To Protect & Serve (16 page)

“No, we made contact and it went well, overall.” Alex rolled down her window to allow the cool night air to dissipate the heat that still simmered between them. “That was quite a performance in there. You did a good job.”

“What makes you think it was a performance? I need to tell you—”

“No, you don’t. We’ll do the critique tomorrow.” Alex drove out of the lot.

Keri squeezed the console until her knuckles turned white. She wanted to apologize for her Bogart behavior and the inappropriate touching. “This isn’t about the operation.”

“Then I’m
sure
it can wait.” Alex knew she couldn’t bear the verbalization of what was so plain on Keri’s face. It was hard enough to remain focused on the job. She retrieved the walkie-talkie from the glove box and cleared all the surveillance units, then asked Beth to switch to the supervisory frequency. She clicked over and waited, painfully aware of Keri staring out the passenger’s window.

“Go ahead, Lieutenant.”

“Beth, meet me at Northeast Center.”

“Sure, boss.”

Alex switched the radio off and clutched the steering wheel, eyes on the street ahead.

“Why did you dance with her?” Keri’s voice quivered.

“It was our exit strategy.” Alex kept her tone even and free of emotion. “You did exactly what I hoped you would and it worked perfectly.”

“But how did you know I’d be so…predictable?”

Her pained look made Alex want to reach over and hug her. “I think you know the answer, and this is not the right time to discuss it.”

“Is it the physical touching you can’t stand, or the intimacy?” Keri flinched as soon as she’d spoken. Alex had tried to end the conversation, and that was the smart thing to do. Only she couldn’t let it go. One moment they’d been dancing and kissing like nothing else mattered, the next Alex had rejected her. She remembered Alex’s withdrawal from her in the locker room and contrasted that to the blonde fondling her on the dance floor earlier.

Alex turned a hard, icy stare on her. “You’re out of line, Morgan.”

She parked in the shopping center lot and prayed for Beth to hurry. Her nerves were on edge and her resistance nearly nonexistent.

“I’m sorry,” Keri blurted. “Please, let me stay on the team.”

Before Alex could unleash the torrent of emotion Keri had tapped into, Beth pulled her vehicle alongside and cut her engine. Alex bit back the words she knew she would regret. She needed to get some distance.

“Keri, let’s go.” Beth jerked her head toward the vacant seat beside her.

Keri started to object but Beth’s expression and Alex’s silence stopped her. She waited until Alex’s eyes returned to her, now misty with emotion.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” she stammered.

“Go home and get some sleep, Morgan,” came the cool response. Alex’s face gave nothing away. “You’re still on the team.”

On their ride back to the office, Beth asked, “What’s going on with the two of you? Something happened…spill it.”

Keri furiously stroked her lucky key ring and stared out the window. “It’s like I don’t exist beyond this assignment.”

“It’s not about you. Alex has a lot on her mind. This case can make or break her and everyone else involved. You included.”

“It feels like it’s more complicated than that.”

“It’s not personal,” Beth said. “Alex doesn’t know you very well and this operation means a lot to her. She won’t forgive herself if Davis caused Stacey Chambers’s death and she doesn’t nail him. This isn’t the best time to be digging in the boneyard and scratching at scabs.”

“I know that kind of pain,” Keri said. “No one gets to leave it behind.”

“That’s right. So let her deal with it in her own time.” Beth parked and killed the engine. “Now…are you going to tell me what happened tonight?”

“Maybe tomorrow.” Keri reminded herself that Beth and Alex were close friends, not just colleagues. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to confide in a woman who would probably pass on key information to Alex. “I’m tired,” she said, opening her door.

“Don’t spend all night thinking about this,” Beth warned gently.

“I hear you, Sarge, and you’re right. There’s no point losing sleep over things I can’t change.” With a quick good night, Keri left the car and walked dejectedly toward her Jeep.

While she waited for the team to assemble for the morning critique, Alex sipped coffee and pencil-drummed her desk. Her mind replayed last evening’s disturbing events: Keri’s hand sliding up her thigh; Keri’s leg fitting perfectly into the Y of her body; Keri’s arm around her waist and their breasts pressing painfully against each other’s erect nipples. But most distracting was the consuming hunger of their kiss. She fought the urge to close her legs around the gathering heat. Alex hadn’t felt so excited by a touch or a kiss since Helen. But Keri Morgan was probably just as dangerous as Helen, for different reasons—maybe even more so.

With Helen their connection had been all about control and sex. But Keri seemed genuinely interested in her feelings. And then there was the emotional hand grenade Keri lobbed into her lap before leaving her alone and aching in the car. Alex had never considered herself some sort of twisted masochist. But maybe she needed Helen’s variety of rough physicality or the anonymity of strangers to feel alive. Perhaps she was incapable of the intimate connections borne of human kindness. Her history of it with women was certainly nonexistent.

Beth’s laughter drifted down the hall, signaling the end of the formal lineup session. Alex headed for the conference room, imposing self-discipline so she could distance herself from thoughts of Keri.

After congratulating the team on their work last night, she asked Rick and Paige, “Did we get pictures of Davis’s associates? I’m assuming they came in through the front.”

Rick Jones cleared his throat and straightened in his chair. “Yes, ma’am. We got some pretty good shots of all four. Paige already put them in the system for comparison with known offenders.”

“Great.” Alex smiled. “Photos, plus the physical characteristics Morgan and I provided, should get us a hit pretty quickly. Anything from the rear surveillance, Renee?”

“Well, we’re not exactly sure, Lieutenant. Davis and one of his guys came out back with a young girl for a few minutes. We couldn’t understand the conversation. Davis looked pissed and went back inside the club. The other man left with the girl a few minutes later in a white BMW. He hadn’t come back when we broke off. But we got the tag number and the vehicle is registered to Fletch.”

Alex rolled to the coffee pot and filled her cup again. “All right, from the inside. Morgan, give everybody the rundown.”

Keri avoided Alex’s eyes as she began to speak. “The informant did his part with the intro. I think Davis bought it. You’ll all be pleased to know the lieutenant is a good dancer.”

The group erupted in a round of good-natured laughter.

Alex couldn’t resist. “Yeah, but Morgan tries to lead.”

The laughter finally died down and Keri said, “Chad told him we’re interested in a big score. But we didn’t push it. Let him make the first move.”

“Morgan was out back for that meeting,” Alex prompted.

“Yeah, I followed Davis. It was pretty intense. He threatened this young girl for contacting him in public and told her to call her dealer if she needed more product. That’s probably as close to an admission of drug dealing as we’ll ever get from him. Then he told Fletch to take care of ‘this shit.’ I don’t know what that was about, but he was definitely not happy with the girl or his dealer. I’m pretty sure there was no exchange. He wouldn’t be that careless out in the open.”

This was the first time Alex had heard about the conversation behind the club, but she had to admit that it might prove useful. “You never know when all these little tidbits of information will fall perfectly into place. Everything is potentially valuable until we know otherwise.” She motioned for Beth to take over.

“Okay, everybody get a car,” Beth said. “I want us on Davis every minute. Don’t make contact, just watch him and document where he goes and who he talks to. Keep in touch by radio. And remember, this could go on for days, weeks, or even months before we hear from him. It sucks, but don’t get sloppy.”

Alex nodded approval of Beth’s plan, then added, “Sergeant, could I see you and Morgan before you head out?” She wondered why her voice sounded less than enthusiastic. Teaching was usually one of her favorite parts of the job.

Keri shuffled several feet behind Alex heading toward the office. Beth poked her in the ribs. “Drop it, kid. Whatever it is that’s bothering you, just keep your eye on the big picture. If it’s not about the job, it’s not important right now.”

“I’ve just got a feeling this isn’t going to be pretty.”

“Critique is part of the job, especially with someone new. Listen, stay cool, and try to learn something. Alex has been at this a while.”

When they entered the office, Alex motioned for them to join her at the small table in the corner of the room. Beth sat between her and Keri, pointedly observing their failure to make eye contact. She gave Alex a quizzical look.

“Let’s get started so you two can go to work.” Alex wasn’t about to let Beth have the floor. She knew her friend too well. “Morgan, is there anything else you’d like to say about your part in the operation last night?”

Keri looked over Alex’s head to the blank wall behind her to avoid those hypnotic brown eyes.
Surely she doesn’t want me to talk about what happened between us.
Keri wasn’t even sure what did happen.
“No, ma’am, I don’t have anything else to add.”

“Well, I have a couple of observations.” Alex paused, remembering Keri’s prickly sensitivity to professional feedback. “You’re new at this, so don’t take it personally.”

She was forced to meet the younger woman’s stare. The gentleness mixed with anxiety in Keri’s eyes echoed in Alex’s depths. She took a labored breath and heaviness gathered in her chest.

“First, as I think you can appreciate now, we need to be cautious about introducing the subject of drugs too quickly. That’s a dead giveaway and besides, Chad told him what we wanted before we ever met.”

“You’re right, Lieutenant. I started to ask and probably would’ve if you hadn’t put your hand on my knee.” Keri stopped but the words had already made an impression. Alex’s face flushed bright pink.

She cleared her throat and continued. “Second, it’s never a good idea to go after a target alone, without a cover officer. When you followed Davis to the restroom, you put yourself in danger. I couldn’t see you and couldn’t have backed you up if something happened.”

Keri’s shoulders slumped but Alex knew she had to keep talking or she’d never finish. Even her sugarcoated critique seemed to wound Keri with each word. “It’s my fault for not giving you more specific instructions. It was your first undercover assignment and unfortunately we didn’t have the luxury of time on this one.”

“I know I messed up, Lieu. I just want to get this scumbag.” The room was closing in on Keri. She rubbed her sweaty palms across the cool fabric of her jeans-clad thighs.

“That’s what we all want, Morgan, but patience and experience are our best weapons against this guy. As you said earlier, we can’t rush him.”

“I understand, boss. Do you want to replace me?” The words choked painfully from Keri’s lips.

Beth slapped Keri playfully on the back and spoke for the first time. “Hell no, we’re not replacing anybody.” Acknowledging she’d overstepped, but showing no sign of remorse, she queried, “Are we, Lieutenant?”

“I’m not interested in replacing you at this point. We just need to be better prepared and more cautious in the future.”

Keri thought the air around her seemed suddenly lighter. “Thank you, ma’am, I’ll do better and I appreciate your being honest with me.” She tried to smile but knew there was one more thing she needed to address with Alex Troy. “Lieutenant, could I have a minute when we’re done, please?”

Beth sprang from her chair, as if on cue, and hovered at the door. “If you don’t have anything for me, Lieu, I’ll catch up with you later.” Before Alex could answer, she disappeared, closing the door behind her.

“Fine,” Alex replied through pursed lips. She fought the urge to follow Beth as emotional alarms vibrated through her system. “How can I help you, Morgan?”

“Lieutenant, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have—”

Alex stopped Keri with a vertical palm. She couldn’t bear to relive the physical sensations as each word glided from Keri’s inviting lips. The thought dispatched delicate butterfly ripples to her clit that hit their mark with the ferocity of a sledgehammer. “It’s not necessary to apologize. Whatever you did was part of the act and helped get us in with Davis.”

“Right.” But Keri couldn’t leave it alone. She refused to accept that they could share a kiss so intense and walk away as if no connection existed. “And that crack I made in the car about touching. I just want you to know I wasn’t trying to hurt you. If I was out of line, I’m sorry.”

Alex felt her anger rise, the ever-present defense against all things emotional, but the sincerity in Keri’s eyes stopped her usual outburst of indignation. “Thank you, I appreciate your honesty. Let’s just forget it.”