Page 7 of Dangerous Lies

Yep, he’d lost his fucking mind from the two months he’d spent locked up in a cell and beaten every day. His Commander told him he had to go through a physical before he returned to active duty, but the decision would be up to his CIA handler if he went back to the SEAL team.

Six years prior he was on a Green Beret team who’s mission was to kill Carter. One objective was to hide a woman named Sarah who his teammate Nic fell for. At least Nic had said he’d hid her before the mission went FUBAR and Carter killed his team at the time, he thought Carter had taken Brittany out also.

After a month of leave he joined another Green Beret team, he was part of the team for four years until he needed a change. So, he applied for BUD/s. Two days after he completed Hell Week a CIA Officer showed up and asked if he wanted to go after Carter. He said yes and then took him out of BUD/s and put him on his current SEAL team.

For over a year he kept the secret from his teammates about his past until his teammate Richy’s girlfriend was in danger. He spilled everything he was told never to tell.

His life felt like it was in limbo, because he wasn’t sure he would be placed back on the SEAL team especially since the headaches hadn’t gone away. Xavier had wanted him to go to a private hospital for a head scan, but he’d declined. New technology could pick up TBI, and he worried the multiple concussions over the year would show.

Rose opened the warehouse door, and the scent of rotting flesh made him want to vomit. He wanted to turn around and leave tell Rose theycouldpay someone to do this. The problem was, she was the person he would call.

Ginger breathed through his nose and surveyed the area. Next to a large bloodstain on the floor stood a cop.

“Why are you here, Detective Miller?” Rose's voice had a hint of an edge toit.

The man took a couple of steps toward her. “Rose, youknowI don't like you coming to these places alone. I overheard dispatch call you out, so I figured I would stop by and check on you. Figured this way, youcouldfinally answer my question.”

Rose's back straightened, and her shoulders squared. “I don't date men who think women are helpless. This is my job, and I don't need you showing up. As for the date, I told you three times already, no. But I really think this murder is linked to previous ones I can bring my notes to the station.”

Anger washed over Ginger as the detective stepped toward Rose.

“Hey, boss, are we going togetthis done?” Ginger asked. “Unless you're going to help clean up, dude, we got work to do.”

“That's not a way you should speak to an officer of the law, and you, Rose, are you going to allow an employee to speak to me that way? Youknow, Icouldtake you off the list of preferred vendors,” the detective said. “Or wecouldgo on a date, and Icouldseeto you being the only company called in.”

The fucker was blackmailing her. After the job, Ginger would call Cy to investigate him. Cycouldmake any person's life a living hell with a couple keystrokes. This shit was uncalled for, and men like him gave cops a bad name.

Rose tapped the front of her helmet. “Try me.It'sstrange how you forget I record everything. I'm sure the Chief of Police would like a copy of the video. YouknowI've done a lot of work for him, and he always asks how he can help me. Right now, I have a good idea of what hecoulddo to help.”

Pride washed over Ginger. He planned to jump in if the detective caused her harm, but he’d also learned a long time ago that womencouldhandle a situation independently. Damn, it was sexy as hell seeing her knock the fucker down a peg.

The detective threw his hands up and stormed toward the back of the warehouse.Thereshould be no reason for him to park out back when he had to drive around to parkthere, especially when he came because of Rose.

“What's his full name?” Ginger asked.

“Detective Evan Miller; he's just annoying.”

Ginger had to disagree. The detective seemedmore along the lines of a stalker. The man had listened for her name to go over the radio, which called her to the scene. Ginger had never worked in a police station, but he didn't understand why the communication operator would put that on the radio.Itseemed more like a case note diction that raised more red flags.

“You need to be careful around him.”

“I've dealt with a hell of a lot worse than him. He's harmless.”

Ginger wanted to press the point, but she pulled out a tackle box from the cart and setitdown next to the scene, and he got distracted by her ass as she bent over.

“What are you doing?” he asked as she grabbed a set of tweezers, a petri dish, and a magnifying glass out of her kit. “Shouldn't we mop this up andgetto cleaning, or are you some undercover detective?”

Rose tensed, and he wished hecouldtake the joke back. He didn't meanitin a bad way. He just had no clue what the hell she planned to do with a petri dish and tweezers.

“I study bugs.It'sfascinating what I can learn from them. Most I keep as pets, but some can help me understand how long blood or a body was lyingthere.Itmakesiteasier toknowwhich supplies to use. Different stages of the bugs lives give me a timeline.”

Right, because that totally made sense. He didn't point out bleach was bleach and cleaned up a mess no matter what.

Bugs clung to what he assumed was a piece of brain matter. The body was removed from the warehouse floor, but small pieces of flesh and bone were mixed in with the dried blood. Rose used the tweezers to grab the small insect and deposited into separate plastic containers. “I think that's enough. We can start.”

Rose mixed together the chemicals in a bucket and explained how she wanted him to mop up the blood. He worked on the large pool while she moved to the other side of the open warehouse and squatted down at what he assumed was another blood pool. The clean-up of a scene sucked.

A power washer would clean the dried blood in no time, but he kept his mouth shut and scrubbed the cement with the bristled brush, and whatever was in the bucket. The concoction she’d made eliminated the stench from the room. Instead, the scent of roses filled the room, which surprised him because he had assumed her chemicals would be similar to bleach.

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