Getting that sudden storm inside her under control, her focus went once more to her investigation. She’d see it to its end, come hell or high water. Even after all they’d discovered, there were a few questions still bugging her about the money transfers. And there was one man that may have the answers if she pushed the right buttons, and that man was DA Clark Pool.
“Cleo? I have a quick errand to run.” And before Cleo could tell her she shouldn’t go out alone, Frida interrupted her objections. “I’ll see if Mercy can come with me. All I need is a business suit for me, a gun for Mercy, and a car. We’ll be back before you know it and hopefully with some answers.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
Malco turned to look at James, who sat beside him, and silently agreed. Ward getting a tip from an anonymous source just when they needed it was too much of a coincidence, and Malco didn’t believe in them any more than he did the tooth fairy. “Me too, but what else can we do? The caller said they’d seen Danie Du Toit getting into a black limo. They followed and saw the pair go into this hotel a mile off the highway. We can’t just let it go with everything going on.”
James ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath in frustration. “I know, but my gut is screaming trap.” Malco agreed, but they were fucked either way.
“Let’s just stay tight and wait for Mason to give the order.” Mason oversaw this operation. He and Kingsley had both been promoted to joint team leads after Shane and Emme had decided they both made excellent leads. The idea was that each alternated as leader on each assignment, spreading the ever-increasing workload. Malco was glad, he liked and respected both men, and while he’d prefer to be in charge of this particular case, he was smart enough to recognize he was compromised by emotion.
On that thought, he saw Mason and Caitlin walk across the street hand in hand like a couple. Anyone looking would never suspect they weren’t together unless they’d seen him with Cleo. Those two were devoted to each other and completely smitten. As they approached the car, Mason let Caitlin’s hand go, and they got in the back seat. Malco angled the mirror to look at them both.
“Anything?”
Mason’s jaw flexed in anger. “Apparently there’s a room booked under the name Kent, and it’s a standard weekly booking.”
“Do we know who Danie is with?” Malco felt his gut twist.
“I have Alex hacking the hotel feeds now. As it stands, we have no reason to charge in there.”
“No reason except that this is in the same cell tower area as the call from Tycen. That’s not a coincidence.” Malco’s words came out harsher than he intended as frustration and worry swamped him.
“I know, and I understand, but until we have an exact location, we can’t blow this lead by charging in not knowing the who or the why.”
“So, we wait?” James asked.
“No, I have a better idea. We cause a diversion and get them out in the open.” Mason smiled, and Malco grinned.
“Fire alarm?”
“The oldies are the best,” Mason agreed.
“Malco and James, take the back exits, and Caitlin and I will cover the front.”
Malco nodded and felt the first fires of adrenaline burn through his blood. This was what he did; he attacked a situation head-on. Sitting back was the most hated part of the job for him.
As Mason and Caitlin approached the front, Caitlin slipped inside the hotel, and a few moments later, the fire alarm blared. Malco and James positioned themselves near the back exits and watched as people started to flood from the building, their eyes peeled for the young girl. Malco spotted her the instant she came out, her wide eyes frightened, her bright pink lipstick smeared across her face. Malco had to fight to clamp down the fury coursing through him as he watched the man who exited behind her scurry away toward the parking lot, leaving the young girl to fend for herself.
He nudged James and nodded toward her before alerting Mason and Caitlin through the comms. They’d decided it best if he approached the girl alone, knowing that if they descended on her en-masse, she would close up like a clam.
James disappeared into the crowd to watch from a safe distance as Malco ‘bumped into Danie’.
He saw the surprise cross her pretty face followed closely by relief.
“Danie! What are you doing here?
“I... I…” The tough girl then burst into tears.
Malco wasn’t expecting that or the way she pressed her face into his chest. His arms came up to surround the upset girl as he tried to lead her away from the melee and toward his car.
As he approached, he saw James was already inside the car but had little option at this point. He could hardly leave the girl in this state, and he had serious questions about what she’d been doing in a hotel with that man. A man old enough to be her father no less.
“Here, jump in and let’s get you warmed up.” Despite the Miami heat, the girl was shivering in her tiny skirt and tank top that barely covered anything. Danie paused when she saw James and looked to Malco for reassurance.
“This is my friend, James Valentine. Everyone calls him Romeo, though.” Danie looked at James then at Malco before she cracked a smile.
“Figures with that pretty white boy look.”
James laughed too. “I wish it were because of that, but it’s actually because in high school, I was so crap talking to girls.”
“Yeah, right.” Danie had stopped crying now as she spoke with James, and Malco was relieved. He didn’t handle crying females
