by Tawny Weber
“I’ve compiled a list of crimes I feel can safely be attributed to four of the six major players. Guns, drugs, identity theft and racketeering. The other two players are less inclined to bragging, but I suspect them of human trafficking and prostitution.”
“You can tie four of them to specific unsolved crimes?” Hunter clarified.
“I can,” she said with a quick nod. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse, tapped a couple of buttons, then looked back at Hunter. “I’ve forwarded you my notes.”
“And you’ve had no luck breaking through to the leader?”
“No,” she said with a grimace. “Not yet.”
“Maybe,” Gabriel answered at the same time.
With everyone’s gaze on him in varying degrees of curiosity, Gabriel shifted so he wasn’t directly facing Danita. She wasn’t going to take this well, and as much as he believed in facing things head-on, facing a woman’s fury was never easy.
“I realized that the only way to break through the barrier around the goon pack was to offer up something they needed. And couldn’t get.”
Danita’s hiss was cut short by the loud snapping of teeth, while Hunter simply shifted his stance. Clearly the official contingent in the room weren’t big on ingenuity.
“What’d you do?” Caleb finally asked, giving voice to the unspoken question hanging in the air.
“I offered a bribe.”
“You offered…” Apparently overcome, and probably not with awe, Danita’s words trailed off. Fists clenched, she shook her head as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How could you do that? I told you, multiple times, that we were here to gather information. Not to take action. Especially not without consulting me first.”
Guilt was an ugly and unfamiliar sensation, biting at Gabriel with vicious, cutting teeth. What the hell was he supposed to have done? They’d blackmailed him into this situation, he hadn’t asked to come play nice with the feebies. So he’d done exactly what they should have expected. He’d played by his own rules.
He could admit, if only to himself, that he seriously regretted that those rules might hurt Danita in any way, though.
“I had a hunch and I played it. If it works out, I was going to tell you. If it doesn’t, nothing was lost, right?”
Except, apparently, her trust.
Fighting the unfamiliar edge of panic that was prodding those guilty teeth into biting harder at his ass, Gabriel forced himself to focus on Caleb and Hunter instead of Danita.
“So what was your hunch, how did you play it and when will you know the results?” Hunter asked quietly. It was hard to tell if the guy was pissed or not. He played it close to the vest. But he seemed open to any opportunity, which Gabriel had to admire.
“I offered a payment of fifty grand to the cause, with another million payable in a face-to-face visit.”
“A million fifty?” Caleb whistled.
“You used your own money to bribe your way into the higher echelons of this crime ring?” Hunter clarified in a biting tone that for the first time showed the guy had emotions.
Caleb winced. Gabriel could almost see his brother running legalities in his head.
“Not my money. I assume you’ve been monitoring my accounts since the, ahem, arrest.” Which still grated. “No. When I realized it was going to take something big to get the boss’s attention. I used a connection of mine to access a large amount of virtually undetectable, yet very special cash.”
Hunter was quick. Both brows rose and he gave a low whistle of his own. “You bribed them with counterfeit money? Traceable, counterfeit currency?”
“I handed over the first installment to Ham Bollinger last night with instructions that the other half would only be offered face-to-face. I’m pretty sure his office is bugged, something he’s aware of. So the message was delivered. But even if they don’t take the bait, we can still make the bust. All we have to do is wait for the initial cash to hit the streets, then trace it back to the source.”
Gabriel refrained from buffing his nails on his shirt.
“And the million? Is that in counterfeit, too?”
“Nah. That part was a bluff,” he said. Pulling out his wallet, he offered Hunter a hundred. “But here’s a sample of the goods I handed over. I’ve got a few more for quality control purposes and tracking, of course.”
The FBI agent inspected the bill with narrowed eyes, his brow furrowed as he tried to tell that it was fake.
“How—”
Gabriel stepped closer, silently pointing out the tells.
“Impressive,” Hunter breathed. Then he gave Gabriel a hard look. “I’d like to know where you got this.”
“You could ask.”
Everyone in the room knew he wouldn’t tell, though.
“Fine. It looks we’re about to break this case wide-open then,” Hunter said. Then he inclined his head toward Caleb. “Can you handle this or should I bring in backup?”
After a long, considering look, Caleb shrugged. “No problem. But just so ya know, if you screw up the wedding, Cassiopeia is likely to put a curse on all of you.”
Everyone in the room grimaced.
“We won’t ruin your party, Caleb,” Hunter promised. Then, with the smallest wince, he added, “But if we do, I’ll take responsibility with Mrs. Easton.”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong,” Gabriel assured them. Not because he was sure. But worrying, especially about an angry mother’s curse, would mess with people’s performance.
And now that rehearsals were over, every performance was vital.
Steeling himself, he let his gaze move to the corner of the room where Danita sat. Arms crossed tight over her chest, knees locked together, her body language shouted “fuck you.” Her glare echoed that message, blue eyes narrowed in fury whenever they landed on Gabriel.
As panic gripped his guts, tying his intestines into knots, he promised himself he’d find a way to fix it with her. Somehow.
He had to.
They had a cat counting on them. And, he grimaced, his future happiness.
FURY HAD ITS OWN flavor. Nasty, bitter and cloying. Danita almost choked on it. But no matter how many times she swallowed, she couldn’t clear it away.
How dare he? She’d told him to fish for information. She’d lowered her guard and trusted him. And in return, he’d gone behind her back, using illegal means to bribe a suspect.
Clearly he had no respect for her. Not as a federal agent, and not as a woman. Otherwise, he’d have been honest.
She’d known going in that he was a player. That he was a man who could lie with the best of them and would play her and everyone around in order to get what he wanted.
Still, she had to blink hard to clear the burning tears from her eyes. Had she really believed that incredible sex was going to change the man? A leopard’s spots weren’t kept in his dick, spewed out with his orgasms.
“Danita, you’re the agent leading this investigation. It’s your bust. I suggest you check the bank. Local merchants will be making deposits and maybe we’ll get lucky, find a connection.”
Her throat too tight with tears to let any words pass, Danita nodded instead. Humiliation vied with the betrayal in her stomach. Hunter had trained her. He’d trusted her. And she’d blown it. She’d been so enamored with Gabriel, so busy falling in love like an idiot, that she’d overlooked one vital fact. Gabriel was in her custody, and she was only here to do a job.
Taking the lead—because it was his role or because she’d blown it?—Hunter continued to outline plans with Caleb for coordinating local efforts.
“Any input, Danita?” Hunter asked quietly.
She yanked herself back into focus. As Hunter said, she was supposed to be the FBI agent leading this investigation. And from now on, that’s all she was.
“I think the counterfeit bribe does have potential to flush out the mastermind behind this, eventually. But that’s not going to help us now.”
“Why?” Gabriel as
ked, sounding offended.
Danita didn’t even look at him. Instead she kept her focus on Hunter, with a glance once in a while for Caleb who was standing silent by the corner of his desk, his arms crossed as he looked her over like she were the criminal here, instead of his brother.
“You’re overlooking the proposed meet for the second half of the money. If the mastermind is Tobias Black, he’ll refuse the meet.”
“It’s not my father,” Gabriel snapped.
“We don’t have proof of that. As far as the FBI is concerned, he’s still the primary suspect,” she shot back. Her heart ached for the hurt in his eyes. The ache faded fast as his worry turned into a glare.
“The FBI? Or you?” he asked, looking as betrayed as she felt.
Danita dismissed his question with a shrug. As of now, the two were one and the same.
“But even if it’s not Tobias,” she continued, directing her words toward Hunter, “a refusal won’t guarantee us a name. Just like the money, if found in someone’s possession it could provide a break but it doesn’t ensure that person is the mastermind. Only that they somehow came into the counterfeit money.”
“Aren’t you the soul of optimism?” Gabriel growled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him throw himself into a chair in front of the sheriff’s desk.
“As Sheriff Black said, we are working on a deadline. This has to be resolved before the wedding, in three days. After that, there’s no reason for Gabriel, or myself, to be in Black Oak.”
“Then it’s in our best interest to track this counterfeit money, to find a way to break Ham Bollinger and to follow all other leads to close this case,” Hunter said, making it sound as easy as ordering up breakfast.
“I’m going to be busy then,” she said. Her face tightened, but using all her skill, she kept the anger from showing. “It’d be best if I shift from undercover and operate behind the scenes, I think. There’s no more information be gathered by pretending.”
In other words, she wanted to be in a separate room, a separate hotel and preferably a separate state from Gabriel Black.
“You need to stay undercover until we close the case,” Hunter said quietly. Danita sucked in a breath, ready to argue, but the look he gave her made her settle back in her chair. He was right. Giving away her role here would only tip off the crime boss. But she’d be damned if she was spending any more time with Gabriel than necessary. “Update your reports, put a trace on the counterfeit money and confer with Gabriel to solidify our next steps. I’ll expect a briefing from you in three hours.”
“What’ll you be doing?” she asked, knowing the question was out of line but not wanting to be alone with Gabriel yet. Not until she had a handle on her temper and could override the feeling of betrayal that had misery coursing through her.
Hunter flashed a quick smile filled with charm and amusement. “I’ve got to get fitted for my tux. Wedding’s in three days and I’m one of the groomsmen.”
Damn. There went her buffer.
Steeling herself, she looked toward Gabriel. He clearly still had an issue with her outburst if the cold look he speared her with was any indication.
Goody. Nothing said a strong working relationship like iced-over fury.
“I’ll show you to the tailors,” Gabriel told Hunter. He gave Danita an undecipherable look then added, “I think Danita might want some privacy to do all that busywork.”
Her hiss was obscured by the rush of male feet, all scurrying toward the door like rats deserting an angry woman about to set their damned ship on fire.
On his way past, Caleb handed her a slip of paper.
“Computer access passwords,” he said, the charm in his smile rivaling his rat fink of a brother’s. “I figure you can get that privacy in here without a problem.
And just like that, they were gone.
Her boss, her liaison and her lover.
Leaving Danita the privacy Gabriel had mentioned, and the freedom to finally let the tears fall.
She’d always known she was skating a thin line between her career and her relationship with Gabriel. And she’d assured herself, over and over, that her career would always come first.
Too bad she hadn’t realize how much it’d hurt to have to choose between that career and the man she loved.
12
WORK. THAT’S ALL she could count on, and from now on, all she should care about. Danita ground her teeth to keep the tears at bay as she silently chanted that reminder. Gabriel had distracted her with sex and cats and the lure of a family. And all the while, he’d been conning her.
Using her.
Determined to prove she wasn’t as incompetent as he must think her, she followed Hunter’s orders and used Caleb’s secure computer to type her notes up into an official report. An hour later, as her fingers flew over the keyboard, she was viciously aware of Caleb’s presence.
Why had he returned? Shouldn’t he be supervising tuxedo fittings or filling Hunter in on groomsman duties? Groomsman, she thought with a surge of confused anger. Why hadn’t Hunter let her know he had a personal connection on this case? Because he didn’t trust her? Had he expected—rightfully—for her to screw up?
She wanted to beat on the keyboard, but figured abusing city property might irk the good sheriff.
Finally she couldn’t stand it. She glanced over and met Caleb’s eyes. They were so like Gabriel’s. Her heart stuttered a little at the look he was giving her. Long, intense and unblinking.
Those Black boys definitely had a lot in common.
“You have something you’d like to say?” she prodded.
“Just wondering how you’re holding up.”
“How I’m holding up?” she asked, leaning away from the computer to frown at him. “Why?”
“So suspicious?” He took his time pouring two cups of coffee then brought them over, setting one on the desk in front of her. “Why wouldn’t I be curious about your state of mind? You’re clearly a vital force in this case. Both my father’s innocence and my brother’s safety depend on your discernment and clear thinking, don’t they?”
Her spine rigid, she shifted her shoulders and lifted her chin. She felt like she was giving testimony before an aggressively ambitious prosecutor. A part of her, the part that still saw Caleb as her lover’s brother, wanted to tell him to back off. But the rest of her, the part that valued her career, realized that this was a coordinated investigation with a great deal on the line.
“You don’t have to worry about me doing my job,” she assured Caleb. Not liking the disadvantage of sitting there like she was in detention, Danita pushed away from the desk. With a nod of thanks, she took the coffee to the side table and added cream. Then, both to make a show of nonchalance and because it was chocolate, dammit, she selected a chocolate-glazed old-fashioned out of the donut box.
“How long have you known the FBI had an investigation open on your father?” she asked, taking the offensive along with a seat on the edge of the desk. “Clearly you and Hunter have a history. He’s even in your wedding, which appears to be quite the surprise for your best man. Does that history extend to forgiving an intrusion of this level?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” Caleb said with a shrug. “I believe in the role of law enforcement. And I spent enough years undercover to know that a lot more gets done covertly than through official channels.”
Danita gave him her sweetest smile before nibbling an edge off her donut. “You didn’t answer my question, though. Did you know about the investigation? Were you clued in that I was FBI when we arrived?”
Caleb’s own smile was more wicked than sweet. The look he gave her was long and searching, as if he were trying to see, not into her work ethics, but into her heart.
“Let’s just say that as the person in charge of enforcing law in Black Oak, I prefer to know as much about what’s going on here as possible.”
He’d known.
Her heart ached for Gabriel. How would he feel when he found out his
brother had been playing him? He had no room to complain, given that he had played his entire family with their false engagement. But she knew he’d be hurt.
“Apparently your family is quite gifted at lying to each other. And to others,” she added before she could stop herself.
“I guess we are. But only when it’s justified.” Caleb took his time refreshing his coffee. “You know, I essentially lied to Pandora when I came to town. I can justify it with the excuse that I was on a case. But the results are the same.”
“I didn’t lie to Gabriel.”
“No, but you did to everyone else under the guise of it just being your job, right?”
She opened her mouth to protest that she hadn’t slept with everyone else, hadn’t given her heart to any of them. Then she snapped it shut. Did it matter? Lying was lying.
“I’m sure, in the end, if you ask Gabriel, he’ll tell you that all of this—” he gestured to the room where they’d had their little powwow two hours before “—was just him doing his job.”
“It’s not the same.”
“No? Let’s set aside the physical risk factor for a second, since in this case Gabriel’s life was right there on the line next to yours.”
He waited, for what she wasn’t sure. Finally, frustrated, Danita gave a nod. Apparently that’s all he’d wanted, because Caleb nodded back, then continued, “Because when you do your job, you have, what…your reputation on the line?”
“I’d like to think I’ve devoted my life to my career for more than building a reputation,” she snapped. “This isn’t about my ego.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” he said agreeably. “But let’s be honest. In this situation, Gabriel had a lot more at risk than reputation. Or whatever time he’d have served if he didn’t scream entrapment instead of going along with Hunter’s plan.”
She sniffed, knowing that line of entrapment versus arrest was very blurry in Gabriel’s case. Still, he’d gone along. With a little extra incentive, of course. She dropped her gaze from Caleb’s to the vivid pink of her pointy-toed pumps. She had a feeling that extra incentive was going to be Caleb’s point.