Cover Up (14 page)

“I’
M
OFF
to work now. I should be home in time for dinner.” Ivan ignored the twinge of déjà vu those words caused. He’d often said the same thing to Colin, and he suspected such words weren’t typical for roommates. In fact, he knew they weren’t, but somehow, he and Parker had fallen into a much closer relationship than he’d ever had with any roommate. Having never had a roommate before, Parker probably didn’t realize how unusual this was, but Ivan didn’t much care. He wasn’t ready to let go of the comfort Parker gave. Not yet. Not until he had concrete proof of anything. Undercover could last months, although he’d be surprised if Martelli would be able to cover for him for that long. He needed to wrap this up quickly for Martelli… but also as slowly as possible for Parker.

Unwilling to risk getting caught in the house two days in a row by a jealous and suspicious Neil, Ivan was implementing the other half of his plan. One good thing about all the running he’d been doing was that he’d scoped out a few places where he could observe the house if he needed to. He headed to one now, because Parker was due to leave shortly for classes. He’d observed enough to know that Parker always walked to the campus, and Ivan would have to follow him, possibly for several days, to ensure he was going where he said he was going, as well as to observe any people Parker interacted with.

If necessary, he’d take pictures with his phone. Next time he went in for his therapy appointment, or the next SIU interview, he’d make a stop home, or somewhere safe, to download them.

He leaned against a wooden telephone pole. While he waited, he picked out old, rusty staples used to attach millions of flyers over the years.

Parker came into view, not precisely smiling, but clearly happy with the world. Parker’s joy smoothed his agitation and made him smile. He wiggled his fingers, itching to touch Parker’s spiky hair.

Once Parker had moved far enough away, Ivan slipped out of his concealed hiding space and followed Parker’s round butt at a safe distance. After nearly face-planting three times and bumping half a dozen pedestrians’ shoulders, he had to consider that perhaps he was a little too intent on that delectable ass.

The sidewalks were clogged with students heading to classes, bottlenecking at the entrance to a subway station, but Parker didn’t stop to talk to anyone. He skirted large groups, but moved like a man with a goal. Martelli was certain the student gig was merely an easy way to access buyers; Ivan wasn’t so sure. Many of the common areas didn’t require student IDs; all Parker would need to do is loiter and he’d probably sweep in the customers. Ivan had also witnessed Parker doing homework, so he kept up appearances with at least one class, and Ivan needed to verify how much of the schedule Parker had given him was true. Once he assimilated Parker’s schedule, he’d be able to better assess potential exchange places or drop spots. To date, there was no evidence Parker used his house for any illegal activity, unless Neil was working for or with him.

A number of men and women gave Parker appreciative glances as he passed, and a few even checked out his ass as he passed, although as far as Ivan could tell, Parker remained oblivious to the attention. Whether it was because he was taken or because he was clueless about his own appeal was a mystery still to be solved.
After
the bigger mystery of who his suppliers were. Ivan would take note of buyers, but those would be small fish, especially if they were careful to buy no more than legal for “personal use.”

Parker crossed the road and strode up the steps to a non-descript, squat building. The funnel effect of the doorway on the press of bodies urged Ivan to close the distance between them, as he didn’t want to lose his quarry.

The sudden approximation of a crowd elevated the temperature. Sweat broke out on his upper lip. Didn’t these places have air conditioning? Gasping a little at the imagined sensation of lack of air, his heart rate soared even higher. Large backpacks and briefcases buffeted him from every direction, and trying not to think about how many weapons they could conceal only made him calculate numbers more feverishly.

Parker’s height and the distinctive blond tips of his hair were the only reasons Ivan was able to keep him in sight, and he plowed doggedly after the younger man. Once past the first hallway intersection, enough people veered off to allow Ivan to breathe better.

Up a flight of stairs, Parker opened a door. Ivan assessed the layout of the room as he passed the slowly closing door and continued on. Ideally, he’d be able to find a door that opened at the back of the lecture hall, and he could slip into the room without Parker seeing him. Failing that, he’d have to find a place to keep the entrance under observation and hope Parker left using the same door he entered.

Ivan stood opposite the next door and waited. Moments later, another student opened the door, revealing the same lecture hall Parker had entered. Pulling his ball cap lower over his eyes, Ivan slipped into the room, scanning for Parker. About midway, Parker’s distinctive hair acted as a beacon, and Ivan slid into a chair and slouched down, just in case Parker decided to glance at the back of the room.

Problem was, just about everyone in this class, aside from Parker, looked shifty and suspicious. Especially the ones whose gazes glanced over him. For those, he tried to assess whether they sat near Parker or spoke to him. Exchanged eye contact with Parker. Four girls and two guys had ranged themselves within close proximity of Parker, but the stadium style seating and the distance made it difficult to tell if they had any ulterior motives or whether they were simply drawn by his gorgeous face.

The constant staring had Ivan gritting his teeth, so he concentrated on Parker and his reactions.

Parker wasn’t as oblivious to the attention as he had been out on the street, but his scrunched-in shoulders and bent head told Ivan he wasn’t comfortable. Not the reaction of a guy trying to drum up drug business.

The professor strode in, closely followed by a girl, clearly searching for someone. Parker’s whole body language changed, and he waved at her. She smiled and scooted up to the seat beside Parker and kissed him on the cheek. The fact that Parker was gay was the only thing that kept Ivan from springing up and ripping her away. He wasn’t sure why he was so zealously invested in protecting Neil’s claim on Parker. Even if Neil were out of the picture, there was no way Ivan would be able to step into position as a viable boyfriend. Just thinking that way about a guy he was investigating, a guy who was likely destined for prison, was… ludicrous. Pathetic. And a career-killer, although his career was the least of his worries right now.

Who was that girl? A friend? Customer? Another dealer? The light pink T-shirt looked innocent enough.

Ivan let his gaze wander over the assembled students once more. Almost everyone had laptops or tablets out. What a change from his university days, when he’d taken notes with pen and paper. Back then, a few ambitious souls would record the lecture. It wasn’t even that long ago. Foolishly, he hadn’t even brought a pen with him. Why the hell hadn’t he planned this excursion better? Having nothing to take notes with possibly made him the most suspicious person in the room. Well, except for the guy by the far wall, who appeared to be recovering from a significant bender the night before.

The professor called the class to order and began to speak. Ivan ignored him completely in favor of staring at Parker’s profile. Concentration was a sexy look on him, and he appeared genuinely interested in the topic. Occasionally he let his glance stray toward the pink girl, but she concentrated on the lecture as well, not Parker. Which made Ivan hate her just a little less.

T
WO
hours passed quickly; watching Parker was more interesting than any other surveillance gig he’d done. The rustling of laptop bags and the click of laptop lids closing warned Ivan that the class was drawing to a close, despite the fact that the professor’s lecture hadn’t broken stride. Ivan ducked his head and slipped out and stationed himself at the end of the hallway, hopefully far enough that even if Parker deigned to glance his way, he wouldn’t notice Ivan observing him.

Parker and the pink girl emerged from the class, laughing and smiling with each other. Ivan waited until they’d almost reached the door before he began to trail them.

He almost lost them through the doors and rushed to catch up. The pink girl was too short to see through the crush, and he had to swerve around several students trying to push their way into the building. Outside, Ivan stretched up on his toes, looking for Parker’s spiky dyed hair.

There. Ivan sped up, determined not to lose sight of Parker.

They stopped. Ivan came to a stop too, rocking slightly as he paused. Out in the courtyard, there was absolutely no cover and no reason for Parker to have stopped.

As one, Parker and the pink girl turned around as though they knew someone was following them and they were determined to confront him.

Ivan’s breath stopped as Parker’s gaze met his and recognition flooded his features. Heat streaked across his cheeks. Somehow, this young amateur drug-dealer had made him on surveillance. It had been years since he’d experienced that degree of failure.

“Ivan?”

“You know this guy?” Pink girl looked him up and down, assessing him.

“He’s my roommate.” Parker’s cheeks bloomed with color, too, but Ivan didn’t know why he’d be embarrassed.

“This is your roommate?” Pink girl looked even more interested, and she stepped close, peering under the bill of his ball cap. “Hmm.”

Her pursed lips and thoughtful expression made Ivan more nervous than facing down a dozen drug dealers with automatic weapons. He was also unpleasantly reminded of his mother trying to catch him in a lie.

“I’m Alicia.” She thrust her hand out at him, and Ivan had no choice but to shake it. She had a firmer grip than he’d expected considering her Barbie clothes.

“Ivan.”

“Yeah, so he said.” She smirked and jerked a thumb in Parker’s direction.

This time, the heat in his face intensified because of embarrassment from a different cause. He glanced back at Parker, who was still staring at him quizzically.

“What are you doing here?”

God. Thinking fast on his feet was one of Ivan’s particular skills, but lately, trying to put together thoughts was like trying to swim through pudding.

“I… I mentioned auditing courses, right?” Fuck. He had, hadn’t he? “I thought I’d check some out. Maybe choose something for next semester.”

Ivan let out a breath. That sounded perfectly reasonable.

“Auditing courses, you say?” Alicia’s voice held a note of something Ivan had difficulty recognizing. It wasn’t disbelief. Not precisely. And she couldn’t seem to stop smiling, although Ivan was much more concerned with Parker’s reaction. “What a coincidence to see you here.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Mild panic twisted his stomach. He couldn’t fuck this up. “I’ve been wandering around campus for a bit and thought I recognized Parker.”

Parker’s smile got a bit brighter, on par with the smiles he got when Parker had whipped him at Cribbage. Poker hadn’t gone much better for Ivan, but losing had been worth it because they’d had such a good time.

“We’re heading to the deli for lunch. Want to come?”

Ivan stared into Parker’s eyes, checking if the invitation was genuine. But there was no hesitation or wariness in Parker’s expression, and since his surveillance was clearly over for today, he might as well work on solidifying his relationship with Parker. For a change, there was a part of an undercover assignment that he actually enjoyed, and every good thing he could learn about Parker was a way he could help him when it came to an arrest.

T
HE
deli had some decent sandwiches and surprisingly tasty fries. They found a table outside under an umbrella. The humidity made their clothes stick to them, but the sky was clear and sunny, and the occasional breeze kept the temperature from being unbearable. Ivan took a seat next to Parker. Alicia gave him a little smile that said she was reading something more into his actions than he intended, but changing seats now would only draw attention to whatever had made Alicia smirk.

Two attractive guys headed for their table, the dark-haired one looking unhappy about something. Ivan tensed. They didn’t look strung out or drunk, but he’d have difficulty keeping Parker and Alicia safe while taking them both down if they were here to cause trouble. His inability to call for backup freaked him out more than it had on any other undercover assignment. Was that because everything had the appearance of innocence? Parker’s life, on the surface, was innocuous, nothing for anyone to take note of, yet Ivan knew it was all a lie. Or most of it was, and he was having difficulty discerning which parts were. That alone was enough to make him jumpy as hell.

“Ivan, this is my boyfriend, Chris, and his roommate, Thom. Guys, this is Parker’s roommate.”

“You sure you should be eating those fries? Aren’t guys your age supposed to watch their cholesterol?” Thom’s scowl deepened, and Ivan scowled right back. He was a decorated police officer, one of the best detectives in the Drug Squad. He was getting a little sick of Parker’s friends calling him old. He wasn’t that fucking old, even if there was a twelve-year age difference between him and Parker. Okay. Well, maybe that wasn’t the best example.

He bit his tongue against a vicious reply, but couldn’t hold back his grin when Chris kicked Thom under the table. Ivan hadn’t missed the hungry expression Thom directed at Parker, but Parker remained relaxed beside him. A quick glance confirmed Parker hadn’t returned interest.

Glares passed between the other two men, along with some abbreviated sentences. Oddly, Parker picked up on the tension between Chris and Thom but didn’t seem to have a clue he was the cause. Ivan wasn’t going to be the one to enlighten him. If Thom didn’t have the balls to step up, Ivan wasn’t going to help him.

“Yeah, right.” Alicia snorted. “Did you see his hot bod? I think he can eat a fry or two.”