Chapter 13

 

“I want answers and I’m short on patience. So let’s skip to the end and pretend I’ve already worn you down and you answer my questions,” Kate stood across from the biker, her hands pressed against the metal table. She gave him her best bad cop look.

Behind Kate, Archer stood in the corner, watching the one-way exchange. He admired the strength of the woman. It only added to the irresistible attraction he felt towards her. He watched the biker.

The biker was in his early to mid twenties with spiky black hair, tipped with blond highlights, but now darkened with sweat and plastered to his forehead. He wore a perpetual sneer, as though his face had been molded that way. Down the length of his arms ran various tribal-like tattoos.

The biker maintained his silence.

“Maybe you didn’t understand me,” Kate leaned in until she was breathing right in his face. “You’re in a world of trouble. Start answering my questions and maybe I can make life a little easier for you.”

The biker snarled and said something in Chinese.

“If you’re going to insult me at have the courtesy of doing it in English and not Chinese,” Kate said. She straightened up and stepped back.

“It’s not Chinese,” Archer said quietly from the corner. “It’s Japanese.”

Kate looked at him, surprised. Was there no end to his list of talents? Her mind immediately drifted to what kind of talents he might have in the bedroom. She chided herself and focused on the present. She walked over to him. They spoke in hushed tones. “You speak Japanese?”

“Well, I speak something that sounds like Japanese,” Archer explained. He smiled. “I have a terrible accent. Why don’t you let me talk to him?”

Kate shot him a narrow look. “You didn’t think to mention this earlier?”

He shrugged. “It didn’t seem pertinent,” he twitched his eyes towards the biker. “Do you mind?”

“Yes I mind,” she said, folding her arms. “You’re in cuffs. You’re hardly a threatening figure.”

“Well, you know where I stand on that,” Archer replied dryly. “Regardless, I think I have more experience in extracting information than you do.”

Kate raised her eyebrows. “Oh really? Being an accountant afforded you a lot of interrogation opportunities?”

“Hey, numbers have their stories to tell, too.”

She chewed her lower lip. It was ridiculous that she was even considering it. She glanced sideways at the mirror. Hayes was on the other side. What would he do if he saw Archer handling the interrogation?

She looked back at Archer and found herself searching his eyes. She found a hardened edge, a steely glint there that she had missed before. She shuddered slightly. What did she really know about this man? What did she want to know? Kyle Archer was certainly no accountant. But who was he? Could she even trust this man?

Archer watched her weigh the decision. He saw she was torn. He said nothing.

“Okay,” Kate stepped aside. “He’s all yours.”

Archer smiled, but it was humorless. He walked over the biker, around the table and whispered into his ear. Kate tried to listen but she couldn’t make anything out.

Archer continued to whisper into the biker’s ear for another minute. The biker’s eyes slowly widened and the color drained from his face. He shook his head. “No, no, no,” he repeated quickly.

Archer straightened. “Then tell the nice lady what she wants to know” he stepped back around the table, returning to his corner. “He’s all yours.”

“What did you do?” Kate asked him quietly.

He shrugged. “Nothing much. Just made some promises. Described some things.”

Kate looked at him, her expression silently repeating the question.

His face darkened. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

She shivered slightly again. There was a very dark side to this man and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Kate turned back to the biker. “Do I really need to repeat the questions?”

The biker shook his head. “We were paid half a million dollars to deliver his head,” he nodded fearfully at Archer.

“Paid by who?”

He shook his head. “Man in a suit. Nobody told me who he was. We were given a specific location to deliver his head and told there would be a representative there to accept delivery and give us the rest of the money.”

Kate’s eyes widened. He had meant that head bit literally.

She thought for a moment. “Where’s this location?”

The biker shook his head again. “I don’t know.”

Kate frowned. She took a chance and looked back at Archer. He caught the signal and started to step forward again.

“I don’t know!” the biker suddenly shrieked. “I don’t know! Only two people knew the location! I don’t know!”

Archer stepped back.

Kate turned back to the biker. “Okay. Now how did you find us?”

He didn’t answer right away, his eyes flitting back forth between Archer and Kate. He was breathing heavily.

“I don’t like having to repeat my questions,” she said darkly.

The biker swallowed. “We were given a GPS locater. You were already programmed in. We just followed the directions.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” she turned to Archer. “In order for that to work one of us would have to have a GPS signal for the device to track,” she turned back to the biker. “I’m not buying that.”

“It’s the truth! I swear!” he shrieked again. “I do not know anything else! Do not let the man back over here! No!”

Kate flinched. She hoped Hayes wasn’t going to barge in any second.

She turned back to Archer. “Just some promises?”

“And some vague descriptions,” Archer said. “I really don’t know what’s got him all worked up. How did you pay for the car?”

“With a card.”

“Is it possible the leak could have traced the card and got the GPS signal of the car?” he suggested.

Kate sighed. “At this point, anything’s possible,” she looked back at the nervously sweating biker. “Okay. We’re done here.”

_____

 

Hayes was waiting for them outside the interrogation room. “I’ve got some questions.”

“I’m sure you do,” Kate said. “But for now you’re going to have to keep them to yourself.”

Hayes straightened up, puffing out his chest. “Now listen here, clearly you’re legitimate, I don’t doubt that. What I doubt are your methods,” he glanced at Archer.

“Well, fortunately I don’t fall under your jurisdiction,” said Kate firmly, not backing down.

Hayes tried to wear her down with a strong gaze, but Kate didn’t budge.

“There’s something fishy going on here,” he said. “And I’m going to find out what it is,” he nodded to the office across the hallway. “You’ve got a phone call.”

_____

 

“Is this line secure?”

“It’s as secure as its going to be,” Bullings said on the other of the phone. Kate sat, perched on the edge of the desk. Archer took a seat in the leather chair behind the desk. He rocked back in experimentally and gave a satisfied smile. “What the hell are you doing out there? I’m fielding calls left and right from people higher up the food chain wondering why you aren’t dead.”

“Things got a little complicated,” Kate said. “It would have been easier if we could have gotten a hold of you.”

“Well, pardon me,” he said. “But I am in the middle of a witch hunt here,” Bullings sighed. “What’s the damage?”

“We think the leak already knew we were still alive,” Kate explained. “They traced my credit card transactions and put a GPS trace on my rental car. Bragan’s got a half a million dollar price on Archer’s head. And I mean that literally.”

“Great,” Bullings muttered.

“I need some back-up out here,” Kate said. “I don’t know how many more of the assassination attempts I can fend off.”

“Who would you like me to send out there?” Bullings asked. “Bragan’s pockets run pretty deep. Beyond you, right now, I’m not sure who to trust.”

Kate sighed. “I know. But things look a lot different when you’ve got people shooting at you.”

“I understand,” he paused. “Look, call me back in two hours. I might be able to pull something together. The police station might just be the safest place for you to stay for now.”

Kate looked over her shoulder at Hayes pacing back and forth outside the office. “I don’t know about that.”

“The whole office knows you’re alive now,” Bullings said. “The leak’s job just got a lot easier. I’d feel better knowing you were surrounded by plenty of Orange County’s finest.”

“Right,” she said.

“Can you trust him?” Archer asked after she hung up.

“We’re not going through this again,” she said. “He’s the classic father figure. Bullings took me under his wing when I joined the Marshals. If I can’t trust him, then we’re already screwed.”

Archer wanted to believe her. He wanted to have the same trust in Bullings that she had. But he didn’t know the man and the circumstances they were in were not painting a good picture. He was concerned that Kate was placing too much faith in him. The one man Archer did know was Bragan. And there was no limit to Bragan's reach.

"Are we going for wait here for back-up?" he asked finally.

"Hmm?" Kate looked up, having been lost in thought, "Wait here? For back-up?" she glanced at the pacing Hayes again. "No. I don't know what Bullings’ is trying to put together. It’s probably help, but we can't wait around here for it to show up. If Bragan could find us in the middle of the interstate, then we're basically sitting ducks here. I don't care how many cops are they’ve got. Bullings is going to have to help us on the go."

Archer was surprised. "What about him?" he nodded at Hayes.

"He’s just doing his job," Kate said. "But this is completely out of his jurisdiction,” she jumped off the desk and Archer got to his feet. He walked

around the desk and she caught herself checking out his butt. The orange jumpsuit clung to him far more than the jeans had. She shook her head. What was wrong with her? It was bad enough that she had fallen for Robert, her superior back in Jersey. Now she was falling for a convicted criminal. No, this was wrong. She had to put a stop to this.

Archer paused. “Do you think we could get me a change of clothes before we leave? It’s bad enough I’ve got to go around with these cuffs on, the jumpsuit is just embarrassing to be seen in.”

Kate had a brief flashback to the hotel room when he was just wearing the towel wrapped around his waist. “Sure,” she said, rubbing her eyes, hoping to rub away the image. “I think we can do that.”

They stepped back into the hallway.

“Well?” Hayes asked immediately.

“I’m gonna have to ask you to hang on to the Rising Sons members until my office can take custody of them,” Kate said.

Hayes waited for a second. He threw his hands up. “That’s it?”

“What else did you want?”

“I want some answers!” he snapped. “None of this makes any sense.”

She shrugged her shoulders and started to walk past the lieutenant. “Sorry. That I can’t help with.”

Hayes put a hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a stop. “I’m not finished yet.”

“You better move that hand,” Archer said quickly. He immediately regretted it. He shouldn’t have spoken.

Hayes looked at him. “Excuse me? Listen, convict, keep quiet and I won’t throw you in a cell,” he snapped.

Kate turned around and pinched Hayes’ fingers gingerly, as though she were picking up a dirty rag, and removed his hand from her shoulder. “Let’s not turn this into a thing. This is way out of your jurisdiction, Lieutenant. I can understand you’re feeling a little left out. This is probably the most action you’ll see in your entire career. But I really don’t have time to play games. In the interests of interdepartmental cooperation, why don’t you just loan us a car and we’ll call it even.”

Hayes didn’t speak. He watched Kate. He looked back at Archer.

“Fine,” he said, glowering at Kate. “Play your games. You cause any more trouble in town and I’ll throw you both in a cell,” he turned and headed back to his office. “Sgt. Raines at the front desk will set you up with a loaner vehicle.”