Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
B exley Moretti ran her hand over the worn metal desk in the bullpen. This morning was her first day as a detective in the Criminal Enterprise Division of the New York Police Department. She’d arrived thirty minutes early to set up her desk before the morning briefing.
Bex had gone to college at night to get her bachelor’s in criminal justice while she was a beat cop right out of the academy. She’d had some stints doing undercover work as a prostitute or a college student, but now she’d be the lead detective on cases. Not the decoy who did what the older detectives couldn’t do and who would rush in and make the case after she got the incriminating evidence.
Bex set a photo of her family on her desk and placed a ten pack of pens in her drawer. She’d done it. The first woman in her family to go to college and the first in her very blue blood family to become a detective. Not the kind of blue blood you found at country clubs, but the kind where every man in her family was on the force.
“Moretti!” Bex looked up an into the face of Ana Perez. Ana had been an unofficial mentor of Bex’s and had pushed her to take the detective’s test. Ana had been on patrol with Bex’s older cousin, PJ before Ana became a detective. “Welcome, chica !”
Ana gave Bex a hug as the rest of the detectives filtered in for the morning briefing. Ana was ten years older than Bex and had become a lieutenant two years earlier. Ana was married and had two children at home. The second she’d met Bex on a sting, she’d taken her under her wing. Now they were in the same division.
“Thank you, lieutenant,” Bex said with a wink.
“Soon you’ll have this title. I have my eye on becoming captain soon and I’ll need someone I can trust to run these guys.”
“I like that goal. What about the captain?” Bex asked as their captain walked off the elevator with another detective.
“Rumor has it, he’s trying to become a deputy chief. Sean Kilpatrick is a good cop, but once he got married he started caring more about bringing home bigger paychecks than putting away criminals. His wife came from money and I think it hurts his fragile male ego.”
Bex snickered as Ana waved to the guy who had gotten off the elevator with the captain. “Max, meet our new detective, Bexley Moretti. Bex, this is Detective Max Caldwell.”
“Moretti? Any relation to the—” Max paused and she could see him counting. “massive number of Moretti officers on the force?”
Bex laughed and nodded. “That’s my family.”
Max shook his head with wonder. “How many Morettis are there?”
“A lot,” Bex answered with a chuckle as the captain called the briefing to order.
Bex listened as Sean Kilpatrick, who had to be around forty to forty-five years old gave a rundown of the open cases. His red hair wasn’t carrot red, but more a golden red and while he was probably a couple of inches taller than Bex’s five foot seven, he seemed taller with the confidence he oozed. He was in control and he knew it.
“Lastly, welcome our new detective, Bexley Moretti. And before you ask, yes, one of those Morettis.” Sean smiled and everyone laughed. “Bex, a word when the welcome committee is done with you.”
“Yes, sir.” Bex was barely able to answer her captain before the other detectives introduced themselves and told stories about her family.
“Sorry, Trainor,” Max said, slapping the back of a detective around Bex’s age. “That means no flirting or you’ll find yourself missing and the Moretti men helping search for your body.”
Trainor’s face turned red, but it had been clear that was exactly what he’d been thinking. Bex smiled at Max in silent thanks. Getting involved with someone she worked with was a recipe for disaster.
“Thank you all for the welcome,” Bex said as everyone began to head to their desks. “I look forward to working with you all and learning from you, too.” They smiled back at her, happy to see someone come in without an ego, and Bex took a deep breath. “That wasn’t too bad,” Bex whispered to Ana.
“They’re a good group. Just don’t be surprised when the hazing begins.”
“I think I can handle it. You know my family after all. I better go see what the captain needs.”
Bex headed to the captain’s office and knocked on the open door. Sean was sitting behind his desk looking over a case file. “Don’t sit down, detective.” Sean stood up and walked around his desk. “I got an assignment this morning that you would be perfect for. It requires a meeting upstairs. Ready for some undercover work?”
Bex’s heart sped up. Finally, something more than being a hooker. “Yes, sir. What is the case?”
“It’ll be explained upstairs. Let’s go to the sixth floor.”
Bex followed Sean to the elevator and fought asking a ton of questions as they rode to the top floor. This floor housed the chiefs, some of the investigators, and the police commissioner.
“Do I get to meet Chief Wise?” Bex asked as they stepped onto the sixth floor.
“Yes, but he’s not the one giving you your assignment.”
Bex followed Sean as he used his ID card to enter the locked part of the floor. Sean stopped at an office and knocked. “Chief, this is our new detective, Bexley Moretti. Moretti, this is Chief Wise.”
Chief Wise smiled kindly. “I know your father. This sure makes me feel old. I remember the day you were born and the celebration for the first girl in three generations. Welcome to our division. What do you have in store for her today?”
“She has a meeting with the commissioner,” Sean answered for her.
Bex noticed the way Wise raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know about it. Then she saw him frown when someone walked by the office. She glanced over and saw DA Guy Seabrook walking by the windows.
“Well, don’t let me hold you up. Bex, welcome. If there’s ever anything you need, feel free to see me. I’d love to hear what your family has been up to. I hold your father in very high regard. Please tell them hello for me.” Her boss held out his hand and Bex shook it. Her father had hoped she’d be assigned to Wise’s division. He too spoke highly of her chief.
“I will. Thank you, sir.”
Sean led her out the door and down the hall to an office twice the size of Wise’s large office. Inside, the DA was sitting on a leather couch with Police Commissioner Murphy.
William Murphy smiled as he and DA Guy Seabrook stood up when she entered the room. Murphy was several decades older than Seabrook. Seabrook was in his early forties, while Murphy was in his early sixties.
“Gentlemen, this is my new detective, Bexley Moretti.”
Murphy smiled. “I know your . . . well, a good portion of your family. Nice to meet you.”
“You too, sir.” It was hard, but Bex didn’t ask why the hell a new detective was in a room with the police commissioner and the DA. So, she waited. Someone would tell her something. Her older brothers had taught her that.
“Thank you, Sean,” Seabrook said, keeping his eyes on Bex. “You are right. She’ll be perfect for what we need. You can go now.”
Bex didn’t miss the surprise in Sean’s eyes. He expected to be part of this discussion. “I’ll see you both next week,” Sean said as if reminding them he had some kind of connection to them. Reluctantly, he left, closing the door after him.
Bex swallowed. This was not normal. She casually glanced around and relaxed a little when she saw the windows behind her were open so people could see them inside talking. Sexual harassment wasn’t the norm, but a woman had to be na?ve not to think about it when left in a room with two powerful men. One of whom she had not voted for because of his ick factor.
“Have a seat, Bex,” Seabrook said with that icky grin she didn’t like. “Can I call you Bex?”
“How about Detective? I just earned my new title and would love to hear it.” Bex was many things: intimidated, nervous, and suspicious. But na?ve was not on the list. She knew how to remind people she was more than “just” a woman.
Murphy chuckled. “I bet your family is proud, Detective.”
“They are,” Bex responded with a kind smile for Murphy. She’d heard stories about him. He wasn’t a clean cop like Wise, but he also wasn’t a dirty one. He just didn’t mind stepping on others to get to where he was. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Actually, it’s me who wants to see you.” Crap. The smile fell as she turned to face Seabrook. “We need someone young and ambitious for some undercover work. Sean believed you’d fit the bill. I read your file and saw you did undercover work with hookers. Since you still look like that, I think you’ll be perfect.”
She didn’t return Seabrook’s smile. “Why isn’t my captain or chief here?”
“Ah,” Murphy said gently. “Guy’s department is leading this investigation. If he approves of you, I’ll put in the paperwork to loan you to the DA’s Investigators Department.”
“This could be very big for you, Detective .” Ugh, Seabrook was a condescending ass.
“What’s the case?” Bex asked.
“Have you ever heard of WET nightclub?” Seabrook asked her. Bex nodded. Everyone in New York had. “The owner, Wilder Townsend, is under investigation for drugging and assaulting young women. Hence, why I had to make sure you’d fit the profile of the previous victims. I want to put you in as a party girl. I want evidence that Wilder Townsend is supplying drugs, running weapons, and assaulting women.”
Bex was surprised. The women in her neighborhood all tried to get into WET. They never mentioned any of those issues. “And you don’t want me to report to my chief or captain but to your office?”
“You’ll report to me, Detective .” Seabrook smirked and then cocked his head at her. “You think you can handle this assignment? I expect results and soon. Townsend is dangerous. I want this wrapped up as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir. What kind of team will I be working with?”
“No team. Just you,” Seabrook told her.
This time Bex couldn’t hide her surprise. “Sir, I always work with a team.”
“You worked with a team because you were just a patrol officer out shaking your tits. Now, as you’ve pointed out, you are a detective. Undercover assignments for detectives usually only involve a handler to report back to me. Think you can handle it or are you too green?”
Seabrook threw down the challenge and Bex wasn’t going to back away from it. “I can handle it, sir.”
“Great. You start tonight.”