Weston (5 page)

T
ony pushed through the doors into the agency’s control center at the body shop. He barely glanced at Lance and went directly to the back corner.

“Yo.” Lance’s feet came off the desk and landed on the floor as he ripped his earbuds out. “What’s up?”

“Pull up whatever you can find on a woman named Rocki.” He swung around his desk, hitting the power button on his computer, and sat. “Link her to Darrell and the police academy…She’s a shield.”

“The chick from last night at the bar?” Lance’s fingers flew over the keyboard. “Personal or business?”

He scowled. “Business.”

“Just checking,” Lance mumbled, staring at the screen. “No one by the name of Rocki, with an
I
or
Y
, who has gone through the academy in the last ten years, is listed on the roster. I don’t think she’s older than thirty—”

“Twenty-eight,” Tony said.

“Doesn’t matter, I can’t pull info out of my ass by age, but I’ve found a Rachel, Regina, Rochelle, and, bingo, a Raquel. Let me pull her up.” Lance clicked the mouse. He pushed off the desk, and rolled his chair toward Tony. “Skip the deets, I want a picture.”

Tony’s hands suspended above the keys. “Bro…”

“Just do it.”

An official photograph popped on screen. All Rocki’s glorious, black hair pulled into a severe bun, her blue uniform buttoned to the neck, and a gold badge over her left pocket. He cussed under his breath. She was in deep shit.

“Call the rest of the guys in. We’ve got trouble.” He stepped back to his desk and picked up the phone. He punched in the number for the direct line to Gino Marcelli’s desk at the county office, located in the police academy’s building.

“Marcelli,” the voice on the phone said.

“Weston of Beaumont Body Shop and Agency here. You’ve got a problem.” He sat and scrolled through the information Lance pulled up. “I need to know if Detective Bangli is working undercover.”

“That’s confidential information. I’m under no obligation to tell you what any of my detectives are doing at any given time,” Gino said. “What’s the problem?”

“Dammit. I know she is…” He rubbed his hand across his forehead. “She’s working for Darrell Archer. I recognized her last night, not letting her know I already knew her identity and her relationship to the department. She slipped away early this morning. I normally wouldn’t be concerned if a woman wanted to keep her private information to herself, but we had a run-in with Darrell a couple of months ago, and Rocki was working for him at the time.”

“Sounds like you have girl problems. I suggest you drop the matter. If she wants to contact you, she will.” Gino cleared his throat. “I’m walking into a meeting. If this involves police business…”

“Gino, you know me. Of course it’s business. I wouldn’t have called unless I believed her position was in danger. I’m going with my gut right now, and something tells me she’s in trouble.” He glanced at Lance, waved his hand in the air, and nodded when Lance pushed the record button. “Can you contact her?”

A lengthy pause came over the phone. “I’ll talk with her, but I advise you to drop your interest in Detective Bangli, Weston. Now, I’m already late. I’m hanging up.”

The phone went dead. He slapped the top of the desk. “Fuck.”

“He’s telling the truth. GPS shows him pulling into the academy now.” Lance clicked the mouse. “Printing out all papers.”

Procedures for someone undercover went beyond insider information. If Rocki went in, trying to bring Darrell down, Gino would cover her ass. Tony respected that. But something wasn’t right. There had to be a way to get a message to her or convince Gino to get her the hell out of the underground.

Because she worked for Darrell, whether from the inside or outside, his attempt at getting information sent a red flag to their operation. Everyone knew his relationship with Kage. He’d take a bullet for him. Including doing whatever he had to do to protect Kage from his uncle.

The door swung open. Kage, Garrett, and Sabrina walked in. He stared at Garrett. Garrett knew better than to bring Sabrina in when business was going down.

Garrett shook his head, not saying a word. Kage lazily leaned against the counter, grinning.

Tony pointed at Sabrina. “What are you doing here?”

Sabrina Wilcox, Janie Beaumont’s best friend and current pain in the ass to Garrett, strode to Garrett’s desk, and jumped onto the top to sit. “Something exciting is happening and since I was visiting with Garrett at the house, I wanted to come too.”

Garrett scowled. “We weren’t visiting. You barged in and made yourself at home.”

“Whatever.” Sabrina shrugged and the slim gold necklace swung against her chest and disappeared under the scoop of her shirt. “You answered my question, twice—that’s called visiting. I told you that you’d get better at talking with me if you loosen up. Someday, you’ll be able to hold a whole conversation.”

“Fucking seriously?” Tony glared at Garrett.

Sabrina’s obsession over Garrett invaded on and off time. Hell, she was beginning to be a regular fixture around the body shop. Her antics often got her in trouble because she was too smart for her own good. She watched everything they did, and she was a powerful mediator when her heart was in it.

“You deal with her.” Garrett crossed his arms. “Please.”

Sabrina only smiled. “I’ll be quiet. Besides, I’m waiting for Janie to come to the garage. We’re going shopping. The Los Lobos are playing at Corner Pocket on Saturday. That calls for new chicker boots, and I’ve got my eye on a pair that’s cray cool with a four-inch heel.” She turned to Garrett. “Just wait until you see them.”

“I already told you, I’m not going. I have to work Saturday.” Garrett walked clear around his desk to his chair, keeping a wide path around from Sabrina. “Why don’t you wait for Janie over at the house?”

Sabrina slid off the desk. “Real original, Garrett. If you want me to get lost, say it.”

“Get lost,” Garrett said.

She glared. “Just for that, I will leave, but I’m stealing your black Beaumont Body Shop T-shirt. The one with the silver writing.”

“Why?” Garrett asked.

She shrugged. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Sab…never mind.” Garrett handed her his keys. “Only the T-shirt. Stay away from the rest of my clothes”

She grabbed the key ring and hurried out of the room. Tony stared after her, not sure what just happened.

“This is going to be fun,” Lance said, grinning.

“Shut the hell up.” Garrett threw an empty holster across the room, at which Lance ducked and came up laughing.

Kage remained quiet, his lips twitching. Tony tossed the top paper out of the printer onto the counter to get their attention.

“Rocki, from last night. She’s a shield working for Darrell. I took her home after a game of pool. She slipped out of my bed this morning. I want backup to go underground and retrieve her.” He looked at Kage. “You can stay out of it. I don’t want you near your uncle.”

Garrett strolled over and fingered through the rest of the papers. “Have you talked to her superior?”

“It’s Gino Marcelli. He’s not giving anything to me, as I expected, but said he’ll make contact. But we all know if she’s camouflaging as Darrell’s assistant, he won’t be able to without putting her life at risk and pulling her from the job,” he said.

“What’s she mean to you?” Kage pulled out his cell.

“It’s not about what happened between us last night. Something wasn’t right when I found her at our pool table at Corner Pocket, and I decided…hell, I took her home. You can’t convince me someone connected with Darrell strolls into the bar wanting to play a game of pool at our table, at our time, lies about her connections, and goes home with me without hardly any argument, isn’t under someone else’s control.” He unlocked his desk drawer and removed his gun and holster. “Then my night turned into holding her after she asked to use the house line while she bawled her eyes out. Nothing I said would get her to talk. Then she was gone.”

“House line?” Lance ran his thumb and forefinger down the sides of his goatee. “Was she concerned about her calls being tapped?”

“That’s the only conclusion I came up with, because I offered her my cell and she turned it down flat. The way she acted doesn’t point to the behavior of a detective.” He secured the strap along his ribs when his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. “She’s scared to death and it shows.”

He pulled out the cell and frowned. “What the hell? Someone’s calling from my house.” He clicked connect. “Yeah?”

“Tony, it’s Rocki. I need your help.” Her breath, heavy and fast, came over the phone and Brute barked in the background. “You’re the only one I can trust.”

“Sweetheart…slow down. Are you okay?” He pointed at Lance, flicked his finger, and nodded when the red light on the recorder came on.

“Yeah. No. I don’t have much time. I need you to do me a favor,” she said.

“What?”

“I need you to go to seven-two-six-four Appleton Way. It’s out near Cannon. It’s my mom’s house. Her name’s Mary Bangli. Tell her…tell her I said, ‘teeter-totter, bread and water.’ Then convince her to go with you. You’ll need to take her to a hotel or somewhere safe. Make sure no one follows you. I’ll pay you back as soon as I can. Please. This is important.”

“Okay.” He watched Lance, who nodded. “Got it.”

“God. Thank you.” She paused. “I broke your kitchen window to get in. I don’t think Brute will get out. He’s too big and he’d have to go over the sink. I swear I’ll pay you back soon.”

“Rocki, stay put.” He slipped his pistol into his holster. “I’m on my way home now.”

“I can’t. It’s not safe. He knows where you live,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. I-I’ll explain later when I can find somewhere else to call you. Please, make sure my mom’s safe…and be careful. Watch yourself. I’ll be in contact.”

“Rocki, wait—”

She hung up.

“Dammit.” He turned to Lance. “Did you get every word?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, writing in his notebook.

“Pick up her mom, bring her to my house,” he said. “Right now, I need to get both of them somewhere safe, and I can watch them better together.”

“Got it.” Lance grabbed his pistol, shoved it into the back of his jeans as he hurried toward the door. “I’ll call when I’ve got Mrs. Bangli in the car.”

Tony grabbed the papers off the counter, folded them twice, and shoved them into his pocket. His chest tightened. The fear in Rocki’s voice, apparent over the phone, concerned him.

Garrett swept his keys off the desk. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going after Rocki. I need to find her before she moves too far away from my house. I don’t know whether she drove or she’s on foot.” He kicked the edge of the desk and sent it skittering three feet. “What if she’s hurt or this is a fucking setup?”

“What’s your gut say?” Kage opened the door for him.

“She needs help.” He paused beside Kage. “Get Janie, watch her. If Darrell’s behind this…”

“Already called while you were on the phone,” Kage said. “She’s en route. I’ll meet her at her car and escort her and Sabrina back into the agency. We’ll wait to hear from you.”

He met Kage’s eyes. “Cover your back.”

“Always,” Kage muttered. “Go get the girl.”

Whatever game Rocki played was officially over. Tony ran out to the back parking lot and slid into his Camaro. He pulled out and hit third gear by the time he straightened the car around and headed through town. He’d arrive home in five minutes tops if he hit both stoplights on the green.

After he received the right answers from Rocki, he’d make sure she and her mom stayed safe. Then he’d dig deeper to find out her involvement with Darrell. He clenched the steering wheel. As he turned the corner, his tires laid rubber on the asphalt. His gaze went to the side of the road. Rocki was a trained officer. She’d know how to stay out of sight. He only hoped in her panic, she slowed down so he could catch her.

He entered his street and locked the brakes. His car fishtailed and he pulled out of the turn and came to a stop.
Shit.

Brute barreled down the sidewalk toward him, his head to the concrete and his tail down in concentration. He opened the door, but Brute lumbered right past him without lifting his nose. Not letting the dog go without him, he left his car at the curb and took off jogging after Brute. If he lucked out, his dog would have better tracking skills than he did and would find Rocki. Or he was screwed and Brute was chasing one of the damn cats in the neighborhood.

At the end of the block, Brute cut across the Lipskis’ front yard. Tony jumped over the four-foot fence into the side yard in an attempt to gain some distance. Unable to see Brute, Tony vaulted the chain-link gate and hit the ground running through Doctor Jamison’s backyard. Brute led him to the street behind his house, heading north.

Concerned that Brute decided to head back to the house and gave up on tracking Rocki, he slowed to a jog and scanned the area. Late mornings meant everyone in the neighborhood was gone to work. Garage doors were down, kids were absent, and no one loitered outside that he could question about seeing an unfamiliar woman in the area.

Brute barked and ran through the Carmichaels’ side yard. Bob and Carla Carmichael shared a backyard with him. He rounded their house and spotted a pair of feminine legs, legs he’d noticed on more than one occasion, disappear through his kitchen window.

He slowed to a walk, checking himself. Going in there ready to wring her neck for hooking up with Darrell and putting Kage in the position to deal with his uncle would not get him any answers. Now that he was confident about what she did for a living and that she was safe, he was pissed. No woman should ever put herself in a position to answer to Darrell Archer. Cop or not.

T
hat big, lovable, stupid dog.

Rocki glanced at the window above the sink in Tony’s house, the one she’d squeezed through to get inside, and couldn’t imagine how Brute managed to get his massive body through the opening to follow her when she ran. Once she’d spotted Brute three blocks from Tony’s, she’d backtracked her steps, dodging houses and cars, hoping the dog would follow her home.

Tony was going to kill her. She’d lost his dog. A dog the size of her fricking car.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.” Rocki paced the kitchen, brushing broken glass off her hands and forearms.

Dots of blood pushed to the surface and trickled along the lines of her palms. She grimaced. Her hands stung, but she had to find Brute before a car hit him or, more likely, he hit a car and got hurt.

She rushed to the faucet and turned the water on. Holding her cuts under the stream, she scanned the backyard for Brute. She hoped the dog would return to the house on his own, but time was running out. She’d have to go back out and find him.

Nothing was going right. She barely escaped Darrell’s men after she found the keys to the Porsche and broke all kinds of traffic laws to escape his house. Luckily, she lost the men chasing her when she entered the strip mall. Her knowledge that the ladies at Land’s End kept the back door propped open to accept deliveries, thanks to investigating a burglary two years ago, allowed her to slip inside and hide until the coast was clear. Then she hailed a cab with the ten dollars she had stuffed in her pocket, and instead of having the driver drop her off at Tony’s place, she’d walked two blocks making sure the area wasn’t staked.

Now she was back at Tony’s for the third time in twenty-four hours because she’d spotted his dog running away. Before she headed out to find Brute, she’d leave a note for Tony in case she failed. Maybe he’d know where Brute liked to run.

It killed her to rely on Tony for help. Until she knew more about Darrell’s accusations of Gino working the other side of the fence, possibly working for the underground, she had to keep her mom safe. The only one on her side, or so she hoped, was Tony Weston.

“Dammit, Brute, where are you?” she muttered.

“Woof.”

She spun around, relief flooding her. Standing inside the house, in the kitchen’s archway, was Brute…and Brute’s owner.

A scowl marked his handsome face as he took her all in. She reached behind her and fumbled with the handle on the faucet to turn off the water, then curled her fingers to hide her injuries.

Tony pressed his lips firmly together until they all but disappeared. The usual softness in his gaze ceased to exist and instead he narrowed his eyes and pinned her where she stood. She gulped, pressing back against the counter. Even more frightening was the way his nostrils flared like those of a bull seeing red, getting ready to charge.

Her respite over Brute’s return home fled and a new concern took shape. Not only had Tony caught up with her, but he was mad.

“Thank God, you found Brute.” She shuffled sideways toward the sliding door. “He followed me, and I was trying to lead him back but he kept running. I thought if I came here again, he’d return. I-I’m sorry about the window.”

He motioned toward the kitchen table. “Sit and start talking.”

She glanced down at her hands, uncurled her fingers, and made to rub them against her shirt when he grasped her wrists. The gentleness in his touch put her at ease. He might be mad about the broken window and the temporary loss of Brute, but his anger didn’t seem to be directed at her.

“You’re hurt,” he said.

“I’m okay.”

“You’re cut and bleeding. That’s not okay.” He stretched around her and yanked a handful of paper towels off the hanger. “Here. Put pressure on it.”

“My mom.” She stared up into his face. “You said—”

“Lance, one of the guys you met last night, who I work with, is on his way to your mom’s house right now.” He led her over to the table and kicked out a chair, sitting her down. “He’ll bring your mom to my house, and you can see for yourself that she’s okay.”

She stiffened, shaking her head. “No, you can’t do that. Darrell knows I was here and will come looking for me. You have to take my mom somewhere else. I’ll pay you.”

“I’ll protect her.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and kept her in the chair. “It’s time you tell me what the fuck is going on, Detective Bangli.”

She froze, knocked dumb by the use of her occupational title. She lowered her chin to her chest and stared at the table. Last night, she’d given him nothing to go on except the use of her first name.

Where had she screwed up? Darrell called her out, and now Tony knew who she was.

Maybe he was guessing, or he’d worked with Gino before and everyone knew about her going undercover. She couldn’t trust him if that was the case. Darrell claimed Gino worked in the underground, and Tony worked with Kage Archer. Bay City was one big family with connections, and no one informed her how they were related beforehand.
Frick.

She’d panicked in her hurry to make sure her mom remained safe and lost her focus. Last night Tony grilled her about her dealings with Darrell. His suspicions came the moment he spotted her at the pool table. But, exactly how close of a working situation did he have with Gino?

“I don’t know why you’re calling me by that name,” she whispered. “I’m Rocki.”

“Right. Mary Bangli, your mom, is on her way here now,” he said. “You’re messing your stories up, sweetheart. You’ve already told me.”

She raised her gaze, willing to use anything to keep her mom safe. “Fine. I’m Detective Bangli, but please don’t call the academy. I’m coming off a job and need time. The more people who get involved, the more danger I bring here. That includes you and the rest of the men from the body shop.”

“I get that. I already knew who you were when we bumped into each other at Corner Pocket, because I’ve seen you before,” he said.

“But, you—”

“Right.” He tipped her face with his thumb under her chin. “I let you lie to me, but that ends now.”

She sagged in the chair. “Everything is a mess, and I don’t understand how it got this way in a matter of hours.”

He concentrated on her hands, taking the towel and patting the cuts and inspecting them for glass. “What you don’t understand is you’re here with me. I’m not letting you run away to handle this on your own. If my guesses are right, I know the amount of danger you’re in, and, sweetheart, it’s not good. What I need to know is how you became involved with Darrell Archer and if your hit on me last night was in any way directed at Kage.”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure why Darrell sent me to the bar. I only know he wanted me to meet the men who played on table three. You showed up. I was supposed to go home with whoever asked me…which turned out to be you.”

“Why did you leave my bed this morning?”

She winced as he worked a sliver of glass out of her hand. The quick change of subject threw her. “What?”

“We’ve got two things going on. One, you’re working for Darrell for some reason. Two, you can’t deny that you came home with me on your own. It was not because Darrell ordered you to. First, I want to know why you left my bed.” He held her wrists and made her stay in front of him. “Not why Detective Bangli left but Rocki, the woman I held all night and enjoyed the time I spent having my arms around her.”

Holy crap.
She stared into his eyes.

He wanted deep in her head. There was no time to discuss her lapse of judgment. Darrell could be at her mom’s house now.

“I need to go.” She tugged on her hands, but he held her in front of him.

“Answer me first,” he said.

She pursed her lips and looked down at Brute, lying on the floor. “Did you train him yourself?”

“You’re stalling,” he muttered.

“No.” She sighed. “I don’t want to answer you. There’s a difference.”

“We can either talk now in private or wait until your mom gets here and have her learn what is going on with you.” He placed her hands in her lap, let go, and leaned back. “Your call.”

She glared at him. For someone who would look more at home on a motorcycle than scoping out a cheating spouse for money, he had a weird way of interrogating someone.

“Fine. I left because I realized my mistake. I should’ve dropped my job when I found out who you were and what you did for a living. Once I heard you introduce Kage, I figured Darrell wanted me to sleep with his nephew. I don’t know why, because anyone around him and his girlfriend knows that man hasn’t looked at another woman in a very long time.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t going to sleep with you—”

“You would’ve slept with me,” he said.

“Uh. No. I wouldn’t have.” She snorted, rolling her eyes.

“I could’ve had you at any time. Even at the bar.” His gaze softened, and he looked damn pleased with himself.

“Dream on, big guy.” She stood, walked over to the broken window, and cradled her hands together, wishing she could make a fist, but knew her cuts needed time to seal.

Tony was right. She’d fallen for his flirting at the bar. She’d let herself believe that their time together was real and not forced by someone else’s hand. Four months of working under cover, and she never once forgot what she was doing.

She’d acted, played, and conned her way into Darrell’s trust. Within a half hour of meeting Tony, she quivered in his presence wondering what it would be like to kiss him and fall into his strong arms again.

Not only had she failed going undercover, she’d failed on her date. “I screwed up,” she whispered.

Tony joined her at the window and put his hands on her hips from behind. She leaned back against him and closed her eyes, thankful for the strength of his body to help support her. She’d gotten in too deep. She hated to admit defeat, but she was in way over her head.

“I’ll help you, but you’re going to have to trust me.” He kissed the top of her head. “To do that, you have to come clean with me. I need to know everything there is about Darrell and what his purpose is for having you contact me and the guys.”

She swallowed hard. “It goes against procedures.”

“Then you talk to Gino—”

“No.” She trembled against him, glad when his hands slipped around her and pulled her hard against his chest. “Darrell told me before he locked me in his house that Gino’s in his pocket. I can’t go to the academy. I don’t know who is telling me the truth.”

“What do you mean?” he said.

“I don’t know.” She sighed. “Darrell never came straight out and accused Gino. He said I couldn’t trust him, and that Gino worked against the underground, because he was working dirty and using the department for his own gain.”

“Shit.” He turned her around. “I called Gino and filled him in that you were with me last night and you left before I woke this morning. I wanted him to check in with you, in case you were in trouble. He knows you’re running scared.”

“If he’s working with Darrell, he already knows I’m out and on my own.” She let her head fall forward onto his chest. “I walk into the station and my life is over, like Joe with no last name.”

He pushed her away without letting her go and forced her to look at him. “Joe?”

Her vision blurred and she blinked the tears dry. “I witnessed Darrell ordering his men to beat Joe—I don’t know his last name. He’d fallen behind on a debt. Then they took him outside and there was nothing I could do to protect him without putting the operation at risk.”

“Jesus…” He pulled her back against him. “You are with me twenty-four seven from here on out.”

“My mom”—she blew out her breath—“needs protection. Once I have her safe, I’ll take the next step in contacting the department.”

“Don’t worry about your mom. She’ll stay here. When I can’t look after her myself, one of the guys from the agency will be with her.” He cupped her face and softly kissed her lips. “Do you trust me?”

She nodded. “I have no one else. I have to.”

“Right.” He chuckled and brushed the hair away from her eyes. “I guess that will do for now.”

A knock came and Brute surged to his feet, giving one loud woof. She jolted, looking at Tony for reassurance that the person knocking on the door wasn’t one of Darrell’s thugs coming to kill her. Tony lifted a finger to his lips and stepped away, removing his pistol from his holster. He pointed to the wall. She moved in the ordered position, wishing she had her service revolver and a vest.

Alone in the kitchen, she looked for anything she could use as a weapon. She gazed around in morbid fascination. Tony was an organized man. He barely had the essentials on his countertops.

Without moving away from her post, she opened the two drawers nearby and almost squealed when she encountered a tray full of sharp knives. She couldn’t outrun a bullet, but if she could get a surprise attack in, she’d cause enough damage with a blade to run away.

Whispers came from the other room. She flattened herself against the wall, the knife gripped at her side. She was naive to think she was safe in Tony’s house.

“Rocki?” Tony called.

She bit the inside of her cheek. Even his people couldn’t be trusted. Everyone seemed linked to Darrell Archer. A few bills, a favor, a marker was all it took for someone to turn against everything they believed in and do Darrell’s dirty work.

She’d seen family men, businessmen, and even a priest meet with Darrell and walk out of the room with their heads down as if they’d sold their soul to the devil with no chance at redemption. She inhaled deeply and stood straighter. She’d have to protect herself and Tony.

She put her hand behind her back, holding the butcher knife out of sight, and stepped through the archway.

Her mom stood between Tony and Lance. Mom’s perfectly arched brows creased and worry lines shadowed her eyes. Rocki sucked in a sob and hurried across the room, falling into her mother’s arms.

“Oh God, I’m glad you’re okay,” Rocki whispered, hugging her mom tight to her chest.

Tony pried the knife from her grasp, a grin on his face as he handed the weapon to Lance, who shared a smile with him. They could make fun of her all they wanted for being paranoid, because they’d brought her mom to her.