Loving Night: Dream Catcher Series ~ Book 2 by Brynette L. Turner Read Free Book Online Page B

myself.” He proceeded to give her a brief history of his years
with the Bureau and his goals as Team Leader. Finally, she relaxed and settled
more fully into the chair. Chaz took that as his cue that it was okay to move
to the sofa. He sat and leisurely crossed one leg over the other.
    “Now, there’s an issue we need to
discuss that has to stay strictly between you and me.” Vanessa’s eyes lit with
a bit of curiosity. “There are two undercover police officers who don’t know
you exist and I plan to keep it that way. You’re the Bureau’s most valuable
asset and there is no way we want to rely on anyone else to protect your cover.
So, I’m making the call that you should know about my guys but they can’t know
about you. If at all possible, I’d like you to stay out of their way.” He
nodded at a folder on the coffee table. “Those are photos of them.”
    “I know this one. Austin.” Vanessa
tapped a photo. “Damien has been relying on him to get everything set up. He’s
supposed to run the show because Damien doesn’t want to relocate here; he has a
lot going on in Louisville. There’s no way I’ll be able to avoid your guy since
I’m going to participate in interviewing the girls tomorrow. I’ll also be at
the club every night.” She set the folder down and settled back into the chair.
    “So, what happens if those cops get
hurt while I’m around?”
    “Not your problem. We need for your
relationship with Damien to stay intact. No matter what.” Chaz held her stare
for a long time before she nodded and looked away, but not before he saw a
brief flash of anger that said a lot about her character. No good cop would be
comfortable turning her back on another cop in trouble. He wanted to tell her
that if she heard anything that might threaten the men, she could try to get the
information to her handler, but he knew she’d do that without his prompting. He
didn’t want her to think there was any situation in which he would ask her to jeopardize
herself and her case for his. As he’d said, she was the more valuable asset.
    “No direct contact under any
circumstances?” she asked.
    “Not unless your life is the
one threatened. Then, get to Austin, tell him you know me, and ask for his
help.”
    “Codeword?”
    “Little Bo Peep,” he said with a
grin. “And, they think my last name is Bryson.”
    Vanessa chuckled, stood, and said
that she needed to get back to her errands. They shook hands before she left.
Only the fact that she couldn’t be seen with him kept him from escorting her to
her car.
    Chaz looked at his watch. He had a
couple of hours to kill before the FBI technician arrived to set up the surveillance
equipment. He wanted to use that time to get acquainted with the streets within
a five-mile radius of his hotel. He was going to need to know roads and exit
strategies to make sure no one ever followed him to the “safe house.” Streets
that wound into dead ends or looped back on themselves could get a person
trapped. And trapped could mean life or death.
    He’d already walked around the
hotel and was comfortable that he knew the layout and exit routes in case he
noticed someone suspicious. In addition to having a different rental car every
couple of weeks, he planned to occasionally park away from his room and enter
from a different direction. Every suite had a patio door that opened to the
pool and picnic area in the center of the property. There were also breaks in
the building after every fourth unit. Chaz knew where each one led.
     
    ~
~ ~ ~ ~
     
    That night, Stephanie had a hard
time getting to sleep. Her instincts told her that it wasn’t because Chaz was
in any danger; he’d seemed fine when they’d video-chatted little more than an
hour earlier. After that, she’d had a warm bath and a cup of tea. But, her mind
wouldn’t let go of the uneasy feeling. She climbed out of bed and went to fill
her hot pot with tea leaves so that she could meditate. Maybe that would