Page 9 of A Dead Man's Pulse
“He can’t help them now,” Sawyer deadpanned, although it was clear he wasn’t trying to be funny.
Parrish dropped the pen on the table and leaned forward. “Here’s where you come in, Officer Swift. We’ve put together a task force to catch this bastard. In order to do that, we need to send officers and agents to the clubs in and around Tampa—undercover. Obviously, we can’t just send anyone in—they need to have knowledge of the lifestyle and be able to pass as either a submissive or a Dom—especially in the private clubs. If you accept the assignment, you’ll be under Captain Bowman’s and my command for the duration of the case.”
“I’m in.” There was no hesitation on Dakota’s part, and none of the men appeared surprised at her quick response. This was what she’d been striving for all these years—a chance to prove she was good enough to be transferred to SOD. There was no way she’d decline the assignment. “What’s next?”
“You take the rest of the morning off and report to the FBI headquarters at three p.m.—plain clothes. And I’m sorry in advance for the fed you’ll be partnered with, but I have no choice.” Parrish grimaced. “We don’t have enough Doms and subs on the force and local federal agencies, whose attachment to law enforcement is unknown, to cover all the clubs—public and private. We’re pairing up some of the local agents with an experienced member of the lifestyle. You’ll be the lead inside whatever club you’re assigned to, even though you’ll go in as a sub. Your partner will be told that, and if he gives you any trouble, I want to know about it.”
Oh, great. She was probably going to get stuck with a high-and-mighty asshole. “Understood.”
“Unfortunately, the local SAC, Stonewall, is a prick, asshole, twatwaffle, and douchebag all rolled into one,” Sawyer said before grinning at her. “Can’t you tell I just love the guy?”
She smiled back, liking the man even more as he was treating her as an equal and not a peon. “Absolutely, sir. If you don’t mind me asking, what does Trident have to do with this?”
Dakota had heard about the private security company located in Tampa. It was comprised of retired members of the military, mostly Navy SEALs, and was well respected among the law enforcement agencies in the area.
“Not as much as I’d like.” He gave an annoyed side glance in Parrish’s direction. “Since I own The Covenant with my brother and cousin, we’ve been brought in as consultants, nothing more.”
Wow! Not only was the hottie a retired SEAL and a Dom, but he owned the most elite BDSM club on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
The FBI agent raised an eyebrow at Sawyer. “We’ve been through this before. Dickhead . . . I mean, Stonewall is in charge of Tampa, and I’m here just for this case. He has the final say on personnel at the moment. It doesn’t work in your favor that you continue to piss him off every chance you get.”
“I can’t help it—it’s my charming personality.” Sawyer’s droll tone of voice had Dakota chuckling. She wondered what he was like when he was in full-Dom mode—probably terrifying and panty-dropping simultaneously.
Parrish rolled his eyes and stood. “Officer Swift, welcome aboard. We’ll see you at three at the FBI office. I’ll leave your name at the front desk. After you check in, head up to the fourth floor and ask anyone where the task force is meeting.”
“Thank you, sir,” Dakota responded as she stood with the other two men. “I’m looking forward to it.”
She shook hands with Sawyer and Parrish, but when she turned to Bowman, he indicated for her to sit back down. “I’d like a few more minutes with you, Swift.”
As the others left, she sat again. Bowman strode across the room to his desk, retrieved a folder, and returned to his seat. When he opened the file, she was surprised that the first page was an application to join SOD with her signature at the bottom. It was one of five she’d submitted before finally giving up hope of being transferred into the coveted division.
Bowman leaned against the chair back, and his gaze met hers. “Why didn’t you submit an application two months ago when another position opened?”
Seriously? Her jaw tightened. “It was obvious after five attempts I wasn’t going to get the transfer, so I set my sights on the detective bureau and the supervisor’s test.”
The man nodded in understanding. “I assume you’ve wondered why you were repeatedly passed over.”
“I did.” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this, and there was no way she would make it easy on him.
“For the record, I just took over the division three months ago after a promotion when Captain Fallon retired. I’ve been impressed with your record for several years now, and every time a position opened, I pushed for you to be given the spot. Each time, Fallon tossed your file aside without even looking at it. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that Fallon hated your father. The two of them had gone to the academy together and, I guess, rubbed each other the wrong way.”
Dakota gaped at the supervisor. All this time, she’d figured someone had a hard-on for her and that was why she’d been passed over. The thought never occurred to her that it was due to a dispute between her father and the head of the division.
“I’ve got two positions opening in the next few months. One UC is retiring, and another recently got engaged and decided to return to patrol. If you’re still interested, I’d like to see your name on the application list again. Prove yourself on this case, and I can almost guarantee one of the positions is yours.” He grinned. “Since I’m the one who makes those decisions now.”
“Th-thank you, Captain. I’m honored.”
“You’re welcome, Swift. Just don’t screw up between now and then and make me regret this conversation.”
There was no way she was going to screw up. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she fought the urge to throw a fist in the air in celebration.
When the captain stood, she followed and shook his outstretched hand. “Thank you again, sir. Will you be at the meeting later?”
He nodded. “I’ll see you then. Head on back to your station. I’ll call your lieutenant now and tell him you’re assigned to me until we catch this bastard.”
Dakota almost ran out of the building. After she jumped into the passenger seat of the patrol car, she slammed the door shut, looked at Ric, and then yelled at the top of her lungs, “Yes!”
Chapter Six
