Blake
“I need a favor.”
Con’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do I feel like this is not going to be a normal request?” He caught the black box I tossed his way and flipped it open.
“I need you to find someone to put a tracker in there.”
“For Dr. Carr?”
“Yes.”
Con shook his head. “Kingsley will never agree to cover this. The expense to keep tabs on her 24/7 will be astronomical.”
“He won’t have to. It’s coming out of my pocket.”
He snapped the box closed and leaned his elbows on his desk. “Tell me what you know.”
I settled into the chair across from him and relayed the story. “So, I fixed it up to surprise her. That should be incentive enough for her to keep it on at all times so, on the off chance that I’m not with her, we can keep tabs on her.”
“If you’re already in her bed then there’s no reason to risk this expense. You know it’s not going to be cheap,” Con warned.
I shook my head. “I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. Victoria’s friend was attacked in her own office. Unless Kingsley extends the contract, which I seriously doubt, I won’t be able to watch over her all the time, and I need to make sure she’s okay.”
He studied me for a moment. “Two of the new guys just got in a couple days ago. Let me go introduce you, and we’ll have them get you squared away.”
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it. For real.”
Con lifted a brow. “Jesus. You find a woman and get all soft. Get out of here with that shit.”
I let out a laugh. “Just wait, asshole. Some chick’s gonna come along and blindside you one of these days.”
He shuddered in mock horror, though shadows entered his eyes. His tone was hard when he spoke. “That won’t happen.”
I sobered, immediately regretting my words. He’d been through the emotional wringer when he was younger and had his heart ripped out by his childhood sweetheart. Ever since I’d known him, Con had stayed away from women as much as possible. He wasn’t a saint by any means, but I had a feeling he was still deeply in love with his ex. He kept every emotion and thought under lock and key, sharing only necessary details. I wondered if anyone would ever learn the real story.
I clapped a hand on Con’s shoulder. “Introduce me to the newbies. I fully expect to see them in those heinous-ass shirts you bought.”
A feral grin lit his face. “I’m not sure who bitched more, you or them.”
I followed him out of the office and into the bullpen. “That’s because they’re fucking terrible.”
He chuckled and shrugged good-naturedly. “Just testing your loyalty.”
I rolled my eyes as Con punched his code into the keypad and the door unlocked, emitting a low beep as it granted access to its inner sanctum. A dozen or so cubicles were set up in the middle of the room, divided by low gray walls to give a semblance of privacy. Two men occupied the front two cubes, and they looked up as we entered.
Con lifted a hand. “Guys, I want to introduce you to Blake Lawson.”
I stepped forward as both men rose to their feet and extended their hands almost simultaneously. I shook and allowed Con to make introductions.
“This is Vince Incarnato, Ink for short.” Not quite as tall as myself, Vince was stocky with a muscular build, tattooed sleeves running down both arms. I wasn’t sure if Ink was short for Incarnato or for the colorful images covering a good portion of the man’s body, but the nickname was appropriate regardless. I nodded a greeting.
“And this,” Con continued, gesturing to the second man, “is Jason Doyle, resident tech expert. Stole him from the bureau. He’s the man you need.”
Jason’s gaze flicked toward me. “What can I do for you, sir?”
“Just Blake.” He nodded in acknowledgment and I handed over the box. “I need you to put a tracking device into my girlfriend’s necklace.”
Saying the words aloud sounded creepy as hell, but Jason tipped his chin like the request wasn’t at all out of the ordinary. He pulled the locket out and examined the interior compartment of the golden oval. “Are you putting pictures in here?”
“Yeah. I’m working on that right now, so whatever you’re using will be concealed.”
I glanced at my watch. My lunch break was almost over, but fortunately I was just a few blocks from the healthplex. The jeweler had called this morning to let me know the necklace was ready, and I’d rushed over to pick it up. I wanted to give it to her as soon as possible.
I’d coerced Detective Sanchez into releasing it, briefly explaining my plan after Victoria’s house had been broken into. He’d been surprisingly cooperative once I assured him that I had no intention of interfering with the investigation. I merely wanted what was best for Victoria, and I’d help in any way I could.
Victoria was under the impression that Sanchez had kept it for evidence, so she wouldn’t be the wiser until I surprised her with it. The jeweler had soldered the bail on the locket, and it now hung from the new gold chain I’d purchased. My plan was to put pictures of both Leah and Victoria inside the locket. Now I just had to find them. Social media was just getting off the ground back in those days, so the quality of the photos online was pretty poor. The local newspaper had printed a picture of the beautiful blonde after her death, but that too was grainy and unclear.
I couldn’t reach out directly to either Victoria or Leah’s parents without jeopardizing the case, so I was left to my own devices. I’d come across their high school yearbook on the school’s website and had put in a request to the school’s principal, telling the woman that my security firm was looking into the cold case, but needed a copy of the photo, preferably digital, if they had one. I’d explained that I didn’t want to contact the family and get their hopes up and left my contact information. I’d yet to hear anything back, but it’d only been a couple of days.
“Give me a day or two to get what I need.” Jason flicked a look my way. “You know these aren’t fool-proof, right? Even active, it will only alert us to the general vicinity.”
“Anything is better than nothing. Will you keep it active all the time?”
“That’s up to you.” He shrugged. “I can run perpetual radar on it, or I can activate it if shit goes down. That’ll be a lot cheaper.”
I hated the thought of not being able to find her. “Can you hack the system and trace her phone, if necessary?”
The other man raised a brow. “Probably. That’s a little more complex, though, and gives about the same results. Tracker will generally place you within a few hundred yards or so.”
I scowled. “That’s hardly accurate.”
“No, it’s not.” He shook his head. “But unless you’re working with the Feds and have access to their system, this is what we have to work with.”
Damn. “Well, just put it in the necklace as a safeguard and we’ll activate it if we need to.” I turned back to Con. “I’ve gotta get back over there. Benny’s holding down the fort, but Victoria should be finishing up soon and I want to make sure I’m there.”
Con tipped his head toward the door. “Come on.”
I gestured at the still-empty receptionist’s desk. “When does Abby start?”
“Two weeks. I’m flying out for her graduation this weekend, then we’ll drive back. I’m helping her move all her stuff down, so I’ll be out for a few days. I’ll need you to be my backup while I’m gone.”
“No problem.”
Con shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re sure you know what you’re doing?”
I stiffened. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she's safe, regardless of the cost.”
He waved me off. “No, I mean… I understand. Just be careful.”
Again, I wondered about his history and the woman who obviously still had the man tied up in knots. Choosing not to press, I just nodded. “I will.”
Victoria was mine now, and I would do anything for her.