Page 7 of A Very Un-Shakespeare Romance
When Tara hadn’t reappeared through the main entrance, she and Sheila had gone in, pretending they were considering joining the gym. There’d been no sign of Tara, but Lily had managed to look around the corner into the daycare to confirm her girls were still there and okay. After watching them play duck, duck, goose with the daycare attendant, they’d headed back to the car. They’d barely made it inside before Lieutenant O’Connor had arrived in a cab—not his regular police-issue car—and strode inside with authority, only to exit with the girls minutes later, carrying the same bedazzled BOSS bag Tara had brought into the building. Damn, but she wanted to know if something important was in that bag, because it had looked heavy. More cash? But why split the cash into two pieces of luggage? And why risk it being discovered when Cassidy needed a diaper change? God, she had so many questions…
“He still might turn in the cash and put the kids into child protective services,” Lily said with a glance at her partner.
Sheila only made a noncommittal sound in response.
Hating the waiting, Lily started tapping her fingers on her knees, chewing on what she knew of Robbie O’Connor from her file review of potential dirty cops. Thirty-nine. Six-four. Divorced. Residence in the Seaport District in South Boston. On the force for almost twenty years. He’d worked his way up, serving first as a patrol officer, then as leader of the department’s tactical unit, and now as lieutenant with whispers that he might even be considered for captain. Impeccable record. Volunteered in the community. Heck, he’d even been a teen mentor for a few years before he’d been handed more responsibility in the department.
Basically, a stand-up guy.
Not a likely accomplice to Scotty Flanagan, whose bigmouthed girlfriend had led to his downfall. Janice Brewster had innocently shot her mouth off to one of Lily’s confidential informants in a local casino, telling the CI that her new mink coat had come from the Kellys, whom Scotty was working for.
Brought down by a side piece.
Lily loved the poetic justice of that. Men were always thinking with their dicks. It happened everywhere, especially in law enforcement. “Sheila, I still think Tara kicking her husband out like she did and taking him off the bank accounts means something.”
“That could have been because he was screwing the help and got caught. Just because she didn’t want her man two-timing on her doesn’t mean she wouldn’t launder money.”
This time she was the one who made the noncommittal sound.
“Tara wheeled that black suitcase out of her three nail salons, and she still hasn’t called the cops.”
“Maybe she just did by calling in her cousin.”
“I know you think he’s a Boy Scout…”
Lily wouldn’t go that far. He was too rough-looking for that, what with his square jaw that could take a punch and probably had and his masculine, tough-as-nails demeanor. She wasn’t going to lie—she liked the look of Robbie O’Connor. Sure, he was handsome enough, and that was part of it, but what affected her more was the sweetness with which he’d held Cassidy and led Reagan by the hand. Call her Sunshine as she was billed, but kids were good at telling you a lot about adults if you paid attention. Just like adults advertised a lot about themselves by how they treated kids.
“We’ll know soon enough about Lieutenant O’Connor, don’t worry.” Sheila cracked open a trio of pistachios, her go-to for their waiting games, before tossing the shells on the floor and popping the kernels in her mouth.
“You know I hate it when you do that,” Lily reminded her.
Sheila gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah, but you’d take a bullet for me.”
“Because you’re my partner,” she shot back, “and only a flesh wound.”
“Not that me being your best friend has anything to do with it, of course.” She cracked a few more nuts and extended them to Lily. “Come on. You need to eat something.”
“You know I can’t eat during surveillance.” She clenched her knees. “God, what could he be doing?”
“He ain’t changing no diaper.” Sheila chortled. “That I can guarantee. Did you see that diaper bag? I can’t believe an alpha dog like him would be caught dead carrying that. It looked like a bedazzler had thrown up all over it. I swear, I don’t get why some women have an addiction to bling.” She paused, considering, then said, “I guess maybe it’s like men and toupees. But what are they trying to compensate for?”
“Maybe they just want to be more attractive. Some girls like to feel pretty.” She thought of those poor kids. Feeling pretty would be little comfort to them if things continued to go south.
Their father was at large, and now that they’d seen the cash, there’d soon be a warrant out for his arrest. Mom was now at large as well, it appeared. A warrant might be in her future. Those two sweet girls couldn’t be in a more vulnerable place. She knew. At one time, she’d been just like them.
Come on, you bastard. Don’t let me be wrong. Don’t be dirty.
“That’s our SUV!”
Lily turned on the car, trying not to jump to conclusions. “Lieutenant O’Connor is driving. I think you should—”
“I’m calling Buck right this minute.” Buck being their tough-as-nails boss. “It won’t sound so bad that Tara snuck out a side entrance on us if we’re following a possible dirty cop with mob money. Don’t tail too close.”
“What am I? An extra in a Hollywood movie?”
Her partner shot her a grin before taking on herchecking invoice as their boss picked up. When Sheila winced, so did Lily. The FBI office in Boston was a large one with over four hundred agents. It was Lily’s biggest office to date, her biggest opportunity too, and she didn’t want her career to go down in flames because they’d assumed a mother wouldn’t leave her kids in a gym.
From the irate response she could hear through the phone, their boss was chewing out Sheila royally. During her first meeting with Buck, he’d said she only had to remember one thing: don’t fuck with Buck. He was going places, and if she didn’t help him get there, he’d transfer her butt out so fast her pretty little head would spin. She’d managed to never make him repeat his famous motto since, but she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d used it with Sheila today. Lily knew he had cause to be angry. She was upset with herself for the blunder.
