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Sophia didn’t bother to tell her mother that the chances of that sort of break were bleak for two black kids.
“Don’t worry, Mama. I’ll look into it. We’ll find a way.” Sophia nodded past the woman’s shoulder. “You keep Miss Laureen calm. If she thinks of anything, she can call me.”
“I will, honey, and you and I should make some time to discuss the celebration party.”
Sophia ceased retrieving keys from her pocket. “Celebration for what?”
“Ha! Your promotion, of course.”
“Ma. No.”
“But, honey—”
“I don’t want to bring a lot of attention to this.”
“If anything deserves to be celebrated, it’s this.” Veronica posted her fists on her slender hips. “After years of putting your life on the line, you’re being rewarded for it. Time to let someone else go into certain death for a change.”
“Is that the time?” Sophia barely glanced at her wristwatch and turned for the door again.
“We need to discuss this, baby. I’m thinking of something intimate. Right here at the house.”
“Mama, I’m in a hurry. I’ve got a lot to do before tonight.”
“Oh?” The last piqued Veronica’s rampant curiosity regarding the private lives of her daughters. “Anything exciting?”
Sophia shrugged, deciding to feed the woman’s interest. “Dinner with Santigo Rodriguez.”
Veronica’s gasp filled the foyer, and glee illuminated her face once more. She was so overjoyed that she could only clasp her hands and press them to her chest.
Sophia took advantage of her mother’s rare bout of speechlessness. “See you later.” She kissed Veronica’s cheek and hurried out the door.
* * *
“Now that is strange.” Detective Sergeant Jofi Eames rubbed the stubble on his jaw and frowned. “Are you sure the guys haven’t passed the man’s bench before?”
“Nah.” Tigo gave a slow shake of his head. “Not so much as a parking ticket between the two of them. These are two of the good ones, Jof.”
Tigo’s meaning was clear, and the detective nodded his understanding. “Could be some kind of election or publicity stunt.” Jofi reared back in his desk chair. “It could put him in a rough spot if he’s seen as a softy on car thieves.”
“Well, they’ll cross that bridge soon enough. Families just want ’em granted bail. They’re no flight risks, Jof, and...” Santigo’s words trailed into silence when he saw Sophia arrive on the floor.
“I’ll take this to mean the discussion’s over?” Jofi smirked at his friend’s captivated expression.
“Sure.” Tigo left the metal chair he’d taken next to Jofi’s desk. “You can take it from here.”
Jofi grinned. “Why, thanks for your vote of confidence.”
Focusing on Jofi, Tigo smirked and moved to shake hands and hug his old friend.
“I’ll call if I make any headway,” Jofi promised as Tigo headed out of the cramped, dank office space.
Tigo found Sophia leaning against her desk and browsing a file. His single knock sent her head lifting, eyes widening at the sight of him.
“Did I get our date wrong?” She quickly pushed to her feet.
Tigo raised his hands. “You’re good—don’t worry. I had other business and thought I’d drop by and congratulate you in person, Lieutenant.”
“Well, are we still going out?” Sophia didn’t care how anxious she sounded.
“Mmm-hmm...” The confirmation trailed off into quiet when he dipped his head to kiss her.
“My walls are glass,” she reminded him, breathless and already curling her fingers around his jacket lapels to bring him closer.
He grinned, the gold flecks in his dark eyes sparkling with devilish intent. “We should give ’em a good show then. Don’t you think?” His tongue was enticing hers into a naughty battle before she had time to respond to his question.
Sophia managed a shaky moan as her tongue tentatively answered the call from his. Her heart thudded, heavy in her chest, the sound reverberating to her ears. Mere moments passed before she was kissing him with sheer lust and need fueling the gesture.
Tigo exercised the cooler head then and tugged on the hem of Sophia’s short-waist blazer to draw her down. “I’ll see you tonight,” he promised, smiling into her lovely dark face while brushing his thumb across her well-kissed mouth. The playfulness returned to his gaze, and he shrugged as if skeptical.
“What?” Sophia knew she sounded dazed and dumbfounded. What the hell... He did that to her.
Tigo expelled an exaggerated sigh and focused on a curl that had found its way down inside her shirt. “We’re on for tonight, unless the hard-core detective gets called away on assignment.”
“Hmph.” She rolled her eyes. “Haven’t you heard? I’m now the hard-core chief of detectives.” She blew an unruly curl from her forehead. “Getting called away on assignment and hurling myself into the lines of fire are now things of the past.” She massaged the middle of her forehead. “At least they would be if my parents could have their way.” Her mounting frustrations cooled to a simmer as if quelled by magic when her gray eyes settled once again on the enticing curve of his mouth. She bit her upper lip, hungry for the pleasure of another kiss.
Santigo was more interested in the Hails’ reaction. “What’d they say?”
“Nothing bad.” Sophia leaned against the desk. “I don’t think they’ve ever been happier with me.”
“Well, isn’t that good?” Tigo sat next to her, nudging her shoulder with his. “It’s better than having them give you grief over it, right?”
“I don’t know. Is that why you seem so thrilled?”
“It is.”
Sophia’s jaw dropped over the easy admission.
Tigo took her parted lips to mean she craved another kiss, which she did. He obliged, but only for a sweet moment. Then, he stood and brushed his nose across hers once, twice...
“Be ready by seven.” His voice was a gruff whisper and then he was gone.
“Oh, boy...” Sophia groaned.
Chapter 4
“Hey, L.T.”
Sophia turned and smiled curiously at the tall uniformed man heading toward her. He was excessively tall; he towered over her own five-eleven height.
“Officer,” she greeted.
“Alvin Keele, ma’am,” the young man shared once he’d moved closer. “Kelly Fields is my girlfriend.”
Sophia nodded as she eyed the officer. “You seem to have a very good woman in your corner.”
“Yeah...” Alvin grinned sheepishly and studied his shiny black shoes. “We met the day I graduated from the academy. Kelly’s dad, Henry Fields, was one of my instructors.”
“I see.” Sophia nodded a bit more enthusiastically. “Well, she’s a smart girl to go after the best in the bunch.”
“She is,” Alvin agreed, but something dimmed in his smile. “She stuck by me even when it looked like I was on my way to being part of the worst of the bunch.”
“That sounds ominous.” Sophia crossed her arms over her chest. Her thoughts rested on Kelly, returning to the girl’s manner the day they had spoken in the break room at the station.
“She, uh, made a point of thanking me one day when we talked.” Sophia was relying on her cop’s intuition, which told her there was more to the young woman’s gratitude than met the eye. “Did that have something to do with you, by any chance?”
Again, Alvin cast his pale blue stare toward the floor and nodded. “Thank you for shutting it all down, ma’am.” His voice was almost inaudible. “I could’ve been caught up in it so fast if you hadn’t.”
Sophia blinked sharply, inwardly acknowledging that her intuition was dead-on. “The money laundering. Someone approached you about it? Who?”
“It was Mike Cana, ma’am.”
Sophia deflated a bit. Detective Mike Cana was already behind bars, where he’d hopefully remain for a long time given his part in the crime. She needed fresh intel and silently admitted that she was terribly anxious to close this down tight. The sooner she did, the sooner she could see what was in store for her with the new job and for her and Santigo.
“It’s not over, is it?” Alvin watched Sophia as though his own intuition was at work.
“You’ve got good cop instincts already, Officer.”
Alvin beamed over the compliment. “That’s what Sergeant Fields said at the academy. Am I right, ma’am?”
Sophia cast a casual look over her shoulder. “There could be more rotten apples needing to be shaken out of the tree.”
“My career could’ve been over before it started.” Alvin’s tone was firm, his expression set with a serious intensity. “All I’d have had to show for it would’ve been a jail cell.”
Sophia patted his arm. “We’re all glad it didn’t come to that.”
“Still doesn’t sit right with me, L.T. Other cops could get caught up in this, some before they even have a chance to learn how to be cops.”
“You’re right.” Sophia’s tone and demeanor were somber. “Alvin, please know that this means as much to me as it does to you. We’ve made a lot of headway. We’ll shut the rest of it down. You can count on that.”
“I want in, L.T.”
“Alvin—”
“I know what I’m saying, and I want in.” He stepped closer. “Whatever I can do to help you get the rest of them.”
That he was serious went without saying. She watched him through narrowed eyes. “Do you have a partner, Officer?”
“Elzbeta Croft.”
“You trust her?”
“Yes. Yes, very much, ma’am.”
Satisfied by the answers, Sophia looked over her shoulder again before she spoke. “Meet me tomorrow night at Mathers. You know it?” She asked.
Alvin nodded, recognizing the name of the bar and grill outside the city limits. The establishment was frequented by much of the city’s factory workers.
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