Scott opened his eyes but didn’t move. Maddie, snuggled against him, stirred a morning wake-up call he hadn’t experienced in a long time. She shifted as his cock came to life and nudged the leg she had nestled against his thigh.
They’d made love four times last night. Insatiable, after years of wanting her so much, he’d lost all control. Rough, tender, crazed, they’d done it all. To be fair, she’d given right back.
He pressed his lips to her forehead and the sweet scent of her lilac perfume filled his nostrils. His heart squeezed. He never thought he could fall more in love with her, and yet he had. Now what the hell could he do?
One night, she’d said.
Right.
Like that would ever be enough.
She sighed and turned over. Her shapely ass pressed against his erection, causing him to catch his breath. But if he made love to her again, he might never leave. He’d hold on to this memory, but now he had a job to do. One that could endanger her life.
He eased out of the bed and tucked the blanket around her. Fighting the urge to crawl back under the covers with her, he forced himself to take a step away. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Maddie slept like the dead. The woman didn’t do anything halfway.
Pillow against her cheek, lips slightly parted, she wasn’t as vulnerable as she appeared in her sleep, but his protective instincts kicked in anyway. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her again. Mole had dug up her land and stolen her artifacts. If Scott wanted to help her, he had to get back to the business of putting the man away.
He didn’t want to wake her, so he dressed quietly and slipped out of the bedroom. With the sun not even up yet, Lucky snored on his bed in a dark corner of the living room. Scott paused by the front door. Maybe he should leave a note.
Even if he could find a pen and paper, he’d be sure to get the dog all excited when he switched on a light. No point. Maddie knew the deal. One mutually-agreed-upon night of mind-blowing sex. That was all.
He eased the door open, locked the handle as he stepped into the stairwell, and pulled it shut.
Leaving his heart behind.
When Scott entered the station, Lee sat behind his desk in the chief’s office. Scott crossed the room and gave a quick rap on the door. “Hey, Chief.”
Lee glanced up from reading a file. “Oh, I lost track of time. Are we all set to video conference with Zach?”
“We have a few minutes.” Zach couldn’t be seen at the station, so they’d have to talk over the computer.
“Let’s step out. I need some fresh air.” Lee stood and went over to the coffee machine by the window. “You want a cup?”
Scott eyed the black brew. “Is it too thick to pour?”
“Smart-ass. Yes or no?”
“Yeah. I’m not gonna live forever.”
Lee filled two mugs, handed one to Scott, and led the way outside. Nine o’clock and still a nip in the morning air. Sure was different from the city where the buildings blocked the wind and heat stagnated. They stopped under a tall oak.
Lee looked up as a squirrel scampered across a branch, sure-footed as a tightrope walker. “Ever been shit on by one of them?”
Scott followed his gaze. “No. Is that a problem around here?”
“Only if it happens to you.” Lee grinned and took a chug of coffee.
“Pretty quiet at the station this morning.” Scott glanced at the empty building.
“Tom just left my office.” Lee sighed. “He’s a damn good cop. Didn’t exactly rat you out, but he’s not happy with you letting Eric go.”
“He should be pissed. I’d have complained to you if the roles were reversed.”
“I smoothed it out as best I could, but you ruffled some feathers around here.” Lee gestured to the station with his mug.
Scott nodded. “I’m sure. Not much I can do about it. Goes with the territory when you’re undercover.”
“Mostly, he was upset for Maddie and the damage the looters did digging up her site.”
“Understandable.” Scott took a swig of coffee. Wouldn’t be long before his body revved to life with that brew. Considering he’d spent half the night making love to Maddie, he could use the caffeine kick.
“What’s the latest with Eric?”
Right. Time to get his head back in the game and forget the last twelve hours. “Stupid shit. He tried to give me the broken artifacts instead of the bribe. Probably planned to screw Mole over by keeping the money, assuming that’s where it came from.”
“He’s predictable at least.”
“I told him for the right price I’d let him know where some rare artifacts were being stored. Mole has to be jonesing with his black-market sales shut down. They didn’t get anything worthwhile from the digging, so I figure he might take a chance at stealing more.”
“Of course, he’ll give that job to Eric.”
“Because he’s done so well in the past.” Scott snorted and leaned against the tree.
“If they steal the relics and sell them to our black-market man—”
“I’ve been talking to him. He let Mole know he wants Native American artifacts and money’s no object. If we can get some into Mole’s hands, he’ll sell all right, and then we can trace the transaction through the goods.”
“We’ll have proof this time, and hopefully, Zach can tie the money to the drug cartel.”
“That’s the plan, but with one small problem.” Scott scratched his head. “We don’t have any rare artifacts.”
“Yeah, it’s not likely anyone’s going to hand over valuable pieces to us.”
Too bad Scott couldn’t employ Maddie’s help. She was tight with the Seneca Nation tribal leaders and worked for Cultural Resources. It would make the job easier, but no way would he get her involved. He’d found another solution. “Actually, I’m making some progress. I met in private with the State Historic Preservation Officer, and he’s working with the DEA to provide us some relics for replication.”
Lee frowned. “You think Mole will believe they’re real?”
“I’m banking on it. He had to be behind the theft at Maddie’s site. No reason for him to think he’s not stealing more authentic artifacts.”
“It’s a risk, but I guess it’s one we’ll have to take.” Lee checked his watch. “We’d better go inside and set up the conference with Zach.”
At least Zach wouldn’t be compromised if things went south with the fake pieces. So far, he hadn’t been involved with any of the artifacts, but that could change. Scott followed Lee back inside the building. Kaitlyn glanced up from her desk and then quickly back to her monitor as if uncomfortable. Tom must have told her about the whole Eric thing. Kaitlyn was probably pissed, too. Go figure.
Lee shut the door behind Scott in his office.
“What’s the latest with Zach?” Lee asked as they both took a seat.
“Guess we’ll find out. He had a job last night for Mole.” Scott’s shoulders tensed. If anything happened to Zach, it would be his fault for bringing him onboard.
Lee eased back in the chair. “What? Something’s eating at you.”
Scott never could hide anything from Lee. Not after all their time together. But this was personal. He’s the one who needed to separate Zach from his brother, Justin. Yeah, right. “It’s nothing. Zach can take care of himself. I mean, four years in jail. The guy’s seen it all.”
“Well, I haven’t met him, but it sounds like he’s tough enough. Let’s talk to him.” Lee initiated the video call and swiveled the monitor into Scott’s line of vision.
Zach’s face came to life on the screen. “You guys see me?”
Wearing a blue hoodie, brown eyes staring back at them, he reached out to adjust something on his end. “There, that’s better. Hey.”
Lee blinked twice and then turned to face Scott. He scrubbed a hand across his chin. “Shit on a stick. Now I get it.”
Scott glanced at Lee. “What?”
“He doesn’t remind you of someone?” Lee hitched an eyebrow.
Scott shifted in his seat.
“Did I miss something?” Zach asked.
“No.” Scott cleared his throat and jerked his head in Lee’s direction. “This is Chief Davis. Can you bring him up to speed?”
“Sure. I made the drop last night, and I think Mole set up a test for me.”
Lee cocked his head. “What kind of test?”
“The dealer overpaid me. I gave the extra money to Mole. Played the honest businessman card. Think I sold him on it. He said he’d have more work coming my way.”
Scott nodded. Of course, Mole would want to make sure he could trust Zach. “Good job. We’re working on an angle to get Mole to steal some fake artifacts so we can trace them. Would he ask you or Eric to do that?”
Zach rubbed his chin. After a second, he shook his head. “Eric’s a total fuck-up, but for some reason, Mole hasn’t fired him. I think he intends to keep me on the drug end of the business, where most of the money is right now. So far, he hasn’t shared any information about the artifacts. Only Eric works that side. Mole probably figures he’s expendable.”
“Makes sense.” Lee picked up his mug and took a sip of coffee. “More than likely, he has someone on the inside who would snuff Eric if he went to jail and tried to talk his way into a deal.”
“Eric wouldn’t last a second behind bars. The inmates would eat him alive,” Zach said.
Scott folded his hands and tapped his thumbs together. “We can’t risk taking in Eric. As big a maggot as he is, we need him to work Mole.”
“I’ll make sure numb-nuts gets released if he’s picked up by one of the other cops, unless he really fucks up and kills somebody or something,” Lee said.
Scott leaned closer to the monitor. “What I have in mind is a meeting with Mole away from any watchful eyes. Someplace where you and he can discuss the drug transactions.”
Zach nodded. “That will work because he needs to keep up appearances as an upstanding citizen and businessman. He mentioned we should meet somewhere else next time, not at his house. I’m thinking his new construction site might work.”
“You read my mind,” Scott said.
Lee turned to Scott. “Have you installed the surveillance cameras around the perimeter yet?”
“Yup. I know a good spot deeper in the woods where we can use a long-range parabolic dish microphone to record the conversation. I don’t want to risk Zach wearing a wire. I’ll be there to listen to the whole thing from a discreet distance. I can intervene if things go sideways. You okay so far, Zach?”
“I’m good.”
“I’ll be there, Zach, but we both know things can happen fast.” Scott grimaced. “I can’t make promises about your safety.”
“I know what I signed up for. I’m in.”
Zach had nerves of steel to keep a calm demeanor. One mistake and Mole could take him out. Scott waved a hand to Lee. “Did I miss anything?”
“I think we’re covered.” Lee faced the monitor. “Let us know when Mole contacts you.”
“Will do. I’ll be in touch.”
Lee ended the session and let out a long breath. “You never mentioned the resemblance. Same age, even. You okay?”
“Yeah.” Scott stood and went over to the coffee pot to pour another cup. “I’ve been thinking about Justin and still don’t understand some things.”
“Like what?”
“I did some checking, and Justin had two arrests for meth possession the year before his death. Don’t know much else. The police said his tent-mate took off when Justin died.”
“You make anything of that?”
“I don’t know.” Scott turned to face him. “What’s bothering me is Justin died of a heroin overdose, but there’s no record of any possession or priors for it.”
“All our years in narcotics, you know what it’s like with drugs.” Lee frowned. “People start on one and then try another.”
Nothing Scott could do anymore to help Justin, but he could look out for Zach. “I guess. I just want to nail this bastard and keep Zach safe in the process.”
“You can’t control everything. There’s always a risk.” Lee joined Scott at the coffee machine. “It’s not too late to pull him out.”
Scott filled Lee’s cup. “No. He’s earned Mole’s trust. It’s our best shot. My gut’s telling me Zach can handle himself.”
“We’ve survived before following those instincts. I have the same feeling.”
“I sure as hell hope I’m right.” Scott stepped to the window and gazed out at the morning sun filtering through the bright, green leaves of an oak tree. “I can’t take losing anyone else.”