Undercover Elite (Undercover Elite Book 2) (17 page)

Dr. Brinkley

Finding the little shit was the easy part. All I had to do was ask Miss Fairbanks where her run in with the little punk had occurred. She had been so upset it was easy to get her to relay the information. The rest of the day had been tense after what that little gangbanger had done.

I’ve found in years of being a psychiatrist that when people are upset and still in shock over a matter it’s the best time to get information. They feel vulnerable and they’re reaching out to the person who rescued them from the situation. Holding her in my arms had felt so right, surprisingly so, in fact. Even though it was just a hug to reassure her that she was safe, it felt so good to hold someone who doesn’t reek of the same foul darkness that plagues me. I made up my mind as I held her in my arms that I would deal with the man who accosted her. He fucked up when he threatened the woman I hold in high esteem.

If Thorn can’t do his damn job looking out for the girl, then I will.

I’m dressed in dark colors: black jeans and a black t-shirt, complete with a ball cap pulled down over my eyes. I wait until he gets in his car and follow him at a safe distance. All I need is a minute alone with him to do what I have planned.

I follow him down River Road to a deserted area. Nothing good ever goes on down here after the sun goes down. This is where the rich come to play and the demented come to do their wicked deeds after dusk.

I wait until his tail lights are barely in view as he makes his way down a dirt road toward a pier. I turn my headlights out and slowly make my way down the road, my tires crunching over the gravel. I touch the butt of the gun in my waistband and will the gravel to not give away to the man that he’s being followed.

By the time I’m finished with this punk it will look like he’s just another victim of a rival gang’s wrath. He fucked up when he cornered Windy in the elevator. Maybe she’ll be able to see how much danger she’s in after being accosted in an elevator. Maybe she’ll finally see that her place isn’t with Thorn. She could do so much better. I really don’t even know what I’m going to do to this guy. I need to know he will never come after my employee again. Whatever it takes to get that message across is what I’ll do.

Thorn

I was hoping our girls could get that guy to loosen his lips, but we got what we needed from the parking attendant.

“I knew they wouldn’t tell the girls anything but I wanted to use the opportunity for them to work together,” I say.

“So you’re training Windy in hopes of her working with us?” Cash asked, eyeing me in the rearview mirror.

“Hell, yeah, anything to get her away from that crazy ass doctor she’s working for.”

“Is that jealousy speaking, or do you really feel like the guy could be unstable?”

“Both,” I answer immediately with no reserve. I do feel like the guy has a tendency to be precarious. I can’t put my finger on it yet but there is something about the guy that troubles me and it goes far beyond him being enamored with my woman. In Dr. Brinkley, I see the desire to go to the dark side in his thinking. There is something about Windy that brings out the desire to protect and watch over her. Even though she’s strong and independent; for some reason she has that effect on the opposite sex. I don’t want to wait and find out he’s a danger too late in the game and put Windy’s life in danger. I’m kind of between a rock and a hard place because I don’t want to get in the way of her being successful in her career by being overly cautious. I also don’t want to put her in any danger by not listening to the inner voice inside me that’s telling me this guy is unstable.

Cash changes the subject and I’m glad to see it going in another direction. I don’t want troublesome thoughts before we go into a takedown. My adrenaline is already pumping as we head out to deal with the gangbangers responsible for countless car thefts. You never know what you’re walking into on a job and the fact we’re dealing with a street gang makes the job more lethal in nature.

“So what did you do, Harley, beat the shit out of the guy to get the information?” Cash laughs from the driver’s seat.

“Nah, I just threatened to. I think the clincher was when Thorn told him he would put the word out that he was a snitch.”

“Yeah,” I chimed in, “I felt bad when the poor guy said he had a baby on the way and couldn’t pay his bills. I’m sure that’s why he chose to get hooked up with these losers.”

Harley’s voice is bitter, “Well, they can go get a fucking job like the rest of us. If there’s anything I hate, it’s a no good thief.”

“Okay, boys, we’re here,” Cash says grimly. He parks in an area that will camouflage the SUV from the road, yet give us the ability to sneak up on the crew and take them down. I’m looking forward to having this case behind us so I can focus more on finding out what Dr. Brinkley’s deal is.

Right away I know something isn’t right…it’s too quiet. Though it’s evident no one’s here, we still go through the protocol of clearing the area and making sure we’re the only ones here.

“We got problems.” Cash’s voice rings out. “We’ve got a body.”

Windy

I’m relieved when I look up from my laptop to see the bedroom door opening and Thorn making his way in. Melissa and I had an issue with a resident’s drunk ex earlier and had to call the cops to escort him out. It’s later than usual for Thorne to be showing up. I’m surprised when I see that it’s 1 a.m. and I’ve been studying for the last three hours.

Thorn takes a seat on the bed where I’m studying and I can tell by the look on his face something is wrong. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“The guy I sent you and Johnnie to question the other day…”

“Yeah?”

“We found him dead. Somebody shot him execution style. That’s where I’ve been. We had to call the cops in and answer questions. I knew the detective on duty or we would have been at the station all night. I’m beat, and I feel like this case just keeps getting more complicated with every tip we get.”

“Well, if he was killed execution style, it was probably a rival gang.”

“I thought the same thing but when we noticed the barge was loaded with stolen cars, it kind of nixed that theory.”

“What do you mean?”

“A rival gang would have stolen the high end cars, not just left them there like that. No gangbanger is going to pass up easy money. He would have called his buddies and turned those cars over to a chop shop to make some quick cash. No, this wasn’t a rival gang, this was personal. Somebody is trying to make it look like a rival gang took him out. That tells me whoever did this has knowledge about the inner workings of a gang.”

“Damn. I wasn’t going to tell you but I had a run in with that guy today.”

Thorn is across the room to me in a split second, scowling and asking harshly, “What guy, the gangbanger?” He runs his hands up and down my arm, growling deep in his throat when he sees me wince in pain as his hand grazes the bruise on my arm. He unbuttons my top, but he’s all business as he pulls the blouse down my arms and lets it drop to the floor at my feet. His eyes blaze with rage as he gently touches the bruise that has appeared on my upper arm where the guy grabbed me.

“Yeah. He cornered me in the elevator at work. He kept asking me who I was working for. Dr. Brinkley basically rescued me from the guy.” I regret the words as soon as they leave my lips. Thorn’s jaw clenches so hard that I hear his teeth grind together. I rush to clarify, “He just happened to be there when I got to my floor and the elevator doors opened.”

“No, Windy,” Thorn says grimly. “He didn’t just happen to be there. Everything that guy does has a purpose and I’m beginning to believe his purpose is you.”