Chapter 5 #2
“I’m a policeman. And I promise you, we’re doing everything we can to find who hurt your papa. We’re going to keep you safe.”
With tears hovering in both eyes, the boy just nodded.
Michael’s father might not like that he was a cop now, but this was why he couldn’t give up the profession. It was too late for his own mother, but he could make sure this boy stayed safe and got the justice for his father that he deserved.
Dani had never considered herself a conspiracy theorist, but today had her questioning the belief. What else could it be but a conspiracy to make her look like the most incompetent agent ever?
Seriously, God, what’s the deal?
First, her phone had been stuck under a couch cushion at Josh and Lily’s and she hadn’t heard her alarm. Then she’d searched high and low in their kitchen and found no source of caffeine whatsoever. Now her car sputtered a death rattle if she’d ever heard one, stalled, and refused to go.
Dani drifted off to the side of the deserted road, the damp morning air rushing her as soon as she opened the door.
The Renegade Mountains watched the spectacle from afar, probably laughing at her too.
But there was nothing funny about the plume of smoke coming from her engine block.
It matched the thick gray clouds above, hiding the sunlight.
“Come on, Buttercup. It’s my first day. I’m supposed to show up on time.
Meet my new team. Show them I’m a capable and trustworthy agent.
” At the last word, Dani dropped the hood back down with a little more force than necessary.
It wasn’t the scream she wanted to release, but it was better than nothing.
This was what the mechanic had warned her about, but like an idiot, she’d pushed it off, thinking she’d have more time to save up the money for the expensive fix. She slumped against the bumper.
So much for making a good first impression.
Dani pulled out her phone. She couldn’t call Josh.
He’d been up all night with Archer and was already at work on the other side of town.
If she called Lily, she’d have to pack up the kids, and Simon had still been sleeping when Dani left.
If she called her mom, she’d only tell Dad and have him come to get her.
Her thumb hovered over her father’s picture in her contacts list. He and Mom were the closest. She might even make it on time if she called now.
But she could already picture the hard look in his eyes.
Why can’t you be more responsible, Danielle?
You should worry about a car being practical, not pretty.
All the things she’d heard growing up sounded a lot like the one thing he’d never said but always implied: Why can’t you be different?
Through the tightness in her throat, she swallowed.
No, if she was going to get to work today, it wouldn’t be her father driving her. Dani ducked into the car as the first fat raindrops started falling.
You gotta be kidding me.
The sky broke loose with a peal of thunder. Rain came down in sheets. There was no way she could walk the mile to the nearest gas station.
She groaned and dropped her head on the steering wheel, only to pop straight back up at the sound of knocking on her window.
“Need a ride?”
She blinked twice.
Michael Martinelli stood outside her car with an umbrella in hand.
Had her imagination conjured up a hero scenario?
He didn’t drift away or disappear in a poof of fairy dust. This was real.
She almost plowed him down with a huge hug. Instead, she stepped out of the car and jumped into his open passenger side as he held the door.
“You are an answer to prayer!” Not that she’d actually prayed, but she wasn’t going to turn away a rescue when she needed one. “I might actually make it to work on time, thanks to you.”
“First day?”
“Can you tell? Princess Buttercup thought she’d make it interesting.”
“It might be time for the princess to retire.” Michael chuckled.
Dani tried to ignore the sweet warmth it ignited inside. “Never! I suppose I could’ve called a rideshare, but it would’ve taken them a while to get out here, so thank you. Now the only thing I need is a strong cup of coffee, and my day will be back on track.”
“Here, take mine. I have one I’ve already started, as well as my backup.”
“You have backup coffee?” Typical Michael move.
“Don’t you? I don’t have any creamers or anything, just half-and-half, but it’s all yours if you want it.”
“Really? You don’t mind? I don’t need it sweet, and I promise I’ll get the cup back to you.” She took the warm travel mug he handed her and breathed in the scent of roasted coffee. The smell alone helped her shake off the last of the morning blahs. Maybe things were turning around for her.
Michael dropped her off at the downtown office complex and offered to call a buddy to tow her car and have it looked at.
The world could use more Michaels. He even had her keep his umbrella.
She shook the rain off it and walked inside the lobby of the five-story brick building. She was only two minutes late.
It took another fifteen minutes to get her security clearance figured out, but soon she was riding the elevator to the top floor.
This was it. Time to show her new office, her new boss, the kind of agent she could be.
The kind that could take on the big cases.
The kind that should be assigned to a bigger city.
She stepped into another lobby, this one much smaller. A thirty-something man in a blazer and tie stood behind the counter.
“You must be Danielle Kim.” He held out a hand and smiled. “I’m Atkins, security division of the Renegade resident agency.”
“Call me Dani.” She shook his hand and returned the smile. See? This wasn’t so bad.
“Welcome to the Renegade office. Let me show you around.” Atkins led her behind the front desk and into the maze of cubicles and offices. He pointed out three other agents, all working together around a smart board.
“These guys are running an undercover operation at one of the military manufacturing plants.”
Undercover? Here?
“What kind of case? Are they leaking trade secrets?” Dani asked.
Atkins nodded. “That’s what we’re trying to confirm. Our enemies are clamoring for this tech.”