Rogue Alliance (36 page)

             
“Hey, you aren’t the only one who’s invested time and energy on this bastard. I want to nail him almost as bad as you do, especially after what he did to you. We’re protective of our own. Besides nothing drives me more crazy than someone like Victor who thinks that he’s above the system, an exception to the rule. It would give me great satisfaction to put him away for a very long time.”

             
Shyla could appreciate everything that Shawn was saying and knew he was speaking his truth. What she was concerned about was her suspicion that Shawn had other reasons to want to help her. However, he was right. She was going to need someone from the inside to ensure anything she dug up on Victor would be processed within the parameters of the law.

             
“Well
,
I can’t really claim to have a plan per se,
” she said,
“
but I have every intention of using my training to get to the core of his business transactions. I want to start with some of these connections that we’ve been able to confirm over this past few weeks. If we start digging into their backgrounds and watching their behaviors, I’m betting we can get to Victor through them. It’s a bit indirect
,
but if we slowly establish who exactly is all under him and find a way to track where the shipments are coming from, we could possibly do a bust that would take out most of his henchmen.”

             
“It’s a good plan. Take out his men, confiscate his wares, and generally cause his business some real trouble. He’d have to scurry fast to save his ass and regroup. It could even lead to some hasty decisions on his part. I like it. I’m in.”

             
She chuckled and enjoyed the way the alcohol was melting away the tensions from the day. She basked in its familiar warmth and solace.

             
“Don’t get too hasty, now, Shawn.
It’s going to take some time. I’ll obviously need to make a few trips south. I want to talk with Ricardo and do some digging on Cougar, the guy Victor met with last time we were in San Francisco. I refuse to allow that trip to be a complete waste of time.”

             
Shawn furrowed his brow.

             
“What about Brennan?
” he asked,
“
I really think we need to get that guy’s number. He’s too much of an enigma. It bugs me. Was there anything that came up during the time you spent with either him or Victor?”

             
Shyla hesitated. The urge to protect Brennan was still confusing and unsettling, but she had no intention to share what she knew. Reasoning that it was best to keep his secrets in order to maintain the possibility of still using him to get to Victor, she shook her head.

             
“No, but leave that me. I’ve got a few ideas. You just focus on Champlain.”

             
There was an awkward pause.

             
“Why do you think he stepped in and stopped Victor from killing you that night?”
Shawn asked.

             
Shyla
searched his eyes. He was watching her very carefully
,
looking for the answer beyond her words.

             
“What he reasoned with Victor
is that killing me would be the beginning of the end. There would be nothing that would keep him out of jail for life if he killed a cop. That’s it. He wasn’t caught up in the mania, like Victor was. He was logical and calm.”

             
“He seemed very concerned about you that
night when he brought you home,” Shawn said, looking skeptical,
“
I get the feeling that he’s got feelings for you.”

             
Memories of the kiss she and Brennan had shared were seared into her brain. Shyla averted her gaze and took a deep slug of her drink.

             
“I don’t think so. I think his loyalty to Victor runs deep and nothing is going to change that. It’s Victor who
m
he’s protecting at all costs. It will be that dedication, that cause, which will destroy them both.”

             
Suddenly tired, she wanted to be alone. Shawn’s perceptive read of Brennan made her uneasy. She didn’t want him to read anything in regards to her emotions toward the forever elusive Brennan. They were for her to sort out, no one else.

             
She walked to the kitchen sink and rinsed out her glass.

             
“Well, Shawn, I appreciate the drink. I will definitely keep in mind everything that you’ve said tonight. I’ll sleep on it and give you a call.”

             
Taking the hint, he capped the tequila.

             
“I’ll leave this with you, a little present for the epic day you’ve had. You did a good job this morning. I know it must have been tough to face him again.”

             
He opened the front door.

             
“Let me know when
you’ve decided to go back to LA,
”
he said.

             
“Sure. No problem. Goodnight, Shawn.”

THIRTY-NINE

             
With hair sopping wet and fresh out of the shower, Shyla wrapped a fluffy white towel around her torso and sprinted down the hall to answer the phone.

             
“Hello?”

             
“Holy shit, Shyla! What in the heck is going on?”

             
“Jesus
, Carmen, watch your damn mouth,
”
Shyla said,
bit
ing
her cheek when she realized she was swearing at a thirteen year old while telling her not to swear.

             
“Have you taken a look outside? There are like a ton of people in the parking lot and by your front door.”

             
Shyla rubbed her temple. She didn’t need to take a look to guess that the people Carmen was referring to were reporters. News traveled fast.

             
“They’re probably reporters, Carmen. Remember how I told you that I’m a cop?”

             
“Yeah.”

             
“Well, I arrested somebody yesterday then I quit my job. I’m sure by now the whole town is talking about the fact that I’m really not a secretary and that I’ve been under-cover. I’m sure they want answers and a good story. Where are you right now, Carmen? Are you out front?”

             
“Yeah, I was just coming by to remind you that you’re supposed to come over this Friday. I was on my way to school and saw this craziness. This is far out!”

             
“Ugh, it’s not far out. Listen, why don’t you stay away from here for a few days until things settle down? I promise I’ll be there on Friday.”

             
“You better or else I’m going to come over and do some of those kung fu moves that you taught me.”

             
“Oh, I know you would,” Shyla grinned, “n
ow get your ass to school.”

             
Hanging up, she stood
,
nearly naked
,
staring at the front door for what felt like an eternity. She could
feel all of them out there,
waiting to pounce. It made her feel trapped, restless. Why in the hell were there reporters in the world anyway? They always stuck their nose into business it didn’t belong. She could remember far too many times
when
a juicy scoop on the front page had botched a case. She was in the business of finding informati
on and holding it close to the ch
est. They were used to taking info and blurting it to the world even if it meant avoiding justice or causing someone harm.

             
She’d always felt it was reporters and their callous ways which partially contributed to her mot
her’s suicide. Had they not dragged out the
sordid details of the goings on within the privacy of their home, she might not have felt so completely overwhelmed with her sense of failure. But with the town watching her, judging her, she had never had a chance. To this day
,
the sight of the lecherous media made her feel tangled in old emotions.

             
Well
, I’ll
ha
ve to face them sooner or later, she thought, b
etter to get dressed and get it over with.

             
She threw on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, brushed her hair and pulled it bac
k into the usual
pony tail. Her ag
enda for the day was a long stretch
of research in the library. She’d just have to give the reporters their few minutes and get on with it.

             
Taking one deep breath, she stepped out and her senses were overwhelmed. The bright morning sun was blinding. The cold autumn air seeped into he
r clothes and gave her a chill, and the shouting and shoving
rattled her nerves.

             
“Hey, there she is. Excuse me, Officer Ericson, do you have a minute?”

             
S
ix people crowded around her at the top of her stairs. There were another ten to fifteen in the parking lot including two television crews. The case was drawing more attention than she’d anticipated.

             
Shoving her way down the stairs
,
she approached the closest anchorwoman. The woman’s eyes danced with delight at she realized she was going to get first dibs.

             
“Good morning, Officer Ericson. Can you tell us anything about the man you arrested yesterday? Sources say that it was someone who has been linked to the mafia. Is this true?”

             
“I’m afraid I can’t answer that question, ma’am. I’m no longer on the case.”

             
“So it is true that you are a police officer? And is it also true that you were working under cover in this small unassuming town and that you were nearly killed while on duty by this criminal?”

             
Shyla knew the marks on her neck were faded to a sick yellow but still visible.
             
“Again,
” she said,
“
I can’t make any comments on the case. You can talk to chief of police, Hal Jorgenson, in regards to these matters. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

             
“One more thing. W
asn’t it difficult to maintain discretion working in the town where you have so much troubled childhood history? Did any of that factor in to how you were able to carry out your duties?”

             
Shyla shoved her way to her car and refused to answer any further questions. Ignoring her obvious frustration, they clamored around and threw a barrage of questions at her simultaneously shouting over one another like a brood of cluc
king hens. It was best she left
before the anger that was rising up within caused her to do or say something she’d later regret. It seemed she had a habit of manifesting more than her share.

FORTY

             
Sitting on the edge of his bed, with the IV connected and running at a steady rate, Brennan replayed his conversatio
n with Shyla over and over
. He kept wondering if he
was making the right decision, b
ut when he considered the alternative, the ending to that story h
ad only one possible conclusion:
Victor in jail and him running f
or his life as Victor sought revenge
. It wasn’t an option
,
even if Brennan could bring himself to betray his only friend.

             
Despite that, he couldn’t help feeling like he was turnin
g his back on the one woman
he could ever remember feeling so many powerful emotions for. It was more than attraction. It was more than respect for her courage and strength. It was the fact that he understood the depth of her in a way that was intimate. And she understood him, which was something he’d never dared to expect from another human being.

             
His thoughts trailed off when he heard a muffled ringing sound. The room
was silent. When it sounded
again his brain made the connection. It was coming from the drawer of his bedside table. It was the cell phone that he’d confiscated off the hit man who’d tried to kill him. Before he’d buried him, he’d made sure to go through his pockets for any sign of who he was. Nothing came up except for a small
,
traceless cricket phone.
Right away
,
he’d known it was the contact for who ever had hired him. Expecting that they would grow anxious when the man didn’t make contact, he’d kept the device.