Chapter 27 Diem
Diem
Diem
I glared in the rearview mirror, doing all I could to assert my authority over a petulant nineteen-year-old. The golden retriever and Darcy sat in the back of the Jeep, the former with her tongue lolling and happy golden eyes shining. The latter, with his arms sullenly crossed.
“Stay with Echo.”
“But I want to go with you.”
“No. It’s dangerous and illegal.”
“Oh, but you’re allowed?”
“I’m not getting you involved, Darcy. You’re already in over your head. Do as you’re told.”
“So I have to babysit a stupid dog.”
“Echo is smarter than you and can take care of herself. It’s you I’m worried about.”
“You’re not my dad.”
I turned around in the seat and leveled him with mirroring contempt. “Are we going there?”
Darcy huffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m already in trouble with the police. What’s the difference?”
“Darcy, you’re not coming. Stop. Arguing.”
Tallus shifted to face the kid. “PS, bud. Diem is now using his angry voice. I suggest you do as you’re told or you’ll wake the bear, and trust me, you don’t want that.”
Darcy looked at Tallus like he had six heads, but he slumped further in the seat. “Fine.”
“He pouts like you,” I said to Tallus.
My boyfriend smacked me in the shoulder. “You take that back. I have a way sexier pout.”
I bit back a smirk, working to keep a stern scowl in place as I spoke again to Darcy. “And stay in the Jeep.”
“I heard you the first time. Just go.”
Satisfied the brat would stay put, I got out and met Tallus in front of the vehicle.
I had parked on a side street, around the corner from the main entrance of the storage facility.
The crowd of emergency vehicles from earlier was gone.
The main gate was locked for the night, and the office was dark.
We’d dressed in black to blend with the shadows. I’d left the fedora and my trench coat at home since they tended to draw attention. My size caused enough issues when trying to be stealthy.
Tallus, on the other hand, somehow managed to turn Clandestine Spy into a sexy art form, but it no longer surprised me. How he could bend and move in the black skinny jeans he’d chosen was a mystery. It made it difficult to focus on anything beyond his perky ass and the sway of his hips.
God help me. He was mine. The notion still baffled me.
Although it was after ten and traffic had thinned, the plan included breaking and entering. I tried to follow the rules, but Tallus was a devil on my shoulder, and the man could talk his way in or out of anything he pleased.
This was his idea—in essence. The details were mine.
The goal? Get in, find out if Lukyan Andrich owned the burned storage unit, discover what remained inside said storage unit, and get out without disturbing anything. The key components included keeping our faces off camera and leaving no evidence that we had been on the premises at all.
At a secluded section of fence, out of sight of the main street and behind a few conveniently placed trees, I stopped and adjusted Tallus’s ball cap so I could see his eyes behind his come-fuck-me glasses.
“Hey, sexy.”
He smirked. “Hey, Guns.”
“Don’t break these.” I tapped the frames.
“I never plan to. It just happens.”
“You should have worn your contacts.”
Tallus peered beyond the fence and back the way we’d come before facing me again. “I don’t see as well in the dark with them. Astigmatism. Causes lights to streak and glare. It’s distracting. Plus,” he nudged me, “you hate my contacts.”
“I don’t hate them, but the glasses are next level.”
“Do they make you hard?”
“If I’m not in control.”
His smile grew. “Are you in control now?”
“Poorly.” I flicked the brim of the ball cap. “Can we talk about this accessory?”
“The ball cap? Uh-oh. Do you have a thing for hats now?”
“I must. I definitely have a thing for you.”
I bent to kiss him. He allowed it, for a moment, then pulled back. “Quit schmoozing. I can’t climb a fence on a good day, but with my cock hard, it will be impossible.”
Chuckling, I sized up the ten-foot chain-link obstruction standing between us and the compound. “You sure you can manage?”
Tallus pffed. “I’ve got this. Where are the cameras?”
“They’re scattered throughout. Secured to the tops of the units at the intersections.
They’re meant to cover quite a distance, pick up cars or trespassers.
Doubt they’re high quality. Keep your chin down.
They probably record by motion sensor, but aren’t accessed unless they suspect an incident.
We aren’t disturbing anything, so they’ll have no reason to check them. The chaos happened earlier.”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.”
“No. You go first.”
“Aww. Will you catch me if I fall?”
I tugged his cap lower. “Yes, but don’t fall.”
I wasn’t sure how Tallus would manage scaling a fence, no matter how big his ego.
He was not exactly an athlete. At least he’d found appropriate footwear.
Kind of. The Converse were less than ideal but better than the fancy-as-fuck loafers he wore to work every day. The man didn’t own running shoes.
His ascent was slow but cautious. If he was nervous, I couldn’t tell. I stayed close, ready to provide support if needed. At the top, he awkwardly maneuvered a leg over and stalled, straddling the fence, crotch kissing the jagged wire peaks.
“What are you doing? Are you okay?”
“I’m looking around.”
That was fine. It gave me time to scoot ahead, so I was beneath him as he descended the other side. When he was a few feet from touchdown, I snagged his waist and tugged him into my arms.
He yelped and flailed before colliding with my chest. I set him on his feet and brought my mouth to his ear. “Gotcha.”
He playfully elbowed my side. “Which way?”
I got my bearings and indicated we should head to the left.
We followed the rear concrete wall of a line of units until we got to a corner.
Two cameras were mounted at the mouth of the next row, aimed in either direction.
I pointed them out to Tallus and tugged my ball cap lower, hunching to make myself smaller as I officially entered the grid of roads that comprised the facility.
Tallus copied, staying close and quiet. We stayed against the wall where the units cast dark shadows.
It didn’t take long to find the location of the fire.
The area was barred by a flapping string of yellow police tape and a few traffic cones.
The cordoned section encompassed six storage units.
Three on either side of the wide row. The one that interested us, the center unit on the right, stood out, remnants of the earlier incident noticeable even at night.
The units beside it didn’t show signs of damage.
I ducked under the caution tape and approached the charred, garage-style door. The melted paint peeled and curled where flames had licked through from underneath, blackening the metal. The distinct smell of smoke and melted plastic still lingered in the air.
“Shit.” Tallus moved past me. With a gloved hand, he tugged on a shiny stainless steel chain and padlock attached to the unit’s door.
I presumed the fire department or the police had put it there when they left for the day.
Whether it was to preserve their investigation or protect whatever remained inside, I didn’t know, but I had prepared for this contingency.
“What now?” Tallus asked.
I examined the padlock, finding exactly what I expected.
A standard Master outdoor key-accessed lock, available in any hardware store, sold in bulk, and typically used by the police at times when they needed to secure evidence that couldn’t be taken away from a scene.
Like a shed. Like a gate. Like a storage unit.
The locker was a fair distance from any of the cameras, but I turned my back to the nearest one and withdrew a carefully concealed tool from under my hoodie, where I had tucked it precariously in the top of my jeans before leaving the house.
Tallus gasped. “Diem Krause. Are those heavy-duty bolt cutters in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?”
Amused, I arched a brow. “You see heavy-duty bolt cutters, and the first thing you think of is sex?”
“Um. Not exactly. It was the presentation.” He shrugged, his mischievous grin peeking from the shadow under his ball cap. “But seriously, you can’t cut the lock. It will raise suspicion, and they’ll check the cameras. I thought we weren’t messing with anything.”
“We aren’t. We will leave it exactly as we found it.” From a pocket on my jeans, I produced an identical Master lock—set of keys still attached—and handed it to him.
He examined it, lips parted and head cocked to the side. “Okay, firstly. How the fuck do you have an identical lock in your pocket? Did you consult Kitty before we left? You are not the witchy one.”
Using the bolt cutters, I tapped the lock secured to the chain. “Standard issue. Used all the time in police work. It was a good guess.”
“All right. I’ll buy it, even though it seems awfully fortuitous. What color are my underwear?”
“Black. You don’t own any other color.”
“Oh, right. But there’s another problem. You do realize they will not use the same key.”
“I’m aware.”
Tallus seemed to consider this for a long moment before shaking his head. “Nope. Not following. Explain.”
“The point is, it will look the same. Untouched. When whoever put it here tries to open it, the most logical reason will be that the person either grabbed the wrong set of keys or the key manufactured for this commercially produced product is faulty. We won’t leave them a reason to suspect otherwise.
It will be brushed off as a minor issue. ”
Tallus nodded approvingly. “And that, Inspector Guns, is why you’re the boss, and I’m the minion. Cut away before Darcy decides he’s tired of waiting and comes looking for us.”
“He won’t if he knows what’s good for him.”
“That’s just it. I don’t think he does. I loathe to admit the kid and I have anything in common, but when it comes to you, we do.”