Cops 02 - Love on the Run (2 page)

It wasn’t that she didn’t like Tony; in fact, it was the exact opposite. She liked him a lot.

A whole lot. Probably a lot more than she should. Definitely a lot more than she was willing to admit. And that was the problem.

The truth of the matter was that she didn’t trust herself around Tony. He was so larger than life; his presence just consumed and overwhelmed her. In short, he fit the type of man Bianca secretly wanted. She could so easily fall for him and completely lose herself in the process.

She wasn’t the only one who felt the connection. Tony wanted her. Bianca shivered; the knowledge of his attraction taunted her. She pretended otherwise, but it was impossible not to notice the raw hunger in his eyes or the possessive heat of his gaze when he looked at her.

Bianca tried to ignore him and maintain her distance, attempted to remain emotionally and physically detached, struggled to stop herself from giving in to what she truly desired.

She closed her eyes. It didn’t pay to fight. The magnetism between them was too great, the mutual attraction too strong for her to resist. It made her body respond to his, ache for his every single time.

Bianca’s thoughts drifted back to the crime scene. She and Tony needed to deal with whatever it was between them. Soon. First, though, her story took top priority. Tony was the one person who could give her the information she needed.

Bianca just hoped she didn’t end up regretting her decision.

*

The phone rang several times before the familiar voice answered.

“What is it?” Dimitryi said.

“Reggie here. Tate and Parker hit the shop this morning, just like we thought they would.”

Silence. “Were there any witnesses?”

“No,” Reggie said. “I took care of them personally before the police got there.”

“What about Mikhail and Josef?” “Dead,” Reggie confirmed. “It was necessary, Dimitryi. I couldn’t risk them getting caught and talking.”

Dimitryi released a string of curses. “Those fucking cops have caused me nothing but problems,” he raged. “First, they kill Andrei and Guillermo, and now we’re forced to waste perfectly good merchandise and lose two more good men in the process.”

Once Dimitryi calmed down, Reggie asked, “How would you like to proceed?”

Dimitryi didn’t respond immediately, and Reggie waited patiently for him to continue.

“We have another shipment of cargo coming in a few months.” Dimitryi replied. “We’ll use it to replace what we lost today.”

“And,” Dimitryi continued, “I want Tate and Parker dead before it arrives.”

Bianca found an available table inside Clarke’s Café and watched her friend Clarke as she served customers in the busy restaurant she co-owned with her father. She’d been there a while before Clarke finally made her way over to her table.

“Hey, kiddo.” Clarke plopped down in a seat across from her and blew out a tired breath.

“Long day?” Bianca gave her a sympathetic look. She worked too hard. Always had.

“You have no idea. It’s been so busy today I feel as if it were the weekend. It’s a good thing I’m still only working part-time.” She chuckled softly. “I don’t think I’d survive seven days in a row like this one.”

“Well, I say the packed house is a testament to just how great the food is here,” Bianca told her.

Clarke’s chuckle turned to laughter. “Flattery like that will get you a free meal.”

“That’s what I was counting on.” Bianca winked, her laughter joining Clarke’s.

“Speaking of weekends, how are you spending yours?”

Bianca glanced quickly at the table in the far corner of the restaurant where Tony and Jack always sat. She’d planned to approach Tony tonight and ask him to help her. She was just waiting for Clarke and Jack to leave first. Still recuperating from her injuries, Clarke only worked a few days a week, and never later than seven o’clock in the evening. And Jack always took her home.

Bianca looked back at Clarke, hoping her glance at Tony hadn’t been too obvious. Her friend’s physical scars were gone, and her golden brown skin looked as flawless and beautiful as ever. But Bianca had known her long enough to recognize the strain in her hazel eyes, and she knew that Clarke still had a ways to go before all of the emotional scars completely disappeared.

“I don’t have any specific plans,” she finally responded. “Why?”

“I’m going for my first fitting of my wedding dress, and I could use a second opinion.”

Bianca smiled. “Only three more months left until the big day. Are you nervous yet?”

“Please.” Clarke groaned. “Don’t remind me. I’ve got so many things to do between now and then that I don’t have time to be nervous.”

“Well, I’d love to help. Just let me know when and where, and I’ll be there. And if you need me to help you out with anything else, just say the word.”

“Thanks.” Clarke looked relieved. “What would I do without you?”

Bianca looked at the woman who was more than just a friend. Clarke was a sister, and the only real family Bianca had left. “Luckily, you’ll never have to find out.”

They shared a smile before Clarke glanced at her watch. Bianca knew that Clarke needed to wrap things up. Jack was going to walk her out the door very soon.

“So, what are you eating tonight?” Clarke asked as she stood up from the table.

Bianca shrugged. “Since it’s on the house, you choose.”

“Cool.” Clarke grinned. “Be right back.” Bianca watched her until she disappeared into the kitchen.

As soon as Clarke disappeared from sight, Bianca’s gaze drifted across the room to where Tony sat talking to Jack. She studied the two men. Jack stood well over six feet, with a muscular physique, jet black hair, and the most piercing blue eyes Bianca had ever seen.

Unquestionably gorgeous. When Bianca first met him, she thought he was the best-looking man she’d ever seen. Until she met Tony.

It was as if someone had read her mind, seen her innermost secrets, her deepest fantasies, and used them to create Tony. He stood slightly shorter than Jack but was no less impressive, with a well-developed and powerfully built body. And his face — positively breathtaking. He was nothing short of perfection; he was everything she could have dreamed of and wished for in a man.

Even dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a sweater, he looked incredible. Together, he and Jack made a stunning — and intimidating — pair.

Tony’s face suddenly split into a grin as he began to laugh, and Bianca knew exactly what it would sound like, was convinced that she could actually hear it from all the way across the room — so rich, so sexy, and so utterly masculine. She groaned inwardly as a shudder raced through her. God, even the thought of hearing his voice turned her on.

Bianca closed her eyes briefly and swallowed hard as she shook her head to clear away thoughts of Tony. “God, I am so losing it,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong?”

Bianca’s eyes snapped open, and she looked up to find Clarke, a concerned expression on her face, standing in front of her table holding a plate of food. “Nothing,” she said quickly, and smiled. “Just thinking about…stuff.” Her explanation sounded flimsy, even to her own ears. And from the way Clarke studied her, Bianca knew she wasn’t buying it, either.

“Are you…” Clarke began, and Bianca almost breathed a sigh of relief when Jack appeared behind her and interrupted the conversation before she had a chance to finish speaking.

“Time to go, baby.” Jack took the plate out of Clarke’s hand. Smiling, he sat the plate in front of her. “How’s it going, Bianca?”

“I’m doing better now that I see you’re going to take Clarke home so she can get some rest.” Bianca barely refrained from laughing. From the look on her face, it was obvious Clarke wanted to protest.

Ever since Clarke’s attack, Jack had become fiercely protective, and Bianca knew that his protectiveness drove her crazy. Personally, Bianca thought it was great. She liked that Jack took such good care of Clarke. It showed just how much he loved her. And, in spite of her claims otherwise, Bianca knew that Clarke liked it, too.

Jack barely gave Clarke time to say her good-byes and get her things before he ushered her out of the door.

Once they were gone, she glanced in Tony’s direction again. She saw him talking to Clarke’s father. She stayed seated a few minutes more as she gathered up her courage.

Finally, after a few minutes ticked by, Bianca took a deep breath. “It’s now or never,” she muttered. She stood up and headed toward Tony’s table.

*

Tony stared into the face of Clarke’s father, only half-listening to him. The closest thing Tony had to a father, he loved and respected Pops dearly. But at the moment, Tony found it next to impossible to focus on anything he was saying.

Although Tony wasn’t looking in her direction, he knew that Bianca was approaching his table. From the moment she walked into the restaurant, he’d been aware of her presence and had been discreetly observing her the entire time.

That was nothing new. He’d done more than his fair share of staring at Bianca during the past few months. She was, by far, the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, the type of woman that made men and women stare when they saw her.

She reached his table just at Pops finished speaking. “How are you, Pops?” She smiled at Pops, but Tony noticed that her gaze kept darting to him.

“You know, Bianca, I do believe that you get more beautiful every time I see you.”

“Well, thank you, Pops.” Bianca laughed and gave him a brief hug. “You always know exactly what to say. I bet you were quite the ladies’ man in your day.” Pops leaned near Bianca and whispered loud enough for Tony to hear, “Don’t tell anybody, but I still am.”

Tony’s laughter joined theirs as he shook his head at Pops’s comment.

“Now I see where Clarke gets her personality from,” Bianca told him. Her laughter died off as her focus shifted back to Tony. “Hi. Can I…would you mind if I joined you?”

Tony’s brow arched as he stared back at her. He saw Pops looking from him to Bianca; his face registered surprise, the same as Tony felt. This was definitely a first. Bianca never voluntarily approached him or started up a conversation with him unless they were part of a larger group.

“Sure.” He motioned toward the empty seat across from him. “Have a seat.” Bianca hesitated, and she glanced uncomfortably at Pops. He gave her a knowing look, as if he could sense that she wanted some privacy, and he quickly excused himself and headed back to the kitchen.

Once Bianca sat down, Tony studied her while she toyed with the paper napkin on the table. As he waited for her to tell him what was on her mind, he noticed her cautious expression. It was obvious that she was trying to conceal her real thoughts and feelings from him.

Tony tried to mask his irritation. They’d known each other for three months and had seen each other damn near every single day since they’d first met. After all this time, it annoyed the shit out of him to see that Bianca still couldn’t bring herself to feel comfortable around him.

Bianca finally spoke. “I saw you and Jack this morning at that murder scene over in Humboldt Park. You two are handling that case, right?”

Tony merely nodded. The fact that Bianca was at the scene wasn’t all that surprising, considering she was a reporter. He remained silent, unsure where she was going with the conversation.

“So…” She cleared her throat. “I wanted to propose a partnership.”

“Partnership.” Tony stared at her, feeling even more confused by her comment.

“Yeah,” she rushed on. “You know, a little sharing of information between two cooperating agencies.”

Tony sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest as the meaning of Bianca’s words finally sank in. “What are you trying to do, get me fired?” He made sure his voice sounded reprimanding. “You’ve been around long enough to know that the department doesn’t permit the police to make official statements to the media — especially about active investigations.”

“I know.” A guilty smile flitted across her face. “That’s why I was thinking of something a little more…off the record.”

Tony was already shaking his head, even as she said the words. “Wait, wait.” She spoke quickly, holding up a hand to stop him from talking. “Just hear me out before you say no. Please.”

There was something about the way she stared at him, her gorgeous green eyes anxious and silently asking for help, her teeth worrying her full lower lip, and he already knew what his answer was going to be. With a sigh, he nodded slightly and waited for her to speak.

“I know that a lot of the cases you and Jack investigate are linked to Dimitryi Ivanov.

And if my guess is correct, so is the homicide scene from this morning. I’m working on a similar investigation, so us pairing together would be perfect.”

“Really.” Tony frowned. “And what investigation is that?”

“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of research for a story I’m working on about human trafficking and the sex trade business.”

Jesus. Tony could only stare at her in shocked silence. He didn’t know what he’d expected for Bianca to say, but that was definitely not it.

“Human trafficking, huh?” Tony struggled to keep his voice neutral.

“Yeah,” she continued, completely unaware of just how upsetting her words were to him. Of all the things Bianca could have chosen to investigate, she just had to pick this one.

Hell, she would be safer playing with a loaded handgun than she would being anywhere near this whole sex trafficking issue.

“I figured that we could get together and compare notes.” Bianca shrugged. “Who knows, maybe we’ll both learn something new that will help our investigations. So, what do you think?”

Tony continued to stare at Bianca. It was a horrible idea. In fact, it was quite possibly the worst fucking idea he’d ever heard.

He’d been working with these types of cases long enough to know just how dangerous and deadly the people behind the scenes could be. This world was definitely not for the faint of heart, and some of the things he’d seen over the years were enough to scare the shit out of even the most hardened men, let alone someone like Bianca. Whether she knew it or not, monsters really did exist, and they were called human traffickers.