he had let his guard down and had given in to temptation. That one impulsive, split-second decision had ruined his marriage.
It had been a long time ago—back in his rookie year on the force. Dale and Betty had just been married, already in rocky waters, but that seemed to be the case from day one. Marriage had changed everything.
His first partner, Josie Walker. She had been Dale’s vice.
They’d been on a sting, following a load of cocaine flown into the city from Panama. They had the private airfield staked out, awaiting the cargo. But somehow the dealers had been tipped off and were waiting.
All hell broke loose. Lives were lost and more should have been.
Dale and Josie had been taken hostage inside the tiny private jet. If it hadn’t been for some quick-thinking and swift-acting SWAT members, Dale and Josie would never have made it out.
After the dust had cleared, rather than going home to his new wife, Dale had gone to the bar with his team to celebrate the arrest. A total of $50 million in cocaine had been confiscated, the largest drug bust in LVMPD history.
Dale still remembered shaking so much that he could barely hold his glass. He and Josie had come that close to death. They’d looked it in the eye and had walked away unscathed. In that moment he had felt a deep connection with his partner—more than just professional.
The sexual tension between them was palpable.
She was a beautiful woman, with all the right curves and a cocky go-get attitude. He knew it was wrong, but Dale rode the moment. He had given in and for that he would be forever regretful. Or was he really?
Josie had felt it too, because she had suggested the motel room.
As much as Dale didn’t want to admit it, in his heart he knew that it hadn’t been just a one-night stand of meaningless sex with a stranger. It was a night of passionate lovemaking. A deep, heartfelt ride shared between two people who really cared for each other.
The next day he had felt sick at what he’d done. He told Josie they had made a mistake, he could never leave Betty and that he wanted to make it right with his wife. Betty was the one he truly loved. Had that been a lie?
Josie said she could no longer be his partner. She had requested a transfer from the department, claiming mental anguish from the experience Dale and she had been through. Dale never saw Josie again.
He told Betty what had happened, not just to appease his guilty conscience but because he knew it was the right thing to do. Betty didn’t deserve that deception.
There were only three people who knew about the incident—Dale, Betty and Jo. Dale had thought that night had been dead and buried, that he and Betty had moved on, but you can’t outrun your past.
Dale sat back up and shook his head. Over the last two days, except for her original call to Sanders, Linda had only spoken to her mother and her attorney. She’d followed Sanders’ orders and not talked to him.
Dale inserted the first tape. He set the headphones over his ears, lay back on the sofa and pressed play.
He couldn’t let the past slow down his investigation.
“Do you see anything?”
Calvin was startled by Rachel’s voice coming from the doorway behind him. He turned and looked at her.
He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, looking back at the computer monitor.
“Do you think someone is really out there, hunting us like animals?”
He nodded.
Rachel moved toward him, turned his chair around and sat down on his lap.
“Why are you up?” he asked. “It’s three o’clock in the morning.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me neither.”
“Is that your mom?” She reached for a famed photograph on his desk. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“Why do you never talk about yourself, Calvin? I don’t know anything about your family or your childhood. We always talk about me.”
“There’s not much to say. I’m more interested in you.” He smiled.
“I’d like to know.”
“It’s not much of a story—just another ghetto kid from the streets who had a tough upbringing. Just another sappy story made for Oprah. I’m tired of being just a statistic, another cliche.” He smiled again. His childhood had always been a closed book and he wanted to leave it that way. Rachel didn’t need to hear about it.
Rachel smiled too. “Maybe we could make a movie.”
His grin broadened. “Yeah and Denzel could play me.”
She took him by the hand and led him into an adjoining room they were using as their bedroom. They sat down on the cot.
“Tell me about your mother.”
He swallowed and took a deep breath. “I was young when she died of cancer. What I do remember of my mother was her voice, how she could soothe me with a whisper. She loved to sing and she would often lullaby me to sleep before leaving for work. She had soft hands and a gentle touch. When she was around, I thought I was invincible. I made a promise to her to someday graduate from college. At that point, I wasn’t sure how that would be possible.”
“What about your father?”
He grunted. “What father? He left before I was born—just another deadbeat dad with illegitimate children all over the city. He showed up a few years ago after seeing my picture on the cover of
“So who took care of you?” She rubbed his arm gently.
“Mom and Josh.”
“What’s your brother like?”
“Pretty successful. My mother would be really proud of him. Josh has made a life for himself. He’s the ‘good’ son, the success story.”
Rachel moved in behind Calvin as they both sat on the cot. She spread her legs and moved in close, wrapping her legs and arms around him and pressing her face against his back. He could feel her warm breath.
“Your mother would be proud of you too, Calvin.”
He stood up, feeling uncomfortable, and swiped away a tear. “When she died, Josh was already at the Police Academy and I was shipped to an orphanage. It was a rough go, but I survived.”
“You didn’t have anyone?” Her face showed lines of worry.
“Sure, there were foster families who took me in. I was grateful. Some were good people, others not so much. But no one kept me around long enough to get used to me. It was probably better that way.”
“That’s not true, Calvin. You’re a good person.”
He nodded but didn’t say anything.
Rachel got off the bed and went to him. “Look how far you’ve come.”
He grinned. “Yeah, look at me—trapped in a shithole, a maniac stalking me and the LVMPD wanting me for murder. What a life!”
“You know what I mean.” She scowled. “How did you become a USC legend?”
“Father MacIntosh.”
“A priest?” She looked surprised.
Calvin smiled and nodded. “I can’t remember how we met. But I do remember Father Mac taking me in and spending time with me at the local YMCA. That’s when I found weights. I was always tall, but Father Mac helped me gain twenty pounds of muscle my senior year. He taught me about football and hired a tutor for me. When I graduated high school and was offered a football scholarship to USC, I’d never seen him prouder.” His smiled faded. “He died that summer before I had even stepped into my first college classroom.” He looked at Rachel and swallowed. “It seems like everyone in my life, the people who really love me, die. You better get away, Rachel. Quick.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Calvin. I love you and we’re in this together.” She took him by the hand and led him to the cot. She smiled. “Let me show you just how much.”
