Blown (11 page)

"What's up, boss?" I stood in the open door. It was always better if it stayed open.

"Sit down. Close the door."

So much for that.

I did as directed and waited. He fiddled with his computer, then turned the screen toward me.

"This is great work, Guard. I'm impressed."

The screen showed Crimson shooting the man at the warehouse. Witnessing it in person had been enough for me. I didn't need to see the photographic evidence, too. I kept my gaze on the Lieutenant.

"Thank you, sir." It was disturbingly difficult for me to focus on the conversation. Busting Crimson's operation was career defining and my boss just complimented me on a job well done, but all I could think about was Mateo leaving my apartment that morning without saying goodbye. He hadn't even looked back, just let the door swing shut behind him with a deafening click.

"The U.S. Attorney wants to talk to him so the Feds are going to bring him in. They said we can ride along. Want to?" He was asking if I thought I needed my cover any longer and I wanted to tell him that I couldn't risk exposing myself. As long as I was under, there was a chance I would see Mateo again.

"Absolutely, sir." As much as I wanted to see him, it would kill me to have him ignore me again like he had that morning.

"Good. You can drive me."

The drive out to the race site took a lot longer at the legal speed limit and I didn't dare push it. There were too many
federal black SUVs behind me and I wanted to make sure the whole parade made it there. I got a few second looks when I climbed out of my police sedan, but most of the people had their eyes on the flashing lights behind me. Obviously, they knew the races were illegal and were trying to decide if this was a raid or not.

I ignored them and led the group to Crimson's camp. I purposefully didn't look two trailers over to where Mateo and Luis were standing. And I totally ignored the deep scowl on Mateo’s face.

Crimson had the hood up on his car and was bent over beneath it looking at the engine. Someone else was in the driver's seat periodically hitting the accelerator.

"Craig White." I said his name with that fabulous cop voice that I spent hours perfecting when I was at the academy. I wanted to sound like a badass. It worked.

Crimson ignored me and signaled for the guy behind the wheel to rev it again. I smiled, held up my badge and pointed to my gun. The driver took my cue, not Crimson's. At that, Crimson emerged from beneath the hood. He dropped it shut when he saw his audience. No doubt he was working on a street-legal enhancement to his engine.

"What the hell?" Crimson looked at me and it took a few minutes for recognition to flash. The moment he recognized me, his face screwed up even tighter with confusion. "Roni?"

I held up my handcuffs, then let them slip apart so that one was resting on my index finger and the other one dangled below that. In another setting, it would have been sexy as hell. Given the circumstances, however, it wasn't sexy at all. It was only for show, since technically I couldn't arrest him for a crime that took place in Arizona. But it sure as fuck got his attention, as did the two federal agents flanking him.

I glanced to the right to see that Mateo and Luis had both disappeared inside their trailer. I hadn't been thinking when I agreed to come here. Now Mateo had to explain how he knew me and why he'd let a cop into their place of business. No wonder he looked pissed earlier.

They handcuffed him, read him his rights, and escorted him into one of the shiny black SUVs that had windows almost as dark as the paint. A person could disappear inside one of those and never be seen again.

The
feds had warrants for several other members of Crimson's crew, specifically the ones who'd been present during the murder. When the others had been rounded up, I escorted my boss back to my car. It was kind of cool, in retrospect, that he wanted to come along. Usually he just issued orders, with "Pick him up" being one of his favorites. This was a big enough bust for him to want his name all over the arrest record, but I doubted his name, or mine for that matter, would make it into the federal reports.

To top it off, seeing
Craig arrested had done nothing to alleviate the hollow feeling in my chest.

I drove
away from the race site with my eyes on the rear view mirror. Mateo came out and stood on the top step of the trailer and followed my car with his eyes. His face was perfectly blank, no signs of emotion.

It was over.

Six Months Later

It was close to midnight when I pulled into my parking space. My employer had received a bomb threat earlier that day and I'd spent the morning chasing down suspects. I'd finally found the prick who'd made the call, interrogated him vigorously, then turned him over to the authorities. All in all, a pretty impressive accomplishment for such a short period of time, but I was exhausted. Now I wanted a hot shower and bed.

I armed the alarm system on
the big Navigator I was driving, a company car. No way I could afford something that slick. It was black and shiny with dark windows. A huge step up from my old police sedan.

"Nice wheels."

Mateo.

My brain recognized his voice, but my heart refused to accept it. I hadn't heard from him in six months. There was no reason for him to show up at my apartment in the middle of the night.

"Roni?"

I turned slowly, my hand on the P250 on my hip. I liked the way the Sig felt in my grip and that it held fifteen, plus one in the chamber, but I really hoped I didn't need it right then.

He stood beneath the courtyard light, his arms held out in supplication, no evidence of a weapon. That was a good sign. It lessened the odds that he'd come to kill me. As much as I missed him, as much as I felt a connection to him, it would have been foolish for me to discount his family obligations. He'd made his decision clear to me and it wasn't outside the realm of reality for Luis to demand my blood as proof of his loyalty. I popped the safety snap on the holster loose, but didn't pull the gun.

"Mateo."

"You don't look happy to see me."

In truth I was hopping up and
down and screaming like a fucking kid on the inside. The grown up version of me didn't trust the situation enough to let that show.

"I'm not sure how I feel."

"How about you invite me in for a cup of coffee and we can talk about it."

It wasn't the safest possible choice, but it
hadn't been the safest choice for him to help me all those months ago, either, but he had. I could extend one cup of coffee.

"Okay."

He followed me up the stairs and into my apartment without speaking. He moved silently, not even a rustle of fabric to betray his movement. He was like a goddamn ninja.

I dropped my bag just inside the door and hung up my jacket. I kept my holster on. "Do you really want coffee?"

"Not really, but if that's what it takes to keep you from kicking me out, I'll take it." He stood just inside the door, his hands in his pockets. Instead of the tight T-shirt I loved to peel off of him, he was wearing a button down shirt with long sleeves that covered his tattoos. I noticed he had let his hair grow out, too. His curls framed his forehead and ears, and just begged me to run my fingers through them.

"Come sit down." I wanted to lead him to the sofa, but I didn't trust myself that close to him. It didn't look like he was here to kill me, but that didn't mean I could jump him on the nearest flat surface either. I chose a chair at the table. He sat opposite.

"You look good," he said.

"Thanks." I should have
, for the amount I spent on this suit, but I still felt like hammered shit after the day I'd had. We stared at each other for a few moments and all those old feelings for him stirred. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you, talk to you." He stared at me, his face hopeful.

"So, talk."

He fumbled a card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to me. It had a business name, Vargas Consulting, followed by Mateo's name and phone number.

"What's this?"

"Luis and I started a consulting company. We design security systems, among other things."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You told me to get a different job. I thought
--" He swallowed, but didn't continue his sentence.

He waited six months to approach me. Six fucking months. I wanted to be mad at him, to throw him out and tell him not to come back again. What kind of asshole keeps a woman waiting for that long and then shows up expecting everything to be okay? But I couldn't. I was too damn overwhelmed with excitement, hope, love. I couldn
't do anything but choke back tears.

"What are you saying?" My makeup was ruined, but my voice was surprisingly calm.

"I want you, Roni. If you'll have me." It wasn't a proposal, but it was damn close. And I felt the same way. God help me, I did.

"You're totally legit? No surprise police raids in my future?"

"Check your sources. They'll tell you." He fidgeted in his chair. It was taking all his will to stay seated, I could tell.

"I can't." I'd lost most of those sources when I'd turned in my resignation two months ago.

"Why not?" He finally gave up the battle and came to me. He kneeled at my feet, his hands clasped around mine in my lap. I cried even harder.

"I quit my job."

"You're not a cop?"

"Not anymore." I'd hated everything about work after losing Mateo. It had only taken a month for me to decide to leave, but a little longer to find a suitable new job.

"What are you doing?"

"Private security for Mellis Corp
oration." Specifically, I was the head of security and Angela Mellis's personal envoy. The perks were fucking amazing, like the Navigator in my parking space.

He
smiled, sort of dazed, but totally happy. "This could work, then."

It wasn't a question, but I answered him anyway. "Yes."

I slid to the floor and into Mateo's arms. He held me and his lips found mine and the past six months of feeling lost slipped away.

"I'm never letting you go." He tightened his hold.

After how much it'd taken for us to find our way to each other, forever was the only possible outcome for our future together. "I won't let you."

“That’s good news,” he said, a little smile on his lips. “So are you going to offer me a cup of coffee or not?”

I gave him a wicked grin. “I’ve got something even better in mind.” I tugged gently on one of his curls. “But it involves staying the night.”

His eyes sparkled. “Just tonight?”

“Any night. All the nights you want. Starting now.”

He sighed happily. “God, I missed you,” he said before he kissed me.

“Welcome home,” I murmured against his lips.