Seduced By The Badge

Danni turned swiftly on her low heels, heading back into the conference room. Following behind her, Armstrong found himself staring at her backside. She had a lush, apple-shaped bottom nestled in slightly snug black slacks that she’d partnered with a tailored white blouse that was buttoned to the collar. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop himself from staring, or imagining what each cheek might feel like in the palms of his hands. He shook the sensation away, turning his focus to the business at hand.

“I’m told you’ve met most of the team?”

Danni nodded. “Yes. Briefly. Officer Lankford said you would bring me up to speed.”

He pointed to the photo gallery that decorated the wall. “All the women here have been tied to a local crime family here in Chicago.”

“The Balduccis. I’m familiar with them. We know they’re running drugs through Atlanta but haven’t been able to tie them directly to any of our big busts.”

“They have their hands in a lot of dirt.” He pointed a second time. “Maureen Winters, Priscilla Montgomery, Gina Torres and Faith Becker were all connected to the Balduccis. Maureen, Priscilla and Faith worked in one of their nightclubs. Gina was the family’s personal masseuse for a year before returning to school. All four were murdered after traveling abroad with a known Balducci associate and returning here to the United States. Bethany Brooks and Alice Mumford were known prostitutes with connections to the sex trade in Atlanta, and Jane, Erica and Felicity had ties to an escort service based in New York. Another body was found this morning. A young woman named Crystal Moore. She was a student who went missing about six months ago. We know she flew back from the Czech Republic earlier this week, but we don’t have any record of her ever leaving the country.” He shifted his weight from one side to the other, pushing his hands deep into his pants pockets as he continued.

“After we leave here you and I are headed over to talk to the man who flew back into the United States with her. He’s a low-level criminal with a long list of misdemeanors—petty theft, check fraud, shoplifting. He came on Interpol’s radar a few months ago, but they don’t have enough to charge him with anything, either. We know he’s well connected, though. His attorney’s one of the top litigators in the state. He can’t afford that kind of legal counsel without some serious backing. Bottom line, though, we can only hold him for a few more hours before we’ll have to cut him loose.”

Danni turned her eyes back to the wall to stare one last time, watching as Armstrong added Crystal Moore’s photo to the collage. She moved to get a closer look at the image. She tossed him a quick glance. The comment that came was filled with an air of awe and the sincerest appreciation. “You know all their names,” she said, her tone just a decibel above a loud whisper.

Armstrong met the look she was giving him with one of his own, contemplating her remark. He didn’t bother to tell her that he’d attended all their funerals and had made it his mission to speak to each woman’s family personally. He blew out the breath he’d been holding. “Yeah,” he said finally. “I do.”

* * *

The ride to county lockup was quiet. Armstrong made small talk about the city, the weather and the best places to grab good coffee and fresh pastry. Danni said little, responding politely as they crossed town, fighting morning traffic. When they fell into silence, enjoying the quiet and the light chatter of the police radio in the background, she was surprised by how comfortable they felt in each other’s company. Neither evidently had any need for words, focused on the tasks that lay ahead of them. When he broke the silence, his question startled her from her own thoughts.

“So why are you doing this? Why is this task force so important to you? In Atlanta, you investigate drug cases, correct?” He cut a quick eye in her direction.

She pondered his question for a split second before she answered. “Six months ago, my sister befriended a man she met while working at Emory University Hospital. She fell in love. He became someone she thought she could trust. One day he invited her to his home to meet his parents, and instead she was drugged and kidnapped. She was able to get away, to get help that saved her life. There were two other young women being held with her, but we weren’t able to find them after he realized Shannon had escaped. Long story short, the investigation led us here. Alice Mumford was one of the women held with my sister. I can’t let this rest until I find her killer and take down the monsters that are trafficking these women.”

Armstrong nodded, understanding wafting over his expression. The slightest smile pulled at his full lips. “I like your passion,” he said as Danni felt a glimmer mist her eyes.

Danni shrugged ever so slightly. She shifted her gaze to the view outside the window. She was taken aback by the current of emotion that fluttered in her midsection. It reminded her of the fear she’d felt when her sister had disappeared. Her anxiety had been corporeal. Thick and abundant, its viselike grip so intense she could barely breathe. The fright of not knowing where Shannon had disappeared to, or if she would ever be found, had been devastating.

She and her sister had been each other’s lifelines after the death of their mother. Their father, an over the road trucker, had mourned the loss in the cab of his tractor trailer, disappearing when they’d needed him most. Their paternal grandmother had taken up the slack as best she could, but her age and failing health hadn’t served them well. The wealth of their childhood had revolved around the old woman’s dementia and unruly behavior. They had found moments of solace only with each other. She couldn’t begin to explain how the prospect of losing her sister scared her, the very thought-provoking anxiety attacks that regular visits to a therapist still hadn’t healed. She closed her eyes and took two deep breaths.

After pulling into a parking space down at the county jail, Armstrong shut down the engine and exited the car. As Danni took another breath to collect her thoughts, she was suddenly surprised when he opened the door, the chivalrous gesture unexpected.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

His smile was brighter, filling his handsome face. “My mother raised me well,” he said teasingly.

Danni chuckled. “I’m sure she’d be proud.”

After passing through the security checkpoint and signing in with the officer on duty, the duo was led down a lengthy hallway to the interrogation area. They stood on one side of a two-way mirror, staring at a small wooden table and an empty chair. Minutes later the door swung open and Josef Havel was led into the room, handcuffed and in leg irons. The officer gestured for him to take a seat, then moved to stand in the corner of the small room.

Danni’s eyes widened in recognition. “That’s him!” she said, her voice rising slightly. “That’s the bastard that took my sister!”

Armstrong looked from her to their suspect and back again. “Are you sure?”

Danni narrowed her gaze. She felt the color drain from her face, and she clenched her hands in tight fists by her side. When she spoke, she bit back the emotion, her words edged in an icy chill. “I met him once when he came to pick Shannon up. It’s him.”

He nodded. “Let’s go nail him.”

“I’ll take lead,” she said as she pushed past the man and stormed out the door.

Entering the interrogation room, Danni said nothing, her gaze meeting Josef Havel’s evenly. The man eyed her with disdain, his arrogant expression meant to be dismissive.

“Why am I being held?” he sniped, his eyes shifting toward Armstrong. “I have done nothing. Where is my attorney?”

Neither responded as they took the seats on the opposite side of the table. Danni suddenly thought about Shannon and the fear that still followed her sister. The memory of what her sibling had been made to endure still haunted her. It made her angry, rage rising like morning mist on a new day. She clenched her teeth, her jaw tight as she slowly opened the manila file folder she’d been holding, scanning its contents briefly before she spoke.

“Mr. Havel, you are not obligated to speak with us without your attorney. But you are going to be arraigned on kidnapping and assault charges. It would probably be in your best interest to be as cooperative as possible. We have a few questions that you might be able to answer.”

He interrupted her, snapping sharply. “I did nothing! You have no proof. I do not know anything about that girl!”

Danni paused as he narrowed his gaze on her, his eyes thin slits in his flushed face. Gone was the air of confidence that had edged Havel’s runway-model looks. The haughtiness that her sister had once found so attractive was diminished substantially. His left brow twitched and spittle clung to his thin lips. She leaned back in her seat, her arms crossing easily over her chest. “We’re not talking about the young woman you flew into town with. That’s not your problem right now. Do you remember Shannon Winstead? Or Alice Mumford?”

The man bristled noticeably, that twitch over his eye suddenly intensifying with a vengeance. He didn’t respond, his expression hardening even more.

Danni shifted forward in her seat. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. “Do you remember me, Mr. Havel? We met in Atlanta. When you were wining and dining my sister, and making her promises you had no intention of keeping. When you took her hostage, and held her against her will. Does that bring back any memories for you?”

The man met her stare and held it. Danni stared back, not at all intimidated. His gaze dropped to the tabletop, and then his eyes shifted back and forth between them. “I want my attorney,” he snapped.

“We’d like your attorney, too,” Danni interjected. “Because we’re really not interested in you. We want the people you work for. So why don’t you help yourself by helping us?”

The man snarled, suddenly leaping from his seat, the table between them shifting. Armstrong stood abruptly, his stance defensive. The other officer in the room took two steps forward, his hand braced against the weapon at his waistband. Danni didn’t flinch, her eyes locked tight with the suspect’s.

“Sit down!” she snapped, her tone low and even.

The quiet in the room was suddenly thick and tense, everyone waiting to see who might jump first. Havel took a breath and then slowly eased himself back into his seat. He closed and then opened his eyes, turning to stare at Armstrong.

“You’ll be sent back to Atlanta to face charges,” Danni said. “And I’ll be there personally to see that you get the maximum. This is your last chance to help yourself.”

The moment was interrupted as the door swung open, a well-dressed woman stepping into the room. She smiled sweetly, her head shaking from side to side. “Detectives, you do know this is a violation of my client’s rights. How dare you interrogate him without my being present?”

“Your client was here voluntarily, Ms. Harper,” Armstrong said. “He wanted to cooperate.”

“I’m sure he did,” she said, her eyes never leaving Armstrong’s face. “I’m sure I should be asking what you did to be so persuasive, Detective Black.”

Danni felt something like jealousy waft through her spirit, the sensation unexpected and unnerving. It was obvious Armstrong and the other woman had history, and her awareness of such suddenly made her uncomfortable. She came to her feet as she cleared her throat. “The state of Georgia is pressing charges against your client. He’ll be extradited back to Atlanta as soon as we can get him processed.”

The other woman shifted her gaze toward Danni, eyeing her from head to toe. “And what has my client been charged with doing in Atlanta?”

Danni smiled at the woman. “Didn’t he tell you? One of his victims got away. He left a witness behind.”

The man suddenly said something in his native Czech, a wave of anxiety crossing his expression. The other woman hissed back in response, her reply terse and heated. She regained her composure as quickly as she’d lost it.

Armstrong chuckled. “We’ll give you and your client some privacy. Let us know when you’re ready to talk about that deal,” he said.

Danni led them toward the exit, Armstrong on her heels. As she passed Havel, she swept his chair leg with her foot, the aggressive gesture sending the chair and the man tumbling to the floor.

“Oops! Sorry about that,” Danni said, her tone dull. “I don’t know how that happened.”

The man and his attorney both glared as Armstrong reached out to pull him to his feet, pushing him back into his seat. “Accidents happen,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. “It’s good to see you again, Leslie,” he said, dispensing with the formalities. He winked an eye at the woman.

“I’m filing a formal complaint against her, Armstrong,” the woman snapped as they reached the door.

Armstrong nodded. “I’m sure you will,” he responded before the door closed tightly behind them. On the other side, he shot Danni a look. “Nice work,” he said sarcastically.

Danni ignored him. “Who’s Pius?”

“Excuse me?”

“Pius. His attorney told him Pius wasn’t going to be happy. Do you know whom she might have been referring to?”

“You speak Czech?” Surprise wafted across his expression.

“I speak twelve languages.”

“I’m impressed.”

“Are you on a first-name basis with all the women around here?” she quipped, completely off topic.

Armstrong smiled. “Only the ones who matter.”

Danni turned. “I’m not impressed.”

He laughed, the wealth of it searing as Danni tried to stall the quiver of heat that suddenly surged through her feminine spirit. He pushed past her as they headed back to his car.

As he opened her door for her, he met her gaze, his own stare intense. “Leslie Harper and my sister were in law school together.”

“You don’t owe me any explanation.”

“I don’t, but I believe in full disclosure.”

Her eyes dropped to the concrete beneath her feet, unable to hold the look he was giving her a minute longer. There was something about the way he stared at her. Seeming to inhale every line of her profile as if he were casting it in memory, painting the best of her in his mind’s eye. She couldn’t remember any man looking at her so intensely. There was something seductive about his gaze and she knew if she wasn’t careful she could easily lose herself in the wealth of it. She shook her head, desperate to wave the rising emotion away. “You have a sister?”

“I have two sisters and four brothers.”

“Wow!” She stole a quick glance in his direction.

“I take it you don’t come from a big family?”

Danni thought about her family. Hers had been a happy home when her mother had been there to give them balance. Laughter had been abundant, and she had felt safe. Being a little girl had been all about tea parties and playdates and dress-up, with her and Shannon the pretty princesses of their own fairy tales. That disappeared with the aftermath of a car crash that no one had survived. It had devastated their family, their father barely able to handle his own hurt. Holidays passed without celebration, home-cooked meals were a rarity and two little girls were left to keep their crazy grandmother from running through the neighborhood naked. She shook her head.

“No. It was just me and my sister, Shannon. Our mother died when we were in grade school, and our father and grandmother raised us. He was a trucker and always on the road, and my grandmother was...well...she was special. I always thought it would be cool to have a big family like yours.”

He chuckled. “It can be interesting, but I confess there have been moments I wished I was an only child.”

“Really?”

“When you meet my family, you’ll understand.”

“I look forward to it,” she said, more out of politeness than actually thinking she would meet his family.

“Good. Then you’ll join us for Sunday dinner.”

“What? No... I can’t... I...” she suddenly stammered.

“Do you have plans?”

“No, but...”

“Then it’s a date. My mother would kill me if she found out you were new in town and I didn’t welcome you properly. Sunday dinner with my parents is mandatory for half the neighborhood. I can pick you up at your hotel at two o’clock.”

“I can drive myself...”

“I’ll pick you up,” he said, an air of finality in his tone.

Her first instinct was to balk. Arguing the point would have been second nature, Danni not accustomed to any man telling her what to do on her personal time. She was quite capable of finding her way around and more than able to decide for herself about her plans. But she held her tongue, accepting his directive in a way that was completely out of character.

Armstrong gestured for her to get into the car, then closed the door. She watched as he rounded the front of the vehicle and slid into the driver’s seat. There was a moment of hesitation before he engaged the engine.

“What?” Danni questioned.

“We need to go change our clothes. We look like cops, and where we need to go, we’ll need to blend in if we’re going to get any answers.”

“Where are we going?”

“To find a man named Pius!”

Chapter 3

Danni did not realize how exhausted she was until she stepped into the shower. The day had been longer than she’d anticipated, and it was only when Armstrong had asked her to change and be ready by the time he returned that she questioned if she had the stamina for round two. As she eased her naked body into the mist of hot water, every muscle from her head to her toes seemed to convulse, constricting and then relaxing before she felt as if a wealth of weight had suddenly been lifted off her shoulders. Taking a deep breath and then a second to steady herself, she found herself feeling lazy and tired and ready for a long nap. She had an hour before Armstrong would be back to get her, so a nap was out of the question. She needed to make the most out of the downtime that she could.

The task force had put her up at the Chicago Lake Shore Hotel. Located in the Hyde Park neighborhood, it was clean, cozy, convenient to the downtown area, and the staff was pleasant. She had six weeks before she would have to return to Atlanta or find her own place to lay her head. Six weeks was at least four weeks too long, Danni thought, determined to bring down someone named Pius and anyone else involved in their case before then.

Thoughts of Armstrong Black suddenly pitched through her thoughts, a cavalcade of energy shooting through her body. The palm of her hand trailed a soapy path from her shoulder, down her arm, to rest against her abdomen just below her belly button. A quiver of energy rippled through her midsection. The man was as intense as she was, and there was no mistaking how seriously he took his job. As he had dropped her off at her hotel, he’d given her a list of directives, his tone brusque and commanding. Clearly, he expected that she would follow orders and do what she was told. Danni had never been one to take direction well, but she was determined not to rock the boat when he could be the help she needed to finish her task.

Stepping from the flow of water, she turned off the faucet with one hand and reached for a stark white towel with the other. Moving naked into the other room, she dropped onto the corner of the bed as she dug into her luggage, looking for a jar of Cetaphil lotion, a clean pair of panties and something to wear.

Minutes late she was moisturized from head to toe, spritzed with the light scent of lavender and dressed in a pair of frayed and torn denim jeans, a cotton T-shirt and black, steel-toed work boots. Taking a quick glance at herself, she pondered whether or not to put on makeup and then decided against it. She pulled her fingers through her hair, twisting the strands up into a high knot atop her head. Satisfied with the reflection staring back at her, she moved to the window to stare out to the parking lot and wait.

* * *

She looked like a grade-schooler, Armstrong thought as Danni sauntered out of the hotel toward his car. He would have been lying if he said he hadn’t been excited to get back to her. Because he had. Overly excited, and it surprised him. He’d been thinking about her since they’d parted ways, him headed home to shower and change while she returned to her hotel room to do the same.

She’d become an irritation, a prickly thorn in his side determined to have his attention. Despite his best efforts he was finding it difficult to get her out of his head. He hadn’t expected to like her, but he did. He liked her gumption and the fire in her spirit that would probably prove to be a challenge for any man. She had managed to do what few women ever had before and that was to hold his full and undivided attention. Now she was walking toward him looking like a twelve-year-old and not the stunning woman who’d been with him most of the day. Well, maybe not twelve, but definitely younger than she had hours earlier. It was unnerving, and he didn’t mind saying so.

“How old are you?” he asked as he moved to open the car door for the woman.

Danni laughed. “Old enough. Why?”

He shook his head, a slight smile pulling at his mouth. “You look like you’re just starting puberty. It’s scary.”

“Starting puberty? Really?”

He shrugged.

Her rich laugh echoed in the early-evening air. “As long as I don’t look like a cop!” She pulled the seat belt across her lap and engaged it. “And I’m thirty-four, so puberty has surely come and gone.”

Armstrong shot her a look, surprise creasing his brow. “Thirty-four? You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I’m very serious. How old are you?”

“Thirty-six.”

“Oh.” Danni turned to stare out the window. A smile pulled gently at the corners of her mouth.

“Oh? Why did you say it like that?”

“I thought you might have been in your forties,” she answered, turning back to stare at him.

Armstrong bristled. “I do not look that old.”

She shrugged, feigning indifference. “If you say so.”

“Do I look like I’m forty?”

She laughed heartily. “You look like you’re well past puberty.”

Armstrong laughed with her. “Touché! At least I don’t look like I need my mommy’s permission to come outside and play.”

Danni rolled her eyes skyward. “So where are we going?” she asked as he pulled his car out of the hotel parking lot.

“We need to stop by a house party not far from here. No time like the present to introduce you to some of the South Side’s criminal element.”

“So does it live up to its reputation?”

“If you’re asking me whether or not the South Side of Chicago is the dregs of hell like the media has made it out to be, then the answer is no. Those of us who live here actually love it. The diverse neighborhoods that make up our side of town are one of our city’s best-kept secrets. And trust me, Lincoln Park and Wicker Park are a hell of a lot scarier between the hours of midnight and six. We also have Harold’s, and they have the best fried chicken around.”

Danni smiled. “How’s the shopping?”

“You’ll get your best deals on Eighty-Seventh and Dan Ryan. White socks and T-shirts, candy, soda pop and bootleg movies are all cheap.”

“Good to know!”

* * *

Stalled in traffic, they fell into a quiet reverie. Armstrong gave her a look as she sat staring out the window. He really liked her. Despite his best efforts not to feel anything at all for her. He found himself drawn to her spirit. She had an energy that he rarely found in the women he dealt with. She wasn’t fawning over him like he was the biggest prize at the state fair. She didn’t wear an air of desperation like some women, wanting a husband and kids before plucking the first strand of gray hair. She had a keen sense of humor, and in their line of work one was necessary. He also appreciated that she didn’t seem to be easily frazzled, her nerves seeming as steady as a rock. If he was going to have a partner, he needed to trust that she had his back, that he didn’t have to worry about a crash and burn when he least expected one. Danni seemed up to the task, and he was willing to give her a chance. Clearly, they had made significant progress since that morning and their first meeting.