Chapter 5
FIVE
With Haven and Rusk secure in the back compartment of Colt’s truck, Maren sat in the passenger seat while Colt drove them to the address provided by Eva for Steve Loren, Colt’s CI.
They entered a seedy neighborhood of Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Run-down redbrick apartment buildings lined the street with overgrown common spaces in between.
Alert for any threats. Maren’s heart rate remained high after having her tire blown out and a masked gunman pointing his rifle at her.
The gunman had thought she was Opal. Bile seared her throat.
Her sister was being hunted by the drug kingpin known as Shadow, as well as the DEA. One wanted her dead, and the other wanted her help in taking down the former. Both put her sister in a precarious, dangerous position.
A position Maren had trained for, but not her sister. Opal wouldn’t survive without help. Maren slanted a sideways glance at Colt, taking in the strong lines and angles of his handsome face. She wanted to dislike the man, but there was something about him… She blew out a breath.
The dark slash of his eyebrows over green eyes and the close-cropped beard couldn’t diminish the strength in the cut of his jaw, nor could the mustache conceal the fine shape of his lips.
She forced her gaze away from his too handsome face, noting the capable way his hands held the steering wheel at ten and two. He was solid and steadfast. Trustworthy.
Trust didn’t come easy. Allowing anyone close was something she avoided. Yet, even though she’d only known him for such a short time, she unexpectedly trusted him, which wasn’t something she took lightly.
Nor the fact he’d saved her life.
Gratitude filled her chest. If he hadn’t been following her when the gunman in the van had shot out her tire and sent her into the ditch…
If Colt hadn’t managed to chase off the gunman—a shudder worked over her.
She was thankful to be alive. And it was all due to this man beside her.
She owed him, but was the cost going to be her sister’s life?
And now Maren and Colt were officially working together. Partners.
Somehow this partnership was different than those she’d formed with the Colorado K-9 Unit task force members. The other K-9 officers and their leader, Emmett, all had a common goal to find Mia Andrews and bring to justice the malicious criminals killing young women and selling their babies.
A worthy mission.
When she’d received the notice to report to the task force headquarters in Denver, she’d been both surprised and flattered. It had been an honor to be included and deputized as a federal agent with all the perks and responsibility that went with the designation.
Of course, she realized Haven was a big part of the equation. The dog was good at her job.
All the dogs on the task force were good at their jobs. And the handlers all exceptional in their respective departments.
She was sure Colt and Rusk were good at their job.
They both had a vested interest in finding Opal, even if they’d started out with different motivations.
And now their purposes were aligned. What had Opal done to enrage Shadow?
Was the fact she knew his face enough for him to want her dead?
Where was she now? Was Opal pregnant? And scared enough to fake her own death?
The questions spun through Maren’s brain like the wheel on the TV show Wheel of Fortune. She wondered what answers they would learn when they found Steve Loren.
He had to be able to lead her to her sister.
Please, Jesus, I need to find her.
She knew Colt’s goal was to take down Shadow. She wanted that as well, since the man was trying to kill her sister. And because his henchmen thought she was Opal, they’d nearly killed her.
Colt parallel parked the truck between two cars, barely managing to fit in the tight space. Maren had to admit she was thankful that her boss had brought Colt onto the team for now and that he had given them permission to follow this lead.
So that she could find her sister. Not because she felt safe with Colt at her side.
Guilt stabbed at her for not pursuing the illegal baby adoption ring. But finding Opal could lead to the OB or other adoption ring members who could crack the case.
Worry for Mia Andrews still took up residence in her brain. She lifted up another silent prayer that Mia would be found soon.
Along with Opal.
Maren felt bad for Dodger Andrews because not knowing where a loved one had disappeared to was torture.
Colt turned off the engine. “You ready for this?”
His question triggered her defensiveness. “Of course.”
Was he suggesting she wasn’t up to the task of finding her sister? Did he view her as less than because she was only an officer rather than a full-fledged federal agent?
Her rational brain reeled her back from the edge. She purposely relaxed the fists she’d made.
No need to snap at the man. He was helping her, even if doing so furthered his own investigation.
She hated that her first reaction to any sort of perceived judgment was to lash out.
It was because people underestimated her all the time due to her looks.
In some situations, her silly dimples and unassuming demeanor worked to her advantage, but she didn’t want Colt to believe she wasn’t good at her job.
She met his green-eyed gaze, liking the way the edges of his irises were rimmed with a darker color, and was suddenly aware of an unwanted attraction zinging through her veins.
Stay on point, she admonished herself and jerked her gaze away. “Sorry, I’m on edge.”
“Understandable,” he said and popped open his door.
They climbed out of the truck and released the dogs from the back compartment. Both K-9s were well trained and sat next to their partners until they were leashed.
With silent agreement, Maren and Colt led the dogs to a patch of sparse grass and weeds so they could see to their needs, before heading into the apartment building where Steve lived on the fifth floor.
The inside of the building was as run-down as the outside. The walls were dingy, and several light fixtures were broken. Caution tape across the elevator sent them to the stairs. A musty odor had all of them sneezing. They reached the fifth floor and stepped out into the hallway.
A couple of teenagers were hanging out near an open apartment door. When they saw Colt and Maren they disappeared inside and slammed the door shut.
“We have to make this quick,” Colt said. “I’m sure the gossip train will be announcing our presence within seconds.”
She nodded and tucked her jacket behind her sidearm. She wanted nothing to get in the way if she needed to defend herself and Haven. She glanced at Colt and wanted to assure him she was up to whatever they would face. “I have your back.”
He smiled, lighting up his whole face. Her heart did a little bump. “And I have yours.”
They found Steve’s apartment at the end of the hall. Colt knocked. A faint rustling could be heard from inside the apartment.
Maren hung back so that when Steve looked through the peephole, he’d only see Colt. She didn’t want to spook the man.
The door was yanked open. “What are you doing here?”
Steve had a gravelly voice. The stench of burnt cabbage wafted out the open door.
“We need to talk.” Colt and Rusk stepped into the apartment, forcing Steve to back up.
Maren and Haven filled the space behind Colt and Rusk.
She shut the door behind her, locking it.
Rusk sniffed the ground and then stood still, his body pointing toward a black lacquered cabinet against the wall.
Haven lifted her nose, her ears twitching.
She strained at her lead but Maren kept her close despite the obvious signs of alert to drugs in the apartment.
Steve was a wiry guy with greasy hair. He wore baggy sweat bottoms and a misbuttoned plaid shirt. His feet were bare. His gray eyes grew round as he stared at Maren. “Oh no. No, no, no.”
He put his hands up in the air like he wanted to ward her off while his gaze darted everywhere as if looking for an escape. “Why did you bring her here? You were supposed to save her, not drag her and her mess into my world.”
Maren stepped forward. Haven sniffed the air and let out a bark. She was alerting. There were definitely drugs in the apartment.
Rewarding her dog’s reaction with a treat, she asked Steve, “How did you know Opal would be in Barren Valley?”
Steve tucked in his chin, a frown deepening the lines in his forehead. His beady gray eyes landed on her again. “Hey, hey, hey. Who are you? You look like Opal.”
Choosing not to answer the question, Maren said, “You answer my question first.”
Steve backed up toward the window. “Man, you two shouldn’t be here. Were you followed?”
He peered out the window and jumped back. “If Shadow catches wind you’re here, I’m dead. You got to leave. I don’t know who you are, and I don’t want to know.” He jerked his gaze to Colt. “I gave you a chance to save Opal. If you didn’t take it, that’s on you.”
Colt and Rusk moved, circling behind Steve and pushing him toward Maren. Haven stepped in front of Maren.
Steve held up his hands again. His gaze darting to the dog, to Colt and then to Maren. “I don’t want any part of this.”
“But you are a part of it,” Colt said. “How did you know Opal Anderson would be in Barren Valley?”
Steve chopped his hands in the air. “If I tell you, I’m a dead man.”
“We can protect you,” Maren assured him in a tone she used for children and animals.
“Who are you?” Steve asked again.
Wanting to stop this circling of the conversation, Maren said, “I’m Opal’s sister. And I’m with the Colorado Springs PD.”
Steve noisily inhaled. “Not cool.” He spun to look at Colt. “Talking to you was bad enough. Shadow’s got people in the PD.”
“In which PD?” Colt asked.
Steve shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Maren’s heart dropped. “Do you know who?”