Читать книгу Seduced By The Badge - Deborah Fletcher Mello - Страница 15
ОглавлениеArmstrong stepped into the shower, anxious for the cool spray of water that rained down from the showerhead. Nothing about his day had been what he had expected. He wasn’t accustomed to having anyone in his space as he worked a case, and Danni’s presence had been completely disquieting. There was something about the young detective that had him feeling out of sorts, and he couldn’t begin to understand it. Explaining it would have been virtually impossible, so he was grateful to keep the unsettled feelings to himself.
Despite his best efforts to put the day and the woman behind him, there were too many thoughts lingering in his head. He pressed his hands against the tiled wall and leaned his face beneath the warming flow. Water rained over his brow and down his cheeks, droplets lingering in the strands of his beard.
He needed to run by the barbershop for a trim and edge, he thought to himself. There was also laundry in the trunk of his car that he needed to drop off, the errand deterred by the impromptu dinner plans with the queen of the neighborhood watch. He smiled as he thought back to their meal with Miss Nanette.
Danni had been ready to head over to the coffee shop to search out Pius the minute they stepped back out onto the front porch. But he’d called an end to their day instead, knowing Pius would still be there when they picked back up in the morning. He had wanted to pull the career criminal’s file first, hoping to discover a lengthy rap sheet and at least two outstanding warrants for failures to appear in court. When they finally did cross paths, he wanted to ensure they’d have reason to cuff and arrest him.
Armstrong could tell by the shift in her mood and the expression on her face that Danni hadn’t liked the idea, but she didn’t say so out loud. She’d been exceptionally polite, and dismissive, when he’d returned her to her hotel. She’d wished him a good night, and then she’d stomped into the building.
Danni was fire and ice, intensely calculating with a quick fuse. She was not an easy woman to read. She intrigued him, and he found himself wanting to know more about her. Needing to understand what drove her. Unlike women he’d been known to date, she reminded him instead of his mother and his sisters, her staid demeanor marked by a piercing stare and terse tongue. There was a moment with Miss Nanette where she’d finally relaxed, her smile fueling the light in her eyes. Her laugh had been airy and her brow had smoothed, no longer furrowed with emotion. That woman had made his heart skip a beat, and he couldn’t help but hope that he’d get a chance to know that side of her better.
Stepping from the shower, he grabbed an oversize towel and tucked it around his waist. Minutes later he’d slipped on a pair of sweats and sat alone in his living room. Settling himself comfortably against the chenille sofa, he sipped on a cup of hot coffee laced with Irish whiskey. The file on the Balducci family wasn’t quite light reading to send him off to sleep, but it was necessary. He needed to learn everything he could about the kid, because he had no doubts that Junior already knew everything there was to know about him.
* * *
The coffee shop on California Avenue would have been easy to find if she hadn’t been looking for it, Danni thought as she pushed her way inside and looked around. There was a late-night crowd of regulars who all seemed to turn and stare as she entered. Her gaze swept quickly around the room as she moved swiftly to the counter to order an iced chai latte and a brownie.
“You new around here?” the young man who took her order asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I just got into town.” She pushed her hands and the change he’d passed her into her pants pockets.
He nodded. “My name’s Carlo,” he said as he extended his hand to shake hers.
“Danielle, but my friends call me Danni.”
He smiled, flashing bright white teeth with a center gap and dimpled cheeks. His eyes were black against an ivory complexion, his hair cropped just low enough to define wavy curls.
“Do you have somewhere to stay, Danni?”
There was a moment of pause as Danni pondered her response. Carlo continued before she could respond.
“It’s not safe out here. Especially for a young girl. I don’t know what your story is, but if you need some help...”
Danni smiled sweetly. “Thanks, but I’m good. I’m staying with a cousin. She doesn’t live far from here. She works late and I just wanted to get out and do some exploring.” The lie rolled effortlessly out of her mouth.
Carlo nodded. “Okay. But if you ever need help, there’s a shelter close by and people you can turn to.”
“Why are you so nice? You don’t even know me.”
“My sister was a runaway. She didn’t make it home. I want to think that had she ever asked someone for help they would have been there for her.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Carlo shrugged. “Grab a seat and I’ll bring your coffee to the table.”
“Thank you,” Danni said, offering him one last smile.
Grabbing a table by the window, Danni positioned herself so that she could see most of the room, anyone coming through the door and the sidewalk outside. The sun had set hours earlier, and a full moon shone through the windows, illuminating the dark sky and the street outside. There were more people inside than Danni would have imagined. Most looked like college students. There was a couple out on a date and the occasional single with a laptop and headphones pretending not to be paying attention to the conversation at the next table.
But what drew her attention and held it was the table way in the back where three young women sat, silent. There was barely the hint of a conversation between them, each staring off into the distance. A man with bad skin and a too-small suit sat with them, his demeanor and presence seeming everything but protective. When one girl rose to go to the restroom, he grabbed her wrist abruptly and held it a tad too tightly for comfort as he hissed something under his breath.
Danni bristled, her hand falling to the waistband of her jeans and the small pistol tucked beneath her shirt and jacket. She clenched her fingers into a tight fist as she watched the girl continue on her way, her companion dropping back into his seat. The moment was interrupted when Carlo moved to her side, setting her drink and dessert down onto the table. He turned to see where she stared.
“Everything okay?”
Danni shifted her gaze to meet his. “Everything’s fine.”
He stole another quick glance over his shoulder. “That’s the kind of trouble you don’t need. Trust me. Nothing good can come from hanging with that crew.”
She nodded. “I was just being nosy,” she said softly.
Carlo smiled. “You ever hear about curiosity and that cat? The cat died.” His deadpan expression moved her to laugh.
“I get it,” she said.
He winked an eye at her. “I have to get back to the counter, but if you need anything else, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Carlo.”
As the man moved to help another customer, Danni shifted her attention back to the other side of the room. The girl had returned to the table, looking disinterested as she and the other two young women finished off sandwiches and mugs of drinks covered with whipped cream. The man with them studied a copy of the Chicago Tribune, ignoring what little chatter there was between his companions. And then the front door swung open, a mini storm moving into the space.
Everyone in the room turned to stare as a couple in heated conversation swept past the counter, moving directly toward the back table. He was tall and lanky with thick black locks pulled into a loose man bun at the back of his head. Dressed in a black, collarless jacket, black slacks and just the hint of a white turtleneck peeking past the jacket’s neckline, he carried himself with an air of irrefutable arrogance. The girl with him wore a gold lamé dress that dipped low in the front and even lower in the back, barely covering her assets. A white fake fur coat was slung over one shoulder, and she stomped in strappy gold high-heeled shoes. She was strikingly beautiful, with a porcelain complexion and raging red hair that fell to the middle of her back.
The young woman was angry, cursing profusely as she slammed her purse onto the table and her backside into a chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, then shouted again as a fresh irritation crossed her mind. Anger painted her companion’s expression. Infuriated by her outbursts, he slammed a flat palm down against the table, the harsh gesture silencing the entire room.
The couple on that date rose from their seats, waved a hand at the barista and hurried out the door. Everyone else went back to minding their own business, not interested in getting caught up in any fray. Danni’s eyes widened as she eavesdropped, her head hung low over her plate as she pretended to pick at her brownie.
“I’m done, Pius! Do you hear me? I’m not going back to any of those parties ever again,” she screamed before the pout returned to her heavily made-up face.
Carlo moved from behind the counter, his hands resting on his hips as he stared at the table.
Danni turned swiftly to look. The woman’s companion stood with his back to her, seeming to hover over the table. He snapped a finger, and the other man sitting with the women moved onto his feet, moving to give up his chair. As he sat down, his arm flew from his side, backhanding the woman he’d arrived with. Her head snapped back and then her hand flew to the side of her face, tears raining from her eyes.
“Shut up,” he snapped gruffly. “No one said ‘speak.’”
The woman swallowed a sob, and then she stood slowly. She hesitated when the man Danni assumed was a bodyguard took a step in her direction. The quiet in the space was eerily disconcerting.
Carlo’s voice suddenly rose above the silence. “Pie!”
The other man turned in his seat, acknowledging their familiarity with an exaggerated eye roll. “What?” he snapped back.
“You’re scaring my customers,” Carlo quipped.
The other’s man’s gaze swept around the room. He paused for a swift second as Danni met his stare briefly before dropping her eyes back to the table.
“Sorry about that. Coffee’s on me,” the man nicknamed Pie finally said. He turned back around and gestured toward his companion. The bodyguard stepped aside as the woman resumed her trek to the restrooms, still holding on to the side of her face.
“Are you having your regular, Pie?” Carlo questioned. His tone was edged, just shy of being abrasive. Frustration rounded his shoulders and tightened his jaw. He was clearly pissed and fighting not to let it show.
Pie didn’t answer, his attention shifting to a cell phone that vibrated in his breast pocket. He moved to answer the call, ignoring whatever else was happening around him.
“That’s what I thought,” Carlo muttered. He tossed Danni a look, the young woman on the edge of her seat, her body tense. He turned an about-face. “We close soon,” he said loudly, the comment meant for the entire room. “Last call for refills.”
Danni guzzled the last of her coffee, then stood up and headed to the bathroom. Inside, the space was tight, with two stalls and a single sink. The tile wore its age, and new fixtures would have been an improvement. But a fresh coat of pale yellow paint made a pleasant difference, and someone had gone to great lengths to make the space feel comfortable.
The young woman dressed in gold stood looking in the only mirror, fixing her makeup. Ire furrowed her brow as she hid the rising bruise on her cheek beneath a layer of powder foundation. She wasn’t a happy camper, and her anger seeped from her dark eyes past her lashes.
Standing beside her, Danni realized the girl wasn’t nearly as old as she’d initially thought. She stared, realizing the young lady might have been in her late teens or early twenties. She took a deep breath and one step closer. “Hey. Are you okay?” Danni asked. “I saw what your boyfriend did.”
The young woman tossed her a look, a moment of silence shifting between them before she responded. “That prick’s not my boyfriend. I just work for him.”
Danni nodded. “Do you want to call the police or anything?”
The other woman’s incredulous expression gave Danni pause. “Are you stupid?” she snapped.
“I was just trying to help.”
“I don’t need your help. And I definitely don’t need no cops.”
Danni nodded again. “Sorry.”
The girl turned to stare at her. Her gaze swept from Danni’s head to her feet and back. “How old are you?”
“Old enough.”
She laughed. “At least you lie quick. It’ll come in handy.” She extended her hand. “Everyone calls me Ginny. Short for Ginger. Because of the red hair.” She swept her hand through her thick locks.
“Danni. Short for Danielle.”
“You’re new. I’ve never seen you here before.”
“I just got into town. I got into some trouble back home in Georgia, and my folks sent me here to stay with my cousin.”
“Shouldn’t you be home or something? You look like the curfew type.”
Danni shrugged, a slight grin on her face. “My cousin’s a stripper and she works late.”
Ginny laughed. “I bet your old people don’t know that!”
“My parents think she’s going to school. I don’t tell and she lets me do what I want to do.”
The bathroom door suddenly swung open, one of the other young women in Ginny’s party of friends searching her out.
“Pie said to move your ass. He’s ready to go.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Danni asked.
Ginny nodded as she dropped a tube of bright red lipstick back into her purse and snapped the latch closed. She pushed her way past Danni. She paused at the door, turning back to face the woman. “Thanks,” she said, “maybe I’ll see you around,” and then she turned, exiting the room.
Danni suddenly realized she’d been holding her breath and her knees were shaking. She inhaled and leaned back against the tiled wall to stall the rush of adrenaline that had moved her to follow behind the girl.
Despite the occasional infraction, some of which had gotten her a solid slap on the wrist, Danni was good at what she did. But it had taken every ounce of fortitude she possessed not to throw herself across the room to slap the taste out of Pie’s mouth for putting his hands on Ginny. It infuriated her that no one else had stepped up to defend the young woman. Knowing Pius was possibly the ring leader behind everything that had happened to her sister and the women who’d lost their lives only further fueled her wrath. But blowing her cover before she could prove his guilt wouldn’t have served any of them well.
She moved to the sink and stuck her hands beneath a flow of warm water, splashing her face before reaching for a brown paper towel. When she’d counted to one hundred, she made her way back outside.
Ginger and her friends were gone. There was no one else left in the coffee shop, and Carlo was busing the last table. He smiled as she moved to grab her coat.
“Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to stay past closing. I’ll get right out of your way.”
“It’s not a problem. Do you have a way home? Because I can give you a ride.”
She nodded. “I’m good.”
“It was sweet of you to check on Ginny. She’s a nice girl. Unfortunately, my brother isn’t a very nice guy.”
Danni’s eyes widened in surprise. “That was your brother?”
Carlo nodded. “Technically, my half-brother. Pie and I have the same mother, different fathers.”
“Pie?”
“One of his many nicknames.”
“Why Pie?”
“Because he eats it all the time. Breakfast, lunch and dinner, if he could. Preferably apple, although he’s been known to devour a good chocolate pie by his lonesome!”
She laughed. “Do you have one?”
The slightest smile lifted his mouth. “Don’t we all?”
Danni shrugged, her shoulders lifting ever so slightly “Does Pie always beat up on his girlfriends?” she questioned, more emphasis on that nickname than she would have liked.
“Like I said, he’s not a very nice guy.”
“Ginny said she works for him.”
The man took a deep breath, wiping down the table before turning his attention back to her. He shifted the conversation. “I need to lock up. If you don’t need help getting home, then I need to throw you out. Sorry.”
Danni pulled her coat on, shoving her hands deep into her pockets. “Thanks again for everything,” she said.
“I hope to see you again, Danni. And next time bring that cousin of yours. I’d like to meet her.”
Danni nodded. “You never did tell me what your nickname was.”
He laughed heartily. “It’s Carlo!”
As he locked the door behind her, Danni pulled her coat tight to ward off the Chicago wind. She would definitely be back, she thought. Her new friend didn’t need to worry about that at all.
* * *
The next morning Danni couldn’t miss that Detective Armstrong Black wasn’t happy with her. Although he hadn’t, she could tell that he had wanted to yell when she’d told him of her late-night visit to the coffee shop. Instead, he had bitten back the snarky condemnation, storming out of the conference room to distance himself from her. When she’d shown up for her shift, she’d been anxious to recap her evening and her experience in the coffee shop. She’d spent most of the night believing that she had made a significant stride in their case in getting a step closer to Pius, but clearly her new partner hadn’t agreed. In fact, he was clearly pissed, she thought as she watched him storm through the space barking orders at other officers. It was a good thing she hadn’t shared her intentions to go back again, alone, she mused. Not that she cared whether he liked the idea or not, because Danni was doing it, with or without his permission.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Armstrong moved back into the room, his gaze meeting hers evenly. His jaw was still tight, and his body was tense. He closed the door behind himself, then sauntered to the other side of the room, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
“What if something had happened, Detective? You didn’t have any backup.” His tone was brusque.
“I am perfectly capable of handling myself.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“It’s what you’re implying.”
“I wasn’t implying anything. I said it wasn’t a smart move, and it wasn’t.”
“I saw an opportunity and I took it. And granted, it wasn’t the brightest thing for me to do but you would have done the same thing if the shoe had been on the other foot.”
“You don’t know that.”
Her brow lifted slightly. “You’re saying you would have waited and come back to coordinate with everyone and hope that when you went back, the door would still have been open? Because I might not know you that well, Detective, but I know enough to bet that you will always do whatever it takes to get your bad guy. Whatever it takes!”
Armstrong paused, a moment of hesitation that neither denied nor endorsed her statement. She was right, but he didn’t need to admit to it. “I’m saying that these lone-wolf antics of yours will get people hurt and that’s not what we’re here for. I told you not to go to the coffee shop and you ignored a direct order.”
Danni took a breath and held it, reflecting on his comments. She nodded her head slowly. “I’m sorry, but hopefully, it will help us find our killer and shut down this trafficking ring.”
There was a moment’s pause as he seemed to ponder her statement. When he finally responded, he surprised her. “You might be right.”
“Excuse me?” Her eyes widened.
He gave her a look that moved her to smile ever so slightly. “You got your foot in the door. We should take full advantage of that. But we need to be smart, so I can’t have you going off half-cocked on your own.”
“So, you’re going to let me go undercover?”
“I’m going to let this play out and see where it takes us.”
Danni grinned. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. There are rules, and you will follow them. Is that understood?”
“What kind of rules?”
“For one, I need to know where you are at all times. And you’re going to wear a wire.”
“No wire.”
“Then I’m shutting you down now.”
“No wire!” Her voice was raised, her hands clutching the line of her hips. “If I can get in I won’t risk blowing my cover.”
“I wasn’t asking you nicely, Detective.”
“And I meant what I said,” Danni countered.
* * *
Armstrong sighed, a deep gust of air that hinted at his wanting to rage back at her. It suddenly felt like they’d come to an impasse. He knew he needed to shift the conversation before spewing something they would both regret. He gestured for her to take a seat as he moved to the chair on the other side of the table. He slid two manila folders across the polished wood toward her.
“What’s this?” she asked as she opened one folder and found nothing inside.
“It’s the file we don’t have on Paul Balducci. Everything prior to his eighteenth birthday is sealed. We can’t get our hands on it. Not even the petty, juvenile stuff, like shoplifting, or vandalism, that we know about. The other is his father’s file. And make no mistakes, Leonard Balduccci was a career criminal.”
Danni flipped quickly through the documents inside, one piece of paper grabbing her attention. She read it once and then a second time before lifting her eyes to his. “You killed his father?”
“Ten years ago. Junior would have been a kid. Barely out of grade school. His father was running the family business. He and his crew were hijacking trailer shipments and sending the cargo overseas. We caught them after they took down a truck full of TVs and electronics. The security guard was able to signal the alarm before they killed him. There was a shootout at the docks, and Senior took a bullet. It was one of my first cases and the first time I ever had to discharge my weapon. He died three days later.”
Armstrong’s gaze suddenly shifted into thought. Despite his best efforts, he often thought about the night he’d killed Leonard Balducci. Taking fire, he’d had no other option but to shoot back. His bullet had hit its target. He’d been blessed that those meant for him had missed. The shooting had almost derailed his career in law enforcement. He’d been grounded, confined to a desk and the shuffling of papers. There had been months of scrutiny from Internal Affairs and strangers who knew nothing of him. The media had questioned his integrity and others had a field day, calling him a monster. He’d felt boxed in and had been ready to give it all up. Despite everyone’s assurances that it hadn’t been his fault, the guilt he still carried was immense.
“I’m sorry,” Danni said softly.
Armstrong shrugged. “It didn’t have to end that way, but we weren’t given a lot of choices.”
Danni nodded. “So how would you like me to play this?”
“Trust your instincts. You got yourself further than I would have anticipated, so play it how you think best. When you’re undercover I can only support you from a distance. Although Pius would have been a kid and might not know who I am, the family definitely knows me, so the best I’m going to be able to do is my good-cop or my bad-cop routine, if needed.”
“I think I made a connection with the girl Ginny. And then there’s his brother.”
“Pius’s brother?”
“Well, half-brother. His name is Carlo. He said they have the same mother but different fathers. He runs the coffee shop. I didn’t even notice the family resemblance until he said something, it’s so slight.”
Armstrong’s brow creased as he seemed to search for something in his memory. He reached for the file, flipping through it briefly before slapping it back against the table. “From everything I know, Paul was an only child. He doesn’t have any siblings.”
“Not according to Carlo. He also said something about a sister. Allegedly, she was a runaway.”
He gestured back toward the file folder. “Find out what you can about him. And before you leave, head upstairs to the tech guys.”
“The tech guys?”
“I’m putting in a request for that surveillance wire. They’ll get you hooked up.”
Danni laughed. “I told you I’m not wearing a damn wire, and I mean that.”
“Don’t try me, Detective,” Armstrong said, amusement dancing in his eyes as he stood and moved back out the door. “I’ve been a very nice guy up till now!”
* * *
Armstrong watched her as she made herself comfortable with the other members of the task force. Danni had a relaxed disposition, and people were at ease with her. For most of the morning she’d been researching the files to ensure she was up-to-date with the investigations, asking pertinent questions when needed. She seemed to enjoy engaging each person individually, her dry humor winning her a number of fans. Her likability factor was extraordinary, and he instinctively understood how she managed to integrate herself into other people’s spaces so effortlessly. She was a force to be reckoned with, a quiet storm that seemed to sneak up unnoticed before raging gallantly and then dissipating like a sweet summer rain.
He rocked back in his seat, the front legs of the wooden chair he sat in rising off the vinyl-tiled floor. His hands were folded together in his lap. His expression was reflective as he sat in quiet deliberation. The faintest smile ever pulled at his lips. She amused him as much as she infuriated him, digging her heels in when she wanted to prove a point. She challenged his intellect and seemed comfortable with testing his authority; doing her job as she ignored protocol. And she made him smile. She was not the detective he had expected, but she was one his intuition told him he was going to enjoy working with immensely.
Sitting forward in the chair, he called for her, his deep baritone voice bellowing through the space. “Detective Winstead!”
From where he sat he saw her toss him a look, her gaze narrowing. She shifted her eyes back to the conversation she was in the middle of, seeming to ignore him. He glanced to his wristwatch, taking mental notes as he continued to observe her. After six minutes passed, he debated whether to call out a second time, and then she turned, sauntering easily in his direction.
“Yes, sir?” she said as she moved into the conference room to stand before him. Her arms were crossed over her chest. “You called?” Her expression was nonchalant, barely curious. Her lips were pursed ever so slightly, and her eyes were focused on him intently. She gave him reason to pause as he stared back, suddenly wondering what it might be like to kiss the soft curve of her bottom lip.
He shook the thought away, ignoring the sensation that suddenly swept through his southern quadrant. “Is there a reason you haven’t been upstairs yet, Detective?”
“Yes, sir, there is.”
His brow shifted upward, his expression questioning.
Danni continued. “I am not wearing a wire. I won’t risk blowing my cover before I figure out if I can even infiltrate Pius’s crew. You need to trust me on this one. Sir.”
There was a moment of hesitation as they continued to stare at each other. Armstrong finally nodded. As he did, he pushed a small white box across the table in her direction and gestured for her to take it.
Danni’s eyes shifted from his face to the box and back. “What’s this?” she questioned as she took the container and lifted the lid. Inside lay a silver cross embedded with marcasite jewels and an inlay of red coral. It was about the size of a small plum and fit nicely in the palm of her hand. An extended length of silver chain was threaded through the charm’s silver loop. She lifted her eyes a second time, curiosity seeping past her lashes.
“My extremely savvy tech guys call it wearable technology. If you find yourself in a situation, you push the large jewel in the center to trigger the alarm. The device then starts recording audio and calls your emergency contacts to let them know your location. The team and I are your emergency contacts. It’s also waterproof, so once you put it on you don’t need to take it off. And if you activate the sensor by accident, you just deactivate it with your smartphone.”
Danni turned the piece of jewelry from one side to the other, eyeing the details.
He continued. “The tech guys...upstairs...can explain it to you in greater detail. Go up and talk to them,” he said, his tone commanding. “Now, wear the damn wire! And the next time I give you an order, either follow it, or take your ass back to Atlanta. Is that understood?”
Danni nodded. “Yes, sir!”
