Still worried about Grace, AJ jammed maps onto the corkboard in the office conference room the next morning. She recognized the chief’s footsteps before he appeared in the doorway and glanced up. His normally impeccable uniform was…wrong. Even his tie was unknotted.
“I just spent twenty minutes on the phone with the downtown office. What the hell happened at Smokey’s yesterday?”
“I heard it was some kind of rumble.”
The chief buttoned his top shirt button and tightened his tie. “There are rookie cops with a bunch of injuries riding desks downtown on their first day of duty. Did Bonnie start a fight?”
“That’s not what Tag told me. They’ll be here soon—”
“We’re here.” Tag walked into the conference room with Bonnie.
“Damn.” He gave them a thorough once-over. “How the hell are we going to report this? You girls have to do the paperwork. I’m not touching it. Where’s Grace?”
“Still in the hospital,” AJ said.
He gaped at her. “It was that bad?”
“It was,” Tag said. “What can we do, AJ?” She gestured at the corkboard.
“Tell the chief about what happened at Smokey’s.”
“Grace and I stopped at Smokey’s to give Bonnie a ride home. She was arm wrestling a young cop. She beat him and he punched her. Heck of a fight.”
“You beat him?” he said, and grinned at Bonnie. “Good for you.”
“He was a sore loser and he hit me. It all went downhill after that.” Bonnie ducked her head.
“We all threw punches,” Tag added. “Someone hit Grace hard enough to give her stitches and maybe a concussion.”
The chief stared at them. “Okay. I think we’ll ignore the paperwork. The fellows downtown would like to do the same. There’s damage to the bar too.”
“Let me know. We’ll help pay for it.” AJ shoved a stack of papers that Maddie had emailed to the center of the table. “Tag, I have to keep track of Frog while Grace is in the hospital.”
“I’ve been working with Grace and checked it a few minutes ago. It’s status quo.”
“How long will Grace be in the hospital?” The chief said.
“I’m waiting on Dr. Light. The tests last night were good, but she’s going to have a whopper of a black eye.” AJ’s phone beeped and she had a short conversation with the doctor.
“She’s ready and it’s a mild concussion,” she said.
Tag headed for the door. “Back later.”
“I’ll square things downtown.” The chief left as well.
Arms braced on the table, AJ stared at one the emails Maddie had sent, a photo of an angelic boy. He had dimples and dark curly hair like Katie. The word “Deceased” was stamped across the photo. He’d only been ten when he died. She drew in a deep breath. Suddenly aware of the quiet room, she glanced at Bonnie’s drained and bruised face.
“Are you okay?” AJ said.
“I took a pain pill before we came in. It’ll do. The whole thing was my fault, and I feel really bad about Grace in the hospital. Between you and me…” She looked up at AJ. “I’m not very happy about her fascination with Tag.”
AJ stopped stacking sheets, turning to Bonnie. She thought of Grace’s different, happy face lately. “Grace considers you a friend and that’s worth everything. Not only that, but she incites loyalty in people.”
“What does that mean?” Bonnie laughed for the first time.
“Look at Jimmy. I swear he’d kill for her.”
“That’s true, but not counting her horse, Tag’s a first.”
AJ put her hand on Bonnie’s shoulder. “You might be right, but appreciate the friendship. We all need that.” She glanced at the clock. “Let’s get you settled. Grace has been working on your office and it’s ready.”
* * *
Maddie Hershey appeared at AJ’s office door around noon. She looked younger and more relaxed than yesterday.
“Come in.” AJ motioned her into the office. The chief and Bonnie appeared behind Maddie.
“Chief,” Maddie said with a big smile for him and then, “Oh, ouch,” as he introduced Bonnie and heard the story. “I’ve never been to Smokey’s—”
“Hey,” Tag interrupted, carefully guiding Grace inside. “Maddie. How are you?”
“Hey yourself,” Maddie said with a closer look. “Don’t tell me. You both were at Smokey’s with Bonnie.”
AJ took stock of her second-in-command. Grace moved carefully and the stitches looked sore with the black eye beginning to bloom. After shaking Maddie’s hand and exchanging a few words, Grace disappeared toward her office.
“I’ll be right back.” AJ slipped past everyone. Dr. Light had said there was no concussion but Grace needed “reasonable” limitations.
Grace was already scrolling across her computer. “You might need to read that information on Maddie’s agent before lunch.”
“I already read it. Should you even be here?” AJ sat on the edge of Grace’s desk.
“I have some fine drugs going on.”
“I have to go with Maddie, and I know I’ll get a truckload of information. Let’s set the task force meeting back a day. You need to rest.”
“Dr. Light said to take a long nap and I will. Tag’s fixing dinner tonight. Why don’t you and Katie drop by for a meal around seven? We’ll talk about the meeting after we eat.”
“Let me run it by Katie, but okay. Why did you want to talk with Tag at the hospital?”
“Someone called her Pocahontas in that fight yesterday.”
“Are you serious? That proves you can’t legislate decency.” Shaking her head, AJ turned to leave. “Promise me you’ll go home now.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not saying I look fine.” Grace managed a smile.
* * *
AJ relaxed into the luxurious leather seats of Maddie’s white Lexus as they drove down the freeway. She obviously liked to drive and fast, and AJ could feel that energy again. “Nice car,” she said as they parked at a downtown restaurant on the lake.
Maddie grabbed her purse, all motion, as she strode across the parking lot. “I like nice things. I fight it, but it’s a losing battle.” She opened the restaurant door. “Speaking of nice things, that’s a gorgeous suit and fits you perfectly. The black makes your hair brighter, if that’s even possible.” She held the coat out. “Cool. Red silk lining too.”
“Katie’s mother made this for me. She used to have a business customizing clothing. You should see Katie’s outfits.” AJ checked the room thoroughly before they slid into a comfortable wooden booth, and she sighed at her own hyper-vigilance.
“I met Katie at the Bennings Bank’s city volunteer luncheon in July. She’s a force to be reckoned with, not to mention interesting…and adorable.” Maddie smiled and picked up her menu. “You’re a lucky woman.”
AJ patted her heart. “She lives here.”
After they’d ordered, Maddie continued. “About Charles. I’ve known him for a long time. He and I ran a sting for the FBI when I got out of the army years ago. When you left the military, he pointed you out and was always talking about you.
“I’ve kept an eye on you since you were injured in Los Angeles during that horrible FBI assignment. You actually met me in that Virginia hospital before he sent you home to recuperate, but I’m sure you don’t remember.”
“Not a good moment for me.” AJ blinked. All she remembered of that hospital was pain and a foggy mind.
“You recovered and did an excellent job here. Charles is still bragging on you.”
“Seven dead and one of them by my own hand? That’s nothing to brag about.”
“It couldn’t be helped,” Maddie said as the salads arrived and they took a few minutes with the food. “Have you finished with your therapist about Ariel?”
“The last appointment was the day I was shot. How’s that for irony?”
“I suppose, but you’ve put together one of the best small groups in the country.” Maddie picked up a salt shaker. “I worked with your therapist to build the new task force, which brings me to the next point. If we work together, I need to talk about who is going up north with you. I know you and Tag and Sam, if you decide to take him, and that leaves Grace. Charles won’t talk. He said to ask you.”
AJ frowned. “Do you mean yesterday’s fight in the—”
“No, but her eye looks terrible, doesn’t it?” Maddie took a moment with her salad. “I know you have some idea what’s ahead of you, everything from abuse and rape to murder. We call it labor and human trafficking or modern slavery, but even that’s kind. As the person in charge, I need to know that Grace can handle this.”
AJ leaned forward, and then it hit her. “How did you know?” she said in a low voice. Only she and Charles knew about Grace’s childhood, and they’d never told. Nor had they discussed it with Grace.
“After Ariel, you have to ask?” Maddie met her eyes.
“It never occurred to me. First of all, I trust her with my life. If anything happens to me, she could step in and never miss a thing.”
“I’m not talking about her record. It’s spotless. I need the personal stuff from you. You’ve worked together for years. You’d know. What about her relationships? Or has she had a reaction to a situation that made you wonder or go back over the moment? I read those awful records from Children’s Protective Services in Phoenix. It was like reading one of my victim reports up here. Her father…not to mention her uncles. God.”
“Charles and I spoke with her grandparents. It was terrible.” AJ scrubbed her face. “She spends all of her free time at a horse ranch here and is a critical part to my group. Some have shown more than a passing interest in her, but there have been no relationships.” She frowned down at the food. “The only person I’ve seen her show any interest in is Tag.”
Maddie’s brow furrowed and she muttered, “huh,” appearing to think about AJ’s words. “Grace is like Tag. So trustworthy that it almost sets your teeth on edge to question her. Still, I need to. Did you ever read the psych evaluation on Ariel?”
“Only after I’d shot her and it was too late. It had to be the drugs.”
“It was, but that’s the point. We go so fast every single day, and law enforcement is so big that we miss things. Sometimes a task force depends on the details. Like Ariel. Or Grace.”
AJ straightened. Now she knew why Charles had called her house. “I’ll talk with her. Tag’s cooking tonight, and we’re having dinner with them.”
“Let me know.” Maddie popped a slice of tomato into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “Pete told me you’ve found another Owens brother.”
“I suspect Robert Owens is involved, but my gut says he’s not the trigger. We turned him over to Charles’s man, Jock. He has a serious drug problem.”
“How’re you doing with the shootings and the fires?”
“I’m so alert I’m practically on fire. We have no idea who’s shooting at me or who burned Home Base and my agency vehicles, or if they’re even connected. I even hate to talk about it.” She scanned the restaurant again, trying to calm herself. “Let’s talk about Sam Mullins. I see he’s forty-seven years old, six foot tall, multilingual, a graduate of MIT. Wife deceased, and he’s an engineer?”
“We’re the same age. He lost his wife to cancer and it changed his life. He’s a hiker and a climber, and I’ve liked him from the moment I met him. He’s a natural leader.”
“Let me meet him. Sounds good.”
“Also, when Tag came back, stateside, I tried my best to get her, but she applied immediately for the ATF.”
“It’s personal,” AJ said. “I’ve read her entire background that’s available, but—” She didn’t want to say that she felt Tag was hiding something. “What do you know?”
Maddie shrugged. “Enough to know I could have used her. Also, as I’m sure you know, that last op with the Dragons was terrible. They lost practically half of the unit and she spent time in the hospital. Of course they gave her a medal but then transferred her to Intelligence and that was a shame. She’s a great leader in the field. Have you ever seen that many medals and recommendations?” Maddie pushed her empty plate away. “You said Grace seemed interested in Tag. I’ve never seen anyone so…pursued…as that woman.” She shook her head a little.
“What was Tag like in the field?”
“I thought she was the whole package. She has great instincts, was decisive, superb in a crisis, and I’ve never seen anyone so trusted. It was remarkable. Off-duty, she was funny, open, and warm.” Maddie gave a little laugh. “Her martial arts skills are ferocious.” She raised her eyebrows at AJ. “Charles said you’re the same.”
AJ thought of her party and Tag’s fist hanging in the air over Jock. “Who knows, but it doesn’t make any difference. I still have to teach it.”
Maddie’s phone rang and she frowned at it. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.” She took the phone toward the door, and AJ watched her talk with a fair amount of animation and gestures. Finally, she ended the call, then made a call of her own and returned, apparently not very happy.
“Sorry. I thought I’d turned it off.” She took a drink of water and composed herself with a smile. “Any special reason you prefer undercover work?”
“It’s usually simple. I want to be the only one I have to worry about, but this is different.” She thought of Frog. And Katie. “Look. What I’d really like is to stay here and track the X-Girl murder. It’s day four of my new so-called task force and I hardly have enough information to have a meeting.”
Maddie nodded. “I understand, but they’re not going to let you stay here.” She looked around the busy restaurant. “You’ll do it because you believe in what we’re doing, something you share with Tag, plus your ability to lead. People listen when you speak.”
AJ shook her head. “Charles also said Ariel and I were alike, and look how that turned out.”