Deadly Temptation

“I’ve heard,” he admitted. “It’s why they get more cooperation from cops than any other private security firm you could name. But this is different.”

“Why?”

“This is pure drugs and money. Somebody with resources or sources is gunning for me, and it’s going to take heavy police work to get out from under.”

She studied him for a moment. “And who’s doing that work? From the sound of that article, the department is already convinced of your guilt.”

A grimace flickered across his face, and she knew she’d struck home.

He feels betrayed, she thought.

She doubted someone who hadn’t been part of that kind of brotherhood could ever really understand what it was like. She’d watched, during those days in the hospital after he’d been shot, and marveled at the constant changing of the guard; there had been at least one cop there every minute of every day. She’d commented on it to one of them, a gray-haired veteran who had smiled wearily when she’d brought him a cup of bad hospital coffee.

“We bleed blue,” he’d said quietly. “No matter who or where or how, when one of us is hurt, we all are.”

Her voice was soft, gentle when she said, “I would have thought, after what I saw in the hospital, that they’d be lining up behind you to help.”

The harsh laugh he gave held more than a touch of bitterness. “You’d think,” he muttered.

“There must be some who don’t believe you’re guilty.”

“Probably. But nobody wants to get close to a dirty cop. It might rub off.” He rubbed his eyes. “To be fair, some did believe in me, in the beginning. But there’s so much evidence now, even I’d doubt me if I didn’t know.”

“Don’t you have…a partner or something?”

He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “We’re a small department. We pretty much run solo. My bad luck. If I had a partner to back me up, they’d know I didn’t do it.”

“And the cops investigating you think you did.”

He lowered his head and rubbed his eyes, and she wondered if he’d had any sleep at all since this had all come down. “Seems that way.”

“Then you need help. All you can get.”

His head came up. One corner of his mouth quirked in what appeared to be bemusement. “You’re determined, aren’t you?”

“I’m not the scared weakling I was eight years ago,” she said.

“You may have been scared,” he said softly, “but you weren’t weak. You acted, which was more than anybody else in there did.”

“So let me again. Maybe Redstone can help, and they won’t hurt.”

“I’m not sure even the all-powerful Redstone can help,” he said, sounding suddenly exhausted.

A voice from the doorway cut across the room like a low rumble of thunder.

“Don’t count on that.”

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