Risky Desires (Wolf Security Book 2), page 4
“Ah, come on, Whisper, please,” I said.
“I’m sorry.” Whisper’s tone softened, but her expression remained stern. “I have orders from Ryder to arrest you.”
“Ryder! What the hell? He knows I wouldn’t do that on purpose.”
“You fired a flare gun without cause,” Jeff said.
“Without cause! That bastard was hassling me!”
“Indiana, we need to do this. It’s up to you which way.” Jeff flicked the handcuffs attached to his belt.
I raised my eyebrows. “You want to handcuff me, big boy?”
“If we need to,” Jeff said.
“No, we’re not.” Whisper scowled at Jeff. “Indiana’s going to come with us calmly, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not. What about my rights? Huh? That bastard was harassing me. He’s a lying thief and—”
“Turn around.” Jeff shoved my shoulder.
“Hey! Don’t touch me.” I clenched my jaw.
Whisper grabbed my arm and yanked it up behind my back.
“Stop it,” she hissed in my ear.
“Whisper, come on. Listen, I found something.” I tried to look at her over my shoulder.
Jeff snapped the cold steel of a handcuff over my free wrist.
“What the fuck?” I tried to yank my arms free.
“Indiana Smith,” Jeff said in my ear, “I’m placing you under arrest for reckless endangerment, arson, and resisting arrest.”
“Resisting arrest. No. This is bullshit!”
Whisper’s gaze filled with regret. “Come on.”
She nudged me forward.
The handcuffs dug into my wrists as I climbed the stairs, but my humiliation hurt much more when I saw Kane’s smug grin.
“You bastard,” I yelled. “You’re going to rot in hell.”
“I didn’t do anything, Indiana. This is all on you and your damn anger.”
“Shut up, asshole!” I fought against the stupid handcuffs.
Dad marched toward me with both anger and worry in his gaze.
“Don’t leave him alone here, Dad.”
His jaw dropped, and his expression sank even more.
“What?” I barked.
“They’re taking Rhino back to Rosebud.”
“What? Why?” I spun to Whisper.
“Your father failed the alcohol test. We can’t let him drive or leave him alone on Rhino.”
Dad looked like he was about to crumble into a heap. He was already overloaded with guilt. If Kane found Siren’s Lure while we were away, his guilt may tip him into uncharted territory that he wouldn’t claw back from.
“What the hell!” I yelled. “We’re at anchor. Dad’s not going anywhere. He can sleep it off here.”
“And until the alcohol is out of his system, we need to make sure he’s safe. I’ll take Rhino to Rosebud,” Jeff said.
“No! This is bullshit.” I spun to Whisper. “Please, don’t.”
“Come on, Indiana, you know I have to do this.” Whisper nudged me forward. At the hatch to our cabins below, she stopped. “I’m going to give you two minutes to get some dry clothes on. Don’t make me regret that decision.”
She undid my cuffs.
I rolled my eyes at her. “You don’t need to do this.”
“Trust me, I wish I didn’t have to.” She scowled at me like I’d really pissed her off.
Groaning, I climbed down the ladder. As I strode to my cabin, my mind raced over how I could get myself out of this mess, but even once I was dressed, I couldn’t find a solution. If Whisper and Jeff hadn’t turned up, I probably could have convinced Kane to let it go. But with Border Force involved, I was fucked.
With Jeff and Whisper flanking me, I was forced to walk to the side where their rubber boat was tethered. Whisper helped me climb into the Border Force boat.
She sighed. “Why do you always have to push things too far?”
“Me? Why didn’t Kane just piss off when I asked him nicely?”
Whisper moved to the back of the boat and sat facing me. “Listen, I’ll help you as much as I can, but there’s only so much I can do.”
She started the engine, signaling the end to my pleading.
As we pulled away, I shared my gaze between Dad’s grim expression and Kane’s smug grin.
As my boat vanished behind me, a wave of icy panic froze my insides.
This was my third arrest.
I may not be able to talk my way out of this one.
CHAPTER 4
Tyler
After the technicians using the ground penetrating sonar detected another three bodies at Angelsong Orphanage, Captain Watts declared he’d seen enough and that it was time to head back to the station.
As we marched to our parked cars at the front of the orphanage, I contemplated asking Watts what the hell Aria was hinting at with her cryptic comments. His fierce scowl told me to hold off. Being an undercover cop had taught me a lot about body language, and Captain Watts was giving off the ‘don’t fucking talk to me’ vibes, big time. Despite being shorter than me, he was marching so hard I had to stride to keep up.
As we approached the cars, he said, “I thought finding those bodies in the container was the worst crime scene I’d ever taken charge of.” He removed his hat, glided his hand over his thinning hair, then slotted the hat back on. “But at least that crime scene was fresh, and I’m confident we’ll find the bastards who did it. These poor kids were likely buried decades ago.” His expression darkened. “There’s little hope of figuring out who did this.”
“We need to get the discovery of these bodies on headlining news,” I said. “If the bastards are still alive, it will rattle their cage. Maybe they’ll do something that will lead us right to them.”
“I like your thinking, Kingsley.” He opened his car door. “Listen, I know you’re keen to get rolling on this case, but we need you to do something else first.”
“Name it.”
“Have you met Indiana Smith yet?”
I frowned. “The salvage boat captain? She towed the shipping container with those bodies inside to the wharf.”
“Yeah, that’s her. We need her to raise Chui’s sunken yacht and bring it into Rosebud Wharf.”
“And . . . what do I need to do?”
“You need to protect her.”
“Protect her from who?”
“From the bastards who are trying to get their hands on whatever is on that yacht.”
I frowned, trying to understand why Aria didn’t tell me that herself. “Seems simple enough.”
“Yes, except our defensive Border Force boats are out of action or unable to support you, and I can’t spare any other officers. It’s critical that we keep this under wraps, Kingsley. Just Aria and us two know about the plan.”
Was that because he didn’t trust everyone in our cop station?
“Reason?”
“Chui had his tentacles into a lot of people, and somebody still wants to get their hands on whatever is on that sunken yacht. The fewer people who know about this salvage, the better.” He shook his head. “Unfortunately, it means you’ll be flying solo. We’re banking on Indiana getting the wreck into Rosebud Wharf before anyone knows what’s happening.”
“Why don’t you wait until the border force team can help?”
He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles bulged. “Because this whole damn mess is connected, and when Chui died, we’d thought it would put an end to this bullshit. But the crimes connected to him still keep coming. Someone else is running the show, and we have no fucking idea who. We’re hoping whatever is on that yacht is the key we’ve been looking for.”
“I’m sensing there’s more to it.”
“Yeah. Indiana Smith.”
“What about her?”
“She hates cops.” He gave a curt nod. “See you at the station.”
He climbed into his patrol car and shut the door.
I got into my car and followed Watts down the potholed driveway.
Indiana Smith wasn’t the first person I’d had to protect who hated cops, and she wouldn’t be the last. What I wasn’t impressed with was being taken off the abandoned orphanage case. Then again, if all I was doing was shadowing Indiana while we were on her boat, then I could take my laptop and notes with me. I could do my research anywhere, including out on the ocean.
I started my drive back to Rosebud Police Station with Bach’s Orchestral Suite no 3. blaring from my speakers much louder than I needed. My mother introduced me to classical music when I was an angry teenager. Mom was a primary school teacher, and in every class she taught, classical music played in the background. I often wondered if those kids hated it as much as I did in the beginning, but I grew to appreciate how therapeutic classical music could be.
Once I’d had my Bach fix, I turned off the music and set my phone to dictate. During the following ninety minutes, I dictated my report on what had been found at the orphanage and drafted a press release that Watts could potentially use.
As I stepped into the musty air of the police station, I waved to the officer at the front desk. “Hey, Lacey.”
“Hi, Tyler. How did you go at the orphanage?”
I shook my head. “They’d already found six bodies before I left.”
“Jesus. Are you beginning to regret being posted to Rosebud?”
“Nope. Are you?”
“No way. I’d rather be busy any day.”
I frowned at her. Maybe she also had a past she was running from. Lacey and I had both started at this station in the same week. Our posting followed the incarceration of two cops who’d been arrested for their corrupt dealings with Chui. Following in a bad cop’s footsteps was good and bad. On the one hand, it wasn’t hard to look good. On the other hand, getting our co-workers to trust us was hard work.
I pushed through the doorway with the intention of heading straight to my desk, but my focus was hijacked by the ruckus coming from the holding cells, a clattering symphony of metal and fury.
“Let me out, you bastards!” The woman’s voice was raw and charged with rage.
“Who’s that?” I asked any one of the four other cops in the room.
A weird grin crossed Cooper’s lips. “Indiana Smith.”
I blinked at him. “Why’s she in a cell?”
“She shot a flare gun at another boat and set it on fire. Then she resisted arrest. Whisper from Border Force brought her in late last night.”
Good. That meant shadowing her salvage mission was off the cards, and I could focus on the orphanage case. I sat at my desk, and as Indiana’s rage alternated between banging on the bars and yelling, and bouts of silence, I transferred my notes and photos from my phone to my laptop.
“Kingsley,” Captain Watts barked as he marched up the hallway from the holding cell.
I stood up from behind my desk. “Yes, sir.”
“My office.” He marched away.
I raced to catch up with him.
He sat behind his desk.
“Shut the door,” he said as I entered his room. “Sit.”
As I sat, I pulled my notepad from my top pocket.
“Indiana Smith got herself locked up last night. Did you hear why?” Two lines between his brows deepened.
“I heard.”
“I pulled some strings to talk the guy Indiana shot the flare gun at into dropping the charges, and we have agreed to do the same with the resisting arrest charge provided she salvages Chui’s boat.”
“Why don’t we get another salvage crew?”
“Her boat is the only one in these parts big enough to handle Chui’s yacht. And Indiana is the best. I’ve just told her about the need for secrecy about this salvage. Your job is to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.” He jabbed a finger toward me as if punctuating the gravity of the task.
I cocked my head. “For example?”
He shrugged. “Pretend Chui’s yacht is too deep, or worse, detonate Chui’s yacht.”
My brows drilled together.
“Trust me. Indiana knows all the tricks in the book. She learned them from her father, who you’ll also have to contend with.”
Beyond the office window that looked over most of the police station, two other cops swung their gaze toward me with weird grins at exactly the same time. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think they’d overheard his comment.
“What’s wrong with her father?”
Watts cracked his knuckles. “Let’s just say that Indiana is an angel compared to Old Smithy.”
Great.
“I want to keep working on the orphanage case while Indiana does the salvage,” I said.
Watts nodded. “As long as you keep your eyes open. We know at least three attempts have been made to search that yacht. The last boatload of bastards we chased off shot the shit out of the Border Force boat, and that’s why the damn thing is written off.”
“Wrote off the boat?”
“Yeah, automatic weapons with armor-piercing bullets. Captain Ryder and his crew were just lucky they didn’t use the RPG he saw them aim.” Watts sniffed and leaned back. “Kingsley, I can’t stress enough how much we need to keep this salvage under wraps. The fewer people who know, the better.”
“Is that why I’m the only protection Indiana has?” I wanted Watts to back up my suspicion that he didn’t trust everyone in his command.
“I can’t take any more manpower off the shipping container investigation or the orphanage, so you’re it. Border Force boats aren’t an option, and their plane has been relocated further north to help with the latest influx of illegal immigrants.” Watts nodded like something slotted into his mind. “I’ll see if Aria can get Levi from Wolf Security to fly over your location in his chopper as much as he can. He’ll have a birds-eye view of your surroundings. That’s the best we can do.”
I nodded. During Operation Vivid, I ran solo most of the time, but backup was just a phone call away. If I got into trouble, a swat team would be on the spot within thirty minutes.
How long would it take for help to arrive out there on the ocean?
“And if I do get into trouble?”
“Ring Aria.” He fished into his top drawer and pushed a business card across his desk. “She has a tactical team at her fingertips which will be your backup.”
I studied the card. “Why are they called Wolf Security?”
“Wolf was the callsign for one of her men who died on a mission a few years ago.”
I slipped the card into my notebook and slotted that into my top pocket.
“Aria won’t let you down.” Watts jabbed his stubby finger to the desk. “But you need to keep your eyes peeled. We’re counting on you.”
“Understood,” I said. Outside the window, Cooper and Hindmarsh stood chatting over the top of a desk partition. “What will the team think I’m doing with Indiana?”
“As far as they are concerned,” he said, pointing out the glass, “you’re investigating the mess she got herself into last night.”
I nodded.
“Listen, you’ll have your hands full with Indiana and Old Smithy. Don’t let them fool you. And a word of advice, if you go all hard-ass on Indiana, it will backfire.”
“Okay. Got it.” I stood to leave. “Hey, Captain, before I go. I have done my report on what I saw at the orphanage this morning, but I also drafted a media report like I’d suggested.”
He did a double-take. “Already?”
“I dictated on the drive back.”
“Huh. Impressive. Send it through to me. I’ll take a look.”
“Thanks, Captain. I’m keen to keep on the orphanage case.”
He pierced me with an intense gaze. “Kingsley, Chui’s criminal activities, the shipping container with the bodies, and those unmarked graves at the abandoned orphanage are all tied together somehow.”
I blinked, trying to pull the threads between the cases together.
“We’re hoping that whatever is on Chui’s yacht will help us solve a whole bunch of cases. I should have retired last year like my wife begged me to.” He leveled his gaze at me. “Get your bags packed and get moving. The sooner we get that yacht on a dry dock, the sooner we can pull it to bits.”
I frowned. “How long do you think the boat salvage will take?”
“How the hell should I know? Ask Indiana. She’s the expert.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Kingsley, go easy on Indiana. She’s been through some shit.” He gave a curt nod. “Good luck.”
I strode out his door, and ignoring the curious gazes from Cooper and Anderson, I followed Indiana’s ruckus down the hallway to the three holding cells at the back of the police station.
Indiana was the only detainee, yet for some reason, they’d put her in the last cell. As I approached, she ran her gaze up my body. “Officer Fancy Pants, you here to let me out of this cell?”
Indiana Smith. Caged and enraged. Even her name was wild. Her hair was a tangle of brown waves with streaks of sun-kissed rebellion, and she wore faded denim shorts and a tank top that did little to hide her incredible body which was shaped from hard work.
“Get a good look?” She glared at me between the bars with light brown eyes that hinted at a lifetime of storms.
I stood between the back wall and the bars. “Indiana, I’m Detective Tyler Kingsley.”
“I know who you are.”
“Good. I’ve been ordered to protect you.”
She stepped back.
“I can protect myself.” She paced her cell like a shark trapped in shallow waters. “And I certainly don’t need a cop pretending to help me.”
“Believe me, I’d rather do anything else.”
She sashayed forward, put her hand through the bars, and waved me closer.
I took one pace toward her.
“Then how about you let me go and take a few days off? I won’t tell Watts if you don’t.” She smiled, and I was mesmerized by how stunning she was when she wasn’t scowling.
Stepping back, I leaned against the cold concrete wall and crossed my arms. “You obviously don’t know me very well. I’ve been ordered to shadow you until you bring Chui’s salvaged yacht into Rosebud Wharf. So, until then, you and I are glued at the hip.”
