Chapter One #2
There. Something else caught Michael’s eye. He pulled out his flashlight and squatted next to the bumper of the loading-dock door. Two drops of red, approximately two centimeters in diameter, reflected the light from the parking-lot pole hovering above them.
“I’ve got blood. Still wet.” He stood to face the kid.
Stitch’s thin face went pale. He lifted his hands. “I swear, I didn’t do nothin’.”
Finn sighed. “I’ll get techs out here.” He moved a few steps away and made the call.
“What did you see, Stitch. What did you hear?” Michael stepped closer to the boy and blocked him in so he couldn’t run.
“Nothin’! I swear. I came, I skated. When I heard sirens, I hid back here and found that necklace. I was just waiting for you to leave.” His voice cracked. Rapid breathing.
There might be some credence to the boy’s story. He was no criminal mastermind pulling off a jewelry heist for one measly gold necklace, but they’d check for gunshot residue on his hands and for blood spatter to be sure.
Parking-lot surveillance would confirm if he was telling the truth or not. He could still have been a part of the break-in. Maybe he’d been a lookout for someone else.
After the past few months investigating a shadow syndicate operating in town, a bit of petty theft seemed almost tame. Michael hoped a more violent crime hadn’t occurred.
Thankfully, Roger Rousseau was in custody now, and once he told the prosecutor everything he knew, the entire Shadow Syndicate investigation would be over.
Two uniformed cops came out the same back door Michael and Finn had used. Schafer and Fernando reminded him of younger versions of Mel Gibson’s and Danny Glover’s characters in Lethal Weapon.
Minus the comedy element.
Schafer was plain crazy and reckless, exactly like Martin Riggs.
“What did you find, Finnigan?” Fernando asked. As the older of the two, he played by the rules and followed procedure. He also ignored Michael as much as possible and only talked to Finn.
But Finn nodded to Michael, indicating that he had made the discovery and should be the one to speak.
Fernando glanced at Michael and then swung back to Finn. “I asked you. I don’t talk to dirty cops. Or sons of dirty cops.”
Schafer rolled his eyes. “Let’s stick to the case. What do you have, Martinelli?”
“Possible witness. And blood.” Michael pointed to the blood drops. “We need techs to sweep this whole area.”
“That’s not all.” Officer Schafer squatted down to look closer at the blood. “We have a missing security guard too. Looks like it was an inside job.”
“Who’s the guard?” Finn asked.
“Retired cop. Gary Donner.”
Michael’s gut twisted.
“Donner? You sure he’s in on it?” Finn asked. “Why would a decorated cop rob a jewelry store?”
But Gary Donner was more than a decorated and now-retired cop.
Five years ago, he was the last man to see Michael’s mother alive.
Baltimore, Maryland
Danielle Kim tried to hold back the grin begging to be released as she pulled her Kevlar over her head. She was either going to laugh or puke. Hard to say which at this point, because this was it.
Her first real sting since finishing at Quantico.
Not to mention her last chance to prove herself before they passed out the permanent assignments.
The Baltimore office–led takedown of Norman Prince would be one for the books. His chain of massage parlors and spas up and down the East Coast were a front for prostitution and human trafficking. A rock-solid investigation all coming to a head now. Not a bad way to cut her teeth.
“You ready for this?” Special Agent Brooke Macy glanced over at her as she checked her weapon.
“Absolutely.” Dani fought for a serious expression.
“Try not to come across as too eager.” Macy’s voice was low, for Dani’s ears only in the group of agents getting ready in the downtown parking garage. “It’s a dead giveaway that you’re a rookie.”
“Am I that obvious?” Dani chuckled.
Macy’s smirk peeked through. “The bouncing on your toes. It’s a tell.
” She moved over and adjusted Dani’s vest, tightening the straps even more.
“Stick close to me and do exactly as I say. I know you’re ready to prove yourself, use that Quantico training and all, but Prince is that dangerous combination of paranoid and unpredictable. ”
Dani met Macy’s direct stare. “You would know since you were the one who went undercover.”
Man, she couldn’t wait to go undercover herself.
Macy snorted. “It’s not as glamorous as they make it out to be in the movies.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’m serious, Kim. Don’t do it for the glory. The real heroes are in it to serve others, not to prove anything.”
“Of course.” She’d chosen this job because she needed to do something meaningful. She didn’t need recognition or fame.
“And I’ll warn you right now, when you botch it—because everyone does—be the kind of agent who admits her mistakes, learns, gets up, and tries again.”
The words reverberated through her, steadying her hands. Dani knew plenty about failure, but surely all the wild, impulsive tendencies had been trained out of her by now. “Any other words of wisdom?”
“Yeah. Stay focused on this moment. We’re a team, and right now, you’re here to learn and watch my back.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Macy had gone out of her way to show Dani the ropes over these last weeks of on-site training. Dani wanted to show her favorite instructor that all the extra hours of training had been worth it.
But surely a little giddiness was justified. She was on the cusp of having everything she wanted.
Finally.
This new career would turn everything around.
And this sting would set up that career.
She could head to her top choices of Miami or New York.
Maybe Boston or Los Angeles. The bigger the city, the better the chance she had at making a difference.
Maybe then she wouldn’t be remembered as a catalyst for disaster.
“Don’t get in the way, squirt.” Blake Clarkson patted her on the head as he marched by in his all-black tactical gear. His buddy, Reese, laughed as they all piled into the back of the van transporting them to the scene.
“Could you be any more condescending?” Macy shook her head at them.
But Dani didn’t need Macy to fight her battles for her. “They’re only worried I’ll beat them again like I did in Hogan’s Alley.”
Despite Dani’s efforts to connect with all the other trainees at Quantico, Clarkson had never liked her. He was built like a tank, solid and thick, but he was not what anyone would call “a team player.”
He sneered. “I’ll say it again, Kim. You don’t belong in the field. You barely passed the physical requirements.”
“And yet I managed to bring you down in the ring a time or two.” She gave him a saccharine smile and held on to the bench as the van turned a corner.
The other agents chuckled.
“Whatever. We both know you’re better suited for the desk than the field.”
“What’s the matter? Worried I’ll show you up and get a better assignment?” She schooled her face to hide the irritation and keep it pleasant. Great practice for that future undercover work. This would hopefully be the last op she’d ever have to do with him.
“As long as you’re not the one covering my back.”
Rather than take the bait, Dani went through the blueprint of Prince’s mansion in her mind.
Looking out the dark-tinted van windows, she watched the tall skyscrapers morph into suburbia.
Everyone piled out of the vehicle as soon as it stopped.
Two more vans pulled up next to them in the abandoned lot a block away from Prince’s property.
“Listen up.” Special Agent Metcalf stood in the middle of the group, hands on his hips. “Beta group, take the front. Alpha, you’re backing them up. I want Delta and Epsilon covering the rear. Gamma is waiting on standby. No breaching until I give the word, understood?”
“Yes, sir!” The other agents and rookies answered in unison.
As part of the Epsilon team, Dani stayed on Macy’s tail as they maneuvered around the house to the back.
Dani skirted around the leafy shrubs, sticking as close to the building as she could.
As Macy moved past, more than one branch slapped Dani’s arms, but she didn’t react.
Macy stopped at the back corner of the house.
She held up a fist, and the line of agents froze.
She turned to them and spoke in a low voice. “Kim, stay and cover this side yard. Rick and team, you cover the pool area. I’ll watch the back exits. We move into position once they breach. Got it?”
They all nodded.
This was it. Anticipation built, but Dani forced her pulse to stay steady.
Commands crackled through the comms. “Breaching in three, two, one!”
Pounding from the front. Beta group must be infiltrating now.
Using hand signals, Macy indicated for Dani to stay on the side of the house while she and the others continued into the backyard.
Rick and three of his agents sneaked off to the back wall and a small shed beyond the pool.
More yelling came from inside the house.
“He’s making a run for it!” The desperate voice sounded through the comms. The chaos of pounding feet and panicked screams tempted Dani to peek around the corner and see the action.
What if they needed her?
“Hold your position, Kim.”
Could Macy read her thoughts from across the yard?
Again, Dani adjusted her grip on her weapon and kept to the side of the house.
Right now, you’re here to learn and watch my back.
She had to cover Macy and Rick. Delta would be covering the other corner. No doubt Clarkson and Reese were itching to be in on the figh—
At the sound of yelling and broken glass coming from the backyard, Dani was even more tempted to see what was happening.
She had to prove herself now, but one day, she’d be on the front lines and calling the shots. Show everyone that she was an asset. She could make a difference.
A window on the second floor opened. Before Dani could say anything, a large man in a flashy gold tracksuit dropped to the grass.
“Stop!” she called out.