Frida’s office was but a stone’s throw from the Miami-Dade Courthouse and close to Little Havana. In a little side street with mature trees, the location was posh without being inaccessible to common people. Wasn’t a lawyer’s firm supposed to be that? Powerful and competent? From the way she looked and dressed, there was no doubt Frida Montalvo was a woman of means, who’d built her life and goals around success and power.
Malco’s only focus had been his missions, until one turned against him, turning his life around. Finding his way back with the Alliance Agency had been his saving grace. Money had never been his objective. A safe place to sleep was his only requirement. The gap between them was another reason, apart from remaining professional while on protection duty, to keep his distance from the incredibly beautiful, very intriguing woman in the seat beside him.
The night was illuminated by the reds and blues from the police cruisers at the curb. Several civilians were gathered behind the yellow police tape, curious as to what was going on in their quiet neighborhood. Malco didn’t like it one bit; any one of them could be a potential threat.
He parked his car as close as possible to the police cars. As they exited, he scanned the area and saw Nicholas and Cain in the distance. Both men were clearly analyzing the situation and were ready to act if needed.
Frida looked around and, with one last glance at him, marched to the entrance. Malco kept no more than an arm’s length between them. It took providing proof of identity, but the officer let them through the police tape.
He saw a nameplate at the entrance, indicating her firm was on the third floor. When Frida started to attack the stairs two-by-two, Malco quickly grabbed her hand. “Easy, there’s no rush. If you don’t take care of your feet, you won’t be able to walk out of here. I know you’re in pain.”
She pulled at her hand, but he wasn’t letting her go until she heard him out. “If you can’t walk, that means you’re vulnerable. Is that what you want them to see? You know those animals, and they’ll prey on weaknesses. Don’t feel like you have to be strong to impress me.”
As he talked, he expected her to explode at him, but what he saw was much more disturbing. Hurt ravaged her face for a second before she shook her head. “I always have to be strong. Always.” And this time when she pulled, he let her go, despite all the questions that invaded his head and he couldn’t ask. She slowed down as she finished climbing the stairs to her firm.
More cops were inside the premises, looking around. There were two civilians Frida greeted first and Malco guessed they were her employees. She had acted cool toward him and the cops, but her underlying warmth was revealed in the way she comforted her employees, reassured them that all would be okay. It was a nice insight into the woman behind the iron mask.
A man who was obviously in charge came out from the open door. “Ms. Montalvo.” Malco had seen him before. It was Detective Charles Kasten, one of the most bigoted and racist men he’d ever encountered. The only reason he was still on the force was his high closing rate. The jury was still out on if that rate was due to apprehending the true culprit or not.
The detective approached them as if the world were his, didn’t offer his hand to Frida, and eyed Malco as if he was a leper. “I need you to answer a few questions.”
Not at all shaken by his rude manners, Frida barely acknowledged him before bypassing him and heading to her office. From what Malco could see, it was obvious the door had been forced. Inside, the office seemed pretty much untouched apart from the far wall where it had been torn to pieces in order to access the safe door. There were scorch marks and kinks where they had tried to get in, but the door had held up.
When Frida saw the safe for herself, her obvious relief was palpable to him as if he had been reading her reactions for years, not hours.
Frida glanced at him. “I’ll have a team remove the contents of the safe and have them secured in another location.”
Detective Kasten wasn’t about to agree with her order. “This is my investigation. Nothing moves in or out of the premises without my authorization until this part of my investigation is completed. I want you to open the safe now.”
The detective took a step toward Frida, and Malco tensed, his sudden fury toward the asshole detective volatile in its urgency. Frida didn’t move, merely looked at the annoying cop with disdain and a definite authority that Kasten lacked. “You have no authority here without a mandate, so ditch the attitude. And as a matter of fact, I want you and your men to leave.”
Kasten blinked before taking another step. “You can’t kick us out.”
“I can do what I bloody want, Detective. I’ll sign all the papers you want. I decline an investigation or assistance from the police at this time. I’ll take care of the costs of this break-in myself, so leave my office. Now.”
Malco could almost hear the ‘and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out’ that remained unsaid and hid his smile.
Kasten stayed immobile for a long moment, fists clenching by his sides as if he were fighting an internal debate on whether to lay his hands on her. The violence inside him was unchecked, the hatred evident for all to see. Malco was a second away from stepping between them when Kasten unclenched his teeth and stepped back. “Don’t come crying for help when
