The Lawman's Secret Vow

by Tara Randel

  Dante opened the bag, trying to make out the contents in the darkness. “Water bottles. Crackers. Beef jerky?” If the cab hadn’t been shrouded in dark shadows, he imagined he’d find his partner’s face a crimson shade of red at his question. Eloise seemed to always second-guess herself, which he found surprising since she really impressed him by having her act together.

  “Since we never discussed it, I wasn’t sure of your favorite go-to food for a stakeout. I have limited experience, and I’ll admit, I never like to eat at times like this.”

  Dante peeled open the jerky. The aroma of spiced meat filled the cab. “Nerves?”

  “Yes. I’ve heard other officers talk about the adrenaline spike. I want to be prepared.”

  “Hopefully you’ll experience it tonight.” He took a bite of the stick and chewed. “Thanks. I was hungry.”

  “I thought about stopping for coffee but figured we didn’t need any unscheduled bathroom breaks.”

  He chuckled. “As much as I’d love a cup of caffeine, I agree.”

  Dante polished off his dinner in no time, taking a sip from his water bottle. “So, we have time to kill. Fill me in on your night.”

  She turned toward him again, noticing a sheepish expression on her face as his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

  “Stella and her friends are way out of my league.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Shopping. Long lunches. Spa days. Sometimes dancing, like tonight.”

  “Sounds like fun, but don’t they have kids? Who takes care of them?”

  “Nannies, it sounds like. Stella mentioned that Rico hit the mother lode. Seems she’s made it her mission in life to spend all the money he brings home.”

  Dante shook his head. “Trust me, she isn’t seeing it all.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Safe in his office. I’ve seen cash inside.”

  “Well, whatever he gives her is making her happy. Thankfully she knows the Smiths don’t make a lot of money because even though she’s adopted me into her group, and insisted I shop with them, she understands when I leave a store with one bag to her five.”

  “Any intel on the women?”

  “No red flags. Stella is the leader. I get the impression they’re all childhood friends. No one stands out.”

  He nodded his head toward her. “Where were you tonight?”

  “A new club. Twilight. It just opened and Stella’s been dying to go. There were lots of women, few husbands and many male employees. Let’s just say I was glad to call it a night. Things were getting out of hand.”

  “Not your scene?”

  She shuddered. “Never in a million years.” She paused. “Not that I’m boring or anything.”

  Dante checked the mirror again. “Didn’t say you were.”

  “I just don’t understand throwing someone’s hard-earned money around for...whatever those women find pleasurable.”

  “It’s not their money so they don’t care.”

  “I suppose. It’s just not my idea of a good time.”

  Dante opened the box of crackers. “And what is?”

  Eloise laid her head against the seat rest. “Spending time with people I enjoy. Reading.” A smile curved her lips. “Filing reports.”

  “Why am I not surprised.” He bit into a salty square and crunched.

  “I don’t have a wide circle of friends, but the ones who are in my life are important to me.”

  “Same here.”

  She turned her head toward him. “Not a lot of friends, either?”

  “Nope.” He took another bite.

  “I didn’t expect that.”

  “Why?”

  “You seem like the popular guy.”

  “I’m like you.” He shrugged. “I’d rather have close friendships than lots of acquaintances.”

  “And your family?”

  Dante pictured his mother. His brothers. Smiled. “Love them all, even if they treat me like the annoying younger brother I probably am or was.”

  Eloise stared out the front window. “Someone has to be the youngest and therefore the picked-on one.”

  “It gets old once you grow up.” Dante tossed the box into the bag. “You mentioned your folks. Not close to them?”

  “No.” Her voice sounded so tiny. He wondered what her childhood had been like. Decided to go ahead and ask when an eighteen-wheel car carrier, lights flashing, turned into the street. They both ducked at the same time so as not to be noticed in the headlights, their heads close enough to touch.

  Eloise’s jasmine perfume surrounded him. Lured him closer. He inhaled, savoring the scent of the intriguing woman. She was smart, pretty and read him really well. He’d never had that vibe with a partner. Until now.

  The semi rumbled by but they kept their heads down until it was safely behind them. He lifted his head, as did Eloise, and their eyes met. Dante’s pulse picked up. This close, he could feel her breath on his cheek. And admitted to himself he was in deep water as far as Eloise was concerned, because the attraction he was supposed to quash was growing stronger every day.

  It took everything in him to move away from heaven, from Eloise, and focus on the reason they were in these tight confines to begin with.

  * * *

  WAS HE GOING to kiss her?

  Eloise blinked. The op and the cool night air, combined with the close confines of the truck, faded as she held her breath. Waited. Wished.

  Then the semi brakes screeched in the distance, pulling her from the magical haze.

  “Ah, looks like we have action,” Dante said, his voice strained.

  Eloise blinked. Right. Action. The job.

  Had she really wanted him to kiss her? Right now? In the middle of a stakeout? Yes!

  With that revelation, she sat up, straightened her dress and hair. Dante was intently peering out the back window.

  “The guys are pulling a ramp from the truck.” Eloise turned in her seat to see what was going on. Bright red lights flashed on the semi. The sudden quiet seemed deafening after the loud semi engine shut down. Moments later a car moved up the ramp. Followed by another and another.

  “Looks like your hunch was correct,” she stated the obvious.

  Dante sent her a cheeky grin. “Don’t you love our plan?”

  Sure, if she had an idea of what the plan was. With Dante, anyway. The job, she could figure out. Her feelings for the man seated next to her, all kinetic energy and edgy excitement, were still part of a process she didn’t have any answers to. For a woman who went by the book, not having any kind of guidelines to go by in the romance department was frustrating.

  Within thirty minutes the cars were loaded and the driver jumped back behind the wheel. Eloise recorded the entire exchange with the PD digital camera Dante insisted they keep in the truck for moments like this.

  “Let’s go,” Dante said. “We can’t go by the repair shop, so head out to the main road. We’ll follow once they make it around the block.”

  Starting the truck, Eloise calmed her shaky hands. They were closer to getting answers and she had to admit Dante’s enthusiasm was contagious. Stepping on the gas, she wished she’d thrown flats into the truck but she hadn’t been thinking. High heels were not her idea of professional footwear, but Stella’s invitation had come last minute and, in her haste, Eloise hadn’t thought ahead to a possible stakeout.

  Pausing at the stop sign at the end of the street, she waited until the huge car carrier pulled out a few streets down. She eased onto the main road, merging with the couple of cars still out this early in the morning.

  “Slow down,” Dante warned. “The Porsche is following the semi.”

  Eloise fell back, tailing the sports car and carrier.

  Laser focused now, they traveled five miles in silence before turning into a
n industrial park. Again, Eloise trailed, keeping her nerves in check while slowing down until the semi pulled into the empty parking lot of a large warehouse. She cut the lights and pulled over onto the grass shoulder, far enough away not to be noticed, but with an unobstructed view to monitor the activity and take pictures to record movements.

  A man jumped out of the sports car, unlocked a glass door and disappeared inside the building.

  “Greg?” Eloise asked.

  “Yeah,” came Dante’s terse reply.

  The warehouse in front of them appeared newer than the others in the park, which had a general run-down feeling. A minute later, a huge garage door opened while the semi driver readied the cars for removal. The stark warehouse lights were bright in the night, revealing other cars parked inside. It took another thirty minutes to off-load the high-end cars. Once Greg closed the large doors, he and the semi driver appeared again. Greg walked the driver to his truck, slapped him on the back and watched the driver swing into the truck cab. As the semi roared to life, Greg stepped back, then fished something out of his pants pocket.

  “Looks like he’s getting a phone call,” Dante observed.

  The truck moved slowly down the road, leaving Greg behind to carry on an animated conversation. He paced, raised his hand, then finally ran to his car, jumped inside and peeled out of the parking lot.

  Dante turned to Eloise, a smile spreading over his lips. “No way. Did he forget to lock the front door?”

  Eloise shook her head. Actually, she wasn’t surprised. She’d worked enough property theft cases to realize criminals did strange things. “Sure looks that way.”

  Dante barked out a laugh. “Let’s hang out a bit longer, in case he realizes his mistake and comes back.”

  “Do you think anyone else will drive by? One of Rico’s guys?”

  “I doubt it, but we can’t be too sure. Usually when we’ve finished for the night, Mac and Ramsey head right home. I always leave before Rico. There’s no telling what he does afterward.”

  Fifteen minutes later, there was no additional traffic. “Let’s roll,” Dante said, slipping out of the truck.

  Eloise followed, pulling her hair back into a ponytail with the clip she’d thrown in her tiny evening bag. She also carried the camera to document the cars inside.

  “You aren’t going to break your ankle in those things, are you?” he asked as they shuffled through the grass to the dusty road.

  Eloise glanced down. The black heels were stylish on a dance floor, but not so much running across asphalt. “I’ll be fine.”

  Dante shook his head. “Must be a woman thing.”

  She held back a grin.

  They stayed to the fringes of the parking lot, working their way through the shadows to the building. A bird cried out a warning. In the distance, Eloise could hear cars zooming down the main road. She broke out in a light sweat. The humid spring night was not meant for running around in a clandestine mission wearing an evening dress.

  Dante stopped, hunkered down. “The outside lights are a problem, but the only place I can see inside is through the glass door.”

  He waved and they streaked across the lot to the building, backs to the wall as they worked their way to the door.

  “They must be using this place for storage,” she surmised.

  “Until they move the cars again? Or do they keep them here awhile?” Dante wondered out loud. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ve got a flashlight app. Maybe it’ll give us more light.”

  “While you try, I’m going around the building.”

  He glanced her way, his face serious. “Be careful.”

  “I can take care of myself,” she said, jogging off.

  Rounding the corner, dark shadows covered her movement along the length of solid wall. No doors or windows. She gingerly stepped along the sparse grass. A crash, like a garbage can tipping over, startled her. Her hand flew to her chest. An animal scavenging for food? She shivered and hurried on.

  As she crept to the back, she spied metal stairs leading up to a door on a much higher level. Not wanting to exclude any possibility, she climbed the stairs. Heart pounding, she gripped the cool metal with damp palms as she drew closer to the landing, trying to keep her shoes from echoing in the still night. Once on top, she hurried to the door. As she expected, the entryway was locked. There was a half window in the door. Eloise peered inside the warehouse and let out a gasp.

  Hurrying back down the stairs and around to the front, she moved as fast as she could without turning an ankle. Once at the office door, she hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the handle and pulled, stepping inside to seek out Dante, who was roaming around the warehouse.

  “Are you crazy?” she hissed.

  “What?” He tried for innocence but couldn’t pull it off. “The door was unlocked. I was afraid a thief might be inside so I decided to perform a business check. You do realize this could be a high-crime area.”

  “Could be?” she huffed. “And getting a warrant didn’t cross your mind?”

  “Not when I sensed positional danger.”

  She rolled her eyes. He had a point—a business check fell under their purview, even if the motivation was a bit shaky.

  “I just wanted to get an idea of what was in here.” He nodded toward the inventory. “All high-end cars.”

  She had to admit, she’d been curious, too.

  “This isn’t the end run, I’m sure of it,” Dante continued. “At some point, these cars must be moved somewhere else. But where?” He looked at her, no doubt seeing the frown on her face. “Don’t worry. When we get that far along, we’ll be sure to do things by the book.”

  Okay, it made sense, but it went against Eloise’s grain. She didn’t like playing fast and loose with the law, but saw Dante’s point. And they were undercover to acquire information.

  Mind made up, she inspected the huge area. The door she’d noticed from the back side of the building opened onto a sort of catwalk that circled high above the cavernous space. No other offices or side rooms. Other than that, only cars filled the warehouse.

  “Who steals all these expensive cars and doesn’t have an alarm system?” she asked in a low tone.

  “Thieves who plan on moving the merchandise soon?”

  As she walked around the beautiful vehicles, the faint scent of gasoline and damp concrete tickled her nose. The overhead light reflected off the perfect paint jobs. She noticed something off near the bottom of one car body and bent down to get a closer look.

  “Is someone repainting the cars?”

  Dante joined her, squatting down to check.

  “Good eye.”

  She tried not to beam. She was doing her job, after all.

  He rose. “You go that way.” Dante pointed to his left. “I’ll go the other and we’ll meet in the middle.”

  She took off, snapping pictures of cars. “There are no plates,” she called out.

  “I noticed that earlier. Must have been removed when the cars arrived at the shop.”

  “Rico has them?”

  “I’ll have to find out.”

  After taking a few more pictures, she met up with Dante. “No license plates and they changed the VINs. There’s no way I’ll be able to trace where they came from.”

  “We’ll call Chambers. Have him put a surveillance detail on this warehouse.” He took another scan of the room. “Let’s check the office.”

  The room was empty except for a solitary desk and a landline phone. Eloise lifted the receiver. “There’s a dial tone.”

  “Then there has to be a number leading to someone who owns or rents this place.” He checked his watch. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  As they moved together toward the door, a squealing, followed by lights, flashed into
the parking lot.

  Dante muttered under his breath. “Greg must have realized he didn’t lock up.”

  They were blocked. The only way out would lead to their discovery.

  Thinking fast, Eloise said, “This way.” She grabbed his shirtsleeve to drag him back into the warehouse. Pointed to the metal stairs. “We can get out up there.”

  He nodded. They both ran for the stairs and climbed up, sprinting down the catwalk to the exit. Dante had the door open and they made it outside just as Greg arrived inside. Eloise gently closed the door and huddled beside Dante, watching through the window. Greg made a circuit of the warehouse, made sure all was okay, turned off the lights and left. From their perch on the landing, Eloise could hear his car start up and drive away.

  She sagged against the building, tugging the camera strap over her shoulder. “That was close.”

  Dante winked at her. “And fun.”

  “Right. Almost getting caught and blowing our cover was fun?”

  “Beats sitting in the truck doing nothing.”

  He had a point, even if she didn’t like it. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest.

  Dante made sure the door was locked again before leading the way down. Near the bottom, Eloise moved so quickly that her heel caught and she lost her footing. Dante had just turned to gauge her descent. His fast reflexes caught her before she could tumble into the grass. She didn’t hit the ground, but she did end up in his arms.

  They both froze. Dante’s hands on her waist, hers gripping his upper arms. By the light of the moon hovering in the clear night sky, Eloise watched Dante’s gaze search her face before moving to her lips. Her breath caught.

  “Back in the truck,” he said, voice low and husky, “I wanted to kiss you. Looks like fate has given me a second chance.”

  He lowered his head, gently touching her lips with his. She lost all rational thought as she returned the kiss. His lips brushed hers, once. Again and again. His spicy scent made her dizzy. Her fingers tightened around the soft fabric of his shirt. She wasn’t sure how long the kiss went on. Would have let it go on forever if Dante hadn’t pulled away.

  “I...probably shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered, putting space between them.