Page 68 of Beyond the Badge: Crew

“Tips? In that fucking place?” He couldn’t imagine that the fine folks who drank in that place were big tippers.

“Have you been there?”

“No. But like I told you, Fletch and Wilder have spent quite a few nights hanging out there. Especially in the beginning of the investigation. I’m going to safely guess that crowd isn’t generous tippers.”

“Probably not. But I’m not in it for the money,” she reminded him.

“You’re not going to be in it at all. You’re not working there.”

Her voice rose an octave. “I have a solid in at one of their distribution hubs and you’re going to pull me from it?”

“It’s not fucking safe, Cami.”Damn it, he slipped and used her first name again. It was the name he used in his head while his fantasies played out.

Late at night.

When he was alone.

“Being a DEA agent in general comes with risks. I signed up for this. I know how safe it is or isn’t. Why don’t you let me decide that?” A flush rose up her neck and into her cheeks.

What the hell, she was getting mad? Too fucking bad. “Because I’m the fucking task force leader, you’re not.I’mresponsible for your ass. You’re the most junior member of the team and, even if you weren’t, you still wouldn’t get to make those types of decisions.”

“My skills are being wasted by reading reports or watching a fucking Demon gather coins in a laundromat!” she yelled. “That’s not why I joined the team.”

His head snapped back. “Then quit.”

“Of course, that’s what you want. But news flash, that’s also what you won’t be getting. I’m not quitting since I’m not a quitter. You’ll have to force me from the team. And you better have a good reason for that to fly. Iwantto do this. Icando this. Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m fucking helpless, Crew.”

He struggled to keep from shouting back. Somehow he managed it. “I never said you were.”

“Bullshit. Since jump street, you’ve acted like I should be tucked in a corner and patted on the head. And if you deny that…”

“If I deny that, what? What are you going to do?”

She took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Time for you to leave.”

He agreed because right now he wanted to shake the fuck out of her. “You shouldn’t keep the task force vehicle outside.”

“Fine,” she bit off. “I’ll park it in the garage.”

“You shouldn’t have it here at all.”

“Fine. When I’m done with my shift at Hawg Wild tonight, I’ll take it back to The Plant.”

“That’s not good enough.”

Her chin rose defiantly. “It’ll have to be.”

“Don’t make me write you up.”

She laughed.

Actually fucking laughed.

“Go ahead. I’ll help you.”

What the actual fuck?“You’re still considered a rookie with the DEA. You don’t want a black mark on your record.”

“I’ll survive it. My prior assignments will speak for themselves. And then they’ll see thatyouwere the one to give me that black mark and it’ll be ignored.”

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