She shrugged. “So Buck isn’t making his sister pay rent.”
“It’s more than helping a family member out of the goodness of his heart, Jordan. What do you think Buck expects in return for saving Troy about a thousand dollars a month? Don’t you see? The reality of this is buried and complicated. In one way or the other, Buck owns just about everything around here, including the people. My chief and I made a decision. If we want the truth, we have to treat every person, even the cops, like suspects.”
“Okay, I get what you’re saying.” He was good. Not nearly as half-assed as she’d wanted to first believe. He’d spent months single-handedly weaving a trap for the Bucks, and because he’d grown up here, he knew the people inside and out. “Your assessments of the local police are right on. We know some of the local cops are protecting Buck or at least looking the other way. I can appreciate what you’re doing. It was brave.” She smiled, attempting to lighten the mood. “And kind of stupid in that reckless, fuck-the-world, cowboy way you toss around. But you need to be reasonable now. We’re talking big money and big players. Arlo Buck is only the bottom rung on a ladder to whoever is supplying these drugs.
“The guys in charge look for midlevel dealers, someone off the beaten path. Far enough away from a large city to keep from drawing the attention of the Feds or DEA, but close enough for there to be a good market. Right next door is Cooper, a college town, so that puts Buck’s operation in an even sweeter spot. He’s just over an hour from St. Louis, fifteen minutes from Lincoln University—both great drug markets. You said yourself that he owns most of Titus, even the cops. He figures he’s golden.”
She walked behind him to remove the cuffs. “I get this is personal to you, but there really is a bigger picture. Arresting Buck is all well and good, but if we get the guys supplying Buck, we’re another rung up the ladder. We save more people, because we cut off the suppliers at their knees. You need to stop and let us handle it.”
He spun toward her before she could open the second cuff. “I’m not an idiot, Jordan. I know how it works. But I don’t work for the FBI or the DEA. I work for Longdale. I’m just a stupid country cop working in a town that won’t even rate a dot on most maps, but I care. I care about the dead kids in my town. I care about their families and the loss. I’m investigating the Bucks, even if it’s in my own backwoods, feeble way. If you want me to quit, then you might as well go ahead and lock me up. It’s the only way I’ll stop. You either let me in your investigation, or I’ll continue with mine. Alone.”
“Ty, I don’t have the authority to invite you into this investigation. If anyone finds out you discovered I’m a cop, I’ll be lucky to have the authority to write a traffic ticket.”
She stepped close and gathered the courage to say what needed to be said. “Even if I did have the authority, this is too close to you. You could never be objective. It touches every part of your life. Not just the kids who have died, but cops you may have worked with. It puts you in a horrible position.”
“I can handle myself. When you’re a cop in a small town, everything is personal. I’m used to it.”
“You. Can’t. Continue. With. This. Investigation.” There, she’d said it. Each word emphasized with a finger to his chest.
“You. Can’t. Stop. Me.” Instead of poking her chest, he lightly tapped his finger on her nose. “At least not without answering a lot of embarrassing questions from your superiors. They might want to know how we became close so quickly.”
She almost growled, he was obviously trying to push her buttons. “You need to move on and trust that we’ll take care of everything.”
“Who the hell is we? Where is your backup, officer?” he asked.
“Detective.” She ground her teeth together. “Two local cops from Cooper approached my FBI contact several months ago. One of them had a nephew who overdosed on China White.”
“Chief Dean?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I knew his nephew. Owen. He was a good kid.”
Jordan nodded. “Anyway, they’re providing me with local backup until after Thanksgiving. Then my FBI team will be in place.”
“Is that standard protocol? To dump a female undercover in a strip joint with no real surveillance in place? That doesn’t sound right. Who’s in charge of this—?”
“I’ve already told you more than you need to know,” she lashed out. “Don’t worry about me or my orders. I can take care of myself. You, on the other hand, are done at Buck’s.”
She hated it when he stepped so close and peered down at her like a Neanderthal.
“You’re hiding something,” he said. “Are you even wearing a wire?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Okay, not yet. But I will be. I needed to be sure I could secure the position at the nightclub before an entire surveillance operation rolls into town.”
“Unbelievable,” he growled. “And I’m the one who needs to walk away? You’re a female inside a place like Buck’s with almost no backup, and I’m the one doing something stupid. Not a chance in hell I’m walking away now.”
“I’ve got power and resources that go far beyond Titus. I’ll get this done, trust me.”
“Trust you?” He choked out a humorless laugh. “Fine, do you trust me, Jordan? Do you trust me enough to work with me?”
She was silent.
“Great,” he murmured. “You can have sex with me, but you can’t work with me?”
“Yes, damn it. Okay, yes, I trust you.” It was like balancing on an emotional jungle gym with him, trying to grab hold and navigate without falling. “I do, as stupid as that sounds and let me tell you, it sounds ridiculous. That I would know someone—what, a week—and trust them goes against everything I know, everything I am. But put yourself in my place. Even if I believe your story, I don’t believe you can stay objective.”
A hard slap of guilt rose up out of her belly. She almost choked on the words. They were the same ones Bahan had thrown at her at least a dozen times. She rubbed her temples. Black-and-white crime scene photos sliced into her memory. Two undercover cops. Two friends beaten, burned, tortured, and sliced from neck to groin. Revenge. A warning. Handy work of the cartel believed to be supplying Buck. She pushed the images out of her mind. “Look, you just can’t get involved with this. I’m sorry.”
“Okay,” he said, backing up and flopping down on her couch. “You made your choice. You continue with your investigation, I’ll continue with mine.”
“You can’t do that.” She walked to the table in front of him and sat. She’d almost forgotten he was still wearing a cuff on one of his hands.
“Okay, fine,” he said when she tugged on his cuffed wrist to free it. “I just thought you might like to hear about the deliveries Buck told me were coming.”
Chapter 9
Jordan raised an eyebrow. “What deliveries? Where?”
“See, now that sounds like a question a partner would ask, but since you don’t want to be my part—”
“You’re screwing with a federal investigation, you ass.” Instead of releasing the locked cuff, she reached for his free hand and slapped the open cuff back on it.
“Oh, for crying out loud.” He rolled his eyes and slouched back into the couch. Fine. If she wanted to play hardball, he could do that. He had her attention and a little leverage. By the end of the night, he was going to be working with Jordan to take the Bucks down. She didn’t know it yet, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he was letting her do this alone.
Turning deaf ears on her colorful tirade, he decided a cocky grin would be his best defense.
“You know, I’m beginning to think you just like seeing me in handcuffs,” he said. “If that’s the case, sweetheart, all you had to do was ask.” He flashed a slick smile and a wink that was ballsy even by his standards.
In midrant, she went silent. Judging by the glare in her eyes and the small jolt of her body, it was entirely possible she would now kill hi
m. Probably would’ve been smarter to get rid of the cuffs before pushing her, but no one had ever accused him of being overly smart.
“Take these off, Jordan.” He continued to bait her. “We both know you’re not calling anyone to haul me away tonight.”
He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees, letting his face settle just inches from hers. “If you do call, I’ll suffer from a terrible case of amnesia. Probably won’t even remember my name, much less when Buck said those deliveries were coming.”
He took it as a bad sign when she didn’t move. Even worse when she didn’t speak. The wheels were turning behind those wild, green eyes. What she would do next was anyone’s guess. He was, after all, essentially blackmailing her.
So why isn’t she trying to rip my head off?
His muscles tensed. Practically holding his breath, he waited for her temper to kick in. Instead, she casually leaned back and offered up a small, sultry smile.
This is very bad.
Clearly posed for seduction, she crossed one long, smooth leg over the other, tugged on the zipper of her warm-up jacket, and pulled it lower and lower until it sprang open.
Or maybe it was very good.
Her sparkly pink bikini top peeked out from under the jacket. Hypnotized, he choked down the memory of last night’s encounter when she’d been hot and willing under his hands. He would not allow himself to go there. Absolutely would not think about the perfect size or shape of her breasts.
Nope. Not going there.
In fact, he was pretty sure he was getting played. So when the spark of desire took off like a rocket, he tempered it with a good, healthy dose of caution.
She leaned toward him, traced one long, feminine finger seductively across his collarbone. Her slim hands with hot pink nails grabbed his shirt and tugged him close. Then her full lips—that could tempt the noblest of men—pressed against his and devoured not only his mouth but most of his resolve.
Someone groaned. He prayed it wasn’t him, but was pretty sure it was.
His body didn’t care whether he was getting played or not. It even had a few suggestions of its own. Rip off her clothes. Take her—fast and hard. Images of the previous night pierced his determination to stay strong. Vivid memories of pumping into her, seeing her eyes glaze, feeling her sleek body clamp down on him as she cried out, taunted him to do it all over again.
Is that what he wanted? A repeat of last night?
It surprised the hell out of him to realize the answer was no. His hands trembled on the silken skin of her waist as he teetered on the line between delirious fast and hard sex, and something more.
As good as last night’s sex had been, the aftermath had almost killed him. They had come together like two cars in a head-on collision but left just as much devastation in their wake.
Vaguely aware of his shirt tearing and buttons flying, he whispered her name while her tongue ravaged a line from ear to collarbone. Most men would never walk away from her. Couldn’t walk away from her. On any other night, with anyone else, he’d already be inside her.
But with this woman, this woman kept him circling back to the clawing feeling that something more was between them. A hell of a lot more than a quick fuck and being kicked to the door.
Kissing back and forth across his jaw line, she stopped only long enough to nip his chin. Returning to his mouth, she eased her tongue inside, drove the kiss deeper and harder.
He pulled back. His breath heaved in and out.
Her lips curved in a satisfied gotcha smile. “Tell me what you know.”
“Oh, that’s low. You’re kidding, right? You think you’re going to use sex to get me to talk? I’m seriously attracted to you, Jordan, but I’m not desperate.” Yeah, okay, he was desperate. Who was he kidding? He’d have sold his soul for another opportunity to be with her.
“Jordan, stop,” he pleaded before she crushed her lips to his again and climbed into his lap, straddling him. Even if he could have hidden the way his muscles tightened, there was no hiding the tightening in his pants. He was so hard, he ached.
She lightly circled his lips with her tongue before diving into a kiss that left them both gasping for air. He groaned and his body quivered. Quivered, hell. Every inch of him shook with need. But Jordan was never going to be a simple, carefree tumble. He wasn’t a stupid man; already he felt too much.
“Baby, slow down.” He’d be damned if they’d go zero to sixty in a heartbeat again and have the whole thing over before it started. And then what? Would she throw him out again?
His eyes opened, desperation humming loud and clear. “Take the cuffs off. Now.”
“Tell me when the deliveries are coming,” she said.
Barely containing his anger, he moved her back, pushed her off his lap and onto the coffee table. He wanted to scream. Tell me this isn’t a game to you.
He stood and moved across the room, tried not to regret pushing away a woman he wanted more than his next breath. Hoping that his own handcuff key would work, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his key ring.
When the cuffs clicked open, he turned back to her and tossed them in her direction. “Would you really sleep with me to get information on Buck?”
Her hand shook as she brought her fingers to her lips. She looked stunned, hurt. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” She moved her hand away from her mouth. “What about last night? I thought you wanted this.”
“You think I want handcuffs? Well, I don’t. I hope this isn’t your usual method to get information. This isn’t a game, Jordan. At least not for me.” As soon as the words crossed his lips, bells went off in his head.
Did making it a game make it safer? Easier to walk away from? Maybe he’d stumbled upon the one woman in the world who was more scared of something real than most men.
Either she felt something for him, or she didn’t. If it was only sex between them, there were a lot of women out there to fulfill that need without the ache this woman put in his chest. If he laid all his cards on the table, maybe she’d do the same.
He sat down next to her. “Buck is having a few big deliveries in mid-December. On Monday, while he’s closed. That’s what he told me. He wanted to make sure I had my weapon that day. Said some of the delivery guys are squirrely. My hunch is that there’s more than food and alcohol coming.”
“Oh.” She was clearly shocked he’d shared the information. But then he watched as the cop in her started reasoning. “You think he’d be bold enough to have a truck drive up to his place of business, unload in front of all you guys?”
Ty shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s pretty bold, thinks the laws don’t apply to him. I don‘t know if he’s that stupid, but it’s a possibility.”
Silence sat between them like a canyon, wide and deep.
“Why did you tell me? I never agreed to let you in the investigation.”
He turned his head to look at her. “You either want my help, or you don’t. You either want me, or you don’t. I think we’d be good together, but this case is important, and I’m done playing around. I’ve cooperated. I’ve told you everything I know.” He stood, shrugged. “You know where to find me.”
“You’re leaving?”
The hurt in her voice clamped around his heart, but if he didn’t hold his ground with her now, he didn’t know if he ever could.
She stood, looked up at him. “Don’t you think we have things to discuss?”
The hurt sounded angrier this time. She didn’t want him to go, he could see it in her eyes, but she’d sooner choke on regret than admit she wanted him to stay. Her stubbornness infuriated him. If she only knew the restraint it was taking not to grab her and kiss some sense into her.
“That’s up to you. I’m pretty well done discussing on my end. Far as I can see, I’m the only one giving around here. And I’m not talking just about the case.”
She stepped back as if dodging a physical blow. “What is that supposed to mean? You came to my place last night. Remember? I di
dn’t hunt you down. You wormed your way in here, and we ended up having sex. I’d say that’s pretty damn giving on my part.”
Ty watched her eyes well up with emotion.
“And tonight,” she continued, “you broke into my apartment. You’re damned lucky the only thing I did was slap cuffs on you.”
Stepping closer, she jabbed a finger in his chest. “If I had any brains, I’d have called the FBI and let them haul you away. Let ’em work you over for a day or two. But did I? No. Just what the hell else do you want from me?”
Oh, that just ripped it.
The poking finger combined with fact that she was clueless about what he wanted from her pushed him right over the edge. Catching her wrist, he jerked her until they were nose to nose. “Not that I’m sure you’re capable of it, but an emotion other than rage would be a nice damn start.”
“Just go.” She shook off his grip. “This is a mistake. What the hell was I thinking?”
“Well, it seems like you thought you could trade sex for information. Now I’m standing here wondering how many times you’ve done it before.” He knew damn well she didn’t operate that way, but he wanted her to admit it, to at least acknowledge there was more going on between them than a case.
She charged like an angry bull, and she sure didn’t fight like a female. It was all he could do to dodge left and shift right, avoiding contact with her fists. He grabbed her waist, hauled her flailing body into the air, and tossed her on the couch.
Her breath panted in and out. She scrambled to stand but didn’t come out swinging again. “I’ve never used my body to get information.”
“Yeah, I figured that,” he said. “I’m fairly confident you’d disembowel a man before trading sexual favors for information.”
Tears streaked down her cheeks.
He stepped closer, lowered his head to look at her. “Which leads me to wonder why you’d pull that crap with me.”
She flicked the tears away.
He wanted to pull her close, ached with a need to touch her that had his hands shaking. But he wouldn’t. Not this time.
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