Captain Terrell held up a small ampule. The light blue color of the tube testified to the content of the packaged white powder. "It's legit according to the street kits. We'll have it tested in the lab." He crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels before he spoke. "We have Jorgenson and Estrada for conspiracy to distribute. First count on the cash was fifty thousand. They are doing a second and third count to validate the first pass. Weapons charges are in line for the muscle inside with Jorgenson and Estrada. We'll be able to roll some of them."
She nodded and turned to Brody. "Do you have any intel on the four you arrested outside?"
Brody kept his gaze focused on the count going on at the back of the room. "Not yet."
"King, you and Swanson head to the precinct. I need you to make sure the team gets their shit done. Go through the reports, and then we'll start with the suspects. Having them sit and wait until our interview specialists go after them won't harm anything. I'm not leaving until that asshole is gone." Terrell nodded toward Degrassi.
He nodded his understanding while he watched the people counting the money. "Derek is sitting on the four from outside. How many do we have from this mess?"
"The two primaries, Jorgenson and Estrada. There were four meatheads with iron who were cuffed too."
He finally flicked his eyes toward Amber. "Which one is your guy?"
"One of the meatheads. Estrada's right-hand man. He's been working in the family for almost three years now."
Brody wanted to question her about the amount of time the guy'd been undercover, but he wasn't about to initiate a conversation. The less he talked with her, the better. He nodded to the side door and headed out. She'd either follow or she wouldn't. Actually, he'd prefer it if she didn't.
"All in all, the op went well." Amber commented as they drove north heading away from the harbor area.
He grunted in agreement and was met with an exaggerated sigh from her side of the vehicle.
"How are your parents?"
"No." He refused to open that door. His family was everything to him, and when she'd dumped him, she'd dumped them too. His mother was heartbroken, not because Amber had left him, but because of what had happened to him afterward.
He watched her with his peripheral vision. She turned her head toward him and gawked. "No? Just no?"
"That's right. Just no." He glanced at the clock. Five more minutes in this truck and he'd be clawing at the windshield to get away from her.
"What the hell happened to you to make you such an ass, Brody? You were never like this before."
He pulled over suddenly, and she grasped onto the 'oh-shit handle' on the side of the truck. The gear shifter slammed into Park, and he spun toward her. "You happened. You are the reason I'm like this. My family, my life, my friends, everything I care about is off limits to you. I have to work with you. I don't have to like it." He threw the truck back into gear and forced his way back into the flow of traffic.
She had the decency to keep her thoughts to herself until they reached the small outbuilding located on the grounds of the Central Precinct. The squat cement block building had a badge-controlled entry and exit. JDET had their own armory holding their tactical equipment and radios, five small holding cells, a bullpen, two conference rooms, and offices for him, the lieutenant, and the captain.
He jammed his truck into a parking slot and slammed his door closed as he stalked to the building. He drew a deep breath. Was it just yesterday he'd bounced into the building wearing a tux? Yeah, yeah it was. He hadn't been home since yesterday morning. Hadn't eaten since the wedding yesterday afternoon, or slept since the night before last. They'd spent the night planning the op, reviewing the plans, and working assignments. He'd managed to avoid talking directly to Amber for damn near twenty-four hours. Now he was back at the precinct, where if he was lucky, he had every intention of avoiding her again.
She yelled at him from beside the truck, "Brody, wait!"
He stopped and glared in her direction. Luck wasn't on his side. Obviously.
"What?"
"I really do need to talk with you."
"Amber, there is nothing you need to tell me you haven't already said. Why did you come back here? Why? There are hundreds of places you could have landed. Did you know I was assigned to this team?"
"No! I had no idea until I walked in that door yesterday."
"Right. How long have you been back in Hope City?"
"I... I never left."
He stared at her for a moment and internalized the razor-sharp syllables which sliced his soul into tiny pieces... again. She'd dumped him to fulfill her grand plan of a life that didn’t pass her by, and yet she'd never left Hope City. So, it was him she didn't want. Had she been playing him the entire time they'd been together? What a moron he'd been. He turned and headed into the building.
"Brody, it's not what you think."
He didn't dare stop. He'd been raised to respect women, all women, even the one who had ripped out his heart on her way out the door. Stopping now would be a very bad thing. He'd say words he couldn't take back. Words
