Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce) by Misty Evans Read Free Book Online

operation.”
    Not Thomas . Her relief was so great, her knees wobbled. She grabbed the edge of the counter, cleared her throat. How sick was that? Of course, she didn’t want anyone to be hurt, but she’d already lost so many people she cared about.
    I don’t care about him. I can’t afford to care…
    Yeah, right. “How serious are the injuries?”
    Cooper ran a hand over his face, accepted a cup of coffee from Celina. “Serious enough.”
    “And Thomas? He’s okay, right?”
    A sip of coffee, a shrug. “Probably. He’s in lockup.”
    “Jail?”
    Another shrug. “Didn’t want his UC identity blown, so he was arrested with the rest of Sandoval’s and Ortega’s crews.”
    Celina handed her a cup of coffee and Ronni sat next to Cooper. “Aren’t you going to bail him out?”
    “Not me,” he slid a business card at her. “You are.”
    “Me?”
    “If I go in and bail him out, his crew in jail will get suspicious. Could blow his cover. His girlfriend, on the other hand…that’s a different story.”
    “But I’m not his girlfriend.”
    “The criminals don’t know that.” He wrote something on the file. “Take that card with you and ask for Lieutenant Murphy. He’ll know you’re one of mine and he’ll help you with the paperwork.”
    He glanced at her, gave her the once-over from head to toes. “And dress in character. Tristan Ludlow’s girlfriend would be…sluttier.”
    Now she was really confused. “Tristan who ?”
    “Thomas’s cover identity. I told him Tristan was a stupid name. He said it was some character in a Brad Pitt movie.” Cooper snorted, shaking his head. “Kid thinks he’s Brad Pitt.”
    “He’s got the cheekbones for it,” Celina said. “With that long hair and tan he’s got…” She stopped at the look Cooper shot her, then winked at Ronni. “I’ll help you get into character.”
    Two hours later, Ronni was at the San Diego police station with her hair frizzed and her makeup too heavy. She wore a short skirt and three-inch heeled Chinese Laundry shoes that hurt her toes. For effect, she smacked her gum and stuck her hip out while she waited for the desk sergeant to find Lieutenant Mumford.
    Mumford, a short, greying, older man who could have passed for an Irish priest, didn’t even raise an eyebrow when he saw her, and within ten minutes, she had the forms filled out and the phony bail money deposited. Processing Thomas’s release took another thirty minutes, so she sat outside and watched the fog from the Pacific creep away, inch by inch, as the sun rose.
    Even at that time of the morning, there was a constant flow of criminals and cops in and out of the station. Few paid attention to her, but when Thomas finally emerged, he saw her and froze in his tracks. She sat on a low concrete divider, legs crossed in her too-short skirt, swinging one seductively back and forth.
    “That’s quite a look,” Thomas said. “ Susannah .”
    She’d never seen Legends of the Fall , but IMDb had provided the cast of characters. “This old thing? Thought you loved this look, Tristan .”
    His clothes were wrinkled, his face drawn. The stubble hugging his jawline had grown overnight, and shadows hung under his eyes. He came forward, pulled her off the concrete barrier, and swept her into a hug. It was all for show, she knew, but his strong arms and warm male scent triggered something female inside her. “About time you got here.”
    She patted his shoulder awkwardly, trying to draw back from his embrace. He held tight, nuzzled her ear. “Thank you.”
    Goosebumps ran down her arms. She needed to disengage from his touch—like, yesterday—yet a small part of her didn’t want to. “I didn’t have much choice.”
    A muffled rumble of laughter shook his chest, vibrating into hers. He ran a hand up and down her spine, stopping to finger each vertebra. Unbidden heat shot between her legs. “I sort of figured Coop sent you.” He nuzzled her neck and ear again, murmuring low.