by L. K. Hill
It crossed his mind that his lack of sleep was starting to show. Normally he kept better control of himself than this, but he couldn’t help himself. What was she thinking?
Rather than sit down again, he perched on the edge of the enormous flower pot sitting against the wall. “I just can’t believe you’re doing this,” he said, in an only mildly calmer voice. “No offense, Tanya, but someone who looks like you can’t just waltz through the Carmichael district and expect to come out unscathed.”
When he mentioned how she looked, she gave him a strange stare. It was full of meaning, vulnerable maybe, but he couldn’t fully decipher it. The next moment, her gaze turned hard. “Forgive me for being blunt, Detective,” her voice was dangerously soft, “but please don’t assume you understand my motivations.”
“Didn’t you just tell them to me?”
Shaun shot him a warning glance.
“I told you what I was doing, not why I was doing it,” she said angrily.
“Fine. Then why?”
Making a noise of disgust, she turned her face toward the opposite wall and rubbed her forehead with her fingers.
“Gabe.” Shaun’s look said to back off and Gabe did, taking a deep breath to try and get a hold of himself. Shaun turned to address Tanya again. “You still haven’t said how this endeavor of yours will help us find Evelyn Carlotta.”
Tanya straightened and looked at him again, all the anger draining out of her. “I could have approached any of these dozen or so low-level thugs to try and get in with the gang. I specifically chose Norse. I didn’t expect,” she threw a glare at Gabe, “to come out unscathed. I figured he’d beat on me at least a bit.”
Gabe’s eyes went to the bruises on her neck. Did that mean…? She didn’t actually say the bruises had come from interaction with the gang, but that’s what it sounded like. If that was the case, she was a totally different person than what he’d assumed. Not someone enabling an abusive relationship, but someone who’d walked headlong into danger, knowing what the consequences might be. Gabe couldn’t decide if that made her brave or just stupid.
Either way, she was putting herself in a position to get hurt. Gabe opened his mouth to protest but she put her hands up, forestalling him. “I’m not an idiot, Detective. Nor am I naïve about who and what this gang is. I knew what I was getting into and planned for it.” She turned to Shaun, pointedly speaking more to him than to Gabe. “I’ve been knocked around before and I can deal with it. But,” she glanced up at Gabe, “you’re right about the rapes that go on within the gang and that was something I definitely didn’t want. So, I decided to approach Norse. If I can get in his good graces, I can get him to protect me from other gang members. And he wouldn’t rape me himself.”
Gabe frowned. “Why not? Is he gay?”
She shook her head. “No. He likes girls. But his tastes run to girls that are…much younger than I am.”
Shaun frowned, but then understanding dawned in his eyes. “He’s a pedophile.”
She nodded, looking miserable again. “I don’t know if he’d take a boy or not, but he definitely prefers girls, and Evelyn is the right age.”
Understanding settled over Gabe and he cursed quietly.
Shaun sat back in his chair, eyes darkening. “So, Norse is given an assignment to kill Kenny for some reason—having a loose tongue, perhaps—but after finishing the job, he notices a little girl running around the estate, unattended.”
Tanya squeezed her eyes shut, a tear sliding down her cheek. When she spoke again, she kept her eyes on her hands. “I know you think I’m heartless, but I didn’t know.” She looked up at Gabe, eyes pleading. “I swear on everything I hold sacred, if I’d have known she was missing, I would have told you everything when I first saw you at the estate. I wouldn’t have put that child in danger. But,” she studied her hands again, and more tears followed the first over her cheeks. “I thought she was there. I thought she was safe, with her mother.”
“Of course you did,” Shaun said gently, throwing a look at Gabe that dared him to say something harsh.
Gabe didn’t want to, though. Guilt for yelling at her flooded over him. This woman had taken on an immense burden, one that probably kept her looking over her shoulder twenty-four-seven. No wonder she’d acted so spooked when he first questioned her at the estate. Now, on top of everything, she’d taken on the guilt of a little girl’s disappearance. Gabe could almost see her sagging under the weight.
“We didn’t even know there was a child in the picture then,” Shaun muttered. “Ms. Roberts? Do you know where he would take her?”
She started to shake her head, then froze, a light going on in her eyes. “Actually, I might. Do you have a map of the city?”
Gabe jumped to his feet and crossed the room to where Shaun kept several kinds of maps in a box and dug through them until he found the one he needed. He brought it back to Shaun’s desk, spreading it out so all three of them could look at it.
Tanya traced a few of the streets with her finger, zeroing in on a section of the Carmichael district. “I didn’t think of it until you just asked, but I remember noting that I always saw Norse around this area. A few times, he’d come out of this building. He’s always surrounded by other gang members, but he came out on his own, while the others waited for him just outside the door. I remember thinking that maybe that’s where he lives—his own private place, you know? I asked around and they said he’s the only one that ever goes in there. No one else is allowed. I didn’t know if that meant it was his house, or just a place where he kept something valuable, but if he wants privacy…”
Shaun nodded. “That’s good enough for me. I’ll call Judge Miner. Get a warrant.”
He began punching the numbers on his phone violently.
Tanya turned to Gabe. “Can you get a warrant based on this information? I’m not—by any means—sure that he’s there.”
“What you’ve told us is pretty substantial, but even if not, Judge Miner has a daughter that was once taken by a pedophile. She came home alive, but not before being horribly assaulted. Now, Judge Miner is the go-to woman to move against pedophiles. If there’s even a remote possibility we can bring a child out of a pedophile den…let’s just say she’d probably sign the warrant even without probable cause.”
She nodded, looking weary.
“Tanya, I’m sorry I lost it a minute ago,” he said quietly.
She shook her head. “Don’t be. I deserved it.” He could tell she wasn’t talking about her own undercover activities anymore.
“No,” he said emphatically. “You don’t. You aren’t responsible for whatever has happened to Evelyn. Or for what happened to Kenny, for that matter. Even if what he told you is why he died, his death is still the result of him being part of a heinous gang. And if anyone’s responsible for Evelyn’s disappearance, it’s her parents, for neglecting her.”
Tanya shook her head. “I pulled the information out of Kenny. And if I’d have just trusted you earlier…” she squeezed her eyes shut in horror, “we would’ve known Evelyn was gone then. We’d have had a much better chance of finding her.”
“None of that is your fault, Tanya.”
She turned to look at him, her pale blue eyes watery. The familiarity of her eyes struck him yet again—where did he know her from?—and she looked miserable. She shrugged her shoulders and slid down in her seat. He got the impression she was retreating specifically from him. He wished he knew why.
“Got it!” Shaun slammed his cell phone down onto the desk. He’d never gotten used to using cell phones. He needed a receiver and cradle he could abuse. “Gabe, get some people together. We’re going now.”
He strode out of the room, hollering at people before the door was all the way open. Gabe moved to follow him, but Tanya grabbed his arm.
“I should go with you.”
He shook his head. “No. We may end up taking fire in this part of the city. You’re a civilian.”
“If she’s be
en abused by this guy for more than twenty-four hours, she’s going to be terrified of men. She should see a familiar face.”
Gabe considered, but ultimately shook his head. There was just no way Shaun would allow it, and for good reason. “I’ll take Cora—the female detective you talked to at the estate? That’s the best I can do.”
“But—”
“I can’t, Tanya. I’m sorry. It’s just not going to happen. Come sit with Mrs. Carlotta until we get back. We’ll call the station the second we get there and keep her updated. You’ll know what we find as soon as we do.”
Looking anything but satisfied, she let him lead her back to the conference room. Shaun was already there, explaining the situation to Mrs. Carlotta, who was wailing and was leaning heavily on Caleb’s shoulder. The man looked like he was having trouble staying upright.
Gabe left them and quickly stalked through the station. “Tyke, Cora! I’ll need your help.”
“What’s going on Gabe?” Cora asked, rising from her desk.
He quickly explained the situation. Most of the station had stopped to listen, mouths open and eyebrows raised. “So,” he said when he’d finished. “Who’s coming?”
For the next half an hour, the station buzzed with preparations. Each time Gabe glanced toward the conference room, he found Tanya watching him, face unreadable. After a while, he realized he didn’t really expect her to stay put. She was a writer with no qualms about taking action—even dangerous action. She’d already approached this gang. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d show up at Norse’s place whether he took her with him or not.
“Doug.” He motioned to a middle-aged man in a brown uniform. Doug Pratchet was a unie who worked the night shift, but his job was centered around the precinct. He often went on calls with the detectives to take care of any actual arrests, but most of the time he acted more like a precinct security guard. Though gray liberally highlighted Doug’s auburn hair, he had a strong jaw, huge arms, and his chest girth was at least twice what Gabe’s was.
No one messed with Doug.
When the big man stood in front of him, Gabe motioned over his shoulder toward the conference room. “You see the younger of the two women in there—sandy blond hair, pretty?”
Doug shifted his eyes discreetly toward the conference room before nodding.
“I’ve told her to wait here and we’ll update her from the scene, but she’s not really the sit-still-and-wait type.”
One corner of Doug’s mouth rose. “You afraid she’ll follow you?”
“Yeah. And get herself killed in the process. Can you just keep an eye on her? Make sure she doesn’t leave?”
“Do we have grounds to hold her here?”
Gabe shook his head. “Not officially. We could always argue we were afraid she’d impede an arrest or something.”
Doug rubbed the stubble on his chin. “May not hold up in the long run.”
“It doesn’t have to,” Gabe said. “I’ll take responsibility for it. Just keep her here for now.”
Doug nodded. “You got it.”
“Thanks, Man.” Gabe glanced over his shoulder. Tanya was speaking with Mrs. Carlotta rather than watching him, now.
Ten minutes later, with a SWAT team and several squad cars set to escort them, eight armed detectives left the station.
Chapter 20
The station became significantly quieter when Detective Nichols and a dozen other detectives left, along with plenty of uniformed officers as escorts. Armed with extra magazines for their guns and decked out in Kevlar vests, the whole troop stormed purposely out the precinct doors at exactly 3:30 am. Nichols threw a glance over his shoulder at her before heading out the door.
Kyra sighed and smiled briefly at Caleb, who kept trying to catch her eye over Mrs. Carlotta’s head, as though the two of them shared some bond. Maybe they did. Working for the Carlottas was…interesting. Which was a kind way to put it.
“Oh, my baby…my Evelyn!” Mrs. Carlotta had been rocking back and forth and moaning since Captain Thatcher explained that they believed the same person who killed Kenny took the child. Kyra had no idea if Thatcher mentioned the pedophile angle—and she wasn’t about to volunteer it—but she supposed it wasn’t much of a leap.
Before leaving, Detective Nichols had spoken briefly with a huge, uniformed cop. Since then, the cop hadn’t left her line of sight. He hovered outside the door, alternating chatting with other cops, checking his watch, and pacing the length of the halls. His eyes swept continually over everything in his line of vision, but came back to rest briefly on Kyra every minute or so.
Did the detective really think she didn’t know he’d told the cop to keep an eye on her? She was officially offended that Nichols assumed she wouldn’t do as he’d told her to, even if following him was exactly what she’d been planning to do. Well, not following exactly. He was right about one thing: she couldn’t show up in the Carmichael district looking like she really did. She’d have to don her Supra getup along the way. She had all the makeup and a spare hoodie in her shoulder bag. Anytime she ventured into the Slip Mire, she made sure to take extra disguise supplies.
Kyra rubbed her temples, hoping to stave off a headache. What a day. This was supposed to be her easier day—where she saw Mrs. Carlotta instead of posing as Supra. When Carmen called, saying she had information, Kyra didn’t waste time. Despite being distraught over the Kenny situation, the information Carmen provided her about different people in the Mire she kept tabs on was too important to ignore.
When she turned and found the detective standing behind her in the bar, she realized she wouldn’t be able to escape him any longer. She’d have to go in—as herself—and talk to the police. And just hope no one connected her with Supra. In truth, no one but Detective Nichols was capable of doing that, and he hadn’t realized so far. Though sometimes he looked at her strangely, and she wondered if he was on the verge of putting it together.
He had no idea what an ironic statement he’d made in saying that she couldn’t infiltrate the gang looking like she did. It was probably a good thing that he still didn’t recognize her. Granted, she’d just laid out most of the logistics for them, so perhaps it didn’t matter one way or the other now, but if he knew the truth of why she was doing it, he’d grasp better how far she was willing to go. That would only upset him more. Besides, her search for Manny was…personal. Doing research, trying to infiltrate the gang was the gist of it.
Heaving a sigh, she got up to pace, trying to decide what to do. Maybe she wasn’t responsible for Norse’s actions, but the police would have realized Evelyn was in danger much sooner if she hadn’t been so paranoid about protecting her cover; if she’d been smarter, more observant, put things together sooner…One way or the other, this was at least partially on her. If she hadn’t talked to Kenny in the first place, Norse wouldn’t have been at the house to take Evelyn. She supposed they still didn’t know that was the reason Kenny was killed, but she had a bad feeling Kenny’s talking to her was at least part of it.
No, she had to help. Every second she stayed in this building, an itch at the base of her spine made her more jittery. She had to do something. The problem was that, even if she could get to her hotel and become Supra, she’d be going into Ares territory to help the police. If Norse, or any other gang members saw her, even Supra would be in danger, and she’d lose her opportunity to infiltrate.
She rubbed her hands roughly over her face. She’d have to be so careful to keep from blowing her cover. It wasn’t until the thought crossed her mind that she realized she’d already made up her mind to go.
“You all right, Tanya?” Caleb asked, rubbing Mrs. Carlotta’s shoulder.
“Of course,” Kyra said, giving him a tight smile. “I’m just…worried. About Evelyn.”
Mrs. Carlotta renewed her moans, hiding her face in her hands, but Caleb just nodded.
“I, uh,” Kyra cleared her throat, “think I need a bathroom break. I’ll be right back.”
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“Of course,” Caleb said.
“Can I get you anything, Mrs. Carlotta?” Kyra asked, bending her knees to look into her employer’s face, but Mrs. Carlotta continued to cry into her hands, not looking up. Kyra wondered if she’d even heard the question.
Caleb shrugged and Kyra straightened her legs.
The second she put her hand on the doorknob, the large cop straightened in the hallway. The last thing she needed was for him to suspect she was trying to get away. He was entirely too good at his job to try and give him the slip in any conventional way. Trying to be too sneaky always backfired on her anyway. Even in the Slip Mire, she had much more success with a direct approach.
She opened the door and made a straight line for him, keeping eye contact. “Officer, could you tell me where the ladies’ room is?”
“Why don’t I just show you?” His voice was deep and calm.
Damn. She’d been hoping he would just tell her so she could slip around a wrong corner. Okay, on to plan B.
He walked her through the corridors until they came to two doors, side by side, one of which read MEN and the other, WOMEN.
“Thank you.” She gave him a quick smile and a nod before pushing through the door. She had no doubt he would take up a post right outside. There would be no sneaking out and through the hallways.
Once inside, Kyra checked the stalls, but the bathroom was empty. The door had a deadbolt on it, which was helpful. She turned it as quietly as possible, then turned to assess her options.
A row of stalls faced a row of porcelain sinks, topped with mirrors. The only windows in the bathroom were up high, near the ceiling. It was one of those skinny, rectangular ones that could only be opened by pulling a knob in and up, creating a wedge-shaped opening. Because it opened up and out, she wouldn’t have to crawl over the pane, but even as small as she was, she wasn’t sure she’d fit. It wasn’t made for people to crawl through.