been at it a lot longer than she had.
“I’ll go tomorrow, then,” she muttered begrudgingly.
“Maybe even the next day,” Kelly countered but Charlotte chose to ignore that advice.
“Hasta manana, then,” Charlotte said brightly, already sick of the conversation. She knew she wouldn’t last a month undercover, let alone two years.
“Hide the burner well,” Kelly reminded her. “There are eyes all over your apartment so if anything goes wrong, we’ll be in there immediately. There are no audio recording devices so you don’t need to worry about being recorded and there are obviously no cameras in the bathroom or bedroom. They are only for your own safety, nothing else.”
I wasn’t paranoid before but I am now. It sounded like Kelly was selling the security too much.
“Okay,” Charlotte replied. “Talk to you later.”
The women ended their call and Charlotte found herself gazing around for signs of the cameras or bugs that she’d been told were planted there but of course, TARU had done a great job
of hiding everything so that they weren’t easily seen.
I’ve got to be extra careful, too, she thought, moving toward the bathroom to shower. I hope I don’t do any nightshifting in my sleep.
~ ~ ~
In spite of her resolve to remain sullen over the new situation, Charlotte found herself enjoying the neighborhood more than she expected.
It was aptly named the Heart of Italy and while Charlotte had passed through it in her travels, she’d never had occasion to sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds it had to offer.
The rows of small houses were post-wartime and built to mimic a Southern European style. It was very much a family neighborhood and somehow out of sync with the rest of the Chicago bustle.
As she walked along the surprisingly clean streets near her apartment, she wondered if Rhett had spent any time in that neighborhood.
He’d like it here, I’m sure.
Instantly, she felt a wave of regret as she thought about what Rhett must have been thinking when he got to work and realized she wasn’t there.
I wonder if he thinks I abandoned him, she thought wryly. It was a sardonic thought because by that point in their relationship, Rhett had to know she wasn’t going anywhere. That still didn’t alleviate the guilt that she was feeling.
It had been too risky to tell him that she was going undercover. After what Mia had done to him, he wouldn’t want Charlotte to go. He would keep asking her about the details and Charlotte didn’t trust herself to keep them from him.
Which was why she told him nothing at all. It wasn’t fair, she knew that, but at the time, she had believed it the easiest thing to do.
But now, she wished she’d at least sent him a text or something so that his imagination wouldn’t run away with him.
I’ll find a way to connect with him, she vowed even though she’d missed the opportunity before leaving home. Everything she did was being monitored, every keystroke she put into her computer, every call she made on the iPhone provided by the department. It was too dangerous to call Rhett now.
I could use the burner but then I’ll have to hear about it from Kelly. No, this will have to wait until I get back.
She rounded the corner and walked toward the National Museum of Mexican Art. There was little else to do but make her face known in the area before going back to the safehouse over the bodega and trying to sleep.
As she entered the brick building, she paid the entrance fee and continued to wander through.
It was the middle of the day and the museum was mostly empty but there were two or three couples ambling through, taking in the beautifully painted artifacts in glass cases as they stopped for kisses and selfies before continuing on.
A stab of loneliness pierced through Char and she instantly dismissed it, ashamed of herself for feeling it at all.
You’re not alone. You have a sleuth and an entire police department to back you. You’ve got Rhett, even if he doesn’t realize it yet.
A blush stained her cheeks and Charlotte hurried away from one of the statues as if that was the cause of her discomfort.
Perhaps a small part of her had always known that Rhett belonged with her, even if he had been blinded by his feelings for Mia.
Isn’t that why you followed him into this blasted career to begin with? You sure as hell didn’t dream of being a cop when you were a little girl.
Her cell rang in her purse and the noise startled her beyond all comprehension.
With fumbling fingers, she grabbed for it and stared blankly at a number she didn’t recognize.
No one should have had that number, at least not yet. The burner was the only way she had to contact Kelly and there was no one else who knew her cover.
“Hello?”
“Hi, babe,” came the male voice on the line. “It’s me.”
Charlotte blinked and looked around, wondering if she was being punked.
“Me?” she echoed. “Can you be more specific?”
The low voice chortled with laughter in her ear.
“Craig. Your boyfriend? The love of your life? I’m outside the museum. Wanna do lunch?”
Defensive alarm prickled through her.
Is someone following me?
“I-I think you have the wrong number,” she mumbled.
Did they screw up with the phones?
It would be one hell of a coincidence for someone to be calling and looking for a woman inside a museum, wouldn’t it?
“No, Charlotte. Kelly said you’d be at the museum, so here I am.”
Charlotte’s grey eyes were almost slits as she rushed toward the entrance, her mind racing.
What is this now? I loathe surprises. Especially when my life is on the line.
She pushed her way outside and stopped when an attractive man in his mid-thirties waved at her from his car. He was tall, leaning carelessly on the hood of his Dodge Charger and even from where she stood, she could see the intensity of his brown eyes.
“There she is!” he called jovially and Charlotte pulled the phone away from her ear to join him. “Get in.”
Again, Charlotte looked around.
“Charlotte, I know you’re mad about this morning but we need to talk.”
She didn’t respond but instead sucked in a breath of air and allowed him to open the door for her to slide into the passenger side of the vehicle.
“They gave me a Civic,” she muttered when he took the wheel and he cast her a sidelong look and grinned. There was something animalistic about him, dangerous and yet bemusing.
He’s a bear!
“Sorry for the unorthodox introduction,” he chuckled. “I’m Detective Rand Simon—or your boyfriend, Craig Willers.”
“Says who?” she demanded, indignation flaring through her. “This is the first I’ve heard about any of this!”
In her mind, she was wondering why they’d recruited another bear.
There’s something strange going on here.
“Sergeant Kelly, obviously,” Rand laughed, pulling out into traffic.
“Why?”
“I just go where I’m told,” Rand replied easily. He looked at her again, interest coloring his dark brown irises.
“I’ve been told I’m a good boyfriend,” he offered lightly. “I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly.”
“Are you single now?” Charlotte asked as he drove. His grin widened.
“As a matter of fact, I am,” he replied.
“Then I guess you’re not as good a boyfriend as you think, are you?”
The smile faded from Rand’s lips and he glowered slightly.
“I didn’t realize you were such a bitch.”
Charlotte shot him a look of feigned surprise.
“That was me being nice!” she protested. She kept her eyes fixed on his face.
“Where are we going?” she demanded. “Kelly told me to make myself seen around here.”
“We’re going home,” he replied sweetly.
“Home?”
“To our apartment.”
Dubiousness covered Charlotte’s face and she shook her head vehemently.
“No! No way! I didn’t sign on to babysit.”
Rand smirked. “Honey,” he sighed. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it was me who was sent to babysit you.”
Charlotte scoffed. “I highly doubt that.”
“You can talk to Kelly when we get home—”
“Stop fucking saying that!” Charlotte roared. “We are not living together.”
“Poor, misguided girl,” Rand cooed, infuriating Charlotte more.
“My record is flawless,” she snapped. “There is no reason for you to be on this assignment with me!”
“Kelly seems to disagree.”
“Make yourself scarce because you’re not going to be around long.”
He sighed and shook his head. “That’s only if you finish the job quickly,” he replied. “But if I were you, I’d accept that we’re a couple now, like it or not.”
I had just been pining for a boyfriend, hadn’t I? she thought, swallowing her embarrassment. And now I’ve got one.
The amusement was short-lived as she realized just how much more perilous a second person made the task. Not only was she responsible for herself and possibly Mia, she would have to concern herself with a partner.
And I have only one partner. This guy isn’t it.
She sighed and looked out the window, deciding to hold her fight for Kelly in a few minutes.
I haven’t even been here a day and I’m missing Rhett already.
Chapter Five
The New Kid
To the kid’s credit, he was quiet, happy to observe. Or maybe it was merely that Rhett had scared him into silence as they headed out into the field.
“Sorry about your partner,” LaCroix offered. “My partner died the first year on the job.”
Rhett whipped his head toward the younger detective in amazement.
“Service related?”
LaCroix shook his head.
“No, some weird freak accident where he was decapitated.”
LaCroix shuddered but Rhett’s eyes widened with interest.
His last partner was a bear.
“Anyway, I know you didn’t lose your partner, like, through death or anything but I’m just saying, I understand.”
Rhett couldn’t help but give him a wry smile.
“I appreciate the solidarity,” he chuckled. “So, what’s your story? Why did you come out here?”
“Oh,” Dan murmured, training his eyes out the windshield. “I needed a change of pace.”
“Well, this isn’t New York,” Rhett promised him. “We do things a little different in these parts.”
His jaw tightened and Dan glanced at him.
“That’s what I’m counting on,” he confessed. His brow furrowed slightly.
“Where are we going anyway?” Dan asked and Rhett felt his neck tense slightly. He knew he couldn’t lose the kid, not on his first day, but he wasn’t sure that Dan could be trusted either.
“I just need to swing by my partner’s place and feed the cat,” he lied.
