Page 80 of Broken Wolf

I also didn’t say it to hurt him but to help her.

“I might want to,” she muttered. “I don’t know. I never thought about it in training, but it felt…”

I chuckled and clapped her shoulder. “Yeah, I remember that feeling. Duck in the tech van and borrow someone’s hoodie. We’ll talk more later about your questions and what comes next. For one, we’ll need to change your hair and makeup style.” I shrugged when she shot me a confused look. “I knew I was going undercover, so I was excluded from stuff from the beginning.”

“And I wasn’t. Right, smart. Okay, Chief.” She went to go and then glanced back at me. “Thanks. Really.”

I nodded and got back to it. I really smiled about an hour later when I rolled up to interrupt the top dirty officer in DeKalb who was involved. The chief of police was clean from what we knew—so far—but he’d been turning a blind eye on too much for this to all be going on under his nose.

So if he didn’t end up in prison, I suspected he’d be retiring soon.

Good.

Oh, and I was arresting this asshole at his son’s baseball game.

Yeah, I was vicious like that.

I went right for him, saying loudly that he was under arrest and why.

“Have some professional courtesy and don’t do this with cuffs like this in front of my family,” he hissed at me.

“‘Professional courtesy?’” I mocked. “We’re not colleagues.” I snorted when his eyes went wide. “You’re trash that dirtied the badge I love. You abused your badge to toss elderly people out onto the street to line your pockets. You should be embarrassed and exposed more than other criminals because you gave an oath to protect and serve.

“You protected no one and served yourself. If it was up to me, you’d be paraded down every major street in DeKalb like that woman in Game of Thrones to let every citizen you swore to protect and failed throw fruit and crap at you.” I let him see it in my eyes that I meant it and wished for it. “This is why people really hate me. Because I’m never on your side.”

“They hate you because you’re a hypocrite, Thomas. Don’t kid yourself. You’re a whore who acts like she’s good. You sold yourself for money and then killed the guy, using your badge to commit murder for pay and then walk around like you’re better than all of us. Your day will come, and I hope you’re treated just as badly when it does.”

“If I do ever actually break the law, I will accept it,” I purred. “But IA cleared me, and you have no clue what you’re talking about and weren’t there. And the last person I’m going to hear a lecture on ethics from is the guy who made elderly people homeless for money. I did my job on an order of execution. I just also happened to be one of the victims. That’s not murder.”

I was done with him trying to shame me and change the narrative of our audience. I cuffed him and read him his rights as we walked off.

A woman I assumed to be his wife tried to grab me while screaming I was a dog and should die.

“You will be in the cell next to him if you don’t remember yourself,” one of the other agents said loudly, blocking me from her. “We’re doing our jobs. Your husband should have done his.”

Damn straight.

The guards at the trailer park were rounded up when I arrived, and the trainees were seeing firsthand how horrible the world could be. They were taking statements from the people in the trailers and getting all the information we needed.

I glanced at my watch and sighed. “I’ve got a meeting with CPD for what’s next and…” I trailed off as I saw a chopper landing in the distance.

“I called it,” Brian confirmed. “Use the damn FBI chopper more, Sera. I did. When it’s all these moving parts like this and you’re jumping from scene to scene to make sure it all goes down right, use the damn chopper.”

“I like coming in under budget,” I mumbled, nodding when he sighed. Fine, I had cut a lot of waste already, but I felt like a spoiled priss using the chopper.

But he was right. The big boss of the big office needed to not waste time in the middle of huge busts like this.

I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek in thanks and went to leave.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him, tucking my hair behind my ear. “Are you okay? You haven’t even talked to him, have you?”

“Not the time, Bri,” I chastised.

“I know, but I haven’t been able to catch you and I’m worried.” He kissed my cheek this time. “And I haven’t even been able to tell you that I didn’t know they got that close. She reported feeding him blood since he’d needed it and forgot bags in the cooler. And he was going to help her on the firing range in return. I thought it was just that. That’s allowed.”

“Debatable given how intimate blood drinking can be but yeah, nothing like what I found and was smelling on him.” I sighed when he wasn’t going to let it go. “I’m doing my best. That’s all I have. I gotta get back to work.”

“You’re doing awesome, and Mauro is taking it all seriously from what I’ve heard. We’ll figure this out. We always do.”

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