Page 21 of Sinner's Secret

Baz held up his hands. “Okay, okay.”

He slowly opened his door and stepped out. His rent-a-cop grabbed him by the arm and slammed him face down on the hood of his car. He was handcuffed, then slammed onto the hood again for no reason Baz could see.

Nika was doing a great job of acting like a woman having a panic attack, muttering oh my God several times and even choking out a few convincing sobs.

Well now, this was an interesting pickle.

Two more cars roared up, blocking his cab and the marked cruiser front and back.

Both the uniformed cops had their guns out now and there were the overlapping shouts of police, lower your weapons from them and the men emerging from the unmarked cars.

The newcomers showed their badges to the uniforms and one of them called out a name.

“Levey, what the hell are you doing in the Bronx?”

“Smith.” The guy who’d handcuffed Baz slowly put his weapon away. “We got a tip. Possible kidnapping.”

Smith was the older detective Baz was sure was Nika’s partner. “Where’d you’d get this tip?”

“Informant. Someone reliable.” He glanced at Baz as if to say, unlike this guy.

“What were you going to do with her?” Smith asked with a nod to Nika.

“Take her home. One of her family members is waiting for her.”

Baz laughed. “Moron.”

Levey shoved Baz’s face against the cool metal of the car hood. Again. “Shut up.”

The cab’s passenger door opened and Nika stepped out. She held her police ID up. “Your informant isn’t as reliable as you think. You’ve just interrupted an undercover operation.”

The two uniforms froze, staring at her badge.

“I want the informant’s name and contact info,” Smith barked.

“We’re going to need more than that,” Nika said. “You’re both coming to the station with us.”

Baz chuckled some more. These two had thought they were the cocks of the walk when in reality they’d entered the wrong henhouse.

“And take those handcuffs off him,” she ordered his uniform.

“But he’s—”

“My informant and a consultant on this operation,” Nika told him.

“How did I get a promotion for a job I don’t even want?” Baz asked no one in particular.

Levey elbowed him in the lower back with enough force to bruise.

Oops, someone did not like him.

Everyone put their guns away slowly with suspicion plain on their faces. Levey took his time, but after studying Smith and Nika’s unwavering expressions, finally removed the cuffs from Baz’s wrists.

Nika waved him over to her side of the car along with Smith, who muttered, “We’ve got a big fucking leak somewhere.”

“But not one in our team or these two wouldn’t have gotten this supposed tip,” Nika said. “It’s someone close enough to have access to our operation, but not immediate access.”

“Someone who works at the station at least,” Smith agreed.

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