Page 23 of Finn (Dirty Misfits MC 6)
He eased into the parking spot behind mine on the other side of the lot. “I can’t leave you. You know that.”
I sighed. “Finn, you have my absolute word that I’m not going anywhere, and if I’m going to show you that I can be trusted then you have to give me the space to be trustworthy.”
He paused. “I see why your sister hates arguing with you.”
I grinned. “Did she really say that?”
He revved his engine. “More times than I can count.”
I snorted. “Well, just give this to me, yeah? Get some supplies from the store--you know, sandwich meant, sodas, coffee, the basics--and I’ll meet you back out here in about an hour.”
He eased back out of the parking space. “If you run, I will find you. I hope you know that.”
His voice shivered me to my core. “Go. I’ll be fine and here when you get back.”
And with a nod of his head that I saw in my rearview mirror, he made his way for the road.
When he fell off into the horizon, I unbuckled myself and took my cell phone inside. I made my way up to the front desk and returned the paperback files I didn’t need any longer, then I made my way to the chief’s office. I knocked softly on his door and he ripped it open, but held up his finger and asked for one more second.
He was barking at someone over his office phone and I wondered what had fallen into his lap today.
Nevertheless, I sat patiently and waited for him to hang up. And when he did, I had some very pointed questions I wanted to ask him.
“I take it you’ve got something for me?” he asked.
I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “Actually, I was hoping to speak with you about those local girls from the strip club that came in with that girl named Summer?”
He perched on the side of his desk. “Ah, yes. Those girls. Sure, I can tell you what I know. What’s up?”
I crossed my leg over my knee. “I need to know if any of those girls still work for the club.”
He blinked. “You’re kidding, right?”
I shook my head. “No. As of right now, no one has enough information to take this case from circumstantial to proven. I need someone on the inside, preferably someone you’ve already worked with. Do you know of any girl that came in that was maybe snatched back up? As terrible as that sounds.”
His eyes searched mine. “Why?”
An odd question. “So I can run a small op, that’s why.”
He didn’t speak for a long time. But when he did, he started spouting off a plan.” “You’re going to be better off finding one of the bottom feeder girls in a place like that. Someone so inconspicuous that the guys don’t even give her the time of day. None of those kinds of girls will be girls we’ve come into contact with, but that’s your next best bet.”
I nodded. “Maybe you could help put me in touch with one of them, then. It would be the best way to infiltrate their operation, in my opinion.”
He sighed. “How many of my men will you need for this operation?”
I shook my head. “No one.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “No one?”
I shook my head. “I’ll handle the other women, recruit the girls to help, and handle all of the business and intake of information. All I need is a shoe-in. All I need is someone that knows someone else in there that can communicate that I’m the good guy.”
He licked his lips. “There is someone, actually. A girl that we’ve been trying to help, but she’s also a stubborn girl that won’t take our help when we present it. Her name’s Beth, and she’s the head prostitute for the Black Flags. She works on Barron Street. Weirdly enough, the call her the ‘bottom girl.’”
I rolled my eyes. “How ironic.”
He snickered. “You’re telling me. Anyway, do you have permission from your own captain to run an op like this?”
I nodded. “Already talked to her this morning.”
He stood to his feet. “Then, all there is to do is inform my captain of what’s happening. He’ll be the one to approve any and all additional officers and support, should you need it.”
I stood with him. “Thank you. I really appreciate the vote of confidence.”
He chuckled. “It’s not a vote of confidence. I did my fair share of calling around about you after you waltzed into my office the other day. Turns out, you come highly recommended by not only your boss and your peers, but other stations as well. Is it true that you really help precincts root out dirty cops?”
I grinned. “It’s the pride and joy of my work.”
His eyes searched mine. “I’ll keep that in the back of my mind for now, if you get my drift.”
