InkintheBlood (2 page)

When she reached the booths of heroin, she searched the
shadows where the bridge’s rafters met the river’s bank. She could see the
outline of the temporary pavilions that housed the dealers, but that was all
she could make out. Sighing, she scanned the crowds streaming past her for Alex
one last time before giving up. He didn’t appear to be shopping tonight. She’d
just have to hope he was with the dealers.

She shook her head softly as she contemplated what she was
about to do. But knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer, she started
trekking up to the top of the steep bank. There were no sentries or guards
posted here. It was assumed she knew what she was doing, approaching the
dealers. If you were going to venture through the gates of hell, you’d better
know the rules and the consequences of breaking them.

When she made it to the top, she found herself walking
amongst the who’s who in the local drug world. Old memories flooded her and
made her nauseated, but she did her best to ignore the sensation. She’d told
the agents that she could do this and she would. They were counting on her.
More specifically, Jacob was counting on her. And she didn’t want to let him
down. Turning, she glanced down the opposite bank but she still didn’t see
Minshouse or Alex.

What if tonight proved to be nothing more than a waste of
time? The question ate at her. If she couldn’t find Elliot, she’d have to start
all over again. She’d been pumping informants for details for six months. It
was a process she didn’t care to repeat.

Although, it would give me more time with Agent Phinney.
And she would love more time with him. But before the thought could take hold,
she forced herself to dismiss it so she could stay focused on her search. She
would not moon over some human who was a DEA agent to boot.

Finally, after she’d walked past the fourth pavilion, she
spotted Minshouse. He was standing in a small group of people and was so
engrossed in his conversation that he didn’t even notice her walking toward
them. Her heart beat faster as she made her way over to the group, but she kept
her smile firmly in place. She had to appear completely in control.

“Izzy, darling, is that you?” one of the men called as he
stepped toward her.

“Vincent.” She hoped that the dread bubbling in her stomach
couldn’t be heard in in her voice. She didn’t have fond memories of the man. He
was more of a money launderer than a dealer. And, judging by his sleek designer
suit and the thick ropes of gold that encircled his neck, it looked as if
business had been good to him.

“Long time no see,” he said.

“Rehab, you know how it goes.” She looked around the group
and was instantly disappointed that Alex wasn’t among them.

“Yes I do, poor thing. So what brings you down to the river
tonight?” He wrapped his arm around her waist as he spoke, bringing her close
enough to smell the stench of overpowering cologne mixed with stale cigar
smoke. “Are you shopping for something to end your streak of sobriety?”

She had to fight against the urge to push the oily man away.
If he suspected anything, her cover would be blown. And he would notice if she
suddenly started objecting to his nearness. “You know me so well.” She winked
at him to make him more receptive to what she was about to say. “To be honest,
though, I was hoping to mix pleasure with business this time. You know, do a
little of the selling instead of just buying.” It was the cover story she’d
been using while tracking Elliot, but suddenly she worried it wasn’t enough and
that they wouldn’t believe her.

“Always said you were a smart girl,” Vincent said, pulling
her tighter against him.

She relaxed a little as he accepted her lie. Time was
running out though. Now that she’d found Minshouse, she’d have to signal for
the raid soon. If she was going to get any information on Alex, it had to be
now. “Is Alex here tonight?”

“Thinking about going into the family line, then?”

“No. I’ve no interest in selling dust.” She fidgeted with
her skirt as she talked. “I was actually thinking about selling something more
mundane. Starting out small. But sometimes I do have a craving for the stuff.
Thought Alex would be the one to talk to about that.”

Elliot took a step toward her as if drawn to her by the
thought of a sale. “Sorry, my dear. He’s at the club tonight. But I’m sure we
could work something out.”

Her heart fell at the news but she carefully hid the
disappointment. With Alex out of her grasp, there was nothing left for her to
do but say the words the DEA agents were waiting to hear. “Minshouse.” She
smiled sweetly as if considering his offer. “I don’t know. I’ve heard you’re
unpatriotic these days.” And there they were. It’d be over soon.

He shrugged dismissively but his smile widened. He was all
salesman. “Come now. You show me a poppy field in the US and I’ll buy from it.
But there aren’t any. You have to go where the product is.”

“And do business with the locals, right?”

“We all make our deals with the devil. You of all people
should know that.” His voice was quickly losing its fake sweetness.

“That is one lesson I’ve learned over the years. Still, I
think I’ll shop around a bit more. Heroin isn’t really my scene.” The words
sounded crazy to her ears, but she had a part to play.

“Has to be dust?” Elliot’s voice was quiet. “I think I might
know someone—” The sentence was interrupted by a ripple of chaos around them.

“Federal agents. Nobody move and put your hands on your
head,” cried a man holding a megaphone. She tried to figure out which agent it
was, but his body armor made him hard to see against the backdrop of the night.
Giving up on identifying him, Izzy scanned the agents who surrounded them as
she followed the orders. She hoped to find Jacob, but luck didn’t appear to
favor her.

“The bridge is surrounded. We will fire on any who flee,”
the agent announced as some of the captives started edging away from the
group—Elliot being one of them. Izzy watched the dealer take a step backward
and then another. But before he got far enough for her to worry, she heard the
gentle click of a handgun being cocked.

“I believe the man said we’d fire on any who flee.” Jacob’s
voice was calm and sure as he materialized out of the crowd. “We have some
nervous people over here,” he shouted to the other agents. “I could use a
hand.”

His gun stayed trained on Elliot’s head until a group of
agents made their way over to them. Once they’d secured Elliot, Jacob moved to
her.

While she continued to hold her hands above her head, he
began a leisurely pat down of her body. His hands moved firmly over the sides
of her breasts and then made their way to her hips before starting down her
bare legs. She closed her eyes tightly against the sensation but, as her
imagination started to take over, she decided it was better to leave them open.

“Hands behind your back.” He gently grabbed her wrists and
guided them to the middle of her back. She could feel his breath against her
neck as he slowly slid the cuffs around her wrists.

As Jacob led her through the newly arrested, she spotted
agents leading Elliot away and the knot of tension in her stomach eased
slightly. It would look as if finding Elliot had been nothing more than
coincidence—a lucky break for the agency. Which would leave her free to
continue in her hunt for Alex.

Still, she made sure they’d cleared the organized chaos
before speaking to Jacob. “Thorough search.”

The pad of his thumb caressed her wrist as he chuckled. “You
looked dangerous.”

She didn’t miss the reference to their earlier conversation
but chose not to comment on it. Instead she stood patiently as he opened the
back door to a squad car and then allowed him to guide her into the backseat.

“Comfy?” he asked as he took a step back.

In the back of a police car with her hands cuffed? Never.
But there was nothing either of them could do about it right now so it’d be
silly for her to complain. After she nodded, he shut the door and then walked
around the car so he could slide into the driver’s seat.

She waited until he shut his door before she cleared her
throat and said, “He wasn’t there.” There was a numb weight in her stomach as
she accepted the truth of the words.

Thankfully Jacob didn’t play dumb. He knew who she meant.
“No, but we’ll get him. You have to trust me.”

“But I won’t be there.” She didn’t mean to whine but she
couldn’t help it. The DEA had been after Alex for a decade. She didn’t want to
doubt Jacob or his abilities as a law enforcement agent, but she’d seen
firsthand how easy it was for her half brother to sidestep the law.

“There has been talk of the agency keeping you on.”

They’d only brought her on for this one case. In return, her
file would be sealed. It’d be a clean slate for her. But she had enjoyed
working with the DEA. So much so that she found she wasn’t opposed to the idea
of staying on, especially if it meant she could continue working with Jacob to
get Alex.

He put the car into gear and started to drive as he spoke.
“Though the powers that be have been leaning more toward a consultant type of
position.”

So much for that idea. “Which means I’d be stuck behind a
desk looking through files all day.” The numbness that’d started in her stomach
was quickly sweeping through her. It gave the conversation a weird, hazy edge.

“Is that such a horrible fate?” His steel-gray eyes found
hers in the rearview mirror. “You’ll be helping us put some very bad people
behind bars. Isn’t that enough?”

It should be enough but it wasn’t. If she were going to do
this, she wanted to be on the front lines. Yes, they were a team and each
member of the team was important. But surfing through endless piles of
paperwork to build a case and then not being able to go on the bust? It sounded
like indulging in foreplay without ever getting to enjoy the sex. The only
other option, though, was to walk away from the DEA completely. Which meant
walking away from Jacob. Neither choice sounded particularly fun right now.

Apparently unaware of her distress, Jacob turned on the
car’s lights and sirens as he pulled out of the park. They were following at
least six other squad cars from the bust so his attention was focused on
driving. And that was okay with her. With everything going through her mind,
she didn’t particularly feel like chatting anyway. She actually rather enjoyed
the silence. But it couldn’t last forever. After they’d discreetly lost the
other squad cars, he shut off the lights and sirens and asked, “Would you like
to go home?”

“Yes.” The word was sharp enough to bring his gaze back to
the rearview mirror.

She thought about the last six months as he maneuvered the
car smoothly through the streets and felt bad about leaving it this way. He’d
been nothing but nice to her since he’d been assigned to the case. Just because
she was upset about tonight’s outcome didn’t give her the right to be rude to
him. She couldn’t hold him responsible for the DEA’s decisions or Alex’s
whereabouts. “Jacob…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

He’d gone out of his way to make her feel like more than an
asset. He’d included her in every team meeting and had shared intelligence with
her on more than a need-to-know basis. He’d even asked for her opinions and
advice on several occasions. In short, he’d done everything possible to make it
easier for her to work with the DEA.

He smiled softly as he made the last turn into the parking
lot of her apartment building. “We should be thanking you, Izzy. We never would
have gotten Minshouse without you.”

“I’m sure you would’ve gotten him sooner or later. I am glad
I could help though.”

After he’d parked the car, he got out and then opened her
door for her. “Give me your hands. I’ll take the cuffs off.”

Turning her back to him, she waited for him to free her hands
and then turned back toward the door. With one last deep breath, she stepped
out of the car and then shut the door firmly behind her. She could feel the
finality of the moment hanging in the night air around them. Even if the agency
offered her the consultant job, she’d probably never work with Jacob again.

She’d spent most of her life wishing to be human, but never
as fervently as she did at that moment. If she were a human, she wouldn’t have
megalomaniacal family members screwing up her life. She wouldn’t be forced to
pretend to be something she wasn’t. But, most importantly, she could fall into
Jacob’s arms and have one of those epic kisses they always have at the end of
movies. It was stupid. It was childish and immature. It was what she wanted
more than anything.

“I guess this is it then?” She looked up into his eyes as
she asked the question. She hoped he’d make a move even though she knew she
couldn’t take anything he offered.

“Good night, Izzy.” His fingertips gently traced the side of
her face but he didn’t move to close the space between them.

Emptiness filled her as she thought of her life returning to
normal, whatever normal was. “Goodbye, Agent.” She rose up to her tiptoes and
kissed him softly on the cheek. “Take care of yourself.” But before she could
turn away, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against
him.

His warmth chased away the emptiness and made her forget
what he was—what she was—for a moment. “Was there something else, Agent?” She
draped her arms across his shoulders as she asked the question. Staring into
his eyes, she saw the raw need housed there, but it was tempered with control.

“Izzy…”

The muscles in his jaw clenched as he looked over her
shoulder into the dark night. After a moment, his eyes found hers again but
something in his gaze had changed. The flecks of silver among the gray had
cooled and become subdued.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you.” His arms loosened
their hold on her waist as if he was preparing to walk away.