Cheating Justice (The Justice Team) by Misty Evans, Adrienne Giordano Read Free Book Online Page B

“Name’s Mitch. I think you knew my friend, Tommy Nusco.”
    The door slammed shut.
    Way to go.
    “Nice work, ace.” Caroline echoed his internal flogging. “Real nice. Anymore leads you want to blow for us today?”
    Mitch knocked on the door again and raised his voice. “Brice, I’m not here to cause you trouble, man. I just need to know if what they’re saying about Tommy is true. He’s dead. All I want are a few answers.”
    Silence.
    “Told you so,” Caroline said.
    “Real helpful, Caroline. Real helpful.”
    She pushed him out of the way. “Brice? My name’s Caroline Foster. I was Tommy’s co-worker, and also his friend. Mitch is telling the truth…we don’t want to make trouble. We just need to understand what Tommy was doing when he died. We know you’re a former ATF agent and hoped you might have some information or know someone who worked with Tommy in New Mexico.”
    Brice’s voice came from the other side. “I don’t know anything.”
    “Brice, I think you do. All we know is that Tommy is dead and he’s being tagged a dirty agent. If that’s the truth, we drop this whole thing. If it’s not, we could use your investigative skills to expose the cover-up. Is it true?”
    Silence. Caroline turned to Mitch and shrugged. He held up his hand. They’d wait. And wait a little longer if they had to.
    “Brice?” Caroline said. “Can I at least leave my number in case you remember something?”
    Mitch leaned forward, got right next to her ear where the strawberry scent of her shampoo teased his nose and triggered memories of her naked body. Last time he’d been that close they’d been tearing up her sheets, and the memory—although a damned good one—reminded him of the life and opportunities now gone. “Tommy and I went way back,” he spoke toward the door, hoping Brice was still listening on the other side. “High school, in fact. No way I believe he was dirty. You?”
    The door jerked open an inch. Brice spoke in low tones. “Get in your car. Drive around the block and park. Come through the yard and I’ll let you in the back door.”
    “We weren’t followed.”
    “You want answers, we do this my way.”
    The door slammed again.
    Okay, then. “Guess we take a trip around the block.”
    They hustled down the stairs. Caroline had a grin on her face. As they climbed into the car, Mitch said, “What?”
    She gave him an innocent look. “Good thing I went with you.”
    Good thing, my ass . “I was prepared to wait him out.”
    “Intimidation. Always effective.”
    She drove as instructed. They left the car, climbed through overgrown bushes and high grass in the back yard, and made it to the door. Brice was waiting for them. He didn’t say a word, watching over their shoulders as he ushered them inside.
    Paranoid much? Mitch had been on the run too long. He was paranoid, but this guy got a gold star in the department.
    The inside of the house was a shocker. Clean, neat, total opposite of the outside. Hiding in plain view , that’s what Brice was doing. Mitch liked the guy on principle.
    Brice didn’t offer them seats or a drink. Nope, right to business. “Whatever we say is off the record.”
    “Fine with us.” Caroline, always happy to get down to business, nodded. “We were never here, never spoke to you.”
    Brice seemed to relax a bit.
    Two of a kind . Maybe it was a good idea she’d accompanied him on this adventure.
    Mitch put space between Caroline and himself. That damn shampoo smell messed with his brain cells. And his libido. “Did you know Tommy?”
    “Not personally. Some of my contacts did though.”
    “Any idea what he was working on?” Caroline asked.
    Brice shook his head. “It was some taskforce, but nobody is talking. The agents, the good ones, are too scared. ATF isn’t what it used to be. Management intimidation is the norm. You don’t fall in line, you and your family get transferred to shit holes. Five different ones in two years. Any idea what