by India Kells
“I’ll try.”
The line went dead and Malco looked at the phone in frustration, wanting to hurl it at the wall. He and Frida looked at each other for a second, each feeling the despair of knowing that Tycen was in a perilous situation.
“Do you think he’ll call back?”
Malco shrugged. “Not sure. You know as well as I do how difficult it is to do anything without the other gang members finding out. There’s always someone waiting to stab you in the back to get ahead with the boss and move up.”
“We need to find him. Can anyone backtrace that call?”
“Alex, maybe. Change of plans. Let’s call him on the way into the Agency. If he manages to call back, I want to be able to track him, and I can’t do that here.”
“I agree. Let me pack my stuff up.” Frida turned to walk away, but Malco caught her arm and pulled her to him. She looked at him quizzically as she let him hold her body against his. He leaned his head into her neck and let her scent settle him.
“I can’t let another mother bury her son because of these gangs.” Malco felt her hand in his hair.
“We’ll find him, Malco. You have to believe that, or it will suck you down. One kid at a time, we’ll save them.” Malco looked up then into the eyes of a woman who he hardly knew but felt like he shared a connection with, stronger than he could explain.
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“You’re just saying that because you want in my pants.” Malco grinned.
“I most certainly do, but that doesn’t make what I said any less true. You care, and you’re brave, and that’s so attractive.” Frida rubbed her palm over his scruff. “You ain’t so bad yourself.”
She dropped a kiss onto his lips that was tender and genuine, and Malco wondered how he would ever let her go or if he even wanted to.
Chapter Twelve
One thing Frida appreciated about the team at the Agency was how efficient they all were—day or night—as they worked to dig up everything they could to find Tycen. As soon as they had set foot inside the building, Malco had commandeered part of the team to try to triangulate the teenager’s call, as well as track down anything useful concerning the gangs in that sector of the city. Ward had been on call to share his immense knowledge in that area.
For her part, Frida had gone to Rina in the main conference room, who had continued digging through the files with Alex and Mercy by her side. She would’ve preferred Malco and the others in one place, the possibility that information might intersect between them always in the back of her mind, but she also wanted Malco nearby. She shook her head at that thought, worried about getting too attached to him. After all, their agreement included sex, nothing more.
Unfortunately, the lack of available space forced the second team into a tighter office, and it may have been for the best, as Frida needed every brain cell firing and not constantly overcome by bouts of lust.
With Rina by her side, she went through the information her assistant had compiled and sent just before Tycen’s call came.
In front of her, taking up most of the conference room screen was the list of all the payments the Miami PD Union fund had received from the District Attorney’s office.
“A little more than a hundred payments in total spread out over a little more than a year. Not big enough to raise any flags, but way too frequent to be normal.” Frida was mostly speaking to herself, and Rina was used to it.
“And with innocuous references and details like Christmas party, Easter event, summer donation… It’s so obvious, it feels like they’re hiding something.”
Mercy snorted, her feet on the table. “I would assume they’re hiding something, but is this legal?”
Frida pondered it for a moment. “If it’s a genuine donation for yearly events, it’s legal, but it’s threading a fine line. I wouldn’t have looked at it twice if not for the frequency of the deposits.”
Alex pushed up from his chair. “And what’s the total amount? It can’t be all that much if it’s for holiday parties and barbecues.”
Rina bit her lip. “If I had that kind of money for my next Christmas party, we could all go to Tahiti for a couple of months. I wouldn’t mind lying on the beach with a drink in my hand.”
“I wouldn’t mind bringing all the drinks you want if you were waiting for me in a bikini.”
Frida almost smiled at the blush rising on her assistant’s cheeks. “With that kind of money, Rina would be able to hire you as her cabana boy for a couple of years. One million dollars isn’t exactly petty cash.”
Frozen for a moment, Mercy whistled as she dropped her feet to the floor. “One hundred deposits disguised as donations? And they went through without an issue? I can’t believe that.”
Frida didn’t believe it either. “With all the paperwork, it could’ve been lost or dismissed, and they kept each one just under ten thousand, so they didn’t have to report it. And we don’t know the extent of the corruption or the number of people involved. Clearly, they’re payments, but the real question is to whom and for what? And who at the Union took the money and to do what? We already know that DA Pool is probably dirty, and Detective Kasten is part of it, but I doubt either of them were stupid enough to have receipts in their names just lying around.”
Rina returned to her box of papers with a sigh, but Mercy clearly wasn’t happy with what she’d said as she reached into another archive box. “If it smells rotten, you can’t tell me there isn’t a skunk around.”
Frida looked at the transactions and silently agreed with the blonde agent. Even if the evidence was tenuous at best, something was rotten. All they had to do was follow the smell.
“Who are the Union representatives for the MPD? With a name, Rina can do some research and see if there are any links. We can check their bank accounts too.”
“Way ahead of you, lady.” Alex hunched his tall frame back on the laptop. “I’m not into cop politics, but they’re officials, and the names should be public. Otherwise, I doubt the people involved would be keeping such a low profile.”
Frida agreed. People in positions of power, especially in fields where the work was hard or dangerous, would gladly reap the benefits of all that was offered. After all, being a cop was a thankless job, filled with sacrifices, dangers, and low pay. She believed that most of those men and women were honorable, but in every group of people, there were rotten fruit.
“Fuck me.” It may have been a low curse, but Alex’s exclamation in the nearly silent room rang like an alarm. “This needs to be confirmed, but here’s an interesting name on the list of reps. Nicole Kasten is the Union secretary.”
At the name, the three women crowded Alex’s space to see his screen. When Frida’s eyes landed on Kasten’s name, her jaw clenched. Would it be so easy or obvious? Her experience taught her to be careful of something too good to be true. And if it were the truth, they may have the answer as to why the deposits went through so seamlessly if Kasten’s sister was involved.
“Let’s be thorough about this. Alex, go through the names of the Union representatives as well as anyone attached to them. Let’s make it a wide circle, wider than usual. It will take longer, but I don’t want to leave any stone unturned. Rina, can you coordinate everything, see if there were any sudden deposits or withdrawals. If we peel back all the layers, we may find something strong enough for us to pull.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to dig into Nicole Kasten first?”
Frida nodded at Mercy’s question. “Faster, yes, but we can’t be sure of anything. And most of all, when we bring them down, I want them all to go. I don’t want just one and I don’t want to risk any of them slipping through because we didn’t have all the evidence.”
Mercy winked at her in acknowledgment and Frida shook her head before her vibrating phone caught her attention. Her amusement turned to concern when she saw Chief Randall’s phone number.
Quickly, she left the team for the relative calm of the hallway. “Montalvo spea
king.”
“Frida. It’s Chief Randall. I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner, there are too many eyes and ears, and I had to make sure no one suspected anything. I heard about the attack and the break-in at your office. Are you all right?”
The older man’s deep voice immediately seemed to make everything better, and boosted her resolve to carry this investigation to its end. “I took care of everything. And I’m perfectly fine and protected. Me, my people, and the data.”
“Yes, I know you’ve taken refuge at the Alliance Agency. I know Shane Rhodes’ reputation from my time in California when he was still a SEAL, and he’s a good man. Miami is lucky to have him and his agents here. Stick with him, and he’ll keep you safe. I can’t speak long, can’t risk someone tracing the call. Stay safe and be careful. I don’t know what your angle is, but it seems to be working. There’s a buzz in many precincts but also in HQ. However, I came across a piece of information that may help you, depending on what you can do with it. I’ve just been informed that Charles Kasten filed the paperwork for early retirement a few weeks ago.”
“What? Why? He’s not going to be able to access his pension if he retires early.”
Chief Randall coughed in indignation on the other end of the line. “That’s the best part, he’s not requesting his pension. Not ever. He declined that option on his form. And if it’s approved, he’ll return to civilian life in a couple of days.”
Frida’s brain went into overdrive, but she was cut short when she heard shuffling on the line. “I have to go. Watch your back, and if you need my help, you know where to find me.”
And he was gone. As she went back to the conference room, she tried to gather her thoughts and make sense of all the avenues and possibilities. Her expression must have given her away. The team, who’d been hard at work, stopped what they were doing to look at her.
“Just got an interesting piece of information. Detective Kasten has decided to retire from the force, effective in two days, and without a pension. What do you think of that?”
Rina gaped as Mercy slapped her thigh, and Alex nodded. “All I can say is, I don’t think that man would do anything without knowing he was going to benefit in some way, either with more prestige or more money. Your news means he’s getting both, and that’s frightening.”
Mercy certainly agreed. “Power and money. But a million won’t last that long, and if he split with Pool, it’s only five hundred thousand.”
Jotting notes on her pad, Rina shook her head. “One, five, even ten million wouldn’t be enough for him. He must have another plan, another way to guarantee an income, or he wouldn’t have made that move.”
It was what Frida suspected.
Alex started typing like a man possessed. “I’ll need time to hack the MPD Human Resources database. The Union one is more… accessible, let’s say. Let me look there first.” Alex became silent as he typed. “Hmm, look at that. They’re quite thorough. According to the paperwork on file, I just happened to see that Nicole Kasten is stepping down from the committee, along with a few others. Coincidence, I think not. I need to access the MPD and see if any other cops are suddenly retiring.”
Eyes bright, Mercy rubbed her hands before pulling her laptop even closer. “Can’t wait to dig into their finances and see how greedy they got. Kasten may be cautious, but the others might not be so careful.”
Clearly carried by everyone’s enthusiasm, Rina smiled. “I’ll cross-check everything, boss. You should have a working list as soon as the data becomes available.”
The money could be the key to linking Pool and Kasten with the gangs. What they needed to do was trace the money from Kasten and Pool to the Miami gangs. She was ready to bet that, in the middle of the mess, she’d find the missing kids.
The team was hyped, and knowing that the investigation was in good hands, Frida went to check on Malco. Her mind was focused on getting the dirty cops, but she couldn’t forget about the missing kids.
Cleo, as usual, was at the desk and immediately looked up at her. “Hey! Do you need anything? Is everything okay in there?”
With a nod, Frida looked around. “It’s going better and faster than I’d expected. Do you know where Malco is? He’s supposed to work on the missing teens from the center, and I need to update him on our lead.”
“I guess they got a lead too because Ward turned up, and soon after that, they rushed out. Malco said they were checking something, but I don’t have more information. He just told me he’d be back soon.”
Frida ground her teeth. She wasn’t happy he hadn’t told her what he was doing. Even if there were loads of reasons why Malco hadn’t, it still frustrated her. Weren’t they supposed to be a team? Unless he was acting like a caveman, trying to protect her. That made her seethe even more. She was a damn good lawyer and not some delicate flower that needed protecting.
The fact he’d disappeared without telling her hurt. That unexpected reaction that blossomed inside her chest surprised her, but she was honest enough to see where it was coming from. For the first time since her father, she trusted a man. A man she’d only started to trust maybe, but it put doubt in her mind, took her back to when she was a little girl. Malco was bound to break her trust again. Maybe it wasn’t fair to judge a man she barely knew like that, but she couldn’t help it. And all this because he left without telling her? She was losing it.
Getting that sudden storm inside her under control, her focus went once more to her investigation. She’d see it to its end, come hell or high water. Even after all they’d discovered, there were a few questions still bugging her about the money transfers. And there was one man that may have the answers if she pushed the right buttons, and that man was DA Clark Pool.
“Cleo? I have a quick errand to run.” And before Cleo could tell her she shouldn’t go out alone, Frida interrupted her objections. “I’ll see if Mercy can come with me. All I need is a business suit for me, a gun for Mercy, and a car. We’ll be back before you know it and hopefully with some answers.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Malco turned to look at James, who sat beside him, and silently agreed. Ward getting a tip from an anonymous source just when they needed it was too much of a coincidence, and Malco didn’t believe in them any more than he did the tooth fairy. “Me too, but what else can we do? The caller said they’d seen Danie Du Toit getting into a black limo. They followed and saw the pair go into this hotel a mile off the highway. We can’t just let it go with everything going on.”
James ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath in frustration. “I know, but my gut is screaming trap.” Malco agreed, but they were fucked either way.
“Let’s just stay tight and wait for Mason to give the order.” Mason oversaw this operation. He and Kingsley had both been promoted to joint team leads after Shane and Emme had decided they both made excellent leads. The idea was that each alternated as leader on each assignment, spreading the ever-increasing workload. Malco was glad, he liked and respected both men, and while he’d prefer to be in charge of this particular case, he was smart enough to recognize he was compromised by emotion.
On that thought, he saw Mason and Caitlin walk across the street hand in hand like a couple. Anyone looking would never suspect they weren’t together unless they’d seen him with Cleo. Those two were devoted to each other and completely smitten. As they approached the car, Mason let Caitlin’s hand go, and they got in the back seat. Malco angled the mirror to look at them both.
“Anything?”
Mason’s jaw flexed in anger. “Apparently there’s a room booked under the name Kent, and it’s a standard weekly booking.”
“Do we know who Danie is with?” Malco felt his gut twist.
“I have Alex hacking the hotel feeds now. As it stands, we have no reason to charge in there.”
“No reason except that this is in the same cell tower area as the call from Tycen. That’s not a coincidence.”
Malco’s words came out harsher than he intended as frustration and worry swamped him.
“I know, and I understand, but until we have an exact location, we can’t blow this lead by charging in not knowing the who or the why.”
“So, we wait?” James asked.
“No, I have a better idea. We cause a diversion and get them out in the open.” Mason smiled, and Malco grinned.
“Fire alarm?”
“The oldies are the best,” Mason agreed.
“Malco and James, take the back exits, and Caitlin and I will cover the front.”
Malco nodded and felt the first fires of adrenaline burn through his blood. This was what he did; he attacked a situation head-on. Sitting back was the most hated part of the job for him.
As Mason and Caitlin approached the front, Caitlin slipped inside the hotel, and a few moments later, the fire alarm blared. Malco and James positioned themselves near the back exits and watched as people started to flood from the building, their eyes peeled for the young girl. Malco spotted her the instant she came out, her wide eyes frightened, her bright pink lipstick smeared across her face. Malco had to fight to clamp down the fury coursing through him as he watched the man who exited behind her scurry away toward the parking lot, leaving the young girl to fend for herself.
He nudged James and nodded toward her before alerting Mason and Caitlin through the comms. They’d decided it best if he approached the girl alone, knowing that if they descended on her en-masse, she would close up like a clam.
James disappeared into the crowd to watch from a safe distance as Malco ‘bumped into Danie’.
He saw the surprise cross her pretty face followed closely by relief.
“Danie! What are you doing here?
“I... I…” The tough girl then burst into tears.
Malco wasn’t expecting that or the way she pressed her face into his chest. His arms came up to surround the upset girl as he tried to lead her away from the melee and toward his car.