Tattoo (Take It Off #7)(44)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“What’s it about, then?” Dad challenged.

“Her,” he said simply.

Dad looked like he swallowed something sour, and I knew he would likely say something next about how Brody wasn’t good enough for his daughter. That would make me mad.

“Snake was brought into custody a little while ago,” I said quickly, before the conversation could turn unpleasant.

Dad glanced at me. “Well, that’s good news.” He looked over at Brody. “I guess your services aren’t needed anymore.”

I sighed.

Brody didn’t seem the least bit offended. “Well, since I wasn’t really working for you, you can’t fire me.”

The sour look appeared again, and I hurried to slide a sandwich in front of him.

The sound of a ringing cell phone cut into the conversation. Thank God. Brody stood up and dug his cell out of his pocket.

“West,” he answered briskly.

I gave my father a pointed look, hoping he would hear my silent plea to behave when Brody finished his call.

“Got it. I’ll be there,” he said and then disconnected the call and deposited the phone back into his pants. After he slid the stool back under the counter and forked the last heaping bite of French toast on his plate into his mouth, he looked up. “I have some paperwork at the station.”

Disappointment was a sharp taste in my mouth. I didn’t want him to go.

Brody helped himself to a gulp of my coffee and then came around the side of the counter and kissed the side of my head. “I’ll check on you later.”

“‘Kay.”

“You have my number, right?”

I nodded.

“Get some rest, Tay.”

I liked when he called me that.

“Edward,” he said by way of good-bye to my father, who only nodded.

When he was gone, Dad gave me a knowing look.

“At least you know he’s above bribery,” I said.

“I still don’t like him,” he replied and took a bite of his sandwich.

I smiled. He liked him. He just didn’t want to admit it.

21

Brody

I lied.

It wasn’t hard.

I didn’t even feel guilty for it.

I’d do it again. Yeah, I told Taylor the risks of spending time with me. I gave her a choice. I wanted her to know what she was walking into if she accepted any kind of relationship with me.

It was probably wrong.

I probably shouldn’t have given her a choice at all. But I wasn’t going to be that guy. I wasn’t going to think I knew what was best for her. And, like I told her, I was selfish.

I knew she wouldn’t walk away from me. The chemistry between us was too good. For the first time ever in my life, I was taking something I really wanted and I planned to keep it.

And so I lied.

I wasn’t about to put Taylor at any more risk than absolutely necessary. I did have paperwork to do at the station. But that wasn’t why I was going there.

Newman called. The perp was asking for me. He wouldn’t talk to anyone else. And I wanted to talk to him.

Talking to him = plowing my fist in his face.

Would it get me in trouble?

Yep.

Did I give a rat’s ass?

Nope.

Snake deserved way worse than I was going to be able to deliver in a ten-by-ten interrogation room. Besides, I wanted answers. I intended to get them. I needed to know how far and how wide he blasted my identity. I needed to know what kind of cleanup I was facing.

I wasn’t going to live with a cloud of retaliation over my head. I wasn’t going to look over my shoulder and wonder if Taylor was going to get caught in the crossfire.

The only way to do that was to make sure all the roads that led to me were dead.

The inside of the police station was fairly quiet, but given that it was almost dark out, I wasn’t really surprised. There were still many uniformed men behind their desks and a receptionist answering the phone. On my way in, I winked at her and she blushed.

Some of the officers looked at me curiously as I made my way past, but no one bothered to stop me from going straight to Mac’s office.

I didn’t know all the guys that worked here. I’d been undercover too long to really form relationships with a lot of them. The ones I did know all had their own partners and routines that I didn’t fit in with. I didn’t mind not fitting in. In fact, it was that quality that made me good at being undercover.

It was always the misfits who seemed to turn to a life in the organization.

After a swift courtesy knock on his door, I opened it and walked in. He was sitting behind his desk, frowning at the computer screen. He grunted when he looked up. “‘Bout damn time you got here. You sure took your sweet-ass time coming in to give your statement and fill out paperwork on today’s latest shootout.”

“I thought I was still on vacation.”

“Christ,” Mac swore. “Everywhere you go, West, there seems to be a shootout.”

“What can I say?” I shrugged. “I’m charming.”

He made a rude sound that I filed away for later (I was going to use that one), and he scowled at the computer. “What ever happened to just doing shit by hand?” he muttered.

I grinned.

“The perp’s asking for me?”

“Yep. I told him he could talk with whoever I sent in the room.” He shook his head. “Damn criminals these days think they can come in here and call the shots.”

“I need five minutes with him.”

Mac gave me a level stare. “It’s not a good idea.”

“Probably not.” I agreed.

“No.”

“I need to know how many people he told about my identity.”

Mac swore. “You know as well as I do he ain’t gonna tell you the truth.”

Most likely, no. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to beat the truth out of him. I kept that little tidbit of information to myself.

“Maybe since he’s been lying low, he hasn’t had time to tell that many people. We already got the guys who tried to kill me today so we know they aren’t talking. We might be able to keep a lid on this.”

“You know your undercover career is over, don’t you?” he said quietly.

“Yes. Which is exactly why I want to see him. I have to make sure I can have a real life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder.”

“We could transfer you,” he suggested. “Get you out of here.”

Any other time I would have taken the transfer and moved on. Yeah, I had family not too far away, but my relationship with them had faded away a long time ago. There wasn’t really anything to keep me here.