Page 40 of Havoc

Havoc stretched an arm around me, his touch protective. I looked up at him, studying the face I was getting far too comfortable seeing first thing when I woke up. When we first met, I’d thought he was prickly and rough. But now I was seeing warmth, depth, and a kind of tenderness I hadn’t expected. It felt like I was discovering an entirely different man.

Hacker’s fingers flew across his keyboard, and a new screen loaded—an info sheet with bullet points and highlighted notes.

“I did a deep dive into Slater’s background,” he said, “and I found all kinds of fucked-up shit.”

Havoc leaned forward, his body tensing with interest, as Hacker began to walk us through the dirt he’d uncovered—item by damning item.

“There’s chatter that Slater was involved in drug smuggling,” Hacker began. “I got that piece of information from our police contact. Several local drug dealers had reported it in an effort to get a reduced sentence, but the allegation was so extraordinary—and the dealers so lacking in credibility—that no one believed them. The report said Slater muled drugs from Cavar County to Griffinsford… in his patrol car, no less. There was an unofficial investigation, but Slater was cleared of any suspicion.”

Havoc let out a low whistle. “No wonder nobody believed it. That fucker must have balls of solid brass.”

“His father was the sheriff of Cavar County,” Hacker continued, “and I suspect he had his own drug-related side hustle going. If you think about it, it was a brilliant plan. Who’s going to suspect a cop of smuggling drugs in his own patrol car?”

Havoc’s shock turned to understanding. “Yeah… yeah, it makes a certain kind of sense. Could explain why Griffinsford PD lets him run wild in our county—they don’t want to get into a wrangle with his old man.”

I wrapped my arms around my stomach. The thought of just running—of getting in my car and driving east until all this was behind me—flashed through my mind like a tempting dream. Everything about this felt too big. Too complicated. My brain and my heart ached just trying to keep up with the depth of it.

But it didn’t stop there.

Hacker moved on to the next bullet point. “I believe Slater is also taking bribes. Our contact says he has a weird obsession with high-profile cases—always involving himself when he shouldn’t, and compromising more than a few of them. The others on the force chalked it up to poor training. He’s been written up and retrained more than once. But when I looked into his finances, I found money tucked away in several small banks. He wasn’t reporting any of it on his taxes.”

“That tracks,” Havoc muttered, shaking his head. “Taking bribes makes more sense than just being a fuckup.”

Hacker glanced back at his screen. “And then there’s the pattern of domestic violence charges. Women file, then drop them. Over and over again. Ten years ago, he dated a woman who disappeared completely after they broke up.”

That jolted me. “Do you think Slater had anything to do with her disappearance?”

“I don’t know,” Hacker admitted. “Maybe he killed her to silence her. Or maybe she realized what a degenerate he was and made herself disappear. Either way, I wouldn’t count it as coincidence.”

Havoc’s hands clenched into fists. “Either way, it’s his fault.”

Hacker leaned over the desk, locking eyes with me. “Officer Slater works patrol in the vicinity of your old office.”

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “Storm already told us he’s not a detective, even though he goes around pretending to be one.”

“He also didn’t tell you that the crime rate in that part of town had skyrocketed since Slater was assigned to the beat.”

I blinked. “No. That’s… that’s a hell of a detail to leave out.”

Havoc swore under his breath. “More proof he’s a dirty cop. He’s probably looking the other way for kickbacks.”

“Our contact said Internal Affairs opened two separate investigations into the crime rate spike. Both went nowhere.”

“Where the hell did this prick get his Teflon coating?” Havoc growled.

“That’s where things get interesting,” Hacker said, sitting forward. “Day before yesterday, he was appointed as a liaison for inter-agency cooperation. That gives him a reason to be outside his assigned area anytime he wants, without raising red flags.”

I sat up straight. “That explains why he never came to my house before now. It was out of his jurisdiction—until it wasn’t.”

“My contact believes the corruption either runs deep or someone powerful is covering for him. Either way, he’s willing to help from the inside.”

“This is more than just one bad cop,” Havoc muttered. “This is a damn web of corruption.”

“Exactly,” Hacker agreed. “Slater is using his badge as a shield while he smuggles drugs, takes bribes, and assaults women. He’s overdue for someone to bring him down.”

“Yeah,” Havoc said grimly. “But we need to understand his operation top to bottom. We need to find his weaknesses.”

“Our contact said one of the dealers who tried to flip on Slater told them he tips dealers off before raids, supplies several clubs with drugs, and acts as a middleman for a slick city accountant who launders the money through offshore accounts. He never meets the accountant face to face—Slater’s the go-between.”

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