“Disengage, Tyke,” he said.
“What?” Tyke snapped. “What’s going on with you, Calder? I’ll diffuse—”
“Something’s not right. He’s not with the group.”
“Coop?” Tyke asked, prompting their team leader to make the call.
Ash pulled Sam in close. “Agreed. Something’s off. I’m taking her back to the van. You two stay and observe. Keep the COMs open.”
Tyke glanced across the clearing at Luke and sent him a peeved look.
Yeah, he’d pay for this later. If there was one thing Tyke loved, it was the prospect of getting physical. Especially if it meant Thor could use his police training. As if picking up on that thought, the dog ran his long tongue across his sharp canines and glared back at Luke.
Ash and Sam made their way across the park hand in hand, so Luke captured pictures of the snowy landscape while keeping the new guy in his sights.
Ronan’s group continued to marvel at whatever was in his hand.
“You got anything yet, Reese?” Tyke barked.
“Nothing.”
White Coat’s chest expanded and shoulders curled back, standing taller. He was getting ready to act.
They had to stop him.
“I’m going in.” Luke released the camera, feeling it pull taut around the back of his neck, and deftly moved toward his left.
“What the fuck, Calder?” Tyke said. “What happened to ‘disengage’?”
He left a trail of deep footprints in the snow as he neared the guy hiding behind the tree. “Keep an eye on Joaquin’s crew.”
Tyke grumbled under his breath as he and Thor maneuvered toward Joaquin in case the situation escalated. The teens glanced up and Ronan glided his hands back in his pants pockets. Tyke gave the young men a quick lift of his chin and patted Thor’s head. The teens offered an equally bland greeting and went back to their hushed conversation.
Luke was about a step away from the tree, slowing his pace and the sound of his footsteps in the snow, when White Coat spun from behind it and crashed into him.
Pressing his forearm across the man’s throat, Luke forced him back behind the tree. Before Luke could slam him against the trunk and hold him for questioning, White Coat chirped in surprise. He dropped the binoculars from one hand and threw out the other, clipping Luke on the chin. The quick move knocked Luke back a step.
“Son of a bitch,” Luke gritted out, rubbing the sting from his chin.
“You all right, buddy?” Tyke smirked through his hushed tone. “Looked like that hurt. Might want to get your hands up a bit faster next time.”
He grunted, but didn’t respond. How many times had Luke kicked Tyke’s ass in the ring? More times than they both could count. Close quarters combat—or CQC—was Luke’s specialty.
Luke’s stumble gave White Coat enough space to kick a boot out, but Luke recovered enough to deflect before he got a ball shot.
Cocking his head to the side, he gave a look. Pretty low, man. Pretty fucking low.
The guy looked at him and gasped. The hood was pulled tightly around his head, leaving just a small part of his cheeks, nose, and chin showing beneath the ski goggles, which filled with color.
“Targets are on the move,” Reese said in his earpiece, bringing them all back to reality. “Exiting to your three o’clock in a hurry.”
“Damn it,” Tyke responded. “You get anything we can go on?”
“I’ll review footage when we get back and see what we can piece together,” Reese responded.
Holding off a frustrated growl, Luke watched his own reflection on the mirrored lenses as he sprang forward reaching for his opponent. He braced a forearm across White Coat’s throat. “Thought you’d move in on Serrano’s territory? That it? You got your own stash you’re trying to push or what?”
“Stash?” The man’s body locked into place. “What stash?”
Er, wait.
That sounded like—
Luke ripped the goggles and hood off his opponent and damn near lost his breath at the sight of almond-shaped green eyes outlined by thick, black lashes. Green eyes that he’d looked into this morning before they’d stormed out of the house without a backward glance.
“Fuck,” Tyke said. “Is that what I think it is? Is he a she? Did Calder just rough up a woman?”
Yes. Yes, he did.
And she wasn’t just any woman.
Cassandra.
Chapter Five
Luke had mistaken her dainty chin for weak, but damn had he been wrong. Dead wrong. The way she set her jaw and hardened her stare…well, it was kinda turning him on. But that could be residual effect from last night and this morning. Who knew? His brain hadn’t quite caught up with the events over that last twelve hours.
He quickly got his neurons in order and gave her a solid shake. “What the hell are you doing here spying on a group of teenage boys?”
Her gaze lowered to the camera around his neck. A line formed between her brows, then her attention shot out to their surroundings. To the now empty spot where Ash and Sam had been posing. Then to the couples’ retreating backs as they watched her and Luke unabashedly over their shoulders. So much for their cover.
When she brought her gaze back to Luke, the line between her brows deepened and her jaw dropped. “You’re a photographer?” She slammed flat palms against his pecs and gave him a hearty shove. “Whatever happened to money and power? Huh, Christian Grey? All one big lie. Figures.”
“Christian Grey?” Ash asked into Luke’s earpiece. “What the fuck is she talking about, Calder?”
Luke ignored the team leader and instead focused on the conundrum of a woman in front of him. “You wanna talk about lies? Whatever happened to your super-important appointment? Why the sprint out the door this morning?”
“Jesus Christ,” Ash yelled over the COMs. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with this woman.”
“Shit,” Tyke jumped in. “He slept with her? Who is she?”
Cassandra’s gaze drifted in the direction of the four boys retreating. The tension in her shoulders relaxed and so did her tone. Interesting that her posture only seemed to change now that the boys she’d been watching were leaving.
“This is a misunderstanding. I’ll be on my way now.” She managed one step before Luke let out a hearty laugh and blocked her motion with a straight arm.
“Oh, no, you don’t. I want to know what you’re doing here before I’ll even think about letting you leave.”
Eyebrows catapulted so high they disappeared under her knit hat. “Excuse me?”
He loosened his hold, choosing to keep just a hand against her shoulder. He applied enough pressure, letting her know he wasn’t going to hurt her, but that he was still the one in control. Or at least that’s what he wanted her to think. Truth was, her green eyes and stubbornness were starting to wear him thin.
“I’m not keen on misunderstandings,” he replied. “They lead to all sorts of problems. Why don’t you lay it out for me nice and simple?”
She scrunched up her face into a lethal scowl. “Why don’t you lay it out for me nice and simple?”
“I don’t think you understand how this works, sweetheart. I’m the one in charge.”
“Sweetheart?” she all but growled. “Sweetheart? Don’t give me that syrupy sweet-talking garbage. You can go to hell if you think I’m answering any of your questions.”
For how far back her shoulders were and how firm her jaw was set, she was serious. If he were a smart guy he’d heed her warning.
Eh, call him stubborn…
“You’re awfully defensive, Cassssssandra,” he said, letting sarcasm flow in gallons. “Seems like you might be hiding something. Just like the night we met. You’re just full of secrets, aren’t you?”
She jolted back as if offended, but recovered pretty quickly. “What about you? You’re pretty sketchy yourself, Luke. I think I’ll accuse you of watching those boys, too. Maybe I should call the police on you, you sick so
n of a—”
“Whoa, now.” He held up both palms. “Take it easy, Chris Hansen.” Knowing she wouldn’t give an ounce without getting one in return, he figured a compromise was in order. “One of us has to give soon, otherwise, we’ll be out here all day freezing our asses off for nothing. How about this—you tell me what you’re doing here, and then I’ll tell you. Deal?”
Cassandra eyed him, deciding if she could trust him.
Yeah, right back at you.
She hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with him, so he’d decide how much he trusted her based on what she revealed.
Continuing to give him the stink eye, and working her jaw to the point he was sure her back teeth had ground to powder, she finally said, “My sister.”
He waited, but she didn’t elaborate.
“Your sister, what?” He glanced around. “Is she lurking behind trees, too? What’s she got? Some camouflage? Tree stand? Bow and arrow?” He swung a look toward the tops of the trees. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” he called.
She grunted and rolled her eyes. “No. My sister—” She sighed as her shoulders collapsed forward. “She and I used to come here a lot. The park was her favorite place. Before she…she…”
Shit. He let out a rough breath. “She passed.”
“No,” she snipped. “She’s alive and well.” Glancing away, she inhaled then brought her attention back to him. “Well, she’s not well. But she’s alive. My sister is disabled, confined to a wheelchair. She doesn’t get out much and the park was the one place she loved coming to because it made her feel free.” The look that followed was one of love, heartbreak, and surprise. The last probably because she’d divulged more to him than she’d planned. And this time it was without the drunken assistance of three wise men.
It seemed almost too perfect of a story. One meant to incite sympathy.
“Bullshit,” he said.
Her back went straight, and her eyes narrowed. “What did you say?”
“You were watching those boys,” he went on. “I’m not buying it. I bet you don’t even have a sister, let alone one that’s disabled. Try again.”
A hand slapped onto her hip. “Is that right?”
He lowered his face to hers, half smirking. “Yeah, it is.”
She jammed that same hand into her pocket, pulling out a thin wallet. Cracking it open, she shoved it into his face. “Screw you.”
He glanced inside the wallet at a picture of two girls. One looked like a teenage Cassandra kneeling next to a younger-looking female with the same coloring and facial structure sitting in a wheelchair.
Damn, he hated being wrong.
“Just a picture,” he said, crossing his arms. “Doesn’t prove anything. She could be a friend or some neighbor.”
Cassandra’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “You know, you seemed pretty intelligent last night. Guess I was wrong.” She shrugged and stepped forward like she was about to leave. Again.
Luke threw a hand out, clenching her biceps. “Fine. Let’s say she’s your sister. What does her loving the park have to do with you being here right now?”
She looked down at his hand, then flicked her gaze back up with an expression that said it was none of his goddamn business.
“Humor me,” he said.
After a few seconds of her still sporting the go to hell guise, she said, “It’s the only place I can be close to her.” Before he could ask why she couldn’t sit in a nice, warm house beside a lit fireplace and visit her sis, she said, “And before you ask why I can’t sit somewhere warm and visit her, she lives in the Midwest with my parents. I only get to see them twice a year. She isn’t able to travel.” Cassandra looked past him, seeming lost in her thoughts, and he could have sworn his damn heart dropped a few inches in his chest. First her ex. Then her sister. The woman couldn’t catch a break.
He let his hand drop from her shoulder. “So you trekked out here in freeze-your-ass-off temperatures just so you could think about your sister?”
A nod was all he got back.
“And the binoculars?” His gaze fell to the item lying in the thick, white snow beside them.
She cocked her head and looked skyward. “We used to bird-watch together.”
He glanced up, not spotting anything in flight, and gave her a yeah right look.
Shifting her weight from one leg to the other, she crossed her arms and said, “I spotted two downy woodpeckers and a red-tailed hawk before you accosted me.”
He was ready to call bull on that, too, but Reese spoke into his earpiece. “Her logic is sound. Those breeds do not fly south for the winter.”
So she liked nature. Still didn’t explain anything. She was a guidance counselor at the local high school and she was definitely watching Ronan’s crew; Luke wanted to know why.
“They’re gone,” Reese said. “The teens just entered a black sedan and drove south on Madison Avenue.”
Shit. There went their lead. And Eduardo went with them, most likely sealing his fate.
“Goddamn it, Calder,” Ash said. “You better do something to salvage this assignment. Find out if she knows anything about the teens.”
Luke rocked back on his heels and readjusted his wool hat. “So you said—”
She turned her nose up. “I’ve told you my reason for being here, now would be a good time to explain why you went all UFC on me.”
“When I saw you walk out of the woods, and then spotted those boys on the other side of the pond… I’ve heard the news about drug problems around here, so I guess I thought you were involved.”
Cassandra’s jaw dropped. “Are you kidding me? You thought I was going to deal drugs to those boys?” Her face skipped past red and bolted right into heart attack purple. “Me? What kind of threat am I? You want to see? Here, look!” She jabbed her hands into her other jacket pocket, the one not holding her wallet, and turned it inside out. She started on her jeans pockets next. “See? Nothing. What else do you want to accuse me of, Prince Charming?”
He stood back and stared at the woman with fabric hanging out of her pockets like deflated balloons and a crazed look in her eyes. Any minute she was going to grow horns and fangs.
Crazy female. She didn’t even need hard liquor, she was naturally nuts.
“Prince Charming?” he said through a bark of laughter. “Seems like you really needed that roll in the hay, huh? Sorry I couldn’t help you out, sweetheart. But I don’t sleep with women who need shots to be persuaded.”
She gasped and her cheeks reignited, which was the reaction he was going for. If she wanted to spar, he was more than ready.
“I’m so fucking confused,” Tyke said through his earpiece. “Did he sleep with her or not?”
Ash groaned. “Shut up, Tyke.”
“What?” Tyke said. “Information like that might help the case.”
Cass’s lips pinched, but her voice was more even this time. “You’re an awful, despicable man.”
“Probably.” He figured the force of her words was coming from her embarrassment the night before. Luke bent to pick up her binoculars and handed them to her. “Sorry about your sister.”
She jolted in surprise, then her features relaxed. “Thank you.”
“What part of the Midwest is she in?”
Cassandra hesitated as if she wasn’t going to answer. “Minnesota.”
He nodded in acknowledgment.
“Ever been there?”
“Nope,” he said.
“Are you from Baltimore?”
“Nah,” he said through a soft chuckle. “And if I was, I would’ve moved away a long time ago.”
“Why?”
“Too freaking cold.”
Her face creased. “Then why are you here in the middle of winter?”
Damn. He hadn’t thought about that. “Business,” he tossed out. “Just in town for a few months. I’m thinking after this I’ll go somewhere with fruity drinks, sunshine, and topless beaches.”
“Of
course you would,” she mumbled.
“What was that?” he asked, liking the way she jumped at his question.
“Nothing,” she quickly said.
He held her gaze, letting the silence stretch out. Too bad it wasn’t warmer so she wouldn’t need that hat, coat, or gloves. No clue why he thought that other than he’d like to see her in the sunshine. Long, brunette hair falling past her shoulders. Bare shoulders and legs. Painted toes and tanned skin.
She hastily glanced away, pulling the sides of her hat farther down onto her ears.
“Yo, Romeo,” Tyke cut into the COMs, bringing Luke back to reality. “You gonna cut bait anytime soon so we all can get outta here? I’ve got a hot bath, a hot coffee, and an even hotter woman waiting for me back at my place.”
“In your dreams, Tyke,” Ash laughed. “Bath and coffee, maybe.”
“Hey,” Tyke grumbled. “Two outta three ain’t bad.”
More amusement sounded over the COMs.
Yeah, Luke was ready for a hot bath, a hot coffee, and a hot woman. The prospect of all three seemed to be staring him in the face. Plus, he still wanted to know about not only the park, but also this morning’s rush out the door and last night’s adventure, too.
Research. It was purely research. Hopefully with a few benefits.
“Are you busy tomorrow night?” he asked.
Her eyes widened and she stepped backward. “Why?”
“Do you want to grab a drink and dinner? Preferably somewhere that doesn’t involve us wearing so many clothes and watching white smoke come out of our mouths when we talk.”
“I…well, I…” She looked past him, probably to give herself a few seconds to decide whether she should make up something.
“I’ve never seen Calder get shot down before,” Tyke broke in. “This is gonna be epic.”
“Let’s hope not,” Ash said. “Good move, Calder. I’m not buying the sister story. Take her out and see if you can get her to open up more.”
Cassandra gave Luke a thorough once-over. Her sharp gaze cut him up one side and down the other.
Luke offered a convincing smile and concentrated on getting the answer he needed. “It’s just dinner and drinks.”
In Walked Trouble (Under Covers) Page 5