by Lisa Ladew
Hunter raged and raved. Said he’d quit if they did this. He even come close to overturning a table in the Chief’s office. He’d held his anger in check, but just barely. And in the end, he’d given in. Because the Chief told him to go on and quit. Sadler could run the operation. Hunter shuddered at the thought of Jen in Sadler’s hands. Sadler who didn’t even seem to like Jen. Who seemed to have it out for all of their three undercover officers.
In the end, he’d had to walk out with his tail between his legs, after having promised the Chief two things. One, he would present the undercover operation to Jen, and if she said she would do it, that he would run it, wholeheartedly. And two, that he would not tell anyone about Bainbridge. That he would never breathe the name Bainbridge again. That he would accept that it had nothing to do with Savoy.
“Bullshit,” he whispered to the phone. Jen would be here soon. And even though he’d sworn he wouldn’t tell her, and even though he knew he couldn't in front of Sadler, he would tell her. As soon as he got her alone. She had to know. That is, if she said she’d do it. He was still holding out hope that she wouldn’t.
Chapter 12
Jen chewed her late dinner slowly, her mind puzzling over what had happened today when she’d been called over to the surveillance building where Sgt. Sadler and Sgt. Foley worked. Sgt. Foley had sat her down and explained that the Chief liked the idea of her dating Coleton Savoy. And then things had gotten strange. Sgt. Foley’s eyes had bored into her, and he’d gotten really close to her and his voice had dropped so low she could barely hear him. He’d explained how dangerous it was going to be, and that she didn’t have to do it if she didn’t want to.
But then Sgt. Sadler had come close and contradicted every word Sgt. Foley had said. He’d said she would be perfectly safe. They’d be right there with her all the time. They wouldn’t let her get in any dangerous situations. At one point, Jen had been afraid they were going to fight right there in front of her. What would she do? Call 911? Call Ryker? She’d looked around for their version of the bat phone but hadn’t seen it. Luckily they’d backed off of each other, although they never did cool down.
Sgt. Foley had told her she didn’t have to decide right then, but Sgt. Sadler had said the Chief was waiting for her decision. Jen hadn’t been 100% sure what she would do until the decision was right in front of her. And when it was, Sara’s face and her mother’s face had filled her mind. And just like that, Jen had said “I’ll do it.” What her mother had to do with anything, she didn’t know, except maybe if her mother knew, her mother would have tried to forbid her from doing it. And to Jen, that seemed like a good enough reason to do it.
Sgt. Foley’s face had dropped immediately, and to Jen he had never seemed to recover. They’d worked together for hours, outfitting her with her special purse with the secret gun pocket, the tiny gun, the panic button in a small ring on her finger, and the app and special cover and battery for her phone that would make it an open line and GPS, so if she left it on the table or slightly sticking out of her pocket they could hear and even see everything in its range. But Sgt. Foley had seemed so … sad? Apprehensive? Drowning in his own thoughts? So out of it that she’d wondered if he was sick.
And then she’d come home. Mentally, she was completely drained again. She scraped the rest of her food into the garbage and went to bed early. Jerry was pulling a 24 hour shift at one of the fire stations so he wasn’t home. She dropped into her bed like a stone and never heard the doorbell chime for fifteen minutes. Or her phone ring over and over again.
***
Hunter ran the razor over his chin and wondered if it was too early to call Jen. She must have already been sleeping when he went to her house last night, so she should be up. But he didn’t want to call her. He wanted to talk to her face to face. He had this fantasy that if he could get to her before she actually went out with the guy, she could call the whole thing off without too much damage to himself or to her. He rinsed his face and admitted to himself he probably wouldn’t come out of this unscathed if that happened, but he was OK with losing his job if that meant that she would be safe. And he knew her job was safe no matter what. Well, he hoped. That was the crappy thing about being a police officer. You were expected to put your life on the line. Most cops in urban areas did it every single day, every single shift.
Maybe he’d try to catch her after work tonight. He’d just have to make sure Sadler didn’t see them together. Just thinking of Sadler made his stomach turn sour. And after that debacle at the Chief’s office, he knew a request for a new partner wouldn’t go over well. Maybe after this assignment, he’d request a transfer. Something quiet like … Hunter tried to think of a quiet unit and couldn’t. Well, maybe he’d just go back to being a regular detective. He was good at it, and he could work alone if he wanted to.
A niggling thought wormed its way into his mind. Could his intense opposition to Jen pretending to date Savoy have anything to do with his own feelings for her? What feelings? he scoffed. She’s cute. And ambitious. And smart. But I’m not secretly in love with her or anything. His stomach flip-flopped at the word love, even though he was negating it, not affirming it.
He jumped into the shower and finished his morning routine, determined to get to work early. He wanted to check in on Ivy. After he and Sadler had finished with Jen last night, Ivy had called and said she had an idea. And it had been a good one. She said she’d go in early this morning and start to work on it. He couldn’t wait to see if it panned out or not.
After his short drive, Hunter walked in their surveillance room, glad that Sadler wasn’t there yet to fill the place with his own special brand of irritation. He flipped on all the lights and the cameras, a bit surprised to see Ivy already at the computer, and even more surprised to see Ryker sitting right behind her, watching over his shoulder. But why are you surprised about Ryker? he asked himself. He’s been following Ivy around like an overgrown puppy since the first day she came in wearing that sexy punk outfit. Hunter frowned. As long as it didn’t cause any problems in the unit, he didn’t care if Ryker and Ivy were boffing each other in the bathroom on break. Which he knew they weren’t. But it was only 6:30. Why were they both in so early? Maybe he slept over at her place last night. Hunter raised his eyebrows. Maybe. The situation would bear watching.
But for now, he just wanted the lowdown on Ivy’s computer program. He zoomed in on her screen, surprised to find she must have already finished writing the program she described, and now she was entering serial numbers and dates of sale. Idly he wondered why someone with Ivy’s skills wanted to be a cop. She could be pulling in a couple hundred grand a year with Microsoft or Amazon. And hadn’t Jen asked her that on their first day? There was a story there, Hunter knew. Someday he’d ask what it was. For now, he turned on his own computer that was connected to the network at the pawn shop and studied the figures Ivy’s program was spitting out. Interesting.
Lost in thought and work, he barely noticed when Sadler arrived. He did notice when Jen arrived and opened the shop. He paused for a moment to check her mood, her attitude. She looked happy and relaxed, so he turned back to what he was doing.
Their day started.
With one eye he worked with Ivy’s program, and with the other eye he watched Jen get into a groove, taking care of customers. She was getting good. She pacified angry people, uplifted sad people, and joked with the few happy people. She bought everything that came in. And a lot of stuff was coming in. Lots of guns for some reason. Hunter was just about to walk to the bat phone to tell Ivy to start entering those guns into her database when the door opened one more time and Coleton Savoy walked in.
Damn! Hunter flicked his eyes to the clock and saw it was only 11:30. He watched as Jen’s eyes went to Savoy, then back to her current customer with a new, tense posture. He watched as Savoy stood in Jen’s line patiently. He seethed as Savoy finally sauntered up to Jen and asked her out to lunch, right now. He saw Jen look uncertainly to Ivy, then to the bat ph
one, and then to the camera on the ceiling. He swirled his chair around, intending on running to the bat phone and telling her no way, tell him to wait till tomorrow! But Sadler had beaten him there. Ivy picked up the phone, listened, then hung up and walked by Jen saying, “You can take a lunch now if you want to.” And then Jen was following Savoy out the front door.
Goddammit! Now they had to divide surveillance! And Hunter’s chances at warning Jen off before she had her first date were gone forever. Anger boiled over inside of him. “I’m taking Mansko,” he growled in Sadler’s general direction, his voice making it clear Sadler better not argue. He ran to the computers they had set up for Jen’s operation and flipped on all the switches, dialing in to her phone.
He couldn’t see or hear anything. The phone must still be in her purse! “I don’t have a line on her — turn on the outside cameras, quick!” Hunter ran down the line of monitors, waiting for one to show Jen and Savoy. Were they getting in a car? Hunter felt close to a panic and stuffed it down. If something happened to Jen, he’d never forgive himself. He’d kill Sadler. He’d kill the Chief. He’d kill Savoy. The outside cameras clicked on the monitors and he studied them, looking for Jen. And as he realized the couple walking down the sidewalk towards the nearby Lounge was them, his own cameras started showing a picture: the sidewalk swinging back and forth from Jen’s pocket. He sank into his chair and took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. A small voice spoke up in his mind. Nah, you don’t love her. Heck, you don’t even like her, right?
Chapter 13
Jen walked into the lounge behind Coleton, her mind a cool blank. She was just going to let this be what it was. She was determined not to second-guess herself, not to fake anything, and not to push too hard to be perfect. She wouldn’t think about what would happen if he wanted to kiss her. She would decide in the moment. If she had the choice whether or not to take this assignment, then surely she had a choice of whether to kiss him or not. And if he wanted to kiss her, and she wouldn’t kiss him back, he wouldn’t ask her out for another date. Problem solved. But for now, a little conversation. A little digging. A little glimpse into his life. That wasn’t hurting anyone. And if he wasn’t a criminal, he had nothing to worry about. And she had nothing to feel guilty about. She wondered if Sara ever felt guilty. If Sgt. Foley ever felt guilty. Probably not.
The waiter led them to a quiet table along the back wall. Coleton held out her chair for her, then sat across from her and flashed her that killer smile. Jen carefully put her phone on the table next to her plate, wondering what the cameras were catching. His water glass? The side of his plate? She’d look at the video later for future corrections.
“Thanks for coming to lunch with me,” he said.
“Sure. Thanks for asking me.”
“How long have you been a … what are you, a pawn broker?”
Jen laughed. “Not me, I’m just a worker-bee. Only a few days. It’s my first job since I moved back to Westwood Harbor.”
Coleton leaned back in his chair. “Funny, I would have pegged you as a professional surfer or maybe a DJ.”
Jen laughed to herself, thinking that he hadn’t even come close to what her profession really was, but still couldn't restrain herself from responding to his first guess.
“I love to surf! I’m no professional, but I’ve been surfing for four years now, whenever I can. How did you know that?”
Coleton shrugged. “You look the part. You’re tan. Your hair looks sun-kissed blond under the dye — which I love, by the way. You’re athletic. Do you surf Bowls?”
Jen shook her head, still feeling the glow of his compliment. “Is that here in Westwood Harbor? Because I haven’t ever surfed here. Only in San Francisco.”
He nodded. It’s the best spot here. Or at least it was four years ago, the last time I went. I could take you …” He raised his eyebrows.
Jen nodded eagerly. She had wanted to get back into surfing but was looking for a buddy. California surfing could be dangerous if you didn’t know the lay of the riptides and undercurrents in each spot.
“How about Saturday?” he asked, that smile back on his face. The one she thought might be arrogant but she wasn’t sure. But right now it didn’t look arrogant.
“Saturday, that would be-” She broke off, remembering who she was and what she was doing … and who he was. “Uh, I’m not sure if I can. Can I let you know?”
“Sure.”
“So what do you do?” Jen asked him, not sure what expect him to say. She hadn’t had a chance to research him. Was he a playboy, living off of daddy’s money? Or did he have a real job? A front job? Or was he a legitimate person, just trying to get out from daddy’s shadow?
“I make apps.”
“Apps? Like on my phone?”
“Apps, like on your phone, yep.”
“Anything I would have heard of?”
Coleton’s eyes flicked to the left and he chewed on his lip for a second. Jen caught both movements, and wondered if he was getting ready to lie about something. Finally, he said, “I don’t normally tell people what apps I’ve created, but …” he seemed to consider for a second and then said, “I tell you what, you let me take you out again, and I’ll tell you.”
“Deal.” Jen smiled, thinking she liked him. Then cautioning herself for the thought.
Their waiter brought drinks and took their orders. Jen ordered a sandwich, hoping to be out of here quickly. She didn’t like leaving Ivy and Ryker alone for too long, even if she was technically still working.
“So you’re from San Fran?” Coleton asked.
Jen noticed how handsome his dark eyes were and tried to un-notice it. “I’m from here, but I moved to San Francisco when I turned 18. I needed to get away, you know?”
Coleton nodded vehemently. “I do know. So what brought you back?”
Jen thought hard, not sure how much to tell him. She didn’t want to lie too much. Honestly she didn’t want to lie at all, but she knew she would have to, at least a little. He must have seen something in her gaze because he put his hands up. “Sorry, if that’s too personal. You don’t have to answer.”
“No, no, it’s OK. My boyfriend cheated on me and I needed to get out of town. Keep myself from doing anything stupid. Get away from him.” Jen dropped her eyes, feeling ashamed, and not sure why. Adam cheated on her, he was the one who should be ashamed, not her. When she lifted her eyes and gazed cautiously at Coleton, the sudden compassion in his face caught her off guard. It made her remember what he’d said the last time she’d seen him. And she was happy to change the subject.
“Why did you quote that line from Rumi before, in the pawn shop?”
A strange change came over his face. His eyes lit up and at the same time his face contracted. And did he blush a little bit?
“You know Rumi?” he asked enthusiasm in his voice.
Now it was her turn to blush. “Well no, I don’t. I looked it up on the Internet.”
He nodded, the light still in his eyes. “I love Rumi. I love a lot of poetry. And I have an annoying habit of repeating lines that pop into my head. So I just figured I’d get it over with, so if you found it too annoying you’d know early and you could tell me to get lost.”
Jen stared at him, a little caught off guard. She’d never known anyone who read poetry. In fact she thought it was an art form that was mostly lost in this hustle and bustle world they now lived in. And would a criminal enjoy poetry? How would she know, she didn’t know anything about poetry. Well, except that line he’d quoted.
“Where the lips are silent the heart has a thousand tongues,” she said. He smiled, clearly pleased. “What does it mean?” she asked. None of the websites Ivy had found it on had said.
“It means something different to everyone, and in every situation. To me, in that situation I guess it meant that I was fascinated by your bit of teasing and I didn’t have anything clever to say back. But I wanted to keep the exchange going.”
Jen felt hers
elf melt a little bit at this frank admission. She grabbed her water cup and took a long swallow and damned her fragile emotions. What the hell was she thinking? She wasn’t cut out to be a damned undercover officer! She had to go back and tell someone she couldn’t do this. Not with this guy. Her frantic, buzzing thoughts made her remember what she was supposed to be doing here.
She put her water cup down. “Did your parents read you poetry? Is that what got you interested in it?”
His face darkened immediately. Their sandwiches came and he made a show of inspecting his food until the waiter was gone.
“My parents? No. They don’t like poetry. In fact my father downright hates it.”
Jen raised her eyebrows slightly, but tried to cover it by biting into her meal. After she finished chewing she said, “Oh sorry, that must be hard, for you to be interested in something your father dislikes so strongly. You two aren’t close then?”
“Hardly.” He bit into his own sandwich and looked out the window, a small frown on his face. Jen thought frantically. Should she keep asking questions about his father? Or would that put him off? Argh, why didn’t she have a manual? 7 Safe Questions to Get your Target Talking or something! Or at least someone could have told her what kind of things to ask. But she had a feeling that everyone else was as surprised as she felt at being alone with him already.