Atonement (Love Undercover Book 3) Read online

  What does that have to do with me? I didn’t think my boss would appreciate the question so I asked a different one. “What is it you’d like me to do, sir?”

  “Whatever you’re working on, stop. From here on out, your priority is Rapture. I want you to find out where it’s coming from. Who’s supplying it. With Álvarez dead, and no one to lead the Juárez Cartel, Salazar and the Sinaloa Cartel have been moving into the city limits. Is it theirs? Our agents in the field haven’t been able to locate a central supply source for this, but it’s moving in massive quantities. Enough to catch our attention, but whoever is behind this is like a ghost.”

  My inner statistics nerd was geeking out over all the data he wanted me to go through, but the part of me that craved the rush of field work was itching for a chance to get back out there and track down some bad guys. I missed being a field agent. There was that rush of adrenaline making sure you weren’t caught. The cloak and dagger methodology of finding hiding places out in the open and the passing of intel that led to arrests and getting drugs off the street and dealers behind bars. It wasn’t necessarily where I saw myself all those years ago, but I was good at my job. I’d enjoyed it.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll do my best to get every bit of information I can. See if I can locate the source.”

  “Good. There are a couple narcotics officers at the local level who are working the case as well. I want you to coordinate an effort with them. See if we can’t draw this son of a bitch out, and get this shit off the street.”

  Hearing the dismissal, I rose. “I’ll speak to them and get back with you as soon as I have more information.”

  “See that you do. And, Roberts?”

  I paused halfway out the door and looked at him over my shoulder.

  “This is an election year. Part of the President’s initiative is his anti-drug coalition. He wants to look really good to his constituents in the hopes of getting re-elected. Don’t fuck this up.”

  So it was like that. I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  After returning to my office, I booted up my computer. A small part of my job was to organize and study patterns of narcotics movement. Locate the frequency of deals, where they took place, and what narcotics were confiscated. I keyed in a few strokes and a blue and white digitized map of Chicago burst open onto the screen like a slide animation. Within the map were thousands and thousands of digital pins, color coded by the amount of substance obtained as well as which particular substance.

  Selecting several filters, I was able to sort the data and zero in on more specific and detailed intel. I studied all the information and printed everything out. The office printer was down the hall, so I headed out there to grab the stack of papers, anxious to start combing through it all.

  Just as I’d nearly made it back to my office, two people stepped around the corner, one of them colliding with me.

  “Shit, Roberts. You all right?”

  I glanced up to see Agents Royce Crawford and Eugene Brickman. “Hey, guys. Yeah, I’m fine. How’s it going?”

  The last time I’d seen the two of them was a month ago. I’d called them right before the shootout at the warehouse where cartel leader Miguel Álvarez had been killed. They’d shown up to wait for the medical examiner and to confiscate all the cocaine stored in the surrounding warehouses.

  “Not bad. We miss you out there with us.” This came from Crawford.

  A pang of envy hit me. The three of us had been in the same field unit, and we’d always worked well together. They’d had my back more than once. “Thanks, guys. I miss you too. Oh, hey, what do you know about this new drug, Rapture? Gibson wants me to find its source.”

  Brickman answered. “There’s been chatter about it, but not enough we can get a solid lead on anything. I know the local narcs have a lot of intel on it, and they’re keeping us in the loop, but our focus has been on Salazar and the Sinaloa Cartel moving into Chicago.”

  “Do you think it’s theirs?” Even though copious amounts of cocaine had been linked to them, their biggest product was heroin. Also, giving a ridiculous street name to their coke didn’t strike me as a cartel move. They didn’t need some marketing gimmick to move their product.

  “Nah, I don’t think so. While I think there’s a fuck ton of this stuff moving, enough to keep our eye on, I also don’t think it’s at Salazar’s level,” Crawford replied.

  “Which means I’m starting from scratch. Thanks, guys. I’m going to start going through this stuff here,” I motioned with the stack of papers against my chest. “Then I’m going to reach out to my contacts at the Chicago PD and see what intel I can get. Good to see you two again. Keep me in the loop if you hear anything, will ya?”

  “You got it, Roberts. Don’t get too lazy in that office of yours.”

  “Bite me, Brickman,” I called over my shoulder with a smile. The echo of his laughter disappeared as they moved out of sight.

  Once I was back at my desk, I picked up the phone and started making calls. Two hours later I had more information, but still, it wouldn’t be enough to satisfy Gibson. I headed back to the Deputy Director’s office. The door was still open. I knocked once.

  “Back already, Roberts?”

  No invitation to enter followed, so I remained in the doorway. “Yes, sir. I ran several reports and came up with a few patterns I feel need further investigating. I’ve also got a lead on several possible sources. I’ve spoken to my contacts at the Chicago PD, and they’ve been unable to provide any intel beyond what I’ve already discovered.” This was where I hoped I wasn’t going to regret things. “I know I requested the transfer to intelligence last year, and I’m happy serving in that capacity, but I think I can get more information returning to my previous position. Requesting permission to return to the field, sir.”

  It was a risk, asking for yet another transfer, but after my discussion with Crawford and Brickman, my mind refused to settle. I missed being out on the streets.

  Based on Gibson’s expression, he was none too happy about my request. Then again, he always had the look of someone who needed to take a shit but couldn’t. I wasn’t going to beg or plead. I was damn good at my job, and Gibson knew it.

  “I’ll submit the paperwork for the transfer in the morning.”

  Internally, I fist pumped the air, but on the outside, I merely flashed a quick, small smile and nodded. “Thank you, sir. You won’t regret it.”

  He waved me away, and I hustled back to my office, my body buzzing with an excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time.

  Chapter 6

  I kept picturing that fucking baggie.

  Michele had come and gone, and we had a surprising number of cases. Who knew there was such a high demand for private investigators in Chicago? Finally, though, the calls had stopped.

  “You okay?”

  “Hmm?” I blinked and glanced over at Brody. “Yeah.”

  “I’m going to talk to Ines. See if she can find out if there’s a narcotics unit working on this. We’ll pass it on to them.”

  Our first case, not that we’d officially taken it, but still, the first potential one, and it was about fucking drugs. It didn’t surprise me that he didn’t want to take this case. Money or no money. I couldn’t let him do that though. Not because of me. I could handle this.

  “No. Michele came to you because she trusts you to find out who is selling that shit and stop them.”

  He shook his head. “I saw how you reacted when she handed you that baggie. The flash of want in your eyes. No fucking way. It’s not a good idea for so many reasons.”

  “When are you going to trust me?” That’s what it boiled down to in the end. Was Brody going to turn down every case to come our way if there was any association with drugs?

  Hurt dashed across his face.

  “You think I don’t trust you? I wouldn’t have asked you to be my partner if I didn’t. Believe me, I know how good it feels to take a hit. You’re not the only one who has cravings. But I know how hard you’
ve worked to stay clean. I don’t want anything to derail that.”

  “And it won’t. You know as well as I do that we’re the best people to take this case. You have contacts in the D.E.A., and I have contacts out on the streets. Besides, the cops are overworked. Even the narc units probably don’t have the time or resources to devote to this.”

  Brody’s head dropped back so he could stare at the ceiling. The huff of expelled air told me I’d won.

  I didn’t dispute the fact that holding the clear plastic baggie in my fingertips hadn’t brought out a tingle of need. The endorphin rush from blow was fantastic. Although nothing felt as good as a hit of black pearl running through my veins. The initial sting of the needle and then whoosh—complete and utter euphoria. But like I’d told Ines’ brother Victor a couple months ago, there were things I wanted more than dope.

  “Fuck.” Our eyes met. “We’ll take the case, on one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “If, at any time, I feel like things are getting out of control, we’re done. I won’t let anything fuck up what we have here. Understand?”

  “Understood.”

  “Alright. I still want to know what kind of info the local PD might have. Call Ines. See what she can find out from narcotics. I’m going to talk to Landon.”

  “You got it.”

  While Brody pulled out his phone to make his call, I dug out Ines’ number and picked up the landline on my desk. If it wouldn’t bring up a fuck ton of questions, I would have told Brody I’d call Landon instead of Ines.

  I’d never been one to believe in fate, but the fact that she could be involved with this case had to be another sign. The universe was putting her in my path for a reason. I wasn’t going to question what it could be. I planned on taking every advantage of it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Preston.”

  “Oooh, how’s business going?” Ines’ excitement was cute. She was like a mom talking to her kid on his first day of school.

  “Michele was here.” Might as well get this over with.

  Her attitude changed in a beat. “Oh my god, is she okay?”

  I leaned forward in my chair, picked up the single pen, and habitually flicked the end on the desk. “She’s fine. But Brody wanted me to call you. We need you to check with narcotics about a drug being sold called Rapture. Do they have any information on where it’s coming from? Any questions they can answer about it would be helpful.”

  “Let me talk to Pablo. He works in narcs. I’ve only been back for a few weeks. After being gone almost a year, I’m pretty much starting from scratch. They have me back on patrol.” I could hear the irritation in her tone.

  “I appreciate it. As soon as you hear something, give me a call, will you?”

  “Of course. Give me a few days, alright?”

  “No problem. Thanks, Ines. Talk soon.”

  I’d never been a patient person. Brody was still on the phone, presumably with Landon. I planned on having my own discussion with her, even if I had to show up at D.E.A. headquarters to do it.

  Finally he hung up.

  “So, what did Landon have to say?”

  “I got her voice mail. Left a message to call me back. What about Ines?”

  Hmm, maybe I’d take a trip downtown after I left here for the day. I was pretty sure there was a little coffee shop on the corner of Dearborn and Jackson that offered the perfect view of her office building. Although, the more I thought this through, the more stalker-ish it seemed. Okay, probably not a good idea.

  “Preston?”

  Right, focus.

  “She’s going to talk to Pablo and get back to me. In the meantime, I have a suggestion you’re not going to like.”

  Brody crossed his arms and waited, a leery expression on his face.

  “I’m going to go talk to Terrance Larkins.” I braced myself for the explosion in three, two, one.

  “Are you out of your fucking mind?” My brother roared, jumping to his feet, fists slamming down on his desk, jarring the computer monitor and keyboard. I winced at the sound.

  “The two of us go way back. Plus, you and I both know he has his ear to the ground. If anyone has information on who might be selling this stuff, it’s Terrance.”

  “Because he’s your goddamn drug dealer, Preston.”

  “Was my drug dealer. I haven’t seen him in over a year.”

  “And you should be keeping it that way.” Brody paced our small office while I sat quietly. It was best to let him get it out of his system. I was going to talk to Terrance. It would just be a whole lot easier having my brother on board. I understood the risks involved. All of them.

  “This is something I need to do,” I said quietly.

  He stared at me. “Why? You’re in a good place right now. We’re in a good place. Why do you even need to put yourself in that kind of position?”

  “Do you remember when mom died?”

  Brody’s shoulders sagged and he sank back in his chair. “Of course I remember.”

  I swallowed. Fuck this was hard. Twelve years and we’d never really talked about it.

  “Well, I don’t.”

  That brought him up short. “What do you mean?”

  “I have flashes, but overall, I have no memory of what happened that day. I don’t even know if the things I see are real or something my imagination created. Then, there’s the black spots. The moments of time that are just…gone. I was blasted out of my fucking mind. Screams sometime sound in my head, but I don’t know who they belong to. Or if it’s merely my subconscious playing a sick joke on me.” My gaze was unfocused, and I couldn’t even make eye contact with him. Shame filled me, and acid churned in my gut.

  “Jesus, Preston. I had no idea.”

  I rubbed the place on the right side of my chest where the small tattoo inked into my skin lay. The one that read Louise Thomas along with the date she was born and the date I’d killed her.

  “I know.” I sighed. “After that day, I got clean for the first time. Things changed. I got my shit together and you headed to Virginia and Quantico. God, you were determined. Almost obsessed with getting into the D.E.A. Because of me and what I’d done. You almost fucking died, Brody. Mom was already dead, and I nearly had your death on my conscience too.”

  “My cover being blown was not your fault. It just happened. And I didn’t die. I’m here. With Ines. With you.”

  “I still would have felt responsible if I’d lost you. Which is why I need to do this. If I can help get rid of this one drug, then maybe it will make up for some of the things I’ve done. Which means talking to Terrance and seeing if he can give me something.”

  Brody threw his head back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. We both knew I was going. He just needed to come to terms with it. City sounds were faint through the windows but provided an almost soothing background noise to the tense and thick quiet inside our office. He’d finally come to peace with my decision, because his gaze met mine.

  “I want it on record that I’m entirely against this.” My mouth opened, but he held up his hand, and I clapped it shut again. “But I understand why you feel you need to do this. I just want you to be careful. I finally have my brother back, and I don’t want to lose you again.”

  There was a tightness in my chest. “You won’t, I promise.”

  Brody just nodded, but there was an uneasy tension between us the rest of the day.

  Chapter 7

  I’d gotten Brody’s message just as I was leaving for the day yesterday. There had been an edge to his tone, but he hadn’t said it was an emergency. I’d spent all of last night once again going over the information I’d printed out.

  As soon as I sat at my desk, I sent in a request to monitor a couple dealers that kept popping up. I wanted their phone records as well as video and audio surveillance. It would take a few days, at least, to get the approval. It would take at least that long for my request to be transferred to be complete anyway. The only thing I c
ould do was sit back and wait. Something I’d never been any good at.

  Which meant I should probably be returning that phone call.

  “Brody Thomas.”

  “Hey, it’s Landon. I got your message. Everything okay?”

  “I’m not sure. Preston and I had a visitor yesterday.”

  My heart skipped a beat at the mention of his brother, but I forced a neutral tone to my question. “A visitor? Where?”

  “At our office. Her name is Michele. She’s one of the strippers from the club where Ines danced while she was undercover.”

  “Your office? I didn’t realize you’d opened already.” He’d told me he and Preston were considering starting their own P.I. firm, but I hadn’t given it much thought.

  Brody chuckled. “Yesterday was our grand opening, and we’ve already got our first case. The first of a surprising amount actually.”

  “Well, good for you. I’m not sure why you’re calling me, unless it’s for a congratulations.” I winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You know I’m happy for you.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about it.” I could visualize him waving me off. “I’m calling because she brought with her an empty bag of coke she found after her girlfriend overdosed. Has an interesting marking on it.”

  All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my eyes landed on the clear plastic still sitting on my desk. “What kind of marking?”

  “From that tone, I think you know.”

  Fuck. “Why didn’t she take it to the police?”

  I was already keying the information into the database and pulling up data.

  “Said she did, but they ignored her. The girl’s cause of death had already been determined as an overdose. That’s why she came to us. Ines sent her.”

  Brody was a civilian which meant I shouldn’t even be talking to him at all, let alone possibly sharing confidential information from a federal agency. It didn’t stop me from closing my office door and lowering my voice.