“Well, you let Del know I’ll call her in a bit. That way, she can hear from her favorite person so she doesn’t get all demonic on us. Tell her she’s still my sugar tits,” I throw out cheekily as I get out of the truck. He barks out a laugh and flips me off. I respond by blowing him a kiss and stepping back from the curb. He just shakes his head and drives off. I take a moment and square my shoulders to mentally prepare myself for the ass chewing I’m about to get.
I enter the coffee shop and am greeted by the heavenly smell of fresh brewed coffee. After the day I’ve had, I’m fully prepared to trade my future firstborn child for a cup of something strong and hot. I like my coffee like I like my men. I bypass a few cute young couples sitting at two top tables near the door. I fight the urge to give them a “stank face,” because I’m not feeling the love right now.
Thankfully, I spot Michael in a booth in the corner, at the very back of the coffee shop, and quickly head to the counter to place my order. Ignoring the flirtatious glances the beefcake barista is slinging at me, I hurriedly grab my coffee and stride to the booth. Without making eye contact, I quietly take a seat.
Still not looking up, I blow on my coffee and take a sip. When I hear Michael clear his throat, my eyes slowly lift to meet his silver-gray ones. He quirks a dark brow at me and I sigh. As a man, Michael is very attractive, much like Greybeard, and has the distinguished look going on. He’s around five eleven with a lean muscular build, and I would totally find him hot if he wasn’t such a hardass, and completely uninterested in the female population. All the incredibly hot ones really are gay. He narrows his eyes at my perusal.
“Do you have anything to fucking say for yourself? Or are you just going to stare at me the whole night?” His tone slices through me, his anger palpable, even though he never raises his voice.
“Why, Michael, I don’t think I know what you mean? I know you don’t want me to apologize for somebody breaking into my apartment. Because we both know I can’t control that,” I say sweetly with a hint of indignation in my voice.
“Amber, watch yourself. I like you, it’s why I asked you to take this assignment, but I’m still your superior, and you damn well jeopardized this whole operation by disclosing to a civilian who could be involved. And don’t get me started about your involvement with a detective. That puts you unnecessarily on the radar of some really bad people. Are you trying to get killed, fired, or are you just trying to give me a damn ulcer?”
“Michael, I had to tell Briar. She has more information that she hasn’t shared yet. I need her to trust me more than she does. My cover with her was shaky at best. You told me she was my original ‘in’ when I was sent in. I trust her implicitly. She’s taking a few days to process and she’s going to decide if she’s going to be an informant or not. I’d bet my ass she will. She’s not the type to sit idly by while dangerous things are happening. She’s always there before any bouncer at the club. She’s good people,” I explain, properly chastised by him.
He simply stares at me until I heave another deep sigh. “Stone is a nonissue. Daniel is helping me take care of it.”
“We almost lost you six months ago, because of him,” he responds flatly.
“It wasn’t because of him, it was Julio Gonzales, and you know that. We’ve been over this before. I was sure that the trafficking was connected to the drug kingpins here. I was wrong. My call, not Stone’s. It was a judgment call and I paid heavily for it. I distanced myself, just like you asked. Stone can be…persistent. I allowed myself to be associated with him again because I knew he was going back to work. He’s Narcotics, Michael. I don’t know why we can’t just work with them,” I tell him, lying out of my ass. I can’t very well tell my boss Stoney looks like a giant man-shaped lollipop that I’d happily choke on anytime.
Michael looks at me with raised brows, because this is the first time I’ve suggested integration. He places his palms on the tabletop and leans towards me. My eyes widen and I tilt my head, wondering what he needs to tell me quietly.
“You’ve been followed the last few weeks. At first, we thought it was a ‘fan’ of Amber James, the stripper extraordinaire. But this person is different, constantly staying in the shadows, far enough away from your usual surveillance that we wondered if they had made you. It’s not constant, but enough that it’s raising some red flags in the higher-ups. This break-in seems uncharacteristic, but we can’t rule it out that you’ve been made. So, I hate to say it, but I’m pulling you.”
I feel my fury rise hard and fast, and slap my palms on the table with an audible thwap. His eyes shoot to mine and I imagine mine are shooting daggers at him.
“I’ve been working this for close to three years, Michael. Three fucking years. I’ve put in the blood, sweat, and tears. Me. Not you, not Daniel, me. I’ve exposed my naked body to strangers, I’ve been groped, talked down to, hell, I’ve been sliced to pieces, all to further this case. I’m close to a break here. I know it, please. Until someone actually makes an attempt on my life, do not pull me. I know I haven’t been made. Trust my instincts. Please.” The heat of my words hangs in the air between us and he stares at me for a long time.
“I’ll offer you a compromise then. You have a few days to get a break in this case. We need this case closed, yesterday. If you can’t find me more information, more evidence, hell, get me at least one suspect, and you’ll stay on. But if you can’t find me that, we’re wrapping this UC, you get me?” His words have me straightening my spine and I find myself nodding as his eyes flick away to his phone, dismissing me.
I tap out a quick text to Moose to pick me up. I stand fluidly, ready to wait outside for him, when a hand on my arm has my gaze bouncing back to Michael.
“You’ve done an admirable job here, Amber. I know you get results, but your safety is paramount. Be smart, and be safe. Keep your gun close. Yeah?”
“Yeah, Michael, I hear you,” I tell him lowly, and he releases me fast. I have every intention of heeding his light warning. I only have one last chance here, and I’m like a dog with a bone. Like he said, I get results. I stride out the door to Daniel’s waiting truck.
Chapter Seventeen: Ryan
She hasn’t shown up at the fucking Starbucks all night. Maybe the little twerp barista lied to me, because I’ve been here since my shift ended at work and Titus dropped me at the body shop to get my vehicle. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Amber all night. I should be at home running through all the crime scene photos of every fentanyl-laced overdose but my brain won’t let me. So, I’m doing it discreetly here, all the while waiting on Amber to show her face. The photos are in a manila folder, and I’ve made sure to face the wall so no one can oversee what I’m looking at. It’s making me feel a little weird because people keep giving me uncomfortable glances.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to not look at pornography here.” My bewildered face looks up to see the twerp in question and his stern look fades slightly. “Oh hey, mate, it’s you. You still can’t look at porn here though, we’re getting complaints,” he tells me nonchalantly, and I can barely keep from rolling my eyes.
“Todd,” I start, reading his nametag. “I’m not looking at porn. I’m a detective, and I’m perusing crime scene photos. I’m waiting to see that girl I was with the other day, she could be crucial to my case.” I flash him my badge and his face brightens immediately.
“Groovy, mate, I’ll let the powers-that-be know. They were gonna try to get me to kick you out of here, and I was like, ‘no way, he can kick my ass.’ So, I’m glad we didn’t have to get in a tussle over some porn. I didn’t know you were a cop. I pegged you for some lawyer or something.”
“Nah, not a lawyer. I catch bad guys; I don’t try to become one,” I joke. He laughs and starts to walk back to the counter. “Hey, Todd, have you seen her? The girl I was with the other day, you said she comes in here on Thursdays with her friend?”
“Ya know, now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her today. That’s weird. She�
�s crazy pants, for sure, hot as a tamale, but consistent. She ain’t been in here today, mate, sorry,” he calls back over his shoulder, giving me a shrug and an apologetic grin.
I resign myself to wait her out. Maybe she comes late, but the more time passes, the worse my mood gets. Hours pass, and my eyes are burning from the amount of time I’ve been through the photos, hoping to catch something everyone else missed before. Finally, a few minutes before closing time, I pack up my items and make my way to the door. Todd, the barista, gives me a little wave, looking like he feels sorry for me.
My phone chooses that moment to ring. Seeing Collin’s name on the ID, I answer with a gruff, “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Zaydra is pregnant.” Collin rushes the words out, and my mind takes a minute to catch up with his quickly spoken words.
“What?” I ask stupidly.
“Zaydra is pregnant. I’m going to be a dad,” he announces again, with both fear and pride in his voice.
“Holy fuck, man, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you. I mean, was it planned or was this a surprise?” I come to a standstill outside of the Starbucks, shocked by his news.
“It’s definitely a surprise, but a welcome one. I love that girl, and making a family with her was going to happen eventually. The timeline just got moved up, is all.” Collin’s voice warms. I shake myself out of my shocked stupor and continue the brisk walk to my vehicle.
“Man, I’m so happy for you! You’re going to be the best dad around,” I tell him with just a twinge of jealousy. My friend deserves this. They both do. They’ve been through hell. He’s the best man I know, but it’s just reminds me how far from happily ever after I really am, with the one woman I want.
“Thanks, man. Now that my big news is out of the way, Fredrick told me you had a late night visitor the other day?”
“Fredrick is a gossiping old lady,” I spit out. There’s still a sore spot in my chest about how that night ended. It seems like everybody just wants to pour salt into the open wound I have that’s in the shape of Amber.
“I own the building, Ryan. It’s not like he can keep secrets from me. He had to report any disturbance he encountered. It just happened to be your girlfriend that night,” Collin says with a laugh. My eyebrows pull down in anger at his subconscious reminder.
“She’s not my fucking girlfriend. Apparently, she’s somebody named Daniel’s girlfriend…” I trail off with the anger and hurt I’m feeling clear in my voice before I check myself.
“Are we talking about the same girl? Or are you involved with two people and I just don’t know about the second? Amber has a boyfriend? No fucking way. I was there every day when Zaydra lived there, and I never saw a hint of another dude. That’s not even taking into account the chemistry you two had. Yeah, she’s a flirtatious girl, but it really was only ever you who had her pop off,” Collin tells me, his confusion reminiscent to mine.
“Apparently, they’ve been on and off for six years. I met him. He’s the one who told me, with her standing right there. I don’t know what to think.” My tone is icy and the exhaustion I’m feeling is evident. I’m walking towards the darkened parking lot where I parked my Range Rover, when I hear a loud pop, and I instinctively duck. From all my time in warzones, I hear the sound of gunfire in my dreams, that now I can recognize it immediately. I turn to see who’s firing and the only thing I can make out in the darkness is an outline of a figure who is turned in my direction. I start sprinting to my car, away from the figure with the gun.
“Ryan, what the fuck?! Was that gunfire? Are you being shot at? Where the fuck are you?” Collin’s voice barks, slipping into his old commander role. I hear another pop and a whizzing sound flies by my ear. I instinctively get lower, weaving in and out of the other cars still parked in the lot.
“I’m being shot at outside of the Starbucks off of Olive Street. I don’t have my radio or gun on me. I need you to call for backup. Call for Titus in Narcotics, tell him there’s an active shooter and what’s going down.”
I recite his number in a whisper to Collin. I’m a few feet from my car and hear Collin relay the message to Zaydra so he can stay on the line with me. I hear another loud pop and feel a searing pain in my back. I know I’ve been hit and I fight to stay conscious as I hear Collin swearing in my ear. I make it to my car and the wail of sirens begins to sound in the distance, when I hear a final pop and feel searing pain in my shoulder that knocks the breath out of me. My phone clatters to the concrete floor outside my opened car door before everything goes black.
Chapter Eighteen: Amber
I’ve finally calmed my anger from the meeting with Michael as I lay sprawled on the giant bed in the opulent hotel suite Moose booked us. He knows we’re the ones not paying so he’s all about the living in the lap of luxury right now. I’m trying to brainstorm the solution to the time crunch I’m now on, and the only possible avenue I’ve come up with is to try to meet up with Briar and convince her to talk to me about whatever information she has, sooner rather than later.
I hear a slight tapping on the door that separates my room from the living area. My head pops up and I yell, “Come in!”
The door eases open and Moose sticks his head in. “You ready to talk about the conversation you had with Michael?” he asks softly.
“Depends, are you ready to admit that your wife loves me more?” I respond with a saucy wink. He gives me a droll look with a raised brow, then comes fully into the room and throws his big body on the right side of the king-size bed. His weight hitting it bounces me a bit where I sit cross-legged on the left side. He throws a massive arm over his eyes.
“Fine, my wife loves you more. I’m pretty sure she’d leave me for you if she was so inclined.” His voice comes out muffled and I stifle a laugh at how disgruntled he sounds. I’m smiling hard in victory, even though we both know Delilah would walk through broken glass on a minefield if it meant keeping him from harm. They were the kind of in love Zaydra and Collin were. The kind of love I thought Ryan and I might have, once upon a time.
“Well, that was easy. Michael has given me, at most, a week to give him a solid lead or suspect in this case, or he’s pulling me. Two and a half years of solid UC work and almost dying will be useless if I can’t get a break. He thinks it’s too dangerous for me, and he said there is no way to tell if they’ve made me or not. He wanted to pull me immediately, but I got him to compromise. I’m lucky I get any time.”
“Honestly, we were all surprised when he didn’t pull you after you almost died. He’s given you a lot more leeway than he ever gave me, Bella Bear. He’s always had a soft spot for you, hardass persona aside. The man sees you as a baby sister. Just like I do.”
“I know he’s given me a lot of rope, but I wasn’t sure if he was doing it to see if I would hang myself with it or not. They gave me this assignment, reluctantly, when I volunteered. I don’t think he wants me as a sister.” I laugh lightly.
“Oh, he does, most of the guys do. Now, I know your process by now, what’s your plan to make or break?”
“I think Nastassia Bennett has more information that could be crucial. I want to get her to trust me, so she’ll feel more comfortable disclosing to me. But, that being said, honestly, I think it might come down to what Briar has to tell me. Both of them are vital to this case. It comes down to them; it all comes back to Club Exile.” I blow out a breath while Moose nods in understanding. It’s about unraveling years of secrets between Briar and I. In one week. I can’t decide if I’m completely screwed or just a little screwed.
The shrill ring of my cell phone startles me. I must have switched it to loud when I got back without realizing it. I reach for it on the nightstand by my side of the bed. The display shows Zaydra’s name and I answer with a smile.
“Hey, preggers, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my apartment. I assume Beavis has talked to Butthead and he let it slip,” I tell her with a laugh, referring to Stoney and Collin.
“Amber, honey, where ar
e you?” Zaydra’s voice sounds full of tears. I immediately straighten, on high-alert. At my change in demeanor, Danny stands with a questioning look.
“I’m at a hotel, what’s wrong? Is it the baby, do you need me?” I question fast.
“It’s Ryan, babes. Collin was on the phone with him, and I guess someone started shooting at him. He’s been shot, and they’re taking him to Mercy, that’s all I know. You need to get to the hospital, now.” My heart jumps into my throat and I gasp slightly for air when my lungs seize.
“Is he alive?” I choke out.
“As far as I know. This just happened, so I don’t know, babes. I don’t know,” she says, her voice shaky.
“I’m coming.” I hang up quickly. Danny sees me rushing around to grab my things and he follows suit. I change quickly and feel the familiar icy calm come over me. I zip up the boots I’ve changed into when Danny comes back into the room. He does a double take when he sees me.
“You’re not coming with me, Moose. I won’t have him think I care so little about him that I bring you. I won’t do it. Don’t argue about that,” I tell him quietly.
“How are you going to get there then? You need to get there quick so you can’t take the bus. I’m not letting you use my truck; Michael would kill me.”
“I’m taking my bike.” Danny starts swearing softly while I zip my leather jacket up.
“That bike isn’t registered to Amber James. You could blow your cover completely. Especially if you’re fucking being followed, Bella Bear.” He tries to reason with me but I stare harshly at him.
“Then you better get it registered to me. Work your magic. My bike is the fastest way, and the parking garage is a block from here, if that. Do it, Moose. I’m taking the bike, whether Amber James is on that fucking title or not.” I stride out of the room at his loud expletive.
I pull the door to the hotel room shut behind me. I’m about to blow and whoever shot my man is going to be the biggest casualty. They better pray he lives, because God help them if he doesn’t. God help everyone if he doesn’t.
Wannabe: An Against The Odds Novel Page 10