Honor n duty, p.20
Honor 'N' Duty, page 20
“No shit,” came Manny’s excited response. “Where was it?”
“You remember that old pink and purple dinghy?”
“Yeah?”
“It was hidden inside the hull.”
Manny’s curse was mingled with laughter. “It was right under our noses this whole time.”
“We’ll bring it to the office in about an hour.” A bank employee unlocked the glass doors to the bank, then several other people exited their cars and went inside. “We also found something else.” Wanting to get to the box ASAP, he quickly recapped what they knew about the key and the safe deposit box in Laia’s name. “We’re heading inside now. I’ll let you know what we find.”
“Ten-four,” Manny said. “I love it when a case starts coming together.”
“You and me both.” But for entirely different reasons. He could give a rat’s ass about the investigation as long as it got Laia and Rosa off Fernando Colon’s radar. Kade ended the call. “Let’s go in.”
She turned to his dog. “Be back soon, Smoke.” When Smoke licked her cheek, she laughed, a sound he hoped to hear a lot more of once they turned over all the evidence.
Leaving the engine running and the AC on for Smoke, he locked the vehicle. A minute later, they were standing inside the bank, the first customers of the day.
Laia had brought a light-purple sweater that she put on over her purple tank top. “It was always cold inside here, even first thing in the morning.” She rubbed her hands over her arms, but Kade suspected it was more nerves and excitement than an actual chill in the air.
By the end of the day, the government might have all that was needed to put Fernando Colon away for twenty more years.
“Laia! My goodness, it’s been ages since you’ve been here.” A short, smiling Chinese woman of about forty and wearing a navy-blue pants suit strode toward them, then gave Laia a big hug. “It’s good to see you again. And I’m so sorry. About Josh, I mean.”
“Thank you, Li-Mei.” Laia smiled, but this one was perfunctory. The tension in her posture told Kade it must be incredibly difficult being back in Josh’s bank.
After quick introductions, the other woman asked, “What can I do for you? Did you want to open a new account?”
“Actually,” Laia said, pulling the key from the pocket of her khaki slacks, “I’d like to access my bank box.”
“Oh.” The woman’s brows rose. “I didn’t even know you had one here.”
It occurred to Kade that no one had accessed the box since at least before Josh’s death—two years ago. Payments on the box must have been made years in advance, otherwise Laia would have been notified of a delinquent account.
“I haven’t accessed it in quite a while.” Keeping with the plan they’d discussed, Laia made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “I completely forgot I even had one here.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Li-Mei used a similar hand gesture. “Follow me.”
The woman’s high heels clip-clopped on the granite floor as they followed her to the back of the bank where the vaults were located.
Li-Mei stopped next to a small shelf just inside the first vault. Several small metal boxes sat on the shelf. “What’s the number?”
“Two thirty-nine,” Laia answered.
Li-Mei began flipping through the signature cards in one of the boxes. “Here it is. Oh, you’ve got one of the big boxes.” When she pulled out the signatory card, Kade noticed Laia’s name printed on the top. Every line below it contained a signature. Li-Mei flipped over the card. Half of that side was filled with more signatures. “You know the drill.”
“I certainly do.” Laia handed her key to Li-Mei, then accepted the pen and signed her name, which looked reasonably like all the other signatures.
Kade’s phone buzzed, and he tugged it from his pocket. “Excuse me,” he said to the women. “I have to take this.” He stepped back outside the heavy iron vault door. “What’s up, Manny?”
“Did you open the box yet?” he asked in a somewhat worried voice.
Kade frowned. “No. We’re about to.”
“We’ve got a slight problem. The AUSA wants to get a search warrant for the box.”
“Why? We can get in there right now. Laia is the signatory.”
“The AUSA wants to play it safe and be conservative. She doesn’t want to risk whatever’s in that box being thrown out on a technicality.”
As soon as Manny said the word technicality, Kade realized his eagerness to get inside the box for personal reasons had clouded his professional judgment.
“On paper,” Manny continued, “the box is in Laia’s name, and since she’s in possession of the key, obviously she can access the contents.”
“But,” Kade interrupted, realizing his mistake, “since she admitted that she didn’t set this box up, defense counsel could argue that she has no legal right to what’s inside.”
“Exactly. But it’s not like the contents are going anywhere. AUSA Parcells is in trial for two more days, so we’ll have to wait to get the warrant. She said you and I should start drafting the affidavit. That way she can review it as soon as she’s freed up and get it before the judge as soon as possible.”
“Fine.” Not really. Not by a long stretch. “We’re on our way to you right now.” For a day that had started out with such promise, it was already going down the crapper faster than a mudslide.
He went back into the vault where Li-Mei was inserting the bank’s master key into the brass outer door of one of the largest safe deposit boxes in the vault.
“Laia, wait.”
Li-Mei opened the outer door, revealing a large green metal box inside.
“Something’s come up. We have to leave. Now,” he added, wanting to emphasize the point but not get into it front of Li-Mei.
“Okay.” Laia rolled her lips inward, trying not to let her disappointment show, but he saw it. “I’m sorry, Li-Mei, but we’ll have to come back another time.”
“All right. No worries. We’ll be here when you’re ready.” Li-Mei closed the brass outer door, turned both the keys, then handed Laia her key back.
“Thank you,” Laia said in a strained voice.
“We’ll be back in a few days. Thanks.” Kade touched his hand to the small of Laia’s back, urging her from the vault ahead of him.
“What just happened in there?” she practically growled as he held open the glass door.
“The prosecutor said we need a search warrant.”
“Why?” she asked in a quiet voice that was screaming with exasperation. “I have the key, and the box is in my name. I just want this to be over with.”
When he’d unlocked the vehicle, she yanked open the passenger door and got in. When they were both inside, Kade explained the AUSA’s rationale behind obtaining a warrant, ending with, “It wasn’t my call to make. There’s a protocol for this, and we have to follow it. To the letter.”
“Seems like there’s a protocol for just about everything in your world.” She busied her hands, petting Smoke, and he could see Hurricane Laia was about to whip into a frenzy.
“Laia.” He turned to her. “There’s nothing I want more than for this to be over with so we can go back to our lives.” No, that was a lie. He didn’t want to go back to his old life. He wanted to start a new one. With her and Rosa. “So we can see where this thing between us takes us.”
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “I’d like that.”
Those three little words were all it took. The thundercloud that had been hovering over their heads broke open, and a warm ray of sunshine seemed to burst from his chest. Maybe they really could make things work between them.
He started the engine. Just before driving from the lot, he glanced in the rearview mirror at the bank Josh had been so proud to manage. And just like that, warning bells began clanging in his head.
Along with the nagging gut feeling that cutting the cord between Laia and the cartel wouldn’t be easy.
…
Manny was waiting for them when they arrived at the DHS office. “Hey, Smoke.” Smoke wagged his tail and presented Manny with his paw.
If only Laia could feel so happy to see the man. He’d effectively slammed the brakes on what she’d been hoping would be a day of celebration.
“Well?” Manny stood from where he’d been playing footsie with Smoke. “Let’s see it.”
Kade unslung the backpack from his shoulder, pulled out the ledger, then handed it to Manny.
“And the key?” he asked. “I want to get these booked into evidence right away, then get the money geeks looking at the ledger.”
Reluctantly, Laia pulled the safe deposit box key from her pocket and turned it over.
“Thank you,” he said. “I know this is difficult for you, and we appreciate your help. Let’s go to my desk and you can sign the paperwork.”
“Me?” Laia asked as she followed the agent down the long corridor to his cubicle. “Why do I have to sign anything?”
“Because the ledger and the key were found on your property,” Kade answered from behind her. “The chain of custody has to reflect from whom the government receives anything that gets used as evidence.”
“Oh.” More protocol. And yet another trail leading directly back to her doorstep.
“Manny is going to sign you up as a CI—a confidential informant. Anything with your name on it, and anything you actually sign, will be locked up in a safe. The chain of custody will only have your CI number on it. Have a seat, and I’ll walk you through this.”
Manny indicated for her to sit in his chair. On the desk in front of her were various forms with red Xs telling her where to sign.
One document was a Background Questionnaire and the other a Confidential Informant Registration. As she took the pen Manny handed her, her mind began to go numb. None of this seemed real, but it was. Horribly real.
This wasn’t over. Not even close.
A strong hand came to rest on her shoulder—Kade’s.
“You’ve got this,” he said, then leaned in to whisper, “And you’ve got me.”
Smoke rested his head on her thigh, looking up at her.
“And Smoke,” he added, smiling down at her with concern and something else. Something more. Dare she hope it was the same thing blooming inside her own heart? Was it love?
“Thanks, Smoke.” She petted the top of his head, running her fingers through his thick black fur and letting his innate calming presence do its thing.
“There’s a fresh pot of coffee in the break room,” Manny said. “You both look like you could use a jolt.” He pointed to the forms on his desk. “I’ll be back in a minute, and we’ll fill them out.”
“Laia?” Kade’s brows rose. “Coffee?”
“Thanks. Cream, no sugar.”
“Smoke, stay.” Kade pointed to the floor inside the cubicle, then he and Manny went to get coffee.
Laia picked up the Confidential Informant Registration form and looked it over. A chill snaked up her spine, and she felt as if she were sinking in quicksand with no way out. In minutes, she’d be a confidential informant, nothing more than a number. This was unbelievable. Her life was turning into a living, breathing episode of Law and Order. Dun dun.
She tossed the form back onto the desk where it landed next to a thick folder. On the folder’s tab, written in black magic marker, was a name: SAMPSON, Joshua C.
She glanced over her shoulder to verify no one was nearby. Satisfied there wasn’t, she opened the folder, and the bottom of her stomach sank to the floor.
The top page was an arrest sheet. Clipped to it was a photo of Josh. His eyes looked tired, his hair was askew, and his normally pressed shirt was completely rumpled.
Was this what he’d looked like on the last day of his life?
Beneath the photo was his physical description. Six-foot-one, brown hair, green eyes. After that came a list of charges, Title 18 codes for several crimes, including money laundering, and beneath that—
Laia gasped. Right below the list of charges was the name of the arresting officer.
Kade Sampson.
For a moment, she stopped breathing. It had to be a mistake.
After Josh had been arrested, she’d received word from his attorney that Josh wanted her to come to the prison. By the time she’d arrived, he was already dead. The more she thought about it now, the more cryptic DHS officials had been regarding the circumstances of his arrest. The only thing they’d told her was that he’d been discovered during a raid at Fernando Colon’s compound in South Jersey.
Had Kade really arrested his own brother? Was that what Josh had wanted to tell her? Or had he wanted to divulge the location of the ledger? She stared, still not believing it could possibly be true.
Manny returned, holding a mug. His lips pursed as he took in the open folder.
“Is it true?” she asked.
Kade now stood behind Manny, holding a mug of coffee in each hand and wearing a murderous expression as he glared at the other man. Surely he’d confirm that this was a mistake.
He didn’t.
Instead, taking a deep breath, Kade momentarily shut his eyes. When he opened them, they were filled with abject misery.
“No,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. “You were the one who arrested Josh?”
Kade’s jaw clenched, and a muscle ticked furiously in his jaw.
Abruptly, she stood, sending the chair rolling backward and whacking into the desk.
Smoke lifted his head from the floor.
“Is it true?” It couldn’t be. Kade would never have arrested his own brother. Would he?
That would make him partly responsible. For everything.
Please, no.
Her heart pounded faster than she thought possible. “Answer me!”
His chest expanded, and just when she thought he’d deny it, she saw the truth in his eyes.
“Yes,” he confirmed in a low voice. “I arrested Josh.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kade hadn’t wanted Laia to find out—ever—if he could help it. Then again, if there was any chance of them winding up together, their relationship couldn’t be based on secrets or lies. Sooner or later, the crap would have flowed over the bowl, but he hadn’t wanted it to go down this way.
“Laia, I—” What? What could he really say? Sorry didn’t come remotely close to cutting it.
Wordlessly, she glared up at him with her chest heaving and her hands clenched into tight fists.
Regret and self-loathing pounded him from all sides. The pain etched in her features was his doing, not his brother’s. He’d made a serious tactical error, and now he’d never have the chance to tell her the truth in his own way and at a time of his own choosing. The only question now was how bad the fallout would be.
Kade set the mugs of coffee on a table in the corridor and held his hand out. “Let’s talk about this in private.” Before every agent in the office got a ringside seat to Kade’s guts getting splayed out on the floor.
She looked at his hand but didn’t take it. “Fine.”
Without needing to be told, Smoke followed them down the corridor until Kade found an empty office with a door that he could close. A desk took up most of the office, along with two small upholstered armchairs.
Laia’s complexion had paled considerably. He indicated she should sit. When she didn’t, he thought she might clock him in the kisser with one of her clenched fists. He’d deserve it. And so much more.
“How could you?” Her words had come out through clenched teeth. “Josh died in prison because you put him there. He wouldn’t have been there in the first place if you hadn’t arrested him!”
“Laia—”
She lifted her hand. “I’m not done! Rosa didn’t deserve to have her father die. And my marriage might have been in shambles by then, but Rosa and I didn’t deserve to have our lives turned upside down. Neither of us deserves to be on the run, but we are because my husband was arrested—and murdered—before Colon could get his filthy hands on that goddamn ledger. You did that.”
She was killing him. But everything she’d just thrown in his face was true. Balls-on accurate.
Laia’s chest heaved and her knuckles had turned white from fisting her hands harder. Seeing her pain, her rage, and her suffering…he wished he could absorb it from her body and take it into his own.
What he’d done to Josh that day had set something in motion that he’d always known would come back to haunt him. Hell, it already had. For two years, he’d been drowning in guilt. That was the real reason he’d stayed away, not because he’d secretly lusted after his sister-in-law. In his own way, he was just as guilty as Josh had been.
Finally, she sat, her shoulders slumping. Smoke whimpered, then circled three times and lay down on the floor at her feet.
“Why?” she asked, looking up at him with shimmering eyes. “Why did you do it?”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and paced a full circuit of the tiny office before leaning back against the edge of the desk. How to begin? He honestly didn’t know.
Finding the right tactical approach had always come as easily and naturally to him as breathing. Knowing the appropriate thing to say to the men he’d served with had never been an issue. Right now, he couldn’t put together a single coherent sentence, and his tongue felt like rubber. But there was no putting this off any longer.
He cleared his throat and dove in. “I was requested to participate in the raid at the Colon compound,” he began. “There had to be fifty agents and cops there that day. We went in on initial entry to help clear the main building and subdue anyone who tried to run. We had arrest warrants for some and were told to cuff anyone else and hold them until they were identified and questioned. As soon as the main building was cleared, we went outside to assist with the outbuildings.”
